385 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
385 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
# ECONOMY-ROMAN-0001
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## Roman Money, Spending Power, and Economic Scale
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### Status: Canonical Economy Seed
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### Layer: OTIVM (Roman Merchant)
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### Purpose: Define how money is earned, accumulated, mobilized, and experienced in the Roman epoch; translate coin values into meaningful purchasing power
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### Repository Path: docs/economy/ECONOMY-ROMAN-0001.md
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---
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## 0. Design Intent
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Coins alone do not explain wealth.
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In Roman life, economic power came from a combination of:
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- coin in hand
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- goods in storage
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- debts owed to you
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- people willing to help you
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- rights you can enforce
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- tools and animals you control
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- reputation that opens doors
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- information received before others
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- land or productive assets
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This document prevents a false economy where all value is reduced to one wallet number.
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For OTIVM, money must mean **command over resources**.
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---
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## 1. Three Forms of Money
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## 1.1 Coin Stock
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Immediate currency held physically.
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- asses
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- sestertii
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- denarii
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- aurei
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Used for wages, purchases, tolls, lodging, food, and rapid deals.
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## 1.2 Purchasing Power
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What current holdings can actually buy **here and now**.
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Affected by:
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- local shortages
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- season
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- city congestion
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- military demand
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- rumors
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- transport cost
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One denarius in Ostia during abundance is different from one denarius during panic.
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## 1.3 Credit Capacity
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What value can be mobilized beyond current coins.
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Affected by:
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- AVCTORITAS
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- CLIENTELA
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- collateral
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- IVS_ACCESSVS
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- prior reliability
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A respected man with little coin may command more than a stranger with a purse.
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---
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## 2. Currency Ladder (Working Standard)
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Use as gameplay shorthand.
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| Unit | Relative Value |
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|---|---|
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| 1 aureus | 25 denarii |
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| 1 denarius | 4 sestertii |
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| 1 denarius | 16 asses |
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| 1 sestertius | 4 asses |
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Recommended internal storage unit: **as**
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Display unit should scale automatically.
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---
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## 3. How Money Is Created
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## 3.1 Lowest Labourer
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Creates money by selling time and strength.
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Examples:
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- porter
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- dock hand
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- hauler
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- cleaner
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- kiln worker
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- seasonal field hand
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Income fragile. Missed work means missed food.
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## 3.2 Skilled Worker
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Creates money by transforming inputs into higher-value outputs.
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Examples:
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- smith
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- carpenter
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- wheelwright
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- mason
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- scribe
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Skill creates premium over raw labour.
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## 3.3 Shopkeeper / Retail Trader
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Creates money through margin and turnover.
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- buys low
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- sells conveniently
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- profits from location and repeat custom
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## 3.4 Merchant (MERCATOR)
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Creates money through:
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- regional price differences
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- timing
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- transport
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- bulk purchasing
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- information advantage
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- risk selection
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This is the OTIVM core loop.
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## 3.5 Creditor / Investor
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Creates money through capital deployment.
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- FAENVS
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- partnership shares
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- debt purchase
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- rebuild finance
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- collateral capture
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Money earns without direct labour.
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## 3.6 Elite Asset Holder
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Creates money through ownership.
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- rents
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- estates
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- tax privileges
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- patronage leverage
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- monopolized access
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---
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## 4. Everyday Spending Power
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Working bands only. Use ranges.
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| Item | Range | Unit | Confidence |
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|---|---:|---|---|
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| cheap bread / snack | 0.25–1 | as | Low |
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| modest meal | 1–4 | asses | Low |
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| bath entry | 0.25–1 | as | Low |
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| cheap lodging | 1–4 | asses/night | Low |
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| lamp oil small amount | 0.5–2 | asses | Low |
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| sandals repair | 2–8 | asses | Low |
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Meaning:
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Small coin matters.
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---
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## 5. Daily Income Bands
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| Role | Working Daily Income |
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|---|---|
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| unskilled labourer | 4–12 asses |
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| porter in active port | 4–16 asses |
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| artisan | 8–24 asses |
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| trusted clerk | 12–32 asses |
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| factor / agent | variable + commission |
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Volatility matters as much as rate.
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---
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## 6. Merchant Scale Bands
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| Liquid Capital | Meaning |
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|---|---|
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| under 1 denarius | survival stress |
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| 1–5 denarii | petty trading possible |
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| 5–20 denarii | small speculation |
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| 20–100 denarii | credible merchant action |
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| 100–500 denarii | multi-venture operator |
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| 500–2,000 denarii | financier-merchant |
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| 2,000+ denarii | city-shaping actor |
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Gameplay bands, not census classes.
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---
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## 7. Why Some Men Are Richer Than Their Purse
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## Reputation Wealth
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High AVCTORITAS grants:
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- trust
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- deferred payment
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- introductions
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- better contract terms
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## Network Wealth
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Strong CLIENTELA grants:
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- early information
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- labour on request
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- witness access
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- temporary liquidity
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## Asset Wealth
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Low coin but owns:
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- cart
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- mule
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- tools
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- storage rights
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- workshop share
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- inventory
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## Household Wealth
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Multiple disciplined earners can outperform a careless rich man.
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---
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## 8. Why Some Men Are Poorer Than Their Purse
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Coin leaks through:
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- debt
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- rent
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- dependents
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- status display
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- bribes / fees
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- losses in transit
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- idle inventory
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- bad habits
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A Noble Younger Son with 50 denarii may be weaker than a Freedman Trader with 15.
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---
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## 9. Scenario Meaning of Money
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## Bronze Forge Fire
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10 denarii of tools may matter more than 100 denarii of furniture.
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## Timber Yard Fire
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Cheap planks missing can raise many prices.
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## FAENVS Offer
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50 denarii lent well may outperform 50 denarii traded badly.
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---
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## 10. Dynamic Pricing Rule
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Avoid static prices.
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Use:
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```text
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price = base_price × city_modifier × season_modifier × scenario_modifier × urgency_modifier
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```
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Examples:
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- fire raises tools
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- dock congestion raises porter wages
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- shortage raises grain
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- panic lowers distressed asset prices
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---
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## 11. Recommended Parameters
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| Token | Meaning |
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| coin_stock | coin held |
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| liquiditas | deployable value |
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| purchasing_power_index | local buying strength |
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| credit_capacity | borrowable / commandable value |
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| burn_rate_daily | unavoidable expenses |
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| venture_threshold | minimum viable capital |
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| status_cost_index | cost of appearances |
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| household_support_load | dependents burden |
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| idle_inventory_drag | trapped capital |
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---
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## 12. Player Experience Rule
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Early game:
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every as matters.
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Mid game:
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every denarius matters.
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Late game:
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reputation and access matter more than coins alone.
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The economy should mature with the actor.
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---
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## 13. Confidence Notes
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Roman prices vary by:
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- century
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- region
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- legal status
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- source quality
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- war conditions
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- harvest conditions
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Use ranges and uncertainty tags.
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Never imply modern payroll precision.
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---
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## 14. Repository Use
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Internal simulation substrate. Not player-facing text.
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Use to support:
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- starting funds
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- wages
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- venture balancing
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- city modifiers
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- scenario rewards
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- lending scale
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- actor asymmetry
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---
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## 15. Canonical Success Condition
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If the participant stops asking:
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“How many coins do I have?”
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and starts asking:
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“What can these coins command here, today, through me?”
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then this document is functioning correctly.
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