After sleeping on this and thinking about it all day at work, I made a game. I’d like to make the wording more ritualistic and provide descriptive play examples eventually, but here’s a good untested first draft: (Note: I did not read any comments before posting this.)
ETA: I will be editing the rules to remove/redirect perverse incentives and add classroom/tournament formats and examples, but may not always have this post completely up to date. The most recent version can always be found here.
The Un-Naming
for 2-6 players
Materials:
A deck of words. (stack of notecards, dictionary/internet, pen)
Tokens (poker chips, m&m’s, pennies, etc.)
A timer (egg-timer, mini-hourglass, mobile phone app., etc.)
A lighter and ashtray (see optional rules)
Rule 1: Unless stated otherwise within the rules, players must never read any of The Un-Naming’s cards aloud, sign their translation or interpretation via gesture, or reveal them face up to each other (cards should be embossed with braille when used with visually handicapped players).
Rule 2: Choose a player to go first by any arbitrary means available. This person will henceforth be referred to as the Describer.
Rule 3: Choose a method of passing the Describer position from one player to the next, such that all players hold the position an equal number of times during this session of the game.
Rule 4: The Un-Naming has at least four phases: Description, Abstraction, Concretization, and Passing The Torch. A single repetition of each phase will henceforth be referred to as a Cycle.
Rule 5: Choose a maximum time for each Cycle to last. At the beginning of each Cycle the Describer will set a timer for this amount.
Rule 6: If the timer goes off before a Cycle is complete, the players must finish the phase they’re on and then move directly to Passing The Torch.
Rule 7: The Describer may tell a player to “Stop,” move on to another player, then return immediately to the previous player if that player hesitates too long before providing a description.
Rule 8: Choose a maximum number of Cycles to complete this session, after which tokens will be counted and the game will end. This number must be a multiple of the number of players.
Rule 9: Play starts with the Description phase. Follow all phase instructions until the game ends.
Optional Rule 10: The players with the fewest tokens after all cycles have completed lose their names for the next hour (or the rest of the social event) and cannot be referred to by them.
Description:
The Describer starts the Cycle timer, draws a word from the deck, then describes one usage of the word without uttering it or any direct synonyms (see Rationalist Taboo), in that order.
Proceed to Abstraction or Concretization.
This phase may only occur once per Cycle.
Abstraction:
The Describer points to another player and utters the word “Abstract.”
The designated player describes a category of which e believes the previously described usage to be an example without uttering the words for, or any direct synonyms of, either.
If the Describer believes the described category matches the usage e described, e hands the designated player a Token.
Repeat 1-3 until all players other than the Describer have abstracted.
Proceed to Concretization or Ascension.
This phase may only occur once per Cycle.
Concretization:
The Describer points to another player and utters the word “Concretize.”
The designated player describes what e believes to be an example of the previously described usage without uttering the words for, or any direct synonyms of, either.
If the Describer believes the described example matches the usage e described, e hands the designated player a Token.
Repeat 1-3 until all players other than the Describer have concretized.
Proceed to Abstraction or Descension.
This phase may only occur once per Cycle.
Passing the Torch
Once Description, Abstraction and Concretization have occurred, the Describer hands the Cycle timer to the next player in line for the position, but keeps the Word card on his person for tallying purposes.
The new Describer starts the next Cycle.
Optional: The Describer burns his Word in effigy before passing the lighter, ashtray and Cycle timer along.
Ascension: Optional Phase (replaces Passing The Torch and Description)
If all other players are handed tokens during the Abstraction phase, the Describer may declare “Ascension!”
The Describer chooses another player’s category description to be a description of the next Word and that player becomes the Describer as though Passing The Torch.
The new Describer writes the new Word on a notecard, re-starts the Cycle timer and repeats the category description. This counts as a new Cycle.
Proceed to Abstraction.
Descension: Optional Phase (replaces Passing The Torch and Description)
If all other players are handed tokens during the Concretization phase, the Describer may declare “Descension!”
The Describer chooses another player’s example description to be a description of the next Word and that player becomes the Describer as though Passing The Torch.
The new Describer writes the new Word on a notecard, re-starts the Cycle timer and repeats the Example description. This counts as a new Cycle
Proceed to Concretization.
I think the most difficult part of implementing this will be finding words that will place the group near the middle of the abstraction-concreteness lattice. Primary colors and emotional states should work well as a starting point.
