09-16-2022, 12:31 PM
Section 11: Currency and Shops
Currency is an important aspect in RPG titles, but without something to spend it on, what good is the good ol' coin? That's where shops come into play. Shops are normally entities where both player and GM have fairly equal footing. The GM sets up the shop, giving players the options for what to buy and such. The players, on the other hand, get to choose what they wanna buy... Well, provided they have the money for it, of course. I say equal footing because after buying an item, the player can use the item whenever they could. Here's what I can describe about this deal.
Currency
Okay, so currency works the same way it does in real life: you just spend it on stuff. What more is there to say? Well, there are several types of currency that are common in media. Most commonly, starting with D&D and often seen in many RPGs, you would come across Gold. Sure, the gold standard is all but nonexistent nowadays, but that didn't stop fantasy deals from using gold. Other common currencies are as follows:
Shops
Okay, so here's the meat of the deal: the shops themselves. So there are several ways of handling shops. The first way to go about it is to just use one shop in the session. This is best done for sessions with one single central location, usually small areas like in Polyedit2000's Gooey Gamble 2 for instance. While the store using this model would have everything you need, it is recommended that you stock up before going out, as the further you go out from the shop, the more difficult or tedious it would be to backtrack to the shop for something you need.
The next setup would be having one store per town or key area. This is recommended for RPs taking place in larger worlds such as those found in RPGs. Stores using this model tend to have every type of item up for sale, with items getting stronger/better as you progress through the game. Sometimes, like in Pokemon for instance, ALL the stores would share the same items, with more/better items being added in as the story progresses.
The last setup I'll discuss is the idea of having different stores within an area. With this setup, you'll come across various shops, with the most common being the following:
As for the items themselves, you have the basic setup of having a certain set of items in each shop. There are also randomized and rotation-based setups. These are explained as such.:
Selling Items
You may find yourself able to sell items at stores. Usually this is the case in an RPG environment. The GM typically determines how much an item can be sold for. Usually in games, items are sold for either 1/4 of the item's shop value or 1/2 of the item shop's value depending on the game. Selling items to stores is an easy way to get value out of items you feel aren't worth your time. It is important to note that some items can't be sold anywhere, namely quest and key items. The reason being... Well, why would you sell off important stuff? That's how you get yourself stuck.
Tips
Okay, so I'll provide a few tips here. These would help you handle the shop system.
Currency is an important aspect in RPG titles, but without something to spend it on, what good is the good ol' coin? That's where shops come into play. Shops are normally entities where both player and GM have fairly equal footing. The GM sets up the shop, giving players the options for what to buy and such. The players, on the other hand, get to choose what they wanna buy... Well, provided they have the money for it, of course. I say equal footing because after buying an item, the player can use the item whenever they could. Here's what I can describe about this deal.
Currency
Okay, so currency works the same way it does in real life: you just spend it on stuff. What more is there to say? Well, there are several types of currency that are common in media. Most commonly, starting with D&D and often seen in many RPGs, you would come across Gold. Sure, the gold standard is all but nonexistent nowadays, but that didn't stop fantasy deals from using gold. Other common currencies are as follows:
- Copper-Silver-Gold System: This system was pioneered by World of Warcraft, which reflects on the real-world use of what in ancient times were the three precious metals: copper, silver and gold. Typically there's 100 copper in 1 silver and 100 silver in 1 gold. Platinum could be tossed in, but, ehh... https://prnt.sc/Iql6k9EyN-T0
That's a pretty stupid idea nowadays.
- Zenny: Zenny, or zeni, is most often used in Japanese media as a sort of... Fantasy version of the Yen. Primary examples of the use of Zenny include the Dragon Ball franchise, Mega Man Legends, and the Capcom arcade game Forgotten Worlds.
- Gems: Some worlds use gems, most notably Legend of Zelda with its Rupees, but also the Shantae series.
Shops
Okay, so here's the meat of the deal: the shops themselves. So there are several ways of handling shops. The first way to go about it is to just use one shop in the session. This is best done for sessions with one single central location, usually small areas like in Polyedit2000's Gooey Gamble 2 for instance. While the store using this model would have everything you need, it is recommended that you stock up before going out, as the further you go out from the shop, the more difficult or tedious it would be to backtrack to the shop for something you need.
The next setup would be having one store per town or key area. This is recommended for RPs taking place in larger worlds such as those found in RPGs. Stores using this model tend to have every type of item up for sale, with items getting stronger/better as you progress through the game. Sometimes, like in Pokemon for instance, ALL the stores would share the same items, with more/better items being added in as the story progresses.
The last setup I'll discuss is the idea of having different stores within an area. With this setup, you'll come across various shops, with the most common being the following:
- Item Shop - This shop sells basic items such as potions, elixirs, status-healing items, and trinkets.
- Armory/Blacksmith - This shop sells weapons and armor and allows you to forge your own equipment.
- Brewery - This place allows you to craft and buy special potions
- Magic/Spell Shop - This place allows you to buy runes, scrolls, spells, and other magical items.
As for the items themselves, you have the basic setup of having a certain set of items in each shop. There are also randomized and rotation-based setups. These are explained as such.:
- Randomized - Here, items are randomized based on a time period or a certain event. For example, after 8 rounds in Gooey Gamble 2 (Polyedit2000 was a bit inspired by Hearthstone's campaign deal at the time), there was a sort of boost shop that allowed players to pick a passive. I would've imagined the passives are randomized at the time. I got myself a golden coat of paint.
- Rotation - Here, items are rotated around in a set order based on a time period or a certain event. This is a bit similar to a randomized item order except here, items are based on a set selection. For instance, if you have potions in one slot and elixirs in another slot, the rotation would switch back and forth between the potions and the elixirs.
Selling Items
You may find yourself able to sell items at stores. Usually this is the case in an RPG environment. The GM typically determines how much an item can be sold for. Usually in games, items are sold for either 1/4 of the item's shop value or 1/2 of the item shop's value depending on the game. Selling items to stores is an easy way to get value out of items you feel aren't worth your time. It is important to note that some items can't be sold anywhere, namely quest and key items. The reason being... Well, why would you sell off important stuff? That's how you get yourself stuck.
Tips
Okay, so I'll provide a few tips here. These would help you handle the shop system.
- If you're a GM setting up a shop, think about how easy or how difficult it is to get money in an RP. Also, think of how useful or how powerful an item is. Nobody wants to buy garbage for 9999 gold, plus having an elixir for sale at 10 gold might just break the game. Note that a video game also typically goes faster than a roleplaying session, so try not to make saving a complete grindfest.
- If you're a player, try and consider the use of an item. You may wind up getting nailed, so you may need a potion. You may also wind up getting gummed or glued, so use something like peanut butter or paint thinner (somehow, that removes glue).
- When you can, stock up. Sometimes, a special item can wait until you're decent in both healing items and money.