rustwizyrd

[rustwizyrd]

What if No Gold?

If you've talked to me about game design before then you may have heard me talk about how much I hate two things in TTRPGs: Gold and Trad Game XP.

While I may write a post later talking about why, today I was thinking about what sorts of systems you could use to make a fair start at getting rid of gold pieces in your game entirely, and so I'm here with a couple of quick ideas and partial systems that you are free to try out or steal for something yr working on.

Barter Tables

Barter tables are simple, they are a list of the kinds of things a person or community might have or could give, versus the kinds of things they might need. For a simple one: Wandering Knight:

A day's worth of hard tack -> a night's watch A fine weapon -> fine maintenance on all medium and heavy armor Saving them from certain doom -> A true name, used to summon them once for battle against a worthy foe

On the left, we have something the party might have or give, and on the right, something they might receive in exchange. We can already see from this that goods and service are at odd equivalencies. This table needn't be the only set of exchanges available, but it offers a place for us to not only understand this character, but to think about what skills and goods they are likely to have on them, and how they fit into our world, and build off of in the future. Here's another:

A Reputable Inn:

Nothing -> A thin broth and a bench in the main hall to sleep on Fresh ingredients -> A fine meal and a private room A Golden Trinket -> A fine meal, a private room, and the attention of pickpockets A well told tale or song -> Food and beer, trinkets and tack if you're lucky Breaking up a fight before anyone is hurt -> a well packed lunch and extra supplies for your departure A well-woven tapestry -> Fine food whenever you are in town, and a favor from the owner

Discreet Value Matrix

This is a fancy way of saying that depending on certain factors, we might be able to assign a specific value to different kinds of objects to help decide how much you get for them. Imagine a few axes for this kind of matrix, all with possible values between -10 and 10:

Quantity

Scarcity

Utility

Magical Endowment

Age

Beauty

You could use these values to figure a rough value of something based on the condition of not only the object, but also the environment of the thing. Let's take a normal sword as an example. When seen by a warrior, a sword might have the following value:

Scarcity -> 2

Utility -> 7

Age -> 6 (it's new)

But to a farmer it might look more like this:

Scarcity -> -5 (I do not need this)

Beauty -> 2

What you do with these numbers (adding them, just comparing them) doesn't matter as much as having a consistent way to identify how much a person or group needs something, and potentially makes for some very interesting trades:

Let's say our party needs a magical relic that is in the possession of a local town. to the town the relic has the following value:

Scarcity -> 10 (there's just the one)

Age -> 10 (it's been here since the town's founding)

Utility -> -3 (there's a rumor it's cursed)

Beauty -> 5

Magical Endowment -> 10 (it's clearly magic so come on, can't get something for nothing)

Now the party doesn't have the time to do a side quest to help this town with the skeletons popping out of the graveyard, but they do have two things the town needs: weapons (to fight the skeletons) and food (there was a blight on the crops, maybe related). Through some negotiations, the players trade the following to the town:

Spears

Utility -> 5

Quantity -> 4 (enough for the toughest townsfolk)

Scarcity -> 7

Food

Utility -> 7

Quantity -> 8 (it's all their but the party has a druid that can create food)

Scarcity -> 7

It's pretty quick to do napkin math on what makes a fair trade for the facilitator, and the party gets to go on their way knowing that they're eating nothing but roughage for a couple of days.

[rustwizyrd]

On a good note. I have stopped trying to get through altered carbon and picked up The galaxy and the ground within by Becky Chambers.

A proper feel good read. Idk i needed that. A book about people and connection and learning to understand each other :) I had fun. Read a lot of it on my train ride. Got through it quick

[rustwizyrd]

I have been feeling ALL KINDS OF UNWELL at uni and now i have returned to my family lol (it was necessary) My mental health has been at an all time low and my body has developed new kinds of bad bad coping mechanisms to deal with it.

i think i might have to stop and reevaluate. some stuff tsfdhs i am clearly very unhappy and overwhelmed with how things currently are

Barely doing anything rn.. i just.. can't lmao

doing a lil better though i think!!

[rustwizyrd]

For pride month I will try and claw my way back into my body

[rustwizyrd]

[ID: A small brown and white calf resting their head on the head of a large black longhorn cow. The bigger cow is grazing and paying no mind to the baby.]

[rustwizyrd]

I think part of growing up for me was to recognize and understand my parents first as flawed people. And then acknowledging that thats in fact okay because there is no way they ever could NOT be flawed.

In no way excusing any harm done lol.. But realising that they do love me and they did and still do try their best - within their capabilities. As flawed and limited that may be lmao.

but they do.. they do try..

[rustwizyrd]

I can somehow only do things when I'm not in my flat?? When it comes to work but also when it comes to hobbies??

Spending my time in the library always rn gdhdg

This is where I do my work and my silly reading and drawing and solo ttrpging??

