Subject: MN: Re: Lost & Found, 2nd draft.

From: "Jonathan Ellis" <jonathan@f...>
Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 02:02:45 +0100

>The ¤¤¤-delimited text is the proposal, named 'Lost & Found'.

<snip>

Personally, I think the game already has so many objects and
actions that adding in so many more, all in one go, with no definition
of what the objects actually *do*, is just a bit much for my tastes. I
like the basic idea, though...
Last time I can remember so many objects being added in one single
proposal, with nothing much for them to do, was the proposal which
introduced Edible Possessions into the game: at least there, that was
fixable by a single proposal about the effects of eating food (the
temporary LV boost) which seems to have become rather popular these
days.
A single proposal that gives functions to all Ole's new objects
would probably not be so easy to come by, as all the objects suggested -
Spectacles, Umbrella, Gloves, Scarf, Book, Widget, Thingummy,
Yesterday's Paper etc - do not seem to have anything like as much in
common as in the "Edibility" instance, and would all have to be defined
and given functions separately.
{***STOP PRESS - MAD IDEA ALERT*** See the last few lines of this
post below - I just had the idea while writing this post, and have sent
off the proposal for inclusion next week... I still haven't had ideas
for Yesterday's Paper or a Book yet, so these have not been included,
you will have to think something up yourself if you want to have them
included in Lost Property. Likewise "Thingummy" etc.}
To say that the new items "add colour to the game" would not of
itself, IMHO, be sufficient reason. Now if there were some method to
adding a couple of new objects (like a new class of object - see below,
some of your choices have inspired me to send in a Proposal covering
glasses, gloves, specs etc...) the rest of the Lost Property box could
be filled up with more of the already-existing Possessions. For your
suggested random (to be filled up) slots, I'd leave them all empty and
not bother with the "Thingy, Widget, Gadget, Thingummy" stuff, leaving
ways of losing Possessions to be defined later. (Perhaps as a result of
an amendment to the Shunting or Blonking...)
My suggestions for the possible random things you could get from
the Lost Property Office are...
5 slots for objects that Players have Lost
Nothing (the largest chance.)
2 Plastic Tokens of the same (random) type
1 Metallic Token of random type (you might be unlucky and get only
1 Bronze for the two you spent to find it)
1 Musical Possession (random)
Parcel, with named Delivery Station (this would require a rewrite
of the Parcel rule, allowing each Parcel to have its own separate
delivery station: delivering it gets the current reward.)
Suspect Package - to be dropped immediately as if the Player had
paid the token cost and performed the Action of dropping the Package.
Velocity Bomb (well, there has to be *some* risk in picking up
unidentified packages...)
Hat (any of the 7 types, cannot be claimed if the Player already
has a Hat of the same type)
Gloves (one or two)
Specs
etc. etc...

And the list you put up has just given me the crazy idea of sending
a separate Proposal (this week) to define "Garment" Possessions, and
this classification to be added to Hats and the new possessions (Gloves,
Spectacles etc. - maybe add Overcoat to this list, I know I've lost at
least three on various tube systems in my lifetime, so maybe that could
turn up in Lost Property some day) and the effects of Wearing them.

Jonathan.

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