I… remember being with everyone else at karaoke. I can’t remember why, but I remembered running. Did I figure out I was getting kidnapped? Wait - what happened to everyone else? I frantically looked around the room, but I couldn’t see them. I started trying to move my hand violently, shaking the entire table.
“You can relax, we won’t hurt you.” A woman walked in through the only door in this room. “My name’s Keiko. Once I explain your situation, I’ll uncuff the both of you. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and they will be answered in due time so please don’t interrupt me.”
“What did you do to the others?!” I stood up as much as I could, but the handcuff limited my movements.
“They’re fine. Don’t worry. Please listen to me.” She tried to diffuse the situation with a smile. This triggered my memories. The employee, the receptionist. Parts were missing, but the picture was becoming clearer.
“I don’t care, where are they?!” My voice had risen more than I allowed it. The guy sitting across from me was judging my recklessness. I’m handcuffed. I should be listening instead of aggravating my captor. But I didn’t care. I needed to find out how the others were doing.
“They’re all here. They’re doing the same thing you are.” She paused as she took a step towards me. “They’re safe and unharmed, just as you are.” I clenched my fist and held my ground. She picked up on my intensity and kept going. “I’ll take you to see them after this. It’ll take no longer than fifteen minutes.” I figured that if she’s being kind, it’d be in my best interest to comply. Even if I tried to run or fight my way out of this, I have zero information on where I am and how many people I’d have to get past. It’d be careless.
She handed us each a phone, putting it face down on the table and gave us the following explanation.
“This phone is yours to keep for the duration of your stay. On the other side is a sticky note that tells you your account’s six digit passcode. I recommend you memorise it and destroy the sticky note as soon as possible so that no one else can log into your account.” I turned my phone over, making sure to hide the sticky note from the man across from me. I quickly memorised it, but as my right hand was being restricted, I couldn’t tear the sticky note up. I decided to just place my phone face down again as I continued to listen to this woman’s instructions.
“Right now, you have 10,000 points in your accounts. Your account will be linked to your passcode. Other than your passcode, there are no protective measures to prevent someone else viewing or using your points.” That must be why she suggested we destroy the sticky notes. “During your stay, you will be able to use your points for any strategic decisions.” I tilted my head as I heard this. What type of place is this? Strategic decisions? “You’re only limited by your creativity.”
“What do you mean by use our points for strategic decisions?” The guy confidently spoke up, and I nodded as I had the exact same question.
What have we gotten ourselves into?
The woman turned around to look at a camera, and after a few seconds, a voice spoke out through the speaker next to it.
“For example, you could buy information. If you have enough points, you can use them however you want.” We sat in silence for a few seconds before the woman continued speaking.
“Let me explain the game that you’re about to play. This is called 'Tactical 'Rock, Paper, Scissors!' She gave us each a piece of paper. “The rules are as outlined on these pieces of paper. I will now read them out for you.”
I looked at the page that she handed me.
Tactical ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors!’
Rules
- This game will be a best of 3. Whoever wins 2 matches first will win the game. If someone wins the first 2 matches, the third game will not be played.
- Each match is made out of 3 rounds.
- Normal rules of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors!' will apply.
- Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. If players choose the same option, that round will be a draw.
- In each match, there will be one attacker and one defender.
- In the first round of each match, the attacker can go with either rock, paper or scissors. If they play rock and win, they get 1 point. If they play rock and draw, they get 0.5 points. If they play anything other than rock and win, they get 0.5 points. Any other situation will earn the attacker 0 points.
- In the second round of each match, the attacker can go with either rock, paper or scissors. If they play paper and win, they get 1 point. If they play paper and draw, they get 0.5 points. If they play anything other than paper and win, they get 0.5 points. Any other situation will earn the attacker 0 points.
- In the third round of each match, the attacker can go with either rock, paper or scissors. If they play scissors and win, they get 1 point. If they play scissors and draw, they get 0.5 points. If they play anything other than scissors and win, they get 0.5 points. Any other situation will earn the attacker 0 points.
- The attacker wins the match if they earn 1.5 points across all 3 rounds. The defender wins by preventing the attacker from earning 1.5 points across all 3 rounds of the match.
- The attacker will verbally state when they want to begin each round. Once they request for a round to be started, both players will say “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!” and show their options as they say the word “Shoot!”.
- If the attacker fails to do so, they will earn 0 points.
- If the defender fails to do, the attacker will earn 1 point.
- If both players fail to do so, the round will be redone.
- The attacker will be decided by a bidding process before each match.
- Both players will bid a number of points. Whoever bids the higher amount will play as the attacker.
