Crafters and sustaining the economy

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ironcross
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2020 8:54 am

Crafters and sustaining the economy

Post by ironcross »

Yesterday, a conversation took place regarding crafting, and things that make it difficult for crafters to do their work. An idea came to me, and in truth, it takes some inspiration from what another MUD is doing, but I still think it could work here.

This is how I see the problem from my end. Crafters are often in short supply of components necessary for them to create a finished product. Whether that's timber for carpenters, thread for weavers, an adequate supply of metal for metalworkers, pelts for leatherworkers, the point is, these components are often hard to come by. The second point is that the system seems to be designed to foster cooperation between players. However, that can't happen with a shortage of characters who specialize in a type of work.

That doesn't stop potential customers needing things, however. My suggestion is this. Sell to crafters the parts and tools they need, but only if there is no stock in the market. That means that everything that isn't in the store right now, and is a component of crafting is subject to be sold. Things like wedges or components with a minimal time investment need not be included.

The price would be a little higher, and the stock would be constantly rotating, based on what's currently in the market, but crafters would finally be able to get their hands on the things they need to serve their customers. Roleplay could be had, and people would be happy.

A delay could be imposed on the stock of a shop like this. So a short term unavailability in the market would not immediately cause the item to become available in the shop. This would allow some time for players to replenish the market.

As to what types of shops would serve these items, I see three choices. First is a dedicated shop or shops for specific types of things. The second is to roll it all into the general store. The third is to roll it all into the market. Either way, I think you should never be able to come above average with components provided in this manner.

A system like this still incentivizes player to player business rather than relying on the shop to stock items, while also creating an environment where one or two crafters don't feel like they have to shoulder the burden of keeping their end of things going. This economy will only work so long as the wheels are constantly in motion.

To sum up, under a system like this, crafters could by components they lack from a shop or the market. These components would be marked up from normal rates, causing the crafter to either need to charge more or eat the cost. It is still advantageous to go to other players due to items rotating in stock only when none exist in the market. Crafters can still craft and serve their customers.
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