[HoE] Goods Bartering Matrix

[doug@satellite.bigpond.com (Doug Stalker)]

Is there any interest in a computer program to generate some sort of
Buy/Sell
matrix for town in HoE?  It can be difficult deciding on what would
constitute
a fair trade in a post apocalyptic society, as the GM has to decide if
the
goods being bartered are worth more or less than the given value in the
rulebook, or simply go straight with the "small valuable items of fixed
bartering value that are of no direct use to the posse" approach that is

encouraged by the use of dollar values in the books and adventures.  (if
an
adventure says the players can buy a steak for $30, how much fuel oil
would
that be?)

It occurred to me that perhaps the bartering feel could be brought into
the
game without too much complexity by placing items into broad categories
(electronic goods, vehicle parts, fuel, ammo, that sort of thing) and
then
having a computer program to generate a little table listing what good
the
town has and what it wants. What does everyone else think of this, and
what
sort of categories should it include?  I think it should also include
services
as well ( a party junker could probably get quite a bit of goods in
trade by
fixed broken things in a town) and some things (ammo, food) should be in

demand most places.


- Doug