The Outer Presence is a rules-lite cosmic horror investigation game system written by Venger As’Nas Satanis. It’s extremely spare mechanics have an emphasis on character interaction and pick-up-and-play ease of use.
The RPG rules are written explicitly as part of the Old School Revival (OSR) these rules minimize character creation and complex dice rolls. There is also some admirable use of dice to model task difficulty, familiar to anyone who has read D&D 5e rules, but definitely simpler and more widely applied. As well as a total removal of skills, weapon stats, and even ability scores. Although for my money I might argue it isn't OSR at all, but really an ultra-modern conceptual critique of old-school games masquerading as a retro-clone.
However, for my purposes it's too unforgiving. I have heavily modified the system, preserving the core mechanics, but reintroducing some of these classical elements, as well as some devices to promote party interaction. My goals are two-fold, 1) to introduce classic RPG elements to a players with varying levels of game expereience, and 2) to create a more survivable character for campaign play through.
First, I am going to restore ability scores (using Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Willpower, Charisma, and Appearance), but limit the range to Low, Medium, and High. I also won't be using dice, but instead having the Professions (character classes) determine the primary attributes and let the players choose the rest.
Second, I'm going to codify the Health and Sanity mechanics to clearly gauge the characters condition. Both will also work on a three state range. Health using, "Healthy," "Injured," "Wounded," and "Dead" for the final (or not so final) stage. While Sanity uses, "Sane," "Neurotic," "Disturbed," and "Insane" for the last stage. Each step after the first will have some effect or limitation on the character.
Finally, I'm going to expand on the Bonus Dice used in the game which players can spend to improve the chances on a roll. I'll increase the number they receive for effective role-play, and introduce Award Dice that players can give each other. To improve character survival I'll also allow the use of Bonus Dice to "buy down" negative Health and Sanity effects. Perhaps even use a rudimentary "level up" process to increase stats, etc.
I'm also working on the adventures. Imagine the setting as a Lovecraftian pastiche of an alternate 1971. One where history combines the familiar with tropes from Pynchon’s Inherent Vice and The Crying of Lot 49, the Principia Discordia and Shea & Wilson’s Illuminatus trilogy, as well as Charles Stross’ A Colder War and "Laundry" series, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comics, and the seminal 70's TV show Project U.F.O., of course, prefiguring The X Files.
In the next post I'll present the narrative introduction to the campaign world.
2016-02-01
Review of "The Outer Presence"
A few months back the Escapist Magazine website had a short blurb on a new, rules-lite, Lovecraftian horror table-top RPG. It peaked my interest, I had been asked to run a new game, and I was looking for something besides Labyrinth Lord. I liked a lot about LL, and it has a ton of room for atmosphere, but the weakness of low level characters makes it a slog.
I bought a printed version of The Outer Presence (it comes with a PDF as well) which contains a rules system and scenario by Venger As'Nas Satanis. The book is nicely produced and has some very appropriate art. I am quite happy with the purchase. So when I say it's relatively short, I'm not complaining. The minimal approach to game mechanics is almost brutal. There are no weapon stats, no skills, no ability scores even. I salute the bravery to eliminate the core features of almost all other RPGs.
There are "professions" that act as character classes, and several tables of emotional and social traits to flesh out the character. Particularly psychological flaws which play an important part in the game. There are also rules for combat and of course insanity, which is central to cosmic horror. However they are so simple all roles are performed with a dice pool, which grows or shrinks based on difficulty. I especially like the odds used, because of the dice pool doesn't punish the player. There is always a 50% - 87% chance to succeed on any task that can be accomplished. Most other Old School Revival games take the "probably can't" approach to player chances. That's not hard core, it's boring.
The scenario is also interesting, a suitably globe spanning adventure set in the 1970s. I think that's an especially good milieu since it makes use of a very recognizable world, but removes many of the technological conveniences (like mobile phones, and internet research). This preserves an isolation that is realistic to the setting.
