Using the Silver Standard & XP Points in my PBP game

[Admin Pete]

I am using the Silver Standard in my PbP game down below.

Here is the most basic Equipment List. I will be expanding this from time to time. You will note that some things are priced in Copper, most in Silver and some in Gold. The bulk of the common peoples transactions are in copper with a few in silver. The peasants usually have their mares bred by the local powers (noble or knight or cleric) stallions for instance.  All coins can be very useful and none, at least IMC, should be sneezed at.

Experience is at the rate of one SP (not counting the starting cash) is one XP, when it is spent. Other XP will be allotted for other treasures that are not copper, silver or gold and which do not necessarily have to be spent or converted to coin and spent, so be discerning in value when deciding what treasure to cart off. You gain no XP for killing anything, unless you do it in the circumstances of defending the innocent and helpless (no you may not take children with you to gain XP protecting them [unless you have hired yourself out to protect a caravan or similar situation]). There is no XP for magic - it is its own reward, unless you sell it AND spend the money. I reserve the right to grant XP for other things (such as, but not limited to, amusing me, smart play and out of the box thinking).

Please note that if you gain XP for items that do not have to be spent you cannot double dip by spending it.

Gold is compared to RAW, but you still need a lot of it for big purchases.

1 GP = 75 SP = 7500 CP 1 SP = 100 CP

There are 200 Silver coins to a pound, 150 Copper Coins to a pound and 100 Gold Coins to a pound.

[Admin Pete]

I think the Dave Arneson method of granting experience as resources (coins) are spent worked really well for him and I want to give it a try since this came is starting from scratch.

[Admin Pete]

To quote @gronanofsimmerya

Oct 1, 2017 22:59:51 GMT -5 @gronanofsimmerya said:

There are three main reasons that GP was the source of XP.
1) To give players the financial base they need to build their strongholds
2) To reward cleverness; if XP is for gold and monster XP is chump change, stealing or tricking the gold from the monster works as well as killing it
3) So that wandering monsters are a hazard and not XP on the hoof.
Bear that in mind for any alternate XP system

I have always followed this and I am altering it by going on the Silver Standard (1 SP spent equals 1 XP) which means that Gold is both harder to come by but also worth much more. The requirement to spend it means the PCs might party a lot at one extreme or they might invest in the future by acquiring things with the money at the other extreme or something else.

I want to reward clever outside the box thinking so I am giving no XP for killing monster and that dates all the way back to 1975. And wandering monsters are a hazard and not XP.

[Admin Pete]

The change to the number of coins to a pound are important because you NEED to carry the copper out and because you will need to figure out how to get more bulky valuables out of the dungeon. Transporting large objects is difficult. Managing your resources are important . You can run out of food, water, torches, ammo etc.  Moving 20,000 copper coins is still 133 lbs. and the value is 2 GP & 50 SP (or 200 SP) which will buy a lot of stuff where previously it would not (for example two sets of chain mail). I have set it up so that it would be difficult for a 1st level PC to own armor better than leather and shield. That will require crafty play to make it to second level and buy better armor.

So I have made coins easier to carry but coins are not the dominate form of treasure.

[Deleted]

At one point I used actual medieval English prices for things, and English currency. One shilling was worth 100 XP.

So money was very, very scarce.

It had an effect I had not anticipated, and did not like: players went into low level areas and slaughtered goblins and kobolds in order to gather up their weapons and any surviving bits of armor or shield or whatnot in order to sell them for money to live on. Because selling half a dozen badly made daggers for a penny each gave them the funds to survive for a few days more.

Just a friendly warning.

[voyagingid]

Sounds interesting. I like the idea of low level characters scrounging a bit. When they finally find a chest full of treasure it will be all the more epic.