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<blockquote data-quote="WizarDru" data-source="post: 1290505" data-attributes="member: 151">Another thing you need to consider is that Joe Farmer isn't working for himself, and as often as not isn't working a full year's worth of work.&nbsp; Not only does he pay taxes, he's expected to work his liege lord's lands for a few months, and may have lots of other dues, besides.&nbsp; His upkeep is more than mere food and clothing, and he's usually barely scraping by.&nbsp; A good source for an idea of how Medieval economics work and how they relate to the D&amp;D game would be &quot;<a href="http://http://www.exp.citymax.com/page/page/351668.htm" target="_blank">Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe</a>&quot;.&nbsp; It's one of the best resources a DM can have for the actual economics of Medieval society, and how the heroes fit in it.&nbsp;As hong alludes, the economics of D&amp;D are somewhat preposterous, and not meant to realistically represent something even remotely close to the real world.&nbsp; When you stop to consider that a masterwork broadsword is worth more than what Joe Farmer expects to see in a couple of years, let alone a magical one, you see the problem.&nbsp;&nbsp; By the end of their professional careers, D&amp;D characters have been trucking in more pure loot than most nations can muster to their defense.&nbsp; The core D&amp;D setting assumes a lot of cash passing about.&nbsp; &nbsp;Which is not to say you couldn't make it more realistic...just that you need to consider the far-reaching effects of such a choice, and the increased amount of work for all involved.&nbsp; One of the things that I always liked and disliked about GURPS is that all of the prices in all of the sourcebooks are listed in dollars ($), with the explanation that you'd translate the prices to your setting accordingly.&nbsp; It made understanding the economics of any particular setting simple, but lacked flavor.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="WizarDru, post: 1290505, member: 151"] Another thing you need to consider is that Joe Farmer isn't working for himself, and as often as not isn't working a full year's worth of work. Not only does he pay taxes, he's expected to work his liege lord's lands for a few months, and may have lots of other dues, besides. His upkeep is more than mere food and clothing, and he's usually barely scraping by. A good source for an idea of how Medieval economics work and how they relate to the D&D game would be "[url="http://http://www.exp.citymax.com/page/page/351668.htm"]Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe[/url]". It's one of the best resources a DM can have for the actual economics of Medieval society, and how the heroes fit in it. As hong alludes, the economics of D&D are somewhat preposterous, and not meant to realistically represent something even remotely close to the real world. When you stop to consider that a masterwork broadsword is worth more than what Joe Farmer expects to see in a couple of years, let alone a magical one, you see the problem. By the end of their professional careers, D&D characters have been trucking in more pure loot than most nations can muster to their defense. The core D&D setting assumes a lot of cash passing about. Which is not to say you couldn't make it more realistic...just that you need to consider the far-reaching effects of such a choice, and the increased amount of work for all involved. One of the things that I always liked and disliked about GURPS is that all of the prices in all of the sourcebooks are listed in dollars ($), with the explanation that you'd translate the prices to your setting accordingly. It made understanding the economics of any particular setting simple, but lacked flavor. [/QUOTE]

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