There are some rather "adult" situations described, but if the game were revised it would be perfect for a younger audience. I can easily see using a campfire tale, or Scooby Doo story line to good effect since the rules are so simple. It does make me think that Lovecraftian pastiche games could easily use a diceless system like Erick Wujcik's Amber (based on the Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber), or Lords of Gossamer and Shadow by Jason Durall.
In general, I like the approach and will definitely make use of the book as well as looking at Kort'thalis Publishing's other RPG, Crimson Dragon Slayer. I think that a heavily house-ruled version of The Outer Presence will be a good fit. Probably re-introducing some of the elements that have been left out to give a more classic feel without losing the minimalist element and focus on character psychology and interaction.
There are "professions" that act as character classes, and several tables of emotional and social traits to flesh out the character. Particularly psychological flaws which play an important part in the game. There are also rules for combat and of course insanity, which is central to cosmic horror. However they are so simple all roles are performed with a dice pool, which grows or shrinks based on difficulty. I especially like the odds used, because of the dice pool doesn't punish the player. There is always a 50% - 87% chance to succeed on any task that can be accomplished. Most other Old School Revival games take the "probably can't" approach to player chances. That's not hard core, it's boring.
The scenario is also interesting, a suitably globe spanning adventure set in the 1970s. I think that's an especially good milieu since it makes use of a very recognizable world, but removes many of the technological conveniences (like mobile phones, and internet research). This preserves an isolation that is realistic to the setting.
There are some rather "adult" situations described, but if the game were revised it would be perfect for a younger audience. I can easily see using a campfire tale, or Scooby Doo story line to good effect since the rules are so simple. It does make me think that Lovecraftian pastiche games could easily use a diceless system like Erick Wujcik's Amber (based on the Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber), or Lords of Gossamer and Shadow by Jason Durall.
In general, I like the approach and will definitely make use of the book as well as looking at Kort'thalis Publishing's other RPG, Crimson Dragon Slayer. I think that a heavily house-ruled version of The Outer Presence will be a good fit. Probably re-introducing some of the elements that have been left out to give a more classic feel without losing the minimalist element and focus on character psychology and interaction.
2012-09-21
Back to the Blog
Ho there traveller. It's a bit musty in here, but I've opened the doors again and tidy-ed up a bit. A new look, and a new phase for 7 Geases. I've made a new banner as well, this one's kind of a joke on my friend SBG's long standing complaints about my rampantly sexist web art. Well, here's some practical armor for the ladies, with a side of beefcake.
It's been a busy season, but I did run my Labyrinth Lord game. On the whole it was semi-successful!
It's hard to get 4-5 adults in the same room for several hours even once or twice a month. So I count myself lucky that we actually got 4 sessions into the game. However, I think if my campaign had really wow'd 'em it would have gone longer.
Sure, I've forgotten a lot about DMing, and that slows down the game. Also, playing computer RPGs doesn't equate with paper 'n pencil, so some of my assumptions about how familiar the players were, turned out to be wrong. And, I failed to take into account changing tastes in play style. I think mainly the pacing was off, and the atmosphere was a little weak.
I'm going to spend the next few posts discussing what went wrong, and even a bit about what went right. Then I'll talk about what I'd like to run next, if only I get the chance. Stay tuned for more.
It's been a busy season, but I did run my Labyrinth Lord game. On the whole it was semi-successful!
It's hard to get 4-5 adults in the same room for several hours even once or twice a month. So I count myself lucky that we actually got 4 sessions into the game. However, I think if my campaign had really wow'd 'em it would have gone longer.
Sure, I've forgotten a lot about DMing, and that slows down the game. Also, playing computer RPGs doesn't equate with paper 'n pencil, so some of my assumptions about how familiar the players were, turned out to be wrong. And, I failed to take into account changing tastes in play style. I think mainly the pacing was off, and the atmosphere was a little weak.
I'm going to spend the next few posts discussing what went wrong, and even a bit about what went right. Then I'll talk about what I'd like to run next, if only I get the chance. Stay tuned for more.
2012-01-22
Vanilla Classes and Sub-Classes in Labyrinth Lord
As I mentioned before I started planing for a Swords and Wizardry campaign and am in the process of shifting everything over to Labyrinth Lord. I had come up with a lot of good ideas for house rules that have no place in the better defined world of LL. However, I'm still going to add a few touches, especially to the character classes.
