Institute’s Silence Broken

Summersville, 2/14/09

For a while there it seemed that maybe the Gamealogical Institute had turned in to either a ghost town or some super-secret, “What Institute?” type of organization.  My calls were not returned.  My emails went unanswered.  Then I received a honest to gosh letter in the mail.  In part it read;

“…and so, after careful consideration, we will be taking some of our work on the road to display.  The good folks at an event called “Imagicon” in Birmingham, Alabama, have allowed us some space in their exhibit hall.  Since everyone’s return from their holidays and expeditions, we have been planning and preparing…”

So, it sounds like Institute President Ripley has realized that if people don’t know you they are a lot less interested in what you have to share.   They seem to be a gregarious lot at the Gamealogical Institute; we’ll see how they do with crowds.

Scoop

Gamealogical Institute Hints at Game Expansion

July 12th, Gamealogical Desk – Summersville Times

The rain cascading down the large windows of the third floor was washing away the last of the town’s dust and grime. While I’m sure the view would be improved when the sun returned, presently it was preventing me from leaving, as previously planned, to have lunch with a Mr. “Bob Jones”, obviously an alias, but he claimed he had a potential lead on Mister X. I was just reaching for the phone to postpone the appointment, thereby also casting away a chance to eat at Sloppy Joe’s, when the phone rang.

“Mr. Biscotti?” came an excited female voice which is always an intriguing start to a conversation.

“Yes, but just call me Scoop”.

“Mr. Bis, uh, Scoop, it’s Inga. From the Institute. Do you remember the Al Uqsar scrolls we were reviewing a few weeks ago?”

Well, the intrigue was gone, but there was sure to be a story here. “Yes, of course Professor Binder. What is it?” Inga went on to tell that the scroll designated #2 had been treated long enough to be opened. While there was a good bit of text there was also what seemed to be a map. Though upon further study, and not being able to synchronize the map with any known location on the earth, they had concluded it was actually a game map or game board of sorts. Now the question was of course whether it related to the Scarabs and Scorpions game or was a different game altogether.

“Mr. Scoop, I just can’t tell you how exciting this is that we are finding so much out of just one delivery from Mister X. Who knows what else there may be? Well, I must get back to work, I’m sure I will unravel this soon. I just knew you would want to know. Bye.”

And there it was; a tip on a potential new game and another, though unintentional, jab that I still don’t know anymore about Mister X than I did the day before. I suppose the clouded view out the window was appropriate after all.

Scoop Biscotti

Insights into Al Uqsar scroll 3 – part 2

June 13th, Gamealogical Institute

[part 2 in a 3 part series]

“It was all very exciting.” Professor Binder exclaimed. “Once the scrolls were taken out of the crate, we were back in the library’s document preparation area. We pretty much named the scrolls in the order we removed them from the crate. As we began our preliminary review it was clear that scrolls 1 and 2 would need careful treatment to be opened further than the few inches we were able to reveal.” Binder now pointed to the scroll on the table before us. “As you can see, this scroll, number 3, we were able to completely open. Notice these symbols at the top; these same symbols were at the top of the other 2 scrolls. They reveal that these are not actually official documents of the type most people expect with ancient writings.”

Professor Binder proceeded to explain that what had been received with the artifacts was most probably a dairy or journal of a stone worker. This was particularly exciting for two reasons; a better look into the lives of the “ordinary” folks involved in the building of the great structures of the Egyptian past and secondly, and possibly more interesting, a worker who was able to read and write and had the time or means to keep a journal!

However, it was not this information, knowledge that could change our understanding of early Egyptian society that had Inga Binder really energized. No, what really made it worth coming into work for Inga was the discovery of a previously unknown game described in the texts of the journal.

I suppose one should expect as much from a member of the original faculty of the Gamealogical Institute. I can only hope that they will eventually share what they may consider the “more mundane” aspects of their find with the greater archaeological community.

“You see, when I consulted with Professor Speckless and he showed me the dice like artifacts he had extracted, my journal made sense, what with all the talk of scarabs and scorpions that stole a day’s wages. There were other strange references to being blessed by Atum, a god often represented with Scarabs, or being cursed by Hedetet, a goddess associated with the scorpion. There was even more confusion when he combined these expressions with the stones not being right.” Binder pulled out some of her work book pages to show me where her translation efforts would start strong and then just come to a complete stop. Very much like when any of us have started a sentence with one though in mind an then realizing it just wasn’t going to “make good English” by the time we tried to finish it.

