Alternate Dungeon Fantasy Currency

[Christopher R. Rice]

Folks,

The title says it all. I'm wondering what sort of currency systems you've used in your campaigns, created, etc. for Dungeon Fantasy. I'm contemplating a system that uses precious stones vs. coinage, but I'd like to see what others think.

Thanks to all who answer!

[PseudoFenton]

Heh, I've made a few - sufficient to say the simplest version is the one currently in use.

DF is not the place to get creative with coinage, money is money and if it starts being other things you throw the whole balance of "and take their stuff" out of whack.

Feel free to give alternatives to coinage, and different forms of consolidated wealth, hell even allow some interesting flavour or room for subtle tips - just don't mess too much with it - a $ must always be a $ and there must always be a means to convert everything into that unyielding representation of a $.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by PseudoFenton

Heh, I've made a few - sufficient to say the simplest version is the one currently in use.

DF is not the place to get creative with coinage, money is money and if it starts being other things you throw the whole balance of "and take their stuff" out of whack.

Feel free to give alternatives to coinage, and different forms of consolidated wealth, hell even allow some interesting flavour or room for subtle tips - just don't mess too much with it - a $ must always be a $ and there must always be a means to convert everything into that unyielding representation of a $.

Oh, I never say "It'll cost you 6 gold pieces" or whatever - that's annoying. It's always "That armor will cost you $480" and move on. I'm very pointedly running a more serious Dungeon Fantasy campaign then the series presents. My players are asking for this stuff - and I'm obliging. I've got a idea, I just want to see where other folks have gone.

[simply Nathan]

My usual monetary units are a copper coin the size of a U.S. quarter dollar being $1, a silver coin the size of a penny being $5, and a gold coin the size of a dime being $100. The copper coin is called a "Buck" because it has the image of a buck stamped on it (a buck of what animal varies from city state to city state), the silver coin is called a "Finn" because if has something with a fin on it (often a dolphin, sometimes a shark, sometimes something else). I don't have a catchy name for the gold pieces yet.

[Dwarf99]

In addition to the standard assumptions $1/$4/$80, I assume base coins are 100/lb, so gold and silver coins are about 40% pure. A sovereign is made of platinum (which is worth 30K/lb in my game) but is slightly more pure. It is worth $150 and is 50% pure. I also have a Pound coin worth a pound of pure silver, made from 40% gold that weighs 2 ounces.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Dwarf99

In addition to the standard assumptions $1/$4/$80, I assume base coins are 100/lb, so gold and silver coins are about 40% pure. A sovereign is made of platinum (which is worth 30K/lb in my game) but is slightly more pure. It is worth $150 and is 50% pure. I also have a Pound coin worth a pound of pure silver, made from 40% gold that weighs 2 ounces.

That's some heavily debased coinage you've got there.

Personally, my fantasy is not dungeon fantasy, but as my setting is heavily influenced by Elizabethan England, I follow their lead and use sterling silver for almost all of my coinage.

[Gedrin]

I've been running the same fantasy world for a long time and I just use 1/10/100/1000 coinage, with coins being handwaved to different sizes. Usually, denominations will be described and named when I do worldbuilding. Most treasure found isn't in the form of coins, usually valuable goods and objects, and this adds enough spice for my players. Using more complicated denominations has never added enough to the game to justify the trouble. The only time I really bother with money changing or the like is to indicate the level of order and economic control in an area, or to indicate a perception of corruption in a nation (sure it's a silver, but it's from <nation with debased coinage/>).

[Dwarf99]

Originally Posted by RyanW

That's some heavily debased coinage you've got there.

Nah, it's mainly because I prefer 100 coins to a pound over 250.
100 to a lb is ~4.5 grams
US coins
cent: 2.5 grams
nickel: 5 grams
dime: 2.27 grams
quarter: 5.67 grams

100% of the appropriate metal would result in coins weighing less than a dime. That's ok I suppose.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Naturally, this all depends on your players. Once upon a time, I experimented with currency systems resembling historical ones: multiple sizes of coin per type of metal, non-decimal conversions (like the 12/20/1 ratio of d/s/l), and the like. Did not go over well. My players just wanted to know how much money they have and whether or not carrying it is an issue. This wasn't a question of "seriousness" so much as whether or not the drudgery of doing currency conversion is made up for by the color it adds. For my players, the answer was a big no.

What I've done from time to time since then isn't to come up with coherent systems so much as mention colorful details. For example, a goblin might have a pouch of coins worth $100, most of which are crudely stamped silver and a smattering of billon coins minted by the Duke of Earl. All the accounting happens off stage, and the players are left with painless and shiny descriptions.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

The title says it all. I'm wondering what sort of currency systems you've used in your campaigns, created, etc. for Dungeon Fantasy.

I'm bog-standard. Because I got a table that gives me details, I did come up with what's on the coin faces, but that's just a little detail for when players ask.