Your opinions about a minor house rule of mine...

[Kerilstrasz]

in my latest campaign (and prolly on all that come from now on)
i introduced a new house rule regarding carrying capacity and i d like your
opinions..


Consider character’s carrying capacity 10% higher than the prices given
at page 162 of PhB.
Currency is heavy too.
Treat 10 Platinum Pieces weight 1lb,
10 Gold Pieces ½ lb,
10 Silver Pieces 1/3 lb
and 10 Copper Pieces ¼ lb.
Keep in mind that carrying capacity and current character’s load will be
monitored by DM at all times.

**as it copy pasted from my house rules handbook**

what do you think?aren't you tired of PCs walking around with like 1.000 copper
coins each in their pockets?how big pockets they have?1000 cc weight nothing?
and how fast can they pay a barkeeper 3g 6s 2c , when they have a sack full
of 2000 coins?????

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Eh. It's realistic, but annoying, and doesn't seem like it would add anything to play.

[lord pringle]

and how fast can they pay a barkeeper 3g 6s 2c , when they have a sack full
of 2000 coins?????

This is a serious question: when do you think this will ever come up? And doesn't everyone just get a handy haversack for that?

[eggynack]

Generally, I like my houserules to reduce the simulationist aspects of the game for ease of play. Thus, I'm far more likely to eliminate carrying capacity from the game entirely rather than adding things to increase realism.

[Ravens_cry]

Frankly, I don't think it's terribly important to keep this much track of things. There comes a point of 'over simulation'. This is one of them in my opinion. What does it really add to the game? Not everything has to be fun, and challenge is one potential part of what makes things fun, but this just looks like a bunch of busywork bookkeeping that just adds a lot of fussiness on both sides of the screen. It also highlights the major abstraction of D&D encumbrance system. Why, for example, does carrying something the slightest bit over your light weight drop your speed by 1.667 ft/s, or more? Is that realistic? Oh <expletive redacted/> no, but it makes the system reasonably simple to track.

[Kerilstrasz]

This is a serious question: when do you think this will ever come up?
well.. its a famous joke where i leave.. the dude that wants to buy a car &
when its time to pay he reveals a huge sack of coins and starts "1 dollar, 2 dollars, 3 dollars...."
it tends to annoy really bad the salesmen and a fight could start easy...


And doesn't everyone just get a handy haversack for that?

not everyone.. we are talking about ppl that demand a variety of sources for
feats but none of them looks at the adventuring gear, magic & wondrous items
chapters... it is just a way to force em take their mind off the "how many dice
dmg i do" and find different ways to approach any situation than just:
"i roll diplomacy.. i failed? i kill him"
you prolly reply with then authorities or smn else stronger kills em.. well that
doesnt work on em :) lets just stay on the HR as if its balanced and not too
arbitary.


Generally, I like my houserules to reduce the simulationist aspects of the game for ease of play.
as said above... the easiest way to negate this rule is to actually go in a
magic shop and ask "is there smthing that can help me carry more heavy
things with more ease?" and they get boh , or a belt or a HHHsack...
i just try to introduce to them aspects of the game that they dont know :)


Frankly, I don't think it's terribly important to keep this much track of things.
well.. let me tell you a story.. few months ago the newest of my PCs gets his
4rth lvl and ask me to help me so i take his Char sheet to check it and maybe
give some advice.. and i see him carrying like 4 hemp ropes, 2-3 chains plus lot
of other staff.. he was like a ranger of 12 str and was carrying more than a van...
out of curiosity i check others sheets too and was about the same... since then
i tend to be a bit more careful about such things and check such things like once every 2-3 sessions...

[nobodez]

in my latest campaign (and prolly on all that come from now on)
i introduced a new house rule regarding carrying capacity and i d like your
opinions..


Consider character’s carrying capacity 10% higher than the prices given
at page 162 of PhB.
Currency is heavy too.
Treat 10 Platinum Pieces weight 1lb,
10 Gold Pieces ½ lb,
10 Silver Pieces 1/3 lb
and 10 Copper Pieces ¼ lb.
Keep in mind that carrying capacity and current character’s load will be
monitored by DM at all times.

