Gold Pieces for Credits

[simonh]

Na. In the 3I, gold as priced in the trade rules has almost no value. Most likely as it is created not mined.

The situation on that is not clear. Merchant Price is a core book and so not 3I specific

Merchant Prince is 3I specific. It has to be setting specific to list mandated prices for freight & passengers. It matches Passage listed in Char generation for 3I.

Mandated? Is there an actual edict stating these prices are immutable? What will happen to me if I change them for my game?

Traveler has always had prices for stuff, but has also always at it's core been a generic set of rules. Frankly that's academic IMHO though, the price for gold in MP makes no real sense as a basis for any Traveller setting that is in any way close to mainstream Traveller. I think it's a prime candidate for remediating as errata, if anyone can be bothered. I mean as a price for a thing that is traded it's basically harmless. But if it's going to be used as a justification for assuming massively economically destabilising changes to the entire economic system, perhaps it's worth fixing.

Simon Hibbs

 

[F33D]

[
Mandated? Is there an actual edict stating these prices are immutable?

Merchant Prince from its first edition to now was designed to show 3I merchants and trade. Start at page 7 in the original book. Read where it lists specific 3I companies. It is a SETTING SPECIFIC book from day one.

"The material on merchant companies in this book shows the diversity of the companies operating inside and outside the Imperium."

There ya go. Black and white printed in the book. Like the original Scouts books. It was 3I Scouts.

 

[Reynard]

Or, more reasonably, the prices of freight and passengers, trade and commerce, have been part of Traveller since the very beginning and was the basis for commerce in 3I. 3I did not exist before the Traveller rules.

Tom, you missed my point again. the question was asked essentially displaying disbelief that any governing body could outlaw gold (or other resource) and I was giving an actual historical example that it has happened and could happen if justified by whatever reason. That's the concept around "Truth is stranger than fiction." If a Referee or the original producers of the Traveller games decided there is a reason to drive the Traveller Universe based of some level of controlling a resource then it can happen. I actually see the control of gold on a more local level as a plot device. Makes smuggling interesting. How about copper? People are melting down copper coins and tearing homes apart causing all sorts of property damage and injury the sake of copper. Can you image the government making the unlicensed ownership of copper illegal? Improbable is a mere step down from impossible.

 

[Reynard]

Traveller game rules and 3I are forever linked. 3 I uses Traveller rules and Traveller rules cite examples from the house campaign.

 

[F33D]

Traveller game rules and 3I are forever linked.

Yes. Quite unlike most other RPG's, Traveller incorporates its House setting directly into your character's primary attributes by fixing your PC's place in its society at the same level of importance, during character creation, as Intelligence, strength, et al.

 

[Reynard]

Funny, all the RPGs I have seem to directly link into a set of fairly consistent rules with a well know setting and maybe a few alternative settings often as licensing agreement with third parties and maybe a second or third setting of their own. I kind of notice Traveller doing that yet everyone forgets then points to 'other games'.

Once again, a lot of those other RPGs rise and fade away with frightening frequency even when they try to create a fresh face with a new setting using the original rules, characters and menageries. And yet, here is a return to Classic based Traveller all with the 3I setting in that 40 year span and people are still enjoying it! Even the ones on this forum that rant, grouse, complain and claim to be writing their superior version of Traveller. Sounds good enough to me to play.... Traveller and the Third Imperium with all of it's crazy trade rules!

 

[F33D]

Funny, all the RPGs I have seem to directly link into a set of fairly consistent rules with a well know setting

I cannot remember another major RPG that cements the setting into your basic stats. I notice that you couldn't remember one either.

 

[simonh]

[
Mandated? Is there an actual edict stating these prices are immutable?

Merchant Prince from its first edition to now was designed to show 3I merchants and trade. Start at page 7 in the original book. Read where it lists specific 3I companies. It is a SETTING SPECIFIC book from day one.

"The material on merchant companies in this book shows the diversity of the companies operating inside and outside the Imperium."

