TRADE GOODS – LUXURY GOODS
Previous article…Running a Trading Campaign #1 – First Steps
In this article we are going to talk about trade goods.
So, let’s get into it and make some considerations about what characters usually buy and sell
Characters buy ans sell goods. Equipment, to be specific.
We have published the awesome Merchant Guide, a pdf available on DrivethruRpg. Just have a look at the preview to have an idea of the content.
Also, if you already have an idea on how to run your own trading campaign you may want to have a look at our Trade Goods Generator.
FOREWORDS
In every rpg, prices of equipment are frozen, they don’t change, and player’s manuals do not come with optional rules about prices volatility.
And when the characters decide it’s time to sell equipment, they usually receive 50% of the standard price.
It’s fine. That’s how rpg works.
The adventurers buy the equipment they need, they go for their mission, and once they come back to town they sell the loot.
They earn wealth by adventuring.
However, a merchant does the opposite.
He/She buys goods in one place, and then sell them at another place.
He may be involved in an adventure during his/her journeys, indeed many things may happen. Things like…
- While sailing to the Archipelago, the merchant discover a new island, not present on maps. He decides to go ashore, why not claim the island, and update his maps. Who knows who is inhabiting the island…pirates, sahuagin, cannibal haflings?
- While crossing a wild mountain range, the merchant is caught in a violent snowstorm and has to stop the expedition. A yeti is wondering the area and the caravan may be ambushed that very night. Will they survive the bitter cold and the hungry yeti? Who knows…
A merchant faces dangerous encounters and discover strange lands while traveling the world.
For a merchant, adventures are an avoidable consequence of his goal, which is becoming rich.
For an adventurer, becoming rich is the consequence of a different goal, which is glory and power.
I know, I’m simplifying the subject, but it explains the difference.
I’d say it is even more dangerous than adventuring, because everything is at stake, both your life and your wealth.
Well, I’m digressing…let’s talk about trade goods, without forgetting what we wrote in the previous article.
We said that trade goods exist in categories, and we defined three main categories.
Luxury Goods, Finished Goods and Raw Materials.
OBSERVATIONS
We have to make another important decision here.
How specific we want the trade good categories to be?
For example, your merchant is going to buy spices, a luxury good.
Will it be just spice or we are going to specify the exact type of spice?
Many spices exist.
Black pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, saffron, and so on.
If we decide to make a list of very specific goods then we’ll have a very long list of stuff.
It sounds unpractical, doesn’t it?
So, there are three options to consider:
A) Specific list of trade goods
Pro: we’ll have a great variety of stuff to trade, with distinct prices and encumbrances. It adds realism.
Cons: we’ll have to build large tables, possibly including sub-tables. It adds complexity
B) Generic list of trade goods
Pro: we’ll have smaller tables, and the game will run faster. It increases playability.
Cons: we won’t be able to distinguish goods coming from different regions, thus flattening every climatic or geographical trait.
C) Hybrid list of trade goods
Pro: you can be specific and generic at the same time, without adding complexity.
Cons: the Game Master will have to make arbitrary decisions from time to time.
Solution C) stand in the middle of A) and B).
The tables will present a generic list of goods, however each good will come with a description where we can provide details and add variety.
For example, the table will show a good called Spice, then we’ll add a short paragraph describing the most famous spices.
Honestly, I’d pick option C).
So, with this in mind, let’s start building our list of luxury goods.
LUXURY GOODS
ART OBJECTS
Statues of any size, paintings, decorated furniture, golden chests, and many other stuff. Art objects are expensive goods that are meant to be showed off.
Imagine a merchant negotiating with a local tribe, exchanging his common goods for far more precious statuettes made of ivory, or smuggling weapons in exchange for rare hand carved wood masks. Will he seal the deal or the locals will sacrifice him and his hirelings to their dark god?
CLOCKWORKS
Wonders made of gears, wires and springs, these mechanical artifacts are made to astonish. From common clocks, to automated figurines, they require skills and ingenuity to be crafted. It is said that gnomes are masters in the art of making clockworks.
CORALS
This material is found on distant shores. Employed by artisans to make jewels, corals exist in many colors and shapes. Harvesting corals is dangerous, because ships can’t get too close to coral banks, also, dangerous fauna is always lurking around.
ESSENCES
Any fragrance can be trapped to obtain an essence. A symbol of vanity among the riches, it is employed to astonish and strike the senses. Master perfumers work day and night to brew exotic essences, trying to discover the secret of perfect balance.
