Hey, there! I'm starting this thread because I'm interested in coinage and trade goods in fantasy rpgs. We all know about the "traditional" coinage used in D&D. For example:

* Copper
* Silver
* Gold
* Platinum

In addition to these, I'm interested in minted coins of other metals, and am looking for ideas for names of coins drawn from history. I'm also curious about common trade goods that could be used in fantasy settings. Any ideas?

Some thoughts I have for new coin metals in my campaign...

* Billon: It's a metal alloy containing mostly copper or bronze with a small quantity of silver. I figure it could be a fairly common coin, with a value greater than copper pieces, but less valuable than silver.

* Brass: This is an alloy of copper and zinc. I'd probably give this a lower denomination than a copper piece.

* Electrum: This metal is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, containing trace amounts of copper and other metals. It's sometimes called "white gold", and has been produced artificially. Electrum hasn't really been seen in D&D since the "old school" days, when AD&D was King. 3e abandoned this metal, possibly to make coin currencies more "organized" or something. That's a shame. I'd give it a value somewhere in between silver and gold...

More thoughts to come soon...

What is the real world objective though?

If you look at actual currency you only get odd alloys and stuff (or aluminium coins from Rumania in the 80s ) when the value of the coin is entirely symbolic. If you move towards the value of the coin being symbolic then alloys of nickle and zinc get popular because they are so resilient. Of course by that point you have paper money as well as a promisory note from a merchant house in London is much easier to carry to Constantinople that 3 chests of gold coin.

Using funny metals just for the sake of it is a bit meh... really people just make smaller coins, so an old copper penny was big and heavy so they created half-pennys, farthings, etc etc. A shilling versus a half crown etc

I never liked how D&D refers to the denominations as the metal types officially.

We may call pennies coppers but that's coloquial.

When I run dugeon fantasy I use...

Groats (Bronze)

Shekels (Silver)

Gelds (Gold)

I like electrum and use it a lot. In my campaigns, it is typically found in treasure hoards from antiquity - so if the characters find it, they know they have uncovered something old.

Sacrificial bulls are also a common expression of value (at 30 gp each), for their use in placating the gods. And there are also "hundredweights" of gold for the same purpose, although they can simply be sufficient coinage.

GURPS' Best of Pyramid 1 and Low-Tech Companion 3: Daily Life and Economics are both great resources for this kind of thing. It's sad that BoP 1 isn't out in PDF, because the article on low-tech economies is great.

Here's what I use in my current fantasy game:

QuoteDwarven Currency

The lowest form of dwarven currency is the copper dowel, worth $.0.50 in GURPS terms. The next coin up is the silver mark, worth $2, and then the glowstone clanmark worth $10. Dwarven coins are not round, but instead are rectangular chits about half an inch long, ornately decorated on all sides to discourage shaving and counterfeiting.

Elven Currency

Elves do not mint coins, and have a general disdain for abstract currency. They use reciprocity within their own borders, and barter when dealing with outsiders. The Exiles have been known to trade in Imperial currency, but the elves of Cerrania generally will not.

Orcish Currency

The most common orcish coin is the orcish flint, a triangular coin of cut stone lined with silver, worth $0.25 in GURPS terms. The next coin up is the shield, a larger triangular coin lined with gold, worth $1.

Imperial Currency

Imperial currency is the standard throughout most of the Four Kingdoms.

The most common Imperial coin is the silver talon, worth $1 in GURPS terms. The next coin up is the gold imperial sovereign, worth $20, and the eagle's crown, worth $50. The coins are octagonal and emblazoned with the symbol of whatever House was in power at the time of its minting.

Dwarven dowel: $0.50
Dwarven silver mark: $2
Dwarven clanmark:    $10
Orcish flint: $0.25
Orcish shield: $1
Imperial talon: $1
Imperial sovereign: $20
Imperial eagle's crown: $50

I bought some of these as props and they're fun. Nothing like tossing an actual bag of coins to a player as you're cutting a deal.

For ease of use:

Copper, Silver, and Gold
1 gold = 10 silver = 100 copper

For more history based, just use silver pennies for what's in circulation and the larger amounts are "accounting" coins, not in circulation, just on the books.

Quote from: Ian Warner;467197I never liked how D&D refers to the denominations as the metal types officially.

We may call pennies coppers but that's coloquial.

When I run dugeon fantasy I use...

Groats (Bronze)

Shekels (Silver)

Gelds (Gold)

Cool. I read that the groat was historically a silver coin, so I figured I'd step outside of historical boundaries a bit and have mine made of billon (mostly bronze, a little silver).

Quote from: jibbajibbaWhat is the real world objective though?

If you look at actual currency you only get odd alloys and stuff (or aluminium coins from Rumania in the 80s ) when the value of the coin is entirely symbolic. If you move towards the value of the coin being symbolic then alloys of nickle and zinc get popular because they are so resilient. Of course by that point you have paper money as well as a promisory note from a merchant house in London is much easier to carry to Constantinople that 3 chests of gold coin.

