The Lojban Storytelling Game Rules

Originally by Loren Miller & the Giants in the Deep mailing list

Edited for the Lojban Story List by Robin Powell

Introduction

The lojban mailing list matrix game is, not surprisingly, based on a mailing list. This mailing list is moderated. To subscribe, send mail to [email protected].

The mailing list matrix game is a story-telling and world-building game conducted on an internet mailing list that proceeds as a set of turns. There is a moderator, who is probably the owner of the mailing list, and a number of players, consisting of active players and observers. Each turn the players in the game tell more of the story or describe more of the world in which the story is set. It's a little like the game where each person in a circle tells part of a story, with the next person picking up where the last person left off. Mailing-list matrix-game storytelling, however, follows a special format. The player writes a theme or an action in the story and then gives a few reasons why the way ey told the story is the right way to tell the story--the Truth.

The other players in the mailing-list may then follow by adding to or changing the theme or action, and justifying their changes or additions with their own reasons. This continues, with players able to add to and change not only the original story fragments, but also the changed or expanded story fragments accreted from all the contributions of the other players in the game, until the contributions stop coming or a full week elapses since the beginning of the turn. Then the players vote to see which variant of the theme or action becomes the truth in the game.

That is a rough description of how the game proceeds. If it was too nebulous a description, don't worry. The following section describes the rules in a step-by-step fashion, with comprehensive examples.

Lojban And This Story List

This particular version of the matrix story game is designed to have Statements ( lo lisri se cusku ) only in lojban. In fact, Statements that are not in lojban will be rejected. Reasons ( lo lisri ve ciksi ) should also be in lojban, but Reasons being in English will not be cause for rejection of the post, ****although they will affect scoring.****Change maybe?****

Note further that this list is not a forum for metalinguistic discussion or correction of others' lojban. If you don't like someone's lojban, politely mail them privately. If they agree, they can mail me requesting a change and repost.

The reason for this list, and these rules, is to encourage writing in lojban using the "many hands make light work" philosophy that was the reason for me setting up the the lojban cvs translation server. Therefore, posts by lojban newbies are explicitely welcome, and bad grammar will not be cause for rejection, beyond perhaps slightly cleaning it up to make clear what I believe your intention was.

I will also use the conventional orthography throughout, including . and ', and will silently correct you if you do not.

You are welcome to translate finished turns of the game into whatever language you like, and submissions of such translations will be welcome on this list.

The rules here are almost all in English, including the examples. I apologize for that, and will attempt to rectify it as soon as I have lojban examples to work from.

Statements and Arguments

A Statement is the basic unit of the game. When a player comes up with a theme or an action or a fact, or any facet of the story, and justifies it with reasons, the player has made a Statement. Another player may make a Statement in an attempt to add to or change the original Statement. Any Statement that a player makes adds to or modifies a single existing Statement.

Note: A Statement does not need to be a single sentence, or even a single paragraph!

A Statement ( lo lisre se cusku ) consists of a formulaic introduction (the Type, lo lisri se cusku klesi ), some amount of text to advance the descriptive or expositive aspects of the story (the Content, lo lisri se cusku jufra ), and at least three reasons why the other players should agree that the statement is true (the Reasons lo lisri ve ciksi ).

An Argument ( lo lisri se cusku girzu ) is a thematically united group of statements that add to and modify each other.

Statement Type

The Statement Type is used to introduce the Statement. There are three types of statement in the game: ni'o mi xusra ; .ije ; and .i na drani .iku'i . The Statement Type is the most important part of the statement, for the type you choose directly affects the score.

First, to begin a new argument, introduce your statement with the words ni'o mi xusra . I recommend indenting the rest of your text relative to it, to make it easier to find in the mailing list.

Second, to add to an argument without altering any of the information that is already in the immediately previous statement, but only to add to the information in the argument, introduce your statement with the words .ije .

Third, to modify another statement, no matter whether the statement to be modified is the original statement in the argument, or a statement that modified it, or a statement that modified a modifying statement, no matter how deep in this tree structure you go, introduce your statement with the words .i na drani .iku'i .

Statement Content

Statement Reasons

In this part of the statement the player explains the reasoning behind the text of the statement, hopefully in a way that the other players will understand and sympathize with. The reasons are the most important part of the statement, for good reasons will sway others to agree with a player's statement.

Finishing the Statement

The moderator of the mailing list matrix game will add two more parts to each statement: The Snazzy and Memorable Statement Title; and The Hierarchical Statement Number. Players should feel free to suggest a title and a number, but please make sure the title is both unused and descriptive and the number refers to the correct place in the hierarchy.

