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Currency in Realmworks

B

B57123m

Member
I would like to see a feature where you can input the default monetary system for your world.

Example:
1 penny = 1 sizzle
1 nickel = 1 fluffle
1 dime = 1 kerbizzle

What would be really cool is if shop keeper tables were able to have a designated price colomn that could convert between your pre set monetary differences.

Ed's Explosive
Mayonnaise - Food - 10 gp
Dynamite - Food - 50gp

And then with a toggle, it could show that 10gp is also 20sp and 50 is 25sp. Something along those lines would be an interesting feature.
 
That would be enormously complex to implement.

Why? Because like Calendars, it would have to be sophisticated enough to handle *anything*. Implementing only one game system's conversions would break RealmWorks' feature of being usable for any game system... so this would need to be a system in which the user defines each type of coin in reference to some common base "monetary unit".

Even in your example, you're doing two different conversions with the same types of coins, one doubling and the other halving (10 to 20, 50 to 25).

The phrase "two-bit" for something cheap originates from 25 cents being "2 bits", making 1 bit 1/8 of a dollar, or 12.5 cents. At one point in history, 10 "Spanish mills" was worth 1 cent. Those are just the variations that I know of in the US monetary system.

I think something like this is better handled in a game-system-specific tool, like HeroLab. A general currency handling system in RealmWorks would be of use to a few, but probably not to most (unlike Calendars). as tracking resources is more of a character thing than a campaign world thing.
 
Thank you Silveras,

I understand it would be difficult. With this being the Feature Request forum I thought it might be a useful feature down the road. If I am the only one who would find this helpful, I feel like at least putting it out there isn't a bad thing.

I, like many, use Realm Works to world build and I happen to use a different form of currency in my world. In the long run, there are many, many features that I would rather see. I have given my +1 to those but could not find a page for custom currency.

That is the purpose of that post. I don't expect to to get done soon or ever but I was at least letting them know there is a want for such a feature.

"A general currency handling system in RealmWorks would be of use to a few, but probably not to most (unlike Calendars)."

I 100% agree with this and maybe one day Realm Works will be able to do all the things the "most" want and can then focus on the niche features of the "few".
 
This could make for an interesting html or other type of add-on for converting currencies and maybe adding in exchange rates. I'd like to see something like this implemented in the same way that sound is by SyrinScape -- as an integration, rather than a core element.

Thinking a bit further though, are there any other things that could benefit from an arbitrary conversion system? How could this idea be expanded beyond just currency?
 
AEIOU said:
Thinking a bit further though, are there any other things that could benefit from an arbitrary conversion system? How could this idea be expanded beyond just currency?
Click to expand...

I also think that this should be a low-priority item. I like the idea of being able to code the conversion as an external utility.

Given that, I would think that any form of measurement could benefit from this type of arbitrary conversion mechanism:
- Distance: How many rods in a furlong?
- Time: How many jiffies in a dog year?
- Weight: How many pennyweights in a Troy ounce?

(Those are - or were - real units of measurement. In an RPG, of course, the list of possibilities is endless.)
 
Silveras said:
That would be enormously complex to implement.

Why? Because like Calendars, it would have to be sophisticated enough to handle *anything*. Implementing only one game system's conversions would break RealmWorks' feature of being usable for any game system... so this would need to be a system in which the user defines each type of coin in reference to some common base "monetary unit".
Click to expand...

I would think however that a good deal of the work for the calendar would translate directly
 
The calendar system is important since so much gets hung from the date.

Money is much less important and can be much more complicated. To start with every calendar is likely to agree on some unit , be it the second or the day, monetary systems this is not true. Second monetary systems have historically been very complicated just look at the British system before it was rationalized.
 
kbs666 said:
Second monetary systems have historically been very complicated just look at the British system before it was rationalized.
Click to expand...

Hey, don't knock our old system!

12 pennies to the shilling (since 12 is the maximum you can count up to on one hand).
20 shillings to the pound.
21 shillings to the guinea.

:-)
 
I think the more difficult factor for fantasy games is that every free city, every kingdom, every empire, heck every jurisdiction in the past and present could have or may have had different currencies. Plus there's the bartering system.... How many potatoes is a gallon of milk worth as the currency price may not equal the barter price? Talk about a really interesting challenge! :)
 
I think that this would not be very hard to work. Just set names of currency pieces set value then set exchange rate to other currency's by the piece or group.

