[Fictionary] ballot: STONE rules!

[Jim Moskowitz]

Somewhere below you will find the rules of the children's game STONE. 
You will also find seven imitations. Using your 2-point and 1-point 
votes (you have one of each), along with your perception and 
divination skills, try to locate the authentic amid the impostors! 
Votes are due by WEDNESDAY, December 13th.



1) A large circle is drawn on the ground or floor in the center of 
the play space. At either end of the ground a goal is marked off. One 
player, chosen to be stone, sits on the floor in the circle. The 
other players stand around outside the circle, taunting the stone by 
stepping over into his territory. Suddenly, and the more unexpectedly 
the better, the stone rises and runs for the other players, who are 
only safe from tagging when behind one of the goals. Any one so 
tagged becomes a stone and joins the first stone in sitting near the 
center of the circle. They also join him in chasing the other players 
whenever he gives the signal. This continues until all the players 
have been tagged.



2) This is a game for 3-5 players.  Everyone stands along a line to 
start the game and throws in the same general direction.  In turn, 
each player throws a certain flat stone (with a letter or number 
painted onto or scratched into the top) chosen blindly from several 
in a small sack, tosses the stone away from the group, along the 
playing area, trying for the longest distance from the line.  The one 
who is IT uses a knotted or marked rope to measure the distances. 
The player who tosses it the farthest wins and becomes IT for the 
next round.  A more exciting alternative is to toss the stones toward 
a goal, like a stick in the ground, or another stone that can moved 
by IT with each round.  The player who hits another player's stone or 
the goal stone gets an extra point.  If you are near a body of water, 
stones can be pitched towards a target placed into the water, either 
floating or anchored.



3) An outdoors game, best played on leaves or turf. The players sit 
in a circle except for one player, the "stone mason" who goes off a 
distance. While the stone mason is absent, the players sit in a 
circle, with one of them sitting an a stone the size of two men's 
fists or larger. The players then call the mason to return, and he 
must detect which player is seated on the stone, the other players, 
of course, trying to seem as solid and comfortable in their seats as 
possible.  A good game for a mixed group of boys and girls, as this 
is one game in which girls may excel, by reason of their crinolines.



4) Three players each have a tire in front of them; the tires are 
fifteen feet apart in a triangle. The boundaries between the players' 
territories are marked with sticks or ropes, halfway between the 
tires. Each player starts with 30-40 stones in a pile next to his 
tire and throws stones at the other two players' tires. If a stone 
lands outside the tire, it may be thrown again by the player in whose 
territory it lands. Once a stone lands in a tire, it is out of play. 
The game ends when all stones are in tires. The winner is the player 
with the fewest stones in his tire.



5) Players gather in a circle around a large tree suitable for 
climbing. A small stone is required. On his turn a player must throw 
the stone over a target bough, called the WHIP. If the throw is not 
high enough, or the player misses the tree completely, he is out. 
After making his throw, the current player, or CRACKER, must climb to 
the WHIP to mark its location. Spectators and players alike should 
cat-call the CRACKER during climbing; if he falls, he is out. 
Previous CRACKERS already in the tree may attempt to dislodge the 
current CRACKER as he climbs, but may not leave their WHIP to do so. 
The next player must throw the STONE over a new WHIP at least as high 
as the previous CRACKER. The first CRACKER in a round can choose a 
WHIP at any height he believes he can throw over and reach by 
climbing. Play begins with the shortest player, and proceeds in 
increasing height order, so as to ensure a fair chance to all. One 
round is complete once the tallest player takes his throw; all 
players should come down out of the tree, and the next round begins 
anew with the shortest remaining player. Play continues until all but 
one player is eliminated. If any player hits any other player with 
the stone, they are both immediately out; if a throw causes a player 
sitting on a previous WHIP to fall without hitting him with the 
STONE, such as by cowardly flinch, only he who fell is out.



6) The players form a pentacle surrounding the victim. They chant the 
appropriate words. Should the victim attempt to break free, restrain 
him, but do not shed his blood. When It comes to feed, the players 
plead for parts of the victim. It will toss one part to each player. 
The players then use these as blunt instruments upon each other, but 
do not shed one another's blood. The surviving player offers the 
bodies of the others to It, uttering "stone," but must take care not 
to enter the pentacle. It then will grant a desire; but be careful to 
formulate that desire carefully, for It has a sense of humor.



7) The players array themselves as they wish around an open yard. 
One player closes his eyes and counts aloud to twenty whilst each 
other player selects a stone from the ground, remove a boot, place 
the stone into the boot, and replace the boot upon his foot.  Upon 
the count of twenty, the counting player opens his eyes and all 
players begin walking about the yard.  The counting player then 
attempts to guess in which boot each player placed his stone.  A 
player whose stone is so located retires from the yard.  The game 
ends immediately upon an incorrect guess from the counting player, 
the player winning who fooled the counting player, or the counting 
player himself if none fool him.  In common practice, a number of 
games are played consecutively, with the winner of a game serving as 
counting player for the next.



8) This game is played in a field of tall grass, ideally taller than 
the players.  One player is chosen to start the game as the "stone", 
while the others are initially "ploughs".  The ploughs avert their 
eyes in order to allow the stone to hide somewhere in the plot of 
grass.  After an agreed upon time (perhaps a count to ten), the 
ploughs form a line and march across the field.  The stone attempts 
to grab one of the ploughs by the ankle, while the ploughs try to 
spot the stone.  If a plough is caught, he drops into the grass and 
becomes another stone.  If the stone is spotted, the plough may 
attempt to run away.  All of the ploughs who arrive at the far edge 
of the field form a new line on an adjacent side and begin another 
march, perpendicular to the previous one.  Play continues until there 
is only one plough remaining, who becomes the starting stone for the 
following round.




Bonus fake definition from Jean-Joseph:  So, like, everybody sits 
around on the floor, or on cushions or whatever, and you pass a joint 
around, or better yet, like, a bong.  It's poor style to bogart the 
spliff, man, be cool.  And don't harsh anybody's mellow.  Then you 
all like, keep a buzz on until you run out of weed, or until somebody 
really gets the munchies real bad and you have to make a grocery run 
if there's no cookies and nothing in the fridge.  Peace out, dude.