Trading commodities in D&D

[Crothian]

Silk Road does a good job with this. It is what I use.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I really like "Silk Road" by Expeditious Retreat Press. Not only do they have the rules for trade, they also have an incredibly huge list of trade goods that are good inspiration for new adventures. Plus it's a darn interesting read about the Silk Road.

Second Third Fourth that. Superb book.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

OOH, a little summon nature's ally and wall of iron action, and they can corner the market on pork bellies and iron!

 

[Twowolves]

Arms and Equipment Guide has prices for trade goods, and the Mother of All Encounter Tables has a caravan generator, complete with what they are hauling and lists with values.

I'm not sure, but I think Toolkit has some random trade good stuff in it (but without prices).

The new Pirates of the Spanish Main rpg has simple rules for buying and selling cargo, as well as a random cargo generator for when your crew of saucy pirates takes that prize ship and peeks into it's hold.

 

[3catcircus]

MMS:Silk Road. Its that good.

 

[taliesin15]

Way back in the late '70s I can recall board games centered around trade of this sort. Anyhow, I think its a good cover for adventurers, though depending on the milieu, it could be very dangerous if they start chiselling into say a lucrative business and the other merchants start to catch wind of them--the contemporary example would be the drug trade, though in the middle ages and before the spice and silk trade was rife with assasination, armed robbery if not all out war between merchants.

Back to your question--sounds like others have answered yr basic questions--just keep in mind if the PCs start bringing a heretofore rare product into a specific market, they possibly run the danger of glutting the market, thus lowering their profits. Not sure too many DMs take that into account. The party I DM took a load of tobacco to some lands to the West where it is rare, doubling their money, getting in good with local officials. Good cover for their spy mission. They never did it again--yet--and thus, prices there are still high as is demand.

 

[Kax Tuglebend]

I've never had the chance to use it, but the Minrothad Guilds Gazetteer for BD&D had a good trading system akin to the Traveller system ~ its long out of print but only $4.95 from DTRPG

 

[Holy Bovine]

Wow! Thanks for all the excellent ideas guys! I will check out the products mentioned here (Silk Road seems like the most likely candidate).

 

[Michael Dean]

I've never had the chance to use it, but the Minrothad Guilds Gazetteer for BD&D had a good trading system akin to the Traveller system ~ its long out of print but only $4.95 from DTRPG

Ha, ha! I just checked it out on drivethrurpg and the women on the cover are such 80's chicks. The overly blow-dried hair, the poofy shirts. It's perfect.

 

[jgbrowning]

I'm glad everything thinks highly of A Magical Society: Silk Road. Makes us happy!

joe b.