Required components:

Some extremely silly people
A notebook for each player
One large, magnet-friendly surface
A timer (FarmerJohn clock of your choice?)
A Half-baked magnet set (see below)

Rules:

Each player receives twenty magnets. On each is inscribed a word that might typically be found in a Half-Baked idea title. Typical examples include: "robotic," "cat," “trebuchet,” “thermonuclear," and “custard.”

At the beginning of each round, fifteen magnets will be presented to each player. Over the course of one (timed) minute, each player must use all of his/her magnets to create titles for Half-Baked ideas on the communal board. At the end of the timed period, each player must read his or her ideas out loud. The best title generated by each player will be selected by popular vote, and designated with a magnetic fishbone. The winning titles will be distributed amongst the players at random (with the proviso that no one receives his/her own title). The players must then write descriptions to match their titles in true Halfbakery style. This, too, shall be timed (five minutes?). At the end of each round, the results should be read aloud and enjoyed by all.

This will probably dissolve into a speculative free-for-all, but entertainment should be emphasized above competition.

Really spectacular results and accidentally brilliant ideas should be entered into the Halfbakery site after the game.
-- brenna, Mar 13 2003

(?) New ideas via concatenation http://www.halfbake...via_20concatenation
Another source of random halfbaked goods. [waugsqueke, Oct 05 2004]

The wages of concatenation http://www.halfbake...Catastrophe_20Light
by [PotatoStew] as mentioned by [waugsqueke] [brenna, Oct 05 2004]

The Big Idea http://www.cheapass...Product_Code=CAG026
Similar sort of game from Cheapass Games [AO, Oct 05 2004]

Feel free to come up with a "randomly" generated title for this game.... I'll happily accept silly suggestions.
-- brenna, Mar 13 2003


Love it. I'll go first: Robotic Cat Trebuchet.
-- Worldgineer, Mar 13 2003


Magnetic brainstorming. (Warning: can cause brain aurorae).
-- krelnik, Mar 13 2003


Hate all those robotic cats in your neighborhood? Invest in the robotic cat trebuchet. The base of the launching arm looks like a robotic mouse. When your local robocat pounces, it triggers the fun flinging action. Goodbye robokitty.
-- Worldgineer, Mar 13 2003


Hey! My first magnetic fishbone! Excellent.
-- brenna, Mar 13 2003


Tom Duff has created a couple of web pages that generate random halfbaked ideas (both linked from the New ideas via concatenation page, linked here). I particularly like the Markov chain variation.
-- waugsqueke, Mar 13 2003


All I know is that this group should never have any reason to be bored at conventions...
-- RayfordSteele, Mar 13 2003


Could be a neat board game. "ha! You got Stringless Vitamin Detectors! Fishbone!"
-- snarfyguy, Mar 13 2003


"House of Gruel!" This is wonderful fun!

Is my idea overly redundant? I didn't use "concatenation" in my search string.
-- brenna, Mar 13 2003


I don't think so. Your idea is for a complete game, expanding greatly on steve's idea.
-- Worldgineer, Mar 13 2003


Re your last paragraph; there's an idea, "Spelling Catastrophe Light", which was posted by PotatoStew as a result of a new idea via concatenation.
-- waugsqueke, Mar 13 2003


Thankee, [bliss].

Here's an experimental new title (was Magnet-o-bone). Your annotations have led me here.

[AO], someone directed me to Cheapass several months ago. I admire their slant! Give me a dictionary, a napkin, and a writing utensil.... I'll make my own fun.
-- brenna, Mar 13 2003


Halfbakery fridge magnets.
-- wagster, Jan 22 2006



random, halfbakery