[Icehouse] Single-Stash Zendo (HOT!)

[Kristin Looney]

minimal real-time Zendo...   fascinating!

I look forward to trying this and hearing what others think...

-Kristin

--On December 19, 2006  David Artman <david at davidartman.com> wrote:

> Again, last night, I am running my weekly Monday Games Night in Durham,
> NC, and after I left the main venue to go to my favorite pub, I had an
> inspiration. I busted out a Treehouse stash and this is what happened....
> ----------
> Title:
> Single-Stash Zendo
>
> This variant is best played with a limited number of people who all
> present at the game start. This is because it is a one-stash variant and,
> as such, you will not have enough pieces to build koans to seek the rule
> or disprove a guess.
>
> Starting:
> Begin as normal, with the Master thinking up a rule and making two koans,
> one marked as having and one marked as not having the Budda Nature.
> Determine who goes first any way that's legal in your area--or don't, and
> let folks shout out as they see fit (but be sure to restrain someone who
> is machine-gunning rule guesses).
>
> Playing:
> Students do not build koans and do not ask Mondo or Master and do not
> aquire guessing stones. Instead, on a Student's turn (or whenever a
> Student shouts out a rule), the Student makes a guess at the rule or
> passes. If the Student guesses and is incorrect, the Master must adjust
> one of the two koans to disprove the guess. The Master may add or remove
> pyramids to make this disproof. Then, it is immediately the next
> Student's turn--don't let folks double-up and dominate the win!
>
> Winning:
> If the Student's guess matches the Master's rule, that Student has won:
> shake his or her hand as everyone laughs (or groans). That Student is the
> next Master (or go in sequence or let the loudest whiner be next).
> ----------
> The folks with whom I sat at the bar playing RAVED about it; and it
> wasn't long before we were running "freeform," where they were making
> guesses so quickly that I was almost constantly adjusting one or the
> other koan.
>
> Thoughts?
> David Artman
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