Georgia
How would you do a room escape analog?

Morgan
that translates pretty smoothly to an extremely rules-light tabletop RPG type thing
i've run one
all puzzles, no monsters or anything, so no need for stats or dice or rulebooks
it went surprisingly well, actually
most of my RPG games do not

Georgia
Could you make it work without a gamemaster?

Morgan
yes
but it's not something that should be done lightly

Georgia
Paragraph format?

Morgan
no, that's rubbish

Georgia
How?

Morgan
you have to essentially pretend there is a game master, and get judgement from them via some system of divination
well
my left leg is telling me... ff.. something
"be quick to clarify that", but i don't know how i'm supposed to clarify it
this is the problem

Gregoria
Then you couldn't make it work without a gamemaster.

Morgan
it depends on your definition of "work"

Georgia
To make something work without a gamemaster, you have to be able to clarify what people are supposed to do without you there.

Morgan
the game isn't fair, and it has a lot of much worse problems on top of that
but it is playable
in fact, i can't stop playing
i can't claim to have invented the game, either, i don't think anyone can
though certainly some have left their mark
who is the gamemaster of MAZE?
christopher manson is the author, but that's not at all the same
it NEEDS a gamemaster, but it doesn't HAVE one
so one evolves in your head
unconsciously

Georgia
It has enough. If it had more, it wouldn't be so appealing.

Morgan
it has enough to be playable, to "work", as you put it
but not enough to be fair

Georgia
Work has to conversate, not dictate.

Morgan
it is a choose your own adventure book with one ending
room six has a tunnel over which is hanging a sign with a picture of an eye
does that lead to the room of eyes? or to room one, which is "i" in roman numerals?
in a computer game, you click it and find out
in an RPG, you say "i go down the tunnel with the eye sign" and the game master tells you the outcome
in MAZE, you speculate uncomfortably about it in the comments on the Room 6 page of intotheabyss.net and maybe white raven gives you a puzzle point and maybe that means something and you NEVER KNOW

Gregoria
That's part of the appeal, maybe, and the frustration.
That's also why Maze fellows keep going to the Abyss. They want that check, that authority.

Penny
Georgia, are you even aware that you just did a total 180 regarding the viability of pretending there's a gamemaster?
White Raven is David Brekke of Valley City, North Dakota. YOU THINK MY PUZZLE SOLVING IS CONFINED BY SOME BOOK, SOME HOUSE OF LEAVES?

Morgan
and in your head, the wheels are turning and the mice are running, still looking for a way out