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[Abram Jones]

I've been working on a list of economic games that have financial features that are dynamic with the game industry for several years now. From 2023 and 2024 there seems to be a dry spell within this classification of games, which is not uncommon. The games don't have to necessarily be from this time frame as I have games on the list that go back to the mid 1900s. I would imagine some of you here might come up with some ideas. I have been here before to check but it has been several years. Here is a link to all games I have on the list so far: https://economicgames.nfshost.com/sfeg/

Games on this list must have industrial mechanics that are dynamic with at least 1 of the following financial tools: shares, debt, currency. At least 1 industrial function must be distinct from other functions in the game. The financial tool must also be dynamic with the industry, as opposed to static or random. Below is a brief description of the requirements for each type.

• Shares: Shares must be able to raise funds directly by the entity that issues them. This disqualifies the majority of "stock market" games.
• Debt: Lenders must be dynamic entities within the game, whether they are NPCs or other players. This disqualifies games that offer static debt from a bottomless or dormant entity.
• Currency: At least 1 type of currency must have value that is dynamic with player actions that impact the industry. This can be done with an equation that determines value based on economic results or through market value... but not randomness. This disqualifies most games as they only use static currencies. Often games with dynamic currency allow players to mint or print currency.

If anyone is interested I have formed groups at various places for those interested in such economic and business games: https://economicgames.nfshost.com/sfeg/community.htm

[lastverb]

Looks like both games I would immediately put on that list already are there. So, I will do what people of my country are known to do the best - complain... about a page. Two things:

• Having completely separate column width for each table makes it unreadable, unless you want to make it readable only for bots.
• Not having any link for entries makes a list lacking. Anything would do - wikipedia, producer webpage, steam or whatever most popular tabletop listing webpage is.

[McTraveller]

You should probably add Prosperous Universe (https://prosperousuniverse.com).

It has:

• shares in player-run corporations
• private contracts
• all goods are priced by player markets (with somewhat hard-coded min/max price for goods, to get the money supply going.)
• at least 4 currencies (might be more now, there were 4 when I played), with a currency exchange market
• fairly significant free-to-play features, but to unlock some features you need a subscription. I wouldn't call it pay-to-win though.

I played for a while, but then stopped because it was consuming too much of my attention. It also had a few annoying aspects, but if you like market trading and empire building, it's not bad.

I haven't even read the blogs/etc. in over a year, so it might have more features by now.

[Djohaal]

Best economic game I've enjoyed was trevor chan's capitalism. It has an updated version even at https://www.capitalismlab.com/
It doesn't fulfill all your criteria, but I think its worth mentioning

[Radsoc]

Railroad Tycoon springs to mind, but you got it there. Workers and Resources Soviet Republic has debt, currencies.

[Salmeuk]

sovereignty
A game is considered to have this functionality if 1. Instruments such as taxes (including tribute and tariffs), property zoning, and government regulations can be implemented that can dynamically impact the game economy or 2. There is a distinction between sovereign status and ownership over territory or property.

industry
This includes any process regarding production or service a player can partake in during the game that is not financial or social in nature, and does not involve combat or crime. Some common examples industrial sectors are manufacturing and construction, hunting and gathering, transportation, management of real estate, farming and fishing, mining and logging, dealing insurance, developing technology, and healthcare.

dear lord, the brain fungus is deep with this one. . I would laugh but our current economic systems are run by guys like this. 'please mom, don't mix the potatoes and the carrots!' its pure ideology

[Abram Jones]

Looks like both games I would immediately put on that list already are there. So, I will do what people of my country are known to do the best - complain... about a page. Two things:

• Having completely separate column width for each table makes it unreadable, unless you want to make it readable only for bots.
• Not having any link for entries makes a list lacking. Anything would do - wikipedia, producer webpage, steam or whatever most popular tabletop listing webpage is.

I do provide links when they are available. Just click on the game creators names that are underlined. Furthermore, I have created categories that all of these games can fit into. Any game that I found a link for can be clicked on.  A lot of these are older games so they do not have a link: http://economicgames.nfshost.com/

[Malus]

Lords and Villeins (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1287530/Lords_and_Villeins/) is definitely a "dynamic economic game" but it doesn't quite fit into the categories you outlined. The entire gameplay loop involves managing your medieval village's economy, because every good is affected by supply and demand (there is a simulated order book for price discovery) and villagers need to be able to trade with each other to fulfill their needs. So taxes and church tithes, which are highly configurable, are zero sum. Money only enters into the system through either exports to "travelling merchants" or via minting coins (which is done by an artisan family, who must be able to purchase the raw gold/silver/copper + fuel to smelt them and profitably convert to coinage -- which is not a given, if you haven't set up those industries).
Even something as simple as construction has to be contracted out to a mason or carpenter family, which the buyer has to pay for. "Plots" (which are the basic form of land ownership) can have their taxes configured in one of three ways: "fee farm", where the holder pays you a set amount per month in gold; "stewardry" where you pay them per month but in return receive 100% of their produced goods, and "socage" (the default), where they simply pay a set percentage of their production per month but no money changes hands.

