Re: Economic Systems for Trading
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:34 am
by Go0gleplex
Here's part of that Trade Document I mentioned. This will be long, so I apologize in advance.
TRADE
Whenever a Merchant lands in a settlement, he or she may attempt to make a profit through speculative trade. First the Merchant will attempt to buy goods in another settlement. Then, once the Merchant has travelled to another settlement, he or she may attempt to sell those goods at a profit.
BUYING GOODS FROM SETTLEMENTS:
Step 1: Determine type of General Product available.
Each day a Merchant resides in a settlement, he or she may generate a new product type available for purchase. First, the Merchant looks up the "Resources" of the settlement. If no resource is listed, the settlement has nothing for sale. If the resource is "Market", roll randomly to determine that day's General Product (for example, "Meats" or "Ores/Alloys") by rolling 1d12. If a "General Product" is listed under Resources, than the settlement automatically has that General Resource for sale. If a "Specific Product" is listed under resources, skip this step and go directly to step 2.
Example: A Merchant sets out to buy goods in Map 5, Hex 3704 "Zarthstone". It's "Resources" is "Market", so the Merchant randomly generates a General Product type. The 1d12 roll is "11", which indicates a general category of "Livestock".
Step 2: Determine the Specific Product avialable.
Once the General Product is determined, a Specific Product may be generated. Roll the appropriate die and apply the listed modifiers to the roll. A settlement with a "wet" climate, for example, will add 1 to the roll of Meats. A Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Good, or Chaotic Evil settlement will subract 1 to the roll of Liquors. A Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, or Lawful Good community will add 1 to the roll of livestock. A settlement's "limit" restricts the type of Specific Product it can sell. If a Specific Product's $ per Measure is higher than the settlement's "limit", no Specific Product is available for sale that day.
There is one exception to the above rule. If a settlement's listed Resource is already a Specific Product (Clams or Fish, for example), the product is automatically that specific type, and there is always at least one measure available for sale, regardless of the settlement's "limit".
Example: In step 1 the Merchant determined that Zarthstone was selling "Livestock". Zarthstone has an alignment of Neutral Good and, Consulting the Product Chart, a Good alignment results in a +1 to the Specific Product die roll. The Merchant rolls a "1", which would ordinarily result in slaves. But adding +1 modifier, the result is chickens.
Step 3: Determine the product's supply.
A product's value is based on its supply. Once a specific product is generated, roll 2d6 to determine the current supply of that product in the settlement, modifying the roll with the same modifier's listed under the General Product category. If the General or Specific Product is listed under the Settlement's "Resources," add an additional 2 to the roll. The supply ranges from an Extreme Deficiency to a Huge Surplus, as per the following chart:
SUPPLY CHART
DIE ROLL....AVAILABILITY.................COST.....SUPPLY
2...........Extreme Deficiency...........140%.....60%
3...........Dire Deficiency..............130%.....70%
4...........Deficiency...................120%.....80%
5...........No Deficiency................110%.....90%
6...........Average......................100%.....100%
7...........Average......................100%.....100%
8...........Average......................100%.....100%
9...........No Surplus...................90%......110%
10..........Surplus......................80%......120%
11..........Large Surplus................70%......130%
12..........Huge Surplus.................60%......140%
The Cost Percentage is the percentage of the $ per Measure that the settlement is selling the product for. This is referred to as the Specific Product's "real" cost, as opposed to the "typical cost" listed on Product chart. It is also the percentage of Measures that can be bought or sold.
Example: The Merchant now determines the Supply of Zarthstone's chickens. He adds 1 to the 2d6 roll, again, due to the fact that Zarthstone has a "Good" alignment. The Merchant rolls a 7. Adding one results in an 8, "Average". The Merchant may buy the chickens at a "real cost" of 100% their "typical cost". Rolling 2d100 to determine the Mesures to Buy results in a 24. Multiplied by 100% results in 24. 24 lots of 10 are available for purchase, at a real cost of 2 sp per lot, or 48 sp. The Merchant decides to pass on the chickens.
