Gnosticism and Games
It's no secret that I like a good game. My current obsessions are The Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario in Dungeons and Dragons from Wizards of the Coast, and Settlers of Catan . Both of these have a relationship to Gnosticism. Any game relates a bit to Gnosticism. You're a real person, but you voluntarily step into an imaginary world with artificial rules that constrain your behavior, and you attempt to use those rules to defeat your opponent(s). From dice to cribbage to chess to Azad , every game has these similar constraints. There are rules, and violating the rules causes you to step outside of bounds, become a 'cheater', and usually is a refusal of other people to play with you. In the end, the outcome of the game usually doesn't have a great deal of effect on your life outside the game. I mean, if you're betting you might get a few extra dollars, or you may gain renown as a great Player of Games, but ultimately there's no great change, other than...