Review: Fantasy Economics by Onixshu Fantasy

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5)
Wouldn’t recommend buying—niche appeal, not broadly useful.

On the surface, Fantasy Economics promises to be a comprehensive guide for fiction writers and game masters seeking to build believable economic systems in their fantasy worlds. While the book is indeed extensive and filled with concepts, it ultimately struggles to deliver on its utility. The result is a reference work that may spark ideas, but is unlikely to be a core tool in most creators’ arsenals. For most creators, the time spent applying this book’s ideas would be better invested in developing characters, storylines, or world logic through more practical means.
That said, there are a few sections that may spark inspiration, especially for those deeply interested in economic realism or theoretical worldbuilding.

What Works:
The introduction of this book is strong, particularly the segment on Common Economic Pitfalls in Fantasy Worldbuilding. This part insightfully highlights issues such as the “Million Gold Piece” problem—where adventurers wield so much wealth that they can buy anything they desire. While the section doesn't offer actionable fixes, it does bring awareness to often-overlooked inconsistencies in worldbuilding, and will likely resonate with GMs and authors who have faced similar narrative hurdles.
Chapter 3 also shows promise, especially the checklists for building economies, which provide a broad-strokes overview of what to consider. Though somewhat generic, they’re one of the more practical parts of the book.
Chapter 5 also offers some value, proposing adventure ideas rooted in economic tension—heists, infiltration, and corruption. For GMs who want to explore economic conflicts in more traditional gameplay formats, this may serve as a source of inspiration.

Where It Falls Short:
Despite its breadth, Fantasy Economics struggles to provide a usable framework. Much of the content consists of disconnected lists or commentary on what to consider, without giving clear guidance on how to build or apply these ideas.
For example:
• Chapter 1, on currency, discusses exchange rates and coin design across cultures. While mildly interesting for lore purposes, it's hard to justify spending creative energy here when more central narrative elements (characters, setting, plot) offer greater payoff.
• Chapter 2, titled Calculating Realistic Prices, adds some economic theory—supply and demand, transportation costs, and risk premiums—alongside price tables. Unfortunately, these tables are neither more complete nor more usable than the ones in the core Player’s Handbook, and attempting to apply all the provided modifiers could bog down gameplay.
• Chapter 4, Running Trading Campaigns, is a little misguiding. It doesn’t guide you through running a campaign; instead it veers back into theory, offering more economic factors rather than practical tools or structured campaign advice. Unless you're one of the rare few building a full-blown trading simulation, this chapter may be of limited use.
• Chapter 6 covers topics like inflation, taxes, and black markets, but again—these are presented more as “things you might want to think about” rather than actionable advice or tools.
• Chapter 7 includes dozens of random modifier tables, most of which feel like overkill. Applying all the price modifiers might technically be "realistic," but it would be completely unmanageable in actual play and could result in absurd economic outcomes.
The overall effect is like reading a manual that tells you what might go wrong in building IKEA furniture, without giving you the actual steps to build the furniture in the first place.

Who Might Still Enjoy This?
• Authors building large-scale fantasy worlds with political or economic intrigue.
• Fans of theoretical or simulation-style design who enjoy the idea of hyper-detailed fantasy realism.
• Worldbuilding enthusiasts looking for inspiration rather than practical tools

Final Thoughts:
Fantasy Economics is best approached as a source of inspiration rather than instruction. While there are kernels of valuable insight—especially around economic pitfalls and high-level concepts—the book lacks the clarity, structure, and practicality needed to make it a worthwhile investment for most writers or game masters. Those deeply invested in the minutiae of fantasy economies may glean a few gems, but for the average creator, the time and money would be better spent elsewhere.

It is incredibly informative and well written

The reimagining of currency was an excellent thought

Yes yes yes yes yes

Received AAA GREAT SUPPORT INFO FOR RPG