Part 3. Entropy in CLUG
Buildings in CLUG depreciate at 5% per round, suggesting a 20 round life expectancy. Most CLUG runs do not last for more than 10 rounds so maintenance issues do not become evident to most players. However, assessed values do go down with periodic reassessments. Continuing the run of a game for ten rounds or more offers the opportunity to gain some valuable insights into the effects of depreciation, deferred maintenance, the nature and effects of urban blight, and the relevance of the land value to building value ratio in urban redevelopment. All that is required is to include one additional step of play, Step 9, in the normal sequence of play of a longer running game.
In Step 9 teams are informed that at the end of each round one lot on the board will be struck by lighting, flood, or some disaster. This will damage any building on that and any on its four adjacent neighbors. The extent of the damage is determined by the building’s age, i.e. the current round number minus the round it was built (or to which it has been renovated.) Renovation involves reinvesting some multiple of 5% of the building’s initial construction cost. In effect, the round in which it was built is increased by one for each 5% invested, thus decreasing its age.
The building on the lot struck by the disaster is closed for repairs for a number of rounds equal to its age. Buildings on adjacent lots suffer collateral damage and are closed for repairs for a number of rounds equal to half their age. If disaster strikes an empty lot, no effective damage occurs to either the lot or neighboring buildings.
A pair of probability dice can generate two numbers from 1 to 10 for each of the two coordinates, thereby designating which of the 100 squares has been struck. Before rolling the dice, players may renovate some or all of their buildings by investing some multiple of 5% of its initial construction cost. Inevitably some buildings are seen as more worth protecting through renovation than others, and decay begins to build. Players soon realize the utility of deferred maintenance in areas where more competitive land uses might be built to replace the buildings originally built there. Furthermore, teams will become more aware of how well their neighbors care for their properties since it may also affect their own properties. Finally, some players may discover the advantage of interspersing open spaces among built up areas in order to minimize the impact of environmental disasters.
Step 9 teaches a number of subtle but important lessons but requires a longer term commitment to the game than many can afford to give.
Buildings in CLUG depreciate at 5% per round, suggesting a 20 round life expectancy. Most CLUG runs do not last for more than 10 rounds so maintenance issues do not become evident to most players. However, assessed values do go down with periodic reassessments. Continuing the run of a game for ten rounds or more offers the opportunity to gain some valuable insights into the effects of depreciation, deferred maintenance, the nature and effects of urban blight, and the relevance of the land value to building value ratio in urban redevelopment. All that is required is to include one additional step of play, Step 9, in the normal sequence of play of a longer running game.
In Step 9 teams are informed that at the end of each round one lot on the board will be struck by lighting, flood, or some disaster. This will damage any building on that and any on its four adjacent neighbors. The extent of the damage is determined by the building’s age, i.e. the current round number minus the round it was built (or to which it has been renovated.) Renovation involves reinvesting some multiple of 5% of the building’s initial construction cost. In effect, the round in which it was built is increased by one for each 5% invested, thus decreasing its age.
The building on the lot struck by the disaster is closed for repairs for a number of rounds equal to its age. Buildings on adjacent lots suffer collateral damage and are closed for repairs for a number of rounds equal to half their age. If disaster strikes an empty lot, no effective damage occurs to either the lot or neighboring buildings.
A pair of probability dice can generate two numbers from 1 to 10 for each of the two coordinates, thereby designating which of the 100 squares has been struck. Before rolling the dice, players may renovate some or all of their buildings by investing some multiple of 5% of its initial construction cost. Inevitably some buildings are seen as more worth protecting through renovation than others, and decay begins to build. Players soon realize the utility of deferred maintenance in areas where more competitive land uses might be built to replace the buildings originally built there. Furthermore, teams will become more aware of how well their neighbors care for their properties since it may also affect their own properties. Finally, some players may discover the advantage of interspersing open spaces among built up areas in order to minimize the impact of environmental disasters.
Step 9 teaches a number of subtle but important lessons but requires a longer term commitment to the game than many can afford to give.