"Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels, Kid"

In the world of Wayfaring Strange, Wooden Nickels are what players use to perform most of their character’s actions. They are physical objects that exist simultaneously in the game world and the real world, and make up the backbone of both the in-game and out-of-game economy. While some of these objects are actually wooden nickels, a “Wooden Nickel” can technically be any small, travel-related object imbued with individual pathos. Players may use anything they’d like to represent a Wooden Nickel, from wooden tokens to poker chips, to post cards and subway ticket stubs.

In the game world, Wooden Nickels have power because of their emotional significance. Any tacky souvenir snowglobe from a Florida truckstop won’t do, but the tacky souvenir snowglobe someone bought their ailing mother on their final trip to Miami? That’s a Wooden Nickel. 

Characters collect these objects to harness the energy contained within to perform feats they’d normally struggle with; they can do the impossible, make the mundane magical and even shape miracles. Everyone and everything wants a taste of that power, so Wooden Nickels are the currency of the Wayfaring world. Wooden Nickels used to power Routeworking rituals, are sacrificed (along with many other things) to crossroads entities, used in Talismongering formulas, as admission, room and board, payment for services rendered, and so much more.

Wooden Nickels aren’t the only thing that can power a character’s abilities, however. The Strange itself can lend a hand when characters attempt to do certain things that fall outside the realm of normal human ability. Calling upon the Strange can be somewhat risky, however, as the more you use it, the more it changes you. All Wayfarers are a little bit Strange, but the more Strange Energy someone has, the more they stand out as something different, unwelcome, or unearthly. Some people accept the Strange’s gifts more willingly than others, however, and rumor has it that’s where legends like the Mothman and the Jersey Devil originated.