Credits on Rifts Earth

[Blackwater Sniper]

It's hard enough for people on today's Earth to go to a One-world currency, why would so many enemies on Rifts Earth all use the standard of 1 Credit = 1 Credit?

Not to mention all the other economic issues you come across when dealing with such disparate nations.

[Fenris2020]

It's hard enough for people on today's Earth to go to a One-world currency, why would so many enemies on Rifts Earth all use the standard of 1 Credit = 1 Credit?

Not to mention all the other economic issues you come across when dealing with such disparate nations.

Presumably, people are using a Pre-Rifts "universal credit system" that has somehow survived... or where that isn't available, they barter, trade, use metals and so on.

[Mack]

I recommend against trying to justify it. It's just one of those things that's deliberately glossed over.

It's an RPG, not an economics tutorial on the medium of exchange.

[Father Goose]

I recommend against trying to justify it. It's just one of those things that's deliberately glossed over.

It's an RPG, not an economics tutorial on the medium of exchange.

Agreed. There are concessions that have to be made for ease of play that don't hold up well to intense scrutiny.

[Orin J.]

because the moment you put economics (the rich man's astrology) into a game, everyone has reasons to get upset.

[glitterboy2098]

note that credits aren't a universal system.. WB5 talks about how the NGR credit has more buying power than the CS Credit. (by almost 50%) and DB2 talks about how Credits from earth nations have to converted to three galaxies currencies, at a very low rate. those details just don't appear much in later books (even while new countries got added) and can be easily missed in the books they are in.

the use of credits as prices are mostly shorthand on the part of the writers, rather than listing entries of regional currencies for each item they just use a credit value. it makes for a useful comparative figure, and it is assumed that GM's will be handling issues of barter, currency types and conversion, etc. obviously this assumptions does not always play out.

[Father Goose]

because the moment you put economics (the rich man's astrology) into a game, everyone has reasons to get upset.

Well worded. This made me laugh.

[Warshield73]

because the moment you put economics (the rich man's astrology) into a game, everyone has reasons to get upset.

I find this kind of offensive. My horoscope is usually vague enough to be right some of the time. JK

Well said, I too had a laugh.

note that credits aren't a universal system.. WB5 talks about how the NGR credit has more buying power than the CS Credit. (by almost 50%) and DB2 talks about how Credits from earth nations have to converted to three galaxies currencies, at a very low rate. those details just don't appear much in later books (even while new countries got added) and can be easily missed in the books they are in.

the use of credits as prices are mostly shorthand on the part of the writers, rather than listing entries of regional currencies for each item they just use a credit value. it makes for a useful comparative figure, and it is assumed that GM's will be handling issues of barter, currency types and conversion, etc. obviously this assumptions does not always play out.

This was going to be my post, the only thing I will add is that the credits in Rifts are left vague enough so that the GM can use it as he wants. If your group is in a remote region and you don't want to spend lots of game time trying to find someone who will do the repairs for 3 chocolate bars and a radio then credits work. If you are looking to isolate the PCs, make it harder for them to resupply or repair then it's "Credits, where do you think you are Chi-town?" and they better hope they have some trade goods.

[Curbludgeon]

I've seen enough games end with someone arbitragequitting that unless it's the focus differences in currency should be mostly handwaved.

[slade2501]

I just laugh at anything worth more than 4-5 thousand credits, cause NO ONE in any game rolls around with that much cash or credit on their person, except Tony Stark characters, and we ain't playing those around here.
No D&D player carries a portable hole filled with gold from a dragon's hoard (and if someone did, I would want words with their GM).

I look at the prices listed as a measure of VALUE, not cash on hand.

[Fenris2020]

I just laugh at anything worth more than 4-5 thousand credits, cause NO ONE in any game rolls around with that much cash or credit on their person, except Tony Stark characters, and we ain't playing those around here.
No D&D player carries a portable hole filled with gold from a dragon's hoard (and if someone did, I would want words with their GM).

I look at the prices listed as a measure of VALUE, not cash on hand.