It would be a small table that a DM can input in some values and exchange rates.

Its a fairly simple task to make up a chart that can be done in a few hours or less for Excel or Google Docs. I am not so sure its needed with common currency's but one that is not built on a base 10 scale may have some need in a feature like this.
 
Really?

The dwarves use coins denominated in the pence shilling and pound sterling at a 12 to 20 to 1 ratio.

The elves use the standard cp, sp and gp.

The two races hate each other and their money is not directly negotiable.

The humans have two kingdoms. One favors the dwarves and the other favors the elves. Each has a currency that mirrors the currency of their favored race. Elven currency can be exchanged for human currency of the appropriate type at a slight, but variable, surcharge and the same for the dwarven.

The two human kingdoms do trade and their currencies do interchange but the values are also variable as the balance of trade varies and quite often the coins are simply melted as precious metal.

Now expand the model to say a dozen different currency creating bodies.

Now about that simple chart of exchange rates?
 
Yep that's simple
human Elf lovers to Elf .9 to 1 ratio
Human dwarf lover to dwarf ratio .9 to 1

human kingdom others groups currency .25 to 1 value ratio
Except for one Elf currency made of rare metal .33 to 1 ratio

That is all very simple to figure out and program with radio buttons or drop down’s and considering how much time you put into making a nation a very small amount of time spent figuring out the ratio for money exchanges is rather minor.

Since each currency is a number relation to another number relation. Create a currency set exchange rates in that currency and then set one exchange rate to currency A another to B and so on, then set an extra one if there is a coin of value.

Once you have done this its simple to get a very minor look up and reference code to figure out the cost involved.

It may seem complex but I can assure you it is quite the opposite.
 
Creating a mini stock market may be important to some people.

Indeed, what comes to mind for me is the character in one of the later books of the Book of Malazan that is subtly manipulating the market and buying up property and stockpiling wealth through shell companies. That kind of campaign could benefit from this.
 
Could be done, as long as you can define a base currency, and have a conversion the other currencies are determined off of. Our outfit does that right now, using the dollar as the base currency. Of course, the real world monetary markets fluctuate daily, but that doesn't really need to be implemented in a fantasy world, where markets tend to remain stable unless there are HUGE catastrophes.

Still, can be rather complex. I would say the two most complex problems I've dealt with in the real world have been date/time conversions (damn you UTC offsets) and currency conversions. However, once you figure it all out it is rather satisfying to sit back and watch it all work. Of course, that's because the real world is full of inconsistencies. In the fantasy world, unless you want to mimic the real world, doesn't have to apply those inconsistencies. Sort of like moon phases, if you think about it. Complex, yes, but they all follow some type of pattern that can be repeatable.
 
kbs666 said:
Didn't you see the part where all of the exchange rates are variable?
Click to expand...

Did you see the part where this is all numbers in a spread sheet? You can change the numbers manually or even add an inflation system for each currency to make changes, either way would be a very easy thing to do.
 
TheSleeper said:
Did you see the part where this is all numbers in a spread sheet? You can change the numbers manually or even add an inflation system for each currency to make changes, either way would be a very easy thing to do.
Click to expand...
Changing the numbers manually would sort of defeat the purpose of what you're demanding. Inflation is not what is being discussed.
 
kbs666 said:
Changing the numbers manually would sort of defeat the purpose of what you're demanding. Inflation is not what is being discussed.
Click to expand...

I am not demanding anything, I simply said it can be done even with the contrived exchange system you suggested would be necessary that no game I have ever seen uses. I also said you can easily make a system that lets you change a conversion rate from one currency to another easily by changing 1 pair of numbers. That does not defeat the purpose that IS the purpose.

Ignoring the contrived requests you made to make it sound difficult you tried to add in, the initial OP suggestion is would be very reasonable and very easy to do.

That said back when there was non base 10 coin systems this would of been useful with base 10 coin systems this is not needed.
 
I have to admit that I am not entirely sure what you want this to be able to do in Realm Works, but what about building a spreadsheet to do the conversions across multiple currencies and embedding it as a foreign object in Realm Works?
 
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