Chapter 133

Chapter 133

Probability of the Situation

Honestly not that didn't expect the ES Game would greatly trend.

Monopoly, Catan, path-type board game advantages all mixed and even devices with early RPG element feeling, and original rules seeming looked into the future while sleeping entered.

But complex rules always catch the ankle of popularity.

So I simplified up to v1.5 in spare time based on the original Miss Edith first brought. For example, distinguishing similar series cards by color and raising visibility...

Also the charm of strategy games unexpectedness and the taste of reversal. Strengthened that fun elements without missing.

No movies, no TV, no internet modern society.

Even playthings worth enjoying in family units only book reading or knitting, simple board games or crossword puzzles degree.

If dropping such a high-level strategy game in 1901, naturally a wave no choice.

In the actual original history Monopoly sold so well printed hundreds of thousands a month that.

That roughly even calculating the point 20 years later than now. Even an era with radio and movies properly.

Durandists wanting to collect all if Jean-Paul Durand made, and just in time the Twelve Days of Christmas festival period thinking only of playing and eating for 2 weeks without working, game content also the theme of offering delicious sandwiches to the respected His Majesty the King.

Synergy effect couldn't not explode.

There even the crowds searching for Christmas gifts on Boxing Day meshed...

The ambitiously prepared 60,000 quantity, almost sold out in half a day.

"There, this okay...? People's reactions a bit excessive seeming? A bit scary?!"

"Such trends temporary. Don't worry. Soon will get tired."

"Really? I'll only believe Jean!"

"Then then. Just believe me. I'm exactly Jean-Paul Durand."

Miss Edith who suddenly sat on the money cushion, also restless at the unexpected great trend.

That is well, until now grew like a flower in a greenhouse so natural. Different from me who experienced all hardships.

Anyway honestly board game production easier than anything touched until now.

From the start design elements not much to the degree she alone could make, and that meaning roughly mass producible even with the crude printing technology of 1901.

Like that made 60,000. This also quantity printed by gathering workshops and printing shops all over London with Strand Magazine's connections, and turning rotary presses day and night for almost 3 weeks.

When modern level same-day delivery logistics systems unimaginable, even distributing the ES Games made like this in London a big matter. But somehow continuously turning carriages and solved.

Don't know how knew and long lines standing from dawn even without ads, well passed thinking Durandists mixed in the production line.

Still thought characteristic of board games, soon will get tired if doing.

From the start not a game that can do alone and at least 4 or more needed for fun.

Forming a team also bothersome and various cumbersome.

But I seemed underestimated Britain the country, and Britons quite a lot in the meantime.

Britons if only the title of world's first attaches in some field worth being proud will even drink black tea in ice water the kind.

The golden age of the Victorian era that seemed eternal setting, being diligently chased by latecomers, and feeling anxiety on the skin that even continuously holding expositions seeming lagging behind Germany and France not only Chairman Balfour that talk.

These guys didn't obsess over Scott's Antarctic exploration for nothing.

No 'first' worth obsessing up to there visible.

In such a situation, the world's first 'awesome board game' appeared first in Britain...

British society and culture overall completely overturning with only this one in one month also inevitable?

A result even I completely didn't predict.

* * *

The first butterfly effect appeared at temperance rooms and coffee houses.

As soon as the ES Game released, Durandists gathered in threes and fives to this most popular place to play this game. And like that in just one day made all cafes in London a mess.

The words people who talked about the country's future, politics, science, technological development, art and culture, books all grabbed only board games and raised voices.

Even by 1901 standards London a metropolis where over 6.5 million citizens resided.

There even scattering 60,000 games in one day, the people who can enjoy that naturally limited.

Moreover an era without phones or internet so people who heard rumors late unconditionally ran into surrounding cafes to try even one game.

Fortunately the Durandists who already occupied the cafes warmly welcomed these new newbies. Because this game a structure that fun maximizes with at least 4, at least 6 people.

The fun of god games doesn't distinguish gender age or borders.

Of course people who take preference but that only a story when substitutes exist.

In 1901, the only board game this addictive and fun in the whole world the ES Game.

Moreover even stamped a government certified seal on the game surface saying ‘ES Game is not gambling so play with peace of mind.’ so nothing to mind.

The words the ES Game transforming into Britain's folk play also in an instant.

People didn't hesitate enjoying games even sitting together with strangers if empty seats in cafes, and some game owners called leaving the game temporarily entrusted to the cafe so can enjoy next time ‘gentlemanly etiquette’.

Of course the reality close to half threat of leaving one dedicated seat empty because empty table fights intense... anyway such overlapping and overlapping cafes transforming like dedicated board game halls also soon.

The problem even so lacking space to handle this tremendous game demand.

Temperance room owners screamed happy at soaring sales, but that also soon the limit, and people walked staggeringly like zombies toward places to play games but impossible to play games in squares in cold winter.

So Durandists took this gap and attempted to start temporary ‘ES Board Game Cafes’ by renting empty warehouses, and that again meshed with exploding demand and an amazing result that works ghost-like appeared.

The most prominent feature of this new business type, that anyone can enter regardless of gender.

In Britain temperance rooms or coffee houses only men enter, women only use female-only cafes called 'tea rooms' the implicit rule, but ES Cafes a new world completely deviating from such common sense.