Step 3: Subtract the real cost of the Specific Product for sale from the settlement's assets. A settlement may never offer for sale a total higher value of product than is listed in its assets. If the die rolls ever generate a real cost greater than the settlement's assets, reduce the number of Measures avaialable to match the settlement's assets, and the settlement can offer no further products for sale during the Merchant's current residence. If, on the other hand, the settlement still has as left-over assets, the Merchant may investigate the purchase of additional products by remaining in residence for additional days.
Example: Even though the Merchant decided not to buy Zarthstone's chickens, the value of the Chickens must still be subtracted from Zarthstone's assets. Zarthstone is a small town with 41,600 gp of assets. Subtracting the 48 sp of Chickens leaves 41,595 gp and 2 sp of assets remaining.
Step 4: If the Merchant wishes to purchase different or additional Products, the Merchant may spend another day looking for goods. This time, the Merchant rolls for the General and Specific Products available, regardless of what is listed as the settlements Resources (unless the settlement has two or more Resources listed, in which case the Merchant must spend multiple days exhausting those, first).
Example: Since Zarthstone still has a huge amount of assets left, the Merchant may continue to shop for products, generating one product per day, until he is happy with what he finds, or until Zarthstone runs out of assets.
Further Example: Ahyf (Map 8, Hex 3329) is a village with "Market" listed as its resource. A Merchant spends a day there looking for goods. The General Product roll is a 7, resulting in Timber. Ahyf is Hot and Wet, so the Merchant adds 2 to his Specific Product roll, resulting in a 6. Reading down the Merchant finds that it's Teak. Now the Merchant consults the Supply Chart, rolling a 9 and adding 2 results in an 11, "Large Surplus" on the Supply Chart. Only one standard is available for purchase, but it only costs 336 gp. Unfortunately, 336 gp per measure is higher than the village's "limit" of 200 gp. So no product is available for sale.
SELLING GOODS TO SETTLEMENTS:
Once a Merchant is satisfied with his or her purchases, that Merchant will undoubtedly hope to sell it for a profit. In order to do so, the Merchant will first have to transport the product to another settlement. Once that is accomplished, the Merchant may follow the following steps to sell it:
Step 1: Determine the Supply of the Specific Product the Merchant wants to sell.
Each day, the Merchant may attempt to sell one Specific Product. The Merchant rolls on the Supply Chart to determine the Settlement's supply of that Specific Product. The roll is modified by any pertinent modifiers on the General Product list.
Example: Tavelling North to Zothay, a Merchant wants to sell his Teak. Zothay is only Warm, not Hot and Wet, so Zothay's roll on the Supply Chart is unmodified. None the less, the merchant rolls high...a "9" idicating "No surplus".
Step 2: Determine the price the Settlement is willing to pay.
Once the Supply is determined, the percentage of the "standard cost" that the Settlement is willing to pay as a "real cost" is listed on the Supply Chart.
Example: The Settlement offers to buy the Teak for 90% of its "standard cost". Its "standard cost" is 480 gp. 90% of that is 432 gp. The Merchant decides to accept the offer, since he originally purchased the Teak for only 336 gp. He's made a 96 gp profit.
Step 3: Subtract the "real cost" of the purchased product from the Settlement's Assets.
The Settlement's "Assets" represents the cash it has on hand to make purchases. A Merchant may never sell more Product than the Settlement can afford under its Assets.
Example: Zothay is a Small town with an 45,600 gp in assets. Subtracting the 432 gp real cost of the Teak from that limit leaves 45,168 gp. If the Merchant intends to sell more products, he can't sell more than 45,168 gp-worth.
Step 4: If the Merchant wishes to sell different or additional Products, the Merchant may spend another day in residence trying to sell. The Merchant returns to step 1.
Re: Economic Systems for Trading
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:29 am
by serleran
Welcome to the Marketplace
A Guide to Stock, Availability, and General Economics
What follows is a very simplified accounting of economics, and is not meant to reflect any real-world practices or history, save for the few mentions provided to give the reader a general understanding of what is inferred, without needing to go into the depth necessary to make this document a true recount of various principles. The author is not a historian, an economist, or anything other than a person trying to provide something worthwhile to the audience – you, reader.
