The House of Yes-But

[misuba]

So, suppose you're doing this thing where you and some other folks are making up a story about some characters, and there are some rules telling you how to do it. Also suppose there are five little decks of cards in front of you:

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Manuever|
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Retreat

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ContractThe five "directions" the decks are named for are meant to

Comments

Six

[nickykaa]

My homework load prohibits me from getting sucked into the temptation to answer Question 2. Regarding Question 1, though: my Taoist bias says there needs to be a sixth deck called "Wait." There are states of inaction that can be considered "contraction" (e.g., Sherlock Holmes spending a day pacing around his flat with the windows shuttered, smoking his pipe and thinking about the case), but in some situations, it's strategically useful to adopt a stance of stillness in which no contraction occurs (all the best samurai films have a duel scene in which this sort of Waiting figures prominently).

Re: Six

[ouro]

One might argue that in the samurai example, the opponents are Expanding or Contracting, or "drawing focus" as the Lo5R kids term it. That could well be Wait, creating a nice symmetry of three maneuvers and three abides.

Re: Six

[misuba]

In the House of Yes-But, inaction is the equal of action, but it does not equal action.

Re: Six

[misuba]

I think this sort of waiting might fall under Expand. Maaayyybe. More likely, in a game of this nature it might be better handled by talking about it a little bit and then passing your turn. Waiting of this kind is a profound thing that I'd love to reward in the mechanics, but there are (that is, will be) other avenues.