2011-01-21
Explanation
This comic presents "Advanced Rules Rock-Paper-Scissors," a parody of how tabletop games and competitive gaming communities tend to overcomplicate simple games with layers of additional rules. It starts with the standard three throws (Rock beats Scissors, Paper beats Rock, Scissors beats Paper) but then adds increasingly absurd mechanics.
A "Time Machine" throw is introduced, where the opponent's current throw is played against their previous throw, creating a confusing temporal element. Then there are "Modifiers" that can be thrown concurrently: "Cannibal" (your throw only defeats the same kind lacking the cannibal modifier), "Clone" (throw the same thing with both hands for a point bonus/penalty), and an imaginary number "i" modifier involving complex points and parity of players. The goal is to get ten points of any kind, but the "Secondary Goal" is "Get banned from parties of any kind" -- acknowledging that anyone who actually tried to play this version would be so insufferably nerdy that they would be socially ostracized. The humor lies in the contrast between the elegant simplicity of rock-paper-scissors and the absurd complexity layered on top of it.