The Hierarchy

The hierarchy is a standard, tree-style hierarchy, like an outline. Say that Sandi makes the first statement in the first turn in the game. This statement would be numbered 1.1 ( papipa mai ). The first "1" refers to the turn, and the second "1" refers to the order of the statements. Bob modifies Sandi's statement with another statement, and his statement becomes 1.1.1 ( papipapipa mai ). Linda modifies Sandi's statement with another statement, so her statement becomes 1.1.2 ( papipapire mai ). Sandi likes what Linda said, so she modifies Linda's statement with another statement, which becomes 1.1.2.1 ( papipapirepipa mai ). Bill delurks, and he doesn't like what Sandi added to Linda's statement. He modifies Linda's statement with statement number 1.1.2.2 ( papipapirepire mai ).

That's how the game goes.

Note that in our games we generally have several arguments going on at the same time. That's why we keep track of both the turn number and the argument number within the turn.

Example Statement

Here is a Statement about a character named Little Feather, in a game where Little Feather has been introduced and shown to be lazy, and a storm has begun while Little Feather is out camping.

5.3 Little Feather's Tent Collapses ni'o mi xusra In the midst of the storm Little Feather's tent collapses. .i mi ciksi fo 1. We already know that Little Feather is lazy, and he probably wasn't very careful putting it up. 2. Tents often collapse during high winds. 3. Prairie storms are especially strong.

The statement number (5.3) and name (Little Feather's Tent Collapses) begin, followed by the introduction. Then follows the actual statement text (In the midst of the storm Little Feather's tent collapses), which is followed by three reasons (numbered 1-3), which justify why the statement text should be true.

Example Argument (with statement numbers and titles)

This is quite a long and complicated argument, but I think it's best to jump right in without pussyfooting around. These Statements were taken from the game called Giants in the Deep, and formed the very first argument in the game. Note how the numbers proceed and which statements modify which other statements. Originally, they were slightly different than they appear here because we were using slightly different rules. I have edited them only to match the format of these new rules.

1.1 RANGE OF TECHNOLOGY ni'o mi xusra Our setting has a level of technology roughly equivalent to that of the dark ages in Europe (CE 400 to 900). Iron and bronze are common metals, steel rather rare. Ships are single-masted. No gunpowder. There are some navigational instruments, but the science of optics isn't far along at all. Lots of weapons are possible including the rare Greek Fire, but no morning-star flails, no hand-held cross-bows (though there could be arbalest siege engines), no molotov cocktails since the common lamp oil is similar to olive oil (coconut oil?). .i mi ciksi fo 1. Lack of technology emphasizes importance of the ability of the individual PC, making the setting more fun to play in than high-tech settings. 2. If you want unique treasures that are higher in tech, you can blame a fallen empire. 3. Lands in the campaign should be roughly balanced so that no island has an unfair and overwhelming technological advantage over its neighbors.

1.1.1 MULTI-SAIL SHIPS .i na drani .iku'i The ship technology is more advanced, with multi-sail, multi-mast ships. .i mi ciksi fo 1. On a world of islands, sailing is of utmost importance, thus naval technology is probably more advanced than other kinds. 2. Building a ship with more masts does not require more advanced tools and engineering methods (I think). 3. There are real world parallells (ancient greek ships with three masts). 4. Fancy ships look cool.

1.1.2 FOCUS ON AQUATECH .ije More developed technology in those areas which are more common on GID world than in dark ages Europe. Within the range of basic technologies available in the dark ages, many cultures are very experienced and skilled in areas such as: long distance travel by water, various types of ships, navigation, fishing and ocean farming, using wind power, purifying sea water, breeding of plants, animals and fish to particular needs, and other such essential areas for life in this world. .i mi ciksi fo 1. With all long distance trade dependent on sea travel, it is crucial that each society develop good skills in that area. 2. With the relatively small land area of groups of islands, as compared to living on a continent, it is important to develop ways to get food and water from the ocean. 3. While the basic level of technology is similar to dark ages Europe, if that analogy is carried too far then that reduces our ability to create a world with a somewhat different feel than that time.

1.1.3 NO QUANTUM PHYSICS .i na drani .iku'i Any arguments or modifiers based on college level physics are thrown out as not fitting the campaign. This is fantasy, not the real world. Therefore steel is even rarer than the level of technology would suggest. It requires a special temperature chart (for use when forging) in order to get the best results. .i mi ciksi fo 1. Quantum physics doesn't work in this world. Quantum physics is the reason that heated steel changes from red directly to white. The electrons can't jump to intermediate shells, so they can't give the intermediate wavelengths of visible light. 2. This allows the rules of magic to replace quantum physics for all the really weird stuff. Anyone that uses anything past geometry and 'simple' newtonian physics is not longer following the 'style' of this fantasy setting. Use thought experiments (feather falls slower than rock because it is more attuned to air than earth) rather than physical experiments (dropping items on an incline) to prove your point. 3. The metal workers guild with the proper color charts now become a greater power than they otherwise would be. Rather than having an adventure of breaking into the wizard's tower, you could try to swipe the color chart from the master metalsmith's guildhall.

