Scrip
Also called: §, Consortium Scrip, Paper Money
Definition: The Consortium's paper currency, backed by their control of the rails. Works in Consortium towns and rail stations. Worthless in the deep wastes, Vulture territory, and isolated settlements that reject Consortium authority.
Scrip (symbol: §) is the official money of the Orvain Consortium: paper notes backed by the Consortium’s control of industrial cities and the rail network. It is the currency of civilization on the Frontier, such as civilization is.
Where Scrip works:
- Consortium towns: Orvain, Kessick, Brimstead.
- Rail stations and Consortium-allied settlements.
- Most merchants who trade with the Consortium.
Where Scrip fails:
- Deep Scorchveil (Dust Vulture territory), useful only as kindling.
- Isolated settlements with no rail access.
- Anywhere the Consortium’s authority is actively rejected.
- Palomera (Circle of Ash), trades in knowledge and favors only.
The Cost Rating shortcut:
Rather than listing exact Scrip prices for everything, the game uses a 1–5 Cost Rating scale:
| Rating | Scrip Range | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | §1 – §10 | Meal, drink, flophouse night, 10 rounds of ammo |
| 2 | §11 – §50 | Knife, decent room, salt pouch, basic tool |
| 3 | §51 – §200 | Revolver, poor horse, box of 50 rounds, medical kit |
| 4 | §201 – §1,000 | Rifle, Consortium Vest, wagon, trained horse |
| 5 | §1,000+ | Gatling gun, Ironbrand Hardsuit, war-horse, sand-skiff |
Beyond Scrip, the Frontier runs on three other currencies: Salt (universal barter and supernatural ward), Lead (ammunition as trade good), and Water (priceless in the wastes). A merchant in Rustwater takes your Scrip; a Khan in the dunes laughs at it; a Bellhaven ferryman takes whatever you can spare and adjusts his expression not at all.