Doco
Guess what? You don’t have to have it…
The game will present itself to you and you can play without any documentation whatsoever.
Built into every character there is a basic discernment of intent that naturally keeps score throughout the game. It’s hard to score major points that way but its usually enough to keep your character qualified for Stage Three (depending on what your role is). Everyone does have a role and for some the documentation outlines it pretty specifically. That’s another reason why the different groups are trying to present their documentation as a Noah’s Ark. You have to make up your own mind which path is and which is a Tower of Babel?
All the different groups are seeking victory in this final stretch of our race. In my opinion with that strategy they already lost. The victory won’t come from the strength of one group where they win because they were right and everyone else loses. That is so old school gaming it was one of the first built in safety mechanisms to weed out those that might have a “better than you” attitude. Those characters are not only dangerous they are incredibly annoying to be around. The winners of RPG are the sprinkled throughout all groups. They are the ones the truth is able to reach and sink in. You are not playing this game with your group against another group. You are playing this game with you “against” or “aligned” with those around you. This is a level of game depth most players can’t imagine which is why it works so well. You could call is subliminal game play.
Throughout this work I have repeated the need for obtaining accurate documentation. The time for pure random entertainment is past so instead of learning how to manipulate your character to score points make sure you are on a solid foundation so your character survives. You can build a strong character that dies very quickly based on poor documentation but even the weakest of those with correct documentation will survive and see the sunny side of Stage Three.
The nearer the truth the deeper the cut. Those that are close to the truth feel real confident because their cuts appear deep. That is part of the price for trusting in a party line.
The correct documentation is available in text but it isn’t limited to a print display. It is considered a living document in that it records the game play facts as they happen so they can be cited during the transition to Stage Three, and the same documentation that we pull from to understand game player threads of the past also describes future players and events. In old games the programmer set the rules and later we measure how people played… but no programmer can tell you how a game’s rules based on free will would end and know which characters would do what? The ability to do that is what makes it a living document and that’s why the quest in RPG is so tantalizing and drew the volume of game players involved. There are a few tools you can use to help verify your documentation. They outline the storyboard of the game. I call it an outline because it reveals just enough information to defend the overall position. It is living because once you enter the game you become a documented part of its reality. It doesn’t matter if you quit now or play through to the end once your sponsors bind your character you’re documented. The game is getting a little frenzied right now because everyone senses we’re at a critical stage and they all have their bets on the table.
The key to success is discerning the various documents and histories from the groups that have played the game to date. This is also one of the biggest challenges in the game. You will naturally learn to trust the group that brings you in because they become your social environment as well as your support group, family, and the source of all sensory data that cultivates your character… and they trust you.
- The hand-me-down methodology does not guarantee accuracy.
- Good intent and being nice does not guarantee accuracy.
- Ignorance doesn’t guarantee safety.
The biggest question on you today is if the compass of your group is pointing north? Only one of a circle’s 360 degrees is representative of true north. No matter how close to the right or how close to the left… any other close position is just pointing in the same general direction. Normally that would be good enough but not if the target window is very narrow and this one is. Additionally one must accept the existence of 180 in the same circle and everything in between. In the simplest circle there is only a 1 in 360 chance of true north. In the land of Erets you have a highly complex sphere and numerous variables so how much more are the odds magnified? If you consider the documentation for this game has been passed down from previous players across a long period of time in several languages and with different intents and purposes it is very easy to see the odds of a true north are worse than the lottery. Every group thinks they have the winning numbers.
A word to the wise… regardless of where you are on the compass it is always possible to face true north and proceed. Those who rise from adverse circumstances are those who overcame incredible odds. They also form a critical part of the game thread evidence that will be cited for or against the purposes and actions within groups. Every group’s documentation will be pointing to their north but make sure their north isn’t a real south. Any person with common sense and the desire to know is capable of finding and discerning correct documentation. In most cases it is not a matter of complexity that forms the barrier, it’s the lack of concern or sometimes opportunity. Even when sought it takes an open mind to steady the maturity required to stand against the dynasties that got us this deep into the game and on the climax of Stage Two.
