A small annoyance (Previously called Inconsistancies)

[JimDaniels]

Hi. Anyone wonder why, in dwemer ruins which have "not had anyone in them in centuries" all seem to have the current currency in its caskets/chests etc? It's a little thing, but it really annoys me lol. At least in Morrowind there was some dwemer coinage scattered about.


(Sorry about the change of name but on thought it isnt an inconsistancy is it )

[Eltee]

Well, many of the Dwemer ruins seem to have been explored previously, perhaps even settled into by bandits before being reclaimed by the automatons. That could explain the chests of loot and coinage.

But, by and large, I agree. I think that the lore found in Dwemeri ruins should be a tad more Dwemeri.

[cowleyj]

Remember that this is a game and they can't sacrifice game mechanics for a little thing like that. Otherwise, there would have to be dwemer, ancient nordic, and modern currencies lying about, and that would make the game confusing.

But yes, on a larger scale, I think they could have fleshed out the dwemer culture more.

[JimDaniels]

Aye I agree with that to a point, and I realise that its a game but if they could do it in Morrowind without breaking the game dynamics etc then I can't see what the problem is in doing it in skyrim. Even if its like gold ingots etc and can be sold as loot like jewelry and not used to purchase etc. I fail to see how it could be then, confusing. Like I said, its a small thing, but small things have a tendency to mount up... Anywho, to work I should get ready :\ Peace.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Either developer oversight or a design decision to not spend resources modeling Dwemer coins this time around, although I disagree with that because it made Morrowind more interesting.

[Leisure Pirate]

Perhaps ancient Dwemer currency is similar enough to Imperial currency that people just accept it anyway?

[Hissien]

Or that as long as it is a gold coin, people are perfectly happy to use it?

[Dark Spark]

A cache of pure gold is worth as much as any cache of pure gold of equal weight, no matter who stamped it.

[Lord Frivolous]

Remember that this is a game and they can't sacrifice game mechanics for a little thing like that. Otherwise, there would have to be dwemer, ancient nordic, and modern currencies lying about, and that would make the game confusing..

It worked well in another Bethesda game, Fallout New Vegas. They had Old dollars, NCR dollars, Caesar's Legion coinage and bottle caps and nobody seemed to be too confused about it.
What I would like to see is a mod or even official add-on that would bring regional currency into Skyrim. 1:1 interchangeable of course, but still, Skyrim septims, Hammerfell septims, Morrowind drakes...

[Eltee]

Septims and Drakes are the same thing. The Imperial coinage has Tiber Septim's face on one side and the Imperial Dragon (a Drake) on the other. It's a colloquialism, like how Canadian dollars are called Loonies because the tails side features a loon.

Nitpick notwithstanding, I would certainly like regional currency.

[Avron the S'wit]

From what I understand, there is no regional currency anyway, which is good: it makes trade less confusing. Having no standard or losing money to exchange rates across the Empire would have been annoying, so having just the Imperial coin (the septim) is pretty reasonable.

That, and it is just a game, like mentioned. Sometimes the way some fans nitpick sort of kills the joy.

[cowleyj]

Words of wisdom, courtesy of Ms. S'wit.

[legoless]

I was under the impression that Dwemer coins weren't golden.

[Lord Frivolous]

From what I understand, there is no regional currency anyway, which is good: it makes trade less confusing. Having no standard or losing money to exchange rates across the Empire would have been annoying, so having just the Imperial coin (the septim) is pretty reasonable.

That, and it is just a game, like mentioned. Sometimes the way some fans nitpick sort of kills the joy.

Yes, Bethesda did not find it necessary. Historical analogies though seem to support the idea. I mean, the Empire is loose enough not to be able to prevent provinces going to war against each other (see "A Dance in Fire") yet it has somehow enough power to force everyone to use one currency? In ancient Rome even generals sometimes (=in times of trouble) struck their coins to pay legionnaries, all it takes is a silver mine and a smithy. The kings within Roman Empire certainly had their coinage, from Judea to Gaul, why not Jarls and Chiefs in Tamrielic Empire then?

[Pilaf The Defiler]

From what I understand, there is no regional currency anyway, which is good: it makes trade less confusing. Having no standard or losing money to exchange rates across the Empire would have been annoying, so having just the Imperial coin (the septim) is pretty reasonable.

That, and it is just a game, like mentioned. Sometimes the way some fans nitpick sort of kills the joy.

Except for, ya know, the fact Tiber Septim was born over 4000 years after the Dwemer went extinct. But I guess that kinda talk belongs in the lore forum

....

Oh.

[Avron the S'wit]

From what I understand, there is no regional currency anyway, which is good: it makes trade less confusing. Having no standard or losing money to exchange rates across the Empire would have been annoying, so having just the Imperial coin (the septim) is pretty reasonable.

That, and it is just a game, like mentioned. Sometimes the way some fans nitpick sort of kills the joy.

