Game of War: How to Play/Playing the game

The Game as Commodity

The Game can be played as a commodity. Here the players simply follow the rules and strive to "win".

The Game as MacGuffin

The game can also be treated as Macguffin, an opportunity to socialise, whereby the game is merely an activity of little consequence aside from providing a point of reference around which people can meet and get to know one another.

Playing the Game

"By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist."

The Book of Five Rings (五輪書 -Go Rin No Sho) by Miyamoto Musashi,

The game itself can be played with, introducing new pieces varying the rules as players try out different ideas. This is in some ways derived from Nomic, whereby rules are elaborated and extended.

Already players have developed other forms of terrain:

• River
• Bridge
• Broken Ground

and Units:

• Engineers

It is here that playing the game can be a useful tool in better understanding how social struggles develop. Those who simply play according to a pre-set of rules end up being dominated by those who devise the rules. However those who are able to successfully develop new rules can create new social spaces more favourable to their way of life and ethos.