+1 vote for Talents.  Yes, I voted twice.

Post Cataclysm I think its best to stick with plain "Gold". It's also easy for anyone to understand and doesn't draw attention to itself. A named currency like Rigma or Gildar would fit better in a campaign with existing civs - not in Elemental.

Just my two copper coins. 

I'd prefer not to see another variation on gil, I'd go with what the creative people tell you. Rigma is good.

The name of the currency shouldn't be more than one or two syllables. And if it has a nice ring to it I might even use it.

Tadpoles? 

Gold or Gildars work for me.

Sammual

Brad had this to say about that in an interview:

"It’s amazing how many things in game they’ve changed. Little things like them asking “what’s your unit of currency?” Well it’s gold. Obviously it’s gold. But then they pointed out: “No one actually calls their currency gold. Not ever.” That’s how it’s done in other games, sure, but that doesn’t make it right. And its up to use to fix it. In fact, the currency name needs to be based on a reason generated by the game world. You don’t need to explain it, the explanation didn’t need to come up within the game, it just needs to make sense. So we went ahead and did that, and it works a lot better."

Remember, there's a book being made here too. "Gold" is a bad name for currency, even if the currency is based on a gold standard, or uses gold coins.

Nah.

Sharducats (Magic shards..?)

or Shardinars. Shardirhams.

I don't care much for special names for currency. If Elemental was a space or other sci-fi game, I would be happy with "credits". Anything else would likely be annoying.

However, since this is a fantasy game, "gold coins" will do just fine.

You should also consider that although "gold coins" is a common and generic name of currency, it is also has the advantage of being easily understood by new players. You will never expect to see a post titled: "Whats are gold coins and why is the AI trading 200 of them for xxx?". Try replacing "gold coins" with "rigma" or "gildars", and such questions stop sounding so silly.

NOOOO!

Please do not commit the "calling a rabbit a smeerp" violation from the Turkey City Lexicon!

A cheap technique for false exoticism, in which common elements of the real world are re-named for a fantastic milieu without any real alteration in their basic nature or behavior. “Smeerps” are especially common in fantasy worlds, where people often ride exotic steeds that look and act just like horses. (Attributed to James Blish.)

Currency should be named gold if it's yellow, silvers if it's grey, platinum if it's white, and bloody just coins if it's coins!

I urge you to reconsider.

Rigma sounds like a disease (reumatism or rigor mortis) and gildar is very close to the gil of Final Fantasy!

Ok, I know this is not a democracy, but I did a completely unscientific and extremely quick rundown of the suggestions posted so far, with one vote for and one against per user (as applicable):

rigma 10 -10 (biggest looser so far)

gildar 8 -4

aurum 7

spinto

crowns 6

klute

gold 15 -2 (winner so far)

elinium

sovereign 3

skael 4

snausages

tater 2

children's souls

florin 6

attero

corund

shilling

minutes

laydes

tally stick

seashells

myrunes

dinar 2

koku

pieces of eight

aethers

chicken bones

luelle

peseta

elemid

steel

talents 2 -1

shards

aurar

brads 2

centz

bottle caps 2

[custom name] 6

mark

nail

dali

starducat

shardinar

How I counted:

Depending on how the answer was written, I either chose the first name from multiple choice posts, or the one labeled as favorite.

Observations:

I wonder if people who voted for Aurum bothered to read beyond the first page…

Skael and some other currencies do have interesting back stories…

Some suggestions are obviously taken from other games (but I do not know them all, so I left them in there, similar as to real world currency names).

Obvious joke suggestions have been removed (as I spotted them).

You know, a Dollar a quantity of silver, originally.. The real world apparently called a rabbit a smeerp.

The thing is, "A gold" is stupid. It's a metal, it's not a currency. A "gold coin" also is just gold in the shape of a coin, it has no identity. A gold Ducat, however, you know what it is. Or a Gold Denarii.

Sovereigns! 

Definitely sovereigns for the sovereign.

i think that there should be many diffrent random names.  i think you should be able to make up your own custom name, but if you don't want one then there could be like 20 random names or something.  also it would be neat if based on your economy your kingdoms currency may have slightly higher value in the marketplace than others when trading with neighbors. just like in real life, some currency has a higher exchange rate than others.  no need to have everyones currency on your screen, it would automatically give you a bonus or a negative when dealing with others.

It seems that the first coins took the name of those who created them : créséides from crésus, in ancient Greece.

