GLASS PLATE GAME BACKGROUND

     For several years I had wanted to photograph people as
characters in a setting taking off on Castalia of Hermann Hesse's
novel, "The Glass Bead Game".  But, the spring of 1976 was when I
set out to start doing this and did some photographing.  People I
had photographed at least once and chosen as characters, I invited
to meet so that together we could meet one another and discuss the
project in more detail.  None of them had read the novel.  Out of
the discussions grew a plan to hav a class, "Photoessay of a
Hermann Hesse Novel," which I would facilitate through the
Experimental College of Oregon State University, beginning in the
Fall.

     A suggestion led to modifications.  That summer at a poetry
gathering I was carrying a sign similar to a picketer's, displaying
an enlarged front cover illustration from "The Glass Bead Game",
initially to help a friend and I to meet up in the large crowd we
had expected would be difficult to find each other in.  A person
at the gathering who stopped and asked what I meant by the sign,
apparently excited by his own idea of what I was up to after I told
him about the photoessay class planned, suggested that a call for
rules be issued.  He would send in his proposed rules. 
Announcements of a Glass Bead Game Public Ceremony as culmination
to the Photoessay classl were posted, and "Call for Rules" was
written as a response to inquiries about the Ceremony.  (See 79-80
version of the poster - June issue; "Rules" - April issue.

     In the fall, the class did involve some photography, along
with the discussion of the novel, but increasingly as the term
progressed, projecft proposals in class suggested rules for a game. 
(See "The Mind's Eye", "Scenes for a Scenerio", and "Synthesis" -
 January issue; "Concepts Behind the Game, on our Level, as Opposed
to Castalia" and "Rules Suggested to Initiate a Group's Generating
of Symbols" - Mardch issue.)  Also, by the end of the term several
dozen people had written "The Committee for the Game" inquiring
about the Ceremony.  Several of them had their owninterpretations
of the Game to propose.  (See "Letters" - February and March issues
... Ted Davis... Terry Hammond ... Michael D. Angelo ... Keith A.
Jordan.).

     At the beginning of the second term we held a potluck at a
class member's, Cammie Denney's, home.  About 30 people
participated, and it was a good time.  Fears, though, began that
we weren't very organized, much less prepared with something to
meet people's expectation of a ceremony using the name,"The Glass
Bead Game".  The term went on ... nice weekly meetings to discuss
the novel, photography, and interpretations of the game... but
nothing we felt enthusiastic about to present as the Glass Bead
Game to play at the Ceremony.  About a week before the Ceremony was
to take place  the local student newspaper published an article,
"Glass Bead Game Remains Mystery", (September issue).  We cancelled
the ceremony; prospective participants we could notify were
notified to expect, instead, a potluck and a showing of the movie
"Siddhartha", with a day in between for whatever would get
organized once people showed up.  Pentagram, a member of the class,
had a game, The Silent Bead Game; Greg Soltys, who had come from
Washington State the week before to help with preparations and
attend the Ceremony made a mosaic of photographs and symbols he
redrew from the class, and using his mosaic and chess piees I made
a game, taking off on the earlier rules for generating symbols,
which suggested itself as a prop for photographing people playing,
"a game something like chess, only far more intricate."  Each of
these dwere at the potluck and shown briefly.  The next day a few
people experimented with the game using chess pieces and ther
mosaic, and we called it the Glass Plate Game.  (See "Hesse's Novel
Becomes Reality in this latest Parlor Game".

     After the cancelled ceremony, where the Glass Plate Game and
Iobesha's were shown ("Silent Bead Game", April, 1979)
communication with the 90 or so people who had written in virtually
ceased.  Adrian, Paul, and I were still around Corvallis for a
while and discussed the game / worked on symbols from time to time.

     There weren't written rules for the Glass Plate Game; it was
simply a game people were shown how to play.  Getting people's
comments on draft after draft wrote rules over a period of several
weeks, almost giving up... getting to think that what prevents
materializing Hesse's game is writing rules for a suitable
interpretation, as opposed to inventing a game one can show people
how to play, *feeling* the idea is clear.

     I planned, with Wes Hardin, whose suggestion it was, to have
a public playing at the Allan Brothers' Beanery, downtown,July
27th.  Boards made by a cabinetmaker, numbered pieces using dowels,
beads, and rectangular solid pieces, and rings were ready to use
along with 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" matboard idea cards and blanks, to
supplement the pawns of the chess set.  There were: a story in the
Corvallis newspapeer, posters, and rule booklets (handed out with
notice of the event on them) ("Glass Plate Game: Rules", this
issue; board illustration, April, 1979; "Instructions for
Improvising the Pieces", June, 1979; and "He Invented a Game to
Spark Discussion; November, 79).  At a second public playing, also
at Allan Brothers", colored squares were added to the playing
pieces and the rings dropped.  There were also decks of laminated,
photoduplicated cards for sale, with the rules rubber banded to
them.

     Traveling ... Evergreen College in Olypia ... Reed College in
Portland ... Berkeley ... San Francisco ... I sold and traded
decks.  I met Mark Littlefield, here from England... Christal, from
West Germany.

     In the Fall, a more compact way to make the game, packaged
with the pieces, was discussed, chiefly by Adrian, Michael
Solatkin, and I.  Mike, who had recently become interested through
the pulbic playings, was a designer and one shape of piece he was
interested in was the pyramid, which led to cubes, simpler to make
and mark.

     Using money from an inheritance and with a lot of help from
Adrian I got into manufacturing of the sets; the dice were made at
home, and the cards and boxes manufactured by jobbing out.  Money
was spent fast, as my usual welfare income would be cut off three
months at a time, so long as the bulk of the money from the
inheritance remained.  At first the set included  "challenge dice,"
later dropped for more of the regular ones.

                              LATER

        See: "The Glass Plate Game," by Mark Borax
             "Conversation Goal of Man's Homemade Game," by      
         Lorraine Ruff
             "Silent Conversation", issues to present

...                           ALSO

     I was pulled in literally by a firm grip on the shoulder & a
call for rules in the fall of '76 by Dunbar.  We had occasional
intense talks about life & I joined the class.  On the 31st I went
on a personal trip to the Southwest & missed the potluck at
Cammies.  Missed Peter.  Came back in February and played with the
Ceremony til it happened.  Left for the Southwest May 15, (1977); 
returned and joined Hoedads in Eugene til October.  Back to
Corvallis & rejoined Committee.  Dunbar's inheritance in early '78
spurred development of a mess produceable set of "careful" rules,
which I kept rewriting, and a shop for production.  Dunbar Paid me
$4 an hour for real work and $55 for the rules that I came up with
so I could keep responsibility with him.  He got boxes and cards
printed & I made dice and boards til I was sick of them.  At Oregon
Country Fair I got a booth to sell the game; took a small loss on
it.  Spent the rest of the summeer on the Williamette pondering and
playing flute (unitl I got robbed).  Put a set in my pocket & left
to seek intentionla communities; Cerro Gordo; Leslie; out of touch.