I've long felt the vanilla character classes don't receive the respect they ought and are overshadowed by the more imaginative sub-classes. I'm going to spice things up a bit by making a minor addition to each class and put some restrictions on the popular and over powered sub-classes. Actual house rules will be written on another page of the blog, but here is the general outline...
Cleric
Gains the skill Oratory which can be use in any neutral setting where the Cleric can address a large audience. The effects can vary, but all face these restrictions. The audience must be able to hear the Cleric and not become distracted during the oration. Also they must be willing to listen to the Cleric so NPCs of diametrically opposed alignment are not affected. This skill has no effect on other player characters.
Sermonize: Player dissuades audience from following a course of action.
Preach: Player can advise the audience or encourage them to adopt a new idea.
Harangue: Player whips some audience members into a fighting rage.
Fighter
Has Defensive Fighting which represents the martial skills of the trained warrior. The Parry option is very badly written and has no effect for most players since it relies upon the Strength bonus for effect (I'm going to make it have a value of at least 1 regardless for all classes). When not attacking in a round the Fighter gains a -1 bonus to AC which stacks with the STR bonus expressed as a negative number. A Zone-of-Control exists around the Fighter which enemies may not pass; 5' radius with a normal weapon or 10' radius with a polearm or oversized weapon. A Ripost attack may be made at -2 against one attacking enemy for each normal attack the Fighter gets each round.
Magic-User
Generally has great power later in the game, but needs help early on so they will receive an item. An Apprentice Wand is given to the Magic-User which contains one 1st level spell from their spell book or Magic Missile. The wand has a maximum of 1d4+2 charges and may be recharged the normal way, by casting the spell into it. When recharging roll 1d20 and on a fumble the maximum number of charges is reduced by 1.
Thief
May use Combat Stealth to get behind an enemy. A player may opt to use the skill instead of attacking he/she may move around an opponent who is engaged in melee with another character. It does not result in a Backstab, but in a rear attack which is against the raw AC (no Dexterity or shield bonus).
Sub-Classes
As a whole they do not have individual restrictions, but as a group they have role play requirements in the form of Story Obsessions. Every so often the player will encounter a mundane situation that has special relevance to their sub-class. A special herb may exist in this region, or a desecrated shrine might need to be restored, or maybe a rare book is seen on a shelf. Whatever the specifics the player must succeed in gaining the item or finishing the activity. If they do not accomplish this in one week they will act as a character 1 level below their current experience until they do so.
I've long felt the vanilla character classes don't receive the respect they ought and are overshadowed by the more imaginative sub-classes. I'm going to spice things up a bit by making a minor addition to each class and put some restrictions on the popular and over powered sub-classes. Actual house rules will be written on another page of the blog, but here is the general outline...
Cleric
Gains the skill Oratory which can be use in any neutral setting where the Cleric can address a large audience. The effects can vary, but all face these restrictions. The audience must be able to hear the Cleric and not become distracted during the oration. Also they must be willing to listen to the Cleric so NPCs of diametrically opposed alignment are not affected. This skill has no effect on other player characters.
Sermonize: Player dissuades audience from following a course of action.
Preach: Player can advise the audience or encourage them to adopt a new idea.
Harangue: Player whips some audience members into a fighting rage.
Fighter
Has Defensive Fighting which represents the martial skills of the trained warrior. The Parry option is very badly written and has no effect for most players since it relies upon the Strength bonus for effect (I'm going to make it have a value of at least 1 regardless for all classes). When not attacking in a round the Fighter gains a -1 bonus to AC which stacks with the STR bonus expressed as a negative number. A Zone-of-Control exists around the Fighter which enemies may not pass; 5' radius with a normal weapon or 10' radius with a polearm or oversized weapon. A Ripost attack may be made at -2 against one attacking enemy for each normal attack the Fighter gets each round.
