What type of money system do you think we should have and do you have any ideas for names? Virtual money or physical money, or perhaps some of both with one type predominant. "Credits" or "Chits" or "Chips" or some other name.

This is something easy we can give our ideas on and ruminate about.

I think for what you've described so far, I think there should be two types of money. There should be a planet-bound money type, ie varmint skulls or something that you may see on an ancient society. Then you'd have a more 'modern' form of money in the station and fleet areas. Tagging onto this idea, you could potentially create a money exchanger who can change the exchange rate of skulls to 'chits' or whatever you want to use for money in the other one. Just an idea so far.

Hmm. That has some potential. It got me to thinking about the purpose and such as well. Part of the plot could be some soon-to-be-massive archaeological expedition as well; and you would earn 'something' (credits, chits, whatever) for your finds planet-side, in addition to the 'traditional' economy that's on station and in the Fleet. So maybe it's more than just the skulls - there are all sorts of things that can be found, maybe some purely random, and some based on some skill(s) you have in this field - that can be turned in barter-wise or as straight cash compensation by the sponsoring exploration outfit.

In response to your posts Jerin and Karl, I would like for the currencies throughout the 3 game spaces, especially at the player level, to be uniform. However I did envision "artifacts" that players might have a chance of finding during exploration or salvage operations on the planet.

I have decided that the initial monetary system in the play spaces will be based mainly on a virtual currency, probably called "credits" or something similar, and to be backed by an account with the entity (to be determined in the back story when I set that down) that holds a position much like "The Company" on Core.

There will also be a currency that is denominated in the play space by fixed amounts of credits and is also an "Intergalactic" standard currency or representative. I have decided to call this currency "markers" which are colored as follows:

Red marker = 25 credits -- pricewise the equivalent of a cup of coffee
Orange marker = 50 credits -- pricewise the equivalent of a glass of beer
Yellow marker = 100 credits -- pricewise the equivalent of a shot of whiskey
Green marker = 500 credits
Blue marker = 1000 credits
Black marker = variable amount of credits with a redemption date
White marker = variable amount of credits with a future redemtption date

The Black and White markers are essentially "checks". A Black marker is secured by the Company type entity, and a White marker is secured by the account of the player who creates it. Blacks are always good at some point, whites may or may not be good if the issuing player doesn't have the credits in his account.

The Company entity will pay into the credit account for services rendered and many training facilities will only accept payment from the credit account. There will be conversion stations that issue markers and reduce the player's credit account.
Players will probably at intermediate level have an option to be be paid through Black markers or into the credit account.

The means of transferring credit between players will most likely be through white markers, same with player to player loans. Many Vendors and vending machines may only take markers and other Vendors or Contractors may only pay in markers.

This remains the first draft of this idea "stream".