Table 6-6 Coinage of Ansalon
The Heading of the Columns reads:
Coin---Copper---Gold---Silver---Bronze---Iron/Steel---Platinum
The Heading of the Rows reads:
Copper (cp)
Gold (gp)
Silver (sp)
Iron/Bronze (ip/bp)
Steel (st)
Platinum (pp)
So is the Iron Piece equivalent to the Steel Piece or the Bronze Piece?
Also a personal note, I have never been a fan of the more complicated exchange rates from 1e through 2e. One thing I liked about 3.0 is that they went to a straight 10 to 1 exchange rate, it just makes things so much easier.
I really wish the DLCS has stuck to that rate and maybe dropped a coin or two or made them equivalents with another coin type. (Of course I am also a fan the the Large size minotaur that has hoofs instead of feet, so maybe I am an oddball.)
Originally posted by Maladaar
DLCS Page 196
Table 6-6 Coinage of Ansalon
The Heading of the Columns reads:
Coin---Copper---Gold---Silver---Bronze---Iron/Steel---Platinum
The Heading of the Rows reads:
Copper (cp)
Gold (gp)
Silver (sp)
Iron/Bronze (ip/bp)
Steel (st)
Platinum (pp)
So is the Iron Piece equivalent to the Steel Piece or the Bronze Piece?
Also a personal note, I have never been a fan of the more complicated exchange rates from 1e through 2e. One thing I liked about 3.0 is that they went to a straight 10 to 1 exchange rate, it just makes things so much easier.
I really wish the DLCS has stuck to that rate and maybe dropped a coin or two or made them equivalents with another coin type. (Of course I am also a fan the the Large size minotaur that has hoofs instead of feet, so maybe I am an oddball.)
According to previous sources Iron is equivalent to Bronze when it comes to coinage. Also, exchange rates between coinage is not really a D&D thing but part of the setting. Greyhawk and FR had 1 gp = 10 sp = 100 cp but Dragonlance always had a more complex exchange (regardless of the system).
Btw, in case it helps:
1 DL stl = 1 D&D gp
1 DL cp = 1 D&D cp
Greyhawk and FR had 1 gp = 10 sp = 100 cp but Dragonlance always had a more complex exchange (regardless of the system).
I beg to differ. I have been playing D&D since the red and blue boxes and the first hard covers of 1e and prior to the release of 3.0, all previous versions of D&D used the following exchange rate.
Coin--------CP-----SP-----EP------GP-----PP
Copper------1----1/10---1/50---1/100--1/500
Silver-------10-----1-----1/5-----1/10---1/50
Electrum---50------5-----1-------1/2----1/10
Gold-------100----10-----2--------1------1/5
Platinum--500-----50-----10-------5-------1
Which is/was just as complicated as the current and previous DL currency exchange. The book made it clear that the D&D CP = the DL CP and the D&D GP = the DL STL piece.
My point is, in an effort to speed up the game a 10 to 1 ratio between each coin type is much easier and quicker to calculate. I am no dunce when it comes to math, but anything that speeds up the game is easier. Now any item that is in the PH must be converted to the DL coin type.
here is an example:
1 D&D cp = 1 DL cp
1 D&D sp = 4 DL gp
1 D&D sp = 2 DL sp
5 D&D sp = 1 DL bp
1 D&D gp = 1 DL gp
1 D&D pp = 1 DL pp
I mean why make things more complicated than necessary? Does it add anything beneficial to the game? IMHO.....no, it doesn't. Luckily I am a programmer and will write myself a program to do the conversions on the fly during gaming, but not everyone has that luxury.
Originally posted by Maladaar
I beg to differ. I have been playing D&D since the red and blue boxes and the first hard covers of 1e and prior to the release of 3.0, all previous versions of D&D used the following exchange rate.
You'll note I mentioned Grayhawk and Forgotten Realms not D&D (that's my point
and I only mentioned gp, sp and cp and their 1/10 ratio, not that there doesn't exist other coinage such as electrum on those settings. In DL, gold and silver are not 10 times one another but my point was that DL always had this complex exchange system, not the (simplistic) GH/FR one.My point is, in an effort to speed up the game a 10 to 1 ratio between each coin type is much easier and quicker to calculate. I am no dunce when it comes to math, but anything that speeds up the game is easier.
I'm of the opinion that thumbing down the setting is bad. But you're free to use the GH/FR system on your DL if you want.
Now any item that is in the PH must be converted to the DL coin type. here is an example:
You only need to convert equipment from the PH which is listed in silver pieces. I don't consider that hard at all, especially since you can always convert from D&D sp to D&D cp and then convert to DL cp (which as I mentioned is 1:1).
I mean why make things more complicated than necessary? Does it add anything beneficial to the game? IMHO.....no, it doesn't.
