Friday, July 24, 2020

[dkrgwenp] Variations on Chutes And Ladders

Write the 36 numbers 11 12 ... 16 21 ... 66 in a column, representing locations.  Roll 2d6 dice to select an origin location, and then 2d6 again to select a destination location.  (Dice must be distinguished, so you can tell which die corresponds to which digit of a location.)  Next to the origin number, write the destination number, appending to the list if the origin already has destinations.  This number represents a chute or ladder from the origin location to the destination location.  We will call them all chutes for brevity.  Repeat, creating more chutes.

(Incidentally, in the original game (also called Snakes and Ladders), the chutes and ladders are directional -- travel is permitted in one direction only -- but there's nothing directional in the drawing of those objects.  The boring way of depicting directional travel would have been an arrow.  However, in the game, instead of an arrowhead, the object is drawn differently depending on whether the "arrow" goes upward (a ladder) or downward (a chute).  These differing depictions, combined with knowledge of where you are and intuition about gravity, are enough to specify one-way travel.)

We consider moving around this collection of numbers.  If you land on an origin number with a chute, travel to its destination (to the first destination if there are multiple chutes originating).  Cross out or erase this destination number from the origin.  Chutes are one-time use only.  If the destination of the chute is the origin of another chute, keep traveling.  This chaining of multiple chutes is fun.

Many details remain to be specified: how many initial chutes, how to travel when not moving by chute, where to start, what the goal is.  Probably add a new chute each time one is consumed.

Instead of dice, other randomizers are possible, e.g., deck of cards.

Kind of like riding a roller coaster, Chutes and Ladders is a fun game requiring no skill.

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