# Economy (currency, trade, sinks)

Vision for **how value is created, destroyed, and exchanged**: **faucets**, **sinks**, **prices and fees**, **player trade**, and **live balance**—without re-specifying **item** shapes or **recipe** execution (those stay in [items.md](items.md) and [crafting.md](crafting.md)).

**Policy & KPIs:** [E3.M5 — EconomyBalancePolicy](../decomposition/modules/E3_M5_EconomyBalancePolicy.md) encodes **`EconomyPolicy`**, **`PriceBandRule`**, **`FaucetSinkRatio`** thresholds; ties to [E3.M4 — SinkAndDurabilityLifecycle](../decomposition/modules/E3_M4_SinkAndDurabilityLifecycle.md) and alerts via [E9.M2 — KpiDashboardsAndAlerting](../decomposition/modules/E9_M2_KpiDashboardsAndAlerting.md); later [E9.M3 — LiveBalanceControlPlane](../decomposition/modules/E9_M3_LiveBalanceControlPlane.md).

**Trade & settlement:** [E8.M3 — PlayerTradeAndMarketplace](../decomposition/modules/E8_M3_PlayerTradeAndMarketplace.md) (`MarketListing`, `TradeOffer`, `SettlementEvent`)—supports **crafting economy** per [Epic 8 — Social / trade](../decomposition/epics/epic_08_social_guild.md).

**Reward paths:** [E7.M2 — RewardAndUnlockRouter](../decomposition/modules/E7_M2_RewardAndUnlockRouter.md) (missions, bundles); [E5.M3 — EncounterAndRewardTables](../decomposition/modules/E5_M3_EncounterAndRewardTables.md) (loot). **Parity guard:** [E6.M4 — RewardParityEnforcer](../decomposition/modules/E6_M4_RewardParityEnforcer.md) (PvP ↔ PvE/craft equivalents).

**Production spine:** [gathering.md](gathering.md) → [crafting.md](crafting.md) → [items.md](items.md). **Progression payouts:** [progression.md](progression.md) (**mission** rewards vs **combat encounter** pipes). **Epic 3** loop: [Epic 3](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md) — [Slice 4 (sinks + policy)](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md#epic-3-slice-4) for pre-production **economy** tuning.

## Gig vs skill (economic identity)

- **Wealth and supply** mainly flow through **skills** (gather, process, make), **items**, **trade**, and **missions**—not through **gig level**. **Gigs** gate **combat use** of much **gear**, not the right to **craft** or **sell** ([Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills), [items.md](items.md)).
- **Combat encounters** → **gig XP** by default; they are **not** the primary faucet for **skill** economy unless we explicitly add **loot** or **currency** on the encounter table ([progression.md](progression.md)).
- **Mission / contract rewards** may inject **credits**, **items**, or **skill XP** as scripted **payouts**—separate from “the fight trained my fab skill” ([progression.md](progression.md), [skills.md](skills.md)).

## Faucets (value entering circulation)

Design lenses (exact tables **data-driven**):

| Source | Role |
|--------|------|
| **Gather nodes** | Raw materials into the loop ([gathering.md](gathering.md)) |
| **Loot / salvage** | Drops and world pulls ([items.md](items.md) **Acquisition**) |
| **Craft outputs** | New usable goods from benches ([crafting.md](crafting.md))—creates **items**, not necessarily net **currency** |
| **Mission / vendor payouts** | Injected **currency** or **items** for story and progression |
| **Trade** | **Redistributes** existing stock; may pair with **currency** changing hands via **fees** or **prices** |

## Sinks (value leaving or being taxed)

| Sink | Role |
|------|------|
| **Consumables** | Ongoing churn (stims, ammo-adjacent, etc.) |
| **Durability, repair, destruction** | [E3.M4](../decomposition/modules/E3_M4_SinkAndDurabilityLifecycle.md); **death** stakes: [death-loss-recovery.md](death-loss-recovery.md); [items.md](items.md) open questions |
| **Fees** | Listing, transfer, **clinic** / service **fiction**—**open** rates; `PriceBandRule` in E3.M5 |
| **Currency dumps** | Fast travel, licenses, rep gates, **optional** **sinks** for inflation—**open** catalog |

Direction: **prototype** should prove at least one **meaningful** durable sink before leaning on **auction-house** scaling ([Epic 3 — Slice 4](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md#epic-3-slice-4) intent).

