The Fours Reawakens – baron m.

baron m. from thus spake a.k.

Hail Sir R-----! Come join me for a tankard of this rather exceptional spring ale!

Might you also join me in a little sport?

You are, my friend, a most dependable fellow!

I suggest a game that puts me in mind of my second tenure as the Russian military attaché to Coruscant. Some years after I helped the Emperor-Mage Palpatine crush the uprising led by the blasphemous warrior-priests known as Jedi, news reached the Russian court that they were now waging a guerilla campaign against the duly anointed tyrant's armed forces and I was dispatched post haste to lend support once more.

On Twenty-Niner – student

student from thus spake a.k.

The Baron's most recent wager set Sir R----- the task of placing tokens upon spaces numbered from zero to nine according to the outcome of a twenty sided die upon which was inscribed two of each of those numbers. At a cost of one coin per roll of the die, Sir R-----'s goal was to place a token upon every space for which he should receive twenty nine coins and twenty nine cents from the Baron.

Twenty-Niner – baron m.

baron m. from thus spake a.k.

Sir R----- my fine fellow! Come in from the cold and join me at my table for a tumbler of restorative spirits!

Might I also tempt you with a wager?

Good man!

I propose a game that was popular amongst the notoriously unsuccessful lunar prospectors of '29. Spurred on by rumours of gold nuggets scattered upon the ground simply for the taking, they arrived en-masse during winter woefully unprepared for the inclement weather. By the time that I arrived on a diplomatic mission to the king of the moon people they were in a frightful state, desperately short of provisions and futilely trying to work the frost bitten land to grow more.

On May The Fours Be With You – student

student from thus spake a.k.

In their most recent wager Sir R-----'s goal was to guess the outcome of the Baron's roll of four four sided dice at a cost of four coins and a prize, if successful, of forty four. On the face of it this seems a rather meagre prize since there are two hundred and fifty six possible outcomes of the Baron's throw. Crucially, however, the fact that the order of the matching dice was not a matter of consequence meant that Sir R-----'s chances were significantly improved.

May The Fours Be With You – baron m.

baron m. from thus spake a.k.

Sir R-----! Come join me for a glass of chilled wine! I have a notion that you're in the mood for a wager. What say you?

I knew it!

I have in mind a game of dice that reminds me of my time as the Russian military attaché to the city state of Coruscant and its territories during the traitorous popular uprising fomented by the blasphemous teachings of a fundamentalist religious sect known as the Jedi.

On The Rich Get Richer – student

student from thus spake a.k.

The Baron's latest wager set Sir R----- the task of surpassing his score before he reached eight points as they each cast an eight sided die, each adding one point to their score should the roll of their die be less than or equal to it. The cost to play for Sir R------ was one coin and he should have had a prize of five coins had he succeeded.

A key observation when figuring the fairness of this wager is that if both Sir R----- and the Baron cast greater than their present score then the state of play remains unchanged. We may therefore ignore such outcomes, provided that we adjust the probabilities of those that we have not to reflect the fact that we have done so.

The Rich Get Richer – baron m.

baron m. from thus spake a.k.

Sir R-----! I must say that it is a relief to have the company of a fellow nobleman in these distressing times. That I have had to sell not one, but two of my several hundred antiquities to settle the burden of tax that this oppressive democracy has put upon me, simply to enrich slugabeds I might add, is quite intolerable!

Come, let us drown our sorrows whilst we still have the means to do so and engage in a little sport to raise our spirits.

I have a fancy for a game that I used to play when I was the Russian ambassador to the Rose Tree Valley commune. Founded by the philosopher queen Zway Remington as a haven for downtrodden wealthy industrialists, it was the purest of pure meritocracies; no handouts to the idle labouring classes there!

On Quaker’s Dozen – student

student from thus spake a.k.

The Baron's latest wager set Sir R----- the task of rolling a higher score with two dice than the Baron should with one twelve sided die, giving him a prize of the difference between them should he have done so. Sir R-----'s first roll of the dice would cost him two coins and twelve cents and he could elect to roll them again as many times as he desired for a further cost of one coin and twelve cents each time, after which the Baron would roll his.
The simplest way to reckon the fairness of this wager is to re-frame its terms; to wit, that Sir R----- should pay the Baron one coin to play and thereafter one coin and twelve cents for each roll of his dice, including the first. The consequence of this is that before each roll of the dice Sir R----- could have expected to receive the same bounty, provided that he wrote off any losses that he had made beforehand.

Quaker’s Dozen – baron m.

baron m. from thus spake a.k.

Sir R-----, my fine friend! The coming of spring always puts one in excellent spirits, do you not find? Speaking of which, come join me in a glass of this particularly peaty whiskey with which we might toast her imminent arrival!

Might I tempt you with a little sport to quicken the blood still further?

It lifts my soul to hear it Sir!

I have in mind a game that I learned when in passage to the new world with a company of twelve Quakers. I was not especially relishing the prospect of yet another monotonous transatlantic crossing and so you can imagine my relief when I spied the boisterous party embarking, dressed in the finest silks and satins and singing a bawdy tavern ballad as they took turns at a bottle of what looked like a very fine brandy indeed!