The Widowed
12-18-2007, 05:55 PM
As a way of sprucing up the flavor text, one of the things I have done for years is tinker with the in-game currency a little...making market prices more dynamic, fluctuating the prices of various goods by region or by season, deciding which merchants are more likely to haggle than others or, in this case, changing the names and denotations of the various coins.
With Bardosylvania being the peculiar amalgam of England, Ireland and mythic version of Transylvania that it is, I myself am in favor of flavoring the coins with quasi-British names, though the values of the coins would remain the same. The coins themselves are regulated in size and metallic content by Imperial edict, yet the coins are stamped and named to signify the country, the province or even the city in which they were minted; a pence in Bardosylvania would be worth as much as a pfennig in Brustagg, as both are still copper pieces.
Counterfeiting is still a crime which will spell a swift and harsh punishment for the counterfeiter if such a crime is brought to light, but that doesn't stop ne'er-do-wells from smelting and stamping pyrite and worthless alloys with the designs of various provinces.
I have my ideas, but I welcome yours; feel free to field your suggestions below. The coins will still be referred to by their metals often ("3 Gold and 17 Copper"), but the names can add a more realistic and evocative flavor to the currency.
Copper piece = pence
Silver piece = shilling
Gold piece = gilder (I'm not a fan of "pound," but if enough of you demand it....)
Platinum piece = imperial
Suggestions away! :)
With Bardosylvania being the peculiar amalgam of England, Ireland and mythic version of Transylvania that it is, I myself am in favor of flavoring the coins with quasi-British names, though the values of the coins would remain the same. The coins themselves are regulated in size and metallic content by Imperial edict, yet the coins are stamped and named to signify the country, the province or even the city in which they were minted; a pence in Bardosylvania would be worth as much as a pfennig in Brustagg, as both are still copper pieces.
Counterfeiting is still a crime which will spell a swift and harsh punishment for the counterfeiter if such a crime is brought to light, but that doesn't stop ne'er-do-wells from smelting and stamping pyrite and worthless alloys with the designs of various provinces.
I have my ideas, but I welcome yours; feel free to field your suggestions below. The coins will still be referred to by their metals often ("3 Gold and 17 Copper"), but the names can add a more realistic and evocative flavor to the currency.
Copper piece = pence
Silver piece = shilling
Gold piece = gilder (I'm not a fan of "pound," but if enough of you demand it....)
Platinum piece = imperial
Suggestions away! :)