Investment

Mechanism · VI – Risk & Uncertainty delayed · irreversible / conditional · open / concealed · solo / competitive

Investment trades present sacrifice for uncertain future returns: a stake under uncertainty creates the tension between a safe present and a risky gain.

Design question – How do agents in your game trade present value for uncertain future return?

Reference example – Monopoly: houses cost money now and only pay off when someone lands on the street. Stardew Valley: buying seeds that only yield a harvest days later – if the season lasts. Catan: a development card costs resources now; whether it brings a knight, a victory point or progress is open. Cant Stop (Push Your Luck) · Camel Up (Betting/Wagering) · Cyclades (Sealed Bid)

Structural pattern

Input -> transformation -> output: a present value (stake) becomes a possible future return (gain or loss) via a commitment under uncertainty (risk).

Regulated in permitting mode (what may be invested), constraining mode (minimum and maximum stake; how often one may invest) and conditioning mode (when the stake pays off, fully or partly, and when it is lost). In a game, stakes and returns become specifications.

Design parameters

• Stake type – resources ↔ position/information
• Risk profile – calculable ↔ unknown
• Return profile – binary (all or nothing) ↔ exponential
• Time span – immediate resolution ↔ across the whole game
• Hedging – none ↔ hedging possible
• Information base – complete ↔ none

Related Mechanisms

• Randomization (MEC-20) – Frequently combined: chance as a source of risk.
• Scoring (MEC-09) – Frequently combined: return scoring.
• Deduction (MEC-17) – Frequently combined: assess the risk.
• Decay (MEC-04) – Frequently combined: the investment is lost on failure.

Ludic Organisational Structures

Banking / Credit (core) · Market · Network / Infrastructure · Technology / Research System (dynamic)