A System-Neutral Trading Mini-game

So here’s a reworking/system neutralization of the trading system from my Zap! game.

Note, has not been play-tested at all in its current form. To use it you have to fill in some details from your particular system and setting, like what 1 point of cost/profit actually amounts to, how big a cargo is a small or large cargo. But by design it’s easily scaled so you can use the same basic procedure whether you’re trading in back-packs full of goods for copper, wagons full of goods for silver, or shiploads of goods for gold.

Even though the mechanics are in terms of completely generic trade goods, the intent is to make up flavor details on the fly about what the cargo actually is, like otter pelts, bags of salt, sets of fertility figurines of the goddess Whut, or whatever.

Simple Trading Mini-Game

Core Mechanics

• Characters use cargo space to transport goods between locations
• Each cargo space can hold either one large shipment or two small shipments
• Trading requires finding goods at one location and selling them at another

Location Ratings

Each location has a Wealth Rating from 4-12:

• Higher ratings mean more money to spend but pickier buyers
• Even ratings use matching dice (e.g., 2d4 for rating 4)
• Odd ratings use mixed dice (e.g., 1d4 + 1d6 for rating 5)
• Take the higher roll of the two dice

Goods and Cargo

• Goods have a Value Rating from 4-12 using the same dice system
• Higher-rated goods are easier to sell but harder to acquire
• Lower-rated goods are easier to find but harder to sell at wealthy locations
• Small shipments: Roll trading skill at -2 when buying, Value Rating is normal when selling
• Large shipments: Roll trading skill normally and get +2 to Value Rating when selling

Trading Process

Buying:

1. Choose what type of goods to look for (set Value Rating) and shipment size
2. Roll your trading skill (with -2 for small shipments) vs. the good’s Value Rating
3. If you succeed, goods are available at the price shown by the lower of the two Value Rating dice
4. If you fail or don’t like the price, must wait 3 actions before trying again

Selling:

1. Roll the good’s Value Rating (+2 for large shipments) vs. location’s Wealth Rating
2. If successful, buyers offer the amount shown on the Wealth Rating dice
3. Profit/loss is the difference between selling and buying price
4. Must sell at a different location than where you bought
5. If you fail or don’t like the offer, must wait 3 actions before trying again