A. Setup

Imelda writes each of these words on a slip of paper: WORK, SURF, DAYDREAM.

Before the game starts, Imelda should either blindly choose one of the twelve pre-printed Spark Charts and give it to Gorm without looking at it, or else Gorm should create one of the charts on a piece of paper. (See "Spark Charts" below.)

Set the rook on the board at A2, Gorm at A1, the queen at H7. If using a playing piece for Nancy, set it between the front and back doors of the Show Room.

B. Movement

Only Bob can move. Imelda is stationary, but at the beginning of each turn, she chooses one of three actions (Work, Surf or Daydream) by placing the appropriate slip of paper face down under the Queen. Gorm, being the ghost of a sea sponge, can travel anywhere, see and hear everything in the building. But since she's incorporeal, she can't touch or move or affect anything, can't communicate with Bob or Imelda, and doesn't want to talk to Nancy anymore.

Bob's lurching movements by the roll of the dice represent his unsteady nerves, sometimes working up the intestinal fortitude to move forward, sometimes hesitating. He gets ten rolls of the six-sided die to move through the building, trying to land on the Emboldening Spaces (marked with asterisks) and attract Imelda's attention. He can't move diagonally, can't move through walls (the heavy lines on the floor plan), and can't occupy the same space as Imelda or Nancy. He can occupy the space with the Pop Machine.

When he lands on an empty space, Bob has to mumble some reason for going where he's going. "Just, uh, I think I left the papers for the Erlenmeyer complex over in the, uh..."

Landing in one of the Emboldening Spaces at the end of his move, Bob takes an action to get Imelda's attention. These spaces include:
1. The pop machine (H4)
2. The two spaces diagonally adjacent to Imelda's beginning position (G6 and G8)
3. In front of the door (H8)
4. Inside the door of Stu's office (C8)

In the early days of his attempted courtship, Bob frequently bought pop from the machine as an excuse to be near Imelda and start a conversation. Another good excuse to be near her was peering out the window in the front door to check the weather, since it's the only window in the building. Since Stu hasn't used his office in several years, it has turned into the supply room. Getting a box of staples or toner for the fax machine is always a good excuse for Bob to ask if Imelda needs anything.

An Emboldening Space won't work a second time for Bob until he has used them all once. This should keep Bob wandering around the office, the way a fool would do, madly.

When Bob lands on an Emboldening Space, he announces which action he'll try: Joke, Admire or Current Events. Bob should try to tell a real joke, or actually start a conversation about the weather or politics or celebrity gossip. While "admiring," Bob should either stare at the Imelda player, or pay her a compliment.

Imelda describes what she's working on, what sites she surfs or what she's daydreaming about. Gorm compares Bob's action with Imelda's action, finds the result on the Spark Chart, then records actions and results.