Comment on “The Metrics of Happiness”

Imagine the bard toiling for weeks and months to accrue 50 bard points which are to be spent to make a planned architectural project properly strike people with awe when viewed.

That makes me think of alchemy, or breeding monsters per your rules, or planting and sowing crops. Long term effort, guaranteed reward. Perhaps on the one hand the bard doesn't have guaranteed success -- there's also a chance element involved in successfully moving one's audience -- but on the other hand, as an artist may get nowhere with one work only to return to its principles later, the bard may be able to start from a position further along than 0 when trying again at the same type of project.