Really GOOFY question about credits...

[tetsuoh]

What do you all use in game or in your mind as a visual for credits?

[Critias]

I'm not sure where/when I first got the visual, but I tend to picture hexagonal coins, or maybe the ones with holes in the center (like the ancient Chinese ones). Different materials denote different denominations, with various designs etched on depending on who minted them. Maybe with small computer chips or other trackers inside, to make for fast "sci fi" type counting/adding/whatever, too.

[Praxian]

Actually I use coins for various things up to 100 creds, after which I skip up to "Cred Sticks" for dump accounts which hold up to several thousand under each one (see Cyber-punk for cred stick rules).

Anything over 50k in creds needs an account with a tracking number.

For me though, a visual cue is coins. copper coins (like pennies) = 1 cred, and etc going up to using various other things.

[garhkal]

.5 cred, 1 cred, 2 cred, 5 cred, 10 cred, 20 cred, 25 cred, 50 cred, 100 cred, 200 cred, 500 cred and 1000 cred coins exist in my games... Above that people either wire the money or use certified cred sticks.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[scott2978]

I use this method:

http://www.rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=71777#71777

[jonnjonnzz]

In my campaigns, it depends on where you are in the galaxy; credits can take on various different forms.

In the Core Worlds, you can count on credcards, credsticks or cash vouchers (see Han Solo at Stars End).

The further away you get from Imperial controlled areas, the more common hard currency becomes i.e. paper notes on lower tech world, coinage minted in various precious metals.

Some areas you may find a mix, with the currency being plastic chits embedded with circuitry or a computer chip denoting its value.

For truly large denominations/amounts, credits will only exist as electronic funds.

Borrowing some of the concepts from Shadowrun annd R Talsorian's Cyberpunk games, you could always have credsticks also serve as someone's identification as well.

[Bren]

The link that scott2978 provided shows that method that is pretty similar to what we've used in our campaign. The link has a nice writeup 8)

The Rebel group that our players belong to is based in and near Elrood Sector and is called the Union of Free Planets. Those Rebels issue their own scrip called U-creds or U-credits, short for Union Credits.

Only Rebels and strong Rebel sympathizers will accept U-creds. But it works well for internal transactions and it is sometimes used for "buying" equipement in the field. Sort of one step up from out right confiscation. It also gives the Union something besides hard cash to pay their troops with.

[Barrataria]

I started that other thread linked above, and I thought through this on the train ride home today, so it's a work in progress, especially the names (post-Endor campaign). Depending on where the campaign takes place, and which "side" the players are on, they will encounter the following:

Imperial/New Republic Credits: the default currency in the pocket Empires is the Imperial version, virtually unchanged since before Skywalker's treasonous assassination of the Emperor. The NR version is identical, struck in formerly-Imperial mints. They are made of a space-age polymer that looks suspiciously like plastic, the Imperial versions bearing (duh) an image of the Emperor, and the Republic Credits bearing the image of various Old Republic heroes (?!) like Jar Jar Binks and Qui-Gon. The intrinsic value of the credit may bounce up and down in times (or areas) of scarcity or economic upheaval, but for the most part 1 Imp= 1 NR. The trick is that it's illegal in each place to convert to the other. So all exchange has to be done on the black market, or in neutral ports (in this campaign, probably Bespin and herdships), if necessary.

Ithorian Lifestones: The Ithorians have certain secret methods of creating plant-based crystalline substances, of which amber is the closest equivalent we know. They are in various shapes, sizes, and 8 shades (ROYGBIV, plus a color that is clear to human eyes but iridescent to Ithorians and the most valuable). They have intrinsic value to the Ithorians, and are valued as gemstones in the pocket Empires and New Republic territories (probably 4x credits, or some such).

Bespin Vaporglobes: Coinage in the independent Cloud City is fashioned from small clear crystal spheres, each filled with an exotic gas. When fed with an electrical current, the gasses glow in a variety of colors, which allows verification of their worth. These are prized in the Imperial and New Republic regions because their worth derives from the vast Bespin economy (which will be akin to Swiss banks, a place where Imperial and NR scoundrels and exiles wish to stash their money). A basic vaporglobe will fetch 2x Imperial/NR credits. Like the lifestones, vaporglobes can be exchanged fairly freely in Imperial or NR space, but not used as currency for basic transactions with legitimate businesses.

Hutt Wupiwupi:This coin is forged from [some precious metal], and its value is set by hutt gangsters at 10 wp= 1 slave. It is useful only in hutt space, and exchangeable only on the black market in "shadowports", including the lower levels of Cloud City. Ithorians don't want them at all.

Ancient Coinage: Occasionally players might run across ancient Republic or Sith coins. These are in a variety of metals, and mostly valuable to collectors or museum curators.

Local currency: Planets and local authorities, within and without the Empire and NR, mint a variety of stuff in a variety of forms, but usually will accept Imp/NR credits on at least a 1:1 basis (local currency almost never has much value off-world). Akin to spending US dollars somewhere and getting local currency as change.

Credit Sticks: I still think USB keys (see other thread) are incredibly boring and low tech for money transfers. But I haven't yet thought up something more interesting.

Virtual Accounts: Gigantic financial corporations make virtual accounts possible across systems via electronic transfer. Large amounts of funds are usually moved in this fashion, and these transfers can cross Imp/NR boundaries as many of the monoliths operate across those same boundaries, the account information carried via courier ships criss-crossing the trade lanes.
_________________
"A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing"- George Lucas

[Bren]

Barrataria:

[Barrataria]

Thanks for your feedback, it's nice to get some outside thoughts.

[Raven Redstar]

What about making the cred-sticks like have some sort of "pay pass" charge system? Instead of having to plug it in, you just sorta tap it to, or wave in front of the reader, and it gets the info that way.

Also existing tech, but I think it's cooler...

[Barrataria]

[Bren]

Barrataria:

[Barrataria]

[Bren]

Barrataria