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The Sunlit Hearth: How to Create an Excellent Fantasy Currency
Sunfire
CONTENTS
Introduction
When building up a fictional world from scratch, there are many things you must do which can result in a lengthy to-do list. An essential item on said list the fantasy currency and it is one of the most important, since it forms the basis of the economic system your world will use. This means the currency will be seen far more than you think it will.
The type of money the people in your world use is the framework that governs the economic system that they abide by. It is used in many things and it has far-ranging implications, both for local and worldwide. How it functions is largely dictated by the economic system. For instance, in a capitalist one, people are able to spend their money how they see fit whereas in a controlled one, the government makes the decisions.
A key step in developing the fantasy currency of your world is coming up with the right design. There are a lot to account for, from color to weight to the type of material used. It is vital you choose a combination that fits in with the vibe of the world and the tale you intend to tell. Take gold for example. It is more used in medieval and ancient societies whereas it isn’t so common in modern and futuristic ones.
After you’ve settled on a design that you know in your heart is the perfect fit, it’s time to figure out how your fictional currency can be used. On paper, it sounds simple but the more you think about it, the more it’ll dawn on you that it is anything but. How it’s used drives the economic decisions people, companies, and even countries make so having a set of guidelines that showcase what they can do with it makes things clearer for you, your viewers, and those who live in your imaginary realm.
This is article number twenty-four in The Sunlit Hearth series. If you’re curious to see what else we have, go to our blog page where we have a litany of fantastic articles you can peruse!
The Fantasy Currency: An Important Component of the Economic System
Everything begins with a foundation. It is the basis on which things are built above it and this especially applies to the currency that appears in a fantasy world. It sets the tone for the economic system people live under, enabling them to use it in a number of ways.
The fantasy currency of a country is considered its official tender. That is, the government in power has given it its full support, meaning its citizens are free to make use of it as long as it doesn’t infringe upon any laws. The government authorizes people and select organizations to continue making more of the currency, whether it be golden coins or blue rupees, that will eventually be used by the public at large.
The currency of a nation appears everywhere, from mints to stores and even residential households. People carry it with them at all times so that they can pay and receive it when the need arises. Each transaction that occurs has both direct and indirect effects. In the former, one side exchanges money for something else, leading to mutual satisfaction since each side gets something it wants. In the latter, it affects the local and national economy, causing businesses and people to focus on selling products and services they know will generate plenty of revenue that they can use for future investments and expansions.
A cornerstone of a realm’s economic system is its monetary system. The latter makes extensive use of the currency where bureaucrats determine how much to spend each year. Tighter controls restrict the flow of money, meaning less is doled out as opposed to looser controls where it is handed out like candy with little to no oversight. This drives the decisions people and companies make.
A nation’s economic system defines the options in which its citizens can make use of its fantasy currency. In a capitalist one, people are empowered to use it in ways advantageous to themselves since they know what they need. This is a stark contrast to a controlled society where the government makes all the decisions and restricts what its people can do with that currency.
The Design of a Fantasy Currency
Designing a currency seems simple, doesn’t it? You just pick a shape, color, material, and so on and call it a day. However, there are quite a number of considerations to take into account and they are all shaped by the world it appears in.
If you look at your favorite fictional realms and the style of money used in them, you’ll eventually notice that they fit right in with their aesthetics. That is, they match the time period, they use materials that are common in said worlds, and are created in easily recognizable shapes. These features go a long way in creating a fantasy currency that looks and feels realistic to your audience.
When designing a currency, think about what material it ought to be comprised of. Gold rules the roost with silver and bronze in second and third place. The ease of how they can be retrieved highlights how common or rare the currency is and how many people have access to it. Typically said materials are found in mines and in plentiful quantities though they run the risk of running dry one day, meaning other, different mines will need to be tapped should the government wish to continue relying on the same currency.
Since a fantasy currency ought to be easily accessible for a great number of people, it needs to be in a shape that makes it easy to carry. Can you imagine everyone walking around carrying gold bars every day? Circles, ovals, and ones shaped like jewels are standard when it comes to the overall shape. The type of shape denotes how much they are worth with circles the lowest due to being the most common and the jewelry-shaped ones at the top simply due to being the rarest.
Much like the real world, color in an imaginary world has certain connotations. When it comes to currency, yellow or gold reigns supreme with silver and bronze/brown right behind. This makes it easy for your audience to identify how much each type is worth since they have a real world reference point they can compare it to which helps them understand how money functions in your world.
Defining how a Fantasy Currency Can be Used
There are a lot of nuances when it comes to determining precisely how a currency can be used. If you get into the weeds and break it down by denominations, you’ll see just how easily complicated such a thing is which is why when coming up with your own, taking the time to flesh it out will serve you well in the long run since you will have a clear set of guidelines you can easily refer to at anytime.
The most basic function of a fantasy currency is to act as the price at which money is exchanged for something else. It could be a product like food or a service like transporting someone across the ocean across a ship. These exchanges form the lifeblood of a country’s economy, allowing customers to sell products and services people are willing to pay for which lead to revenue for governments at all levels.
Another way to use a currency is to include it in taxes. Governments collect taxes and tariffs that they use to replenish their coffers, fund both local and national projects, and pay the bureaucrats who manage the day-to-day operations of the various governmental agencies. They set the tax rate though it is subject to change at a later time.
The fantasy currency doesn’t just matter to the country it’s in, it plays a role on the global stage. The leaders of a realm will need money to make deals in accordance to their strategic goals whether it be acquiring a food like bananas they don’t have or a valuable resource like iron or coal. This enables them to use them to create products they otherwise couldn’t.
The currency is an integral part of constructing an imaginary world from the ground up. It is the lifeblood of all economic activity which has far-ranging effects as exemplified by the roads, buildings, products, and services that the protagonist uses throughout the story. It is the driver of innovation where it lets people bring their dreams to life!
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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