Do you use electrum pieces?

[fanboy2000]

Do you use electrum in your game?

I ask because I've actually had players who were against it for some reason. Because I'm a jerk, I started handing out electrum pieces occasionally as treasure. Once, I had my players find some electrum in a box labeled "rust monster food."

I don't know what it is, but ever since them, I've given out electrum as a treasure occasionally. Just so I can spice things up a little.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Only rarely in Forgotten Realms games--just to make the players wonder.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Don't play that edition anymore. Haven't for ten years.

 

[frankthedm]

Electrum coins were uncommon but available when i ran D&D.

Hmm, if I run a 3e D&D game again I might use 10 copper =1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold, with electrum as half a gold piece since change would be needed often enough.

 

[Cor_Malek]

Electrum, tumbaga, occasionally tombac. All my silver coins are made out of billon, often a cheap one But where the fun starts, are the fakes.

In homebrew settings (but also wherever I can justify it), I use different coins for different countries. Because of the alloys, the weight of coins isn't always(trans. never is) interchangeable with weight of gold or silver, which adds fun dynamic (have fun sitting on 7000 gold pieces of country you've helped to conquer).

Since 95% of them are bracteates, and my eco is always toned down a few octaves - a full-weight, pure gold coins would be considered an incredible treasure indeed I never quite liked FR/PHB/DMG/PF economic models, with prices that were killing my suspense of disbelief (adventurers as main occupation+), but it took a lot of trials and errors to make one that fits my taste and, well... works

 

[jonesy]

I have to ask. What's funny about Electrum coins? Their obscurity in modern times?

 

[IronWolf]

I can't say I have, but I am not against doing so either.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

In my games "odd" coins like that exist and so are occasionally found in treasure. Coin treasure always has value for the metal alone if nothing else, but old coins, foreign coins, and "inconvenient" or unusual coins will show up in treasures and often PC's will find they aren't directly spendable. But characters don't generally need to do anything more than trade them in for more practical coin - same as they do with copper and silver eventually - or have them melted into saleable ingots. Both at a loss of course. It's otherwise more trouble than it's worth to FORCE a non-decimal coinage system upon players, IME.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Yes, frequently. I also use ofdd coins that might be of differing value (due to different weight or shapes), or ancient coins of older realms.

Generic gp are both boring and in the context of dungeon adventuring unrealistic. Is the Bank of Greyhawk minting GP used the world over?

 

[Remathilis]

In 2e, yeah. Few ever did anything with it, but yeah.

In 3e, since they are not officially in the game, no. However, the dwarves have a heavy silver coin equal to 5 sp (electrum's worth in 2e) so if I ever run an old module with electrum in it, I just use the dwarven coin instead. It creates a bit of local flavor.