Per the previous post, I’ve been thinking of using the Gamemastery item cards, maybe supplemented with the Tokkens for exceptional items, for treasures. The coins seem a natural addition. Being able to say, “Here’s what you find” and dumping a pile of stuff on the table is very, very appealing.

Unfortunately part of the appeal is that the cards solve much of the item tracking problem where an item in a treasure will either end up on no-one’s character sheets, or on multiple sheets. However, I’m not sure how useful this is for the coins, since the the PCs will likely want to split the coins roughly eveningly, which will be problematic for some combinations. To take a simple example, you can hand four players 28 gold pieces in the form of 8 “1″s and 2 “10″s, but if they evenly split it, each will each need 7 “1″s, a total of 28 “1″s, which you can’t do.

I’ll probably give it a whirl for my next D&D game, since they are so appealing.

@Martin: don’t forget that you can always travel to a country that is experiencing hyper-inflation and get real money. But generally it is only paper money, good for Monopoly and Cheap-ass Games. People used to do that when travelling to Eastern Europe, for example. Of course, your trip comes with all the issues that a country experiencing hyper-inflation has, but it can make for interesting times.

I’ve played one demo game of Dread, and I loved it. The Jenga tower really increases the tension. It provides a great way to make players seriously consider the risk involved in their character’s actions.

I highly see where you are coming from, but there is so much to that airship that isn’t conveyed from just a picture. I saw it at origins, and it has about 4 (maybe 6) levels to it, so you can pull them out and have action going on each section. It has multiples smaller pieces ( like railings, foredeck, raised areas, etc) that layer into the main ones to show different heights. The side pieces, wings, and fins also come off of it as well, so it can be a big ship. For my money it is much easier to go with a picture, a map, or a home built, but that thing was pretty damn cool in itself.

Every player gets a tupperware box and a pouch. Coins go in the pouch, pouch goes in the box at end of game (along with the magic item cards, potion vials, dice, mini, etc). Box stays with the GM.

Most of the coins have too much relief to stack. And it’s just like the dice towers – “Would you please not do that?”

If another player steals your loot, I guess that’s an opportunity to game it out. If I’m the player getting stolen from, the “thief” learns why we don’t steal from melee builds.

OK seriously… I give out items representing potions, scrolls, and magic items. They’ve never been stolen.

However, all that said, it totally depends on the group.

First, it’s another resource I have to track. As if I don’t have enough of that in D&D already. Instead of writing down that I have 22 pp, 16 gp, 10 sp, and 33 cp now I have a stack of what, 30 coins in front of me?

Like players who build towers of dice I see the same problem with the coins. Now I have coin towers, players rolling them across the table at each other or just “clinking” them together.

Mechanically, the session is over and we all go home. Do I keep the coins or give them to the DM? Now all the players have the DMs product. Do they get lost? If you return them then what’s the point in the first place? Now I have to write down my money, defeating the purpose of the “immersion” coins.

At a megagame level if you walk away from the table to get a drink and the “thief” character takes the coins off the table, were you “stolen” from? Do you get to make a Spot check? Finders keepers?

Yea, I’m sure they’re cool looking and feel great but the reality is, in practice, I see these as being useless in a game.