Magic-User
Generally has great power later in the game, but needs help early on so they will receive an item. An Apprentice Wand is given to the Magic-User which contains one 1st level spell from their spell book or Magic Missile. The wand has a maximum of 1d4+2 charges and may be recharged the normal way, by casting the spell into it. When recharging roll 1d20 and on a fumble the maximum number of charges is reduced by 1.
Thief
May use Combat Stealth to get behind an enemy. A player may opt to use the skill instead of attacking he/she may move around an opponent who is engaged in melee with another character. It does not result in a Backstab, but in a rear attack which is against the raw AC (no Dexterity or shield bonus).
Sub-Classes
As a whole they do not have individual restrictions, but as a group they have role play requirements in the form of Story Obsessions. Every so often the player will encounter a mundane situation that has special relevance to their sub-class. A special herb may exist in this region, or a desecrated shrine might need to be restored, or maybe a rare book is seen on a shelf. Whatever the specifics the player must succeed in gaining the item or finishing the activity. If they do not accomplish this in one week they will act as a character 1 level below their current experience until they do so.
2012-01-16
Censorship and Sensibility, With a Side of Realism
Hi ho, I'm back from my big trip and thought I'd make a few quick comments on what's been going on in gaming news since I've been away.
We've seen big brouhaha around 5e and also around censorship as well. I feel like my previous post about sexism was quite prescient coming as it did before Stuart's piece in his blog Strange Magic about how graphic fantasy art should be and why. There are many questions to be answered when making a piece of art for an RPG. What's appealing? What's practical? What's realistic? What's appropriate for the audience? And when the item is question is for a commercial product there are also questions of propriety and age considerations.
In his post to Mythmere's Blog, Matt talks about the 2 depictions of a statue in the Black Monastery module from Frog God Games. The S&W version appears in it's original depiction of the member in question, while the Pathfinder version has a censorship block over it. Reasons for the change have to do with publishing restrictions for the two games and of course the "right" answer isn't so simple as either "Save the children," or "Free to be you and me."
When my friend SBG asked me to change the banner art for this blog (see last post) I didn't feel it was censorship at all. It was a reasonable request and it was the result of my audience changing. From a personal space for myself alone to a conduit where I share information and opinion this blog was transformed and the indulgent (and blatantly unrealistic and perhaps somewhat offensive) art was not acceptable.
I'd like to argue against setting standards by specious appeals to realism. Yes, the chain mail bikini is ridiculous as armor, it's only possible explanation is for sex apeal. However, historic barbarians probably did wear fur loincloths, and the Spartans certainly did excercise in the nude. Was Franzetta necessarily that far off? As for practical, well, even in a fantasy setting it requires a monumental suspension of disbelief to consider trudging for miles through underground caves in full plate mail. Imagine spleunking in a spacesuit and you'll see how absurd that would be.
In games we want a model, not the real thing itself. At Hack & Slash there is a good post on the evils of realism and while it might go a bit overboard it is a point well taken. In fantasy RPGs we differentiate between damage for daggers and swords, often by making 1d4 and 1d8 rolls respectively. Is this realism, or merely flavor? We could say all weapons do the same damage, or we could make all kinds of rules for weight, penetration, damage versus various sized targets, etc. Who's to say which is most realistic? While many seem to think more rules equals more accurate representation, I think it's only multiplying a missinterpretation.
We can segue neatly into the new 5e contraversy on the lines of rule bloat and loss of fun to minutea overload. Personally, I'm unlikely to move to the new version. Now, I have not played paper 'n pencil games with 3e and 4e rules, but I have played many computer games based on them. My main complaint isn't the complexity but the ease of failure when leveling. These games require hours of number crunching to get a good character build. I've probably spent longer researching perks and bonuses than I have playing. It's not that the later versions of popular fantasy RPGs are too hard, it's that they are too easy to mess up. If 5e can address this and make character development more organic rather than mostly a series of deadends I for one will be very interested.
We've seen big brouhaha around 5e and also around censorship as well. I feel like my previous post about sexism was quite prescient coming as it did before Stuart's piece in his blog Strange Magic about how graphic fantasy art should be and why. There are many questions to be answered when making a piece of art for an RPG. What's appealing? What's practical? What's realistic? What's appropriate for the audience? And when the item is question is for a commercial product there are also questions of propriety and age considerations.
