BlogNomic: The First Dynasty of Desertfrog

How about a funk dynasty?

If the book is anything like the movie, a Name of the Rose dynasty would be pretty boring, I’m just sayin’zall…  I’d still play though.

Hmm, I thought the book was fascinating, but I don’t want to have a boring game. Rodney proposes that we have Tokyo and giant radioactive monsters, which would certainly have more action to it.

A mystery sounds fun, I don’t think we’ve ever explored secret game mechanics very far.

Although I’ve only read Foucault’s Pendulum. (Da Vinci Code Dynasty!)

You’d have to write the mystery yourself, or at least have some sort of secret element that you reveal when necessary. (Example: an action performed in a courtyard opens a door somewhere in the library, or something)

But what I only desire is a dynasty that has a good accompanying color scheme.

Elias—That wouldn’t be too hard with the right mechanics. I’d have to be careful not to idle, but I think that would not be too hard, because the idea seems like a lot of fun.

Both of those books are excellent, Kevan. Name of the Rose is classic Eco, and I can’t recommend it enough (if you liked the other book). I haven’t read the Da Vinci Code, do you think that might be an interesting theme? I guess I could read it, very quickly.. ;)

Oh, and yes, the color scheme and layout. I will fix that. Something say.. pleasant and legible, yes.

I should make some new artwork, as well.

Mm, I liked Pendulum; a lot of great shapes and ideas (I still haven’t gotten around to writing a web version of Belbo’s conspiracy generator). But it was quite wearyingly heavy, it did feel like I was having to read a lot of Eco’s research first-hand, however good it was.

Da Vinci Code suggestion wasn’t serious (I’ve read the first few pages and can’t believe the book is serious), and is probably a bit too near to the Illuminati one we’ve already had, really.

I don’t really know what the book is about, just that it’s sold a fantastic amount of copies.

Sometimes Eco’s work makes me think (somebody once said this about Ezra Pound) that he’s trying to demonstrate that he can pass a qualifying exam in literature in his books. Still though Pendulum was a lot of fun—do you have the password? ;)

As for secret dynasties, Kevan’s third was as close as we got.

Pendulum was OK, but the problem with using either of those books as a basis is that those who have read them will start with an advantage over those who haven’t, an forcing someon to read either of thoe books - but particularly Pendulum - just in order to play would be slightly wearing.

I’d love to see a nomic with secret rules, that you can fall foul of without ever realising that they exist. Although the scammers would have to swear to behave to make it work, as I can see it having the potential to be wrecked.

As an aside, Blind Nomic (http://www.nomic.net/deadgames/blind/index.html) may have been on the right lines.

There is a card game called Mao, in which one player holds secret rules that other players can trigger and for which they can be penalized.

I’m still unable to make posts, edit/admin existing ones and do anything in the wiki from my workplace.

It seems to be something with the version of php that is running in blognomic.com.

Kevan had that problem too, I think. SFT came up with some sort of workaround, I think. Send him an e-mail and see if you two have the same problem.

Oh, Josh, I didn’t exactly intend to base the plot of the game on the books, I just liked the setting.

I’m not planning on copying the plot, say, but a monastery filled with secret passages and tunnels had some odd appeal to me for this game.

That’s what I thought, but I thought I should mention it anyway. Guess I was just enjoying the sound of my own voice… :D

Mao is the best. My friends and I play every lunch. A mao dynasty, were such a thing possible, would be unutterably sweet. instead of proposing whenever you wanted, you’d have to ‘win’ under the current rules (not like declaring victory, just a minor thing, that might happen multiple times per day) and then you got to add a rule of your choice, without telling anyone what it did. Then, when someone else tries to do something that violates your rule, you penalize them and tell them what they did wrong. This sort of thing does require a certain devotion to fun rather than winning, but I think that’s kinda what we all want anyway.