Describe the process of exchanging items between characters

[cubap]

This is very important (at least for know since the game is sort of named after it).

[cubap]

Trades may include any combination of

• inventory items
• portable debris for which ownership will be transferred, including nearby stockpiled items
• structures, especially vehicles, containers, equipment, and furniture
• services such as teaching, carpenting, fighting, shopkeeping
• promises to deliver on above, vote a certain way

[cubap]

There would be a lot of trust involved in any exchange no matter what and that seems appropriate, but there should be some reputation penalties for reneging or not honoring the terms of an agreement.

[cubap]

The interface should require very little talking and heavily use iconography.

[cubap]

An option to show certain items in addition to offering them is needed. For example, the receiver may know more about pelts than the seller and want to peruse the wares and offer for a specific one. The seller, though, may not want to show their whole inventory and can choose what to offer up. If it is not inventoriable, but nearby and visible, the other party would know it may be for sale of course.

Something like this would be needed for shopping mechanics, where a menu of items is available with some predefined exchange rates.

[cubap]

Might there be skills required for some advanced selling? What shortcuts, advantages, or bonuses would an experienced haggler, merchant, or shopkeeper have?

[ladmeyer]

In the area of skills, you should be able to lie and/or trick other people in order to try and get an unfair price for the stuff they are selling. This should not be extremely overpowered because if you could just say "Yeah, i'll part with this valuable jewel for $2000" and then do it and have zero penalty, trading would be something no one would do. Instead, you should be able to get a clearer picture of how much the thing the other person is selling is actually worth.

[cubap]

I like this idea, but I don't think of it as lying or trickery. If one character has the skills to know something is valuable, they deserve the advantage. However, since there is not standardized money (or any non-emergent currency) one cannot really swindle someone. If I offer you a trade, it is worth what it is worth and that's it. The process is similar to pure resource games like Catan, I think.

[Caliber08]

Clearly, there could be cases of deception, though, and these should be allowed (not condoned). They will be exactly as (over)powered as the players allow them to be. If you swindle someone for a bundle, they may kill you. I LOVE the idea of emergent currencies here and cannot wait to see what emerges as the currency/ies.