In his post to Mythmere's Blog, Matt talks about the 2 depictions of a statue in the Black Monastery module from Frog God Games. The S&W version appears in it's original depiction of the member in question, while the Pathfinder version has a censorship block over it. Reasons for the change have to do with publishing restrictions for the two games and of course the "right" answer isn't so simple as either "Save the children," or "Free to be you and me."
When my friend SBG asked me to change the banner art for this blog (see last post) I didn't feel it was censorship at all. It was a reasonable request and it was the result of my audience changing. From a personal space for myself alone to a conduit where I share information and opinion this blog was transformed and the indulgent (and blatantly unrealistic and perhaps somewhat offensive) art was not acceptable.
I'd like to argue against setting standards by specious appeals to realism. Yes, the chain mail bikini is ridiculous as armor, it's only possible explanation is for sex apeal. However, historic barbarians probably did wear fur loincloths, and the Spartans certainly did excercise in the nude. Was Franzetta necessarily that far off? As for practical, well, even in a fantasy setting it requires a monumental suspension of disbelief to consider trudging for miles through underground caves in full plate mail. Imagine spleunking in a spacesuit and you'll see how absurd that would be.
In games we want a model, not the real thing itself. At Hack & Slash there is a good post on the evils of realism and while it might go a bit overboard it is a point well taken. In fantasy RPGs we differentiate between damage for daggers and swords, often by making 1d4 and 1d8 rolls respectively. Is this realism, or merely flavor? We could say all weapons do the same damage, or we could make all kinds of rules for weight, penetration, damage versus various sized targets, etc. Who's to say which is most realistic? While many seem to think more rules equals more accurate representation, I think it's only multiplying a missinterpretation.
We can segue neatly into the new 5e contraversy on the lines of rule bloat and loss of fun to minutea overload. Personally, I'm unlikely to move to the new version. Now, I have not played paper 'n pencil games with 3e and 4e rules, but I have played many computer games based on them. My main complaint isn't the complexity but the ease of failure when leveling. These games require hours of number crunching to get a good character build. I've probably spent longer researching perks and bonuses than I have playing. It's not that the later versions of popular fantasy RPGs are too hard, it's that they are too easy to mess up. If 5e can address this and make character development more organic rather than mostly a series of deadends I for one will be very interested.
2011-12-22
Labyrinth Lord, Sexism, and Atribute Rolls
Well, the people have spoken! It looks like I may get to run a campaign this spring. And the people want Labyrnth Lord. I should have guesed, S&W is a DM's playground with house rules galore and near infinite space for rule by fiat. It isn't really all that reassuring for players, after all they are always at the mercy of the DM, even the bossy ones. Stuck in someone else's dream, they can't be blamed for fighting for all the control they can.
"I attack the monster."
"No, your sword is stuck in the scabbard."
...
"I cross the street"
"No, your shoelaces are tied together."
...
"I drink some water."
"No, your canteen is a mimic! Bwahahahahaha!"
So, Labyrinth Lord it is! Fewer house rules and more atribute bonuses. Which brings up another issue. You may have noticed a change in my art. My friend SBG who is putting together the player group from her friends told me I had embarrasingly bad taste in banner art. Indeed, I had a buxom blond female warrior bedecked in a very impractical and not very restrictive chain mail bikini. I said, "Oh OK I'll change it." So I used a brunette warmaiden in a much more effective plate mail bikini with fire effects. She said, "Look dude, you forgot her armor, and since half your visitors are me, do something about it." Instead of being a jerk I made a picture of a fully clothed man and woman adventuring duo.
Which brings up the issue of sexism and gaming. There is plenty of conscious sexism like my afore mentioned art choices which turn off perfectly geeky and intelligent young women from the gaming scene to which they would otherwise be quite well suited. But there is also unconscious sexism and a very deep level of bias in RPGs which are largely made by men. In the Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion which I'll be running there are gender restrictions for racial atributes. Specificaly female Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, and Half-Elves have lower maximum Strength than their male counterparts. Interestingly, this is not so for Humans and Half-Orcs.
