So I have Harrison Ford's voice echoing in my mind saying: "It ain't that kind of movie, kid." But there's been a lot of development of the Star Wars setting over the decades and maybe there are answers to this. In any case, I need to be able to make sense of a setting in order to run a game there, so I have some more questions.

What are credits? I've watched the Clone Wars and I've seen little gold-coloured bars being passed around. They seem to have markings on them indicating value. What are they - valuable metal? Place holders like our own coins? Or are they like bearer bonds?

Where do credits come from? Presumably the Empire makes them at the Imperial Mint or some such? But then where do the banking clans fit in? There are some references to credits' decreasing value in the Clone Wars cartoons which I really enjoy. I definitely recall Hondo saying "So long as its not in credits!" to (I think) Obi Wan's offer to pay well for something. So that would argue that they're a fiat currency.

Can they be forged? Are there competing currencies? I'm really interested to know how this works.

I think this should answer most of your questions.

The little chips they're passing around in the TV series are credchips. There are several different kinds, and they can range in applications similar to our coins & bills to a cashier's check to a Visa gift card.

They can likely be forged, and can definitely be sliced, though the difficulty for both would probably be rather daunting

In the Empire, there are no real competing currencies. The Imperial Credit is used within the Empire and more widely accepted in the Outer Rim than it was during the days of the Republic. However, there are certain local currencies that are

And of course, outside of the Empire, systems will use their own currency which might have a higher or lower value compared to the Galactic Standard Credit. And there will be certain underworld elements who prefer trading in something more "real" than the credit, such as precious metals, crystals, or gems.

To elaborate on the awesome answer of awayputurwpn:

Those "bars" you see are what smugglers would call "hard credits." These are basically coins with a set value, like the currencies used in our world.

There are also credchips and credit cylinders (and other ways of putting money on a device). These usually have a pre-loaded amount on them (and could be "refilled" by going to the bank), and were used like credit/check cards (funds were withdrawn and transferred) or, if memory serves me correctly, they were just handed over in lieu of handing over large sums and/or transferring funds.

There are ways of slicing the digital forms to appear to be more, but former RPGs set this into the astronomical levels (I think the 30-40 range for d20; it'd be an easy 4-5 difficulty before any upgrades/setbacks in EotE) and failure would destroy the chip. Never a good idea.

I also vaguely remember some forms of credit chips that pull directly from the account, but that may have just been a description of the above.

As for being outside the Empire, awayputurweapon has a good start. Some areas of the galaxy do not use credits as we know them, but rather a local currency. The Corporate Sector does this with its employees, for example. In the times of the Republic, certain areas wouldn't acknowledge Republic credits due to the "reach" of the Republic.

Now, for those who are in the underworld or even the Rebel Alliance, valuable goods were viable, but normally they worked directly with "hard credits" as they were untraceable and were normally accepted everywhere.

In the novel Scoundrels (a must read by the way) it's stated that even the best slicer can't get more than about 0.5% of a cred chip by slicing it, so unless it's in the hundreds of thousands it's probably not worth it.

In a recent thread someone suggested some good house rules for slicing cred sticks, with suggestions for threat/advantage etc. I'm sure a search would find it.

To elaborate on the awesome answer of awayputurwpn:

Those "bars" you see are what smugglers would call "hard credits." These are basically coins with a set value, like the currencies used in our world.

There are also credchips and credit cylinders (and other ways of putting money on a device). These usually have a pre-loaded amount on them (and could be "refilled" by going to the bank), and were used like credit/check cards (funds were withdrawn and transferred) or, if memory serves me correctly, they were just handed over in lieu of handing over large sums and/or transferring funds.

There are ways of slicing the digital forms to appear to be more, but former RPGs set this into the astronomical levels (I think the 30-40 range for d20; it'd be an easy 4-5 difficulty before any upgrades/setbacks in EotE) and failure would destroy the chip. Never a good idea.

I also vaguely remember some forms of credit chips that pull directly from the account, but that may have just been a description of the above.

As for being outside the Empire, awayputurweapon has a good start. Some areas of the galaxy do not use credits as we know them, but rather a local currency. The Corporate Sector does this with its employees, for example. In the times of the Republic, certain areas wouldn't acknowledge Republic credits due to the "reach" of the Republic.

Now, for those who are in the underworld or even the Rebel Alliance, valuable goods were viable, but normally they worked directly with "hard credits" as they were untraceable and were normally accepted everywhere.

