Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 22 Nov 2001 to 23 Nov 2001 (#2001-322) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 24/11/2001, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 5 messages totalling 200 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. =?iso-8859-1?Q?money_in_mystara?= 2. Green orcish blood, why not 3. money in mystara (3) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 18:05:05 +0100 From: "=?utf-8?Q?sturm@libero.it?=" Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?money_in_mystara?= SG93IG11Y2ggaXMgIGEgZ29sZCBjb2luIHdvcnRoIGluIE15c3RhcmEgPyBBY2NvcmRpbmcg dG8gdGhlIEV4cGVydCANCmJvb2sgKHRoZSBibHVlIGJveCkgYSB3YXIgaG9yc2UgaXMgd29y dGggMjUwIGdwIGFuZCBhIG5vcm1hbCBkYWdnZXIgMyANCmdwLiBXaGVuIEkgYmVnYW4gcGxh eWluZyBzb21lIHllYXJzIGFnbyBJIGhhZCBxdWl0ZSBjb25mdXNlZCBpZGVhcyANCmFib3V0 IHByaWNlcyBhbmQgc28gaSBuZXZlciBtaW5kIGFib3V0IHRoZSByZWFsIHdvcnRobmVzcyBv ZiBhIGdvbGQgDQpwaWVjZSwgYnV0IGFmdGVyIHNvbWUgbW9udGhzIG9mIHBsYXlpbmcsIEkg c2V0IHRoZSBjb21tZXJjaWFsIHdvcnRoIG9mIA0KYSBnb2xkIHBpZWNlIHRvIDUtNiBVUyBk b2xsYXJzLi4gc28gYSBub3JtYWwgZGFnZ2VyIHdvdWxkIGJlIHdvcnRoIDE1LQ0KMjAgVVMg ZG9sbGFycyBhbmQgdGhlIHdhciBob3JzZSAxMjUwLTE1MDAgVVMgZG9sbGFycy4uIFRoYXQg d2FzIHRlbiANCnllYXJzIGFnbywgYnV0IG5vd2FkYXlzIEkgcmV2aXNlZCB0aGUgd29ydGgg b2YgdGhlIGdvbGQgY29pbiBpbiBteSANCmNhbXBhaWduIHRvIDI1IFVTIGRvbGxhcnMuIFRo aXMgaXMgbm90ICBhIHJlc3VsdCBvZiBpbmZsYWN0aW9uIGJ1dCBqdXN0IA0KYmVjYXVzZSBJ IGFja25vd2xlZGdlZCB0aGF0IHRoZSBwcmljZSB3YXMgdG9vIGxvdy4uIFRvZGF5LCBpbiBl ZmZlY3QsIGEgDQpyZWFyZWQgaG9yc2UgaXMgd29ydGggc29tZXRoaW5nIGxpa2UgNTAwMCBV UyBkb2xsYXJzIG9yIG1vcmUsIGF0IGxlYXN0IA0KaW4gRXVyb3BlLi4gQW5kIGlmIG5vd2Fk YXlzIG9uZSBjYW4gYnV5IGEgbm9ybWFsIGRhZ2dlciBmb3Igc29tZXRoaW5nIA0KbGlrZSAy MCBVUyBkb2xsYXJzLCBpIHRoaW5rIGluIG1lZGlldmFsIHRpbWVzIGEgZGFnZ2VyIGNvdWxk IG5vdCBiZSANCnB1cmNoYXNlZCBmb3IgbGVzcyB0aGFuIDUwLTcwIFVTIGRvbGxhcnMuLiBT byBJIG5vdyBrZWVwICB0aGUgZ29sZCANCmNvaW5zJ3ZhbHVlIHRvIGEgIDI1IHVzIGRvbGxh cnMsIHRoZSBzaWx2ZXIgcGllY2UgdG8gYSAyLDUgZG9sbGFycyBhbmQgDQp0aGUgY29wcGVy IHBpZWNlIHRvIHNvbWV0aGluZyBhYm91dCAgMjAgY2VudHMuLiBJIHRoaW5rIHRoYXQgdGhp cyB3YXkgDQppdCBhbGwgY2FuIG1ha2UgbW9yZSBzZW5zZSB3aXRoIHRoZSBwcmljZXMgaW4g dGhlIGV4cGVydCBib29rIGFuZCBpbiANCnRoZSBEYXJva2lhbiBHYXpldGVlci4uDQpBbnl3 YXkgdGhlIHZhcmlvdXMgY29pbnMgb2YgdGhlIGtub3cgd29ybGQgd2lsbCBoYXZlIGRpZmZl cmVudCANCndvcnRoaW5nLi4uIGZvciBleGFtcGxlIEkgdGhpbmsgRGFyb2tpbiwgTWlucm90 aGFkLCBSb2NraG9tZSBhbmQgbWF5YmUgDQpHbGFudHJpIHdpbGwgaGF2ZSBxdWl0ZSBzdHJv bmcgY3VycmVuY2llcy4uLiBhbmQgS2FyYW1laWtvcywgSWVyZW5kaSwgDQpUaHlhdGlzIGFu ZCBTaW5kIGxlc3Mgc3Ryb25nLXZhbHVlZCBjdXJyZW5jaWVzLi4ucGxlYXNlLCB0ZWxsIG1l IHdoYXQgDQpkbyB5b3UgdGhpbmsgYWJvdXQgdGhlIG1hdHRlci4gYnllDQoNCkZyYW5jZXNj bw== ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 12:06:12 -0500 From: Christopher M Cherrington Subject: Re: Green orcish blood, why not Giving the topic of Vulcan blood, that it is copper based; that would make sense for a race that is mostly an underground or dark race. Human and other animals use iron found in plant life and from meats that ate other plant eaters or plants. Could their be an orcish tribe in Karameikos that subsists on a high copper diet? Eating a particular animal that supposedly would gain the orc strength (or high standing). For instance a basilisk could be high in copper (since it is an elemental creature). There may be some elemental vortex near the orcs, and killing a fierce creature like a basilisk, can give the hunting orcs a high degree of machismo. Then all those that eat the basilisk for many years would have to start using copper for the oxygen transfer in the blood. