vazbu

Vazbu is a term used in worldbuilding and tabletop role-playing contexts to describe a reciprocal aid system among members of a community. In Vazbu, individuals contribute time, resources, or skills to a common pool or to others in the group, with the expectation that help will be returned when they need it. The arrangement rests on informal norms of trust, reciprocity, and social enforcement, rather than formal legal or governmental authority.

Structure and practices vary, but Vazbu commonly includes resource pooling (sharing tools or money), time banking (exchange of hours of service), skill exchange (teaching or labor in return for future help), and mutual protection or defense arrangements. Benefits include faster problem solving, social cohesion, and reduced transaction costs, while risks include free-riding, unequal distribution of effort, and potential conflicts over priorities or leadership.

Origin and usage: The term Vazbu emerged in worldbuilding and game design discussions in the early 21st century. It is used to analyze how small communities organize cooperation without formal institutions. In fiction and games, Vazbu provides a flexible framework for depicting neighborly aid, communal resilience, and the dynamics of trust.

See also: mutual aid, reciprocity, social contract, communal governance.