True though the Alliance also minted its own credits according to older RPG material. The value varied greatly depending on how one felt about the Alliance as it was worth nothing to Imperials, face value to Alliances sympathizers and roughly twenty Alliance to one Imperial on the black market.,

In the novel Scoundrels (a must read by the way) it's stated that even the best slicer can't get more than about 0.5% of a cred chip by slicing it, so unless it's in the hundreds of thousands it's probably not worth it.

In a recent thread someone suggested some good house rules for slicing cred sticks, with suggestions for threat/advantage etc. I'm sure a search would find it.

In Scoundrels, they stated it had a specific type of encoding that only the owner could access the full credit amount. That isn't to say ALL of them are like that, but rather the really, REALLY good ones . . .

In the novel Scoundrels (a must read by the way) it's stated that even the best slicer can't get more than about 0.5% of a cred chip by slicing it, so unless it's in the hundreds of thousands it's probably not worth it.

In a recent thread someone suggested some good house rules for slicing cred sticks, with suggestions for threat/advantage etc. I'm sure a search would find it.

In Scoundrels, they stated it had a specific type of encoding that only the owner could access the full credit amount. That isn't to say ALL of them are like that, but rather the really, REALLY good ones . . .

Kind of, I guess it's open to interpretation. Here's what he says:

In the novel Scoundrels (a must read by the way) it's stated that even the best slicer can't get more than about 0.5% of a cred chip by slicing it, so unless it's in the hundreds of thousands it's probably not worth it.

In a recent thread someone suggested some good house rules for slicing cred sticks, with suggestions for threat/advantage etc. I'm sure a search would find it.

In Scoundrels, they stated it had a specific type of encoding that only the owner could access the full credit amount. That isn't to say ALL of them are like that, but rather the really, REALLY good ones . . .

Kind of, I guess it's open to interpretation. Here's what he says:

“The money was in credit tabs, one million per. A hip pouch would hold them all.” He hitched his chair a little closer to the table. “But here’s the thing. Credit tabs are keyed to the owner and the owner’s designated agents. With my father now dead, I’m the only one who can get the full value out of them. For anyone else, they’re worth no more than a quarter, maybe half a percent of the face value. And that’s only if Villachor can find a slicer who can get through the security coding.”

He just says "Credit tabs", like everyone would know what they are. They way it's written so matter of fact makes it seem like they're a pretty common item for moving money around. Of course, to your point, that doesn't mean that every 50 cred value credchip is going to have the same security, but the ones discussed don't seem particularly exceptional or unusual.

Valid point. My interpretation was a differentiating between a "credit chip" (like those with their preset values that get thrown around during a sabacc game) and a "credit tab" (which, by this description, sounds like a high security approach, especially since you've quoted "Credit tabs are keyed to the owner and the owner’s designated agents.").

So in my book, hard credits are the coinage, credit chips/cylinders/(insert shape here) are the pre-set values on a device that act as a secure funds transfer (like cashier's checks) or are just handed over, and credit tabs are very secure, high volume ways of carrying credits.

We are in agreement Sir

We are in agreement Sir

Glad we could settle that like gentlebeings. :-)

I realized I hadn't replied to any of these. I was actually just watching and seeing where it went. I guess my questions have been answered - thanks for all the responses.

I am still slightly curious as to the role of the banking guild, assuming it still exists. Does it? I know it only from TCW where Palpatine manages a take-over. Those were absolutely magnificent episodes. I guess it's still there but very much under the Emperor's control, yes?

The Banking Guild still exists and the Muuns still run it. The Empire does monitor it closely, and many of the front counter faces of the Guild are now Human.

The Banking Guild still exists and the Muuns still run it. The Empire does monitor it closely, and many of the front counter faces of the Guild are now Human.

This.

What Empire can run without a large pile of credits to be able to tap into?

So basically

Creds=modern curency
Credchips=prepaid cards
Cred Tabs are like chip and pin credit cards...

Right?

1. Yes. Credits (or "creds") is currency, and in this setting usually refers specifically to Imperial Credits.

2. Credit chips (or "credchips") can be "prepaid cards," though some are untraceable and minted with predetermined monetary values. Credchips can also be linked to financial accounts, like a debit card.

3. I am not too savvy on Cred Tabs. They sound much more secure though, perhaps something for which we don't quite have a direct real-world equivalent.

So basically

Creds=modern curency

Credchips=prepaid cards

Cred Tabs are like chip and pin credit cards...

Right?

1. Yes. Credits (or "creds") is currency, and in this setting usually refers specifically to Imperial Credits.

2. Credit chips (or "credchips") can be "prepaid cards," though some are untraceable and minted with predetermined monetary values. Credchips can also be linked to financial accounts, like a debit card.

