Coinage in DFX

Many years ago now, I created a complicated system of coins and exchange. While this is probably kind of realistic—different nations have different coins, of differing weights and purities—it didn't make the game any more fun to worry about it. Today, of course, we use fiat money, but when we actually had real money with intrinsic value in its own right because it was made of precious metals, this is how it worked.

But realistic or not, this created complexity that isn't really very fun at the table, so I am today against the concept of doing anything like that. Plus, it's super out of date. At the time I did that, I was pretty deep into the Mk. IV version of the Dark•Heritage setting, which later migrated to Mk. V, which later migrated to Dark Fantasy X. Significant changes to the setting happened as a result of those two migrations. Some of the nations (like Qizmir) don't even exist in the setting at all anymore, and Kurushat sorta exists, but in a completely different format than it did then. Baal Hamazi is also significantly different, and the idea that there would be a common coinage for Baal Hamazi doesn't make sense anymore anyway. And Terassa and Porto Liure technically exist (recently re-added, in fact!) but are still kind of periphery fringe elements rather than core elements of the setting. All in all, the whole thing is now, no longer, relevant or useful.

I do, after looking for something different to do for dubious reasons, agree with Gary Gygax's fairly simply scheme after all of a gold standard. Gold coins are the basic unit of measure, like a fantasy dollar, with finer gradations of silver (dimes) and copper (pennies.) Stuff is cheaper in general, so pennies are still useful for a lot of things. Because we live in an extremely inflated currency regime, we tend to think of them as useless, but in the middle ages, copper coins could still buy you things like meals, etc. The 3e SRD also has platinum, which is a ten-note, and the 5e SRD not only has platinum but also electrum, which is like a 50¢ piece. In my experience, however, these are rarely used unless modules toss them in for the heckuvit, and when they do, players pretty much just convert them to gp's, because they clearly are on a gold standard. I think the reason for the higher value (platinum) is probably related to encumbrance, a rule that few people actually ever liked using, as near as I can tell (nobody I ever played with did.)

That said, the reason I wanted to be a little bit more than just D&D's "gp's" is because it isn't evocative at all. So, I split the difference; I'm using the same money scheme, but I'm giving the coins actual names rather than simply "gold pieces."

I've decided that "gold pieces" will be called nobles (nb), silver pieces will be called shillings (sh) and copper pieces will be called... er... pennies (pn). Yeah, that last one isn't super original, but the linguistic trappings of the word penny is pretty legit, with cognates in all Germanic languages and first attested as long ago as the late 1300s. If I want to sound a little fancier than pennies, I can use pence as the plural; as an American, it sounds more British, obviously, and therefore more old-fashioned. 

As an aside, for my tokens, which are fake coins made of metal that look vaguely Medieval or piratey, I have them in a few sizes and colors, but they track pretty well to the nb, sh and pn, or gold, silver and copper pieces. Not that there's any value in one token over another; they're all equal, but still—it's fun to have an actual prop that I need for one reason in game that looks like something else that is actually significant in game in a different place too.

Now, those are the English names, and apply to the Hill Country of course. While I'm going to use that as the default, it's worth pointing out that the various other regions mint their own coins (of the same value and metal, for simplicity's sake, but with different images and slogans, etc.) that have different names, which I can use on occasion for color. In Timischburg, for instance, the gold pieces are called ducats, the silver are called thalers, and the copper pfennigs. In Baal Hamazi the golds are called denarii (denarius single), silver are called a argenteus and the copper is called a quadrans. And in the south, along the Corsair Coast, gold coins are doubloons, silver are pieces of eight or royals, and copper is called cobs. 

But I wouldn't expect anyone to remember all that. It's mostly just for some local color on the rare occasion I want to use it. Besides, because for simplicity's sake I'm assuming all types of coins are of equal value to their counterparts across the entire region, there's no reason not to have them circulate freely across the region.