Re: (TFT) Building economics

["Jay Carlisle" <selfinflicted_wounds@boardermail.com>]

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John J Hyland" <johnnyboytmm@juno.com>

> The above described town is only self sustaining, no profit.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> A littleeconomic nit picking here.
> 
> That is not entirely true.  No agricultural exports maybe, but 
> there is profit there.  The farmers raise more than they consume, 
> and sell the rest, so theygenerate a profit.  The other townsfolk 
> who buy and consume the produce do something to earn at least 
> enough to buy the food (else they would starve, or have to abandon 
> their trades and grow food themselves) Technically, if they were 
> rational actors they would only engage in another activity if it 
> were more profitable than farming, but most people are not that 
> rational.
> 
> A town such as this would be a pretty robust economic scene due to 
> some real productive agriculture it could support a large trade and 
> administration  class.  Or a warrior class in dangerous areas.
> 
> I kinda like the idea though, it gives a sense of the extended 
> community to support a 1000 person town.
> 
> John

Absolutly right John.
Except there's a couple of things I didn't tell you. Remember how I said I write every item in the game on an index card? That includes every single coin or other units of money. EVERY ONE. There is only x $s in Joeton period.
Party finds a huge tresure?
Watch inflation kick in QUICK.
Party finds the Hope Diamond?
All the money in Joeton couldn't buy it for what it's worth.

Remember how I can pull resources form the World Book? If there's no mine near Joeton then metal is gonna be more expensive and what metal does come in is probably going to be used for tools, not weapons.
(the Inuit got iron for their harpoon tips and other tools form meteors.) That could make Joeton a town of clubs and quarterstaffs rather than knifes and swords. (Spears for the military?)

I agree that there would be economics going on. My thought was that the Lord is making no profit here. What's happing is the day to day routines with no primary production going on but agraculture. Useing the 6 farmers can feed themselves and 4 others ratio then there really is no surplus food unless it's a bumper crop year but that's in downtime. 

This stuff is all so interconnected that it's tough to isolate a single topic sometimes.



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