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 17:27:13 -0500 From: Jeff Daly Subject: Re: money in mystara Economy is completely thrown off. Don't obsess too much over how much gold would actually be worth in modern times or historical times. In setting terms, though we say Mystara is similar to 15th century Europe, its really not. There just simply is not a 1:1 correspondence...nor should there be. Even having said that, a few years back I took grocery receipts and applied a rule of 1 gold = 1dollar (Or maybe 1 silver = 1 dollar) and came up with a list of supplies and foods for my campaign. That was actually worthwhile and probably makes the most sense. But always remember, the most important consideration is the impact on the players, not the impact on the make-believe background economy. ----- Original Message ----- From: "sturm@libero.it" To: Sent: Friday, November 23, 2001 12:05 PM Subject: [MYSTARA] money in mystara > How much is a gold coin worth in Mystara ? According to the Expert > book (the blue box) a war horse is worth 250 gp and a normal dagger 3 > gp. When I began playing some years ago I had quite confused ideas > about prices and so i never mind about the real worthness of a gold > piece, but after some months of playing, I set the commercial worth of > a gold piece to 5-6 US dollars.. so a normal dagger would be worth 15- > 20 US dollars and the war horse 1250-1500 US dollars.. That was ten > years ago, but nowadays I revised the worth of the gold coin in my > campaign to 25 US dollars. This is not a result of inflaction but just > because I acknowledged that the price was too low.. Today, in effect, a > reared horse is worth something like 5000 US dollars or more, at least > in Europe.. And if nowadays one can buy a normal dagger for something > like 20 US dollars, i think in medieval times a dagger could not be > purchased for less than 50-70 US dollars.. So I now keep the gold > coins'value to a 25 us dollars, the silver piece to a 2,5 dollars and > the copper piece to something about 20 cents.. I think that this way > it all can make more sense with the prices in the expert book and in > the Darokian Gazeteer.. > Anyway the various coins of the know world will have different > worthing... for example I think Darokin, Minrothad, Rockhome and maybe > Glantri will have quite strong currencies... and Karameikos, Ierendi, > Thyatis and Sind less strong-valued currencies...please, tell me what > do you think about the matter. bye > > FrancescoN¶ZvT¶Ãw.¢±NÊ­T¶Ãjº¢¢¹®±z-! D S51 SyÊ.² ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 23:59:04 +0100 From: Agathokles Subject: Re: money in mystara "sturm@libero.it" wrote: > > How much is a gold coin worth in Mystara ? I'd start from the average taxation rate for commoners: if you say that X gp are the avg monthly income of a commoner, than you can compare this figure to an equivalent RW income). That would be a better guess, IMO. > Anyway the various coins of the know world will have different > worthing... for example I think Darokin, Minrothad, Rockhome