Chaos Machine
Encyclopedia
The Chaos Machine is an ever-evolving collection of Chaos Toy sets gathered together by Steve Jackson
, founder of Steve Jackson Games
(SJ Games).
The Chaos Machine appears at gaming
and science fiction convention
s, where attendees are encouraged to create, modify, tune, and improvise new gadgets (stunts) for the rolling-ball construction.
At each siting, the machine is set up as a basic framework by the Machine Wranglers, then participants (Mechanics) begin to build tracks, install ball lifts, add stunts, and generally have a good time learning and problem-solving.
Over the years more sets have been added, so the machine grows larger with each appearance. Recently, an electronic network has been designed to add ball sensing and counting, event-controlled path switching, lighting effects, and additional sound effects.
Steve Jackson (US)
Steve Jackson is an American game designer. After working for many years at Metagaming Concepts designing such games as Ogre and The Fantasy Trip, he left to found Steve Jackson Games in the early 1980s...
, founder of Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
(SJ Games).
The Chaos Machine appears at gaming
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
and science fiction convention
Science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
s, where attendees are encouraged to create, modify, tune, and improvise new gadgets (stunts) for the rolling-ball construction.
At each siting, the machine is set up as a basic framework by the Machine Wranglers, then participants (Mechanics) begin to build tracks, install ball lifts, add stunts, and generally have a good time learning and problem-solving.
Over the years more sets have been added, so the machine grows larger with each appearance. Recently, an electronic network has been designed to add ball sensing and counting, event-controlled path switching, lighting effects, and additional sound effects.