Using funny metals just for the sake of it is a bit meh... really people just make smaller coins, so an old copper penny was big and heavy so they created half-pennys, farthings, etc etc. A shilling versus a half crown etc

Well, I still intend to use the regular coinage (copper, silver, gold), but want to add in other types of coins, and name them (farthing, bit, groat, geld, etc). I guess I'd like to provide a reason for coins other than gold to be used. Once characters are above 1st-level in D&D 3.x, non-gold coins are almost worthless, and practically never used. I'd like to change that. I'm thinking that maybe a suit of chainmail or a magic potion could be worth a gold piece or so, so that anyone throwing around gold coins would be considered "wealthy".

Quote from: MelanI like electrum and use it a lot. In my campaigns, it is typically found in treasure hoards from antiquity - so if the characters find it, they know they have uncovered something old.

I like electrum too, and wish to see its return in the game.

Quote from: MelanSacrificial bulls are also a common expression of value (at 30 gp each), for their use in placating the gods. And there are also "hundredweights" of gold for the same purpose, although they can simply be sufficient coinage.

Interesting..

Quote from: Insufficient MetalI bought some of these as props and they're fun. Nothing like tossing an actual bag of coins to a player as you're cutting a deal.

I saw those. They look real nice, and I'd like to see 'em firsthand....

I understand the "ease of use" argument for coinage conversions in D&D, but it always struck me as somewhat off-kilter that all "modern" AND ancient societies used the same coins and exchange rates, essentially. Bash in a box in a 1,000 year old dungeon and you get the same silvers you'd get from a merchant in the nearby town, for example. That's why I like the suggestions for different coinages for different societies mentioned up-thread a bit.

Maybe a better sytem would be tracking treasure by weight rather than coin type, but I guess that would seem to be an unnecessary level of complexity for games that are more dungeon-crawkls than sandboxes.

While it is easy to use, I've nevertheless grown rather cold towards Ye Olde gold piece / silver piece / copper piece with change ratios of 10.

In one campaign I'm running (presently on hiatus), 1 gold Mark is 20 Scyllings, and each Scylling is 12 Sceats. If you're in the lands of the Seax and the Daans, that is. In Ermora, you'd have the gold Solidus, which is worth Denarii, each of which is equal to 4 Sestertii.

In another, upcoming campaign, the universally accepted coinage will be minted of alchemical metals, the creation methods of which are long lost. So if you're one of the lucky few who know how to, you can squeeze magic directly out of your money, no need to spend it on magic items!

For some reason, I don't like the name "electrum". It makes me think of modern things; electricity, I guess. It just ruins the fantasy vibe for me.

Be that as it may, the very first currency was electrum. Putting it into ancient hoards makes a lot of sense from a real world perspective in addition to being a nice little nod to older editions.

In many ancient societies, sheep and cattle were the standard medium of exchange. Not that they could be used as a currency, but this was a typical way to calculate wealth, and a common gift. Prior to currency (and long after its introduction), gift-giving was a prevalent way to move wealth around.

the Greeks started out using Lydian coins (at first electrum, but later silver and gold) but later, cities started minting their own (mostly) silver currency. In a way, when a city minted its own coinage it was a sign that it had "arrived", perhaps similar to a modern city building an international airport.

For a time Athenian coins were very widespread, because the amount of silver in a single coin was so reliable. Later, when they fell on hard times, they debased their currency and it became less popular. The smallest Athenian coin was the Obol. Six Obols made a Drachma (literally, "a handful")

Quote from: Premier;467258While it is easy to use, I've nevertheless grown rather cold towards Ye Olde gold piece / silver piece / copper piece with change ratios of 10.

In one campaign I'm running (presently on hiatus), 1 gold Mark is 20 Scyllings, and each Scylling is 12 Sceats. If you're in the lands of the Seax and the Daans, that is. In Ermora, you'd have the gold Solidus, which is worth Denarii, each of which is equal to 4 Sestertii.

I would love to do this, but my player's enthusiasm for such things is, shall we say, significantly less than my own.

Whilst. I am not in favour of different an unusual alloys for coin I am very keen on different coins and typically pcs in my games will always face the evils of the street of moneychangers to convert their gold nobles to local crowns or thallers. Then its all about local exchange rates base metal in the coin etc

Also in my games I tend to run currency at a simple convertion so 1sp -s a pound in value. That way the party know that a room in a nice tavern might cost 30spbut ion pleasure place they can pay 300 a night ..... This ensures they never have any money at all.

In Moragne, the only kind of money that is actually minted are silver pennies. Every other kind of money is notional or derives from it. A half-penny is one half of a penny that has been cut in two. 240 pennies make a pound, which is used for accounting and does not actually exist. I find this to be one of the easier systems I've ever used in a game.

One other thing that we've started to adopt in my group is trending towards prescious stones for portable wealth rather than hundreds of pounds of copper. In the campaign I'm prepping now, wealth will be quite a bit less than the typical D&D setting, and most of it will be in items/goods (non-magical, but high-quality) and gemstones (the finest of which will have actual magical properties).