“When I saw the dice; some with Scarabs on them and others with Scorpions, I had a better context to work through the translation. The stones that Shugli was talking about was not his work, it was the dice in the game”. Then she paused, “What Mister X had provided us with were the key components to extract this game from history!”

Finally, I got a chance to ask about who our mysterious stone worker was. Professor Binder explained that his name was Shugli, a Sumerian, who had apparently moved to the Al Uqsar area to work his trade. He often referred to an Omar, an Egyptian name, who must have been a good friend or possibly his contact who helped provide for introductions amongst the stone working community. [Ed: see the instruction sheet from the “Scarabs and Scorpions” game for a recreated fictional narrative of the game being played by Omar and Shugli].

Insights into Al Uqsur Scroll 3

by Antony “Scoop” Biscotti of the Summersville Inquirer.

June 13^th, Gamealogical Institute

Within the musty and cluttered den professor Inga Binder calls an office; an ancient document lies limply across the only noticeably clean spot in the whole room. Resting as if in a position of honor on the large oak table in the center of Binder’s den, lay Al Uqsur scroll 3. Even in the nearly blinding white overhead illumination cast from a repurposed surgery theater light, the yellow of aging and natural beige would not be swept away. Professor Binder looked up as I entered without really seeing me, her eyes still focused on events in a place lost to the sands of time. “Is it 3:00 already?” she asked distractedly upon recognizing me.

And so began our review of the scroll. Binder quickly drew me back into the world she had momentarily stepped out of. “You see, so often we have only documents to tell how many stones were moved, how great the gods have been to this ruler or that pharaoh, but here we have the writings of just a someone.” Binder raised here eyebrows indicating that I should immediately appreciate the significance of the statement. I didn’t; but that was why I was there. Of course, there were potentially going to be new clues regarding Mister “X” as well…

But let’s start at the beginning, well, the beginning for us. In May of 2008, on a damp and already muggy morning, Paxton “Dodger” Collingwood of the Game Recovery Specialists organization arrived at the Institute with an old wooden crate. Receiving various and sundry items in the receiving department of the Institute is not an out of the ordinary occurrence. Nonetheless, considering the credentials of the courier and antiquated state of the crate, it was clear that this was an item of importance. Before being opened, the crate was moved to the Restoration department for its cleaner environment and to have preservation materials readily available.

“Dr. Speckles unsealed and breached the crate, I assisted. There were two distinct compartments inside; a large one containing some seemingly lumpy bundled items, the second smaller compartment was partitioned into four sections, each containing, it turned out, a carefully wrapped papyrus scroll.” Dr Binder went on to tell that they were very excited as they reached for items matching their respective specialties; Binder to the scrolls and Speckless to the artifacts.

Binder continues “Suddenly Dodger tells everyone to stop. Wait, he says. There is a message that goes along with these items.” Inga straightens in her seat, “Well, we were quite interested. There was silence in the Restoration lab, all of us eager to get more details on this mysterious package. Dodger continued, There are many more crates at the estate of Mister X. How quickly and well you work with this one will dictate the pace at which the others can be released to the Institute. Then, Dodger tapped a vague salute to the brim of his hat, turned and headed for the lab’s exit.”

“How much more does Mister X have to offer?” I can’t help but ask

“We really don’t know. I believe there is a substantial amount. Otherwise Mister X would not have provided the large endowment we received at the start of the year. Regardless, after exchanging puzzled looks, everyone set back to work. Of course Mr. Biscotti, you know the work of Dr Speckless and even the final production of the game, have already been posted to the Gamealogical Institute’s site.”

That was true. But I have been able to get ahead of the institute. I have the scoop on how anyone was even able to determine there was a “Scarab & Scorpions” game within the crate and how it should be played.

Part 2 of 3 coming next week

Stepping into the Web…

I feel this may be like being the first to walk through the woods in the early morning; the one who finds all the spiderwebs and spends the rest of the early hours pulling and plucking at seemingly invisible strands of web and hardly succeeding.

Nonetheless, I am a reporter and I must take advantage of whatever means exist to get the news out. I don’t see that our publisher is going to let the Summersville Inquirer have a distribution beyond our little hamlet any time soon, so this outlet will have to do. Some of the stories here will be reprints of my Inquirer pieces but the rest will be be totally mine and free of the “editorial guidance” of our small town paper.

For starters, I have an article about the GI (Gamealogical Institute) going out next week that you will be able to read a day early right here! Probably for most of you that is the only way that you would get this story anyway.

Scoop.