EXOTIC CREATURES
Employed in bloody fights, or as living trophy for eccentric collectors, strange and weird creatures populate the extreme fringes of the world. Only few dare to hunt and capture these specimens, a dangerous job indeed. A merchant shipping one of these monsters, must be very careful that it doesn’t break free during the journey.
Believe me, you don’t want to know what happened to Sagamir, who was shipping a medusa across the Sea of Steam, when a storm stroke his ship.
FINE CLOTHINGS
Tailored with special fabrics, adorned with exotic beddings, these clothings mark the owner’s social status. Master tailors are hard to find, and thus their creations are very expensive.
FINE WINE
There is wine, and then there is Wine. This drink is considered the nectar of the gods. Few good wine makers exist, and they sell their product at high prices, for those willing to pay. However, grapefruit is not the only ingredient that can yield wine. Maybe in a distant land, wine is made with exotic fruits.
GLASSWARES
Glass can be shaped in many forms and colors. Goods made of glass may be useful and beautiful at the same time. Glasses, miniatures, masks and many other stuff can be made of glass.
JEWELLERIES
Artisans from all over the world craft wonderful things. They employ gold, silver, gemstones, corals and other exotic materials to craft unique pieces. Some jewels are sometimes sacred relics, object of veneration by primitive cultures. Many collectors are willing to pay huge sums for this stuff.
MARBLE SLABS
Employed to decorate homes, marble is a symbol of high social status, and thus power. Many patricians love to decorate their manors with marble, sometimes with beatiful engravings on it. Marble exist in many colors.
PEARLS
Pearls are rare, and few people can dive in the depth of the sea to harvest one. Pearls are appreciated all over the world, the bigger the better. Some underwater races thrive thanks to pearls, other trains these races to do the job for them.
The biggest pearl retrieved weights over two kilograms and was harvested by a lizardman after a fight against a giant crab
PIGMENTS
Pigments are employed to color fabrics, to prepare paints, or to make make-up. Exotic and weird things are required to produce pigments, like rare plants, mollusks and metals. Each pigment may be unique and expensive to prepare.
PORCELAIN
Fine cups and plates, decorated pots, and fragile spoons. Many things can be crafted with porcelain, but few artisans are capable enough.
PRECIOUS METAL
Gold, Mithril, Adamantine, are all example of precious and expensive metals. They are usually ingots or bars, and requires a well armed escort to be safely shipped to destination. Few merchants have earned such high prestige and reputation to be granted the task to ship these metals from nation to nation. Sometimes, precious metals like gold, can be traded among more primitive cultures that can’t see its true value.
RARE CLOTHS
Cotton, wool and hemp are all well known. However what about a dress made of weaved vampire rose? Or the amazing fabric obtained from the web of a phase spider?
It is said that an unknown tribes from the Sea of Steam, employ air elementals to weave an exotic fabric, until the essence of the extraplanar being remain intertwined inside the fabric.
RARE FURS
Tigers, leopards, lions and many other animals provides fur. The more exotic and weird a fur is, the higher will be its value on the market. Some furs have special properties, that reflect the creature traits.
Everybody knows the story of a half elf hunter, who hunted down and skinned a ferocious predator known as aurumvorax. Kings and Queen are her customers.
RARE LEATHERS
Employed to make armors and and accessories, leather is part of the everyday life. Some leathers possess unique properties, and armorer are always looking for exotic materials to craft special armors, for special customers. Dragons and dragon-kins are the most wanted on the list. But what about an armor made of gorgon’s skin?
RARE WOODS
Not all woods are the same, and not all wood provide the same texture to the touch. Ebony and oaks are just examples, however every merchant knows how precious the planks of Iron Tree are, and what about the wood from the giant fungus of the Underdark? Ask a wizard how precious a staff made of a Hangman Tree is!
SPICES
This good comes from rare plants, that usually grow in specific environment and climates. It’s extremely hard to have them grow in a greenhouse and merchants have to travel great distances to obtain them. The most common spices are saffron, cinnamon, black pepper and vanilla. The game master can expand this list to fit into his/her campaign setting. Also, not all spices have been discovered! Many unexplored lands may hide new and exotic spices.
Imagine your merchant is adventuring in the upper layers of the underdark, looking for a rare subterranean fungus. Accompanying him there is an expert herbalist and a couple of indentured hirelings. Who knows what awaits them down there?
So, this is the first sketch about luxury goods. We will extend and optimize the list later. For sure, every description can be enriched with more details.
Next Article…D&D – Merchant #3 – Trade Goods – Finished Goods