Best two out of three! Thousand.

January 29, 2009 11:16 AM

RPS-101. All 5,050 gestures and outcomes; the interactive chart. [previously]
Direct descendant of RPS-25 [Flash Game] [previously]; RPS-15, -11, -9, and -7; evolved from RPSSL.
All of these are more complex forms of Rock, Paper, Scissors [previously]
What would the World RPS Society [previously 1 2 3 | documentary] think of this inflation?
(International versions also available via AskMetaFilter: Japanese, Korean)
posted by not_on_display (16 comments total)

I know this looks ridiculous, what with all the [previously]'s, but I wanted to link to the new stuff--the flash game on newgrounds and the WRPSS documentary--while collecting and highlighting the wealth of information about Rock Paper Scissors that is spread out all over MeFi. If unsatisfied, flag this post and/or move on. NO TAKE-BACKS! NO DO-OVERS!
posted by not_on_display at 11:16 AM on January 29, 2009

Personally, I play the Zvilius gambit when I play RPS. It's simple: merely pick the winning move every time. Some purists decry this as stupid and nonsensical. But that's why it's called a gambit.
posted by felix at 11:24 AM on January 29, 2009

5,050 isn't enough to defeat the British at Yorktown!
posted by carsonb at 11:27 AM on January 29, 2009

Math class denies Sky.
posted by Monstrous Moonshine at 11:29 AM on January 29, 2009 [2 favorites]

I love playing RPS with my dog. She always goes with paper.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:37 AM on January 29, 2009 [2 favorites]

what
posted by Caduceus at 11:39 AM on January 29, 2009

felix: Personally, I play the Zvilius gambit when I play RPS. It's simple: merely pick the winning move every time. Some purists decry this as stupid and nonsensical. But that's why it's called a gambit.

The WRPSS says: "The Master's Guide to Rock, Paper & Scissors defines the term gambit as:

"A series of three successive moves made with strategic intention."

The use of Gambits in competitive RPS has been one of the greatest and most enduring breakthroughs in RPS strategy. Selecting throws in advance helps prevent unconscious patterns from forming and can sometimes reduce the subconscious signals that give away the next throw, often called “tells”. Gambits are the focal point of beginner strategy and form the basis of many advanced strategies."

Furthermore, "The mathematically inclined will quickly realize that there are only twenty-seven possible Gambits. All of them have been used and documented in tournament play."
posted by not_on_display at 11:45 AM on January 29, 2009

I'm still under the impression that competitive rock-paper-scissors is a big "in-joke", intellectual masturbation kind of thing. Like poker. In other words, any jackass can get good and win.
posted by ChickenringNYC at 12:05 PM on January 29, 2009

There's gold in those lists of moves. I smell a screenplay, maybe some kind of David Lynch / Charlie Kaufman thing.

Cockroach has brain... Cockroach creeps into church... Cockroach annoys community... Cockroach creeps into helicopter... Cockroach crawls across gold... Cockroach makes men devils... Cockroach creeps into airplane... Cockroach survives nuke... Cockroach amuses Satan... Cockroach lives on mountain... Cockroach is unaware of rainbow.

This Fall, Mickey Roarke is 'Cockroach'.
posted by rokusan at 12:19 PM on January 29, 2009 [3 favorites]

rokusan, you just inspired me to change my user profile
posted by jtron at 12:31 PM on January 29, 2009 [2 favorites]

I practice RPS in front of a mirror.
posted by Xere at 2:20 PM on January 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

Can we do a game inthread?

Paper!
posted by sixswitch at 5:03 PM on January 29, 2009

Rock--DAMNIT!
posted by not_on_display at 7:43 PM on January 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

Sucks...there're 7 things that beat Scissors and Paper, 41 things that beat Rock and Scissors, but NO Paper and Rock. Huh, probably messes up tournament etiquette.
posted by Monstrous Moonshine at 8:17 PM on January 29, 2009

It kind of makes me miss the good old days; but, I don't know....
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 12:18 AM on January 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

KRAMER & MICKEY: Rock, paper, scissors match.
MICKEY: All right! Rock beats paper.
(Mickey smacks Kramer on the hand for losing)
KRAMER: I thought paper covered rock?
MICKEY: Nah, rock flies right through paper.
KRAMER: What beats rock?
MICKEY: (looks at his hand) Nothing beats rock.
KRAMER: All right come on.
KRAMER & MICKEY: Rock, paper, scissors match.
KRAMER: Rock.
MICKEY: Rock
KRAMER & MICKEY: Rock, paper, scissors match.
KRAMER: Rock.
MICKEY: Rock.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:22 AM on January 30, 2009 [1 favorite]