Now you may sound perfectly reasonable when you argue that women have less upperbody strength and this is a reasonable restriction since female weight lifters do not match males. Perfectly reasonable, but for the purposes of the game perfectly sexist as well. It has been shown in military testing that women have better reflexes than men and make good pilots. Famously in Heinlein's Starship Troopers, all the space pilots are women and the mobile infintranty are men. What if I made a rule that the racial maximum for male dexterity was one less than women? Maybe I will and see what hapens... I'll probably get a lot of arguments. Of course in the Human race the maximum male Wisdom score is a lot more than one below women.
"I attack the monster."
"No, your sword is stuck in the scabbard."
...
"I cross the street"
"No, your shoelaces are tied together."
...
"I drink some water."
"No, your canteen is a mimic! Bwahahahahaha!"
So, Labyrinth Lord it is! Fewer house rules and more atribute bonuses. Which brings up another issue. You may have noticed a change in my art. My friend SBG who is putting together the player group from her friends told me I had embarrasingly bad taste in banner art. Indeed, I had a buxom blond female warrior bedecked in a very impractical and not very restrictive chain mail bikini. I said, "Oh OK I'll change it." So I used a brunette warmaiden in a much more effective plate mail bikini with fire effects. She said, "Look dude, you forgot her armor, and since half your visitors are me, do something about it." Instead of being a jerk I made a picture of a fully clothed man and woman adventuring duo.
Which brings up the issue of sexism and gaming. There is plenty of conscious sexism like my afore mentioned art choices which turn off perfectly geeky and intelligent young women from the gaming scene to which they would otherwise be quite well suited. But there is also unconscious sexism and a very deep level of bias in RPGs which are largely made by men. In the Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion which I'll be running there are gender restrictions for racial atributes. Specificaly female Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, and Half-Elves have lower maximum Strength than their male counterparts. Interestingly, this is not so for Humans and Half-Orcs.
Now you may sound perfectly reasonable when you argue that women have less upperbody strength and this is a reasonable restriction since female weight lifters do not match males. Perfectly reasonable, but for the purposes of the game perfectly sexist as well. It has been shown in military testing that women have better reflexes than men and make good pilots. Famously in Heinlein's Starship Troopers, all the space pilots are women and the mobile infintranty are men. What if I made a rule that the racial maximum for male dexterity was one less than women? Maybe I will and see what hapens... I'll probably get a lot of arguments. Of course in the Human race the maximum male Wisdom score is a lot more than one below women.
2011-12-18
How Heavy Is Your Gold Piece?
I have seen a number of articles on the weight of coins in the standard D&D fantasy setting. In general the "10 coins to a pound" standard does seem to me rather weird. I've seen articles defending it for aesthetic and practical reasons. Either they should be BIG coins to let you know this is FANTASY. Or people will say a 45gr coin (about 9 US quarters) is perfectly reasonable. An interesting article in Footprints #1, the magazine from Drangonsfoot.org, even covers size and density. Although Mike S. shows that many changes had occured in the system.
The one thing no one seems to mention is convenience. No DM wants to make odd calculations on the spur of the moment to figure out "how much does it weigh". Really the question for the player is how much can I stuff into my pack and it turns out that 1,000 gp will be hard to move, put 100 lbs (or 45 kg) of dense metal in your pack and it will probably break. It would explain why there is so much treasure sitting around. No one can carry out all that loot, so it's pretty well stationary without a full excavation.
Even weirder is the value ratio: 10 silver pieces is no where near the value of 1 gold piece of the same weight. Currently gold is worth about 50x more than silver by weight. As has been pointed out in many places the whole structure of equipment cost is out of whack. In the S&W rule book Plate Armor costs 100gp, so that's 10 lbs of gold or $250,000 in current US money. People can argue about scarcity, craftsmanship or gold rush pricing, and MAYBE make me believe that, but it makes a 2gp Dagger worth $3000 so that's a stretch.
So I do like easy calculations and maybe a bit of realism even. No one ever minted a 45gr coin for regular use and most gold coins were relatively small. But who feels like multiplying in base 8? I'll present my house rules for coinage in my new campaign...