If you play a Cyborg or someone with a robot/ power armor, you'd better have the money to repair it.

[ITWastrel]

I just laugh at anything worth more than 4-5 thousand credits, cause NO ONE in any game rolls around with that much cash or credit on their person, except Tony Stark characters, and we ain't playing those around here.
No D&D player carries a portable hole filled with gold from a dragon's hoard (and if someone did, I would want words with their GM).

I look at the prices listed as a measure of VALUE, not cash on hand.

That's Literally why we have portable holes.

Also, 4k credits will repair like 2MDC on a robot or power armor. After a short fight a bot will probably be out 100k or more, and if she let a some missiles off the chain she'll really be deep in the hole. A single LRM runs about 1.5 Million Credits.

Most Rifts toons are packing hundreds of thousands of credits worth of gear at lvl1, and making credits is laughably easy. You get into a scrape with a cyborg? loot the body and sell the bloody components to the black market, maybe get 10% book for them, but that's still big profit. Enemy weapons and armor? 20% book price to a resale shop is an easy sell, they'll just clean them up and sell 'em at book price. you don't need "treasure" loot, just resell every bit of the enemies gear. I once played in a game where the bounty on the BBEG was 50K, but the gear we looted from him and his minions ran us into many millions.

When you realize that the cheapest armor out there costs 35,000cr, and that e-clip recharging will run to many thousands after a short firefight, a toon who thinks 5000cr is "Tony Stark money" must be either fresh off the farm or rolling in delusion.

[Blackwater Sniper]

"Portable Holes" are the reason I play Temporal Warriors so much.

I can double the size of any pocket (or larger at a Ley line or Nexus) and not worry about pick-pockets, running out of ammo, grenades, or where to store that new rifle I just picked up.

They're also great for tradable items like power cells, food, and water purifiers.

[glitterboy2098]

I just laugh at anything worth more than 4-5 thousand credits, cause NO ONE in any game rolls around with that much cash or credit on their person, except Tony Stark characters, and we ain't playing those around here.
No D&D player carries a portable hole filled with gold from a dragon's hoard (and if someone did, I would want words with their GM).

I look at the prices listed as a measure of VALUE, not cash on hand.

That's Literally why we have portable holes.

Also, 4k credits will repair like 2MDC on a robot or power armor. After a short fight a bot will probably be out 100k or more, and if she let a some missiles off the chain she'll really be deep in the hole. A single LRM runs about 1.5 Million Credits.

Most Rifts toons are packing hundreds of thousands of credits worth of gear at lvl1, and making credits is laughably easy. You get into a scrape with a cyborg? loot the body and sell the bloody components to the black market, maybe get 10% book for them, but that's still big profit. Enemy weapons and armor? 20% book price to a resale shop is an easy sell, they'll just clean them up and sell 'em at book price. you don't need "treasure" loot, just resell every bit of the enemies gear. I once played in a game where the bounty on the BBEG was 50K, but the gear we looted from him and his minions ran us into many millions.

When you realize that the cheapest armor out there costs 35,000cr, and that e-clip recharging will run to many thousands after a short firefight, a toon who thinks 5000cr is "Tony Stark money" must be either fresh off the farm or rolling in delusion.

it also worth noting that unlike fantasy or modern settings where you have physical currency and all the bulk and weight that represents, credits are a digital currency. the same small card could hold 1 credit or 100 million credits. even if you assume that in the frontier areas that they are using more secure 'standalone' cards with a capped upper total value (instead of the cards being tied to an outside comms network) for direct card-to-card transfers, the cards are still pretty small and light, and you can store and carry a large number of them.

[Elvendork]

It's hard enough for people on today's Earth to go to a One-world currency, why would so many enemies on Rifts Earth all use the standard of 1 Credit = 1 Credit?

Not to mention all the other economic issues you come across when dealing with such disparate nations.

Right now I have my PCs in my current game tracking 3 different currencies, Japanese Republic Yen, NA/CS/BM Credits and South American Credits