**as it copy pasted from my house rules handbook**

what do you think?aren't you tired of PCs walking around with like 1.000 copper
coins each in their pockets?how big pockets they have?1000 cc weight nothing?
and how fast can they pay a barkeeper 3g 6s 2c , when they have a sack full
of 2000 coins?????

Okay, we'll, if 10 platium are a pound, then each weighs 45.3 grams, about 1.4 times the size of a 1 Troy ounce Platinum coin (such as the Platinum Eagle), which would be slightly larger than a Silver Dollar.

At 20 gold to a pound, each weighs 22.65 grams, about the size of a silver half dollar.

At 30 silver to a pound, each weighs 15.1 grams, slightly larger than a silver half dollar (at 12.5 grams).

At 40 copper to a pound, each weighs 11.33 grams, slightly larger than an early 19th century Large Cent, and thus, again, about the size of a silver half dollar.

These are large, valuable coins.

If anything, I'd make coins weigh less, not more. Make each coin weigh about 6 grams or so (about 1/75 th of a pound). This would make silver and copper coins about the same size and weight as a US Quarter Dollar, and gold and silver slightly smaller than a US nickel, though heavier).

[lord pringle]

well.. its a famous joke where i leave.. the dude that wants to buy a car &
when its time to pay he reveals a huge sack of coins and starts "1 dollar, 2 dollars, 3 dollars...."
it tends to annoy really bad the salesmen and a fight could start easy...

In a joke, it's a funny set up, in a game, it would get really annoying when people keep trying to fight me for having vast amounts of change. I'd probably just get a couple of party members to watch our gold while the rest of us carry the exact amount we need to buy stuff with.


not everyone.. we are talking about ppl that demand a variety of sources for
feats but none of them looks at the adventuring gear, magic & wondrous items
chapters... it is just a way to force em take their mind off the "how many dice
dmg i do" and find different ways to approach any situation than just:
"i roll diplomacy.. i failed? i kill him"
you prolly reply with then authorities or smn else stronger kills em.. well that
doesnt work on em :) lets just stay on the HR as if its balanced and not too
arbitary.

I am staying on the house rule. I am saying it will make no difference as it will just cause the players inconvenience and slow the game down.

[Keneth]

Currency already has weight, it's 50 coins to a pound (regardless of material). No one really follows it though, because it's assumed that it gets converted into lighter valuables (like gems) whenever possible, or isn't kept on your person at all (i.e. you keep most of your cash in a stash somewhere). Worrying about carrying capacity isn't fun for anyone to begin with, I'd suggest you don't make it even more annoying for your players, or you might as well start demanding that the characters take potty breaks.

[ericgrau]

I think you should keep players from carrying a billion objects. But only those with low strength should track their equipment weight. For others with high strength it's more a limit of how much you can wear. Don't let them carry a billion huge objects regardless of strength. Tell the player it's time to get a handy haversack once it gets out of hand.

As for the coins, I've found in normal play that 50 coins to a pound is already heavy. Because players get so rich they will have a lot of coins and there's no need to make them heavier.

Track what your players carry as normal. There's no need to get extra strict just because they were abusing the system. A normal check is fine. And once it gets crazy you don't track every ounce, you say , "Look man, get a handy haversack. Regardless of how much this weighs it's a mess." Then you deduct 2,000 gp and the game moves on without wasting a bunch of time. Any big city should have handy haversacks, btw, though small towns not so much.

[eggynack]

What are you really gaining, in terms of gameplay, by stopping a guy from carrying more stuff than he should be able to? Before making a change like this, you have to ask yourself why people are playing this game. If they're playing in order to play an inventory management simulator, then go right ahead. I suspect that this isn't the truth of your games though. It's true that there are some points at which the characters are carrying so much more than they should be able to that it's absurd, and in those cases there's a chance that looking at the carrying capacity is valuable. It feels a bit like a corner case to me though. Who really gains anything by checking their money for weight every time they gain any? Is it really changing the balance of the game at all to make this change, or does it just incentivize extradimensional storage space more? Finally, are these changes making the game more fun for you, let alone your players? These are the kinds of questions you should really be asking yourself before making a house rule of any kind.