This might be the effect of isolation but I only ever feel so trapped at home my only state of being is video game character bugged into the wall :(

[rustwizyrd]

because its a holiday i cant go to my usual spot outside of my flat and NOW IM STUCK!! Basically videogame character bugged into the wall

HOW DO I UNSTUCK MYSELF :( i dont know where to goo

[rustwizyrd]

test

edit: DO NOT VOTE BASED ON THE VIBES OF THE FLUIDS 😭

[rustwizyrd]

is there a narrative focused game w supernatural elements that lets me kiss boys

[rustwizyrd]

For now I have turned away from desperately trying to find people who will try ttrpgs with me. I'll be trying a few solo ttrpgs

I've been listening to the alone at the table podcast as well. Enjoyable! 👍

"god there are so many ttrpgs i want to try??!!! I am SO back on my bullshit " (says guy who has never gmed in his life (YET, hopefully lol))

[rustwizyrd]

jackdaws look so sillyy! idk why but i love themm

(it's so funny actually. i remember loving them as a child and then UTTERLY FORGETTING THEY EXIST??!! Now that i'm studying environmental ecology i have rediscovered my joy in seeing them around lol. same thing with the coot(?))

[rustwizyrd]

"god there are so many ttrpgs i want to try??!!! I am SO back on my bullshit " (says guy who has never gmed in his life (YET, hopefully lol))

[rustwizyrd]

if anyone has advice on planning more specific events n stuff👉👈

Got an idea for a vtm chronicle. Kind of? Idk if its any good though. Or how to plan and execute it in any way agsdhj

basically

The city has been destroyed. With it many Camarilla ressources. The prince and their vassals are missing. Everybody is in turmoil. Kindred and Kine alike. A war has ended but another one has begun While the Camarilla are struggling to rebuild their ranks, trading what they can to reclaim their throne, other parties see an opportunity to seize power. Something has shifted. The city is being rebuild, different parties try to influence different projects and try to claim and stay in power. An unknown benefector generously supports the exact reconstruction of many historical sights. Nostalgia or a different reason? Whoever is left of the Camarilla traded the university with the local Tremere regent in exchange for their help, which proves to be a fruitbearing exchange for the regent as the university grows to be an important part of the city life and unlife.

Rereading this i guess its all more background info? Building the ~scenery~ i guess.. Idk where to go from here really ✌😞 Sure leaves room for a lot of conflict, but.. man.. i need to plan something more specific.. where do i even begin.. I want it to be a short one since none of us have any ttrpg experience lol

[rustwizyrd]

OH i forgot to say this is germany in the 80s??

An idea i had was thinblood/tremere/mage focused? The growth in population, emergence of the internet allows thinbloods to find each other more easily. Drawing focus to themselves though by gathering in groups. And as uni makes sense to be a place where a lot of them would appear, blood mages would especially be interested in their abilities ig?

But once again its pretty vague and idk where to beginn in plotting out more specific events

Got an idea for a vtm chronicle. Kind of? Idk if its any good though. Or how to plan and execute it in any way agsdhj

basically

The city has been destroyed. With it many Camarilla ressources. The prince and their vassals are missing. Everybody is in turmoil. Kindred and Kine alike. A war has ended but another one has begun While the Camarilla are struggling to rebuild their ranks, trading what they can to reclaim their throne, other parties see an opportunity to seize power. Something has shifted. The city is being rebuild, different parties try to influence different projects and try to claim and stay in power. An unknown benefector generously supports the exact reconstruction of many historical sights. Nostalgia or a different reason? Whoever is left of the Camarilla traded the university with the local Tremere regent in exchange for their help, which proves to be a fruitbearing exchange for the regent as the university grows to be an important part of the city life and unlife.

Rereading this i guess its all more background info? Building the ~scenery~ i guess.. Idk where to go from here really ✌😞 Sure leaves room for a lot of conflict, but.. man.. i need to plan something more specific.. where do i even begin.. I want it to be a short one since none of us have any ttrpg experience lol

[rustwizyrd]

Got an idea for a vtm chronicle. Kind of? Idk if its any good though. Or how to plan and execute it in any way agsdhj

basically

The city has been destroyed. With it many Camarilla ressources. The prince and their vassals are missing. Everybody is in turmoil. Kindred and Kine alike. A war has ended but another one has begun While the Camarilla are struggling to rebuild their ranks, trading what they can to reclaim their throne, other parties see an opportunity to seize power. Something has shifted. The city is being rebuild, different parties try to influence different projects and try to claim and stay in power. An unknown benefector generously supports the exact reconstruction of many historical sights. Nostalgia or a different reason? Whoever is left of the Camarilla traded the university with the local Tremere regent in exchange for their help, which proves to be a fruitbearing exchange for the regent as the university grows to be an important part of the city life and unlife.

Rereading this i guess its all more background info? Building the ~scenery~ i guess.. Idk where to go from here really ✌😞 Sure leaves room for a lot of conflict, but.. man.. i need to plan something more specific.. where do i even begin.. I want it to be a short one since none of us have any ttrpg experience lol

[rustwizyrd]

dedicating this blog to my ttrpg struggles now. 😞✌