The Noble Game of the Voyages Extraordinaires

Introduction

The testament
On 3 April 1897, one of the citizens of Chicago, Illinois, was buried. The deceased was William J. Hypperbone, millionaire and member of the Excentric Club. Without a doubt, until then, no member of this club had been marked by notable eccentricities. William J. Hypperbone had no more than his colleagues exceeded the banalities of existence. But what had failed to happen during his lifetime, would, by his last will, happen after his death.

While alive, William J. Hypperbone had had a great passion for the Noble Game of Goose, which he had introduced in the Excentric Club. Well, this is what he had thought of in honour of his country: the fifty States of the Union, by arranging them in squares, one after another, and repeating one of them, Illinois, fourteen times, he had obtained a map composed of sixty-three squares, identical to that of the Noble Game of Goose, which had become by this fact the Noble Game of the United States of America.

Six contestants had been assigned by lot from the population of Chicago, and the caprice of the dice would direct them over the surface of the Union. The heir of the fortune of William J. Hypperbone, estimated at sixty millions of dollars, would be the winner of the game. He who obtained the second place would receive the sum made up by the thousand dollar primes paid during the game.

The «Six»
The first participant in the famous match Hypperbone was the young painter Max Réal, who was accompanied by his servant Tommy. The second contestant was the boxer Tom Crabbe, dragged along with his agent John Milner, who had less muscles, but more brains than the boxer. Further, there was Hermann Titbury with his wife, a rich and avaricious couple; and Harris T. Kymbale, a reporter of the Tribune, who travelled alone. The fifth contestant was Miss Lissy Wag, accompanied by her friend Jovita Foley, a vivid and joyful girl. The sixth contestant, commodore Hodge Urrican, was a rough person, just like his companion Turk. Finally, a seventh player, chosen by William J. Hypperbone, had been added to the «Six». He played under the initials X K Z, and would remain unknown unless he would win the match.

These seven persons then would run across the territory of the United States. Whereas some regretted each detour, each delay, each dime they spent, others enjoyed the splendid nature, or the adventures they met. Harris T. Kymbale had the occasion to write quite some articles for the Tribune, and Max Réal could paint magnificent views, like the National Park of Yellowstone. Hermann Titbury only felt miserable, every time he lost money. The players sometimes met each other, and there were romantic encounters, as well as collisions between rivals.

The dice were capricious indeed. The players had to wait in the Prison, or in the Hotel, after having paid double or triple fines. One had to visit Death Valley, California, and to start again; another had to go from Suspension Bridge at the Niagara Falls to New Mexico within the two weeks. They jumped to square 53 at the first turn, or advanced by two points only. Short, it was a match with lots of adventures, and much to see. And after all these tribulations, the end is even more unexpected than one might imagine.

The Noble Game of the Voyages Extraordinaires
It is this story that Jules Verne's novel The Will of an eccentric (Le Testament d'un excentrique) is about. The adventures of the contestants give Jules Verne the possibility to describe various regions of the United States, to mention many facts, to picture many impressions.

On 3 April 1997, a hundred years after the day that The Will of an eccentric begins, I had an idea. This is what I have thought of in honour of my favourite writer: the sixty-two Voyages Extraordinaires, by arranging them in squares, one after another, I have obtained the map of the Noble Game of the Voyages Extraordinaires.

Now it was up to the contestants to run across this impressive collection of novels, following the dice. The Noble Game was played in 1997, and was ended after seven turns. Just like the seven players in Jules Verne's novel, the contestants came across many interesting internet sites, as they followed the dice. You can read all about it in The Noble Game of the Voyages Extraordinaires, 1997.

After the Game was finished, there were some enthusiastic contestants who liked to play a second round. It is this second round that you can follow on these pages. You can see the rules, the results so far, and the current situation on the other pages, which you can reach by clicking the image on the top of this page. If this doen't work with your browser, you can go to the index page to reach the other pages.

Unfortunately, we had to stop with this second round, due to lack of time, before it was finished. Nonetheless, some interesting pages have been discovered.

I wish you much fun with

The Noble Game of the Voyages Extraordinaires, 1998

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