Of course even so modest ladies didn't sit together with completely unknown men at all, and just only gathered among women and enjoyed games inside, but in an era where gender discrimination daily this alone a tremendous step.

Anyway correct gathered under the same roof.

And sociologists who only concentrated on debates between laborism and capitalism, also seeing people freely mixing beyond status and gender, education walls at ES Cafes and astonished and entered thesis writing.

Here exactly the 'network melting pot' where people mix without discrimination.

The Durandists who founded ES Cafes very worried whether matching opportunities reduce because people tied to existing standards, so introduced new rules altogether.

If refusing matched opponents randomly matched for any reason because not liking, put on blacklist and banned from all ES Cafes across London.

Conservative people from the start no interest in the ES Game itself so didn't even know the existence of such places, and people enjoying the ES Game this rule accepted without resistance because fun game play much more important.

Moreover if really troublesome provided the option of hiding identity with mask rental so nothing problematic.

Like that as game dedicated places settled ranking tables arose, and naturally an atmosphere of competing each other's skills formed.

Eventually even competitions to determine London's strongest under royal hosting held, but up to there a distant future story no one predicted yet.

Also in some regions even strange rumors that a pot-bellied gentleman hiding identity using elegant speech and leading people and doing ES Cafe dojo breaking circulating, but that also a later story anyway.

No Briton could imagine the super expert His Majesty the King personally raiding board game rooms, a matter that wouldn't even appear in B-grade movies.

* * *

The second butterfly effect, that while playing cooking-related board games fixed ideas about the harmony of ingredients naturally permeated people.

From the start the game's creator Miss Edith herself possessing sharp taste, so instinctively judged which ingredients match well, which ingredients don't suit and carefully classified cards.

Moreover designated monster dishes like ‘jellied eels’ or ‘sardine pies’ openly as ‘trap cards’, so the more playing the game naturally common sense about cooking permeating the body no choice structure.

I also added additional ideas without hesitation.

Since this game seeming utilized for education later, a simple proposal of writing each other's cooking know-how small at the bottom of each card.

Well not great.

For example methods of distinguishing spoiled milk and potatoes—quite many people in London don't even know the fact that can't eat sprouted potatoes—methods of matching appropriate oil temperature when frying, tips for selecting fresh eggs, secrets of storing bread long, secrets of making meat tender, methods of making vegetables look fresh with vinegar, fish bone handling tips etc. etc.

Like that an amazing thing happened.

The perception of cooking that didn't budge even if the British government campaigned all day gradually changed.

People who encountered the ES Game now started arguing what delicious, what properly made food, and didn't even turn steps to stalls making tasteless dishes.

From the start the concept of making 'delicious sandwiches'.

Ingredient prices also cheapened, people incidentally tested the combinations that received high scores in the game in reality, and surprised at the taste and changed the perception of the game 180 degrees.

This, not just a simple board game but literally a treasure map searching for 'true British gourmet'!

Moreover...

Jean-Paul Durand received revelation from God and created the ES Game to save British cooking

(?)!

Jean-Paul Durand hid all his cooking know-how there (?)!

To become the best chef in London must try the ES Game unconditionally (?) once!

Correct and such nonsense rumors together spreading by Durandists so literally going crazy degree!

Of course the government's interference very big in the situation worsening this much.

Chairman Balfour surprised at the explosive popularity of the ES Game persuaded members and adopted it as an unofficial learning subject in high schools the strong move.

There newspaper companies printing unlimited ES Game praise articles under government protection, now this craze surpassed the level I can do something with my power.

Honestly speaking, I thought people would get tired soon in about one month.

Thought people with nothing to do all winter crowd and as soon as the weather clears soon calm.

But completely wrong about how long trends can last in a world without internet.

As a result the great trend of the ES Game even splashed sparks to my cooking exposition.

Jean-Paul Durand, people excited with all kinds of expectations and excitement how many ingenious and original things will pop out at the cooking exposition he leads, and started talking in every alley like predicting the conclusion of the Holmes series!

The problem, really surprising things scheduled there, so at that time might not be able to handle and better to run to the mountains.

Anyway at least 100 years later I will be in British great person biographies. Prepared up to there no choice.

And as mid-January came, everything started exploding in visible form.

The doubled production 150,000 ES Games sold out again in one day, and each colony governorates and New York etc. that received this unprecedented craze by telegram probing export whether, and each country's embassies in Europe requesting explanations from the Department of Food Innovation what matter this...

At this point couldn't hide Miss Edith more.

Ultimately the original creator of the game revealed a matter of time.

Miss Edith invited to Buckingham Palace directly praised by His Majesty Edward VII, and presenting the handmade Edward Sandwich she first made and surprising His Majesty once more, and the fact that she made half of the peanut butter bread original recipe spread all over London in half a year and the chicken and chips nobles ate until now newly known...

People praised her as the saint of new London cooking.

And me?

I had to flee avoiding her for a while.

Because reassured her pouring sugar-coated words all month this is a lie, people exaggerating, those people nothing so don't care.

“Said will be okay! This liar! People keep bothering! How will you take responsibility!”

“I-I don't know! Complain to Chairman Balfour! Aak, don't hit!”

Anyway, well so.

End of January, Miss Edith received the Order of the Bath and became Dame, and I promoted to baron.

The aftermath the great success of the ES Game brought.

And thanks to that, I decisively failed to publish the recipe book.

Indeed life doesn't flow as predicted.