Market

Markets are villages, towns and cities in the game world that determine the local price of goods and services. These prices are governed by a structured trade system, which links regional production to specific Markets, allowing goods to flow between them. Instead of measuring linear distance, the space between markets is calculated in travel days, representing the time required for goods to move from one market to another. This method determines how much a given market is influenced by the availability of goods from neighboring markets.

Unlike modern economies, supply and demand are not measured in this system. In a pre-industrial setting, price fluctuations were minimal over short periods, as markets operated on long-established trade routes and stable production patterns. Moreover, a precise understanding of stockpiles is not necessary for running a fantasy role-playing game. Each market receives imports from multiple sources, creating a stable pricing structure. However, drastic price shifts can occur when a specific good or service originates from only one market in a region. In these cases, the cost remains low at the source but increases dramatically the farther one travels from it. For example, caviar packaged in Astrakhan is produced exclusively in that city. Since no other market provides caviar, it is inexpensive in Astrakhan, but its price rises steadily as it is transported further away.

Buying and Selling

For characters seeking to buy low and sell high, there are rules restricting the easy sale of goods within a region unless the character possesses experience in bartering or holds membership in a guild. Even with these advantages, there is always competition, as players will not be the only ones seeking to exploit a profitable trade opportunity. For example, those hoping to travel to Astrakhan and purchase bulk quantities of caviar for resale will find most of the available stock earmarked for preferred buyers, leaving few openings for new investors. To break into a tightly controlled market, players must rely on ingenuity, connections and careful negotiation to secure favorable deals.

For common goods such as grains, timber, iron and pottery, prices tend to remain relatively stable between markets, with only moderate regional variations. However, the highest concentration of industry and production is found in Europe. As one travels away from this economic center, the cost of high-quality manufactured goods increases sharply until these products become entirely unavailable. Conversely, luxury commodities and rare raw materials — such as spices, tropical foodstuffs, incense, pearls and precious gems — can be acquired more cheaply in markets far from Europe, where they are produced in abundance.

The market system encompasses over 800 distinct resources, services and products, with more than a thousand identified markets across the game world in mapped regions. However, large portions of the world remain unmapped, and numerous additional products have yet to be integrated into the system. As new territories and trade goods are introduced, existing prices will shift accordingly, reflecting the changing availability of resources and regional market influences in real-time.

See also,
The Adventure
Trade System