How do you determine Shop Inventory?

[Obergnom]

Title says it. How do you determine items available in a shop?

Do you have a list for each shop? Do you roll a dice for each item after the players asked for it? Is everything available the players might want to buy? Or are a couple of sources 'common' and available while everything else is hard to get?

 

[Crothian]

Inventory depends on what the shop is, where it is, and current economy factors of the city/country/area. I don't do an inventory for every shop that would be ridiculous. It all depends on what the PC wants. I do use the rules of the game as guidelines but take into account other factors.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

My answer pertains specifically to 4E:

I don't have shops. Crafters buy magic items for the residuum value (20%) and break it down into a more portable medium. Then they can craft any item a customer desires with the Enchant Magic Item ritual in one hour. The size of the community generally supports higher level crafters, but the occasional "wizard in a secluded tower" could pop up in game.

I also have a system in my newest campaign set up where a character can seek out a trade for an item he cannot use or doesn't want, but it's kind of random and the character probably won't get exactly what he wants, but should at least get the general type of item he's looking for.

 

[CleverNickName]

Well, back in the days of BECM, I would assign a Treasure Type to a particular shop and only roll for special or magical items. Most shops would have Treasure Type N or O, but the higher-end shops in bigger cities might have Type E or F. And in areas of the world where magic is common, like Minrothad or the Isle of Dawn, I wouldn't even bother with the percentile.

In 3.x, I did the same thing, except I gave each shop an Encounter Level, instead of a Treasure Type.

There are some pretty rad tools out there that will randomly generate treasure hoards for you, with the click of your mouse. My favorite was written by James Buck, and is simply called "Treasure Generator." Just type in the Encounter Level of the treasure you want, toggle off the coins and artwork, and click a few times. Presto, a magic shop's inventory.

 

[Bullgrit]

First off: Why in the world would you need to know the specific inventory of a specific shop? (Note the OP doesn't mention magic.) Playing out a shopping expedition through a town or city is taking role playing and world simulation down to a detailed level that I don't find entertaining.

I simply use the gold limit for the town/city. Everything within that limit is available, somewhere, somehow in that town/city. I don't worry about exactly what shop has what.

If I had a Player demand to know what's in the stock of a specific store, I'd ask, "What exactly are you looking for?" If they are looking for something particular, and they are in a store that might sell such (looking for a saddle in a leatherworker shop), I'd give a 50/50 chance of that item being right there.

Bullgrit

 

[Obergnom]

Well, yeah, I meant magic items

But inventory can be an issue with those, too. How many Healing Potions des the local temple have available?

 

[Fifth Element]

First off: Why in the world would you need to know the specific inventory of a specific shop? (Note the OP doesn't mention magic.) Playing out a shopping expedition through a town or city is taking role playing and world simulation down to a detailed level that I don't find entertaining.

Why? Maybe because they do find it entertaining?

 

[Bullgrit]

How many Healing Potions des the local temple have available?

1d6.

Bullgrit

 

[Fifth Element]

2d4-2.

 

[howandwhy99]

It's a production game mainly going on in the background, but one that can be addressed directly from a management or rulership position.

It's somewhat standard for games of this type. A basic resources by territory and trade, craftsman by product type, services by NPC profession, trading and trade route game. Available goods and services are conglomerated by urban center whether that be a thorpe or a large city, though these groupings can be generated into webs of local commerce based upon population size. Prices increase or decrease according to availability and the overall base coin value fluctuates from changes across all urban centers within a single trading matrix.

The specific products available in any given shop are undetermined until interacted with, sort of like unnamed NPC abilities. But I do generate lists, if such places are within playability range for the PCs for a session. Then that inventory list changes according to ongoing PC actions and the overall changes for that region and urban center.

It may sound complex, but the underlying rules are actually quite few. They just carry through in each situation. An overall list of products in a territory can be carved up with cost multipliers according to urban center and specific availability according to shop.

Specifics are important only if the PCs can really reach such a place, so details are only filled in based on proximity.