[sidslick]

As a matter of personal curiosity, I'd like to know what currencies have been doled out as payment for "services rendered".  I've used Pounds Stirling, UCAS dollars, CAS dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, Euros and PCC Schillings, as well as uncut diamonds, as payment instead of the bog-standard nuyen.

So I open my question out to the world - what currencies have you used in your games?

[lurkeroutthere]

Nuyem, always Nuyen because national scrip is for amateurs. I have however paid in corporate stock, orachulum. One of my better jaw dropping moments for the players was Aiden randomly dropping a clawful from her Smaug-esque horde in front of them.

You deal with the dragon or you get eaten, but at least you or your next of kin will be well compensated for your time.

[ArkangelWinter]

I prefer just straight Nuyen, but my usual players often negotiate to be paid in gear or favors, especially as they mostly have legit front businesses.i once paid a character in car tires for his front business.

[Wakshaani]

Better to ask what we *haven't* used at one point in time or another. Nuyen, scrop, and gear are the big three, of course, but there's also been, let's see...

Cows.
Food.
Fake SIN.
Passage to tribal lands and an honorary tribal status.
A cookie recipe.
Gemstones and.or jewelry.
High Fashion.
Tickets to sporting events. (Protip: Great for bribes)
Autographs.
Lease for a building.
Vehicles.
Daughter. (Awkward...)
Fragment of a spirit's True Name.
APDS ammo.
Access to a coding facility.
Magical formulae.
Access to a beta clinic (But the work had to be paid for.)

There's more, but that's what I remember just off the top of my head.

[JustADude]

Cows.

...

Daughter. (Awkward...)

Okay, these two... spill! I'll pay you in cookies!

[lurkeroutthere]

Are we talking currencies or goods and services, i took currencies to mean things that have no value other then as a medium of exchange.

[Wakshaani]

Cows.

...

Daughter. (Awkward...)

Okay, these two... spill! I'll pay you in cookies!

The first one's easy ... my city of choice for gaming is Philadelphia, teh Sleeping Giant. Pennsylvania is home to the Amish, and, well, when teh runners did them a solid, they were honor-bound to offer to repay them. The price of a single cow is rather high in a world of soy, so, they made out like bandits.

The daughter one's more complex, but, similar situation. Help out someone who's poor, they don't have much to offer, so give up a daughter. She's of no use to the family, being a mouth to feed that can't bring in income, and if teh runners don't want her, they'll wind up selling her to some flesh peddler. The crew isn't exactly down with the idea of *owning* someone, but eventually talk themselves into adopting her as a sort of team mascot and housekeeper.

[GiraffeShaman]

In a recent run I had the IRS agent Johnson pay them a bonus of a % reduction on lifestyles, due to tax breaks and accounting assistance. The nice thing is it gives the runners an ongoing reason not to screw the npc.

Foisting vulnerable children on the PCs is a grand old gamemaster tradition, similar to their habit of targeting existing loved ones. Of course, in Shadowrun you do run the risk of just having the runners sell the kid on the open market.

[JustADude]

Cows.

...

Daughter. (Awkward...)

Okay, these two... spill! I'll pay you in cookies!

The first one's easy ... my city of choice for gaming is Philadelphia, teh Sleeping Giant. Pennsylvania is home to the Amish, and, well, when teh runners did them a solid, they were honor-bound to offer to repay them. The price of a single cow is rather high in a world of soy, so, they made out like bandits.

The daughter one's more complex, but, similar situation. Help out someone who's poor, they don't have much to offer, so give up a daughter. She's of no use to the family, being a mouth to feed that can't bring in income, and if teh runners don't want her, they'll wind up selling her to some flesh peddler. The crew isn't exactly down with the idea of *owning* someone, but eventually talk themselves into adopting her as a sort of team mascot and housekeeper.

Ah, the Amish. Now it all makes sense! *sagenod* *hands over cookies*

[sidslick]

Excellent answers, all - many to be incorporated into my adventures!  However, as Lurker clarifies, I am asking about pure currencies.  Does anyone make the exchange of currency difficult, as it can be when exchanging currency entering/exiting Lagos? Or trying to exchange corp scrip?

[JustADude]

Excellent answers, all - many to be incorporated into my adventures!  However, as Lurker clarifies, I am asking about pure currencies.  Does anyone make the exchange of currency difficult, as it can be when exchanging currency entering/exiting Lagos? Or trying to exchange corp scrip?

Only chumps get paid in anything other than Nuyen.

[Critias]

Excellent answers, all - many to be incorporated into my adventures!  However, as Lurker clarifies, I am asking about pure currencies.  Does anyone make the exchange of currency difficult, as it can be when exchanging currency entering/exiting Lagos? Or trying to exchange corp scrip?

Only chumps get paid in anything other than Nuyen.

I disagree.  A handful of scrip is just as worth it in some parts of the world, but -- more importantly -- being paid in goods is often straight-up better than just taking nuyen. 

[Wakshaani]

Depends on the goods.

To tie it into teh real world for a bit, Tide detergeant has popped up as teh drug currency of choice. It's widely available, purchases aren't tracked or restricted, it's a commodity that everyone needs, and it's easy to check out for forgeries. Also, it stores well, so you can warehouse it without fear of depreciation... mice aren't going to eat it, for instance.

They keep busting drug dealers who have hundreds of containers of teh stuff as it's turned into a shadow economy all of itself. Since you can buy drugs with it, you can buy things from people who GET drugs, so, for example, you can trade 'em for guns, as a bribe for helping out, sexual favors (Well, from certain classes of prostitute only), and so on.

The economy's pretty damn organic. It'll find a way to keep commerce flowing.

[GiraffeShaman]

Great paydata Wak. +1

[lurkeroutthere]

But again, this isn't about goods, it's about currency. Paying in goods and services is fine and dandy. My first thought on getting paid in anything other then nuyen (baring things like stock certificates, and even they make me a bit nervous) what is my J's angle that he's not paying me in Nuyen. What problems am i going to have changing out this money. If your in some place where you have to use non-nuyen, your in some third world hell hole usually, every place that matters accepts Nuyen generally.

I'm a bit skeptical of the Tide as currency thing, it wouldn't be the first time law enforcement got something about a criminal sub culture wrong. The value of tide compared to the value of drugs would necessitate some pretty logisticly inconvenient exchanges.