Basil

Re: Fantasy coinage I may be wrong, but I'm not sure you understand the meaning of "fiat currency". It is not simply where the government declares "this object is worth X Padoolies", but where such a declaration is made about a medium of exchange with almost no intrincsic value. The example we are most familiar with is paper money; some coins, as well, qualify (most present US coinage is near to fiat money). Note, fiat money is not the same as a debased currency; with debased currency the government tries to pass off bad money as good. With a fiat currency, the government makes no pretense regarding the intrincsic value of the currency. Histroically, fiat money is pretty much an invention of around the 18th century. Frankly, I can't see using fiat money in a fantasy campaign. To a more-or-less medievel mindset, such a "currency" would put Gresham's Law into overdrive.

Re: Fantasy coinage I was clearly referring to your claim that letters of credit were used by the ancient Greeks. I never said nor implied they didn't have some form of banking. Such an instrument of internal accounting is not, in the proper sense, a letter of credit.

Re: Fantasy coinage Citation please? On my side, please see 1) http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z53B11A29 {which will take you to a Google page} 2) Life in a Midieval City by Joseph Gies {BTW, this book treats of the great Market Fairs, and how they led to the growth of modern trading and banking systems, includiing letters of credit. He does not specify a city of origin for letters of credit, but clearly considers them a midieval invention).

Re: Fantasy coinage I'm gathering a number of notes into one post: The first method (though note that sometimes full-face representations were used) is what was used from ancient days through the 17th and 18th centuries (and later), save for the US and other republics. After all, the right to coin was considered part of the honor & power of the monarch, hence his visage "should" appear on the coinage. Putting a dead king's face--much less the face of someone who isn't and wasn't and won't be the king--on coins makes no sense in such a POV: the coins should uphold and increase the honor of the current monarch, is the idea. The royal coat of arms is an appropriate reverse for the major coin(s), elements from the coat of arms would work on lesser coins, and various symbols (not necessarily from the royal arms) would be OK for minor coins. BTW, the value of the coin was often written on coins, even in periods when the majority of citizens were illiterate--after all, the royal ministers and such were largely literate, who cared if the people weren't? Actually, in ancient days a 12:1 ratio was considered standard, indeed "proper." The 20:1 ratio is about what was found in medieval times; even then it could fluctuate a good deal. Also, that was what you'd find in Western Europe; it could vary elsewhere (e.g., in early midieval Arabia silver was more valuable than gold!) You have listed a number of different coins. However, there are only three units of money; pounds, shillings, and pence. This is similar to the USA, where there are dollars and cents, vs. pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and dollar coins (plus various denominations of bills). Also note that, just as cents are units and pennies are coins in the US, pence are units and pennies are coins in pre-decimalization UK. BTW, the biggest objection to decimalization was not that it was complicated, but that there was no way to evenly divide a shilling (or a pound), by three. I think it a good idea here to touch on the subject of "money of account." Through the Renaissance (and even beyond), most accounts were kept in terms of a unit of money that was seperate from any actual coinage. That is, one would write down an expense as so-and-so many whatsies, regardless of what coins were used to make the purchase. In an era where the king might suddenly issue the most debased coinage imaginable, &/or in a society where one could be faced with coins of wildly varient value and purity, a way to keep accounts that was independant of such "external" fluctuations is obviously a marvelous idea. Thus, accounts were kept in a steady, dependable unit of money, even though that unit was fictitious. In England, for example, accounts were kept in pounds/shillings/pence from early times, even though no 1-pound coin was issued until the 15th century. Further, one might (for example) hand over 6 shilling coins for an object, yet record the value of the purchase as 4 shillings: this would happen if the money was debased. BTW, in Spain the money was the maravedi, yet (so far as my researches have ever found), no such coin was ever issued (not surprising, as it was a very small value). Thus, a money of account helps to compare one coin (or coinage system) to another. Obviously, the idea of a money of account could be a very interesting addition to a fantasy campaign. It would help the GM show the players the sort of complications that realistically would exist in a medieval-like setting, where coins from all over would be flowing in and out of the city (or wherever the characters are headquartered), and people would need to be able to convert values of varying coins and coinages.

Re: Fantasy coinage The first coins date back to circa 650 BCE, in Lydia in Asia Minor. Letters of Credit started in the 13th century CE, in Avignon. I'm afraid your timing is a little off. BTW, the first paper money came into use circa 975 CE, in China.