[137beth]

not everyone.. we are talking about ppl that demand a variety of sources for
feats but none of them looks at the adventuring gear, magic & wondrous items
chapters... it is just a way to force em take their mind off the "how many dice
dmg i do" and find different ways to approach any situation than just:
"i roll diplomacy.. i failed? i kill him"
you prolly reply with then authorities or smn else stronger kills em.. well that
doesnt work on em :) lets just stay on the HR as if its balanced and not too
arbitary.
If you are trying to introduce them to non-roll-boosting features of the game, why not just do what I do and put magic items (with unique abilities) in the loot?

[FreakyCheeseMan]

With game design, I find it helpful to think of Complexity as a currency, with which you can buy Fun - you only have so much Complexity to spend before the game becomes unplayable, though, so you need to be careful with your spending.

So, with choices like this, think about how much bang you're getting for your buck - how much complexity you're introducing (Players have to track weight more closely and modify their carry weights; Players have to track the specific denominations of coinage they carry; DM has to constantly track the weight of player items and double-check their math) - vs. how much Fun you're getting (...yeah, I got nothing,) and ask yourself "Could I get a better deal?"

The answer in this case, I would say, is yes. If you feel your game can handle the extra complexity - great! But use it for something better than this. Let players take unique flaws relevant to their backstory, in exchange for bonus feats. Include NPC organizations that you track their standing with, that they can get special favours from if they handle well. Homebrew a strange monster that follows the PCs around, whose behaviour they can study and learn to manipulate to their advantage. If you want things to be more realistic, maybe work in some sort of a wound system - but, what you're proposing just seems like needless busywork for yourself and your players.

[Gnome Alone]

I think you should keep players from carrying a billion objects.
Hey, c'mon, why else do you think I have all these pockets and pouches on everything?

[ericgrau]

So you can carry a hundred small objects. The OP was bringing up rope, chain and so on.

[Mnemnosyne]

in my latest campaign (and prolly on all that come from now on)
i introduced a new house rule regarding carrying capacity and i d like your
opinions..


Consider character’s carrying capacity 10% higher than the prices given
at page 162 of PhB.
Currency is heavy too.
Treat 10 Platinum Pieces weight 1lb,
10 Gold Pieces ½ lb,
10 Silver Pieces 1/3 lb
and 10 Copper Pieces ¼ lb.
Keep in mind that carrying capacity and current character’s load will be
monitored by DM at all times.

**as it copy pasted from my house rules handbook**

what do you think?aren't you tired of PCs walking around with like 1.000 copper
coins each in their pockets?how big pockets they have?1000 cc weight nothing?
and how fast can they pay a barkeeper 3g 6s 2c , when they have a sack full
of 2000 coins?????
This is a ludicrously high size and weight for coins. I can't remember where, but coins in D&D are supposed to be weighted at 0.02 pounds each, or 50 to the pound. I think it would be better to stick to that measure, and keep it standard across all coins, because really, why make hassle for yourself tracking different weights for different types of coins? If all coins weigh 0.02 pounds, you just have to multiply the number of coins the character is carrying by 0.02 to get the weight of their coins.

I definitely always keep track of weight of everything in my games, and characters do have to visit money changers when it's appropriate (whenever they visit a merchant with enough coins in stock, I typically assume they change up to highest value coins possible, but I keep track of what merchants are likely to have high value stuff in stock too). The players certainly find ways to mitigate it, but the fact that they're doing it is making them think about the logistics, which, like the OP, is something I like.

