Apocalypse|State - Economy

Currency in The City consists of Pounds, Shillings and Pence.
While all of the macrocorps, several banks, some local governments and a few churches produce their own scrip, all are denominated in the same manner and are generally given equal value, as money circulates around The City at a fairly rapid rate.

The City economy.
Yeah, the toffs and the middle class, they're alright, jack. They can get credit. Us lot? The drudges, the mudlarks, the flowghosts, ordinary people trying to just live? We get almightily screwed. We can't get no fucking credit. It's all barter with us. Wanna loaf of bread to feed your family for a bit? Gimme a week's worth of processed nebelweed. Can't get it? Well, don't fucking eat then! See what I care.

While the macrocorps exist in their cocoons, safe from the deprivation of the street and spending their credit to buy the shiney toys they just can't live without, on the streets, there is no credit. Just the cold hard reality of barter.

In A|State, the economy is delineated into bands of scarcity. Goods or services are either very common, common, rare, very rare or scarce and then individually priced. This fits in with a system based purely on a cash economy. For barter, less so. Rather, I'd like to use the relative scarcity's as a system of barter and a cash economy.

Very Common: Sideband TV service for a year,  eating out at a shitty roadside vendor, nebelweed for a day, a months rent in a shithole.

Common: Additional factual TV channel for a month, gas for the home for a month, sustenance level food for a family of 4 for a month, edge, scrape, or escape for a day, medical treatment at the local quack, a months rent in a higher class shithole.

Uncommon: Telephone service for a month, electricity for the home for a month, 1 litre of purified water, Ghostfighter glue,

Rare: Medical treatment at a private health clinic

Very rare: Eating out at a posh restaurant with tables and chairs and plates!,

Scarce:...


Barter move: To buy what you want, you need to have as much barter as the price of the item you want. Roll+smarts,
On a 12+, you drive a hard bargain, pay 1 less barter than the price given.
On a 10+, you buy what you want for the agreed price, subtract that many barter items from your possessions.
On a 1-6, you can buy it, but it'll cost you 1 more barter than listed. He saw you coming, and has some large lads with sparklocks as his complaints department. Subtract 1 more barter from your barter items than the original price. Don't have enough barter? Better find some more, or you'll be meeting the complaints department.

Barter involves the tangible acquisition and trade of concrete assets. You've either got it or you haven't. But at least if you don't have it, you could go scavenging, or stealing, for it. Barter is a 1-1 exchange on the list above.

Credit move: To buy what you want, you only need a credit of 1 or more, regardless of its price. Roll+rep,
On a 12+, your credit is more than welcome, in fact you get upgraded (+1credit).
On a 10+, your credit is of course accepted, your credit remains unchanged.
On a 1-6, you can buy it, but if the price is greater than your current credit, it'll max out your card, and that means the Collection Agency will want their dues. You don't want to fuck with the CA, their complaints department involves Tintenel power-armoured drop troops. If the price is less than or equal to your credit, they hold your card and you don't get squat, now you're credit-less. Your choice chum.

Credit is the opposite of barter. It doesn't exist. It is a measure of the perceived ability (rep) of the indivual to repay it at some point in the future. Want more credit? You gotta buy more. Of course, max out your credit and you're screwed. Credit doesn't even see the scarcity as an issue. If you've got credit, you can buy the item.

I see credit being the preserve of the uber-wealthy in the macrocorps, and barter for the streets and alleyways. Barter has to be real concrete items. You have  to say what each trinket or item is to your character. Credit is just that, a card with a series of numbers and a bar code. Yay.

John

I might just steal this. It is perfect for what I am doing.

Jupp, consider it stolen.

Thanks.

-K

And of course, these moves should read...


Barter move: To buy what you want, you need to have as much barter as the price of the item you want. Roll+smarts,

• On a 10+, you drive a hard bargain, you get the item and pay 1 less barter than the price given.
• On a 7-9, you buy what you want for the agreed price, subtract that many barter items from your possessions.
• On a 1-6, you can buy it, but it'll cost you 1 more barter than listed. He saw you coming, and has some large lads with sparklocks as his complaints department. Subtract 1 more barter from your barter items than the original price. Don't have enough barter? Better find some more, or you'll be meeting the complaints department.

Credit move: To buy what you want, you only need a credit of 1 or more, regardless of its price. Roll+rep,

• On a 10+, your credit is more than welcome, you purchase the item and your credit rating gets upgraded (+1credit).
• On a 7-9, your credit is of course accepted. You get what you want but you're pushing your credit limit. If you still want the item, reduce your credit by -1.
• On a 1-6, you can buy it, but if the price is greater than your current credit, it'll max out your card, and that means the Collection Agency will want their dues. You don't want to fuck with the CA, their complaints department involves Tintenel power-armoured drop troops. If the price is less than or equal to your credit, they hold your card and you don't get squat, now you're credit-less. Your choice chum.

Oh, and steal away! :)
John

Hmmm, there's no ...but clause in the barter move. How about?

Barter move: To buy what you want, you need to have as much barter as the price of the item you want. Roll+smarts,

• On a 10+, you buy what you wanted for the agreed price, subtract that many barter items from your possessions.
• On a 7-9, you can buy it, but it'll cost you 1 more barter than listed. The trader saw you coming, and has some large lads with sparklocks as his complaints department. Subtract 1 more barter from your barter items than the original price if you wish to buy it, otherwise walk away. Want it but don't have enough barter? Better find some more, or you'll be meeting the complaints department.
• On a 1-6, the trader had what you wanted, but he just sold the last one not ten minutes ago. If you hurry you could catch him and his heavily armed friends.

This also means any prospective expert move would read...

• On a 12+, you drive a hard bargain, you get the item and pay 1 less barter than the price given.

John