Inflation in RPGs, Part I
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What is left-handedly even more amazing than the sheer availability of so many gold coins is that they have _zero_ weight, no matter how many you pick up. It isn't at all uncommon for players to walk around with their entire hoard on their person. (Banks being extremely rare, and if they are available, it's usually YOU paying the banker a monthly fee for safekeeping your accumulated wealth.) So, it is entirely possible that a character would, along with all his other gear, have over a hundred thousand or more gold with him at any given moment. Now, assuming that your basic coin weighs one ounce, that would be 100,000 ounces, divided by 16 = 6,250 pounds. That is, OVER 3 TONS. Think that one ounce was too much? Okay, quarter it: you still have over three-quarters of a ton in the character's coin purse. So, want to assume he's carrying valuable gemstones instead? Uh-uh, you can't -- because much of that money was collected along the way in less-than-100-gold dribs and drabs.
The only issue I have with this article is that the author's comments are largely dependent on the rules that have been set up by the Dungeon Master and the availability of magic items like Bags of Holding.