The trick to this, however, is using a proper tool for the calculation of this. I have a character sheet made in Excel which does a number of automatic calculations for me - it's kind of clunky in places, but it works quite easily. Picking up 1000 coins is just a matter of adding them in the money section of the sheet, which automatically increments the weight and tells me if the character's reached a new level of encumbrance because of it. On the other hand, if you're using one of the more common types of character sheets found out there, it won't be doing those automatic calculations for you, and I definitely wouldn't want to be keeping track of this on paper sheets. So, it's more of a question of whether you have the tools to make this simple and painless to keep track of or not.

[Ravens_cry]

not everyone.. we are talking about ppl that demand a variety of sources for
feats but none of them looks at the adventuring gear, magic & wondrous items
chapters... it is just a way to force em take their mind off the "how many dice
dmg i do" and find different ways to approach any situation than just:
"i roll diplomacy.. i failed? i kill him"
you prolly reply with then authorities or smn else stronger kills em.. well that
doesnt work on em :) lets just stay on the HR as if its balanced and not too
arbitary.


as said above... the easiest way to negate this rule is to actually go in a
magic shop and ask "is there smthing that can help me carry more heavy
things with more ease?" and they get boh , or a belt or a HHHsack...
i just try to introduce to them aspects of the game that they dont know :)


well.. let me tell you a story.. few months ago the newest of my PCs gets his
4rth lvl and ask me to help me so i take his Char sheet to check it and maybe
give some advice.. and i see him carrying like 4 hemp ropes, 2-3 chains plus lot
of other staff.. he was like a ranger of 12 str and was carrying more than a van...
out of curiosity i check others sheets too and was about the same... since then
i tend to be a bit more careful about such things and check such things like once every 2-3 sessions...

Frankly, I would not consider that to be that big a deal. There is certain extremes, but, again, not deal-breaker. Maybe it is for you, but it seems your players would not enjoy this kind of thing. I think it may be better to simply have an out of character discussion about toning things down.
Your group seems to have a more fundamental problem that I doubt, strongly, this will even begin to fix.

[HurinTheCursed]

I've nothing against adding rules that favor interesting RP situations. I don't believe money weight does (the total loot carried does bring choices).

I play in a setting in which in some big cities you can only pay with gold even when price is tens of thousands, in some of places, it's platinum only. Shop keepers sometimes give us bags of 40kg of coins as money change !! We spent a few weeks carry three of such bags in our hands before finding a city where to buy a bag of holding. Some characters then tried to change progressively their gold for platinum and had a hard time to pay big items. Of course, you can go in change shop but who enjoys losing 10% of their hard earned money for nothing?

I really dislike this (simulationism shouldn't spoil the fun because the world is not too poor for adventurers). Spending a few hours to organize the loot and coins to avoid medium charge was NOT FUN.

[Edenbeast]

Frankly, I would not consider that to be that big a deal. There is certain extremes, but, again, not deal-breaker. Maybe it is for you, but it seems your players would not enjoy this kind of thing. I think it may be better to simply have an out of character discussion about toning things down.
Your group seems to have a more fundamental problem that I doubt, strongly, this will even begin to fix.

I agree with the poster you reply to, this is a big thing.. I'm not too strict with these things, I just ask the players once every few sessions, and even then just make an estimate, and let the player do the calculating if he doesn't agree. A medium load already imposes a check penalty, reduces max dex bonus, and speed. So keeping track of weight carried is important.
If I see someone carrying around things that would require a horse and wagon... Well, that goes to the extreme, but like the ranger who cannot use his bonus feats when carrying a heavy load that counts as wearing heavy armour, then yes he'll lose his abilities unless he drops some of the stuff. I believe it's important to know how much a character is carrying, and in which load category he is. Loot and equipment management adds to the game experience and the fun.

[ArcturusV]

I think the coin weights are a little off myself.

But typically I wouldn't bother with it. I mean my own personal house rule, and how I operate tends to be "I look at your armor, and your weapons to determine encumbrance, and don't care about anything else."

"... UNTIL you turn into a walking wagon load of odd bric-a-brac and tchotchkes, and then suddenly I will do the math."

