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Hero Game Weapon, Armor, And Item Cost


Daisuke

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Well the easiest way is to just use the historical prices (or historical equivalent) for what's out there.  There are a lot of online resources for different prices in different time periods, so if you're running a Wild West or a Pirate game, that's not hard to do.  If you're running a current game just use prices as they are now.  If you're doing a fantasy or sci fi game, I have a simple system:

 

1) create a base level currency, the equivalent of the "dollar" or Euro or Kopek, whatever it is you consider your basic monetary unit.  That's one credit or one gold piece in the game.  Now when you price things you can think in terms of "how much would this cost in today's money?" and you can roughly set it at that level.  If a horse costs around $1500 here, then it can cost around 1500 gold in your game (or whatever unit you use).

2) Consider what you want the players to have easy access to and what you want them to have to work at or earn toward.  For example, that suit of power armor probably should cost about what a modern day sports car does (50-100 grand), but maybe you want it to be more rare and harder to obtain, so you set it at Hypercar levels (millions)

3) Conversely, what do you want players to buy?  What kind of stuff should they have for their base level equipment or would be smart for them to get?  Making it a bit cheaper and even bundling it as a kit will encourage purchase.

4) Consider the setting.  If you're starting the game in an outpost in the wilderness, then stuff that would be reasonable in town are going to be very dear and even impossible to buy there.  You can easily get a dressy outfit for court in the city, but out in the sticks its gonna cost you to get it specially made and sent to you.  On the other hand, some supplies are going to be much cheaper, like furs, arrows, etc.  And, things that are readily available, cheap to make, and broadly used will be cheaper than things that are specialty order, highly sought after, or difficult to obtain.  A good knife in today's world can cost you hundreds of dollars but everyone has a knife in a fantasy game, and they don't need a Ginsu they just need something to hack stuff apart with, so it should only cost a few gold.

 

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A topic folk have been talking about for decades.  I remember devouring the article on Designing a quasi-medieval economy for D&D way back in White Dwarf (I looked - issues 29 and 30 in 1982).

 

What is different in HERO is the fact things are bought with points as well as money.  As GM you need to consider what is bought by points and what with in game currency.  You also need to think what difference there is between a sword bought with points.

 

However, if you want to begin with the money economy, pick a random game in the genre you plan and steal their economy wholesale.  Too much work to come up with yourself IMO.  For fantasy pick D&D for most ubiquitous books you could pick up second hand almost anywhere.  For detailed pick C&S or Ars Magica. 

 

Unless you you want to do something clever, use stuff where clever folk have already done the heavy lifting. 🙂

 

Doc

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Sometimes I shamelessly steal other people's equipment lists with prices (there are a ton free online). I might base it on modern equivalent pricing. And sometimes I price based on how much I don't want the thing in my game.

Current game I just said screw it, everyone has the Pathfinder equipment guide, we're using the prices from that.

Oh, and you can always go with an equipment pool if you think managing money isn't fun.

 

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