Popping my head up to give a newbie perspective again. For the record, I own a permanent shop (yay) and you can pry it from my cold, dead hands.
...Just kidding. But I have a shop in the Cordor bank.
Hrothgar Bloodaxe wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 2:51 pm
4. To all the responses of "Increasing prices will push away low-level players." I don't think that's necessarily the case.
A)
You can have different prices, for shops. You can still keep some cheap shops open. And obviously in places like Skal, you can leave things as they are. And, per point #3, there will still be plenty of "starter shops" in remote areas, that will likely be available.
<snip>
C) [
Allowing a new/inexperienced player to purchase a prime location they're not able/prepared to adequately manage, isn't giving them some sort of meaningful opportunity. I.e., allowing an inexperienced/low-level player, to own a shop in the middle of Cordor, isn't actually helping that player. They won't be able to stock it with items people want to purchase, so it won't get business, and it will likely either fold, or simply remain in limbo without generating any revenue for that person, or the settlement. This is currently what's taking place (either that, or high-level players who are just negligent). And while exceptions to this are certainly possible, I think basing rules on exceptional cases is generally not a great idea.
I think saying that new and low-level players can't run useful shops isn't fair. It's likely we can't or don't know how to cater to high-level players, but shops catering for low-level and newbies (items we need and more importantly
can afford) are important and I noticed a lot cropped up recently. I may not make millions of gold a day, but my healing kits sell out faster than I can make them, so there's clearly high demand. I actually had someone thank my character for being constantly stocked as apparently her healing kits saved his life more than once!
Forcing us out into the sticks because we're new and poor seems a bit counter-intuitive to me. I started making good, regular gold when I finally won the bid on my shop. I update it most days (I try for everyday, but y'know, not always possible). I gather mats and craft until I'm out of crafting points and stock up. Maybe the leaders of Cordor shake their fists that I don't make as much money as other people might, but I make money every day (I also sell cheaper than the temple, so if you want a price hike, take it up with the Red Knight). If I had a shop in the middle of nowhere that didn't sell anything, I'd probably have given up on shops altogether and just stayed poor. I think it would also make being a crafter a hell of a lot harder and less fun.
Whilst I do have some loot junk in my shop right now, it's not my main seller, I just threw it in there a) in the hopes of making more than the peddler will buy it for and b) so no one can ever accuse me of having an empty stall.
But I am selling them for hopefully reasonable prices - I
do want them to shift and will lower the price if they don't.
And on that point...
Arienette wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 8:03 pm
The shops that are a problem for settlements are the ones that consistently stock 10 junk loot items for more than they are worth.
Its not uncommon to see these shops selling a +2 skil +1 stat ring for MORE than the cost to enchant it in the basin. These are the types of shops that harm settlements in terms of tax revenue, and provide no useful service to the community at large.
I think part of the problem here is, yes, people having no idea what the value should be. When I examine a looted ring and it tells me it's worth over 7000gp, I usually halve that (or more) and try to base it on if it's something at least I, as a newbie, would ever consider buying, because I know I wouldn't have bought it for that much. But that 7k estimate is just not helpful at all.