Chapter 9.2 Trading, Merchants, and Markets

Types of Trading

Bartering
Player to Player trades, the default trading mechanics. Players can see spirit values, and local values of items. Presented items in trades can be inspected, showing stats, and item descriptions, and other information if available. (If a soulbound item is in a trade, the entire trade will not continue or complete, and can only be canceled by selection or via movement.)

Store Service Trading
Players can craft a service counter as a workstation, and then craft a weighing scale tool. The weighing scale has two tabs, the storefront and payments made. When trading in the radius of the weighing scale tool, shopkeepers won't receive trades into their inventory, they will automatically go to applicable storages linked to the weighing scale tool. It will default to the player's inventory when none is applied. More complex weighing scales will have larger trading radiuses. Players can tell if it is toggled on by the fire lit at the top of the weighing scale, as well as a weighing scale icon in the trade.

Auction Torches
Players can construct auction torches. A player activates the auction by lighting it. New items placed by the player in the radius, is linked to the player and the torch. Other players and NPC can offer tinder, and items for trade. Once the torch fire runs out, the auction ends. One player can occupy a torch a time, and if exiting the radius, cancels the auction with a cooldown to try again. Torches can't overlap, and any repeat torches in a radius will duplicate functions. Auction torches must be placed far enough away to host a different auction.

Global Trades
There will be no global trade mechanics.

Foot Peddlers
These merchants carry equipment on them, and merely sell via player to player trades using the default trading mechanics.

Peddler Stall
Players can equip small market stalls. It may take a while to set up, and put away. This equipment automatically keeps players from being able to dodge, climb, carry, pull, craft, attack, and run quickly. Damage is taken to the player as normal based on other items they wear, but the market stall also takes damage based on its crafted complexity, strength, and upgrades. These stalls allow for service counter based trades and auctions. Using a peddler stall increases merchant legacy per trade.

Cart Stall
Players can craft small 2-wheel carts that can be pulled by them, or a creature. They can have service counter features, auctions, or just be used as extra storage for player-to-player bartering. These will take damage based on its crafted complexity, strength, and upgrades. Players will run slower with them, and will not be able to jump or dodge while pulling, but can dodge away from a cart, abandoning it. Players are be able to place some storage on the cart, and a weighing scale, allowing them to store more goods into their cart.

Wagon Stall
Wagons are 4-wheel vehicles, that can be upgraded to have service counter features. These are larger than carts and require a creature to pull. Depending on the setup, these stalls allow for service counter based trades and auctions. These will take damage based on its crafted complexity, strength, and upgrades. Items on display will easily take damage from monsters. Players are be able to hit more storage on the wagon than a cart, allowing them to store more goods into their cart. Combined with a weighing scale, it makes for easy merchant storage.

Market booth Stalls
A static small construction, with a counter. Market booths may have prebuilt storages, or sections that allow players to place their own crates, barrels, chests, and other storages like shelves and weapon racks. Market booth stalls have more durability for monster attacks than a wagon, but cannot move.

Retail Store
A building with a table or counter with an optional weighing scale. This functions the same as a market booth stall, but has more space for decorative, and storage options, and provides the most durability for stores, auction, and storage. Players can create rooms for storage, a store front, and living quarters if they wanted.

Decorating a Merchant Stall
There are racks and hooks on carts, wagons, and stalls, that allow players to display items, signs, and runic creations for branding. Players would be wise to display items that would draw a player into their store for what they are looking for. Players can craft signs, that have common icons to help present their store type, without needing to have a runic creation.

Creating Zones for Merchants
Claims may want to make a specific spot for merchants. For this, create a merchant zone sign. It contains a torch, and the founder or allowed players can paint tiles that will mark areas where merchants can set up shops, using the heat of the torch. Parking zones also indicate areas where merchant carts and wagons can be parked by users if there is space, with a toggle for either or both types allowed.

Mobile Merchant Evictions
In outposts, property owners can evict merchants regardless of legal zoning laws. The merchants have 30 minutes to leave the area. When the time is up, merchants are criminally trespassing, and the wagon/cart, and items start their decay timers, and can be moved, confiscated, damaged, or destroyed by land owners. It is best to work with players and outposts to ensure you’re not being in the way and lending yourself to issues. Player driven organized merchant guilds can help try to dispute disagreements, and can steer merchants away from poorly organized outposts and properties.