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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9197661" data-attributes="member: 42582">Someone asked (outside of this thread) - what is resources vs currency?<a href="http://lumpley.com/index.php/anyway/thread/497" target="_blank">Resources refers to components of the character that are</a>:reserves he can draw on or use up: he might fatigue himself, he might get scared or rattled, he might oh I dunno start suddenly to precipitously lose blood. On his character sheet these might be hit points, wound boxes, fatigue levels, maybe endurance checks or saves vs poison.Resources differ from effectiveness in that effectiveness contributes "oomph" in the resolution of declared actions, whereas resources enable the character to stay active and keep going, and hence the player to keep participating.In Torchbearer, rope, spikes, weapons, and much other gear are all effectiveness in that they grant bonuses to action resolution. Rations, candles and armour, on the other hand, are resources - rations protect against conditions accrued on the Grind, candles protect against darkness, and armour protects against hit point loss in capture, kill and drive off conflicts.This example helps elucidate currency. "Currency", in Vincent's usage, refers to the relationship between these character components - that is, the relationship that the game establishes between effectiveness, resources and position.In many RPGs, including Torchbearer, currency is quite complex. But one aspect of Torchbearer currency is established via the encumbrance rules - carrying a weapon limits carrying a candle; piling on armour limits how many rations you can carry; etc.Here's another aspect of Torchbearer currency: by using salt, a player can increase their character's effectiveness at Cook, which can in turn help establish resources (preserved rations).Because so much of Torchbearer's currency is focused on gear - acquiring it, hauling it, using it, replacing it - the game centres "bean counting" in a way that (say) Burning Wheel or Cortex+ Heroic does not.</blockquote>

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