Boulder Dash X Rock, Paper, Scissors!

[Dustin]

Hey guys, I've got a funny idea - why not create a RPS game with BD elements?

The most extended common RPS game I know has 5 elements:
ROCK --> SCISSORS --> MATCH --> PAPER --> FOUNTAIN
where each element defeats the next two in the line - which is in fact a circle - and loses to the other two:
ROCK...
...crushes/ immune to SCISSORS
...crushes MATCH
SCISSORS...
...cut MATCH
...cut PAPER
MATCH...
...burns PAPER
...lightens FOUNTAIN
PAPER
...covers FOUNTAIN
...wraps up ROCK
FOUNTAIN...
...swallows ROCK
...swallows SCISSORS.

BTW, there's also a guy who published an extension with no less than 101 elements on the internet! He even invented plausible handsigns for each of those 101 elements, though both hands are needed for most of them. It was quite funny to read that and email around with him a bit, I even purposed to him an extension to 103 elements which he found quite interesting Just google "RPS-101" if you want to see this

Now I thought about an RPS game with BD elements. My first result has 5 elements where I think the outcomes are quite intuitive and logical:
ROCKFORD --> DIAMOND --> DIRT --> BOULDER --> FIREFLY
ROCKFORD...
...collects DIAMOND
...digs DIRT
DIAMOND...
...outvalues DIRT
...outvalues BOULDER
DIRT...
...carries BOULDER
...blocks FIREFLY
BOULDER...
...kills FIREFLY
...kills/blocks ROCKFORD
FIREFLY...
...kills ROCKFORD
...guards DIAMOND

This looks quite extendable, as such classical elements like amoeba, wall, mwall, slime... aren't in it yet.

[Arno]

Hmmm... funny idea! Not sure yet how to incorporate T-wall in such a series as it seems stronger than anything...

[Dustin]

Yes, I thought the same thing... and empty space seems to lose against everything...
However, I've tried around with wall, mwall, amoeba, slime... it'd be great to have these in!

[Dustin]

Today I successfully worked out an extension to no less than 13 elements! After all the natural outcomes were done, I had to invent some funny outcomes so that each element wins and loses six times in the end. So here it is!

Elements: ROCKFORD BOULDER DIAMOND DIRT FIREFLY BUTTERFLY AMOEBA WALL MWALL GWALL SLIME VOODOO OUTBOX
This time it's not a circle, this was not possible with my outcomes.

ROCKFORD...
...collects DIAMOND
...digs DIRT
...hunts down BUTTERFLY
...traps AMOEBA
...uses MWALL
...takes OUTBOX

BOULDER...
...kills ROCKFORD
...kills FIREFLY
...kills BUTTERFLY
...blocks AMOEBA
...stops GWALL
...protects VOODOO

DIAMOND...
...outvalues BOULDER
...outvalues DIRT
...outvalues WALL
...stops GWALL
...protects VOODOO
...unlocks OUTBOX

DIRT...
...carries BOULDER
...blocks FIREFLY
...blocks BUTTERFLY
...hinders MWALL
...stops GWALL
...protects VOODOO

FIREFLY...
...kills ROCKFORD
...guards DIAMOND
...blasts WALL
...listens to MWALL
...bathes in SLIME
...kills VOODOO

BUTTERFLY...
...outvalues FIREFLY
...explodes into DIAMOND
...blasts WALL
...listens to MWALL
...bathes in SLIME
...kills VOODOO

AMOEBA...
...grows into DIRT
...kills FIREFLY
...kills BUTTERFLY
...looks like SLIME
...converts into DIAMOND
...blocks off OUTBOX

WALL...
...blocks ROCKFORD
...more solid than DIRT
...blocks AMOEBA
...hovers unlike BOULDER
...more solid than SLIME
...stops GWALL

MWALL...
...converts BOULDER
...creates DIAMOND
...stops AMOEBA
...outskills WALL
...outskills SLIME
...helps unlock OUTBOX

GWALL...
...blocks ROCKFORD
...blocks FIREFLY
...blocks BUTTERFLY
...traps AMOEBA
...louder than MWALL
...blocks off OUTBOX

SLIME...
...blocks ROCKFORD
...swallows BOULDER
...swallows DIAMOND
...dirtier than DIRT
...stops GWALL
...protects VOODOO

VOODOO...
...threatens ROCKFORD
...immune to AMOEBA
...frozen like WALL
...listens to MWALL
...stops GWALL
...kills Rockford before OUTBOX

OUTBOX...
...carries BOULDER
...outvalues DIRT
...unusable for FIREFLY
...unusable for BUTTERFLY
...hides as titanium WALL
...outvalues SLIME

What's still missing is handsigns for each element...

[Dustin]

For the handsigns, I just looked over the RPS-101 pages again, and the inventor uses quite some similar or identic elements:

SLIME --> Quicksand:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/3.htm

BOULDER --> Rock:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/10.htm

For the BUTTERFLY, I quite like his "death" handsign. Though these are two completely different things, the cross quite looks butterfly-ish to me
https://www.umop.com/rps101/11.htm

WALL:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/12.htm

Perhaps a FIREFLY could be made with his "fire" symbol:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/15.htm

ROCKFORD --> Woman:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/35.htm
Of course, Rockford isn't supposed to be female. The RPS-101 author has a quite... uhm... memorable way to distinguish his "man" and "woman" handsigns:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/37.htm

Anyway, as we don't need this difference and as the "woman" symbol is easier to make, I think it'll do for Rockford!
Alternatively, I also like the "brain" symbol for Rockford, as he's the only element with real intelligence:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/52.htm
Coming to think of it, if Rockford is the "brain" handsign, the "woman" handsign could then be used for the VOODOO!

OUTBOX could be represented by "home":
https://www.umop.com/rps101/38.htm

DIAMOND:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/84.htm

GWALL --> Electricity:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/93.htm
Once again two completely different things, but I think the handsign represents well a horizontally growing wall

The same goes for MWALL --> Law:
https://www.umop.com/rps101/7.htm
To me, this handsign looks well like a mwall that is about to convert a boulder!

Nothing great yet for AMOEBA and DIRT...

[Arno]

Are moving hands also allowed?

Amoeba - Keep one hand horizontal and move fingers in a wave-pattern. (This looks like a water surface. Seems reasonable as amoeba is the only liquid in the game.)

Dirt - Rub your thumbs against your fingers as if you are feeling sand.

[Dustin]

Cool ideas, Arno! Yes, why not moving hands?
Unfortunately, none of my "reallife friends" know BD, so I can't easily try this out... but it was still fun to create all those outcomes!