## Currency and wealth readability

- **One primary player currency** vs **multiple** (regional, corp scrip, crypto **fiction**)—**open**; UX must stay **readable** ([items.md](items.md) **tooltips** discipline).
- **Wealth fantasy** includes **stockpiles**, **loadout value**, **workspace access**, and **social** **flex**—not only raw balance.
- **Binding**, **insurance**, **theft**, and **security tiers** change **effective** supply—see [items.md](items.md) **Open questions**, [death-loss-recovery.md](death-loss-recovery.md), [risk-security-bands.md](risk-security-bands.md).

## Trade and prices

- **Craft-for-others** and **face-to-face** trade are **valid**; buyers need not **equip** what they buy ([items.md](items.md) **Trade**, [Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills)).
- **Market vs direct trade**—**open** product split; [E8.M3](../decomposition/modules/E8_M3_PlayerTradeAndMarketplace.md) owns settlement **contracts**.
- **Craft vs drops vs PvP rewards** should stay **comparable** where [E6.M4](../decomposition/modules/E6_M4_RewardParityEnforcer.md) applies—**parity** is a **gate**, not the full **fun** story.

## Module map (economy-focused)

| Module | Role | Ties to this doc |
|--------|------|-------------------|
| [E3.M5](../decomposition/modules/E3_M5_EconomyBalancePolicy.md) | Policy, ratios, price bands | **Tuning hub** |
| [E3.M4](../decomposition/modules/E3_M4_SinkAndDurabilityLifecycle.md) | Durability, repair, item sinks | **Demand** for mats / craft |
| [E8.M3](../decomposition/modules/E8_M3_PlayerTradeAndMarketplace.md) | Listings, settlement | **Exchange** |
| [E3.M3](../decomposition/modules/E3_M3_ItemizationAndInventorySchema.md) | Items in motion | **All** trades |
| [E7.M2](../decomposition/modules/E7_M2_RewardAndUnlockRouter.md) | Quest/mission rewards | **Faucets** |
| [E5.M3](../decomposition/modules/E5_M3_EncounterAndRewardTables.md) | Encounter loot | **Faucets** |
| [E6.M4](../decomposition/modules/E6_M4_RewardParityEnforcer.md) | Cross-path parity | **Fairness** |
| [E9.M2](../decomposition/modules/E9_M2_KpiDashboardsAndAlerting.md) | KPIs, breaches | **Ops** visibility |
| [E9.M3](../decomposition/modules/E9_M3_LiveBalanceControlPlane.md) | Live knobs | **Later** balance |

## Decisions log

| Topic | Direction | Status |
|-------|-----------|--------|
| Crafting as primary lane | **Player-made** output stays **relevant**; not “drops only endgame” | Agreed ([Epic 3](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md), [items.md](items.md)) |
| Trade without gig | **Buy**/**sell** **craft** products without matching **combat gig** | Agreed ([items.md](items.md), [Seams](skills.md#seams-gigs-skills)) |
| Mission vs encounter payouts | **Skill**/**item**/**currency** from **missions** is explicit reward design—not default combat **skill** XP | Agreed ([progression.md](progression.md)) |

## Open questions

- **Starter wealth** and **new player** cadence vs **inflation** in mature shards.
- **Regional** or **instance** markets vs **global** listings—latency and **exploit** surface.
- **Tax**, **laundering**, **corruption** **fiction** vs systems cost.
- **RMT / TOS** stance—product and legal, not covered here beyond “server-authoritative **economy**.”

## Where to read next

| Topic | Document / module |
|--------|-------------------|
| Item buckets, rarity, trade seam | [items.md](items.md) |
| Gather / craft production | [gathering.md](gathering.md), [crafting.md](crafting.md) |
| Hybrid XP / reward pipes | [progression.md](progression.md), [skills.md](skills.md) |
| Epic 3 slices (incl. sinks/policy) | [Epic 3](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md) |
| Social / corp context for trade | [Epic 8](../decomposition/epics/epic_08_social_guild.md) |
| Death, durability, PvP loss | [death-loss-recovery.md](death-loss-recovery.md) |
| Security tiers, PvP eligibility | [risk-security-bands.md](risk-security-bands.md) |
| Zone identity (trade hubs, black markets) | [zones.md](zones.md) |