and maybe > Glantri will have quite strong currencies... and Karameikos, Ierendi, > Thyatis and Sind less strong-valued currencies...please, tell me what > do you think about the matter. bye Surely, the Rockhome Sun would be like RW Swiss Franc, and Glantrian currency would be kept stable, except perhaps during the WotI time. Darokin would be strong, but subject to variations following the events in Hule. Ierendi currency is often looked as unreliable, as per the gaz, and exchange frauds are common. Karameikos does its best to keep its currency reliable, but it is a small nation, and subject to the fluctuations of the Thyatian Lucin. Thyatian currency works as the Roman currency: it is often stable, until an emperor is in need of money. Minrothad I wouldn't know. The Heldannic Knights would have a strong currency, too. -- Giampaolo Agosta agathokles@libero.it agosta@elet.polimi.it http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 01:22:02 -0500 From: Christopher M Cherrington Subject: Re: money in mystara Its what makes the world go round... It has been awhile since I have posted anything truly extraordinary, but money gets me going... I developed a system for thieves called Bauble Points. It has less to do with money, and more to do with bartering, fencing, et. I use this system for Traladaran thieves, mainly because I like to think of them akin to Gypsies. If a character decides to use the Bauble Points system, it usually means the character has little to no interest for real coin. The character instead collects 'baubles'. Things that are often overlooked by most adventurers, like copper eating utensils, nails, chickens, et. Most often they are normal household items that the thief has knowledge of their bartered value. The thief will usually collect these things, while other characters won't notice. (so collecting actual chickens is not a real good idea). Other baubles can be cosmetic jewelry, or other plain indiscreet items. Generally the thief can collect 10% of normal treasure during an adventure in Bauble Points (above and beyond any share given to him). At the end of the adventure, the DM will roll a d100 vs. the thief's level x's 2, plus his Knowledge of Market Value x's 3 (Market Knowledge is an INT based skill). If the roll is failed, the thief has truly acquired real junk, and on a roll of 100, the thief will not realize his mistake. Any rolls of 01, the thief would have actually acquired a real expensive, rare or magical item (worth 5 x's as much as his Bauble Points). The thief can then trade in his Bauble Points to buy items with at the rate of 1 Bauble Point to 1 Gold Piece. Depending on the size of the city or town, he can only spend 100 BP a day (plus 5 BP per level) Small cities or towns will decrease his spending power to one half (along with trading in unfamiliar towns). This rate of spending is based upon the thief's knowledge that one bag of nails is worth 2 chickens, that then can be traded for a dagger et. Bauble Points cannot be gained from picking pockets or stealing (these things must be role-played). Although a good DM can come up with a table of what does one have in his pockets anyway? ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 22 Nov 2001 to 23 Nov 2001 (#2001-322) ****************************************************************