Primer: Money and Goods

[GhostWolfe]

Source: SIFRP Campaign Guide

Most transactions in the Seven Kingdoms involve cash. The coinage, minted primarily by the king, is tri-metallic, with
gold dragons, silver stags, and copper coins for minor purchases. Most smallfolk never own a gold dragon, but only the most isolated never even see one. A crannogman in the heart of the Neck might get through his life without handling money, but everyone else deals with it at some point.

This is not to say that bartering is unheard of; it is common in rural areas, up along the Wall, and between friends in towns and cities. A stranger in a town had better have cash, however, and few smallfolk would refuse cash payment.

Most nobles keep commerce at arms’ length, at least. A noble family gets its wealth from its land, whether through farming, forestry, or mining. A few families who have fallen on hard times intermarry with wealthy merchants, but this practice is usually frowned upon.

GM's Note: Working a trade, even if the base skill is appropriate to one's station, is vulgar to the nobility. For a woman to sell her embroidery is an insult to her father/husband, suggesting that he is not wealthy enough to keep her. Though ladies may give away theirartworks as gifts.


The basic rule for material goods is that everything is individually hand-crafted. Even castles are built by hand—there are just a lot of hands involved. Electricity has not been harnessed, and anything that relies on chemistry more complex than burning, like wildfire, is at least partially magical. There is no clockwork on Westeros. Note the technology available in Westeros does not correspond to any period of real-world history: for example there are telescopes but no gunpowder.


While clothing styles vary, it is to less of a degree than one might imagine, particularly among the nobility. What
does tend to change is the materials used; the weight of the clothes are suited to the climate.

Smallclothes are worn next to the skin, reducing the need for cleaning the outer clothes. For men, a loincloth or breeches and undershirt are normal, while women wear undershirts and underskirts. The best smallclothes are made of silk, but most people must make do with linen. For some outfits, there are further layers between the smallclothes and the outer layer, particularly for dresses for noble ladies. Whores may forego smallclothes, but such omission is not done among respectable folk.

The basic outfit for a man consists of a tunic and breeches or hose, whereas a woman would wear a dress. A belt both keeps the cloth under control and provides a place to hang pouches of money and food, and shoes or boots, typically of leather, protect the feet. Shoes are normally soft leather and are simply discarded when they wear out; boots are tougher and much more expensive.

Cloth can be dyed in many colors, some of which are expensive, and it is not uncommon for members of noble houses to include at least a reference to their house’s colors in their clothing. Cloth can be costly; silks and satins are expensive choices, but elaborate embroidery, or slightly cheaper, painted fabrics are also a possibility. The richest garments, particularly for women, are decorated with small jewels sewn on in elaborate patterns.

Combining more than one fabric in a single garment is popular, either by letting in a panel of a contrasting color in the front of a gown, for example, or by lining the garment in a contrasting cloth and cutting through the outer layer so that it shows through. Fur is often used to trim garments.

Gowns for adult women are often designed with low necklines (to bare the shoulders and draw attention to the breasts), tight tops, and long, full skirts. Short skirts are essentially unheard of; an underskirt is not a loincloth, which means that female clothing is just not practical for certain activities, which in turn makes it socially acceptable for women to dress somewhat like men in many contexts. Just how socially acceptable depends on the activity; a woman wearing a tunic and breeches to help build a house would have no problems, whereas one dressed like that to fight would encounter more prejudice.


For the most part, the Westerosi diet is based on grains, such as wheat, maize, oats, or barley, with plenty of vegetables added in. Leeks, onions, turnips, peas, and spinach are all important. For the small folk, meat and fish are an occasional delicacy, but the nobility can expect them everyday. Beef, pork, and lamb are all common meats, along with chicken, pheasant, partridge, and pigeon. Venison is eaten after successful hunts, and the meat of wild boars may also be served.

Fish and seafood are an important part of the diet for people living near water; fresh water fish are as important as salt. Trout, herring, salmon, and lampreys are important fish, and clams, mussels, lobster, and crabs are significant shellfish.

Fruits, including apples, pears, plums, peaches, and oranges, are a popular source of dessert, and honey is commonly used as a sweetener. Nutmeg and cinnamon are among the spices used in desserts and wine. Cheese is a fairly common part of the diet and comes in a range of types, some white and some blue.

Most drinks are alcoholic, and beer is popular with the lower classes. However, wine is the drink of the nobility, and it is said the best comes from the Arbor. Many people praise Arbor Gold as the finest wine in the world, but others favor Dornish wine, dry and strong. Summerwine is a sweet drink, largely from the Arbor and riverlands. People drink primarily wine and beer because water often carries a cocktail of contagion, especially in urban areas, where the water is the most tainted.