There ya go. Black and white printed in the book. Like the original Scouts books. It was 3I Scouts.

But printed in the wrong book. Interesting line of argument though, because many times I've noticed you take a very particular stance that different editions of the game are to be taken completely separately, and refuse to accept counter-arguments from other editions.

http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=56596&hilit=mongoose+specific&start=60

Nope. WRONG. It is an explanation for THAT specific version. ONLY.

I can pull out more examples if you like, I know they're out there.

Mongoose has been very clear how they differentiate between OTU material and generic material. I suspect they need to for licensing reasons.

Simon Hibbs

 

[simonh]

Traveller game rules and 3I are forever linked.

Yes. Quite unlike most other RPG's, Traveller incorporates its House setting directly into your character's primary attributes by fixing your PC's place in its society at the same level of importance, during character creation, as Intelligence, strength, et al.

A perceptive example, it certainly bakes in some very specific setting assumptions, but that's not quite the same thing as baking in an actual specific setting.

3I did not exist before the Traveller rules.

Actually it did for several years. The board game Imperium, set in the 3I, predates Traveller.

Simon Hibbs

 

[F33D]

But printed in the wrong book.

NOPE. I started by considering the CT data and am still on that line and never shifted talking about gold from other systems. :wink:

Does MGT even break out price of individual items like that? I haven't looked.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

Really unbelievable. Controls on gold trading were only in place to try to protect the gold standard, and as soon as that was abandoned the controls went away. Who here things the 3I is on the gold standard?

Simon Hibbs

And we got double digit inflation in exchange! It is interesting the stuff Government does in order to act irresponsible! It was supposed to honor the gold standard, but it printed too many dollars, so instead of curbing the money supply, it started confiscating people's gold! This was after the hyperinflation in Germany which led to the rise of the Third Reich! But the government didn't learn from that, they just wished they could make the dollar worthless just like Germany made their Deutchmark worthless, instead of learning that inflation was a terrible thing, they studied how they could repeat that in the United States, and in order to do that, they had to eliminate the gold standard, they they could print gazillions of dollars!

 

[Condottiere]

The gold standard isn't workable, and even if we started issuing currency in actual gold coins, the chances are they'd be hoarded, and you have a money squeeze.

 

[F33D]

The gold standard isn't workable, and even if we started issuing currency in actual gold coins, the chances are they'd be hoarded, and you have a money squeeze.

If gold was the currency it couldn't be horded anymore than paper money now can be. The econ (production) in the US has been lower than in 2,000 for 8 years now. Most people are living paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford to hoard their money.

That being said, the US econ outgrew gold as a currency LONG ago due to its size alone. There just isn't enough gold to make currency without serious deflation.

 

[dragoner]

The gold standard isn't workable, and even if we started issuing currency in actual gold coins, the chances are they'd be hoarded, and you have a money squeeze.

Any commodity based currency becomes a de facto fiat currency, unless someone would (stupidly) let someone else control their currency? Gold, ham sandwiches, etc.; doesn't matter, the result is the same.

 

[F33D]

The gold standard isn't workable, and even if we started issuing currency in actual gold coins, the chances are they'd be hoarded, and you have a money squeeze.

Any commodity based currency becomes a de facto fiat currency,

No. Commodities are market based. Fiat currency is currency which gets its value from government laws and authority. See the Latin behind fiat.

 

[dragoner]

 

[F33D]

While an "interesting" reply Dragon, it's not relevant to you thinking that fiat currency is the opposite of what it is. I remember that guy going blank and glazed eyes as he was being briefed on Iran & nukes years ago. Sometimes he's not "all there".

 

[dragoner]

You would find that interesting.

 

[F33D]

You would find that interesting.

:lol: Ya, Paul is a bit if a nut on that subject. He has no real plan on how to MASSIVELY deflate the dollar without causing an econ melt down in order to get back on the gold standard.

 

[Condottiere]

Money supply should be linked to population and GDP increase.