Economics roleplay

[Glasswing]

So, I would like to just start off by saying that it is midnight, and I am mentally tired. I don't know if the basic premise is even workable. I would appreciate spitballing.

Anyhow, I was writing an essay about the pros and cons of fiat currency over representative currency. While doing this, I had my "The Keep 2.0" open, or whatever version I have, and I was trying to come up with ideas while also making inkblots on wax paper (I just might post a picture or two). I was doing a lot of unrelated things, yes. I leaned back in my chair, lazily typing very contrived ideas. Suddenly, I had the genius idea of mixing my essay thesis with my roleplay idea. At this point, I have only come up with that core idea. As I said earlier, I would appreciate questions, criticisms, and spitballing; it'll help me get to where I need to go. Those who find the basic premise interesting and wish to contribute, feel free to shoot me a PM and we can collaborate if you oh so desire.

I will be posting updates here. One of the first things I will work on is conflict; every good story has an idea to get across, or a conflict to solve. 


"Stuff I need to think about" checklist:

• What is the conflict or potential conflicts?
  
• Who or what does the roleplay focus on?
  
• What kind of government(s)/economy(ies) are involved?
  
• What currencies are we using, and what kind of buying power do they have?
  
• How does the economy tie in with the conflict(s)?
  
• What kind of roles will people be participating in?
  
• What sort of era does this take place in?
  
• Other additions to the "Stuff I need to think about" Checklist (Henceforth, the SINTTA Checklist; it is much like Santa, but more tedious and disappointing.)
  

 

[RatFlail]

CGP Grey recently put out an excellent video on YouTube about the relationship between politics and the economy. I recommend that you check it out. Remember that the economy is about the control of resources, and their distribution is its primary purpose. Everything else is philosophy and marketing.


RPwise, it looks like you are on the right track for getting ideas, but I don't see what sort of emotions that you want from the narrative. You could fit economic themes into almost any genre. Don't let too many ideas muddy your arc, though, because it'll make things too difficult to implement effectively. A single idea that is well-executed feels more satisfying than a half dozen ideas that don't gel with each other.

 

[Glasswing]

Oh yeah. I was too tired to even think of that. I watched CGP Grey's video a couple days ago; that is a really good starting point to work with. That being said, I am very much aware that resources are the driving force of an economy.


In terms of the RP, the reason why it doesn't have any emotional appeal yet is because I just kinda said, "Hey, why not an economic roleplay?", and that was it; Economics was just the starting point, and after 10 hours of sleep, I have considered two scenarios: Poverty, or, like in CGP Grey's video, power and rule. 


Lastly, I have made a couple Rps before: some successful. some not so successful. I have learned about how too many neat little bells and whistles will ruin and RP; It's like a "too many cooks in the kitchen" sort of deal.

I do very much appreciate you input. It certainly helped give me more ideas, and it gave me a bit more perspective on how I should execute this. Even with the things I knew about, I didn't even really think about them.

 

[RatFlail]

Well, I guess you could start by deciding where you want the players on the social ladder. Are they bureaucrats? Capitalists? Merchants? Workers?


Once that is decided, we can narrow down the types of adventures that you'd like to develop, and how they fit in with those roles.

 

[CJWrites]

If you're thinking about an econ roleplay... 


I know Hamilton: An American Musical is really popular right now and its about Alexander Hamilton who was the First Treasury Secretary of the US and wrote many of the Washington Administration's policies. I bet plenty of people would be willing to RP Hamilton.


He argued for the creating of a national debt and a national bank. and almost single-handedly stabalized the US currency, which had previously been through the toilet as Congress thought printing money would solve everything, and paid off the national debt which was incurred from fighting the American Revolution.


Thomas Jefferson tried to take the Bank down his treasury secretary (who first agreed with Jefferson) responded with "‘I have found the most perfect system ever formed. Any change that should be made in it would injure it. Hamilton made no blunders, committed no frauds. He did nothing wrong." When Andrew Jackson vetoed the renewal of the bank, it crashed the entire US economy and is arguably the worst fiscal policy decision in US history. Hamilton was a man whose visions of economics were decades ahead of their time, who has been accused of being an elitist lining the pockets of the rich but one who saw that strong credit meant strong economies, and whose popularity has waxed and waned with the popularity of bankers and businessman. 


If you want to do something less... optimistic, the South Sea Bubble is an Extra Credits did an episode on it and it was basically insider trading on a massive scale with government debt, debt which is still being paid off today. It also allowed Britain's first prime minister to come to power. 

 

[White Masquerade]

Hi there. Ambitious. I will throw something your way.


If this is about economics, you might as well make it a TCG based roleplay. As in players summon and collect cards of different values to do things. Each player would have a set monetary pool that increases or decrease depending on the Econ stunts they pull.


Example. Player 1 pulls out his rare, one of a kind in the world "Taxation Without Representation," card.


Every other player IC that does not own a "Representation," card gets X points stolen.


You can label different ideas of Econ with card effects that mirror them.