Coins..a dicussion on weight, value, and realisticosity

[morrigan]

So..what you're saying is that Tek is so powerful, that the objects he decided were currency, became the common currency of the entire known world? Wonder how Muk feels about the fact that he's such a pushover that his city uses the currency designated by Tektolnes?

[Yam]

Yeah, well, Tuluk has art.


snicker

[Delstro]

Well, there are two kinds of coins. One kind can be seen a "A single allanaki coin" and a "single obsidian coin" OR whatever the exacts are. Try it. "drop 1 coins"

[NoteworthyFellow]

So..what you're saying is that Tek is so powerful, that the objects he decided were currency, became the common currency of the entire known world? Wonder how Muk feels about the fact that he's such a pushover that his city uses the currency designated by Tektolnes?

They are called Allanaki obsidian coins in-game.

[mangler]

Yeah it has always kind of bugged me how your in Tuluk and your passing round 'Allanaki coins'.

[Tisiphone]

Yeah it has always kind of bugged me how your in Tuluk and your passing round 'Allanaki coins'.

Cultural holdover from the Occupation.

[Cutthroat]

Pretending there are different denomination of coins wouldn't work. It's just obsidian, it's not backed by gold.

Tch, that chip of obsidian is worth as much as the Highlord says it's worth.

I'm gonna agree, here.  I never really got the feeling that obsidian coins were valuable because of the amount of obsidian they contained, but because the Highlord said, "Hey, these are currency," and that was that.  I'd be fine with multiple denominations, though I opt not to roleplay as though there are.  I'd love to get some staff clarification, though.

It's certainly possbile.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_currency

It's the "system" currently used in the United States, and other countries as well.

[flurry]

The value of an Allanaki coin could derive from water.  Think about it: the city will accept a certain amount of these coins for a certain amount of water. That's not to say that the amounts couldn't change, but the point is the city has a direct way of setting what a coin's worth.

[Qzzrbl]

The value of an Allanaki coin could derive from water.  Think about it: the city will accept a certain amount of these coins for a certain amount of water. That's not to say that the amounts couldn't change, but the point is the city has a direct way of setting what a coin's worth.

Again, however much the Highlord says that obsidian chip is worth = How much that obsidian chip is worth.

Not a good idea to question his word or try to make sense of his decrees. 

I don't know about all of you, but if the Highlord said that a handful of salt and sand is viable currency at any establishment in HIS city, I wouldn't sit around and scratch my ass thinking, "Gee, why would he do that?"

I would be too busy grebbing out in the salt flats, filling up massive bags full of salt and sand.

[Maso]

When you try and relate Zalanthas currency and prices to RL ones...none of it makes sense. I for one would like to see it make a little more sense. I can easily relate 'sid to the sterling, by starting with an item I see as reasonably priced and then relating other items.

Apartments go for 250 'sid right up to 2000ish 'sid. In the UK £250-£2000 is spot on for home. But then you pay £11 for a bag flour? £100 for a cheap pair of shoes? £8 for a piece of fruit? £50+ for a piece of meat? £10+ for a drink? Even £1 for a piece of rotton bread. That makes food ridiculously expensive, especially on the flour issue (I'm talking before the shortage). Wages I would say, are also pretty spot on in terms of the value of housing, a lower end citizen can probably scrape enough together to live in a dingy flat while a high end citizen gets paid enough to live in a better flat. It's the cost of LIVING that makes everything go wrong. Food/anemities are just far too expensive, for me this makes the game less enjoyable. My average wealth character should not be choosing between a new sword and a hunk of meat, he should be choosing between a new sword and five weeks worth of groceries.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

This is a true fact. However, I think it's that way because unless we boost the average blade to 500 coins (which frankly I wouldn't mind, but I'm a sadist), food will end up being too cheap and easy to get, and the RL worry of starving to death won't occur.

So you're right, but you're wrong, though I would love to hear solutions while maintaining the need-to-survive aspect of the game.

[NoteworthyFellow]

One thing that I only recently started to take into account is that your character still needs to eat and drink while you're not playing them.  The high food and water prices, I think, can be taken to simulate the cost of the food and water your character consumed while you weren't online.

[Marauder Moe]

Except it seems like the game assumes that in addition to your coded salary you also earn a virtual salary for the virtual work you did offline.  That virtual salary is used to buy the virtual food you eat while offline.

However, I do agree that food and drink shouldn't be so pricey compared to clothing and equipment.

I suspect the reason it is so expensive is to make starvation/dehydration a real threat to characters that really don't have a consistent income.  However, to be honest, just about everyone figures out how to keep above it one way or another.  If anything, the only effect it really has is to discourage unclanned characters (particularly ones that rely on other PCs for money rather than coded sources of income, like beggars, indy bards, etc) from remaining unclanned.  Perhaps that aspect of the game needs to be abandoned.

[NoteworthyFellow]

Except it seems like the game assumes that in addition to your coded salary you also earn a virtual salary for the virtual work you did offline.  That virtual salary is used to buy the virtual food you eat while offline.

However, I do agree that food and drink shouldn't be so pricey compared to clothing and equipment.

I suspect the reason it is so expensive is to make starvation/dehydration a real threat to characters that really don't have a consistent income.  However, to be honest, just about everyone figures out how to keep above it one way or another.  If anything, the only effect it really has is to discourage unclanned characters (particularly ones that rely on other PCs for money rather than coded sources of income, like beggars, indy bards, etc) from remaining unclanned.  Perhaps that aspect of the game needs to be abandoned.

Well, looking at it that way, I'm inclined to agree.

[morrigan]

Only problem with all that is, some people log on for 8 or more hours a day. I don't anymore, but I used to. Food gets -really- expensive when you're on that long. Unless you're a hunter. They have so much food they should all be obese :p lol...that just gave me a funny image. Instead of the current ruling systems, Zalanthas should be ruled by bands of hunters who control all the food income.

[Sephiroto]

The OP originally asked how much a coin weighs.  They weigh a little more than .005 stone each.