Extra note - This note is not part of the rules

Subsequent to the production of the rule book the concept of favors and Bargain and Barter club was suspended after a letter from the UK authorities who threatened to prosecute us if we introduced it. Although there are many small barter clubs within the UK this would have been to first major one. It was not the loss of tax revenue the proposed to prosecute us for but encouraging people under 18 to take part in credit transactions.

The concept of favours.

Each country has its own currency, so the UK has the pound and the USA the dollar. Its function is to allow citizens to undertake to provide a service for each other and be rewarded for there effort. This may be physical effort as in cutting or styling hair or work in the form or materials or a product. The value of a product or material being associated with the amount of effort required to get it. Scarce items such as diamonds or gold being harder to find and therefore taking up more time, are considered to be worth more, and items anyone can pick up, like sand, is considered of no actual value beyond the cost of digging it up and transporting it.

While a primitive society can operate on a system of barter, swapping a dozen eggs for a loaf of bread for example, or a bag of potatoes for a hair cut, this is limiting as the you have to not only find someone to provide the service but also find a barter currency acceptable to them. Currency therefore serves this purpose.

There are many barter clubs around, and within Britain most are local groups with up to 500 members. There currencies have all sorts of names, and there is no conversion between groups. Most countries are happy, or put up with this and allow it to go on outside the tax system, providing that the individuals involved are undertaking it part time, rather than as a full time business.

Barter systems are beneficial as they allow people to improve the quality of there lives while at the same time being involved within there local community, and fits within the concepts of New Atlantis.

New Atlantis therefore decide to include a barter system, but has been taken two stages further, becoming world wide and finding special bargains, to become a Bargain and Barter club that all New Atlantis members are members of. The club therefore not only is involved in organising and promoting the barter system, but at the same time searches out for members special bargains, such as free or nearly free hotel accommodation, and discounts from various sources.

The unit of currency within the Bargain and Barter Club is the favour and within there subscription members receive some every month. Many other products and services are also available for Favours so a member could undertake baby sitting, decorating, car servicing or whatever and use the favours to either buy other services, books, holidays or even cover the costs of a university course.

The system is defined in the Bargain and Barter Club Section of the members manual.