To obtain any provision found in the PHB, one must be able to locate such provender, and pay its cost, as would be logical and practical. However, items are not always simply there to be obtained, as many factors are in play at once, such as economy, availability of metals, time and situation (its much more common for numerous weapons and armor to be for purchase if war is imminent, for example), and skill of the item manufacturer (often, a skilled laborer is not trained in the making of many items, but a select few, most of which are designed to work together for a common instrument; there are rare exceptions, however.)
What follows is a means for a Castle Keeper to quickly, and easily, determine if a specific item is able to be found within the multitude of shops the players may wish to enter for purchasing equipment. Of utmost importance for the availability of any given gear is the technological availability, as primitive peoples will be generally incapable of producing items of an advanced nature, and the reverse holds true for an advanced society (they are likely to have the means to make less sophisticated items but have no desire for it as they tend to think such as inferior.) Therefore, all settlements should be categorized into one of the following, noting specific alterations for individuals as needed
(for example, a particularly skilled craftsman residing nearby):
Primitive (Type I) – At this level of technology only items which are wholly natural (exist without processing or manufacture; this means only the most basic and fundamental goods, such as raw stone, metal, and wood, none of which can be wrought into anything other than its normal state) can be obtained; societies of this type tend to be nomadic and reclusive and usually barter in terms of non-monies as the concept of currency (they may trade for metallic coins, but do so as curiosities) is alien; they also typically will not make deals for things which, to them, are valueless (exceptions occur, of course, but this should be very difficult to do as noted below). When dealing with those of this type, there are two ordinary responses when contacting a merchant:
1) Fear and/or hostility – the individual distrusts those seeking to make a deal, often manifesting as fear (i.e. running away, not speaking, or other action) or violence, at worst turning to open aggression. Striking an agreement is extremely difficult (impossible if fighting has occurred). A community that has virtually no contact with outsiders should always be considered as belonging to the group that responds with violence;
those with limited, but not continual, contact (that is, a society that has dealings with another on a non-regular basis due to migratory travels or other reasons) show fear. This reaction can be overcome with a successful Charisma check at -10; if the check is made with a -20 modifier, the reaction turns to one of acquiescence. If the check is made, all marketing can be performed as normal for the items available, noting that barter, rather than currency exchange, will occur. Furthermore, if items which have no discernible utility for the individual are offered, a second check is required; failure on this check reverts the exchange to its original state and it must tried again, with additional offerings. Those of this sort seldom bargain or haggle but they may demand something from the party simply for allowing them to live, to enter tribal lands, or other conditions, at the whim of the Castle Keeper. As a note, semi-intelligent humanoids (those having less than Average Intelligence) fall into this category. Note, however, that fear can work to the advantage of the players as they are then able to demand, provided such expectations are not ridiculous (at the discretion of the Castle Keeper) and fully acquire whatever was asked for, without losing anything of their own.
2) Acquiescence – the individual is awed and amazed by the party, either in their appearance, equipment, or other factors, returning in kind, typically in a much greater number against their own favor, though they do not realize it, or care; this means, for example, a party could trade an object and receive a considerable return, usually up to ten times the object’s value or greater! The primitive merchant is entitled to a Wisdom check (at no penalty or bonus) if the party demands too much (subject to the Castle Keeper’s adjudication, though if it is exorbitant, the Castle Keeper may rule the trade is forfeit outright) with a success indicating that the trader wishes to have more in his favor; a failure on this check indicates success for the party, allowing them to exchange at the exact rate offered. As a general rule, any time the party offers to trade for an item, they must match it with at least 25% of its perceived value, as explained hereafter, but can expect to receive up to 20 times that amount, detailed more fully in the section on haggling.
Primitive people often will trade for anything, providing they will trade at all, including goods which have absolutely no use to them, are perishable, or fragile – they are simply ignorant of their actions, delighting in whatever fancy they catch. It must be noted that settlements and societies of this type are exceptionally rare, perhaps populating a mere ½ of 1% of the entire world, and then, are very difficult to locate and deal with. Also, the above are simply guidelines and possibilities; they are by no means the utmost law and authority – a Castle Keeper is required to alter these to suit the specific needs of the campaign and the situation, to which it is being applied, remembering, always, that fun and dramatic moments are the catchphrases of a strong campaign.
Stone (Type II) – Settlements and cultures of this type have discovered the mechanics to making things, albeit out of what they already have in raw form. Essentially, this is a bare leap above the primitive, as they are able to combine various natural goods in the making of arms (such as stone hand axes) and armor (like wooden shields and helmets,) a few decorative pieces (sculpture, carpentry, rough etching, et cetera) are possible as well, and they tend to have a more refined degree of knowing what it is they want: i.e., these people have associated a value to an item, forming the very foundation of an economy. These people typically have the same reactions as noted for primitives, but are not so easily duped; as a general rule, use the same system but increase the difficulty of altering base reaction (either fear or acquiescence) by 5. In addition, a merchant of this type is able to understand the fundamental value of trade goods and will never settle for less than 30% perceived value and cannot be convinced to trade for more than 10 times the same. Like primitives, it is very rare to deal with mercantile representatives at this level, perhaps having as much as a full percentage of world population in its numbers (this can of course be altered to reflect the campaign world in use.)
Generally, a culture at this level will have specific wants and desires which they prioritize, often to the betterment of their whole, rather than that of a specific individual (this, along with their slightly better technology, differentiates them from primitives) though greed is not an impossible motivator; like their primitive brethren, those of a stone society are likely to be appeased or frightened into compliance, though such modifiers and abilities are harder (reduce effectiveness by half) but a show of force is more prone to be responded to with the like.
Bronze (Type III) – Having discovered the means to craft items from metal, and evolving technologically a step further, beyond the basic elements of the stone society, these habitats have a fully functional economy, often dictated by the decrees of sovereigns. They can create many different things, generally of great beauty and typically have well-developed infrastructures for trade and other services. This is, generally, considered the first real “society” in which the individual is as important, if not more so, than fellows; because of this, merchants and artisans are plentiful, but the best are often treated as property of the ruling class (or entity). Settlements are generally educated, and recognize the value of metals and place a like value on their own goods; it is here that services become an actual component of the economy. It is also at this level of sophistication that “services” become more available – including those of an illicit, or personal, nature.
Bronze societies do not respond well to threats of force – they must be conquered, for they have developed social sentience and, as a rule place the welfare of the “state” above that of the self (even the most greediest will recognize this fact, for if the settlement falls, so do they.) True barter becomes commonplace, and the concept of money, usually minted in coin currency, develops.
Iron (Type IV) – One step beyond that of the Bronze culture before it, this type of settlement tends to have laws and regulations, generally for the protection of the less fortunate, but more often for the betterment and segregation of the wealthy; armies are considered of supreme importance, as are explorations – what better way to gather monetary value than to take it from others. This is a settlement type that enjoys the prospect of indulgence, both invention and lackadaisical whimsy, and are not tired of what cannot be done, ever striving to achieve what forebears could not. It is here that formal education becomes commonplace (Bronze societies might have similar ideas but it is typically sporadic and reserved for certain sects of people, whereas the Iron society will consider it for any person showing skill – i.e., the foundation of the Guild.)
A settlement of this type knows well the value of coin and places even more on that of life, but mutual respect is admirable, and such is typically shown, though a good bargain is never passed up, hence the phrase caveat emptor. Politically, a simple ruling class is generally found, rather than being dominated by a singular entity, giving the common-folk a hope that they, too, might reach such lofty heights… and something to complain about as well.
Technologically, many things are available, but true understanding of physics and the like have yet to be reached, so these places generally rely on magic and vague science, but it is their teachings that underlie most cultures that follow, so there is something to say for it, even if discounted.
Medieval (Type V) – Stepping backwards, this is the age of loss, for knowledge and ability that once was held has slipped; still, there are some advances, such as the reliance on heavy armors and even heavier weapons. In general, this is the assumed default for most Castles and Crusades games, where castles are adorned with the wealth of history and the poor people are forced to live a step above slavery. Perfect for adventuring.
Guilds tend to be rampant, and to cross one is to invite disaster for they have a long memory and deeper pockets.
Advanced (Type VI) – At this stage, society has leapt forward and gained some real knowledge, such as the use of irrigation or that of the use of concrete, mixing viable science with mysticism producing astonishing effects. Technology is continually improving, generally starting in the area of the arts, and the people themselves tend to be open and forgiving, assuming no theological leanings to the contrary. These societies tend to dismiss anything that is not at least two steps below them, finding the Medieval to be a dreadful reminder of the past, but relishing the Iron age, looking at it as if it were a period of golden peace – this trend causes merchants to carry only what interests them, and interests are wide. Guilds have formed into semipolitical affiliates and wield much power, especially those of a criminal nature. Displays of force are considered tacky, rude, and likely to land one in a prison.
For the Castle Keeper’s edification, each “Type” corresponds to a different age of mankind in the real world:
Primitive = Prehistoric man (caveman)
Stone = Aboriginal tribes of “The New World” (pre-America discovery, for example)
Bronze = First settlements and empires (Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, et cetera)
Iron = World conquerors and rise of education (Roman Empire, for example)
Medieval = Dark Age Europe (archetypal fantasy environment)
Advanced = Post-Dark Age “enlightenment” (Renaissance Italy or Muslim Kingdoms)
Minimum Technology refers to one of the six basic types of settlements, as defined above, where an item of the specified type might be located; the actual finding of said item is determined by availability, though a Castle Keeper should adjust this number based on population, location, purpose, and the like. Cost factor is used only when an item that is not normally available (determined by failing an availability roll) is decided upon, by the Castle Keeper, to be available anyway, or at any time when the Castle Keeper chooses – basically, it is used as a means to fluctuate the cost of items as they are purchased, and therefore represents a range of numbers.
Availability is simple – it functions exactly like Spell Resistance. The Castle Keeper rolls 1d20 and compares the roll to the listed value; if the roll is equal, or greater, than that shown, the item is available. There are several factors affecting availability and cost factor, such as environment, population, legality, and so forth. All of these are cumulative, unless desired otherwise, and can be ignored just as easily as anything in this document.
Climate – Areas where the environment works against trade, such as arctic conditions, swamps, and high altitudes, generally increase the cost and decrease availability – they also tend to not have a high technology level, making barter with such settlements costly and difficult. Castle Keepers should keep in mind the nature of the item in question and whether it would be readily available in the surrounding climate; if it must be imported, increase cost.
Population – Obviously related to climate, population is a major factor in determining the existence of any object. The more people, the greater the demand and the more likely said desire can be fulfilled. However, this works both ways, and can make things more costly, especially as it pertains to legality of the consumable. Therefore, a Castle Keeper can increase, or decrease, any availability or cost factor by up to half, representing the current flux of wares. Also, note that the larger a population is, the greater the technologies usually available – a pool of minds, as it were.
Legality – Briefly mentioned, legality ensures whether an item can be obtained with ease, or not. If the request would be against the law, it will often cost a great deal more, but may, or may not, increase in how easily located it is – one simply needs to know where to look. Most standard adventuring gear should be considered legal, but this criteria also applies to compatibility as well; for example, a cleric of an evil god wishes to procure some holy water and the only temple in town is dedicated to a god known for charity… the seeking cleric is likely not going to be able to waltz into the temple and offer some money and get the holy water, but, if he looks hard enough, and pays the right people (aka, the black market), it can be found for him, at a considerable increase in cost.
Settlement Type – What a settlement does, especially its overall campaign purpose, is absolutely vital to what can be found. If a Castle Keeper decides a one-horse town has a blacksmith of world repute, its probable any basic metal item can be found; likewise, if the Castle Keepers says this is a town known for its skill with eldritch arts, it’s plausible to find items of a magical nature more easily. But, if the Castle Keeper does not have these specifics, then the general idea can be based on what the location does, in the game – is it a capital city, a hamlet, a village? Perhaps it is a trade town straddling a causeway of great rivers. Each of these things should give the Castle Keeper a concept of what is possible within, and, how to find what is not, or, most importantly, what might not.
Condition – The state of affairs can determine what sorts of items are easily found – for example, if war looms, items of a military nature might become scarce (rationed to soldiers) or they might become dramatically easier to obtain. The Castle Keeper should bear in mind the nature of the condition, and what impact is desired, as it can set a mood and give impetus to adventure – use it as a potent tool.
