This may be my sole claim to uniqueness: being the only kid ever to have thought of passing a Silver Ring while playing “The Original Carousel Ring Game”. More than 50 years later it seemed obvious to consider what happens when two strategists, who understand the significance of passing a Silver Ring, contend for the Gold Ring.
I prefer an in-person setting to the phone app I created six years ago. There, a single real player was matched against three increasingly sophisticated “Wizards”, and app software updated the state of the game. Solitary play is fine for solving puzzles, but The Ring Game began in the real world; social interaction should be part of the experience.
Game Setup
- Two opponents who are allowed to pass a Silver Ring
- DIY Carousel with 4, 5, or 6 positions. See this post for tips to create the carousel in a few minutes.
- For a 4-position carousels have 19; 21; or 28 rings. Only the last ring is the Gold Ring.
- For a 5-position carousel have 17; 18; or 24 rings. Only the last ring is the Gold Ring.
- For a 6-position carousel have 18; 20; or 26 rings. Only the last ring is the Gold Ring.
- Each different carousel configuration gives rise to a different ring game, even if the number of playing positions and the number of rings remains constant. Actually, there is no need to confine yourself to 4-, 5- or 6-position carousels; ring games with two opponents also work nicely with 7- and 8- position carousels.
- In addition to the two opponents who are allowed to pass a Silver Ring, the remaining positions must have “Takers”. Takers always take a Silver Ring on their turn. As shown in this video, you can just put toy animals on these positions and give Takers a silver ring on each of their turns.
- So in a 4-position carousel, there will be two Real Players and two Takers. In a 5-position carousel, there will be three Takers. And in a 6-position carousel, there will be four Takers.
- No Adjacency Rule during set-up: Adjacency occurs when one real player follows another without any intervening “Takers”. Note that a real player in position #1 and another in the last playing position are also adjacent.
- For example, in a 4-position carousel, if a real player is in position #1, the other real player can only play in position #3. This is because position #2 and the last position, position #4, are adjacent to #1 – – there are no intervening Takers.
- By way of another example, in a 5-position carousel, if a real player is in position #2, the other real player must not play in position #1 or position # 3.
- The reason for the No-Adjacency Rule is for fairness: one player will always have an advantage if the players are adjacent. The Q&A at the end of this post briefly discusses this, but try to figure out why on your own and let me know your thoughts.
- In general, there are N-3 playing locations available to the second real player on an N-position carousel.
- I suggest that a parent or older sibling enhance the experience for youngsters by assisting during set-up, updating the state of a game, and enforcing the No-Adjacency Rule and other rules. A natural title for that role is “Ringmaster”.
- Enforcing the “No-Adjacency Rule” during “Set-up”
- Suppose the two Real Players want to play with a 6-position carousel. The Ringmaster mixes six cards, ace through six, and places them face down on a table.
- One Real Player selects a card that will be their playing position. The Ringmaster removes two “adjacent” cards, and the second Real Player chooses from the reduced set.
- You should also play with two sets of index cards or playing cards: Current Rotation and Rings Remaining. These are explained below but Current Rotation is usually numbered 1 – 10. The Rings Remaining cards should correspond to the total number of rings in your ring dispenser.
How to Play the Ring Game with Two Real Players
Starting and Playing the Game
- After game set up, the player in position #1 goes first.
- If position #1 is occupied by a Taker, that rider receives a Silver Ring, the carousel is rotated, and the player in position #2 has their turn at the ring dispenser.
- If position #1 is occupied by a Real Player, that rider has a choice. They either take a Silver Ring or decline to take a Silver Ring. Either way, the carousel is rotated and now it’s player 2’s turn.
- The player in position #2 will either get a Silver Ring if the position is occupied by a Taker or if that rider is a Real Player, they will choose whether to take a Silver Ring or not. Rotate the carousel and now it’s the turn for the player in position #3.
- Play continues until one player, either a Taker or a Real Player, takes the last ring, which is the Gold Ring.
- The player that takes the Gold Ring wins.
Updating the State of a Game
- Here is where a parent or older sibling can help. There should be at least two sets of display cards, “Current Rotation” and “Rings Remaining”.
- Current rotation tells the players how many times they have gone around the carousel.
- So when play starts, the Current Rotation is set at 1.
- When player #1 begins their second turn, Current Rotation should display 2, etc.
- Rings Remaining tells the players how many total rings are left.
- For example, if at the beginning of the game there are 18 silver rings and one gold ring, show the players a 19.
- After the first player decides to take a Silver Ring, change the Rings Remaining display to 18.
- So long as the Ringmaster understands the math behind the game, that person can also place an icon on Current Winning Position.
- At the beginning of the game, calculate which player will receive the Gold Ring if every player takes a Silver Ring on their turn. That player has the Current Winning Position.
- Any time a player chooses to pass a Silver Ring, the Current Winning Position advances one position.
- By way of example, in a 6-position carousel with 19 rings, the Current Winning Position at the start of the game is position #1. But as soon as a Real Player passes a Silver Ring – – does not take a Silver Ring – – the player in position #2 is now in Current Winning Position. The Ringmaster moves the icon from position #1 to position #2.
- Optional “Good Sportsmanship Rule”. The idea behind this Rule is to reward a Real Player who determines that they will get the Gold Ring on their very next turn, so long as every player, including the other Real Player, takes a Silver Ring on their turn. Enforcing this Rule will enable a Real Player to win and prevent a non-human Taker from winning.
- At the end stage of the game, a Real Player should be able to determine whether a take or a pass puts them in the Current Winning Position on their next turn. Therefore, the other Real Player cannot get the Gold Ring either by taking or passing the available Silver Ring because of the no-adjacency rule.
- The other Real Player could, if they choose, prevent the Real Player in the Current Winning Position from winning by passing on a Silver Ring, and then the Taker in the adjacent position would win. The Good Sportsmanship Rule tries to prevent this outcome.
- You can easily compute the size of a Ring Dispenser that activates the Good Sportsmanship Rule. The Real Player establishing such a position should claim to have done so; this is like announcing Check Mate in chess. If the claim is valid, the Ringmaster requires the other real player to take a Silver Ring on their last turn. The two players then congratulate each other for a game well played. If the Ringmaster rules that the claim is invalid, the game continues.
- You can make your own rules for what happens if a real player fails to make a valid claim; the “Good Sportsmanship” rule still requires the “losing” opponent to take, but you might award only ½ Gold Ring.
Q&A
Scroll down for the answers to each of the questions.
Question 1: Which real player is advantaged in case of “Adjacency”?
Question 2: What happens on a carousel with just two playing positions, both occupied by “Real Players” who understand the significance of passing a Silver Ring? Try playing this configuration.
Question 3: Does the “Good Sportsmanship Rule”, by itself, determine which “Real Player” gets the Gold in Question 2?
Question 4: Can you propose a “game refinement” which, combined with the “Good Sportsmanship Rule”, determines which “Real” gets the Gold?
Question 5: Does the order of takes and passes matter for a Winning Take/Pass Sequence when there is a Real Opponent?
Question 6: Does having an active opponent increase or decrease the number of winning (take/pass) sequences, as compared with the same game where you are the only player who can pass a Silver Ring?
Answers
Answer 1: The real player who “follows”. If the two positions are the first and last players, it the first player who “follows”.
Answer 2: These two Real Players continue passing the last Silver Ring.
Answer 3: No, the “Good Sportsman Rule” doesn’t help.
Answer 4: What if the carousel ride ends after a certain number of completed rotations when the dispenser holds 1 Silver Ring and 1 Gold?
Answer 5: Sometimes.
Answer 6: Decreases
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