RPG didn’t start in English. It’s main conglomerate is in the United States but most of them have tuned out of the game or fell into a lullaby state so they’re somewhat dormant. There was a version of the documentation published in England a long time ago and since then Americans have generated several versions that were supposedly updated for cultural reasons. Be careful with those. We do have a solid translation but it too needs confirmation. Many times translations are also transliterated to better fit the language, culture, or purpose. There are things like colloquialisms and parables and worse of all… time. Over time there have been many contributors and editors because the documentation only lasts a few generations of sponsorship before someone has to generate a resource. Sometimes the edits or descriptions make it easier to follow and sometimes you lose an intended meaning. What might appear as a minor detail could actually result in something being taken way out of context. Specially if the error was early in the process. Emphatically if the error traces back to the foundation!
Foundations are critical to grasping context because they give measurable reason to current conditions. For example if you wanted to make a 10’ by 10’ cement pad for your playhouse in Erets you can. Let’s say the ground isn’t perfectly flat so we make a frame that has a level top and will fill it up to make our foundation. If the person who put the framing of the foundation was off by just 1/8th of an inch per foot it might seem a lot better than the 2” per foot or whatever the original terrain was but it will still lead to one side of his foundation being an 1 ¼” higher. If the run going across has any differences it gets magnified even more! When you try to build up the discrepancy grows again, and again. Walls won’t be square and tile won’t line up. Doors won’t close and any round fruit will roll off the counter. If you cut every piece of wood just as the plans said you would have a disaster on your hands because the foundation was only off 1/8th of an inch. Carpenters rarely fix a door because doors do a pretty good job of staying square. Good carpenters evaluate the opening and make adjustments to compensate. In our example it traced back to the foundation. In our example somebody followed the plan letter by letter and still ended up with crap.
I can’t stress enough the number of people who have honest intent to pass on good information. They wouldn’t even bring it up to you if they didn’t think it was critical for your character development. They wouldn’t bring it up to you if they didn’t go through it themselves. In their mind they will be right. They’ve already built their character and the game thread supports it. There is also a haze of peace between most groups because they point in a similar direction. Nobody really feels wrong. Usually they differ due to the interpretation of various translations. Very few group members read that deep into their group’s documents or they simply choose to ignore what doesn’t settle well. If someone gives you information to help your character be sure to ask for documentation. Then research it yourself and ensure you only accept good information.
I encourage you to look beyond your own scenario. Today’s players are in the game for a reason and if the time is at hand we are in our relative positions… It is written that great numbers of characters are deceived during this most critical time of the game. We are not going to change that. Then again this RPG primer got into your hands so maybe you are being called out. It might not even happen until the last minute… but once you know what RPG is about it is very difficult to ignore it’s reality and the impact it has in our daily lives. The cast of characters are sprinkled throughout the game in every element of game society based upon their scenario and how it relates to those characters within their natural group. Their test is for them and yours for you. It is written there would be many who snapped into the game and played their position well. Who is it you think they’re playing against? They play against the players that cling to the documentation they have been raised upon regardless of the role it plays in the overall game scenario. If you don’t look beyond your own scenario you might be rowing towards the falls as fast as you can and not even know it.
The best way to find out if your documentation is pure is to put it to the test. There are three English tools that allow you to discern rather quickly. The first takes every word that was in the original English translation and traces it back to the original word that was used. You can compare how that same word was used in several different areas to help lock in on a meaning. When you see how many words were changed for convenience it will become apparent that some of these lost a lot of meaning (maybe just an 1/8”). Another tool would be a dictionary that is targeted towards the original English translation. Most of that stuff is historical so it is a valuable manuscript for clarification of various words, people, places, and the current events of the time. Yet another tool you should look into is called a companion. It is based on the English translation with outlined commentary and it has 198 topical essays. If you combine these tools you will be able to take on any question you have or that someone brings to you.
Of course not every player has an interest to the type of documentation I am addressing in this work and most groups avoid it because it exposes their discrepancies. There are large successful groups that have gotten fat from the table scraps of time as their members participate without question. They don’t want to rock the gravy train. They will ultimately be in more danger than the characters just pumping in time and playing the game as it comes without regard to any of the issues that get exposed in this work. Some characters have the talent but they are void of interest at this point. They are neutral with exception of what their game exposure has cultivated and the hope they snap into reality in time.
Oh well, everyone plays the game for a different reason.
4) Doco (You are here.)