Trading Mechanics

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From: James Polk (jpolk@opus.starlab.csc.com)
Date: Fri 03 Jun 1994 - 22:07:56 EEST

Mike Dickison & Trading (X-RQ-ID: 4126)

Thank you, Mike, for raising some interesting points here. One of my favorite characters is one I run in Harald Smith's Imther campaign. Hysterius is a Trader but the fact that good, honest economic activity is not well simulated in RQ means he has turned to a life of... well, I had better not say, with so many stuffy Orlanthi listening <grin>.

"The RQ rules dwell quite some length on combat, but hardly touch
other activities involved in a game."

This is a common problem in role-playing rules. Hack and Slash mechanics reign supreme.

"4) A bargaining mechanic that uses both buyer and seller
skills, and in which the rolled skill-vs-skill difference translates neatly into a (modest) price differential. Most importantly, there should be bonuses and penalties for good and bad roleplaying, and some opportunity for players to use strategy and wit, so they feel they and not the dice are doing the work.

5) Finally, the whole thing has to be worked out so that an average trader on an average year with an average cargo will make a modest profit, to stop the PCs getting rich without some effort and luck. And so that it, I repeat once again, allows lots and lots of scope for bartering, bombastical, sneaky, barefaced roleplaying."

It seems to me that any player who wishes to role-play a Trader must actually role-play the bargaining process. So the GM will have also have to learn to role-play the bargaining process _and_ use snap decisions to reflect subtle differences (or use a complex system of tables to determine modifiers for the NPC bargainer). I think it helps if a GM has some structure around which she/he can build the culture of the particular area in which her/his campaign is set, but the player (and character) mustn't feel that everything is cut-and-dried.

I suggest the GM use tables to determine the "standard" price, modified by whatever (distance travelled, scarcity, etc.) to set the NPC's expectations. I further suggest the GM allow the player to outline actions by the PC which could confuse the NPC (such as disguising the general quality of the apples by putting all the best ones on top) and also to do a bit of "live" bargaining. Both the character's actions and the player's eloquence would be used as die roll modifiers for the PC and NPC in determining the actual price of the item.

If one wants pure role-playing, then I strongly suggest the GM do all the rolling and keep the actual numbers hidden from the player(s). Players rolling dice for anything other than dice games is not _real_ role-playing IMHO.

"Imagine if combat had been so well designed. "OK, you attack the
three ducks and the Death Lord. Your sword does 10 points of damage, but you spent the day sharpening it, so now it does..ummm..20. Roll your Fight skill for each opponent to see if you kill them. Oh, the Death Lord has plate armour, so subtract 25% from that roll." What fun. Such scope for role-playing."

I think I have seen this very style of handling combat too many times to count. I have even seen it in RQ sessions..

"1) A table of the common trade goods in my area, with
centres of origin and common destinations. From this, trade routes and common cargoes can be extrapolated..."

Good suggestion. Of course, each area (whatever that means) will need its own table. And you might want a table for non-common items as well. (As as PC trader, I would certainly want to work with these, as the profit potential is probably greater.) I suggest you use "well known" rather than "common" and "not well- known" rather than "uncommon". I tend to think of "common" items as items in great supply and "uncommon" items as scarce. But some "uncommon" items (such peppercorns in medieval Europe?) may be suffienctly well known for buyers to have a basic price in mind.

"2) Buy/sell unit prices at the source of the goods, halfway
from it, and at the furthest point. There should be a base cost below which the producers of the good will not go. Prices should also fluctuate randomly, seasonally, and with campaign events like wars."

As indicated in my thoughts below, I would prefer one "standard" price which is modified by scarcity, distance from place-of- origin, type of transport used, etc.

"3) Unit weight for each trade good, and standard cart,
boat, and caravan costs and capacities. Cost of maintaining a boat or caravan have to be included here (repair, feeding, mercenaries)."

Does your campaign use precise measures in all things? How about measures of trade such as "per fish", "per handful", or "per box"? (Honestly, that _is_ the same sized box I used last time! You did say 'handful'. Too bad my hand is larger than yours!)

Here are some of my suggestions:

  1. Society uses bargaining in all (well, perhaps almost all) economic transactions. Therefore every normal person has the Bargain skill.
  2. For gaming purposes, assume there is a "standard" price for items. (I think this price should _not_, well, perhaps usually _not_, be revealed to the gamers so that they can work on their role-playing.)
  3. This "standard" price should normally vary +/- 5% to reflect local, minor problems such as spoilage, bad temper, mild dislike, etc.
  4. The "standard" price is set for the area in which that item is well known.
  5. Bargaining over the price of a well-known item will see that item sold for a price between 80% and 120% of the "standard" price.
  6. Bargaining over the price of a not well-known item will that item sold for a price between 20% and 500% of the "standard" price.
  7. Whether a an item is well-known or not well-known depends on the experience of the seller and the buyer. If the item is not well-known to the buyer and/or seller, treat it as not well -known. If the buyer knows about it and the seller doesn't, give the buyer an advantage by lowering the beginning asking price.
  8. Scarcity of a well-known item adds 25% - 200% to an item's "standard" price.
  9. Distance the item has been transported and type of transport add to an item's "standard" price.
  10. All (any) die rolls made by the NPC and PC should be rolled by the GM and should be hidden from the player(s). Let the players figure out if they have made a good deal.
  11. The price of an object can be (is often?) paid in equivalent value of goods rather than in coin.
  12. If the final price agreed is at great odds with the price initially expected by the NPC, then the GM should note this and have the NPC react accordingly. (Say, the last time I traded with you, there was no Issaries tarriff!)
  13. Taxes are not extracted on particular transactions, but periodically, based on the perceived wealth of the taxee.

For those GM's who want/need them, here are a couple of tables for determining how to calculate a selling price (based on assumptions 5 & 6 above. (Before you ask - No, I haven't refined these tables, so take the values and work them as you will.)

Table 1. Bargaining with Well-known items 

                      *Seller*
            Crit     Hit     Miss   Fumble   
*Buyer*
Crit        +/-5%   -10%     -15%    -20%
Hit         +10%    +/-5%    -10%    -15%
Miss        +15%    +10%     +/-5%   -10%
Fumble      +20%    +15%     +10%    +/-5%

Table 2. Bargaining with Not-well-known items 

                                *Seller*
            Crit     Special  Hit     Miss   Special   Fumble   
*Buyer*
Crit        +/-5%    -10%    -25%    -50%    -65%      -80%
Special     +50%     +/-5%   -10%    -25%    -50%      -65%
Hit         +100%    +50%    +/-5%   -10%    -25%      -50%
Miss        +200%    +100%   +50%    +-5%    -10%      -25%
Special     +350%    +200%   +100%   +50%    +/-5%     -10%
Fumble      +500%    +350%   +200%   +100%   +50%      +/-5%

Well, hope this helps stimulate some constructive discussion...

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