[MaxWilson]

"People just like/dislike to live in a place that is a little lucky/unlucky." Don't they also like to live in places that are the right temperature, orderly, etc.?

In my current game I'm playing with Order-3, Sloth-3, Heat-3 (preference is 2), Growth-3, Misfortune-3, Magic-2 (on CBM scales), Dom6. I call the atmosphere "stoicism." An civil society with a strong belief in Murphy's Law and an intrinsic laziness that would make a programmer proud: work smarter, not harder, and we'd rather think about ways to improve the process than put in the backwork to solve the problem the obvious way. "Here, let me show you my crazy invention! Please ignore the mess. Sometimes it explodes, so watch your step." Apparently the citizens love it, though, or there wouldn't be Growth.

So anyway, I don't think Misfortune necessarily has to be tied to population shrinkage to be thematic. Did the Puritans believe in serendipity? I think not.

-Max