- Both players must bid a minimum of 2000 points each match.
- Failure to do so will result in that match being forfeited.
- In the event that neither player has 2000 points, the player with more points will win the match
- The points that both players bid will go towards a prize pool. The player that wins that match will receive these points ONCE THE ENTIRE GAME IS OVER. The prize pool will reset after each match.
- The bidding for the first match will begin 30 seconds after the rules have been read out. The bidding for the second and third matches (if applicable) will begin 30 seconds after the previous match ends.
I quickly read these rules, and began thinking about some stuff that caught my eye.
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The first thing I realised was the inherent nature of this ‘Tactical ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors!’' as an ‘against type game.' This means if your opponent accurately predicts your decision, they win. So, in order to win, you must deviate from what they rationally expect you to do, whether they're using logic or analysing your individual behaviors.
On the surface, this seems like an innocent twist on 'Rock, Paper, Scissors!' but in reality, our captors had crafted a beautifully complex psychological battleground. Knowing when to play against your type would give you a massive advantage, and likewise, understanding your opponent's 'play type' would instantly win you the game.
The second thing I noticed was that these rules were very specific. There was only one ambiguity. They even specified how it would be decided when we must show our options. I started remembering our kidnapping. Everything was planned meticulously. These people must have intentionally designed the game so that analytical players have an advantage. Wherever I am, and whatever mess I’ve gotten into - if I strategise effectively, I’ll win. So, in that case - which of the rules can I exploit to win?
“Do either of you have any questions?” She asked, having now finished reading out the rules for the game.
“I don’t have any,” replied the man sitting in front of me.
“What happens in the event that we both bid the same number of points?” The rules were explained in a lot of depth, but this was the single ambiguity that remained. To most people, this would be insignificant. After all, what were the odds that we both chose the same random number? However, if you understand the bidding process and the advantages you could gain from it, you can make a lot of different strategies.
For example, both players might choose to bid 2000 points in the first match to get data on their opponent before committing to a strategy whilst simultaneously saving points so they can be more aggressive in bidding during the next two matches.
Keiko hesitated, seemingly at a loss for words. Did she miss this detail? After a few seconds of silence, the same person from before spoke through the speakers.
“In the event that the bid is a tie, the points from both bids will be taken from your accounts, but won’t go towards the prize pool.” His voice was natural and calm. He wasn’t nervous or rushing to think. This was a prepared answer. Why wasn’t it part of the rules list? “We will then redo the bid. If the next bid is a tie, we will flip a coin to determine who the attacker is.” Upon hearing this, I noticed that Keiko’s relaxed demeanor came back.
“Any other questions?” Both me and the man in front of me shook our heads. “Very well.” Keiko started speaking as she unlocked our handcuffs. “You have 30 seconds to place your bid on your phone. When you turn your phone on, you will already be logged onto an app. All you need to do is enter the number of points you wish to bid. Please remember that if you don’t bid at least 2000 points, you automatically forfeit this match. You will both begin this game with 10,000 points.”
Now that my hand was free, I pretended to be thinking about what I would wager. I reached out for my glass, making a show of how much my hands were shaking. I wanted the man in front of me to get the feeling I was nervous. I rested my chin on my right hand, gently running my left hand through my hair. Twenty seconds had passed and I still hadn’t made a bid. I looked up and saw the man staring at me. He was watching me with his phone face down. He’d already made his bid.
He made it seven seconds ago. I’d been looking out for his bid this entire time. The amount of time he took would give me information on how in depth he thinks, how quickly he thinks, and how confident he is. In a game like ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors!’, the more information you have on your opponent, the easier it is to win. I entered my bid and took a deep breath in and out.
“Your thirty seconds are up. Please reveal your bids to each other. I can see the amounts you bid, so don’t lie.”
“Guess I’ll go first. I bid 2500 points”, he calmly announced. I can work with this. It’s enough where I’m not missing out on too many points if I lose, so I should focus on getting information in this match.
“I bid 2047. You’re attacking first. Let me know when you want to start the first round.” I had a lot of time to think about optimal moves for both players while Keiko read the rules. This would be invaluable in this first match where I don’t know enough about my opponent to beat him in mind games.
“2047? That’s random, huh?” My opponent chuckled at the seemingly random number of points that I bid. “My name is Yuto by the way”.
“Yeah, I guess I panicked, haha. Anyways, it is what it is.” Most people would reveal their name too, but I intentionally withheld that courtesy. I wanted him to think that I was so nervous that it completely slipped my mind. We sat in silence for a few minutes until he said he was ready.
“Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!”
What option would you play if you were defending in the first round?