[molten_dragon]

in my latest campaign (and prolly on all that come from now on)
i introduced a new house rule regarding carrying capacity and i d like your
opinions..


Consider character’s carrying capacity 10% higher than the prices given
at page 162 of PhB.
Currency is heavy too.
Treat 10 Platinum Pieces weight 1lb,
10 Gold Pieces ½ lb,
10 Silver Pieces 1/3 lb
and 10 Copper Pieces ¼ lb.
Keep in mind that carrying capacity and current character’s load will be
monitored by DM at all times.

**as it copy pasted from my house rules handbook**

what do you think?aren't you tired of PCs walking around with like 1.000 copper
coins each in their pockets?how big pockets they have?1000 cc weight nothing?
and how fast can they pay a barkeeper 3g 6s 2c , when they have a sack full
of 2000 coins?????

Generally, when considering rules like this, I ask myself if the rule will make the game more fun, or if it will make the game more tedious.

In this case, I'd go with tedious.

I tend to just ignore the weight of coins (and carrying capacity in general), unless it somehow adds fun to the game, like having to get creative to figure out how to haul the 10 million copper pieces you just found back to town.

[Ashtagon]

Your coins are ridiculously heavy.

Comparing various real-world currencies...


Japanese coins weigh in at between 1g and 7.2g, or 60-450 to the lb.
British coins weigh in at between 3.25g and 12g, or 38-140 to the lb.
US coins weigh in at between 2.268g and 11.34g, or 40-200 to the lb.


You are granting the coins weights of 10-40 to the lb (or 11.34 to 45.36 grams).

If anything, a reasonable case could be made for making D&D coins weigh 100 to the lb.

[Telonius]

There's a reason these (http://todayswhisper.com/the-largest-and-heaviest-world-currency-rai-stones) didn't really catch on. Keeping that much track of weight and encumbrance is Not Fun for anybody, and within-game it would be so annoying that somebody would invent a better system.

[Allanimal]

If anything, a reasonable case could be made for making D&D coins weigh 100 to the lb.

If one were to actually keep track of coin weight, this would be the way to go.

[Bakeru]

Currency already has weight, it's 50 coins to a pound (regardless of material). No one really follows it though, because it's assumed that it gets converted into lighter valuables (like gems) whenever possible, or isn't kept on your person at all (i.e. you keep most of your cash in a stash somewhere). Worrying about carrying capacity isn't fun for anyone to begin with, I'd suggest you don't make it even more annoying for your players, or you might as well start demanding that the characters take potty breaks.This. Our DM doesn't really pay attention to it anyway, but general handwaving is that large amounts of gold are converted to gems as soon as we're in town (which you can resell without losing anything, and which weight pretty much nothing).
Still, if we find a chest full of gold in a dungeon, we have to let the meatshield fighter carry it.

[Coidzor]

Consider character’s carrying capacity 10% higher than the prices given
at page 162 of PhB.
Currency is heavy too.
Treat 10 Platinum Pieces weight 1lb,
10 Gold Pieces ½ lb,
10 Silver Pieces 1/3 lb
and 10 Copper Pieces ¼ lb.

Could take it or leave it. I'd actually make the coins a fair sight lighter than that but keep the idea of them having different weights.


Keep in mind that carrying capacity and current character’s load will be
monitored by DM at all times.


This is a bad rule. It is the antithesis of enjoying the game. For both the DM and the Player.

[Draz74]

I agree with the people who are saying that, if you want realism, D&D coins are already too big.

I mean, not only are they big and unwieldy compared to real-life coins ... but they're made out of precious metals! You'd better believe even Japanese coins would be smaller than they are if they were made out of pure gold.

[Gnome Alone]

you might as well start demanding that the characters take potty breaks.

Aha! The fix for spellcasting that everyone's always looking for!

Player: I cast Time Stop.
DM: Nope, you have to take a dump too badly to do that.

[Bakeru]

Aha! The fix for spellcasting that everyone's always looking for!

