For about a year now, I've been doing Game Master seminars around the country, answering questions about the RPG, Rokugan and running games in general. Without a doubt the single most frequently asked question is: "How does money work in Rokugan?" So often does this question ring up in my ears that I've decided to spend all the space necessary to answer it. If that means we're going three pages, then by Shinsei, we're going three pages. Ready? Get set. Here we go.

Economics 101

The purpose of studying economics is to discover a way to measure "value" In other words, what makes one thing more valuable - and therefore expensive - than another? When you have guys studying economics, you get a few economic theories floating around. The United States and Rokugan have two very different economic theories: free market and a funky kind of feudalism.

The United States is firmly entrenched in its free market economy. We have the opinion that a thing is worth what people will pay for it and people will pay what they believe it is worth. The rules of supply and demand are fully in effect but more importantly, the customer is aware of them. Collectible trading card games are a prime example of how a free economy works. How much is a promo edition of Bayushi Kachiko worth? Well, that all depends on who you try to sell it to. If you're trying to sell it to a gal who has only ever played Mythos or Highlander, it's not even worth a penny. On the other hand, if you're trying to sell it to a L5R/Kachiko fan, it'll probably be worth more.

This is how our economy works. The value of an item depends on how many of that item are available and how much each individual customer wants it. Items do not have inherent value, their value is determined by supply and demand.

Now, over the pond in Rokugan, things are a little different. It's a quirky kind of feudalism that uses rice as its main denomination. Let's take a look at how Rokugan's economy breaks down from top to bottom.

Top to Bottom

First off, the Emperor owns all the land. Every last bit of it. In exchange for fealty, he has divvied out portions of it to the clans. In exchange for their fealty, the clans have the right to tax the land, while still handing over a healthy portion of that tax to the Emperor (it is his land, after all).

Now, let's go down a step and look at how each of the clans deals with their land. A clan daimyo has whole bunch of land to manage. Obviously, he can't manage it all himself, so he puts a bunch of magistrates in charge of various sections of land. Each clan is in charge of four provinces, and each province has a provincial governor in charge of collecting the taxes of that province and handing those taxes over to the clan daimyo. In each province, there are a number of cities, and each city has its own magistrate, who in turn, collects taxes and hands those over to the provincial governor. See a pattern developing here?

Each city - including the clan capitals - is surrounded farms. Each farm produces rice, silk, vegetables, milk and other products, that are all taxed by the city's magistrate. Each city also a military garrison with blacksmiths, coopers, carpenter and other workers to maintain the city and the soldiers who stay there. All the samurai who are sworn to a city magistrate have their needs provided for by the city. If a samurai needs new sword, the magistrate orders the blacksmith to make it him. If he needs a new horse, the magistrate provides him one from the stable master.

All a samurai's needs are taken care of by his lord. After all, that's the feudal system: a king takes care of his knights. If the king doesn't then the knights find a king who can. Of course, that last sentence doesn't happen in Rokugan ... at least, the history books don't mention it happening that often.

Bottom to Top

So, now that we've looked at how Rokugan breaks do from the top down, let's look at it from the other way arouni You are a Rank 1 samurai. When you pass your gempukku, swear fealty to a lord (not necessarily your family lord). You to that lord's castle and you serve him. He provides you with the tools necessary to do so. Like we said above, if you need horse or a sword, you've got it.

When spring rolls around, you go to the farms surrounding your lord's land and collect taxes from the peasants. When the harvest is good, you get a lot of rice. When it's bad ... well, that's when things start breaking down.

People need to eat. The more rice a lord has, the more men he can feed. When he can feed more men, he can hire more samurai, not to mention more blacksmiths, coopers, carpenters, sake brewers, geisha, etc. If the rice crop comes L short, he can no longer fulfill his end of the feudal contract. Men start going hungry, and have to look for other lords wh can feed them. Of course, loyal samurai will stick by their to through famine as well as feast, but some men are more toy to their stomachs than their lords.

When a daimyo's crop comes up short, that's when Rokugan's bartering system comes into play. When Bayushi Shoju's crops are short, he has to turn to other clans to feed men. Of course, he has to trade for their rice; nothing in Rokugan is for free. Perhaps he could part with that lovely silk his southern provinces are so famous for? Or how about a few of those Shosuro-trained geisha?

Ronin

Yes, it's cool to be a ronin. You get all those extra points. You get to wander the countryside on your own time, with nobody telling you what to do. Pretty neat. But what are you going to eat? How are you going to repair that sword and saddle? When a samurai needs help, he turns to his family and his lord. When a ronin needs help, he has nobody to turn to. He comes into town looking for a blacksmith to make him a new sword, and the blacksmiths says, "I cannot. I am busy making swords for Shiba- sama. "

That's right. A peasant telling a samurai, "No."

And just what is the ronin going to do about it? If he's smart he'll bow and walk away. If he's dumb, he'll probably just kill the peasant and take a sword ... and call down the wrath of the Phoenix Clan. Remember what Shinsei said: 'Those who stand alone, fall alone.'

The path of the ronin is not an easy one. The entire world stomps in your face, even when they don't mean to. Peasants have no time for you. Samurai laugh at you. You're on your own, with nobody to help you out. Congratulations, you're a loner, Hope you got what you asked for.

End

So, that's a little Rokugani economics lesson. There's more, but I've run out of room. That should give you a good idea how things work, though. And by the way, if you've got more questions, be sure to check us out at 15rrpginfo. The sign up stuff is in a nearby sidebar. See you there!

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