Sandy Sandfort writes:

So, the pledges pour in. Now the intended target figures, hell, I'll just predict my OWN death, fake it and anonymously collect those pledges. Then I'll use whatever portion of the $60 million I actually receive to buy better security. Rinse and repeat. Do you really think folks are going to play the game again with Joe Target after he is resurrected? Especially if he tells everyone exactly what he did and promises to do it again if another price is put on his head?

Not so fast. How easy is it to fake your own death? You have to come up with a fake death certificate. Obviously in a game such as AP, verifying death is one of the most important aspects. It might be that only certain Death Certificate Authorities (DCAs) come to be accepted for players in AP. They may require DNA evidence and other details that would raise the bar considerably for fakers. This could be a lucrative new business op for RSA/Verisign. In addition it may be agreed that the payoff doesn't happen right away, but only after the party has been gone for some minimum period of time, say a year or two. Not many targets will be willing to disappear for two years from public view solely in order to cause trouble for the AP game. And even if it does happen, investors in the removal of Mr. Target will enjoy at least the partial satisfaction of getting him out of the way for a couple of years. Then if he does reappear, follow-on bets will be established with even more stringent conditions for verification and payoff.