It brings flavour to the setting.
I am not thumbing down the setting, I already stated on another thread that I like a lot of what I see in the DLCS, but this is something that I felt should have been simplified for ease of use.
Also back when the red and blue boxes and original hardcover books game out the only world out there WAS Greyhawk and therefore everyone used that coin exchange rate. Even if you created a homebrew, which I did...that was the exchange we used because creating a different would cause you to have to figure out how much does this cost in "our world".
It doesn't matter if there is only coin that needs special converting from one setting (PH--Greyhawk) to DL, the point is it still has to be done.
Originally posted by Maladaar
Greyhawk is the default setting in the PH, and the exchange I posted was part of it. Before 3.0 was released the same type of complex exchange system for the default setting of Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms existed. My point being is that a complex system is not required to add flavor to the game. The point of the game is roleplaying, not having to waste time with complex coin conversions.
It's not how complex the system is that adds flavour to the setting, it's the fact that it's different from GH/FR's coinage systems. How can each campaign have its own flavour if they have everything in common?
Speaking of which, there are some people that argue that the Moons shouldn't influence WoHS because it's too bothersome to keep track of the positions of the moons and then applying an extra layer of complexity to saves/extra spells/etc. I don't see the difficulty and here, as in the coinage exchange rate, I don't feel the complexity is such that simplifying it easier would make up for ditching something which has been a part of the setting for more than ten years.
I am not thumbing down the setting, I already stated on another thread that I like a lot of what I see in the DLCS, but this is something that I felt should have been simplified for ease of use.
Well, the designers can't please everybody all the time. I'm glad they maintained DL's established exchange rate.
Also back when the red and blue boxes and original hardcover books game out the only world out there WAS Greyhawk and therefore everyone used that coin exchange rate. Even if you created a homebrew, which I did...that was the exchange we used because creating a different would cause you to have to figure out how much does this cost in "our world".
Not exactly, Greyhawk was only introduced in 1980 for AD&D. While there was the Greyhawk supplement before that time, there was also the Blackmoor supplement. (and these were both published a year after D&D's blue book)
But that's just it. D&D doesn't need an exchange rate, settings do. Dragonlance already has its exchange rate. Yes it's different from the others. Yes, you need to convert. But is it really hard to convert? Not for me at least.
It doesn't matter if there is only coin that needs special converting from one setting (PH--Greyhawk) to DL, the point is it still has to be done.
Since silver is the only thing needing conversion you only need to convert the items that use silver from the PH/DMG once. You can then use your very own "DL Price List". And even this is not a great deal since most prices in the PH and DMG are given in either gp or cp anyway.
Like I mention above, in the end, they can't please everybody. If they had simplified the exchange rate I'd be in your shoes right now.
Hopefully, you and your group will find a solution that works for you, either through your program or other method.
Campaign worlds aside, since the inception of the PH it always had an exchange rate with its cover. True?
Most gamers in the early days used this exchange rate and did not change it.
OA and DL (and I am sure a few others) are released and have their own exchange rates which are complex (that is cool because the one in the PH was just as complex).
If the group decides they do not like the lunar phases affecting spellcasting, then as a group they can decide to run the game without the lunar phase affecting magic. It is settle and they never have to think about it again.
If the group decides they do not like the exchange rate then first they must decide which exchange rate to use and then convert all item cost from one to the other.
The 3.0 PH page 108 has approximately 150 items listed of which 30 have to be converted (20% of the list). Granted the other 80% is in gold and copper and do not pose a problem, but the PH is not the only book to contain item cost lists. There are the splatbooks and others (maybe some items listed in the OA or FRCS).
The main point I was trying to bring out is that with the DLCS we are back to the
1 Stl = 100 cp or 40 gp or 20 sp or 2 bp or 0.20 pp
system.
Which also means that 1 D&D pp = 2 DL pp.
Granted the designers cannot write something that will please everyone, but any change that makes the game run faster/smoother that does not drastically change the game mechanics is good. I personally do not feel that this change (from the 3.0 10 to 1 rate) adds anything to the game (except for keeping the purists happy).
Prior to the release of 3.0, I have played with people that had 5 years or more experience playing AD&D and I would find myself having to stop the game to run down the exchange rates with those players that could not memorize them.
Everyone can remember 10 to 1 and I have not had to stop the game to explain it since 3.0 was released.
No... you do not have to be a math major, but it does takes a few seconds/minutes to do the conversion (and possibly have to make sure the players see it). This is time I would rather spend playing the game since our group only gets together once a week and sometimes only once every two weeks. (So quality game time is an issue, which is why I write programs to assist me in keeping the game moving.)
Enough of this...I am happy with what I see in most of the book. The one thing I always loved about AD&D and DL is the ability to house rule, which fortunately will never go away.