House Rule
Real gold coins are extremely expensive items that no one is likely to see in daily interaction. Gold is also hugely more valuable than silver, so a 10/1 ratio is impossible for coins of the same weight. At curent cost is about 50/1 ratio. Actual gold coins in the classical and pre-classical age were small, about 4 grams.
In my game basic coins are Brass or Bronze, for durability. The Bronze piece or simply a "Bronze" is 1/10 lb. (~45 grams) as is the Silver piece. A standard Gold piece is an alloy (actually electrum, 50% gold & 50% silver) weighs 1/50 lb. (~10 grams, or 50 to the lb.). A pure gold coin called a "King's piece" is minted at 1/10 lb and is worth 10 standard gold pieces, this system was initiated by the Empire of old and was initially called an Emperor.
For simplicity: 100 Bronze = 10 Silver = 1 Gold
For completeness: 1,000 bp (0.1 lb ea.) = 100 sp (0.1 lb ea.) = 10 gp (0.02 lb ea.) = 1 Kp (0.1 lb ea.)
Here are some comparisons:
Cent - 2.5 grams
Nickel - 5 grams
Dime - 2.27 grams
Quarter - 5.67 grams
Half Dollar - 11.34 grams
Dollar (SBA) - 8.1 grams
1 oz = 30gr
1 lb = 450gr
Initial gold for the new player is limited, (1d6)x10 gp seems a bit harsh but they really need to go on an adventure to get some money.
The one thing no one seems to mention is convenience. No DM wants to make odd calculations on the spur of the moment to figure out "how much does it weigh". Really the question for the player is how much can I stuff into my pack and it turns out that 1,000 gp will be hard to move, put 100 lbs (or 45 kg) of dense metal in your pack and it will probably break. It would explain why there is so much treasure sitting around. No one can carry out all that loot, so it's pretty well stationary without a full excavation.
Even weirder is the value ratio: 10 silver pieces is no where near the value of 1 gold piece of the same weight. Currently gold is worth about 50x more than silver by weight. As has been pointed out in many places the whole structure of equipment cost is out of whack. In the S&W rule book Plate Armor costs 100gp, so that's 10 lbs of gold or $250,000 in current US money. People can argue about scarcity, craftsmanship or gold rush pricing, and MAYBE make me believe that, but it makes a 2gp Dagger worth $3000 so that's a stretch.
So I do like easy calculations and maybe a bit of realism even. No one ever minted a 45gr coin for regular use and most gold coins were relatively small. But who feels like multiplying in base 8? I'll present my house rules for coinage in my new campaign...
House Rule
Real gold coins are extremely expensive items that no one is likely to see in daily interaction. Gold is also hugely more valuable than silver, so a 10/1 ratio is impossible for coins of the same weight. At curent cost is about 50/1 ratio. Actual gold coins in the classical and pre-classical age were small, about 4 grams.
In my game basic coins are Brass or Bronze, for durability. The Bronze piece or simply a "Bronze" is 1/10 lb. (~45 grams) as is the Silver piece. A standard Gold piece is an alloy (actually electrum, 50% gold & 50% silver) weighs 1/50 lb. (~10 grams, or 50 to the lb.). A pure gold coin called a "King's piece" is minted at 1/10 lb and is worth 10 standard gold pieces, this system was initiated by the Empire of old and was initially called an Emperor.
For simplicity: 100 Bronze = 10 Silver = 1 Gold
For completeness: 1,000 bp (0.1 lb ea.) = 100 sp (0.1 lb ea.) = 10 gp (0.02 lb ea.) = 1 Kp (0.1 lb ea.)
Here are some comparisons:
Cent - 2.5 grams
Nickel - 5 grams
Dime - 2.27 grams
Quarter - 5.67 grams
Half Dollar - 11.34 grams
Dollar (SBA) - 8.1 grams
1 oz = 30gr
1 lb = 450gr
Initial gold for the new player is limited, (1d6)x10 gp seems a bit harsh but they really need to go on an adventure to get some money.
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