Item Base Cost
Agafari Wood 10 cp/lb.
Alchemical Items *
Ale 2 bits/gal.
Amber 50 sp/oz.
Animals (pets)
Armor *
Beasts, Arena fighting *
Beer/Broy 5 bits/gal.
Bronze 7 sp/lb.
Candy 1 bit/lb.
Ceramics 1 bit/pc
Chalk 1 bit/lb.
Chitin 4 sp/lb.
Cider 8 cp/tun
Cinnabar 1 sp/oz.
Cloth, Hemp 8 bits/sq.yd.
Cloth, Fine 10 cp/sq.yd.
Cloth Linen/cotton. 4 cp/ sq. yd
Clothing *
Copper 5 sp/lb.
Cosmetics 1 sp/oz.
Cotton or Linnen, Raw 2 cp/lb.
Crodlu, Riding 200 cp ea.
Crodlu, Untrained 80 cp. ea.
Crodlu, Warmount 400 cp ea.
Item Base Cost
Drake Ivory 50 cp/lb
Dyes/Pigments 1 sp/oz.
Erdlu eggs 10 cp ca.
Erdlu 10 cp ea.
Feathers, Rare 5 sp ea.
Feathers, Common 3 bd ea
Figs 1 bit/lb.
Fruit 2 bits/lb.
Fuel (dung, brush, coal) 3 bits/lb.
Fuel, Smokeless (charcoal) 1 cp/lb.
Furs 3 sp/ea.
Gems *
Glass 1 sp/lb.
Gold 50 gp/lb.
Grain or Faro 3 bits lb.
Hardwood 15 cp/lb.
Herbs 3 bits/lb.
Incense 2 sp/oz.
Inix 100 cp ea.
Inix, Warmount 250 cp ea.
Ink +1/2 8 cp/oz.
Iron 1 gp/lb.
Jade 1 sp/lb.
Jewelwry *
Kank, herding 50 cp
Kanks, riding 124 cp
Kank, warmount 250 cp
Kank Nectar 10 cp/lb.
Leather 5 cp/sq. yd.
Lifestock *
Finished Leather goods *
Magical Items/Services *
Marble 2 sp/lb.
Medicines 5 sp/oz.
Mekillot 200 cp
Mirrors 1 sp ea.
Nuts 3 cp/lb.
Obsidian 5 cp/lb.
Oil, Lamp 1 bit/gal.
Oil, Cooking 8 bits/gal.
Paintings 10 sp/ea.
Item Base Cost
Paper 2 sp/100 ct
Perfume 5 cp/oz.
Poisons *
Psionic Items/Services *
Resins 8 sp/oz.
Rope, Giant’s Hair 5 cp/50 ft.
Rope, Hemp 1 cp/50 ft.
Rope, Silk ½ 1 sp/50 ft.
Rugs 1 gp/ea.
Salt 2 bits/lb.
Silk, raw 4 sp/oz.
Silver 50 sp/lb.
Slaves, labor **
Slaves, specialty **
Songbirds 1 cp/ea.
Spell books **
Spell components **
Spice, Exotic 15 cp/lb.
Spice, Rare 2 cp/lb.
Spice, Uncommon 1 cp/lb.
Statues 1 gp/ea.
Sugar 4 bits/lb.
Tools 1 cp/ea.
Vegetables 2 bits/lb.
Vehicles *
Water 10 cp/tun
Wax 7 bits/lb
Weapons *
Wine 2 sp/tun
I'd like to update the good old trade table from Dune Traders. I find that plotting trade routes helps set up conflicts, and then many good adventures start to write themselves. Those who don't find that useful, please ignore this thread. Those who are interested, here's a list of different goods. Note I've taken a few off (e.g. I replaced wheat and rice with "grain or Faro" which is more consistent with the other texts). I've also added a few things. Anything else you'd like to see on the list?
First, what do all the * mean?
As for some suggestions, you had erdlu, how about erdlu eggs and erdlunds.
Are there any war inix or trained inix that would be priced differently?
You have leather goods. I would image that reptile/ snake skin would be used as much as leather in the same goods. Don't know if they would have the same price or not.
For farming what about plant seeds? or dung? (Could be sold for fertilizer or fuel)
For food, what about beans, bread, and cheese. Actually depending on how specific you want to get with food, there are plenty of things to add there.
