Mornington Crescent

[podbaydoor]

Fucking hell, what the hell is a Deep Well doing on my territory!? Looks like my moment of inattention cost me dearly. Going to have to play defensively for a while just to compensate for the warping. *grumble* Dollis Hill.

[Felstaff]

Dollis Hill.

[Mishrak]

!@#@!&%@!

Dollis Hill? What the crap.



I am dispatching an army of ninjas to your house Felstaff.

[edit]

I just noticed you double decked Dollis Hill. That's...unheard of. Have you no honor sir?

[podbaydoor]

It's just a standard Dollis Hill loop. Unfortunate, but I didn't have much choice.

[existential_elevator]

Dollis Hill

[Mishrak]

I never thought I'd see this opportunity in a Dollis Hill loop, but now that I've calmed down I can see it plainly. Melton Vanright's laws of thermodynamics allow me to make this move. I'll use all three magenta tokens, four wicky stickets, a neptune card and an Emperor Tarot card (Herbert's rule) to open up the rails, the nines and the windows.

If I'm not mistaken that will allow me to do a reverse oscilating shunt to Camden Town. MC in 1.

Whew, that's quite a turnaround. I think I understand this game a bit.

[gingermrkettle]

Not surprised there's been a bit of a delay, that's a serious bit of play you've pulled out there. I think I have to counter with Farringdon which given the right prevailing climate may neutralise some of the vectors in force and redirect matters somewhat.

[podbaydoor]

Quite a coup, Mishrak. Definitely a respectable turnaround given the casual nature of this particular round. Though I see at least one way to counter, Aldwych ought to put you back to MC in 4 with a proper crossways slice this time.

[Lorenz]

This is my first time playing Mornington Crescent. I've just spent a few hours learning the game, hopefully I don't make many mistakes.
I'll be playing Old Street. I know it looks like it won't help me, but jumping this late in the game I have to be conservative.

[Whelan]

That lets me unhook the sandwiches from frood and escape the snarl, so thanks for that. I can now have Euston.

[existential_elevator]

Mishrak, your analysis would be correct if we were playing with Standard Rules variant B, but we're not. Felstaff correctly stated that the ruleset was the 1993 Standard Rules. This is how I know that we have a lot of newbies in the match - you're just not well acquainted with the finer details.

I'm going to play South Kensington. It won't help me MC any faster, but it will open up the top of the board.

[AJR]

Which also opens up the diagonals. Under the '93 Standard Rules that we're using, that means I can play Theydon Bois.

[podbaydoor]

No time for anything fancy: chuteslide on the timeline over the codex to Woodford

[Lorenz]

Interesting... I can now go to Piccadilly Circus. As was demonstrated in the original Graham game, 2 more stops must be made at Piccadilly circus before MC can be claimed.

[Mishrak]

Well the only difference betwen the '93 rules and variant B rules was the laws regarding 3rd orthogonal shunts and their legality, or more precisely - the lack thereof, the 1993 ruleset has a slight wording varience that was actually discussed quite heatedly in the 1994 Masters Tournament in Brazil, if you recall your history.

So my analysis should still be correct given that I used a reverse oscillating shunt. The Fibonnaci Sequence that comes into play doesn't change based on the ruleset either. I'm not a newbie, EE. Not a Grand Master like PDB and Felstaff, but by no means a newbie. To prove that point I'll do the following, because as it stands I'm MC in 3 based on the others moves:

Using five white tokens, two greens and four out of mint quid coins. That allows me to declare Triple Entendre and force all the mellons, moons, donkeys and apes off the board. That leaves the zebras, which I'll take care of using two iron tokens and a Masquerade Ball card. Finally, to end my turn, and the match, a Tripple Lutz Tripple Toe Loop trollop over to Mornington Crescent. Just for a bit of overkill, I'll wipe the region with my last purple token.

I wanted to see the game last longer than this but, I was left with little choice.

[existential_elevator]

Look, Mishrak, you can't enforce the Entendre subset until somebody plays Cockfosters. Again, you're mixing up the '93 and variant B rulesets. I appreciate you are indeed a more experienced player, and I do see some great potential in you. Perhaps I shouldn't have gone with such a subtle and nuanced ruleset and then tried to enforce the rules so heavily?

This game was going terribly for me anyway, what with my misstep in a dual-announcement early on, so I'm pretty happy to call it quits and let someone else pick a game. I would just rather it be known that the final move in this case would not be legal if we were playing a tournament-standard game.

[Mishrak]

I didn't mix it up the first time, and I didn't mix it up this time. Cockfosters is an invalid move in all methods of play, especially tournament style play, unless you happen to be playing the comical strip-MC which was popular in Europe in the 70's.

