New Campaign Economies

Alternate modes of exchange for your campaign

The official OD&D rules rely on a simple economic model, that of generalised gold, silver, and copper pieces. However, it's likely that a setting's money is as varied as the people who inhabit it. Below are described some options to enhance a campaign's common standards of economic exchange and the media utilised within.

The Silver Standard

Common amongst most mannish kingdoms, the silver standard is based on the silver penny (d), a dram weight of silver. This coin's appearance varies according to the issuing kingdom, but its weight in silver is relatively constant. Pennies are grooved into quarters that may be broken off to make smaller denominations: a quarter penny is known as a farthing (f) and a halfpenny (h) is worth two farthings. The highest minted coin denomination is the gold crown (c), worth 64 pennies. All minted coins contain only about 80% pure metal; the other 20% is comprised of tin to ensure durability.

Two additional denominations—the shilling and the pound—exist, but their equivalent weight in silver preclude minting them as hard currency. Instead, they are used only as measures of value. The shilling (s) is equal to 16d (i.e., one ounce weight of silver) while the pound (£) is equal to 256d (i.e., one pound weight of silver). A quick summary of equivalency follows:

To use OD&D prices with the silver standard, equate one OD&D gold piece to a shilling, or 16d.

Considering that the monthly income for a farmhand or shepherd is about 30d, and that the cost of a normal sword is upwards of 160d, it should be noted that the vast majority of Trid's inhabitants will never see more than a small handful of pennies in their lifetime, let alone escape their feudal obligation to embark on a life of adventure.

The Gold Standard

In ancient civilisations, the primary medium within the first kingdoms was the gold coin. In modern times (read: the campaign's present day), the poverty, waning influence, and overall decay of such realms precludes the production of new coinage in great quantities, and the value of individual currencies is typically inflated. While this promotes the informal adoption of the silver standard in some locales, the gold standard will still be preferred and used for "official" transactions.

Gold coins within this standard are known as drachm (dm; pl. drachma); each is about the size and weight of a British pound coin. Other coins in the standard include the silver denarius (dn; pl. denarii), worth 10 drachm and the copper mite (m; properly referred to as the lepton), worth 10 denarii; each is about the size and weight of an American quarter. The platinum shekel (sk) is also minted; it is about the same size and weight as a drachm, but worth 10 times as much.

Generally, a denarius is worth about a day's wages for the average, unskilled labourer. In game terms, assume one drachm is equal to an OD&D gold piece. Note, then, the standard of living is considerably higher under gold than silver (i.e., in OD&D terms, the average daily wage under the gold standard is 0.1gp; under the silver standard, it is only 0.06gp per day). Gold standard inflationary rates mitigate the practical difference, but not completely—it is true that gold standard workers tend to be better off financially.

Trade Bars

In lands where precious metals aren't minted for coins, value is measured in trade bars (t). These bars are essentially solid, cylindrical ingots, roughly four inches long with a diameter of about one-half inch. A trade bar's value is based directly on weight, and the ingots' raw form allows the recipient to retain the metal as currency or forge it into something more immediately valuable.

Trade bars can be of any metal desired, but are most commonly made from iron, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Bars are rarely 100% pure, but instead strengthened with some baser metal for reinforcement and to reduce the wear and tear of handling and transport. As a rule of thumb, a trade bar is worth about 10 coins of the same metal:

Gems and Stones

Precious stones—cut and uncut—are valid currency in most campaign realms, and they are valued as highly portable forms of vast sums. The DM may incorporate the typical gemstone types indicated in the rules (RC/226). To reflect the preference most have for gems over coinage, however, DMs may increase the value of any stone by 0–5% (1d6–1).

Other Media

While precious metals and stones are familiar to most as valid media, there are additional forms of currency to consider:

• Ancient Coins - Money from old empires have both historical and financial value. Certain sages and historians exhibit great interest in the coinage of these ancient realms, and may pay as much as double the face value for specimens to study, collect, or distribute within their academic circles. For those less pedantic, such coins probably have no more than 40% their original buying power and must be passed through a moneychanger to be of use to the consumer.
• Foreign Coins - Coinage from lands outside the general campaign region (or from other continents) can make their way into the setting. These coins may be purer, larger, and weigh more than "local" currency, but they may have little or no direct buying power as a result of their unfamiliarity. As with coins found in ancient hordes, foreign coins must be "laundered" through a moneychanger before the bearer will realise much value from them.
• Atl Beads - A most curious form of currency, the atl bead is a form of money exchanged amongst primitive jungle tribesmen. The atl bead is similar to a blueberry and is found on rare, tropical trees; when harvested and properly cured, seeds inside the hardened berry remain soft and viable. Eating a single seed temporarily increases CON by +1 for 1d6 turns; each berry contains 1d4 seeds. Within tribal society, a single bead is worth about 5sp–1gp; outside, a bead could probably fetch far more.