Space Currencies

[EdgarGrim]

Hello people of the hero forums!

 

This is my first posting here. Alongside a group of friends, I hope to make use of the hero 6th edition system for a romping space adventure. Sort of a firefly/Aliens/Starwars inspired, taking themes and ideas from each to create a feeling for the game while having entirely original content as far as races and what not. It will be our first time using the hero system, of any edition.

 

We have been progressing fairly well using the star hero book and the equipment guide to give guidelines about what decisions need to be made as far as the major choices go and creating races and templates and we are slowly getting a grip on power creation and I will likely be posting elsewhere on these forums for help with complicated powers and what not.

 

Our current concern... is that there isn't really a guideline (Not that I have found anyways) on how to structure pricing on goods in the galaxy. I can't find a spot in the books that discusses actual number values to use...

 

I have been trying to think of a way to structure this based on the character points used in the books for pricing of objects but straight across doesn't seem to be appropriate (Such as 1 character point = 10 credits) or scaling (Every 10 points each 1 costs +10 Credits, ex. 1-10 cost 10, 11-20 cost 20) but at higher levels that doesn't seem to work and would be complicated to figure out the price of any one thing let alone on the level of space ships with costs in the hundreds. Also arbitrarily assigning values seems ill advised.

 

 

We were hoping you might have some advice, or if there is a book that covers this that I am not aware of this information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

[Christopher]

Re: Space Currencies

 

I have been trying to think of a way to structure this based on the character points used in the books for pricing of objects but straight across doesn't seem to be appropriate (Such as 1 character point = 10 credits) or scaling (Every 10 points each 1 costs +10 Credits' date=' ex. 1-10 cost 10, 11-20 cost 20) but at higher levels that doesn't seem to work and would be complicated to figure out the price of any one thing let alone on the level of space ships with costs in the hundreds. Also arbitrarily assigning values seems ill advised.[/quote']

That is a flaw of the Hero System. It's genre

 

I only have one idea:

Take the average of Active and Real Point cost. This takes raw power into account (AP) as well as all the Limitations (one shot weapons are cheaper than Reuseable).

Also use a different Factor for each category of good.

I can't give you any Advice on pricing Ammunition, but I think Sci-Fi tend towards "any power outlet works".

[Ranxerox]

Re: Space Currencies

 

The price of things is determined by supply and demand. If space transportation cost are very low, you can come up with a universal pricing scheme for things and just tweak it a bit for local variations in law and taste. So everything on planet Nunoma would cost more or less what it does everywhere else except blasters and Andorian brandy. Blasters being illegal on Nunoma and therefore have contraband pricing, and Andorian brandy being currently all the rage fashionable Nunoman circles and demand is temporarily exceeding local supply. So, if the PCs can get a shipload Andorian brandy to Numoma before other traders flood the market they can make a killing ... assuming that the fad has not already died out.

 

If space transportation cost are expensive, then anything that needs to be brought in from other planets will also be expensive. In this sort of setting, there will be little in the way of universal pricing except for things that are scarce everywhere, and cost will need to be determined on a planet by planet basis. So, if Numoma has little in the way of metal resources, pretty much anything made of metal will be expensive there. However, since necessity is the mother of invention they may of become very good at making stuff that most places is made out of metal out of plastic instead. Consequently, a character's metal battle armor might be worth more as scrap on Numoma than armor if they have plastic armor that is just as good.

 

What I'm getting at is that Star Hero does not give pricing guidelines because how much stuff cost is setting dependent and Hero players tend to make their own settings. If you don't want to spend a lot of time thinking about the economics of your campaign setting, I recommend just figuring out a hand full of items that are really expensive (dilithium crystals, Dune spice, whatever) and a hand full of items that are really cheap (simple manufacture good, food, human life, whatever) and then make everything else cost about the same in your campaign as it does in real life. Just instead of dollars use credits or some other sci-fi currency.

[Sociotard]

Re: Space Currencies

 

I suggest making price categories. Low, medium, high, and so forth. The category determines the multiplier. Multiplier*Real point cost = $

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Space Currencies

 

While Active points can give you a guideline for the cost of stuff, mostly I wouldn't use it. Especially when you consider the law of supply and demand for something like high-tech military equipment which might be 10%-50% better than standard gear, but can cost 10 times as much (if it is even legal to own outside of the military).

 

Instead, use prices to help define the SF setting. Do you want to encourage planetary exploration? Then make travel cheap. Are blasters considered and elite weapon? Then make slug-throwers cheap and blasters expensive. If you want a gritty setting, then basic food and supplies might cost a lot; a more space operatic setting that stuff would be inexpensive and plentiful. And those prices may vary from place to place depending on how remote it is or what the government is like on a particular planet.

[Ternaugh]

Re: Space Currencies

 

From an old Star Hero campaign (for 4E Hero), I used the following to calculate costs:

 

Space Vessels: Cr 25,000 per point in the vehicle. Note: multiple items of equipment must be purchased multiple times, not using the x2 for +5 points system.

 

Vehicles: Cost varies, but averages Cr 100 per point in the vehicle for ground vehicles, and Cr 1000 per point in the vehicle for air/grav vehicles.

