On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:48:16 -0700, David Artman wrote:
> > From: Carl Worth <cworth@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Zero-pip Icehouse Pieces
>
> Have you seen the post where someone shows how to stack pyramids into a
> tube and leave enough room for a second die (for Martian Coasters)? It
> should work fine for storing ZPIPz in the same stash as their 1-3 point
> brethren.
Well, ZPIPs take up close to zero space compared to anything else. In
a tube for example, there's loads of extra space to sprinkle the ZPIPs
in anywhere, (but the bigger trick I think is finding something tight
to hold them so they don't get lost).
> Go to a collectible card shop with your mini-set and start picking
> through their card boxes.
Perfect. Thanks for the tip.
> Drip does rock--I wish it had entered the IGDC. And as far as updating
> the game with your variant, do what I did with Ikkozendo: come up with a
> name that riffs off of "Drip" and make your own page for it. I doubt
> he'd mind derivative work; just give credit where it's due (see
> Ikkozendo's InfoBox for one way to do so).
Yeah, Tyler replied already and proposed the same idea.
> > Zendo
> > -----
> > stumped by a simple rule that's difficult only because the master
> > invents a property I don't even think to consider, ("vertically
> > overlapping pieces", "M-shaped silhouette", etc.).
>
> OK, Zendo Grand Masters, let's hear it. That first rule is wonky but
> seemingly valid--I'm not sure what "vertically overlapping" means, but I
> imagine it was apparent in the white koans once the rule was revealed.
Yeah. And "vertically overlapping" wasn't the master's wording. We had
been really stumped on this one and incredulous of the master's claim
that the rule could be expressed in 5 words, ("AKHTBNIAOI one piece is
above another"). And once the master revealed it, (the bar was closing
and we were pushed out into the street), it all became quite obvious
(as usual) and I came up with "vertically overlapping" just to
demonstrate a two-word wording of the same rule.
> But that second one... outside reference (Roman alphabet letter), maybe?
> Too dependent upon a given viewer's current position around the playing
> area (i.e. does it pass the "spin the table" confirmation of a koan's
> isolation from anything outside itself)?
I think the rule was valid, though one would definitely have had to
make a very long-winded wording to avoid outside references. The worst
part was that the master decided to mark a koan black that consisted
of two flat larges adjacent at their bases and pointing away from each
other in opposite directions, ("too flat to look like an M" in her
reasoning).
That one koan caused us a lot of consternation and would have pushed a
"good" description of the rule into a lot of words, (it would have had
to distinguish some arbitrary slope threshold). So that part crossed
the line in my book, (it could have been technically "valid" still,
but definitely not "good", and would have required a protractor to
judge properly).
If instead the rule would have marked that koan white, then it could
have been expressed with something like, "AKHTBNIAOI there exists a 2D
projection with a profile consisting of exactly four linear segments
with alternating slope signs in order: up, down, up, down". I think
the silhouette, (2d projection), notion is legitimate---it's easiest
to see from a particular viewer perspective, but it really is
essential to the koan itself and doesn't actually refer to the
external viewer.
> > Black ICE
> > ---------
> > Black ICE rocks. I don't really have much else to say about it. It's
>
> I gotta get my 3HOUSE book....
Yup.
> > Now, I just need to find the perfect "black box" to carry around for
>
> OK, here's where Andy's Mini Maglight box would help you--he fits
Oh, I've got a case already, (it fits 6 stashes, Zendo stones, Martian
coasters, 6 treehouse dice (+ 1 D6), ICE-7, and 3House really
well). Although I've recently gained a new love for the tube too. It's
quite lovely once you peel all the stickers off, (particularly the
hard-to-remove bar-code/price sticker that my FLGS or distributor
slaps onto the 4th surface[*]). Plus, I've added tube-using games like
Drip and Moon Shot to my repertoire now.
But, "black box" in this context is actually a game component of Black
ICE. And every time I play I have to look around for the right thing,
(a small stocking cap often does the trick). So what I need is
something really thin of just the right size to slip into my carrying
case. Maybe I'll have to get my hands on a sewing machine...
> OK, I'll give you first publication rights, but I was playing this
> "diversion" over a year ago!
> ;)
Yeah, I figured it couldn't be completely original. It's a fairly
obvious fun thing to fiddle with.
> It's pretty hard, if you make all the "target pieces" upright (and, yep,
> trivial if they are flat, as in your rules above).
Yeah, that would help. There are trivial ways to aim between flat and
upright, but the rules could force the player to pick the pyramid up
from an upright position, (which could also make the game safer as it
would reduce the potential for launching small pyramids across the
table).
> "You got Drip in my Ice Lobster!"
> "You got Ice Lobster in my Drip!"
> Mmmmmm.....
>
> Might be too much dexterity and not enough control/strategy. But what
> the heck... it's surely a far enough deviation to warrant a separate
> game, rather than a variation section on the main game
Heh. That's not a bad idea. Reverse the win condition and make it a
race to get all of your pieces into a shared tube first. Oh, and keep
the loss condition on a piece sticking out of the top to give the
player a motivation to not _only_ play as fast as possible. Definitely
an idea to try out over breakfast this morning, (speaking of which...)
> OK... this is definitely turning into a Friday Ramble kind of post. I'll
> sign off now before I start talking about my "suction cup" game idea
> involving a candle to generate hot air and sticking pyramids onto your
> face (I had WAY too many pints, that night).
Oops, too late! Now _that's_ a funny idea for a game. Thanks for the
laughs.
-Carl
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