Guest Post by Sir Frederick Chook: "Cabinet', A Game of my Own Invention"

Cabinet’, A Game of my Own Invention, By Sir Frederick Chook
Penned upon the 23rd of March, 2006
First appeared in FrillyShirt (www.frillyshirt.org).

 

As you know, I am an inventor, and invent things. This week, one of my many invetions was a game, which can be played with up to any number of people and I’m sure will prove enormously popular. It is a variant of Sardines, which in itself is a variant of Hide And Seek. Here are the rules:

 1- One player is nominated the “First Lord of the Treasury”. That player has one minute to hide.

 2- The remaining players, or “Parliamentarians”, wait one minute then begin seeking the First Lord of the Treasury.

 3- When a Parliamentarian finds the First Lord of the Treasury, they must join them in their hiding place.

 4- When enough Parliamentarians are hiding to “Form A Government” (usually 15-25, depending on the total number of players, though there is historical precedent for as few as 3), they may begin to “allocate Ministries”.

 5- The squabbling, bickering and hairpulling resulting from the allocation of Ministries (over who gets to be Home Secretary, or Minister for European Affairs, and who has to be Minister without Portfolio) should quickly attract the other Parliamentarians, who also join in the hiding but do not claim a Ministry, merely becoming “Back-benchers”.

 6- The last Parliamentarian to find the First Lord of the Treasury is “Ousted In A Bi-election” and leaves the game.

 7- The Parliamentarians then elect a new First Lord of the Treasury and the game begins anew.

One possible variant is to begin with two or even three First Lords of the Treasury, who compete for hiding places, and the last First Lord to amass enough Parliamentarians Forms The Government, while the others only form Shadow Cabinets and do not have a stake in the election of the next First Lord.

Regional and House rules may be used in which the last player to join each Cabinet is Ousted, resulting in a much quicker and higher-stakes game, or even in which Coalition Governments can be formed, allowing two Cabinets to gang up on a third.

When the game has been played to the satisfaction of all, the players gorge enormously on chips and relish and fall asleep in their chairs. For ages 3-107, especially those making more than 50,000 a year.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sir Frederick Chook is a foppish, transcendentalistic historian who lives variously by his wits, hand to mouth, la vie bohème, and in Melbourne with his wife, Lady Tanah Merah.

When not reading Milton and eating Stilton, he writes, ponders, models, delves into dusty archives, and gads about town. He has dabbled in student radio and in national politics, and is presently studying the ways of the shirt-sleeved archivist. He is a longhair, aspiring to one day be a greybeard. He has, once or twice, been described as “as mad as a bicycle.”

FrillyShirt is a compilation of articles, essays, reviews, photographs, artworks, question-and-answers, promotions, travelogues, diatribes, spirit journeys, cartoons, ululations and celebrations by Sir Frederick, his friends and contributing readers. Irregularly regular features include Teacup in a Storm, an etiquette column, and How to be Lovely, advanced speculations on the aesthetics of the self.

Other topics that pop up include fun things in and around Melbourne, art, nature, history, politics and schnauzers. Sir Frederick’s favorite color is all of them. Enjoy his writing? Drop him a telegram at fredchook@frillyshirt.org.