 

Ranged Weapons:

Projectile (handguns) Cr 25 per DC

Energy weapons Cr 50 per DC

Exotic weapons Cr 100 per DC

Ammunition:

Projectile (handguns) 1/10 of the cost of the weapon

for 50 rounds

Energy/Exotic 1/10 of the cost of the weapon

for full reload/recharge

 

Melee Weapons:

Bladed:

DC 3 or less Cr 5 per DC

DC 4 or more Cr 25 per DC

Clubs Cr 2 per DC (or free)

Exotic Cr 50 per DC (or more)

 

Explosives Cr 25 per DC

 

Armor Cr 50 per DEF, Full coverage

(Multiply by the coverage for partial coverage)

 

Other Devices: If the device has major game effects (like a personal force field projector, for example), then the device must be calculated using the Powers and a price assigned based upon the rarity of the item, ease of manufacture, etc. Cost is usually based upon the Real Cost (although with weapons, this is usually the DC).

 

I think that I borrowed the equipment costs for mundane stuff from Traveller, but you could easily use real-world prices, modified by availability.

 

JoeG

[dmjalund]

Re: Space Currencies

 

Gold Pressed Latinum

 

that is all

[Old Man]

Re: Space Currencies

 

It occurs to me that, in genre fiction, the subject of money rarely comes up. It's there in the background--there are bounty hunters after Han Solo, and hiring him costs more than Luke and Ben have--but you never see SF characters go to the market to buy gear, and you never see them discuss hard numbers.

[Ternaugh]

Re: Space Currencies

 

It occurs to me that' date=' in genre fiction, the subject of money rarely comes up. It's there in the background--there are bounty hunters after Han Solo, and hiring him costs more than Luke and Ben have--but you never see SF characters go to the market to buy gear, and you never see them discwuss hard numbers.[/quote']

 

Most games don't really need to keep detailed accounting, unless money is used as a way of directly purchasingcharacter upgrades (D&D 3.x comes to mind).

[Barwickian]

Re: Space Currencies

 

Our current concern... is that there isn't really a guideline (Not that I have found anyways) on how to structure pricing on goods in the galaxy. I can't find a spot in the books that discusses actual number values to use...

 

Star Hero 6e, p206-208 discusses issues around setting prices. P208 has a suggested price structure based around active points, with different multipliers for different kinds of items.

[Christopher]

Re: Space Currencies

 

Most games don't really need to keep detailed accounting' date=' unless money is used as a way of directly purchasingcharacter upgrades (D&D 3.x comes to mind).[/quote']

It is the same for heroic Hero: There is a lot of difference between a "Captain Space" with a Armored Vest and a Pistol and Captain Space in a Power Armor with a TPC (Transportable Plasma Cannon).

 

If this is more about balancing characters who use gear with those who don't (aliens, psionics):

Resource Point (also caleld Resource Pool) from APG I 191.

It's somewhat like a VPP for Equipment. Everyone get's some points for free*. It deffiens what you can carry around on most adventures. You can still pick up a TPC and Power Armor even if it is beyond your allowance, but you won't be able to keep it/use it regulary unless you invested the character points in your Equipment Pool for it.

 

 

*A alterantive might be to start at a higehr Pwoer Level, but inform the gearusers that they have to invest those exra points into the Resoruce pool. That way aliens with lot of Natural Abilities are easier to built.

I would even put psionic/magic spells into a resource point system.

[Escafarc]

Re: Space Currencies

 

I also recommend the Resource Point system. I use it for all my "Heroic" level campaigns. If you need a monetary cost for a plot reason use real world prices just convert them from dollars to credits.

[EdgarGrim]

Re: Space Currencies

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone! This is a wealth of information that allows me to talk to my players about what we want to do.

 

If we want to use the resource system from the books, a monetary system either based on scaling costs, that cost chart from the books, or do away with resource systems and just go for more of an abstract system. I look forward to future conversations here on these forums and will post up some of the stuff that we end up running with!

[Nolgroth]

Re: Space Currencies

 

Find a copy of Star Frontiers, Traveler, Alternity or whatnot and borrow liberally from whichever pricing scheme you choose to follow.

 

Resource Pools, as Escafarc mentioned, are also a good way to deal with equipment. Takes the gritty need to account for every credit and abstracts it.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Space Currencies

 

One thing about Resource points: it might be a good idea to make sure your players are okay with that option.

 

I decided to use the Resource points option for my current campaign, thinking it would be simpler than coming up with price lists for everything. However, the players are having problems getting a handle on how the rules for Resource points work. I have no idea why; I find them simple enough to understand. But there it is - since the campaign started I've had a bunch of rather confused players and I've been explaining to them what equipment they can and can't buy and/or carry every single session.

 

Why this is so difficult for them, I have no idea. Has anyone else run into a problem like this?

[Nolgroth]

Re: Space Currencies

 

I have not had problems with Resource Pools. My players seemed to grok them well enough.

 

More often, there was a sort of assumed package of gear that the characters had. Old Man sort of said it best above; there was just sort of an assumption of what kind of gear the characters had. For instance one had a lightsaber-like energy sword. There was never any reason to doubt it. His background was soldier, so it was assumed he had standard gear like laser rifle, LBE, a couple of grenades, etc. If the character ever wanted to carry something specific into a mission/adventure etc, all the player did was state that he wanted to get a hold of "X". I would decide (usually in his favor) whether or not to grant that request. By the end of the campaign, the PCs were in control of a fuel depot and small fleet, most reasonable requests were granted.

 

*sigh* Makes we want to go back and finish that campaign.