QQ&A: What’s a better currency than coins?
Copper, silver, gold, electrum, platinum.
Five types of coins, only two of which see much use in most campaigns.
Which brings us to our quick question:
What are other ways - ideally, better ways, but let’s start with other - to handle wealth and spending?
Well, if you want a simpler, more elegant solution than coins or credits, I refer you to how Open Legend handles it:
Rather than PCs having 5000 gp or 200 credits, each PC has a wealth level. This level is nothing but a number from 0 (for example, a homeless beggar) through to 9 (for example, a godlike being). Most adventurers start at a wealth of 2.
For the full table, check it out: https://openlegendrpg.com/core-rules/wealth-equipment
Every good and service has a wealth level as well.
PCs can make purchases below their wealth level without any fuss or difficulty.
If it’s equal to their level, they can make a purchase like that once every two weeks.
If the purchase is one level above their wealth, they can get it by permanently losing a wealth level. This is from them making such a huge purchase that they need a loan or it wipes out their savings.
I like it. This is an elegant system. It saves players from having to track boring stuff, like buying food, accommodation and ammo. Why waste time roleplaying and haggling over a few silver pieces at the tavern when you can spent that time better? They’ll quickly be rich enough where that’s not worth figuring out. At the same time, they can choose to stretch their finances without having to haggle for discounts or whatever.
You might choose to roleplay that anyway, but things run smoother when you don’t have to.
It’s nice for PCs to walk into a tavern, buy a meal and tip the bartender without fussing about with their inventory all the time. Selling treasure is simplified too - it’s easier (and more impactful) to say you go up a wealth level, rather than try to figure out a number of coins that’s high enough to be rewarding but not game-breaking.
Since you’re unburdened by tracking coins, you can make the currency be anything. You might even use cheques or a magical equivalent to credit cards to speed things along. A fun idea with that might be they can gather treasure from a dungeon, but it’s hard to spend it until they get back to a town and get credit for it.
Hey, look at that - a QQ&A that was actually quick.
Speaking of systems that are simplifying, useful and elegant, all GMs should check out Footprints: