Gold Pieces Are They Worth Something?
Looking at Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) a Tabletop Roleplaying Game. It came out in the 1970s and has been growing in popularity in its release, but the question becomes is its economic system viable? In basic D&D, specifically, the fifth edition, which is the current iteration of the game, the economy is based on precious metals that are forged into coins and used as a currency. The multiple precious metals used in this system listed least valuable to most valuable are copper, silver, electrum, and platinum.
In basic D&D there are no specific rules for how money should be printed and used. Money can be used to purchase different items, but there becomes a question, especially when reading through different materials, how can commoners purchase certain items when it is known that they will most likely never see a gold coin in their life? It is unknown. There is no regulating mint or anything of the sort. Anyone could melt down copper, silver, electrum, gold, or platinum into coins and gain currency. However, there is a little bit of a geological check to the system so there is no hyperinflation that comes down to there being only a certain amount of gold in the ground that can be harvested for use in currency. Especially because gold and platinum are used in making other materials, besides coins and currency. Due to the nature of D&D, it allows players to deal with this problem on their own. Many individuals have just kind of avoided the question, but I have decided to be one of those people. There are many possibilities to solve this problem. If anyone has an idea on how to truly make the currency system a continent-wide universal currency, but making it seem more official than just me telling friends playing in my continent, “that’s just the currency and rates for things.”
References
Wizo. (2021, February 08). A look at the economy of D&D - Money basics. Retrieved from https://levelupcorner.com/a-look-at-the-economy-of-dd-money-basics/