Chaos Tickets


I conceived this idea on 7/2/04, immediately before a local Science Fiction convention. I have been to this con for many years, and it's getting dull. I wanted to introduce a little entropy into the mix to keep it stimulating, yet do no harm to anyone who became involved. I had spent that day reading "Prometheus Rising" by Robert Anton Wilson, and then watching the Disinfocon DVD getting ready for the con. Suddenly, an Idea struck me. I would create a game. It would be a game which would give me, as well as all of the players, something to do. It would be a little jam that would have the potential to create intrigue. It would also collectively be a collaborative servitor with a 2 day lifespan that would generate a pool of energy that I could use to channel into creating the environment that I wished to have. I created 45 tickets: I began surreptitiously depositing these tickets in high traffic areas where people would find them. I had no idea what would happen from there. I checked up on most of the locations, and in each case, they had been taken. I got word that at one of the room parties, a well-known English Science Fiction TV actor, currently in his cups at the time, held up a card to a group, and asked "What the fuck is this?" When no one knew, he shrugged, and put it in his pocket. That's the kind of reaction that I had hoped for. I must judge this experiment to be a success. This was one of my most enjoyable cons in years. My compatriots have all expressed a similar sentiment. The previously mentioned actor migrated from the party he was at to the one I was hosting, where he proved to be a most engaging and enjoyable guest. Liquor and other delights flowed freely all night, and there was debauchery to boot. Update I've done two other iterations of Chaos Tickets since the first: November 2004 July 2005 Vargr 07.05.04 updated 07.07.05 spikevision.org

I conceived this idea on 7/2/04, immediately before a local Science Fiction convention. I have been to this con for many years, and it's getting dull. I wanted to introduce a little entropy into the mix to keep it stimulating, yet do no harm to anyone who became involved. I had spent that day reading "Prometheus Rising" by Robert Anton Wilson, and then watching the Disinfocon DVD getting ready for the con.

Suddenly, an Idea struck me. I would create a game. It would be a game which would give me, as well as all of the players, something to do. It would be a little jam that would have the potential to create intrigue. It would also collectively be a collaborative servitor with a 2 day lifespan that would generate a pool of energy that I could use to channel into creating the environment that I wished to have.

I created 45 tickets:

I began surreptitiously depositing these tickets in high traffic areas where people would find them. I had no idea what would happen from there. I checked up on most of the locations, and in each case, they had been taken. I got word that at one of the room parties, a well-known English Science Fiction TV actor, currently in his cups at the time, held up a card to a group, and asked "What the fuck is this?" When no one knew, he shrugged, and put it in his pocket. That's the kind of reaction that I had hoped for.

I must judge this experiment to be a success. This was one of my most enjoyable cons in years. My compatriots have all expressed a similar sentiment. The previously mentioned actor migrated from the party he was at to the one I was hosting, where he proved to be a most engaging and enjoyable guest. Liquor and other delights flowed freely all night, and there was debauchery to boot.

Update

I've done two other iterations of Chaos Tickets since the first:

November 2004

July 2005

Vargr
07.05.04 updated 07.07.05
spikevision.org