"Do you believe in Karma?" My roommate asked, as if he had done something wrong and needed some reassurance. I was not religious. I didn't believe in Karma. I said, [1] "I believe that justice exists only if people act on it." [2] "I believe that if you are smart enough you can always escape justice."

[2] "I believe that if you are smart enough you can always escape justice."
The first option tends more into the direction of "karma", don't you think?
At least I had the impression it did...

It's interesting that you posted this in the writing forum. I'm not sure if you're trying to make a point for a story you are creating but it does tie in nicely to my theories of my own views on karma and fate.

I'm not sure if I believe in karma per se, but I have an irrational belief in fate, as in if events that happen in our lives occur for some pre-destined reason. It's stupid and illogical and I'm not exactly sure why my subconscious does this (I'm not particularly religious either), but I know it's there. It's the main reason why I'm very careful not to gamble more than an annual lottery ticket; I know if I get too involved my sense of fate will override my knowledge of probability and start inventing storybook endings.

Which brings me to my theory of why I have an irrational belief in fate; I think I've spent so much of my life buried in books, films and story-based games that the patterns of narrative have ingrained into my psyche and I started thinking the real world works that way.

I'm not entirely sure if this applies to karma or what practical benefits could be given to story writers from this, although I have used some of this thinking behind theoretical models for automatic story generation. I find it an interesting topic nonetheless.

"I believe that if you are smart enough you can always escape justice," I said.

I never asked him what he did that prompted him to ask about karma. I didn't like diving into others' lives. I wasn't interested. But he must have confessed to me what he did. He always did. I couldn't remember what he confessed that time. He probably lied to his supervisor.

Nightfall was approaching. It was about time to go.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

[3] "I'm just going for a walk."
[4] "I'm going to the library."
[5] "I'm going to my aunt's house."

Re:
I am practicing story writing, and hopefully discover some techniques for branching stories.

There's no "[3] Yes" response. I think you're overlooking the other side of the issue, i.e., people who do believe in karma. Where do you suppose that might lead?

In terms of the story, a "yes" response wouldn't fit the persona of the narrator. But the concept of karma might surface, although I think I am quite dead set on not introducing karma in the story. Because I see it as a cliche among game stories. I would delay any sign of karma as long as possible (as in never if possible). How does that sound?

ha! the world is predestined if you think that all physical laws are mathematical.

I believe that in social situations that may last for a prolonged period of time, there is a certain amount of karma, in that you will 'reap what you sow', as people will grant you certain boons or deny you them based on earlier interactions, and general opinion of you in that social circle.

however, in situations where you only interact with someone once, it may be to your overall benefit to do something that may be morally reprehensible for greater personal gain, as chances of interacting with this individual again may be incredibly slim.

for a more cohesive overview of this ideology look up "prisoner's dilemma" and "recursive prisoner's dilemma" on wikipedia.