Yes, Bethesda did not find it necessary. Historical analogies though seem to support the idea. I mean, the Empire is loose enough not to be able to prevent provinces going to war against each other (see "A Dance in Fire") yet it has somehow enough power to force everyone to use one currency? In ancient Rome even generals sometimes (=in times of trouble) struck their coins to pay legionnaries, all it takes is a silver mine and a smithy. The kings within Roman Empire certainly had their coinage, from Judea to Gaul, why not Jarls and Chiefs in Tamrielic Empire then?

Probably just laziness on the developer's part, really, but just because we don't see it as a gamer doesn't mean it wasn't a possibility. In truth it probably was: as independent provinces, the different races and empires likely had their own regional and cultural flavor, including in the economy.

From what I understand, there is no regional currency anyway, which is good: it makes trade less confusing. Having no standard or losing money to exchange rates across the Empire would have been annoying, so having just the Imperial coin (the septim) is pretty reasonable.

That, and it is just a game, like mentioned. Sometimes the way some fans nitpick sort of kills the joy.

Except for, ya know, the fact Tiber Septim was born over 4000 years after the Dwemer went extinct. But I guess that kinda talk belongs in the lore forum

....

Oh.

Cute, Pilaf, but cut the sass. You can talk lore, but the developers can't add every single detail. I'm just saying it doesn't detract from the game's enjoyment to me as a player. Some people do feel that way and that's fine, but me, I like to use my imagination. In fact, I'm very glad they didn't include anything, otherwise what would we talk about here at UESP in such detail?

[Br3admax]

From what I understand, there is no regional currency anyway, which is good: it makes trade less confusing. Having no standard or losing money to exchange rates across the Empire would have been annoying, so having just the Imperial coin (the septim) is pretty reasonable.

That, and it is just a game, like mentioned. Sometimes the way some fans nitpick sort of kills the joy.

Except for, ya know, the fact Tiber Septim was born over 4000 years after the Dwemer went extinct. But I guess that kinda talk belongs in the lore forum

....

Oh.

Hey, only I, and a long string of fake sarcastic people, can be sarcastic with Avron.

But on topic, there are a bunch of Falmer running around. It's not a stretch that they put the money in the jars. They constantly raid the surface and carry surface money. So how about that for facts?

[cowleyj]

Trust bread to come up with a logical explanation for everything.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

From what I understand, there is no regional currency anyway, which is good: it makes trade less confusing. Having no standard or losing money to exchange rates across the Empire would have been annoying, so having just the Imperial coin (the septim) is pretty reasonable.

That, and it is just a game, like mentioned. Sometimes the way some fans nitpick sort of kills the joy.

Except for, ya know, the fact Tiber Septim was born over 4000 years after the Dwemer went extinct. But I guess that kinda talk belongs in the lore forum

....

Oh.

Hey, only I, and a long string of fake sarcastic people, can be sarcastic with Avron.

But on topic, there are a bunch of Falmer running around. It's not a stretch that they put the money in the jars. They constantly raid the surface and carry surface money. So how about that for facts?

Which begs the question of exactly what they'd use surface currency for.

Gelebor certainly thinks they're becoming more intelligent. Is it possible their long term plans actually involve diplomacy and trade? Too early to tell, I reckon.

[legoless]

The Falmer carry random junk anyway.

[Dark Spark]

Ugh.

This is how we make money:

1) Take a glob of pure gold.
2) Smash! Make flat!

Doesn't matter who smash. Gold is still frickin' gold.

[Musicman247]

Which begs the question of exactly what they'd use surface currency for.

Gelebor certainly thinks they're becoming more intelligent. Is it possible their long term plans actually involve diplomacy and trade? Too early to tell, I reckon.

Or is it possible that they remember their past (as Snow Elves) and for a reason beyond even their own understanding they keep the coins, hiding them away?

[p-sto]

Ugh.
Doesn't matter who smash. Gold is still frickin' gold.

Yes but gold plated metal is not gold, which is why stamping came into effect in the first place. Claiming that all of Skyrim's merchants would accept lumps of gold as payment is similar to expecting the corner store to accept a personal cheque. Some might but nowadays most don't.

[Dark Spark]

And I thought that whole 'bite the gold coin' thingy was because the metal was tasty.

The minting of gold coins was a government declaration that the coin contained a specific amount of gold. An expedient that can be determined by an assayer, should you come across a huge pile of foreign gold coins.

Sure, you'd have to haul it back to town. But you would get a fair estimate of its value because gold is frickin' gold.

[p-sto]

And my position is that not every merchant will want to go to this effort, especially when people with more reliable currency are there and ready to buy. Also it seems plausible that a merchant would charge a heavy premium if they weren't sure what they were getting. As far as going to an assayer, this seems equivalent to the Morrowind mechanic of making the coin a separate inventory item that is only purchased by certain merchants.