Player: I cast Time Stop.
DM: Nope, you have to take a dump too badly to do that.Einsteins true theory of relativity:
The amount of time that passes mostly depends on which side of a closed toilet door you are.

[Ashtagon]

Einsteins true theory of relativity:
The amount of time that passes mostly depends on which side of a closed toilet door you are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF5gcEQVxL4

[Squirrel_Dude]

*shrugs shoulders*
Coins:
If you're going to care that coins have weight, just make it so that they all coins weigh the same. At least it make it easier to do the math.

Also, why aren't we just using the standard system of 1 coin = .02 pounds (1 pound to 50 coins)?

Carrying Capacity:
Be aware that 22 strength already allows you to surpass the Olympic weightlifting record. That's a level 1 orc. What I'm saying is that characters don't need any more help if you're going for simulation.

[Kerilstrasz]

ok.. let me reply and tell you my reasons (which by all means may be wrong)..

1) Different weights...
want to tell me that a 1by1by1" of copper weights the same as a gold cube
of the same volume?
the different weights are to force players make their change into more valuable
objects and not hoarding piles of coins..
2) Heavy(ier) coins...
it is just a problem introduced, so players find a way to bypass it..
when they get a HHHsack the HR is negated so no prob...
3) The very reason the weight is tracked is because they CHOOSE and DEMANDED
to play a kinda hardcore campaign "by the rules".. so they cant travel on a
horse while they & their gear weight more than a house! The coins was the
"harmless" thing i could think to be a bit more realistic but there is also the
"exit window" of a HHHsack or boh to get rid of it at any time...
4) & at any way after they buy their 1st boh or whatever they keep the +10%
on their capacity

anyways this rule isn't yet tested... in a few days we ll have the 1st session
using this rule and i ll keep it for a few session to see what they think..
obviously if things tend to get complicated or "unfunny" i can always remove
the HR..

[Gnorman]

Easier fix: A wizard invents a printing press. Paper money for all!

[Bakeru]

1) Different weights...
want to tell me that a 1by1by1" of copper weights the same as a gold cube
of the same volume?
the different weights are to force players make their change into more valuable
objects and not hoarding piles of coins.. Who says all coins need to be the same size? It's perfectly reasonable for gold coins to be smaller than copper coins. The coins were simply sized so each kind of coin had the same weight. Makes for a lot easier bookkeeping.

2) Heavy(ier) coins...
it is just a problem introduced, so players find a way to bypass it..
when they get a HHHsack the HR is negated so no prob...Even easier to bypass. The... DMG? PHB? mentions that gems and jewellery are sold and bought at the same price to adventurers. And their value isn't defined by their size, but their quality, which is independent of weight. So, whenever they're in town, they should exchange coins into gems and back depending on demand.

3) The very reason the weight is tracked is because they CHOOSE and DEMANDED
to play a kinda hardcore campaign "by the rules".. so they cant travel on a
horse while they & their gear weight more than a house! The coins was the
"harmless" thing i could think to be a bit more realistic but there is also the
"exit window" of a HHHsack or boh to get rid of it at any time...If they want to be realistic: I'm not sure how common it is, but our group handwaves the need to keep track of non-magical projectiles. Your chars might have to keep track of how many arrows they fired, and how much food they still have.
Also: Any rule is fine as long as the players enjoy it. If they're having fun, go ahead, just keep in mind that -
anyways this rule isn't yet tested... in a few days we ll have the 1st session
using this rule and i ll keep it for a few session to see what they think..
obviously if things tend to get complicated or "unfunny" i can always remove
the HR..Ah, yes, keep this in mind.

4) & at any way after they buy their 1st boh or whatever they keep the +10%
on their capacityI doubt it would even be an issue without the +10 percent. As has been mentioned, D&D already has a listed weight for coins, it just assumes they get exchanged for gems as soon as possible.

[Ravens_cry]

Easier fix: A wizard invents a printing press. Paper money for all!

Why would a wizard invent a printing press? There is a spell to copy non-magical writing.

[Gnorman]

Why would a wizard invent a printing press? There is a spell to copy non-magical writing.

