Hot potatoes were created recently in ThermodyNomic. They are a fun way to stir things up a bit, and keep things happening faster than the week it usually takes for a proposal to get through. The story is this: Players were just given the ability to transfer Things to one another. I (CraigDaniel) thus proposed the creation of Things that would be given away all the time. These are called hot potatoes, and it is never a good idea to have one. Currently, none have been created, but we are voting on a few right now:
The Potato of Cash Flow makes the player who holds it lose eir money. It is randomly redistributed. This is currently in its second version, and it is not likely that it will stay timed the way it is - we're hoping to maybe find a way to make it unpredictable when the Potato will go off.
The Potato of Agreement makes the player who holds it when a proposal is submitted vote in favor of that proposal. The Potato of Contrarianism makes the player who holds it when a proposal is submitted cast a dissenting vote (against or abstain, depending on whether an against vote would veo the proposal) If a player holds both, which one takes effect is randomly determined.
There have also been jokes cracked about a possible "Potatoe", and a "Potato of NPAYU" (Nefarious Purposes As Yet Unimagined).