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22 FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 1972
FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN - 266TH DAY - 100 DAYS TO COME

Downtown to meeting with Marti Marvin Channing the ad- vertising director at WOMAN'S DAY. While waiting for the latter, Marvin said they probably will be deciding soon. I told him that if they didn't take the game I would reduce my charge to $10 an hour, since I'd still have the game.

The advertising director, Marvin, and Jim (who I met at the last meeting) played ONE AT A TIME BY THE MILLIONS. By luck (bad) I won on the first score of the game (4x3x3x2). The a.d. said he liked it as a game, but didn't think it told the story right.

He thought there should be 9 items ranked in order of importance and that a player does best by getting all of them. Some are essential while others can be omitted. Was thinking of having 9 cards with numbers 1 to 9. Player can take off any number of different ones that are adjacent to each other, as long as he has the essentials. His score is the sum of the stars on the cards taken, multiplied by the number taken. The cards of each type are kept separate and piled, one in each of nine spaces.

I said that I was sure that I could work it out. One problem. He wanted the game to usually end by someone getting the 9 items. For balance there should be a good chance of win- ning by partials.

Marvin told me to hold off on any further work until he contacts me. They may decide to drop the idea because of the expense of manufacturing such small quantities.

With BB, Claude, and Anne played POST-HASTE. They liked it, but the situation arose that BB could make a move that would let either me or Claude get m our third pc. [piece] across the finish line. Later decided to put in the rule that a player could not end in a color that would let that player win. If he had no other choice it is a draw between the potential winners. In 4-hand Claude at the st played with partners the situation is different.

Claude suggested that there is not [no?] point in playing for 2nd, etc. This would simplify the rules somewhat.
Played TAKE-A-WORD, 4 times so that each player is first once. Played well and was popular.
Forgot again to bring Claude his check for the 2nd quarter on EXECUTIVE DECISION.
Claude was contacted by Wexler. He wants Claude to rework SPLIT PERSONALITY completely, emphasising [emphasizing] the neuroses. The test panel found the face halves confusing and Wexler told Claude to eliminate them.

Rcd.[received] a letter from an AGOG reader asking whether there is any game around which depends on cooperation instead of competition.