The system is very dynamic and you can encounter all kinds of interesting crises as a result of mismanagement, e.g., your peasants can "dry up" the money supply, purchasing clothes/tools/other consumables from travelling merchants without balancing exports, leading to a deflationary spiral (barter is not implemented, so transactions require coinage). I'd say it's not a very *good* game (maybe a 6/10, there are some serious gameplay issues), but it's very interesting and simulates the economic matters in a way I've never seen before in the genre.

[Abram Jones]

You should probably add Prosperous Universe (https://prosperousuniverse.com).

It has:

• shares in player-run corporations
• private contracts
• all goods are priced by player markets (with somewhat hard-coded min/max price for goods, to get the money supply going.)
• at least 4 currencies (might be more now, there were 4 when I played), with a currency exchange market
• fairly significant free-to-play features, but to unlock some features you need a subscription. I wouldn't call it pay-to-win though.

I played for a while, but then stopped because it was consuming too much of my attention. It also had a few annoying aspects, but if you like market trading and empire building, it's not bad.

I haven't even read the blogs/etc. in over a year, so it might have more features by now.

Great find, this qualifies for having 2 dynamic financial features. Shares, as you mentioned, and debt. From what I understand players are able to utilize the contracts to offer loans to others with set parameters. It doesn't look like the currency in this game is dynamic. At least I couldn't find any mechanism that alters the actual value of the currency through market forces or dynamic calculations. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks for the recommendation, I have added it to the list. It also receives the sovereignty bonus.

[hector13]

SimCompanies is another one. I have the app on my phone but it apparently has a website too.

About the only criterion it meets is debt. You can sell bonds to other players to get some quick capital, and pay interest on it until you buy them back.

[Abram Jones]

Best economic game I've enjoyed was trevor chan's capitalism. It has an updated version even at https://www.capitalismlab.com/
It doesn't fulfill all your criteria, but I think its worth mentioning

Yes, I already have all the games from the Capitalism series up there... including the 2 unofficial browser clones which are unfortunately defunct..

• Capitalism
• Capitalism Plus
• Capitalism II
• MBA Capitalism
• Capitalism Lab
• Capitalism Online - Economies of Scale
• The Capitalist Game

[dragdeler]

Sounds like Offworld Trading company but beware that game is not very sandboxy, it's short matches.

[McTraveller]

I’m not sure what you mean by “dynamic value of currency” if Prosperous Universe doesn’t qualify. In that game the value of every player-created product or service is player-controlled. Even taxes on most planets are set by player-elected managers. Money supply is created by producing so much of a commodity you finally drive the price so low there’s only the NPC buyer of last resort. One of the flaws in PU was it had no real way to shrink the money supply; inflation risk is high - I think it never occurred because the universe kept getting reset.

Do you have a definition for what you mean?

As an aside, I would not really say PU had debt either; there’s no way to enforce it, unless something changed (you can break contracts, and that might get you on some bad-actors lists so you won’t get any new contracts, but it won’t block you from trading at the open NPC markets).

[Abram Jones]

Railroad Tycoon springs to mind, but you got it there. Workers and Resources Soviet Republic has debt, currencies.

Yes, the Railroad Tycoon series is on there as a result of having dynamic shares of stock:

• Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon
• Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon Deluxe
• Railroad Tycoon II
• Railroad Tycoon 3
• Sid Meier's Railroads

The tabletop game called Railroad Tycoon: The Board Game (also known as Railways of the World) does not qualify from what I can tell.

I just researched Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic. From what I can tell it does not qualify for the following reasons (correct me if I'm wrong please):

Currency
From what I have read the inflation and deflation rates of the currencies are randomly generated. In order for a game to have dynamic currency, the value of the currency must fluctuate based directly on player or NPC actions... this could be from market value or a calculation/algorithm that considers actions within the game that are directly tied to the currency or currencies.

Debt
Loans are taken from a static entity, not from an entity within the game itself. In order for a game to have dynamic debt based on these standards, the entity making the loans must potentially be able to suffer consequences from making loans or buying bonds. This essentially means that the lending entity must be directly a part of the game. Usually this will involve game entities issuing bonds or players/NPCs making loans within fixed parameters that have consequences.

[Radsoc]

Inflation and deflation of the currencies depend on trade (+ non-dynamic global inflation rate over the years). Debt is from a static entity.