Re: Monster Squad Ideas Take all the cheap, dumb, cheesy tricks used in yer typical neighborhood "Haunted House," and make them real. E.g., that's not a strung-together bunch of cardboard cutouts, it really is an animated skeleton -- and it's after you! That's not cold elbow macaroni in that tub Joe Dude stuck his hand in, it really is a bunch of giant maggots -- and they're eating the flesh off his bones! It's not a rubber mask on a string, it's a flying face with huge, razor-sharp fangs! Look too long at the mirror, and it's you, not it, that's warped! You get the idea, I'm sure. };-) BTW, this would work even better if the PCs are normal cops, *not* SWAT types. };-)

Re: Need Help With A Detect IMO, this is the way to go. Firstly, the MacGuffin given to the gal can be one of four things: 1) part of the Special Effects 2) A Focus that the user of the power doesn't need to have in his physical possession. I'm not sure if this is allowable, but if it is, it's an IIF. 3) Something that lowers the gal's EGO to 0, only for Mind Scans from the guy. I have no idea how to build that. 4) An AI, with EGO lowered to 0, no Skills nor Programs bought for it, and INT, DEX, and SPD left at starting values. This sould probably have a minimum cost of 1 pt. (or 0, in the GM's generous), even though it's "proper" cost (before /5) is a negative number. The gal (or the AI, if that's how you go) counts as a Very Familiiar mind, so there's a +5 on the to "hit" roll. The power itself in Mind Scan, with Cannot Attack Through Link (-1), Duration Limitation: Instant (-1/2), and Only One Particular Mind (call it -1). If you took +15 for the ECV (+30 points), that and the +5 for Very Familiar would compensate for the -20 due to Scanning the whole world. With the target at 0 END, if the Standard Effect rule is applied to the Effect Roll, the Greater Than EGO level needs 1d6, the EGO+10 needs 4d6, and the EGO+20 (which gives exact location) needs 7d6. It's up to the player (in consultation with the GM) to decide just how much "oomph" he wants to give this power.

Re: Modelling the Gap Drive The value of the Limitation would depend on how common very-high speed Flight is in your world. .01c is 17,987,547 hexes per Turn; 5,995,849 hexes/Phase at SPD 3, 4,496,887 hexes/Phase at SPD 4. Obviously this requires MegaScale. If you have MegaScale at 1 hex = 1,000 km, reaching .01c requires Flight of 36/Turn, which is moderately expensive---more so to reach .50c. If you have MegaScale at 1 hex = 10,000 km, it's cheap. If you have MegaScale at 1 hex = 100 km, it's expensive. And so on... So the answer is, "It depends".

Re: Throwing curveballs at the spies Sorry if I duplicate what someone's already said. Are you doing this more like the movies, or more realisitically? Movie-like: Models, photographers (both of models and of nature), travel writers, some kinds of athletes, professional gamblers, casino workers/croupiers (spelling?), pilots, stewards/stewardesses, ship captains, cruise-ship workers, train engineers and such (tho' not in the US), the independantly wealthy (esp. if they travel a lot). more realistic: small time hoods (esp. if adept at making connections with local gangs), thieves (if good at breaking into places), con men, secretaries, wait staff, laborers, street bums, anyone most people don't notice, minor workers at embassies/consulates/etc., long-term visitors (tourists, specialty workers, etc.).

Re: Need Help From The Math Wizards Depends on how you're buying it: 1) Buying STR as a Power---6/(1 + 1/2) = 4 pts. 2) Selling all the Characteristic STR and buying STR as a Power--- -10 pts. on Characteristics, 4 pts on Powers 3) Buying a naked Limitation as a Power---no idea; I've never seen anyone do a naked Limitation. #1 adds to your STR, #2 replaces STR-as-Characteristic with STR-as-Power. BTW, #2 assumes a starting STR of 10. {Later addition} OK, Arcady, so the software does do naked Limitations. Ya live an' loin. Though I have no idea where it got -2 from.

Re: Anvils and Fire Hydrants Either the street-corner mailbox's DEF should go up a point, or (IMO better) the house mailbox's DEF should go down one. House mailboxes are made with much thinner sheet. Since hydrants are connected to the water mains, there's somewhere for energy to dissipate to. I'd give 'em 1 more point of DEF; YMMV. As for the mass of hydrants and street-corner mailboxes; don't forget the mass of the water, and letters, respectively.

Is there any way to form a Power, with Trigger, so that the Trigger resets itself -- that is, so that the character does not have to consciously set the Triggered Power back up again. 5th edition, p.174, mentions this is appropriate if the Power is formed with Focus or Charges, and p.175 has an example with Charges. How would Focus interact with Trigger to achieve an automatic reset of the Trigger? Is there some other method for achieving and automatic reset? Thank you for your time.

How do I form a Power that has AoE, No Range, so that it stays centered on the character as s/he moves? The only relevant section in the FAQs deals with centering such a Power on someone else. Or do I have to by Usable As Attack for the character to "attack" him/herself? What if the Power is not an Attack Power? Somehow, that seems silly. Thank you for your time.