Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

Death Test says you can use the ITL encumbrance rules, but don't give any weights for the gold bars.

My suggestion is that the gold bars are actually silver:
10 pounds each, about 2x3x4.5 inches. Worth $1000 by ITL 67

So ten silver bars and nothing else is 100 pounds, and maxes out a ST 10 character as expected.

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

Death Test says each gold bar is worth 1000 silver. That is, it is 100 gold coins of weight. Assuming it is really a solid gold bar and not just some lead bar that they let you cash in for some silver.

ITL says 100 coins weighs 1.0 lbs. That is, a gold bar is 1.0 lbs. Too light, I know, but the math points to this.

So, on the surface if you use the ITL encumbrance rules you will have an easy time carrying a lot of gold bars. Specially if you have a dwarf in the team.

I just stay with the Death Test rule: MA -1 per gold bar but no lower than MA 4 and max 10 bars. It may be more of an issue with having no easy way to carry them more than just the weight.

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

I agree with your conclusion.

There is one way that we could make the weights somewhat less implausible, however. A gold bar is worth 100 gold coins, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it has the same amount of gold as 100 gold coins. We could imagine that gold made into coins is just valued more than the same weight of gold in a bar.

I guess (though I don't know) historically, a gold coin was supposed to be worth the same as any ol' mass of gold of the same weight. Whether that was the case or not, it doesn't have to be so in Cidri.

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

Silver coins are rather heavy for their weight. So melt them down into very fine silver daggers that are worth a hundred times more.

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

"Heavy for their weight"?

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

I think Henry meant that TFT coins are too heavy for what he expects they should weigh. I think the weight is dead on.

Roman gold coins minted by various emperors weighed from 4.5 grams each to 8 grams each. Gold doubloons weighed from 6 to 8 grams each.

That means 100 gold coins would vary from 1 to 1.8 lbs. In ITL 100 coins being a 1 lb of weigh is perfect. Or if you wish to going with heavier coins, then 50 coins is 1 lb. So, ITL coins are a realistic weight.

Daggers on the other hand are very far off & just too light.

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

Oops, I meant heavy for their value.

A subsistence wage of one silver coin a week would be more historically accurate for Earth, but then we don't have dwarves digging up all the mountains.

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

For a comparison, the old US silver dollar, think Morgan or Peace, was just under 1 ounce. So 16 coins = $16 = 1 pound.

A current issue US quarter is about .2 ounces or 5.6gr. US mint spec site: https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-an...specifications

Seems a current US dollar coin is reasonably close in weight to the old Roman or doubloon coins if you go with the heavier coin and for the lighter versions, a quarter is a close match.

Sometimes it is good to find a close modern match to imaginary items in a game. That pouch with 100 TFT coins would be about the same as dumping $25 worth of US quarters into your pocket and heading out.

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

Note that Evil Stevie wrote the price list just before Silver Thursday.
https://www.hcobb.com/tft/legacy_first.html#Thursday

Re: Gold bars of Death Test 1 and 2
 

Open Tunnel spells... the main explanation for cheap gold and dungeons.