What happened to silver and copper?

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I've recently invested in precious metals and while playing NWN2 it occurred to me that having even a few hundred gold pieces is ridiculously absurd given the real value of gold. Gold costs 1000$ an ounce. So, one gold piece is 1000$. If you do the math, you wind up a trillionaire at the end of the game. Now, I realize that saving the world from the boogie man is valuable work, but there isn't even that much USD in Obamas bail out/stimulus plan as my character in NWN2 has in his pocket.

I'm just thinking it would add more realism to have silver and copper pieces as the main object of exchange. I know, this complicates things, but if you really think about it, it only really complicates things if you're retarded.

Wait... It just occurred to me that I'm over thinking this. OH, well...

 

What happened to Silver?? I'M HERE!!!

 

Simple answer? Gold is a lot more common in NWN2's world (Toril?) than it is on earth. That automatically makes it worth less. There also mightn't be as much demand/uses for it as we have. Oh, also if you look at history many of the most powerful empire rulers would have had spectacular collections of gold. I haven't played NWN2 (yet) but can I take it that after going through the main quest and two expansions you've wiped out some pretty serious big baddies? You just took their loot. I mean, how can you be said to be saving the world from evil if you don't try to save innocents from the root cause of it all ?

 

There are mods available that can add SP and CP back into the game. At least there were for NWN1, and I know it is certainly possible for NWN2.

In the end of the day though, you can't compare game prices to RL. Just to give you a rough idea of what prices are like - a simple house (1-3 bedrooms, thatched roof) would cost 1000gp. A night at an average inn would cost 5sp. A wagon would cost 35gp. A full size, large castle would cost 1,000,000gp. And, as for another minor point, if memory serves, your average commoner would earn either 10 or 100gp a year - can't remember which and don't have the time to look it up. Your typical adventurer is RICH.

 

It makes it more real with the four metals. The money system is a weakness in all rpg's. The looting is part of the adventure.

It is cruel to ask change from a platinum piece.

 

Gold in Toril is common and it's also surprisingly lightweight. You'd think that carrying 100,000 gold pieces could get cumbersome in the long run .

I've only played one game (ToEE) which has different coins, and I didn't like it that much. Nice old skool feel though.

 

...you forgot about electrum and platinum.

 

Yes, until the inflation kicked in and they went bankrupt (Spain).

I've allways had a bit of a difficulty in setting the value of a currency in an RPG. On the one hand I don't want players to carry around them millions of coins to get the magic sword they want and on the other hand I don't want things to seem too cheap. Therefore I tend to cut prices in general quite a lot downwards from the general trend and also reducing significantly the gold coins available. The main problem with this being that there is usually one zero less room to manipulate the prices of items.

 

Could always just change the string for gold to copper

My friends always get annoyed in D&D games because I break down any remaining currency my characters have after creation

As it is the gold coin is pretty much a defining point in fantasy nowadays. Apart from PS:T I can't really think of one I've played where it is absent

 

They should of added silver and copper at the least into BG and IWD. When at the taverns, a beer is at least 1 gp! The same price as 20 crossbow bolts???? That didn't really make sense to me.

 

Is handy if you suddenly go "I'm far too rich!"

In which case getting bladdered is an adequate and in character solution

 

Yet DAO uses copper, silver and gold. The game automatically adjust your gold, silver, copper based on your transactions (selling or buying) with a merchant.

 

As did the Gold & Silver box AD&D games. They even used Platinum.

 

I justify it by claiming all my characters carry magic piggy banks, any money they insert into it is automatically transferred to the characters bank...if they want to spend it they have a magic wallet that allows them to withdraw the money directly from the vault...with an infinite number of magical dimensions, it should be fairly easy to set up, a challenge for any characters in P&P games is to be the entrepreneur that sets the bank up (try doing it without consulting the DM for added challenge "How much would it cost to buy a plane of existence?").

In a less fantastical idea, people could just have thought that younger (and some older) players might struggle with the exceptionally complex maths required to work out how much money they have...so they simplified it...or the gods banished both copper and silver from the world leaving only gold.

 

Dragon Age does have a better money system. They have cooper and silver pieces and items cost silver, cooper, gold, etc.. base on how powerful an item is.

NWN2 just uses gold as a simpler way to manage money.

 

You'll be surprised how many people prefer having gold all the way, despite how absurd it can be at times. Game developers did their research well.
I was once entered a similar but larger-scale debate about this in the Bioware forums. I was strictly pro-copper/silver/gold/etc piece then. The trauma is still there.