Side note before I begin: For those who may be wondering, when I use the reference to "oz" in previous posts, I am not referring to Troy oz. If you want to use Troy oz and Troy lb, you're on your own to do the math.
glitterboy2098 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 16, 2024 11:55 pm
i would assume two things:
Interesting, I've thought about this and see things a little differently.
Coinage and other tradable tokens
Yes, I agree, the nature of any exchange economy is to find a fair and reliable means by which the value of commodities or services could be represented over time, without transporting or performing the commodity or service itself. Coins are a great choice and, building on previous forum discussions, the material that gives inherent value to a coin
that is not valued by fiat would be only a small component of it. For example, 1 GP coin would have less than 0.18g of gold which is tiny. For ease of production, it is likely that the gold would be blended into the base metal of the coin or token. This would prevent popping out the gold core and undermining the other functions of coinage - demonstrating political / taxation authority or trade control over a region, ensuring amount/quality of the precious metal in the coin, etc.
However, for more popular coinage metals such as copper, bronze, or silver, if the entirety of the coin isn't the precious metal, then the core of the coin may be removable to allow the coin or token to serve both as a means of exchange and as a direct input into whatever metallurgic process would consume the metal of value.
Jewelry as an exchange medium in a game context is annoying as there is artistic or emotional value to the owner that is of little value to the purchaser. That's why I always treat jewelry as a tradable good like MREs, eClips, horses, etc. that is open to negotiation and barter. Never a store of value beyond the inherent value of its material(s).
Marks would definitely be displayed - whether from a mint, a metalsmith, or some authenticating body. They allow the general populace to trust that the coin or token is authentic and reliable - it is what it says it is. In places like Splugorth kingdoms, Lazlo, or UWW where there is a heavy preponderance of magic, I'd expect that physical marks would be supplemented with mystic marks (MoM pg 82).
Local Scrip
This gets to the heart of the question - what kind of campaign is being run megaversally? If the party is flitting between Center, Splynn, Lazlo and Worldgate, then using a standard megaversal exchange currency keeps the game on track. There are likely enough brokers in these places that local businesses would have no concern accepting a recognizable currency. That's why 1 and 5 gram gold or silver bars are handy. (And yes, GB, my house rules aside, outside of Rifts Earth the value of silver falls precipitously to the books' value and makes a better metal for smaller transactions). That said, true megaversal currencies likely are widely accepted in all the finer communities that cater to megaversal travellers.
If the party leaves the megaversal enclave, they're on your own to figure it out.
Megaversal exchange
If I was selling lemonade at a street corner and an Ogre walked up to me offering a 1 gram bar of gold for some of the watered down sweetened lemon juice, I wouldn't care that it was a dollar bill, I'd take the gold with no change. Just because there is a scrip doesn't mean something that is megaversally and consistently scarce (according to my house rule) like gold wouldn't be accepted by any sentient being that operates an exchange economy. Throw that house rule away and, as a GM, you're on your own to figure out how to buy your lemonade. And most players do not want to spend their game time doing bookkeeping.
So, what do megaversal travellers keep in THEIR wallet? Credit-based currencies are a given and dependent on the ability to read the card, chip, implant or biologic that retains the credit data. Mystic contracts are also likely. But what about coins or tokens?
Naruni credits or coins/scrip: This is a given that in most places their money is accepted, as Naruni Enterprises is ever-present in the background. The megaversal equivalent of Rifts Earth BM Credits.
Splugorth coinage: I like to think that the Slugorth get a evil kick out of using outsized coins rather than credits or scrip. Magical contracts, such as a Blood Oath (Rifts WB35 pg 97), are probably used for larger transactions.
UTC: While used across 60% of the 3G, it is probably recognizable in megaversal ports of call and accepted at a premium exchange rate to cover the cost+ of having to hold and convert into a more usable currency.
Modeus coins (DB10 pg 129): As a new currency, this may not be recognizable by local businesses, but the megaversal trader would have seen demons passing these out like candy during the Minion war. A quick note on Mods - I assume the "rubies" referred to in the book are ruby chips of no real worth and the coin has only a small amount of gold to give it the 100:1 exchange for credits... but WHICH credits? The reference in the book for a place where it is exchanged is Splynn, but it is never explained what currency is used in Splynn - Rifts Credits, 3G UTC credits or something else. The problem is compounded by the megaversal aspect of the Splugorth. In my games, I've assumed that Splynn does not use Rifts UC - why would they use a fiat currency administered in ChiTown? I've also assumed that Splugorth credits are equivalent to 3G UTC because it makes life easier for me when a party is in Center. I also assume that Splugorth credits are equivalent across all kingdoms - I just don't need the additional headache. That means 1 Mod = 100 UTC = 500 UC = 0.5oz Gold.
That is a heavy coin.
Palladium World Gold Pieces: This all hinges on whether you see a lot of megaversal traffic in your game to and from Palladium. In my games, to keep the flavor of the setting, I limit the megaversal traffic to dragons, powerful mages, demons, etc. The type of NPCs that would have chests of gold rather than Gold Piece coins. This means GPs don't generally float around the megaverse. That said, I did once play a game where there was a True Atlantean colony on the world and they acted as a megaversal enclave that bridged the gap between GPs and megaversal currencies.
PPE: I've always thought that stored and transportable PPE could be used as a currency based on its utility. Like long hair - when it grows long, it can be cut and sold to wig makers. I haven't done the math on a PPE economy yet, as gold is sufficient for my games, but if a GM was running a magic heavy megaversal campaign in BTS or Dead Reign, PPE batteries would be a hot commodity and could be used as wearable tokens of exchange.
Fiat currencies like credits and dollars are generally worthless, unless there is a megaversal enitity like Naruni Enterprises interested in backing any exchange.