After sleeping on this and thinking about it all day at work, I made a game. I’d like to make the wording more ritualistic and provide descriptive play examples eventually, but here’s a good untested first draft: (Note: I did not read any comments before posting this.)
ETA: I will be editing the rules to remove/redirect perverse incentives and add classroom/tournament formats and examples, but may not always have this post completely up to date. The most recent version can always be found here.
The Un-Naming for 2-6 players
Materials: A deck of words. (stack of notecards, dictionary/internet, pen) Tokens (poker chips, m&m’s, pennies, etc.) A timer (egg-timer, mini-hourglass, mobile phone app., etc.) A lighter and ashtray (see optional rules)
Rule 1: Unless stated otherwise within the rules, players must never read any of The Un-Naming’s cards aloud, sign their translation or interpretation via gesture, or reveal them face up to each other (cards should be embossed with braille when used with visually handicapped players).
Rule 2: Choose a player to go first by any arbitrary means available. This person will henceforth be referred to as the Describer.
Rule 3: Choose a method of passing the Describer position from one player to the next, such that all players hold the position an equal number of times during this session of the game.
Rule 4: The Un-Naming has at least four phases: Description, Abstraction, Concretization, and Passing The Torch. A single repetition of each phase will henceforth be referred to as a Cycle.
Rule 5: Choose a maximum time for each Cycle to last. At the beginning of each Cycle the Describer will set a timer for this amount.
Rule 6: If the timer goes off before a Cycle is complete, the players must finish the phase they’re on and then move directly to Passing The Torch.
Rule 7: The Describer may tell a player to “Stop,” move on to another player, then return immediately to the previous player if that player hesitates too long before providing a description.
Rule 8: Choose a maximum number of Cycles to complete this session, after which tokens will be counted and the game will end. This number must be a multiple of the number of players.
Rule 9: Play starts with the Description phase. Follow all phase instructions until the game ends.
Optional Rule 10: The players with the fewest tokens after all cycles have completed lose their names for the next hour (or the rest of the social event) and cannot be referred to by them.
Description:
The Describer starts the Cycle timer, draws a word from the deck, then describes one usage of the word without uttering it or any direct synonyms (see Rationalist Taboo), in that order.
Proceed to Abstraction or Concretization.
This phase may only occur once per Cycle.
Abstraction:
The Describer points to another player and utters the word “Abstract.”
The designated player describes a category of which e believes the previously described usage to be an example without uttering the words for, or any direct synonyms of, either.
If the Describer believes the described category matches the usage e described, e hands the designated player a Token.
Repeat 1-3 until all players other than the Describer have abstracted.
Proceed to Concretization or Ascension.
This phase may only occur once per Cycle.
Concretization:
The Describer points to another player and utters the word “Concretize.”
The designated player describes what e believes to be an example of the previously described usage without uttering the words for, or any direct synonyms of, either.
If the Describer believes the described example matches the usage e described, e hands the designated player a Token.
Repeat 1-3 until all players other than the Describer have concretized.
Proceed to Abstraction or Descension.
This phase may only occur once per Cycle.
Passing the Torch
Once Description, Abstraction and Concretization have occurred, the Describer hands the Cycle timer to the next player in line for the position, but keeps the Word card on his person for tallying purposes.
The new Describer starts the next Cycle. Optional: The Describer burns his Word in effigy before passing the lighter, ashtray and Cycle timer along.
Ascension: Optional Phase (replaces Passing The Torch and Description)
If all other players are handed tokens during the Abstraction phase, the Describer may declare “Ascension!”
The Describer chooses another player’s category description to be a description of the next Word and that player becomes the Describer as though Passing The Torch.
The new Describer writes the new Word on a notecard, re-starts the Cycle timer and repeats the category description. This counts as a new Cycle.
Proceed to Abstraction.
Descension: Optional Phase (replaces Passing The Torch and Description)
If all other players are handed tokens during the Concretization phase, the Describer may declare “Descension!”
The Describer chooses another player’s example description to be a description of the next Word and that player becomes the Describer as though Passing The Torch.
The new Describer writes the new Word on a notecard, re-starts the Cycle timer and repeats the Example description. This counts as a new Cycle
Proceed to Concretization.
I think the most difficult part of implementing this will be finding words that will place the group near the middle of the abstraction-concreteness lattice. Primary colors and emotional states should work well as a starting point.