The System: A Three-Way Divide

Building a Dystopian Economy: Creds, Fires, and the Legacy Dollar

When you're building a dystopian world, it's easy to focus on the big things: the tyrannical government, the high-tech surveillance, the epic rebellion. But the most compelling worlds are built from the ground up, starting with the smallest details.

In my Edenverse series, I wanted to explore how a society's value system could be manipulated for control. So, I built a three-tiered currency system that reveals a character's social standing and worldview with every transaction.

The System: A Three-Way Divide

In the world to come, money is no longer simple. There are Creds, Fires, and a ghost of a currency from a time before: the Dollar.

• Creds: This is the official currency. It's the money the government wants you to use. It's stable on the surface but is subject to manipulation, inflation, and government control. It’s the currency of the obedient citizen.
• Fires: This is the black market currency. Its value is tied to the energy cost of manufacturing an item. Since this value is based on a real-world, physical metric, it's impossible for the government to inflate or devalue. It's the currency of the powerful, the defiant, and the black market.
• The Dollar ($): This is a relic from the past. While it's no longer official tender, everyone knows its value. It's the currency of the elderly, the history buffs, and those who cling to the old world and its way of life.

Here’s a look at how those values break down in the world of the Edenverse, using some familiar examples:

Item	Real-World Cost	Cost in Creds	Cost in Fires
New Sedan	~$25,000	50 Creds	5,000 Fires
Laptop	~$1,500	3 Creds	300 Fires
Gallon of Gasoline	~$4	0.008 Creds	0.8 Fires
Cup of Coffee	~$5	0.01 Creds	1 Fire

How Currency Reveals Social Status

The kind of money a character has reveals everything about them. A low-ranking citizen might only ever see Creds, using them to buy daily necessities while remaining entirely dependent on the system.

A powerful figure, however, might use Fires as their preferred currency. They would see Creds as worthless and easily manipulated, while a store of Fires represents true, unchangeable wealth. A smuggler might refuse to accept Creds, holding out for Fires to know they're getting a "true" value for their goods.

The rarest currency, however, is the Dollar. While it has no official value, someone who possesses a physical Dollar is seen as someone with immense wealth or someone who is anachronistically clinging to a past that no longer exists. They might be respected or mocked for it, but they are never seen as ordinary. The presence of the dollar also shows the world is still in flux, still coming to terms with the changes.

A Powerful Storytelling Tool

This system creates natural conflict and plot points for my series. A character's journey can be mapped by their relationship with currency—starting with a handful of Creds and struggling to get their first Fire, or discovering that a villain's true wealth is measured in smuggled Fires.

As a writer, a detailed currency system is a fantastic way to add realism to your world and reinforce your story's themes. If you're a fellow writer, I encourage you to think about more than just numbers. Think about what your money says about the people who use it.

What kind of economic system would your world have? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!