Economics of Alhazred
Alhazred uses a survivor economy built mostly on barter, favors, salvage, and trusted material value.
Legal money may still exist in stable towns, banks, company offices, and government institutions, but outside those protected systems, trust collapses quickly. Survivors prefer goods that are useful, portable, divisible, and hard to fake.
Silver Currency
Silver is the most trusted currency in survivor barter because it is both money and anti-paranormal material.
In the 1920 American coinage model:
| Coin | Face Value | Silver Content |
|---|---|---|
| Silver dime | 10 cents | 90% silver |
| Silver quarter | 25 cents | 90% silver |
| Silver half dollar | 50 cents | 90% silver |
| Silver dollar coin | 100 cents / 1 dollar | 90% silver |
Face value tracks silver content closely enough that Alhazred can use silver coin face value as practical currency.
Game shorthand:
1 silver dollar = 100 silver cents1 silver half = 50 silver cents1 silver quarter = 25 silver cents1 silver dime = 10 silver cents
Small everyday prices are usually spoken in cents:
- “Two dimes for lamp oil.”
- “Quarter for the bandages.”
- “That bushel is ten cents.”
Larger prices are usually spoken in dollars and cents:
- “$11.40 in silver.”
- “Eleven dollars and forty cents.”
Counting a large price entirely in cents, such as “1140 cents,” is mathematically valid but sounds like accounting, coin-counting, or barter math rather than ordinary speech.
Non-Silver Money
Copper, nickel, and paper money may retain legal face value in stable institutions, but most survivors treat them as nearly useless outside protected markets.
Reasons:
- They have little or no anti-paranormal value.
- They rely on institutional trust.
- They are less useful than food, ammunition, tools, fuel, medicine, or silver.
Common survivor attitude:
- “Silver or goods. No paper.”
- “Nickels spend in town, not out here.”
- “Copper is for wire, not wages.”
Two Economies
Alhazred effectively has two overlapping economies.
Civil Economy
The civil economy exists where law, banks, employers, and supply chains still function.
- Paper money may be accepted.
- Copper and nickel coins may circulate.
- Prices may be listed in normal dollars and cents.
- Debt, credit, and official wages may still matter.
Survivor Economy
The survivor economy dominates roads, camps, ruins, border settlements, expeditions, and haunted places.
- Silver coin is hard currency.
- Barter goods are often preferred.
- Paper money is suspect.
- Copper and nickel are accepted only if they have immediate practical use.
- Exact silver may be worth more than nominal equivalent paper.
In survivor trade, a “dollar” should be clarified:
- Paper dollar: legal claim, fragile trust.
- Silver dollar: money, material, ward, and weapon.
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