| rdfs:comment
| - Paranoia can be a funny thing. It seems no matter how well you've prepared or you how you anticipate possible outcomes, there's always someone who can mess your plan up if he knows about it. Ah, but how do you know he knows? He may be acting like he doesn't know so you won't do anything different that he can't predict. This, inevitably, leads to the following paranoid rant: Typical punchline: "...what was I doing again?" I Know You Know I Know breaks down logically, and it obeys some rules. Here are the levels of deception, with examples: Level 0: absolute honesty, no deception.
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| abstract
| - Paranoia can be a funny thing. It seems no matter how well you've prepared or you how you anticipate possible outcomes, there's always someone who can mess your plan up if he knows about it. Ah, but how do you know he knows? He may be acting like he doesn't know so you won't do anything different that he can't predict. This, inevitably, leads to the following paranoid rant: Typical punchline: "...what was I doing again?" Something of an overblown version of the classic chess axiom "think three moves ahead", this is one of the most common sights in a duel of Chessmasters. A Gambit Roulette may also have them, as the level of paranoia necessary to pull one off suggests he's suspecting everyone of knowing and reacting accordingly. Of course, if there's a Gambit Pileup in the making, that attitude might be justified... May not feature the exact line, but often uses a scene where one character or the other remarks on how his opponent would react if he knew, and what he's doing in case that happens. In Real Life, humans are capable of keeping track of many degrees of what people know ("I know that he knows that she knows that they know that we know about the party..."), though even when taking the game seriously, they tend to find the string of "knowing" comical. I Know You Know I Know breaks down logically, and it obeys some rules. Here are the levels of deception, with examples: Level 0: absolute honesty, no deception. Level 1: X plays level 1 (hereafter abbreviated X(n)). X(1) has information that Y(0) does not, and utilizes this in a deception. Level 2: Y(2) knows that X(1) is playing a deception. Y(2) reacts accordingly. Level 3: X(3) knows that Y(2) is well aware of the deception, and thus plans for the outcome of the first deception being revealed. Level 4: Y(4) is aware of the above play, and knows that the logical reaction to finding out the deception will play right into X(3)'s hands. Thus, Y(4) plays around X(3). Level 5: X(5)'s entire deception is a deception, maybe meant only to engage Y(4). And so on, and so on. This chain can go on indefinitely. In the really hairy cases, one or more deceptions are being played parallel or maybe even in conjunction with one another, making the abovementioned Gambit Pileup. From the second level on, the recipient of the deception (in this case Y) has two choices: either Y plays a counter-game so that the deception is revealed, or Y willingly plays the deception to X's logical conclusion. The first option will reveal Y to be playing a higher level, but will foil X's deception. The second option will let X fulfill the deception, but will not reveal Y's level. Reaction from Y is crucial, as this seperates Y from a player of equal level to X. If that was the case, Y would simply be aware of the deception but unable to act upon it. In reacting, Y steps it up a level. Of course, with each rise in level, the below levels become meaningless, so this gambit only works if X is not playing an even higher level, in which case Y would either be playing into X's hands or letting X win. X also runs the risk of misjudging Y's level. If Y is playing a higher level than anticipated, then the deception is, as mentioned above, meaningless. If Y is playing a lower level, then X will be Crazy Prepared but never engaged on the higher levels, which may leave X Properly Paranoid. See also most instances of the Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo. Frequently a consideration in Feed the Mole. In many an Absurdly High Stakes Game this will take the form a (often internal) monolog. Usually results in an Overly Long Gag. Frequently ends with an "I Didn't See That Coming". May result in Archive Binge-like behavior when plans are laid for both eventualities, and then for both of those eventualities, and then all four of those, and then all sixteen... This may develop into an Gambit Roulette if it hasn't done so already. Not to be confused with "I Know I Know I Know". Examples of I Know You Know I Know include:
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