Round Robin Rules
The Round Robin game is the online version of the Matrix Game widely used around the world since 1992. It uses a referee and is turn based. If you have played a Matrix Game before it was likely one of these.
One person is the referee, the other participants are players. They run factions in the game. The players register for the game to get one of eight slots. The referee provides the scenario. The players can see this at the top of the game log. The computer prompts the next player up to make something happen.
In the Round Robin game, player actions are called arguments. They are making an argument that their idea of whaty happens next makes sense and happens. They click "Make an argument" and write an ACTION, a RESULT from that action, and THREE REASONS why that makes sense. The referee sees this and decides how likely an argument is to win. This sets a dice roll to determine success or failure.
The next player up can make a clear argument based on their own ideas or make an argument that builds off of the previous argument. They may say YES AND, yes it happens and this happens as well. They may say YES BUT, yes the action happened but the result is different. Or they may say NO ACTUALLY, the argument didn't happen. Something else happened instead. These arguments are also judged by the referee and subjected to a die roll.
I have added in a provision for both the referee and players to comment on arguments. This does not affect the game but does allow for the collection of useful data and allows players to hold discussions while the game is played.
The down side of this game is that it is not fully computer run. It is really no faster than a face to face game. The up side is that it will help run online games with people all over the world.
Social Matrix Game Rules
The Social Matrix Game reflects the rules that I've used for the last ten years to do face to face games. It does not use a referee and has the players themselves call for any dice rolls needed. The other twist is that this game does not use a turn order. People step up to say what happens next when the spirit moves them.
There is still a game host but they are also a player and have no more powers than any other player has. The host starts the game by presenting a scenario. This includes a title, a brief description, and a problem that they players need to solve to end the game. In this particular version, the player do not have to register to play. Anyone visiting the page is a player.
When a player clicks the buttons "Say what happens next" they get to write a short description of what happens. This is seen as a move rather than as an argument. It automatically happens but is subject to other player's judgement. Another player may write a replacement for the move. This potentially overwrites the first move. Teh computer dies a coin toss to see which move wins. The winner happens. Players may also click a challenge button. Each time the button is clicked, the computer rolls a die. There is a 10% chance the move will be struck down.
As with the Round Robin game, players may make comments about moves as the game in played. So players can talk to one another as the game is played.
When a new move is submitted, the previous move is moved into the game log.
An advantage of this approach is that games can be played asynchronously. Because there is no human referee the number of games run can be increased dramatically so this game can be used to collect large amounts of data. The down side is that these games can appear to be chaotic. I don't find that they are chaotic but it will seems so to people not used to this kind of free wheeling interaction. Once people learn to stop worrying about the illusion of control and trust the system, it works fine.
Three Options Game Rules
The Three Options game is another turn based system that uses a referee.
The referee provides the scenario. Players do not have to register for this game and the turns are done as moves rather than as arguments about what happens next.
Players just in as the choose to make moves. These are collected and form the three options mentioned in the title of the game. The referee decides which move is strongest and which is weakest. A dice roll determines which one happens. So unlike the Round Robin game (where nothing can happen in a turn) in the Three Option game, one of the three will happens. The dice roll breaks down to a percentage roll. 1-60% Strongest happens, 61-90% the average one happens, 91-100% the weak one happens.
Players are allowed to make comments on moves so the referee and wait and see what people say before making their ruling. In this way the game combines some elements of Social Matrix games while retaining a referee ruling.
The Three Options game shares the weaknesses of the Round Robin game. It is no faster online than it would be face to face. So it is not good for collecting large amounts of data. It has the added disadvantage that it wastes the creative energy of 2/3rds of the moves written. It's advantage over the Round Robin game is that the idea of a stronger and weaker proposal is vary easy to understand and works well to spark discussions between players.
The Three Options game may be the easiest one to explain. Players make up three options. One is strongest, one is average, and one is weak. One of them happens.
Anonymous Game Rules
The Anonymous game does not use a game master/referee or a turn order. People add in moves as the spirit moves them.
Anyone viewing the page may add in a move. When they submit it, it appears in the “Judge Move” block. While it is there, anyone may click the “Challenge” button to try and stop it. Each click has a 10% chance of putting a line through a move. Challenges end when the next move is submitted.
When the next move is submitted the last move is copied and pasted into the “Current Game” block.
Games end automatically after 24 hours but may end early if someone starts a new game.
To start a new game, just enter a title and a short description of the situation. It then appears in the “Current Game” block and the last game is moved to the “Old Games” block.
This game is intended to be played on cell phones but it can also be played face to face if you want.
The game allows people to say what they imagine will happen next so this isn’t a simulation but it does show what people think is possible.