Look, read Geraldo Denali's My Thoughts on MC, Leisure Suits and Love. That will totally clear up why Cockfosters is an invalid move.

As a side note, I didn't have to enforce it; there was no one left to press the envelope anyway.

We should start a new game, as our debate is starting to resemble the 1994 debate I referenced above. My move was valid though.

[existential_elevator]

I'm not sure exactly where you're getting this information from. Cockfosters, Shepard's Bush and St. John's Wood* form the Triple Entendre set, which you claimed to enforce. Playing these three is a common gambit at tournament level, and I certainly know it won me the first price at the Coventry Regional Championship when I was a more active tournament player in '08. You cannot invoke an Endendre manoeuvre unless at least two of these stations have been played in close proximity. It's just not a debatable rule, here, it has been a part of the standard core of the rules since they bricked up Down Street in '39** after the war.

* Some variants allow for an expanded number of stations to form an Entendre, including Monument and Arsenal.

** Sadly, this link doesn't talk about the game ramifications of the lost stations. Though it would be nice to try and play a lost station sub-rule set if anyone felt up to it.

[Felstaff]

Totteridge & Whetstone

[grythyttan]

Ah, an interresting move indeed. Not many would start out on Totteridge under such circumstances. I think I'll utilise TTs corollary for a defensive Finsbury Park, considering the number of players.

[Mishrak]

Elephant and Castle

[gingermrkettle]

Nice try, but Debden

[Felstaff]

O.O

Shrewd move. It's been a while since I've seen the Kursk pincer. Kudos.

/notmymoveyet

[existential_elevator]

Greek Park

[Mishrak]

Bond Street

I also declare Shaken Not Stirred. The big red button will be pushed in 3.

[Lorenz]

Kingsbury

The big red button will be pushed in 2.

[The Milkman]

Amersham, closing off all zone 6 and equivalent spaces, thereby pressing the big red button.

MC in 1.

[Lorenz]

Actually, the pressing of a button after a zone 9 station, due to the erosion principle, closes MC until 3 black loops have happened.

On another note, I have no clue what could be a valid move if 2 subsequent zone 9 stations are played, now that all zone 6 and equivalent are closed. I am very interested in the next play. Can NP please be specific about their next move? I just don't see a way out.
Chesham

[Mishrak]

Inverse time warp back to Bond Street.

This generates the first black loop.

And I'm also not allowed to explain any more than that. See Melton James' book called Shut The Front Door, MC Players! for further information as to why.

[podbaydoor]

time loop!

You idiot, now you've gotten us into a

[Mishrak]

Greetings sir! I think it's almost tea time! Earl Grey sir? Have some crumpets as well.


(help!)

[AJR]

Why, thank you. Those scones look positively delicious, did you make them yourself?

I believe I have a way out of this afternoon tea, by popping over to West Hampstead for some blackcurrant jam. This does leave me rather stuck, I fear, but at least it gets the game back on (the) track(s).

[podbaydoor]

Oh thank goodness. I was starting to get temporally dizzy.

Retreat to Euston to recover.

[The Milkman]

an attempt to capitalize on the special situations for a a double loop. Dollis Hill

and equivalents are still closed.

So my move will be

we're not out of the time loop.

Ah, but don't forget zone 6

And because the button was pressed

[podbaydoor]

idiot!

Dollis Hill

You

[The Milkman]

And that's all I need. Because, according to the book, Red String, 4D Ellipses, Mornington Crescent and You by M.M. Jaywing (enlightening reading, especially about time travel and motion around it), I can break both loops and head straight for Mornington Crescent!

[podbaydoor]

Citing a book doesn't do you any good if you don't elaborate on your moves. Anyone can write a book.

[Lorenz]

Agreed. I make a motion to call The Milkman's move invalid. This is not unprecedented action, you can see a similar situation unfold in the book When Galilean Relativity is Invalid, an Extensive Guide for Mornington Crescent Loops. by Jacques Le Goff, page 223-224, in an example game.
Basically, thinking you can MC after both loops, is a loophole that could be exploited in the 93 standardized black-hering rule-set. This was soon fixed by the addition of the previously played, red button.

[gingermrkettle]

Seconded, if only because (as I remember it) Jaywing has to rely on a superstring resonance in Ongar or, in extreme circumstances, Aldwych to allow the loop to be broken in that way.

[Mishrak]

Inverse time warp back to Bond Street. (how could you guys miss that?)

This generates the third black loop. (yep, the third)

Sir! Are you awake sir? You never said what kind of jam you wanted on your crumpets. You do like crumpets don't you sir?

MC in 1.