rock paper scissors lizard spock

[phantom power]

I was thinking about "rock paper scissors lizard spock" from The Big Bang Theory, and it's clever that they added *two* new plays, instead of just one. One of the reasons the original rock-paper-scissors game is good is that it is balanced - each possible play can beat one other play and be beated by one other play. In the five-play version, we see the combinatorics allows that balance is maintained - in this case each play can beat two other plays, and be beaten by the other two, as the directed graph on this t-shirt nicely shows:


http://www.snorgtees.com/rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock?gclid=CKTj2qj10bUCFSSCQgodgE8AIA

You can see that any odd number of plays will allow a symmetric game, but the rules you have to remember grow quadratically.

Anyway, the bit of attention they pay to this stuff is one of the reasons I like the show

[pokerfan]

1. RPS-15

ROCK POUNDS OUT FIRE, CRUSHES SCISSORS, SNAKE, HUMAN, WOLF, SPONGE, BLOCKS (GROWTH OF) TREE.

FIRE MELTS SCISSORS, BURNS PAPER, SNAKE, HUMAN, TREE, WOLF & SPONGE.

SCISSORS SWISH THROUGH AIR, CARVE TREE, CUT PAPER, SNAKE, HUMAN, WOLF & SPONGE.

SNAKE BITES HUMAN & WOLF, SWALLOWS SPONGE, NESTS IN TREE & PAPER, BREATHES AIR, DRINKS WATER.

HUMAN PLANTS TREE, TAMES WOLF, CLEANS WITH SPONGE, WRITES PAPER, BREATHES AIR, DRINKS WATER, SLAYS DRAGON.

TREE SHELTERS WOLF & DRAGON, OUTLIVES SPONGE, BECOMES PAPER, PRODUCES AIR, DRINKS WATER, IMPRISONS DEVIL.

WOLF CHEWS UP SPONGE, & PAPER, BREATHES AIR, DRINKS WATER, OUTRUNS DRAGON & LIGHTNING, BITES DEVIL's HEINY.

SPONGE SOAKS PAPER, USES AIR POCKETS, ABSORBS WATER, CLEANSES DEVIL & DRAGON, CLEANS GUN, CONDUCTS LIGHTNING.

PAPER FANS AIR, COVERS ROCK, FLOATS ON WATER, REBUKES DEVIL & DRAGON, OUTLAWS GUN, DEFINES LIGHTNING.

AIR BLOWS OUT FIRE, ERODES ROCK, EVAPORATES WATER, CHOKES DEVIL, TARNISHES GUN, FREEZES DRAGON, CREATES LIGHTNING.

WATER DROWNS DEVIL & DRAGON, ERODES ROCK, PUTS OUT FIRE, RUSTS SCISSORS & GUN, CONDUCTS LIGHTNING.

DRAGON COMMANDS DEVIL, BREATHES LIGHTNING & FIRE, RESTS ON ROCK, IMMUNE TO SCISSORS & GUN, SPAWNS SNAKE.

DEVIL HURLS ROCK, BREATHS FIRE, IMMUNE TO SCISSORS & GUN, CASTS LIGHTNING, EATS SNAKES, POSSESSES HUMAN.

LIGHTNING MELTS GUN & SCISSORS, SPLITS ROCK & TREE, STARTS FIRE, STRIKES SNAKE & HUMAN.

GUN TARGETS ROCK & TREE, FIRES, OUTCLASSES SCISSORS, SHOOTS SNAKE, HUMAN & WOLF.

Each gesture beats out seven others, and is beaten by the remaining seven.

http://www.umop.com/rps15.htm

[phantom power]

2. lol, I wouldn't even want to memorize the hand signs, much less the domination rules

[pokerfan]

3. I'm still learning RPSLS

Working out strategy and I'm thinking since many people have trouble making the Vulcan salute, that it would give you a small edge to play scissor or rock, two throws that Spock beats.

[caraher]

7. I have it figured differently

If you're playing RPSLS at all, it's probably with a bunch of geeks who will tend to favor Spock if they can throw the Vulcan salute at all. I think Lizard is the hardest to remember since it's the less glamorous of the additions so I tend to go for that or paper.

One of my physics professors wrote a biography called "Confessions of a Jewish Priest." In the Eastern European city where he grew up the other boys in the Jewish community said his ability to make that sign showed he was/would be a priest. Coming from a completely secular family and viewing the Catholic priests as hostile presence that helped whip up anti-Semitism (this was pre-WWII) he found that absurd, but later in life he became an ordained Episcopalian priest!

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. The first version I learnt was rock-paper-scissors-dynamite-well

The well is blocked by rock, and blown up by dynamite; it soaks paper, and rusts scissors.

Dynamite blows up the well, and the rock; it's wrapped by paper, and cut by scissors.

When I found out about the 3-objects-only version, I thought it was a bit poor.

(The well sign is a circle of thumb and forefinger, with the other fingers curled similarly; dynamite is a straight forefinger).

[phantom power]

5. I think I prefer the 3-object version...

it's more elemental, I guess. But it's the one I learned first, and I made it to my 40s before I encountered anything else. So bias!

[BlueJazz]

6. Great..just great...and I just mastered "Heads or Tails"