[Fictionary] ballot: STONE rules!

[Jim Moskowitz]

I'm extending the polls, because so far I've only gotten votes from 
David, Pierre, Eric, Ellen, and J-J.  In hopes of wheedling a few 
more of you into playing, here's a re-send of the ballot; I'll accept 
votes tonight, Friday and Saturday, closing the polls for real at 
midnight Sat/Sun, EST.
-Jim


At 2:30 AM -0500 12/10/11, Jim Moskowitz wrote:
>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.


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Jim Moskowitz  |  The Unknown Composers Page: http://kith.org/jimmosk/