You might be familiar with the two cows method of explanation. I think the origin is a way to explain the differences in political philosophy. You can find a good list at the Illinois Gies College of Business. Here’s an example;
FEUDALISM:
You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.
PURE SOCIALISM:
You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else’s cows. You have to take care of all the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.
FASCISM:
You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them, and sells you the milk.
Robert Wiesehan has a roleplaying game systems alternative of the two cows system. It runs the gamut from D&D, Pathfinder, through Shadowrun and to Fiasco.
Is your favourite system represented? If not; how would you describe it?
Creative Commons cow by Amezzi.
Torg – You have two cows. One cow got caught in a reality storm and is now a cyber-cow. The other moos a taunt and stymies the farmer.
Traveller: You have two cows. One died in character generation, and the other has a Type S Scout ship on long term loan from the Imperial Scout Service.
Rolemaster: You have two cows. One rolled a cascading critical failure eating grass, and exploded. HERO: You have two cows. One is paranoid and has a limp, as a consequence, it also has laser eyes and can kick down a barn. The other has a suit of power armor but two calves that are constantly getting themselves kidnapped. Paranoia: You have two cow-bots. Identifying them as cow-bots demonstrates forbidden knowledge. They execute you for treason. Gamma World: You have two cows. One has two heads and controls the weather, but is allergic to rain. The other has six legs, an… Read more »
Paranoia: You have two cows. “What are cows,” you Commie-Mutant Traitor?
Traveller: You have two cows, because one of them died during character generation.
Dogs in the Vinyard: You have two cows. You debate the ethics of owning two cows while your neighbors have none until someone ups the stakes and shoots you. You roll every die you own, but the cows die
As a consequence.
Space:1889. You have two flying Venusian cows.
Kobolds Ate My Baby!: Two cows have you.
Amber Diceless: You have two cows. As you herd them through Shadow, one of the cows reveals itself to be a shapeshifting Logrus master from the Courts of Chaos and attacks. As you deftly parry the first flurry of attacks against you, you feel the itching in the back of your thoughts that suggest someone is trying to contact you through Trump. You glance at the other cow and it winks at you.
Ars Magica you have two cows, one is a faerie that you’ve been verbally sparring with for years before you inevitably slaughter it for its magical energies. The other contains valuable clues that you hope to use to recreate lost magics used in ancient Carthage. You ignore them both to spend more time in the library.
“Gamut” not “gambit”.
Also, the example for Pure Socialism leaves out the government shooting you and nobody getting any milk because without a profit motive, nobody bothers to milk the cows and they all die.
Thank you. I’ve correct gamut.
I would also suggest that people getting milk and keeping the cows alive would count as motivation. And not being lynched by angry, milk-loving neighbours. Or beaten by government goons. There may also be altruism and a sense of society, although I think the jury is still out on that one.
Risus: You have Cows (2). They’re 2-dice good at doing everything a couple of cows can do.
Twilight @K – You have two cows. That was a terrible roll on the vehicles table, but at least you wn’t always be running out of fuel.
Fantaji- You have two cows. Those cows are crazy versatile, they could be assets or obstacles depending on the themes of the scene. When you checked that the cows were still there, your roll was good- you can make a condition, such as ‘cows are ready for milking’ or be more alert.
RuneQuest:
You have two cows, until you raid a neighboring clan.
Red Markets: Your client has two cows and guess you to go into the zombie infected wasteland to fetch vetinary supplies to keep the cows alive and producing milk.
RIFTS: You have two mega cows. They produce 1d10X10 gallons of milk every 1d4 days. One has the Operate Radio skill of 30%. The other has the same skill at 34%.
Eclipse Phase
You have two cows.
For a lark and/or as a hiding place, you arrange to have your ego downloaded into the cow on the left.
After it’s complete, the other cow regards you in your new form: “You too, huh?”
Then everyone gets basalisk hacked.
—
Furry cows moo and decompress.