This is the outline of a conversation that took part no fewer than 14 times on Friday just past, between me and a number of close friends.
“Life is like an RPG. Often, a wise, kind, and and deeply important character (hand gesture to myself) gives a quest item to a lowly, unsuspecting, otherwise plain character (hand gesture to friend). As a result of this, this young character goes on to be a great hero in an important quest.
Now, here with me today, I have a quest item.
For you.
But I can only give it to you if you shake on the following oath; that, once you have finished with this item, when you have taken what you require from it, that then, you too shall find someone for whom this will be of great utility, and pass it along. They must also shake on this oath.”
“I will.”
Handshake occurs.
“Here is your physical copy of the first 16 and a half chapters of ‘Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality’.”
Spoilers: after a tedious chain of deals, your friend’s going to end up with half an oyster shell sitting in their inventory and no idea what to do with it.
This is the outline of a conversation that took part no fewer than 14 times on Friday just past, between me and a number of close friends.
“Life is like an RPG. Often, a wise, kind, and and deeply important character (hand gesture to myself) gives a quest item to a lowly, unsuspecting, otherwise plain character (hand gesture to friend). As a result of this, this young character goes on to be a great hero in an important quest.
Now, here with me today, I have a quest item.
For you.
But I can only give it to you if you shake on the following oath; that, once you have finished with this item, when you have taken what you require from it, that then, you too shall find someone for whom this will be of great utility, and pass it along. They must also shake on this oath.”
“I will.”
Handshake occurs.
“Here is your physical copy of the first 16 and a half chapters of ‘Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality’.”
Spoilers: after a tedious chain of deals, your friend’s going to end up with half an oyster shell sitting in their inventory and no idea what to do with it.
Doesn’t the item usually vanish after you finish with it?
I tested it empirically: some of the friends have already read it and passed it on, so no, not in real life.
Nah, key items sometimes linger in your inventory for the rest of the game and never do anything ever again.
This is a great idea. I assume it’s 16 and a half because of print limitations? The first 21 chapters would make more sense.
That’s how MIRI sent me them.