You just hit the lottery for more money than most small countries have.
What would you do with it? Seriously, now.
(AFTER you've paid Naomi Campbell to sleep with you, arranged the violent publicly-televised murder of everyone who ever called you a dork in second grade, and bought expensive cars for everybody you know including the guy working drive-through at the burger stand who accidentally gave you an extra pickle cuz he was too stoned to notice....)
What would you really do with it?
For me....
First, I'd buy a small house in Ireland.
Somewhere in a small town about half an hour or so outside of a city. My family's Irish (my father was the youngest of nine, and the only one born a US citizen), and I've always wanted to have a place to stay there when I decided to visit in my travels.
Second, I'd give a ton of money away to a few charities.
Smaller ones, though, that don't have the publicity and clout to make a lot of noise and get huge amounts of funds every year. Stuff like learn-to-read programs and such.
Third, I'd start my own organization.
I've been involved with theatre since high school, and I was in a Rocky Horror Picture Show cast for eight years.
I'd start an organization that bought and refurbished old theatrical lighting equipment, and resold or donated it to non-profit and amateur theatre groups and Rocky Horror casts who operate on shoestring budgets (or strictly out-of-their-own-pockets) and can't afford to buy their own lights.
I'd probably hire a financial adviser and invest most of the funds into real estate, stocks, bonds, gold, probably invest in foreign stocks and real estate too (like China, although always a dangerous gamble), etc.
Hopefully even a few percent on return on investment would be in the millions (after taxes) and that will be play money...including funds for charity, non-profit stuff (my own and friends), start a foundation or two, pad existing trust, and additional investments etc.
Kinda boring, yes, but it's what I would do.
Fox
Oh, and make my own short film!
I too would find myself a house in a little village in the south of Ireland and I'd spend my years learning my family's tongue and helping animals everywhere to live better lives.
I would then work on building up a satellite-based communication company.
Now if it were a larger some than most of all nations (several billion in the least)
I would purchase some nuclear materials, and set up a breeder reactor. at the same time I would be doing work on automated robot based refinery/factories. Once I had the equipment set up, I would send some robots and some small yield nuclear bombs to the asteroid belt. The bombs would be used for an Orion Drive to send a ferrous, 5 to 10 km long, asteroid into earth orbit. The robots will mine it out into a O'Neil Cylinder and subsequent robots will be used to harvest lunar materials for glass, as well as asteroid gathering missions for asteroids containing large quantities of uranium and other useful elements.
Keep the profit margin slim, and keep quality high. Serve a single dinner item.
I would call it "The Local Legend."
...God, even my real-life fantasy sounds suspiciously like campaign fluff.
Just early today I was thinking "Hypothetically. what if there were no Hypothetical situations..."
2) I would buy a house for my lovely wife.
3) I would open up a large Youth Center in Lynn Ma, to help get kids out of gangs and into activities. It would also have programs to teach them marketable skills and educate them on their options for higher education.
4) I would Invest in a small company that has been a personal dream of mine.
5) I would put the remainder into a bank account and let the interest do its thing.
Eventually I'll get appointed to seat in the UN. There I will spend a few years working diligently towards the demilitarization of all the major countries, including the dismantling of all nuclear weapons. From there I'll introduce the idea of giving the UN real military power (instead of this peace-keeping nonsense) and since naturally all countries would have an equal share of the army, any purpose for international wars would be defeated (since you'd have no army to fight with). Bribe enough people to pass my legislation.
Then my real plan will come to fruition. I'll seize control of the army, effectively creating a multi-national dictatorship. From there I'd create a team of super-assassins under my control (Note to self: Buy super-assassins). There'd be five of them, each with a past more mysterious than the last one. Each one of them would have a singular power, unlike the world has ever seen before. Atleast one would be a clone of some sort. I'd outfit them with all the latest technology and training and make sure they were loyal to me and me only. Then I'd toss them character sheets and get a campaign started.
Seriously? I'm pretty frugal, so I'd probably buy a couple of things (decent house, nice car, etc), donate some, then save the rest to make sure that I'd always be able to handle whatever life through at me.
Their kid's kids can get jobs.
Quit my job.
Hire a lawyer and financial person to help me keep and earn more money.
Then I would set up my parents, grandmother, aunt, and sister/bro-in-law/niece so they would be comfortable.
Find the right place to buy land and build the dream home.
travel extensively with the wife while the home is being built.
Come back when home is built.
Buy a summer home in the Adirondacks, on a nice lake.
Start my own family.
Have fun for the rest of my life doing what I want.
2. My own personal fortress in the middle of NYC. Automated Gun Turrets, Electrified Metal Doors and Window Shutters. Missle Launchers, Grenades, a deathtrap interior and an awesome self-destruct system. I, of course, would controlling the entire thing from my remote lair in a non-extraditing country.
3. French Maids
4. Frankenstein's Monsters, made only from people named Frank.
5. My own personal congressman.
6. 10.000$ in pennies. Then I'd drop them out of a plane.
7. My own dream team of lawyers to deal with the inevitable lawsuits that would result from my plans.
game tables for roleplayers...
it sounds like it wouldnt make much money, but i guarantee once people got the word out about how fun it is it would be money in the bank.
". The cop will be like," hey you know that its a $10,000 fine to hit a worker right ?"..." ah just bill it to my address".What I'd really do would probably move and retire in Japan.
1) distribute 1/2 of it to charity,
2) buy out Hugh Hefner
3) settle down
4) have a good life and amuse myself through all the means money can buy
Secondly, pay off my debts. Kind of a no-brainer.
Not sure past that, really. Probably expand my game collection some ... get a really good computer rig goin'.
Part two: Gaming stuff. Obvious.
Part three: start a Nerdarium (tm) and bring gaming to everyone! Muhaha.
Become Batman.
Exactly, except Ironman.
2) Build a castle just outside of town.
3) Get a small house in Paris (for vacations).
4) Open up my Geek Cafe (combination game shop, comic shop, and cafe) with game tables, private game rooms, and open 24/7. Oh, and those double baked cookies!
5) Pay top scientists to try to bring DND to life (Oh gosh, I'm such a nerd)
6) Make an enitre country whose population is entirely made up of DND players
Well, pay off all my personal debts of course. Pay off immediate family and friends debts as well. But that's nothing original.
1) Purchase several houses (about 15) in the same general vicinity on Vancouver Island, probably around Sidney and all waterfront of course. Roughly $750K to $1.5Mil per house.
2) Move all my closest friends and fellow gamers into said houses. As well as close family too.
3) College fund for my niece.
4) Build my own place on a prime piece of real estate. Maybe an ocean point. And have the single most pimped out D&D room available. Custom made table and chairs. (Regrettably it would probably just be a modified poker table, but that can be resurfaced to something mountain dew doesn't stain.)
5) Open the single most kick-ass gaming store I could. Hire my friends as employee's for hefty salaries, as well as a few people to actually do real work. Place would have to have rentable gaming rooms equipped with retrofitted poker tables and refrigerators. Also several public gaming tables that could be used to help instruct new players to the game as well as for tournament gaming.
6) Hit every major Con every year.
7) Beer. Lots and lots of beer.
Oh, and to add to the list:
5) Pay top scientists to try to bring DND to life (Oh gosh, I'm such a nerd)
6) Make an enitre country whose population is entirely made up of DND players
"Make an enitre country whose population is entirely made up of DND players"
What would you name it ? I would soo move there !