Would steel have the same price as iron? Not that there would be much inter city trade of it, but if heros find some steel items in ancient ruins what would they be able to sell it for?
Check the forum archive. I could have sworn someone did a BUNCH of revisions on prices of things before, during the period you had vanished.
I did post threads about the weapons and the poisons pricing that I revised for various reasons. Brax, depending on the urgency of those price you're asking for, I could look thru them when I'm finished with some other things that use my time for now. ;)
First, what do all the * mean?
As for some suggestions, you had erdlu, how about erdlu eggs and erdlunds.
I think Crodlu eggs are the ones sold. As for erdlunds, there are so many herds that I'd probably better just price lifestock, i.e. animals used for eating more than anything else, as a general "*" price category. That's what * means, here as in Dune Trader -- it means there are lots of subcategories, and the purpose of this chart is to give you value comparisons to show you the merchant possiibliities; the price list is just an extra.
Are there any war inix or trained inix that would be priced differently?
I think so, but others seem to disagree. See the "4 men and an Inix" thread.
You have leather goods. I would image that reptile/ snake skin would be used as much as leather in the same goods.
Agreed. I'll make a note of it, that reptile skin in Athas is considered a type of leather, and is probably the most common form of leather on Athas.
Don't know if they would have the same price or not.
That's why we use the * price when price varies, as with poisons.
For farming what about plant seeds? or dung? (Could be sold for fertilizer or fuel)
Fertilizer probably isn't carted much city to city. I know if I was a templar at the city gates and saw a thick opaque swarm of flies coming up the road, I'd probably flame-strike now and ask questions later ;)
I think I'll change coal and charcoal to Fuel, and Fuel, smokeless. Dried dung could be either depending on whether it had been smoked out.
For food, what about beans, bread, and cheese.
Bread's not going to get transported between city-states, and I'm not sure if cheese would ... those carts get awful hot, and caravans can be weeks on the road. Wax melts in a block, but it doesn't go bad. I'll put cheese in. Dried beans would be good.
Actually depending on how specific you want to get with food, there are plenty of things to add there.
Focus primarily on anything that's been an issue in your games, then if anything pops into mind, let me know. I'm not trying to be comprehensive in terms of covering everything, but would like to cover non-perishable items that have been mentioned in the Dark Sun books and supps. WHich is why I'm tossing out beer and ale and other stuff that's standard D&D and never saw mention in supplements other than Dune Trader.
Would steel have the same price as iron? Not that there would be much inter city trade of it, but if heros find some steel items in ancient ruins what would they be able to sell it for?
This chart's in the trade section. If it's not inter-city trade, it shouldn't be here. Same goes for Ademantite. I thought of listing alchemical silver, but I could not figure why on Athas anyone would need the stuff, when there's no Lycanthropes. Did I miss something?
Fertilizer probably isn't carted much city to city. I know if I was a templar at the city gates and saw a thick opaque swarm of flies coming up the road, I'd probably flame-strike now and ask questions later ;)
Probably not city to city. I was thinking more of the small farm villages out in the desert. They would probably be too small to produce enough dung themselves and would need to import it from the cities which would have excess. This would not be a profitable business, but someone may be filling the nich.
Bread's not going to get transported between city-states, and I'm not sure if cheese would ... those carts get awful hot, and caravans can be weeks on the road. Wax melts in a block, but it doesn't go bad. I'll put cheese in. Dried beans would be good.
Wasn't it hard biscuits that was the staple on navy ships for hundreds of years?
I guess what I was thinking would be more for the crew anyway and not sold at the caravan's destination.
Though Gulg and Nibenay are close enough that perishable goods may still be shipped between the two.
Focus primarily on anything that's been an issue in your games, then if anything pops into mind, let me know. I'm not trying to be comprehensive in terms of covering everything, but would like to cover non-perishable items that have been mentioned in the Dark Sun books and supps. WHich is why I'm tossing out beer and ale and other stuff that's standard D&D and never saw mention in supplements other than Dune Trader.
Before you do that you may want to rethink it. Ale is mentioned in a couple of other products as well as a few different types of Ale. City-State of Tyr, Tyrean Conspiracy, and Black Spine.
Beer less so, though there is a mention of it in Forest Maker.
