The Monetary System

In MUDs, as in the real world, we need money to procure our basic necessities such as food, weapons, armour and other services provided by fellow players or genial NPCs. Unlike other items in the player inventory, the amount of money a player has is saved every time he or she quits the game.

A player requires gold coins to purchase food and drinks from pubs, weapons and armour from the shop or from other players (although you will often find players preferring to trade items) or other services offered by various MUD entrepreuners, be they other players or friendly and enterprising NPCs. Some MUDs require a player to pay large sums of money just to advance levels or skills, so it is important not to blow your last hundred gold coins on a frivolous meal at the pub.

The prevalent currency used in MUDs is the gold coin, although in some MUDs with advanced monetary systems, you may also find copper, electrum, platinum, silver and other sorts of coinage.

BANKS
Some MUDs offer banking services for adventurers but usually, no interest on the deposit is paid! Some banks on the other hand, have the audacity to charge players interest depending on the amount deposited - it is clear that one has to pay to keep a portion of one's cash in safekeeping. An adventurer, in the course of an average game, might die and risk having his/her corpse looted, or get pickpocketed by thieves. It is usually safer to keep a good percentage of one's money in the Bank once one has amassed some wealth.

DEATH AND CORPSE LOOTING
When an adventurer gets killed, all his/her belongings will remain in the corpse at the scene of death, including any money. Corpse looters are not uncommon, and in fact are a prevalent nuisance in most MUDs, so make sure your corpse is guarded if you are unable to reclaim your belongings for some time.

THIEVES
Thieves lurk almost every MUD and if you are not careful, they'll pick your pockets clean. There are numerous MUDs which allow players to become rogues with pickpocketing skills they can cultivate, so they too can move around hiding in shadows and surreptitiously dipping their hands into other players' pockets. Often, adroit players can steal items from other players without their knowledge.

THE MUD ECONOMY
Most items in the MUD have some sort of monetary value, even the empty bottles you may find lying around on the floor. Some newbies sell any litter they pick up for a few coins to gain some cash, whereas such junk is usually bypassed by more experienced and well-to-do adventurers. Shops in general, do not pay as well for equipment - usually paying only up to a certain maximum value. This is to ensure that high-level players do not end up with excessively large purses in contrast to the lowly newbie! All equipment in shops are destroyed during the reboot.

NEWBIE HINT

Wander around and pick up items you see lying around and sell them in the shop for some spare cash. While this helps a newbie get started, the money earned usually isn't enough for serious adventuring, so begging some cash off rich, experienced adventurers isn't such a bad idea - mudders are generally much more willing to part with their money in MUDs than in real life, to help a newbie out.