Another excellent post Kenneth!

This brings up a question that I have been tossing around trying to sort out.
Has anyone come up with a system in which a guilds 'merchandise' is a relevant
part of the game?

I like the rules in the TotHW for the varsk guilds of Rovninodensk, and am
wondering if anyone has made rules for other goods? How much does a load of
grain cost? How about timber? Quarried stone? Leather goods? etc.etc. etc.

In a RL campaign, the players can obviously handle this aspect through role
playing, but what about all the NPC guilders? What about for PBeM?

If a guilder gets GBs from sales (as the varsk guild does), then should the
seasonal GB income be reduced? Trashed altogether? This would cause the guild
regent to become more concerned with selling his wares, and finding new victi
... I mean customers, and a little less time trying to oust the Regent and score
some lands for himself.

Any ideas out there?

Keith

Kenneth Gauck wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ben
> Date: Tuesday, February 23, 1999 7:16 PM
> >
> > So, If I may ask, do we mean "lawful and unlawful", "collective and
> >individual", or "predictable and random"?
> >
>
> If we look at some key sentances in the PHB we find (p.46), "Characters who
> believe in law maintain that order, organization, and society are important,
> indeed vital, forces of the universe." All the elements are there together.
> Collective refers to sociey, and predictability is a consequence of
> orderliness.
>
> The section on believers in Chaos, organizes the same three elements
> together, asserting that they are not important.
>
> When we look at a Chaotic character like Orthien Tane is no doubt engaged in
> illegal activities. No doubt he employs a policy of "buyer beware" and
> regards concepts like "a just price" to be absurd. Would Tane sell grain he
> knew to be moldy? Sure, why not? Worst case scenario, deny you were aware
> of the problem. He probably breaks contracts he no longer wants to fulfil.
>
> His weaknesses? His customers have been burned by him both in the terms of
> sale and the quality of merchandise. On the other hand business partners
> soon come to know they need to be on their gaurd, and understand that Tane
> thinks if you get fooled its your own fault.
>
> So why doesn't business go to someone like Siele Ghoried (LG) and the Spider
> River Traders? Because Ghoried follows the law, he can't get the same
> products at the same prices. When someone like Ghoried finds that his grain
> went moldy on him, he takes the loss (moldy grain can be poisonous). That
> is an opportunity for Tane to grab another customer. Ghoried consults his
> friends and attempts to avoid violating agreements, and considers contracts
> to be the whole basis of regular trade. Ghoried probably considers being a
> guilder a public trust, no less than a regent does. He looks to his
> customers and prides himself on their loyalty to him.
>
> People might prefer to trade with Ghoried, his quality is high and his
> approach in business of fair-minded. But, he doesn't deal in certain
> products, and his prices, while never gouging, are often higher than Tane's.
> In the end they are just as successful as businessmen, but their style is
> quite different.
>
> Kenneth Gauck
> c558382@earthlink.net
>
> ************************************************** *************************
> > - --
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