I’m going to tell you what the chance object is.
Drawing lots. I guess that could be “paper slips” or “matchsticks of different length” or “sticks of different lengths”, but I have no idea what specifically was used.
Are the following correct?
The thing that was banned is an activity in which more than one person participates.
Specifically, two people participate.
One person who participates in each instance of the activity will end up dying.
One person who participates in each instance of the activity will end up surviving.
The outcome of who dies and who survives is determined via random chance, uninfluenced by the participants’ ability or skill.
The random chance is determined using an as-yet-undetermined device.
It’s always the same particular sort of device that’s used to determine the random chance.
Yes, though it is possible that there are variations on the sort of device used. Random chance, though.
There is a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Suicide Club. The premise is that a group of gentlemen have each suffered some public disgrace, or financial ruin, or are simply tired of life. They gather together once per week. Each draws a playing card. If someone draws the Ace of Spades, it is his turn to die. Whoever draws the Ace of Clubs acts as executioner.
You can see a version of it here.
Is a direct copy of the story? Something similar?
No and no. Although I do see the “chance” game and someone dies aspect as at least being a little bit similar. I would not describe the rest as similar as I understand “similar”. Feel free to ask about each aspect of that scenario one at a time and I could answer details.
Note: Mine is real, too. Happened in real life, not just a story/puzzle.
Does someone die in every lottery?
Did the participants know this?
Were the participants volunteers?
kk
I’m not sure how much more there is for us to get, here. Some Germans came up with a twisted game where they’d gamble on drawing lots, with their lives on the line, and the government said no. That’s not going to be recognizable as anything other than what I just described.
I don’t th No so, but if you guys give up, I’ll spill.
There was no game, for one.
*think so.
I should add, I just don’t think the strange situation has been adequately guessed. I think there is more to solve.
Were they inspired by/ copying something in a book, movie, comic, TV show, etc?
Did the people who died directly and deliberately kill themselves?
Were they killed by another person? If so, was the killer also chosen by lot?
KK
The people who lost the draw and voluntarily killed themselves: Were they capable at that time of choosing to save themselves (as opposed to, say, some sort of mechanism having already been put into place that they they couldn’t stop)?
If they had chosen at that time to save themselves, would they have faced other dire consequences?
Were the people taking part in the lottery
- terminally ill?
- have non-terminal but serious medical conditions?
- mentally ill?
- depressed?
Did the people doing it expect to gain some benefit for their heirs?
Did this happen
- during the 21st Century?
- during the 20th Century?
- during the 19th Century?
- Between the Renaissance and 18th century?
- During the Middle ages?
- During the dark ages
- During ancient times?
Given that the practice is (mistakenly) called “American”, I think we can rule out the Middle Ages and earlier.
The fact that the “American” name is a mistake means we can’t rule it out. It could be a modern name for an ancient practice.
I believe the outlawing was about 1885 or so.
1885, though you may ask more about the practice and so forth.
Had the people who died been accused of any crime prior to the drawing of lots?
Had the people who died been convicted of any crime prior to the drawing of lots?
Both “no” or “I don’t know”.
Both irrelevant.
Did the people drawing lots believe that the result would be influenced by something other than random chance? (i.e., they thought that God, or a ghost, or the weather, or something else was determining who should die.)
Did the people drawing the lots believe that they all deserved to die for some reason?