Part 123: Game Mechanics Update # 3 - Trading

Game Mechanics Update # 3 - Trading



Trading in the game is done via a barter system. Merchants only have a finite amount of gold at any one time, so often you'll need to do a straight trade for goods. You need gold to have an NPC identify the various magical items you find. Some NPC's can also repair your items, (although you can learn both skills yourself). Repair and ID are one way to replenish an NPC's gold, the other is to wait three in-game days before seeing them again.

When buying stuff, it's best to try and get the value of your goods as close to that of the trader as possible, then use "Balance Gold" on either side to balance out the rest. You can give away things worth more then what you're getting in exchange, but that doesn't work the other way around, you always need to meet the merchant's price.

The Male Survivor starts with the following skill:

Trader's Tongue
- Through slick talking, you are able to persuade merchants to offer you better prices. From the description, I think this might only apply to buying, not selling. Prices decrease 5% per rank up to 25%. Two free points are available, which I will both get in updates which aren't part of the narrative. I won't be putting any more points into it other then the free ones - and I wasn't even planning to get one of the free ones  because it costs you 3000 gold to learn that "free" skill. It would take so long for the additional 5% discount to pay for itself that it's just not worth it. 


Merchants in this game can have a refreshingly large amount of gold (one starts off with 50k), so take advantage of that. But you don't have to limit your shopping to stores. If someone has the trade icon, you can trade with them.




You can trade with a lot of people. It's a good idea to pick a favorite professional merchant and do most of your trading with them, even if you're just selling stuff and not buying anything. Trading increases a merchant's disposition to you, and you get better prices. Normal trading shoots their disposition up a lot. Like everything else, someone's trade inventory is pretty random. Some of the time they have nothing...



...But every once in a while you find something special in an unexpected place. I imagine that this spellbook "fell off the back of a cart".  There actually is an overturned cart full of magic goods near where this man lives. 

If there are any more questions on trading, ask them, I'm sure I've forgotten something.