elliott20
2009-05-26, 12:25 AM
One of the problems of 3.5e (and 4E as well, IIRC) is when PCs make stuff and sell it, they are forced to sell at a fixed price.
the purpose of that is quite simply so that players don't have to sit around and worry about supply and demand, etc. From a game stand point, it's probably a good thing since the game is called dungeons and dragons, not merchants and accountants.
However, what *if* you wanted a model for merchants that seemed a tad more realistic? While the prices themselves might not be a good reflection of reality or even the source material it came from, what if there was a mechanism that allows you to adjust it on the fly?
that is the subject of this thread. how can you make a model that takes into account supply and demand or at least acknowledges the existence of such?
there is one principle that I'm trying to keep in mind here. you can try to sell something higher than market price, but doing so means you gotta spend more time finding a willing buyer.
so, what does this mean?
What this means, is that when you want to sell something, you gotta make a "selling" check. (or if you want to buy something rare, a buy check) how a sell check works is basically this:
1. you set the price you want to sell your item at
2. you roll a "gather info" check to see if you can find a prospective buyer.
depending upon your sell item price, it modifies the sell check DC for success. Making the DC means you have found someone who is willing to buy at your price. If you fail, however, it does not mean you're still stuck at your current price. Depending upon how much you fail by, you might have found someone who might not be happy with the price you proposed, but has no objection to buying it at a slightly better price. (the exact margin depends upon your margin of failure)
on the other hand, if you sell at a reduced price, it lowers the DC. It also means that you could effectively lower the price enough where the DC for finding a seller would be 0, making it an automatic success. i.e. if you were to reduce it by 50% in a standard 3.5E economy
at the same time, you can modify the sell DC based on demand for the good.
the numbers, of course, will have to be worked out mathematically, but do you guys think the concept is sound?
the purpose of that is quite simply so that players don't have to sit around and worry about supply and demand, etc. From a game stand point, it's probably a good thing since the game is called dungeons and dragons, not merchants and accountants.
However, what *if* you wanted a model for merchants that seemed a tad more realistic? While the prices themselves might not be a good reflection of reality or even the source material it came from, what if there was a mechanism that allows you to adjust it on the fly?
that is the subject of this thread. how can you make a model that takes into account supply and demand or at least acknowledges the existence of such?
there is one principle that I'm trying to keep in mind here. you can try to sell something higher than market price, but doing so means you gotta spend more time finding a willing buyer.
so, what does this mean?
What this means, is that when you want to sell something, you gotta make a "selling" check. (or if you want to buy something rare, a buy check) how a sell check works is basically this:
1. you set the price you want to sell your item at
2. you roll a "gather info" check to see if you can find a prospective buyer.
depending upon your sell item price, it modifies the sell check DC for success. Making the DC means you have found someone who is willing to buy at your price. If you fail, however, it does not mean you're still stuck at your current price. Depending upon how much you fail by, you might have found someone who might not be happy with the price you proposed, but has no objection to buying it at a slightly better price. (the exact margin depends upon your margin of failure)
on the other hand, if you sell at a reduced price, it lowers the DC. It also means that you could effectively lower the price enough where the DC for finding a seller would be 0, making it an automatic success. i.e. if you were to reduce it by 50% in a standard 3.5E economy
at the same time, you can modify the sell DC based on demand for the good.
the numbers, of course, will have to be worked out mathematically, but do you guys think the concept is sound?