Beads for trade, crafting, and art. Oh, and ivory while we're at it.

[Call me Arty]

 The tribes have a definite place in Rimworld. I personally really like the idea of the cultural and technological clash, and I know that many other players enjoy the occasional tribal playthrough. However, I think we can all agree that there's not much that really gives the impression that you're playing as a tribe, rather than people who just don't have power yet. Implementation of elements such as the ikwa, and headdress/masks are going in the right direction, but it's still missing something.

Beads could add that cultural element that tribes are missing. Now, it's not just stereotyping I'm going off of here. The tribes in Rimworld don't really have too much of specific background that they reference, so it's safe to say that they can borrow elements from various indigenous groups.

With that in mind, tribes have a neat place in the world when it comes to currency: they didn't use metal or coins, often due to issues with forging the metal in the first place. Even groups that had access to such techniques - such as those native to South America - forged gold into symbols of status or art rather than currency and tools. Silver may make plenty of sense for Outlanders and Pirates who could figure that shiny = value, and would rather use valuable steel and components for food preservation or weapons rather than paper money printers. Beads, meanwhile, have remained a center of trade, art, and culture even in places that have been colonized, or at least introduced to the first world. It's safe to say that tribes of the Rim might find some importance in them as well.

Traditionally, beads are made of bone, coral, horn, ivory, seeds, shells, stones and pearls. We currently have access to three of those: Horn (Thrumbos), ivory (Elephants), and stones, the rest are featured in mods or we could just hope for future updates. However, it's not difficult to imagine the antlers/horns of creatures such as cows, deer, rhinos, jackalope Tynan plz, and ibex rams potentially getting the attention that only our largest creatures have attained. Perhaps some sort of overhaul is in order. That aside, I would figure that beads could be made from those available materials at generic crafting spots in small quantities, and in bulk at a stonecutting table. Logically, I'd expect a quantity of beads roughly equivalent to the value in silver of the bricks you didn't make by instead converting a stone chunk to beads, and a similar conversion for the stabby-face-bits. After that, just get a pile of beads, possibly a higher quantity than silver but with a lower value per bead than silver, but that would likely just overly complicate things.

First thing's first: Why use beads for trade? Well, for one, tribes historically aren't very mountainous. It's just harder to farm, build, and traverse them. Additionally, they often lacked the ability to smelt the metal in any reliable or very efficient way, meaning that silver wouldn't be too common. Beads, however, would be. Native Americans had buffalo, deer, elk, moose, and a great deal of other large game with horns and antlers (and bones but we don't have those yet). Similiarly, everything that you could actually chase down and wasn't actively trying to kill you in Africa tended to have horns (and lots of thick bones c'mon Tynan). It'd make a fair bit of sense. Also, I just looked up the mass of silver so that I could argue that you could carry more beads because they'd be lighter. Silver has a mass of 0.007. A berry has a mass of 0.05. One berry weighs over seven times as much as a chunk of silver what the hell they'd free-up trading by giving you a way to make passive money (converting horns and stones to a currency without needing to have a trader around, and if you're having a hard time with low-speech pawns or traders buying what you're selling), in addition to weighing less than silver does (assuming there was a logical change to metal: silver weighs a bit more than steel, though gold weighs almost twice as much as steel for the same density in the real world). Finally, it could free-up silver for those who might prefer to use it for weapons, sterile tiles, and furniture/structures. Meanwhile, you could totally use beads for say, adding some more flavor to tribal clothing than just the tribal wear if you really want an additional use for them.

Also, I just liked the flavor in the currency of Fallout New Vegas, where there are two major warring factions trying to establish their currency in the area. Just kinda makes sense.

P.S. Again, we should have horns and antlers dropping off of more creatures than two. I want a hunting lodge with a buncha trophies on it. It would also help with plains tribals making beads, under the assumption beads are seriously considered.

Sources:
The Importance of Beads and Beadwork in African Culture
When did the Indians start making glass beads?
How did Plains Indians get glass beads?
Trade beads

P.P.S. I would also welcome glass (love this guy) beads, but I feel like ivory is enough requests from me for one day.

[dogui]

+1
From the moment I discovered this forum I bother everyone with my posts asking for a more realistic game, rising complexity and diversification. This idea you explain us so carefully goes into this direction so I completely agree with you.

[Call me Arty]

+1
From the moment I discovered this forum I bother everyone with my posts asking for a more realistic game, rising complexity and diversification. This idea you explain us so carefully goes into this direction so I completely agree with you.

Why thank you, in almost six hundred posts I've had maybe five genuinely nice and kind comments, I appreciate it.

[Klomster]

And some nice wooden and stone tiny sculptures.

They would be another valuables item.
Obsidian necklaces, small prayer figurines and random sculptures. Something the pawn would simply have in their inventory and give some sort of misc bonus.

A prayer figure could boost the mood gain from prayer for example.
A fine necklace could boost social. Or just give more success on courting or something.

And of course the simple money value.
I like the idea.