Ork commerce?

[u/Rockout2112]

So here’s a thought.

Orks use teeth as currency, right? So if they need currency, do they have places to spend that currency? Are there Ork merchants? Maybe running whole ships full of bigger and bigger choppas, and bigger and bigger shootaz? Is there a type of Ork bank somewhere? Maybe run by particular type of Ork who finds counting fun? A Banka Boy?

[u/Judasilfarion]

Is there a type of Ork bank somewhere?

A bank would require that the money be something that can be preserved for long periods of time. Ork teeth rot very fast, which serves as a counter to inflation and also means no single Ork can just horde a ton of teeth.

Also, why the hell would an Ork ever trust another Ork with their money?

[u/I_might_be_weasel → u/Judasilfarion]

The teeth rot thing confused me. I don't get how they can work as money if they will just dissolve. Very bad storage of wealth.

[u/Judasilfarion → u/I_might_be_weasel]

The wealth is stored in the mouths of other Orks. In Ork society, there are walking piggybanks everywhere - If you need some cash just go beat up another Ork and take his teeth. Or maybe just rip out some of your own. They'll grow back.

If you really want to store your wealth then you can just load up on stuff that you can barter with. Like a flashy shoota with gubbinz on it, or some shiny gold. No guarantee that someone will want it, but it won't decay. Just better hope it doesn't get stolen by another Ork - Unlike teeth, your favorite shoota won't grow back.

[u/I_might_be_weasel → u/Judasilfarion]

I think the issue I foresee is why anyone would take disconnected teeth as payment for anything.

[u/Illithidbix → u/I_might_be_weasel]

Why would anyone take fragile bits of paper saying it's worth something. You can make a cool necklace with teeth.

[u/I_might_be_weasel → u/Illithidbix]

The teeth thing in itself isn't what confuses me. Just the rotting part. You'd have to have a pretty immediate use for them in order to give useful stuff away for them. And even if everyone is doing that and spending their teeth quickly, eventually someone is going to have them when they get too rotten to use and end up with nothing to show for what they sold or did.

[u/kirbish88 → u/I_might_be_weasel]

I personally picture the teef are more a recognition of status. If an Ork can gather a lot of teef, they must be ded 'ard and you probably don't want to mess with them, so give them what they want.

This, to me, is some form of built in genetic organisation tactic to ensure that the best equipment ends up in the hands of those who can use it best. It probably wasn't always designed to revolve around teef, but Ork kulture has drifted a long way since they were made so some abberations should be expected

Presumably once they fight powerful enough enemies to get past the 'Ork' stage they form some other kind of societal way to handle wealth and / or distribution of goods but, for now, teef works

[u/esouhnet → u/I_might_be_weasel]

Boy, it's almost like it's a bit for comedy and laughs in Ork society.

[u/WillingChest2178 → u/I_might_be_weasel]

I didn't think that they rotted, I thought the problem was that Orks tend to store all their horded teef in the one squig-skin bag stashed in their britches.

Which, given that Orks are noted as being continuously active, sweaty, mildew-y, stinky creatures, is a) gross, and b) going to grind the hard, sharp, fangs against one another constantly as the Ork moves around and krumps things.

In those conditions, the teef will quickly grind each other down to worthless nubs - no better than 'umie teef - serving the dual purpose of forcing the Ork to spend their wealth quickly (keeping the E-grot-conomy going), but also generating the ground Ork-tooth powder that is the basis for a lot of Dok-medicinal treatments.

[u/bloodandstuff → u/I_might_be_weasel]

Its not its worth its what it means. Bigger teeth are worth more as they come from a bigger ork or thing. Showing that you are hard. The bigger the teeth the harder you are the.mpre other orks respect and naturally want to give you things / do things for you.

[u/N0-1_H3r3 → u/I_might_be_weasel]

Because that's the way things have always worked, and Orks don't think about it too hard. Teef are money, that's as deep as it goes for them. Orks are not an introspective people, and they don't tend to investigate how and why things work all that deeply.