EDIT: Actually, allow me to amend that. The biggest risk to pucatrade is that the owner(s) can give themselves any points at all, because if they exchange them for cards then that represents more loss when the system inevitably closes, period. That is the big payoff of the pyramid scheme, is that they can exchange a non-existent entity that will eventually lose all value and which they can generate in infinite quantity, which can then be traded to others for physical value. It is very easy to obscure that, and I'm sure it does happen. The question then becomes how long it's worth risking the use of the system before it shuts down and the value vanishes.
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- AzureShadow
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Oct 3, 2015
AzureShadow posted a message on The Magic Street Journal: Wizards Always Hurts The Ones They LoveJust because it's pyramid scheme doesn't mean it's bad, per say. It provides a service that nowhere else does, just like one could argue that Bitcoin does, albeit an illegal one in that case. It does, though, absolutely fit the textbook definition of what a pyramid scheme is. The initial referers or payees have the highest amount of value in the system, and that collectively decreases as it spreads to the bottom.Posted in: Articles
The biggest risk to pucatrade is that the owner can give himself an account with, say, a few million points and buy up a huge pile of cards, then shut the entire thing down. I don't think that's particularly likely, but it is possible.
EDIT: Actually, allow me to amend that. The biggest risk to pucatrade is that the owner(s) can give themselves any points at all, because if they exchange them for cards then that represents more loss when the system inevitably closes, period. That is the big payoff of the pyramid scheme, is that they can exchange a non-existent entity that will eventually lose all value and which they can generate in infinite quantity, which can then be traded to others for physical value. It is very easy to obscure that, and I'm sure it does happen. The question then becomes how long it's worth risking the use of the system before it shuts down and the value vanishes. -
Jul 31, 2011
AzureShadow posted a message on All is Fair in Love and MarketingHuh. Well that's certainly a different opinion on the whole deal than what I've seen before.Posted in: Mockingbird Blog
I'm inclined to agree with you, for the most part. Sexualization of pretty much anything happens in fantasy environments, so it's come to be expected by me and a few of my friends, who just shrug it off and ignore how silly it is.
An interesting read, for sure. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
If you really want to trudge through the icy wasteland that is New Hampshire I will happily extend you a discount.
I'm sure it will be stressful, but thanks. The store is currently carrying all varieties of retro games along with whatever newer stuff people sell to it, but does not order new games from distributors. We might change that once we've established ourselves, to bring in more buyers, but that's a bit up in the air at this point.
Thanks. Hopefully the management change doesn't cause any customers to change retailers, that's the biggest concern we're looking at for the immediate future.
The former owner is staying on for the first month or so. He's a pretty great guy, and I'm sure he'll have a lot to teach us.
You claim that strategic depth was lost by not having to build around the possibility of losing your commander semi-permanently. Fine. But how much strategic depth was gained by not having a small subset of removal spells be always the best all the time? Now that Hinder and Spell Crumple aren't completely mandatory in blue decks, and Oblation in white decks? Now that answering generals has to be more creative than just hitting the problem with a big hammer?
The place has a pretty large customer base and has been steadily turning a profit for over five years. So like... wow. Exciting and terrifying sums it up pretty nicely.
It has a lot of space that is currently only used once a week for smash tournaments, so I think I'm going to expand it into TCG stuff as well, and run FNMs. I never even remotely planned on my life turning in this direction.
I wish Gruul was less boring. It's somehow even less interesting than Boros or mono-red, with Wort decks really being the only exception I've seen.
If certain commanders are oppressive within your playgroup to the point that you need to permanently remove them to deal with them, that is a problem to be addressed by the social contract, not a rules exception.
But it wouldn't have the same guiding principles as EDH, is what I'm saying.