Campaign Design - Money in the Freeholds

Money in the Freeholds

The most common form of currency used in the Freeholds is Imperial coinage minted during the reign of the Ymerawdwrs of the Rhadynnic Sky Empire. The standard means of exchange in the region is the Imperial Shilling, a silver coin about the same size as a U.S. Quarter. In game terms the coin is roughly equivalent to a gold piece, and eighty of them weigh a pound. The shilling is frequently cut in half and traded as half-shillings as well.

For smaller transactions, people use the Imperial Penny, copper coins roughly the same size and shape as the shilling. Ten copper pennies are worth one shilling. These are also cut in half and traded as half pennies. Pennies are also frequently cut into eight pieces called "bits" which are used for very minor purchases.

On the other end of the scale is the Imperial Guilder, a heavy gold coin about the same size and shape as a U.S. Half-Dollar worth eighty shillings. Roughly forty guilders weigh a pound. As with shillings and pennies, the guilder is sometimes cut in half and traded as a half-guilder, and sometimes cut into eight pieces which are called "cobs" or "pieces of eight".

Currency from the northern kingdoms is commonly used in the Freeholds as well. Elizon, Langjord, Midtenjord, and Kysthjem use the Scætter, a small silver coin about the size of a U.S. Cent that is worth just slightly less than half an Imperial shilling. About a hundred and eighty of them weigh a pound. These are sometimes cut in half and traded as half-scætters, but they are not generally cut smaller than that.

Also used in the northern kingdoms is the Mark, a gold coin about the same size as the scætter, and worth about thirty-six shillings. This is frequently cut in half and traded as a half-mark, which is traditionally reckoned as the price of a longsword in those regions. The mark is not usually cut into smaller pieces.

As practices such as shaving, clipping, dusting, or simply counterfeiting coins are an unfortunately all too common practices in the Freeholds and surrounding areas, most merchants will keep a set of scales on hand and weigh coins brought in by someone they don't know, or brought in by someone who wants to make a trade involving a large number of coins, or merely because they suspect that the coins might have been tampered with.

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