D20: It’s How We Roll

Yes Rodney, you are clearly a few digits short of a power of ten.

A few cards short of a full deck.

A few rounds short of a full compliment.

A few points short of your next level.

A few kobolds short of a clan.

A few pips short of a die.

A few faces short of an icosahedron.

A few crows short of a murder.

A few Klingons short of a con.

10. Never underestimate the value of swift, decisive action.
– Sir Cedric v. Black Dragon of Skull Mountain

9. It’s only worth it if the risk is matched by the reward.
– Sir Cedric v. Illithid Community of Dark Center

8. Sometimes the reward can be greater than expected.
– Sir Cedric v. A Bear

7. If it’s free, there’s usually a reason for it. Especially if it’s free and on Usenet.
– Sir Cedric v. Fox Woman

6. No matter how bad the situation looks, if you take 20 you can generally find a way out.
– Sir Cedric in the Labyrinth of Illusion

5. Things that look strangely out of place should be handled with care.
– Sir Cedric v. Duck in the Dungeon (see also #7)

4. It never hurts to be nice to your boss (or DM).
– Rodney v. Chocolate and Guinness

3. Sometimes all it takes is a little initiative.
– Sir Cedric v. Gallery of Rogues

2. The finer the garments, the less trustworthy the person.
– Sir Cedric v. Dark Lord Shaddok

1. There is no puzzle that can’t be solved with a sharp enough axe.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about geeks and the economy lately, which is not exactly abnormal. That, combined with the latest fed announcement, got me to wondering how many economists are geeks themselves. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew I had made these:

Character Sheet for Ben Bernanke:
High Lord Bernanke - pdf
High Lord Bernanke - PCGen

And for those of you (you know who you are) who have been asking yourself the immortal question “Who would win in a fight, Ben Bernanke or Alan Greenspan?” I made this:

Character Sheet for Alan Greenspan:
Baron Von Greenspan - pdf
Baron Von Greenspan - PCGen

If you’re wondering why High Lord Bernanke has a negative level, it’s because he’s occupying a space previously occupied by Baron Von Greenspan.

This is interesting.

It’s not the first time I’ve heard of such a thing. There’s been plenty of talk about the economy of virtual worlds. Not just from the ivory towers, either. Plenty of uber geeks have spent significant amounts of time extolling the wonders of WoW’s pure capitalism.

To those folks, I have two things to say:
A. Put down The Fountainhead and walk away.
2. Since scarcity is essentially controlled by Blizzard, it matches the model of a perfect mixed economy better than a perfect capitalist economy.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that. It’s still completely fascinating, though. If I was still in grad school I’d totally do a thesis on this.