Everything I Know about Economics, I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons

02 Aug Everything I Know about Economics, I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons

These are the Rules of Fantasy Economics:

Rule 1: Everyone has roughly the exact same amount of money and/or property as everyone else of his or her respective experience-point total. Except at character creation, obviously, where some people totally get the shaft, which sucks … but “being poor” and “staying poor” are two very different things.

Only about 99.9% of all people — specifically those who lack the initiative to spend every dollar they own on studded leather and a knife and to abandon their families for the open road on a mad, bloodthirsty whim — ever really STAY poor.

Subrule A: If you find that you have too much cash or too much stuff or god-help-you a game-unbalancingly tough Artifact of Nigh-Unlimitless Powerfulish-ness, then something quite unexpected will very soon happen to take it away.

If you hold on tight to it, something VERY BAD will happen, you will still lose your cool shit, possibly some limbs, and you will learn an invaluable lesson about tempting fate.

Subrule B: If you have too little cash, you are going to find some very soon. If things get a bit rough and you are looking at an long and unpleasant future of abject poverty, then rest assured that one of your close friends will soon gladly loan you several years’ salary at literally no interest for the foreseeable future, and possibly ad infinitum.

Rule 2: Money cannot make more money. Investing in businesses is a fool’s bargain: stores burn down, castles crumble, merchants and/or bandits will constantly steal your shit, and you will never, ever make a dime. Ever.

It is far wiser to invest in non-depreciable items like swords, hats and magic boots. Likewise, the things that you need to do your job (boats, armor, weapons, rope and horses, for example) do not depreciate at all and may be used forever unless somehow completely destroyed.

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