Money, by any other name

[Beholder Bob]

I'm looking to name the coinage for my different races and am looking for some good systems. It all started when I referred in game to PCs getting paid 200 silver pennies. Any good ideas? I'm hoping for several different sets, as I've got island nations w/their own systems. Do you think ignoring reality (and history) to ease everyones life is worth making everyone's system base 10? Or should I thrown in base 12, 8, and odd mixes (oh, that coin is worth 6 of these, but if it was minted between 1200-1350, the gold content was lower, so 13 of those equals 1 of these...)? What do you do.

BB

 

[azmodean]

You just have to use the 200lb stone wheels. I can't remember the name, but they're in the guiness book for largest currency.

I'd love to play in a game that had interesting issues like exchange rates and different currency, but it depends on your players and how much time you have to keep it all straight. An importaint thing to consider is how your players would react to being ripped off due to exchange rates. If they could have fun with that happening, it lets you do all kinds of interesting stuff. Appraise would likely become a much more important skill to have

 

[edbonny]

History can be a great example of non-decimal based monetary systems. why English currency just after WWII looked like this. Note that it is not only non-decimal but non-linear (not everything builds up to the next logical name level).

1 farthing = 1/4 pence (penny)

1 pence = 4 farthings

1 tuppence coin = 2 pence

1 thrupenny coin = 3 pence

1 shilling = 12 pence

1 florin = 2 shillings

1/2 crown = 2 shillings and 6 pence

1 pound (note) = 20 shillings

1 guinea = 1 pound and 1 shilling

​

- Ed

 

[Dark Psion]

You can also incorporate the history of your setting into the currency exchange. Nations that were once at war may not recognize each other's currency, while a nation conqured might use both.

A nation with a history of Lycanthopy might value silver more than gold, but a nation rules by lycanthropes might outlaw silver as a currency.

A nation might have a unique currency; brass, electrum or ceramic coins and a mechant kingdom would have to have something to represent large amount of money; trade bars or paper notes. I have allways liked the diamond chips in amber currency from the lankmar setting.

One thing that is strangely missing is magical currency. Imagine magical coins that could make their own change, gold to silver, at a command, Animated images on paper money and simple charms to prevent it from being coppied.

 

[painandgreed]

I stick with base 10 and justify it by saying that this is the exchange rate set by the major kingdom in the land by decree of the king. Most of the other countries follow suit because that kingdom sets the standard. If the PCs get to some BFE parts of the world, then they'll have to deal with localized exchange rates. Uniform coin sizes between coutries comes from the dwarves who standardized coinage before humans could even talk.

I take clipped coins and varying qualities into account when paying for stuff. When you want to buy something, it takes about 1 minute per GP of haggling. This includes normal haggleing over price of item as well as the seller haggling over which of your coins he's willing to take. In the end, it all supposed to even out.