King's Gate - Economy



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	Economy

	With its disparate resources and crafts, the world of King's Gate is rich with potentials for trade and commerce. This fact is readily apparent in the numerous and often powerful guilds that moderate most aspects of organized mercantilism. Economics vary depending on the complexity and scale of the exchanges as well as the means and needs of the parties involved. In a small village or rustic setting, barter is the most prevalent form of exchange with coin being used only infrequently among land bound peasants. Indeed, many a noble's taxes and tithes take the form of a share of the harvest or livestock. Journeymen, yeomen, soldiers and the like supplement their trade with coinage but still honor barter widely in their association with those both above and below their station. This burgeoning middle class forms a growing trade in personal niceties and luxuries previously restricted to nobles. Among well to do merchants, guilds and larger institutions notes of trade and "script" are often employed along with coinage. While this representative currency is viewed with suspicion by some outsiders its advantages in terms of security and transportability appeal to this class. Among nobles, coinage is by far the most common form of exchange for normal economics, though lands, grants, titles and other graces are often unofficially bartered. Recently, amongst currency disputes and shortages, the guilds have managed to get paper script embraced in a number of areas, including King's Gate. Difficulties and suspicions surround this novel solution and its future is uncertain. Coinage The standardized coins of the realm include: The Penny (plural: Pence), a common copper coin that forms the backbone of the day to day world. The Mark, a well-circulated silver coin seen in larger transactions. The Crown, a coveted gold coin usually only circulated in the most affluent exchanges. In the rare places where they are prevalent, raw ores and gems are occasionally exchanged. These boom towns often suffer from wildly fluctuating prices though and such practices can be tricky. Travelers and merchants often attempt to take advantages of shortages and windfalls from location to location but the complex ebb and flow of supply and demand are still somewhat esoteric in an economy dominated by regulatory guilds and charters. Without a keen understanding of these variables a fellow can quite literally lose his shirt. Last Modified 10/19/07 11:20.

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