Thanks for the comment, Murometz, and I'd be very interested to hear of the outcome if you or anyone else uses this in your own campaigns. Go to Comment
"The Cube" must have passed me by — I'd honestly never heard of it but having now read about it on Wikipedia I can see the similarities you allude to: the cube of cubes, the Cartesian coordinates…
Mapping this monstrosity was originally done by using excel to draw nine grids on an A4 sheet, printing them out and then just playing with the maze design for the 'pre-shuffled' maze. Once that was done I printed out each maze floor on an A4 sheet with coordinates in a corner of each room. I cut out all the rooms into small pieces of paper about 1 inch square and laid them out on a table in their 'pre-shuffled' arrangement. Then I built the shuffled version of the maze by moving each square to a new position.
This got pretty difficult towards the end as I was left with a limited set of remaining tiles and limited ways in which I could use them so it took about a week of 'shuffling' before I was happy with the final maze arrangements.
Then I had to go through each of the paper tiles to see where they had moved from (remember the coordinates in the corner) in order to build the transfer matrix. Another week of 'spare' time gone.
Fortunately I have an understanding wife! Go to Comment
The pirates realize (as stated by Peersquint) that confidence in the system is paramount. If the system is gamed the notes start to be devalued until they are as worthless as the fraudulent maps that went before. Hence the draconian Code of Conduct.
Also, I found it ironic that a Banking system similar to our own might be based on the machinations of a Pirate Guild.
But pirates are pirates and I guess that attempts would be made… and might even be the basis of a plot hook! Go to Comment
Or, the Maritime Bank may suspect that a scheme is afoot that would undermine confidence in the currency and hires the PCs to identify the perpetrators and bring them to 'justice'. Lots of moral dilemmas about helping pirates — even if they're semi-respectable. Go to Comment
I am so glad somebody spotted the comparison with modern banking practice.
The notes themselves could be used as a means of your players moving their ill-gotten wealth across the planet even if the pirates don't make an appearance in your game.
An interesting background story to a tavern that seems to hint at further development from an Inn where contracts are signed to the beginnings of a legal profession, a little like London's Gray's Inn. Or is this just a coincidence? Go to Comment
Dungeons (Any) (Puzzles)