These world building prompts come from 3000 World Building Prompts, which you can get at Amazon. This section is focused on creating monetary systems.
American dollars have been used in the prompts, but substitute for a currency with which you are familiar.
- Are gems used as currency?
- Are poor or high quality stones used for them?
- What do the gems look like?
- Are they carved or stamped with a design?
- Are metal coins available?
- Who do the coins look like?
- Are they stamped with a design?
- Is cheating with metal coins, by including impurities, common?
- Are coins milled?
- Is paper money available?
- Is credit available?
- For each, how widely used are they?
- Which sovereign powers or settlements are known for cheating?
- What does paper money look like, including colors?
- Are both sides printed on?
- What is on each side?
- Physically, how big is each currency?
- What is the currency usually carried in?
- What is the equivalent of $1? $10? $20? $100? Etc.
- How many of what equals $1?
- How many of what equals $10?
- How many of what equals $20?
- How many of what equals $100? Etc.
- What words are used to describe each increment (penny, dime, etc.)?
- Is the currency a unit of weight or unit of value?
- If a unit of value, what is backing it? A power, settlement, or another body?
- Do banks exist and are they backed by anything?
- Do people trust banks or credit institutions?
- Can labor be used as currency?
- What gem or metal is considered the most resistant to fluctuation and the most stable investment?
- Is the system a trade and barter one?