3. I am not too savvy on Cred Tabs. They sound much more secure though, perhaps something for which we don't quite have a direct real-world equivalent.

We don't have a real-world equivalent yet, but it'd be like having a pre-paid card that needs a bioscan to prove who you are before cashing anything out.

So basically

Creds=modern curency

Credchips=prepaid cards

Cred Tabs are like chip and pin credit cards...

Right?

1. Yes. Credits (or "creds") is currency, and in this setting usually refers specifically to Imperial Credits.

2. Credit chips (or "credchips") can be "prepaid cards," though some are untraceable and minted with predetermined monetary values. Credchips can also be linked to financial accounts, like a debit card.

3. I am not too savvy on Cred Tabs. They sound much more secure though, perhaps something for which we don't quite have a direct real-world equivalent.

We don't have a real-world equivalent yet, but it'd be like having a pre-paid card that needs a bioscan to prove who you are before cashing anything out.

That's sorta what he means by Chip/Pin Credit cards, the US hasn't moved to these yet, but because of all the Russian and E Euro mafias are getting big on fraud, specifically of US credit cards because of the lax security, the US is moving to these soon.

Interesting fun-fact: US retailers will not be required to upgrade their hardware to use the new cards, but any retailer that doesn't will be held responsible for all fraudulent charges.

So basically

Creds=modern curency

Credchips=prepaid cards

Cred Tabs are like chip and pin credit cards...

Right?

1. Yes. Credits (or "creds") is currency, and in this setting usually refers specifically to Imperial Credits.

2. Credit chips (or "credchips") can be "prepaid cards," though some are untraceable and minted with predetermined monetary values. Credchips can also be linked to financial accounts, like a debit card.

3. I am not too savvy on Cred Tabs. They sound much more secure though, perhaps something for which we don't quite have a direct real-world equivalent.

We don't have a real-world equivalent yet, but it'd be like having a pre-paid card that needs a bioscan to prove who you are before cashing anything out.

That's sorta what he means by Chip/Pin Credit cards, the US hasn't moved to these yet, but because of all the Russian and E Euro mafias are getting big on fraud, specifically of US credit cards because of the lax security, the US is moving to these soon.

Interesting fun-fact: US retailers will not be required to upgrade their hardware to use the new cards, but any retailer that doesn't will be held responsible for all fraudulent charges.

Total tangent, but the USA doesn't have chips in its credit cards? Please tell me you don't use signatures? :/

Actually yes we use signatures because our credit card companies are lazy

Total tangent, but the USA doesn't have chips in its credit cards? Please tell me you don't use signatures? :/

Oh, no... Some merchants, if the transaction is under certain dollar amounts (say $20) won't even ask for a signature.

Now that the issue of what credits are seems to be under control, do you know of alternative currencies in the galaxy? In The Long Arm of the Hutt adventure I remember the heroes getting credits in the form of Hutt Cartel Tokens, which are considered just as good as credits as long as you are in Hutt space, once outside of Hutt space they might suddenly get worthless (and the opposite was clearly true during the Republic era as shown by Watto in TPM).

Now that the issue of what credits are seems to be under control, do you know of alternative currencies in the galaxy? In The Long Arm of the Hutt adventure I remember the heroes getting credits in the form of Hutt Cartel Tokens, which are considered just as good as credits as long as you are in Hutt space, once outside of Hutt space they might suddenly get worthless (and the opposite was clearly true during the Republic era as shown by Watto in TPM).

I previously mentioned the script used in the Corporate Sector.

Some areas also mint their own currencies, but they aren't spoken about too often from the books I read. Most places do accept Republic/Imperial/"GALAXY-WIDE GOVERNMENT" Credits, but that doesn't stop places in the rim with little or not contact with the Core Worlds from making their own currency.

What about republic dataries. It was what Qui Gon was trying to use

Wow. I honestly can't remember when chip and pin came in, in the UK. I mean I remember it starting to appear, but not the year. Late 1990s, I would say? Fraud must cost the credit card companies a lot of money in the USA is all I can say!

Well anyway, I reckon I have my answers. A lot of people will have credtabs which are also fun. But there are still hard credits which means my players can be handed a briefcase filled with golden credits which is just the gangster-style atmosphere I want.

Thanks all! This has been really helpful.

What about republic dataries. It was what Qui Gon was trying to use

Huh. I replied without even realizing we'd gone to page two. I've no idea what these are. Interesting. And it sounds like Imperial credits are the US dollar or Euro of the Galaxy.