So who created the first coins after the cataclysm ? then just add something like "-ides", change a letter or two to make the word speakable and you're done.

So, dollars, yen, marks, rubles, euros, pounds, franks, dinars, riels, ngultrums,  levs, and escudos don't do this (just to list a few)? They're all fundamentally the same thing: currency issued from a central authority.

Real life doesn't follow your rule. Currency is not called "gold", even when it's got gold in the coins. Calling it "gold" is pretty much the most unrealistic thing you can possibly do.

About the calling it gold issue: If we allow custom naming though, and every nation will has it's own currency, there will soon be situations in multiplayer where it is very confusing what someone is offering you. Exchange rates make offers even more confusing.

To counter that, people will possibly call money 'gold' because it is more convenient. Especially in multiplayer no one will bother to look up what the name of the currency of the neighboring country is, or if there is one currency overall that is called the rigma everyone will still say gold except for some hardcore roleplayers maybe.

Maybe concepts and ideas can be used as currency.

"I will trade you a herd of sheep for 5 sexual reveolutions and 2 emancipations"

(And a partrige in a pear tree?)

I urge you to reconsider this line of thought.

Gold is:

- An element (I think? I was never much of a chemist)

- Something shiny that humans value because it is shiny

- Not called gold if it's made into a coin

We've had gilders, marks, pieces of eight, ha'pennies, barons (often with 'copper' as a prefix, but still), and a great many other things. Yes, a great many significantly valued coins have been made from gold over the centuries. And sure, it makes it easier to identifiy. But that 'gold treasure' was still called dabloons, or something like that.

My earlier idea of 'myrunes' suffered from my naming tendancy to make it sound 'exotic'. It certainly does. It also sounds idiotic.

I'd like to change my vote to;

- Not gold

And therefor

- Marks

Yeah because they arn't your runes, they are MY runes! Now hand them over before someone has to get violent.

Marks also implies paper currency to me. (like bonds)

Riquma (reye ku mar?) sounds better than Rigma, its the g - its ugly. I don't want ugly money.

It feels like im going on about this, its not a big deal really - I just tend to post a lot...

Guys, please, please don't call the currency something stupid.  If you think it makes your game "more creative" to call it Deubeldorks or Froinks, you're just wrong.

CALL IT GOLD, or coins, or friggin'... GOLD! Call it something people normally refer to as a resource.  WHY make us memorize 200 different words for the same thing, GOLD.

Thank you.

Again. Because Stardock has more love for their games. Find me an MMO that doesn't have 'gold' in it, and I'll shit platinum. (You see what I did thar?!)

Standardizing things is wrong.

@Aractain

Hmm, I don't know about paper money = marks. I suppose it does have the significance. Well. I'm out of ideas without making more names like Myrunes or Orvidos.

Kroner

I can see the logic of a gold coin being called something other than gold, since a coin has a name, it is not just a coin. There can be two entirely diffent coins and 'gold' is too generic a word to describe them, I get it. Even if the coin is gold, it seizes to be just gold, just like a man wearing a funny wig and a toga seizes to become just a man, he can beocme a judge, people with stiped uniforms are umpires, etc. The presentation really is a big deal.

This thread now has me doubting the merits of naming things like the currency for the sake of a realistic touch. It is almost like giving things fancy names for the sake of fancy names rather than serving a purpose. What would be against calling it gold, really? No one calls it's coins that except in games? What is this then?

Just go with Rigma and I will happily edit the name to gold on day one. Or to anything else of my liking if I should turn around on my stance. It is logical to give the currency a name in the book, but in the game it serves no real purpose.

Don't forget that Brad is writing a book. And "gold" isn't a currency. So he needs a name that would fit in the lore.

Interesting, I had forgotten that section. However, I still think gold or gold coins or something similar is preferable. Why? Because most people will play the Campaign only once and then they'll play their own sand box modes. A basic asset of Elemental will be that it is so flexible that you can make your own worlds, like from books and old D&D campaigns. And I certainly don't want to have to play my old D&D campaign with Rigor Mortis used as currency name, or Gildars or Rabbits either. If SD hadn't asked the question I don't think anyone would have been upset with calling it Gold, but now people jump on the opportunity to be creative ... Well, you can't be too campaign specific if you want to give players creative freedom at the same time. Then just call it gold and let people be able to enter their own name if they want. But what we should definately not have is a system with several currencies - please avoid complexity that doesnt add to the fun of the game.