Some other possibilities:
One of the monstrous compendiums had some household animals. An insect that made a soothing hum with its wings, and some others.
There may be a trade of exotic animals to fight in gladiator games, but I doubt it would be very big, because of the difficulties involved.
The only other thing that comes to mind is furniture. But I doubt much furniture is traded inter city. Probably just the raw materials to make furniture, which you already have. Some other raw material to add could be stone and/or clay.
Vehicles could be subdivided into silt vehicles, (Silt skimers etc.) and land vehicles (wagons, argoses).
Salt, I think it is too cheap. I was reading somewhere that salt was more expensive than gold until about the 1800's. Of course it may be cheaper on Athas because it is more plentiful/ easier to access.
I guess I'll keep Ale in, then.
Another question for all of you:
Do you like the B,C,D system in Dune Trader, or would you prefer something like
+30%
-10%
~ (meaning pretty much equal to book price)
etc.
Good point on hurrums and other trained animals! And exotic combat animals as well. Yes, those would be regular inter-city trade.
Keep them a * price for DM discretion, or shall I price them by pound, by hit die, or by CR level?
I also have a list of athasian foods and beverages by Daniel Bandera on my site.
I'll check Mark's list when he gets back. I am *not* trying to create a comprehensive price list here, but rather creating a commodities list like the one in Dune Trader. Once you know who needs what, then you can figure out which trade groups are taking what to where. Then you start to see things like:
Which merchant house is competing against Tsalaxa for a key market;
Which slow-moving mekillot caravan carrying lumber or something else very bulky is traveling up the main trade road next to the Seven Bandit Tribes' main hidehout;
which major opportunities are getting passed by simply because no one's built a road through a nice long flat area ... yet.
At that point, adventures write themselves.
What I haven't shown is the bulk of the list which shows what items are worth more where, since that would be illegible here. Here's just a small piece of that. Since no one offered any opinion on that this week, I converted to a slightly more precise system rather than Dune Trader's A, B, C, D. It's also more conservative than Dune Trader, where 1/3 the cities ended up paying double value on key items, I just add 25%, 50%, or 75% most of the time.
Item Base Cost Azeth’s Rest Draj Ket Kurn Eldaarich Winter’s Nest Oronha Valley Lost Scale Raam Urik Balic Gulg Nib Tyr
Agafari Wood 10 cp/lb. +¾ ≈ x2 x3 x4 x2 ≈ x2 ≈ ≈ ≈ -¼ -¼ ≈
Alchemical Items * ≈ x2 x2 -¼ -¼ ≈ -¼ +½ -¼ -¼ -¼ ≈ -¼ ≈
Ale 2 bits/gal. x2 x2 -¼ -¼ ≈ - -¼ +½ -¼ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ -¼
Amber 50 sp/oz. ≈ x2 x2 ≈ ≈ ≈ -¼ -¼ ≈ ≈ ≈ -¼ x2 -¼
Animals (pets) ≈ -¼ ≈ ≈ ≈ - x2 +¼ ≈ ≈ x2 -¼ ≈ ≈
Armor * ≈ ≈ ≈ -¼ ≈ - ≈ +¼ x2 x2 x2 ≈ -¼ -¼
Beasts, Arena fighting * ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ x2 - - n/a ≈ ≈ x2 -¼ ≈ ≈
Beer/Broy 5 bits/gal. ≈ ≈ -¼ -¼ x2 - -¼ +½ x2 ≈ ≈ -¼ ≈ ≈
Bronze 7 sp/lb. x2 x2 x2 +¾ -¼ x2 ≈ +½ ≈ x2 x2 ≈ ≈ -¼
I think a spreadsheet would probably be a better format to present this in. That way it´s easier to manipulate the data, for example by using a List function or Pivot table to show you just the information you´re looking for. Ex: Which cities have a gold multiplier equal to or greater than x1.25.
I was thinking about doing that. My understanding is that Adobe Acrobat can assimilate an Excel spreadsheet in a way that preserves its spreadsheet functions, but I've never tried it out. That's how I was thinking of publishing it, embedded in Lost Cities. Aside from that, it's easy to just cut and paste the table into any spreadsheet program, and not everyone has the same spreadsheet program.
Now decimal ... for some reason I had an aesthetic aversion to using decimals rather than fractions in the table, but maybe that's silly.