You all saw this post coming, right?
My recent post on Wealth prompted a fair amount of discussion on the best way to handle cash money in HD&D. If you haven’t read that post, pop back and give it a quick perusal because we’re going to decide which is the best idea to implement in the hybrid game. As far as I can see it, we have three alternatives:
Option One: The Mercantile System
This is by far the most logical and realistic option before us. Every item has a cost and you pay that cost when you buy the item. You deduct the cost of everything you buy from a cup of tea to repairs to your moat from the total money you have available. The main disadvantage of such a system is that it is time consuming and cumbersome to note down every little purchase.
Option Two: Wealth
You buy significant purchases in exactly the same way as you would under the Mercantile system. However, trifling and minor purchases (defined as anything costing 1% or less of your personal wealth) isn’t recorded. This is a formalisation of the way I’ve been running PC ecnomics in the campaign. It’s quicker and less onorous than the Mercantile system, but it can’t be applied in all circumstances. It’s open to abuse, and requires players to stay within the spirit of the rules more than the letter of the rules. However, this is my preferred option.
Option Three: Abstract Ecnomics
In an abstract system, a PC’s purchasing power is defined by status or experience level, not by the amount of gold in his pocket. Equipments may not even have cash values because they are irrelevent. This method has the advantage of no book keeping whatsoever, however, I think it’s a step too far for a fantasy game like D&D.
So there you have it. I think the Wealth option is the best way forward. You may disagree. Pick the option that most closely ressembles your opinion, and then let me know of any provisos in the comments below.
