What can Three Gold Coins say about a World?

Adriaen van Ostade’s Feasting Peasants in a Tavern

Fantasy worldbuilding evokes the grandeur of the setting ― floating cities, mythical creatures brought to life, dueling wizards locked in arcane combat, etc.  While the grand elements are important to the blueprint, I’ve found that the small details can convey just as much about the world, and more importantly, how the characters experience the setting.

Let’s do some worldbuilding.  Consider the following…

A traveler enters a tavern.  Spotting an open seat at the bar, the traveler sits down.  The traveler places three gold coins and motions for a mug of ale.

What questions come to mind?  Better still, what stories could one weave from this scene?

I used this prompt during a recent worldbuilding session that I taught.  The group’s first and overwhelming response ― that is an expensive drink!  Putting price aside for the moment, what else could be happening?

Someone in the group mentioned that this tavern is an elite establishment.  The price is kept high to restrict the clientele.  Or, maybe the ale has rare ingredients or special properties.

Another person asked what if drinking alcohol was considered a great vice?  Society or the government inflated the price to limit consumption.

Someone else offered that actually the barkeep and the traveler know each other.  Maybe the three gold coins are payment of another kind… for information or for a completed job.

These were all great answers!  They showcase the fun of worldbuilding and the possibilities of storytelling.

What if the traveler was not from this area?  Maybe even from another dimension?  How would you feel if you were working at a diner and a customer put a gold bar on the counter when ordering a Diet Coke? You likely would feel unnerved by such a strange encounter. 

Instead of using direct narration to state that the traveler is from another dimension, use the bartender’s wide-eyed uncertainty to convey something is off when three gold coins are pushed forward.  The coins could even be minted in an unrecognizable style.

After we talked a bit about each of these story threads, we returned to the price.  Even if a description of a simple transaction was all that was intended, a mug of village brew costing three gold coins says a lot about the setting. It establishes a price benchmark. 

How do other prices compare?  How long would a common laborer need to work to earn enough for a pint?  While a hireling’s earning potential may not be explicitly mentioned in the story, in the absence of other information, the value and allure of one gold coin is diminished.  Maybe all the coins in the land are gold?

An important aspect in building worlds and crafting stories ― small details can shape the larger setting.