Because the answer to "Who did it?" is always "A wizard."

[Ashtagon]

ok.. let me reply and tell you my reasons (which by all means may be wrong)..

1) Different weights...
want to tell me that a 1by1by1" of copper weights the same as a gold cube
of the same volume?


I have no doubt that different metals have different densities. Gold is very approximately twice the density of silver, for example. And different coins don't need to be the same physical size either.



the different weights are to force players make their change into more valuable objects and not hoarding piles of coins..


What really matters from a money-grubbing PC's point of view is value per unit of weight carried. Players with any sense will have been converting their excess coinage into more portable forms (gems, jewellery, magic items) long ago. You're creating a gate that players with any sense will have found a work-around for long ago. All you're doing with the variable coin weights is making maths a bit more complex for no real gain.



2) Heavy(ier) coins...
it is just a problem introduced, so players find a way to bypass it..
when they get a HHHsack the HR is negated so no prob...


Even before they get magic items to carry the heavier coins, they'll have been converting it to more portable forms.



3) The very reason the weight is tracked is because they CHOOSE and DEMANDED to play a kinda hardcore campaign "by the rules".. so they cant travel on a horse while they & their gear weight more than a house! The coins was the "harmless" thing i could think to be a bit more realistic but there is also the "exit window" of a HHHsack or boh to get rid of it at any time...


I'm actually cool with tracking encumbrance, as long as it doesn't turn into a game of Dungeons & Spreadsheets.



4) & at any way after they buy their 1st boh or whatever they keep the +10% on their capacity


That +10% on carrying capacity is kind of odd, and results in weird fractions. But I can't see any real issues beyond a small extra layer of maths at the table.



anyways this rule isn't yet tested... in a few days we ll have the 1st session
using this rule and I'll keep it for a few session to see what they think.. obviously if things tend to get complicated or "unfunny" I can always remove the HR..

I already suggested 100 coins to the pound earlier.

The variable densities can be accounted for by noting that the precious metal content has been cut with varying amounts of base metal. A pure gold coin would actually be a very odd thing; gold is soft, and any such coin in regular use would rapidly see its embossed faces rubbed away through regular usage.

fwiw, US minted gold coins were typically around 90% gold (http://www.usacoinbook.com/coin-melt-values/gold/).

The 1489 pound coin was 95% gold, or 23 carat (http://www.taxfreegold.co.uk/goldcoinsbriefhistory.html). By the 16th century, they were changed to 22 carat. Information is somewhat patchy of purity of ancient and medieval coins, but it is quite likely that many currencies had debased coinage due to purity issues which were not always publicised by the issuing nation or bank.

[Telonius]

Aha! The fix for spellcasting that everyone's always looking for!

Player: I cast Time Stop.
DM: Nope, you have to take a dump too badly to do that.

"And that's when we learned why wizards are always depicted as wearing flowing robes."

[Menzath]

okay so Realism about weights that people can carry,
IN A game with dragons, verifiable gods, others planes of existence that you can actually visit, oh and MAGIC.

I could understand this in an e6/non-heroic/non-magic setting which may very well add a little more depth to those settings. But otherwise it is just fluff that no one would care about past level 5 thanks to Hewards haversacks and bags of holding.
Overall. No opinion.

[Renen]

Trust me, your players WILL NOT like this.
If you are making a RAW heavy campaign, expect players to break it so hard by using RAW...

In other news... If a lvl 5 wizard decides not to buy anything at the beginning, he will most likely not be able to move as the coins would weight him down too much. Just food for thought there...
Its fine tracking weight of actual items, like the ropes, but not coins.

[nedz]

Easier fix: A wizard invents a printing press. Paper money for all!

Amanuensis [SpC] = break WBL with an orison.

We always track weight carried: it doesn't take too much effort. We don't bother with the weight of cash though: it's assumed that most of it will be in gems etc.

It is relevant occasionally and gives another occasional role to the BSF, who is short of roles within the party, when they encounter something heavy then need to shift.