1.1.4 LIGHT MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY .ije As a series of cultures based around water, there has been a substantial emphasis on the development of light materials, organic armours, and non metal based technology. Metal is a rare and valued resource. .i mi ciksi fo [original reasons plus these] 4. The use of light and non metal technologies leads to a better understanding of the uses of curious fauna, flora and practices. 5. The opportunities for making interesting currencies and artifacts from conch shells, animal bones, dried seaweed etc makes for greater colour at very little time and effort. 6. Floating islands are unlikely to have extensive mineral deposits.

1.1.4.1 TECHNOLOGY FROM THE DEEP .ije Sea life is larger, more prolific, and bewildering in variety. Shells from the "iron scallop" make excellent scale mail. Some islanders celebrate the end of the hurricane season by lighting their cities with bulbs made from bioluminescent fish. The skin of a giant ray "tans" well (actually, it turns a fiery red) and is often used instead of leather. Long worms, found buried in the sand in knee to neck-deep water, can be cured by a special process to make excellent belts and short pieces of rope used in hut/building construction. The flesh of a giant mussel is prized for two reasons: 1) you can mold it into any shape, and it will dry in that shape (which will be reasonably durable but not quite tough enough to be good armor); and 2) as it dries, it secretes a wonderfully sweet goo that everyone likes to eat. Blocks of dried mud and cochina shells are cut from the ground near the shore and used as building materials. A strange black rock found in abundance underwater will, with the most minor of all magical incantations, begin to burn pretty well -- not well enough to be used in warfare, but a small pile of these rocks make a great cooking fire. .i mi ciksi fo 1. Lifestyles of all peoples in this world should be intimately associated with the strange, wonderful, and/or terrifying creatures produced within the giants' magical influence -- the deep. 2. On Earth, the seas hold all kinds of bizarre, unexploited resources. 3. If we accept also the premise that this is an OLD world, we need some consistent excuse for why the islands haven't been completely deforested. Aquaculture is a good excuse. 4. it's pretty cool; designers can think of the sea as a big unwritten source of exotica. There's nothing saying the particular animals/uses I've mentioned are common to all islands; if someone invents something peculiar to his/her island and just says "it comes from the sea" then that's perfectly understandable.

Scoring

Any player can make a statement about any side or force, within the limits of common sense or the rules of the game. Other players can modify a previous statement (or its chance of succeeding) in several ways. Since any player can argue for any side, it is likely that a statement will be modified (or perverted!) by a subsequent statement. For this reason the mailing-list matrix game gives scores to statements and allows voting for them.

A ni'o mi xusra statement begins with a score of 2.

A .ije statement takes the score of its parent statement, +1. This bonus may only be gained once for each person in any given chain. For example, a chain that begins with a ni'o mi xusra statement by Bob, and has .ije responses from Alice, Bob, and Alice again, has a total score of 4, not 5, because Alice's 3rd contribution does not count.

A .i na drani .iku'i statement takes the score of its parent statement, -1.

A WEAK statement contradicts something that has already been proved true in the game through the argument forming and voting processes. If the statement content or a reason is false within the game then the statement can be accused of being Weak, subject to moderator confirmation or veto. If a statement contains an exception to an existing truth and it explains under what circumstances the exception applies or how the apparent contradiction is resolved then the statement will not be considered Weak. Weak statements get a -3. Weak statements that are also Strong get a -2.

A STRONG statement strengthens or expands, in an artistic or persuasive way, on something that has already been proved true in the game. Statement types and reasons do not count as Truth. Content counts. Anyone can state that a statement is strong, subject to moderator confirmation or veto. Strong statements get a +1. Strong statements that are also Weak get a -2. There is no maximum cumulative bonus from Strong statements.

Voting

When the moderator determines that no more statements are being submitted on an argument that has been under discussion for a week or more then he will assemble the argument for vote. Alternatively, the moderator may simply call the voting a week after the start of the turn, although this is unlikely if there is still heavy discussion occuring. Assembling the argument means that the moderator puts all the statements in the argument together in numeric order. The players may vote for any one of the statements in the argument. The votes are each worth 3 points and are added to the basic score for the statement. The highest scoring statement wins the argument and becomes true.

If an argument consists of only one statement because nobody submitted modifying statements, then allow players to vote for or against the statement. Votes for an unopposed argument are +1 per vote, against votes are -1 per vote. If the statement has a positive score, it becomes true.

In the long example given, 1.1.4.1 was the winning statement in the Technology argument. Because it and 1.1.4 were both YES AND statements, everything from 1.1, 1.1.4, and 1.1.4.1 became True within the setting.

Acknowledgements and Justifications

Based on the Matrix Game rules by Chris Engle and Thomas Barnes. Originally by Loren Miller & the Giants in the Deep mailing list.

The rules from which these were directly derived have been changed both in style and substance. Mostly, the changes are oriented towards making the game go faster and smoother. I took all randomness out, because it annoyed me. And I want to reward contributions, especially constructive ones.