The Marbles Game Dilemma

The Scenario: You're a kid playing marbles with a group. The other kids have asked you to organize the marbles game. What would your most likely approach be?

Playing marbles does not require a leader. You would defer to the other kids to agree on the rules and then play without any specific supervision.

You explain the rules to the other kids and appoint yourself a non-playing referee to insure fairness.

You take all the marbles, then give them back, keeping one from each kid. After that you then lay out a complex set of rules using coded phrases that only you understand, assuring your domination of the game, and your indispensibility.

You accept the leadership post, collect all the marbles, then give one back to each kid. Suddenly you remember you have to go home and do something urgent. You promise to return tomorrow to explain the rules, and finish dividing the marbles, but tomorrow never comes.

You take all the marbles, separate them into teams, and tell everyone to watch and wait for the marbles to play each other.

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Copyright © 1998 by Richard Warren Field

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