Topic: HARP economics

[dagorhir]

I admit I've never been too interested in the economics of a game world. Though over time, while I could accept that all D&D worlds had a Copper/Silver/Gold/Platinum system for convenience, I found the idea of every world being on a 10:1 ratio a bit too unbelievable. Same metals, fine. Same exchange rate? No way. This is why I like the Diomin setting's exchange rate, too bad I lost my conversion when I was having my motherboard replaced.

Medieval Europe didn't really have any exchange rate. Essentially a certain weight of silver had a certain worth. Gold was accepted to have greater value. The silver penny was pretty much a standard throughout much of Europe just like the gold florin was for the gold coins. Different areas had different coins (or copies of foreign coins) but the value per pound was largely the same. So long as you could agree exactly what the pound was.

[pyrotech]

Don't forget the tithe either.  10% to the lord, 10% to the church, and 10% to plant next year.  Then you had to keep the rats, mice, weevils, and water out of it.

But of course the farmer would also be raising sheep, goats, chickens, and other vegitables to supplement his income and keep his family fed.  I seem to remember much of the larger livestock could be communal livestock but the chickens and like are probably his.

So I could see a reasonable assumption of about 1£ (ie 240d) a year.

So running with those numbers and assuming the default monetary system:  1£ = 1 lb of silver = 100 sp.   That is about 2cp a week, but with no additional property costs (other than repairs).

I'll have to run the numbers some more, but that doesn't look too far from Old Man and my estimates.

Of course that also assumes a £ is 1 lb of silver, which wasn't always the case.

It kind of fun playing with these numbers ☻

-Pyrotech

[pyrotech]

Yeah, the exchange rate of gold to silver varied a lot.  It did tend to be between 20:1 and 50:1 most of the time if I remember previous researching into this.

So assuming a ½ sized gold coin, or more likely an alloyed gold coin with silver and copper, a 10:1 exchange rate isn't too outlandish.  Especially with how much gold seems to be pouring out of fantasy dwarven mines!

-Pyrotech

[dagorhir]

The numbers are for my setting which doesn't have a tithe for the church (fortunately, because there can be more than one church). In medieval Europe, the lord would tax between 2d and 5d, which was paid in a portion of the harvest.

1£ is actually a tower pound of silver. A tower pound comes about to 0.7714 pound. so it's about 311.11d per pound.

 

[Zhaleskra]

My issue is with different planets that have very, very, very limited ways of contacting each other somehow all having the 10:1 ratio. I've even seen some sources where the exchange rate does break down depending on what continent you're in.

[Bruce]

My issue is with different planets that have very, very, very limited ways of contacting each other somehow all having the 10:1 ratio. I've even seen some sources where the exchange rate does break down depending on what continent you're in.

Planets?

[dagorhir]

My issue is with different planets that have very, very, very limited ways of contacting each other somehow all having the 10:1 ratio. I've even seen some sources where the exchange rate does break down depending on what continent you're in.

Planets?

Harp Scifi 

[Zhaleskra]

My issue is with different planets that have very, very, very limited ways of contacting each other somehow all having the 10:1 ratio. I've even seen some sources where the exchange rate does break down depending on what continent you're in.

Planets?

Harp Scifi 

Actually, I'm still speaking from a D&D base so: Athas, Diomin, Mystara, Oerth, Krynn, and Toril. Though calling Diomin a planet might be a stretch.

[Bruce]

Actually, I'm still speaking from a D&D base so: Athas, Diomin, Mystara, Oerth, Krynn, and Toril. Though calling Diomin a planet might be a stretch.

Oh that game......lol. I had a feeling this had something to do with d&d, but I leaned more towards the spell jammer series.

Bruce

[Old Man]

Dagohir,

Do you own or have read HarnManor? Fascinating stuff and probably easily convertible to HARP or RM.

[dagorhir]

Dagohir,

Do you own or have read HarnManor? Fascinating stuff and probably easily convertible to HARP or RM.

Yes, I do have Harn Manor and a few more Harn stuff. My setting is actually quite similar to Harn in terms of economics, culture and government. Harn got much of my own research going. I very often I started looking up things just to confirm what I saw in Harn.

I must admit, I never actually played the game though.

[Old Man]

Dagohir,

Do you own or have read HarnManor? Fascinating stuff and probably easily convertible to HARP or RM.

Yes, I do have Harn Manor and a few more Harn stuff. My setting is actually quite similar to Harn in terms of economics, culture and government. Harn got much of my own research going. I very often I started looking up things just to confirm what I saw in Harn.

I must admit, I never actually played the game though.

Same here - own most of the early supplements, use a lot of their cities and some adventures (Kiraz for example) but not the game system itself.
(In my earliest RM notes are copies of Harn price lists with RM equivs ... D = CP or so.)

[dagorhir]

Dagohir,

Do you own or have read HarnManor? Fascinating stuff and probably easily convertible to HARP or RM.

Yes, I do have Harn Manor and a few more Harn stuff. My setting is actually quite similar to Harn in terms of economics, culture and government. Harn got much of my own research going. I very often I started looking up things just to confirm what I saw in Harn.

I must admit, I never actually played the game though.

Same here - own most of the early supplements, use a lot of their cities and some adventures (Kiraz for example) but not the game system itself.
(In my earliest RM notes are copies of Harn price lists with RM equivs ... D = CP or so.)

Much of the things found in Harn can be used directly with my setting. My monetary system is much the same, except I don't bother with the various coins. I only deal with silver pennies and gold coins. 1 gold coin is worth 24d. But that's not actual coins but the actual value of the coins that character possesses.

Otherwise, much is compatible.

[dagorhir]

Dagohir,

Do you own or have read HarnManor? Fascinating stuff and probably easily convertible to HARP or RM.

I pulled out my copy of Harn Manor and found it to be very pertinent to what I'm doing for my game. I'm currently creating a village and adjoining lands that are rule by a minor lord. With a few tweaks, I can use Harn Manor to produce my village in detail.

[Turbs]

Is HARN MANOR available somewhere?

[dagorhir]

Is HARN MANOR available somewhere?

Try here:

http://columbiagames.com/harn/