Welcome to Exits & Corners™
You are already playing.
This tends to surprise people.
It shouldn’t.
(But it does.)
\/\ FIRST, NOT WHAT YOU THINK
Many players believe this is a game about freedom.
This is understandable.
It is also incorrect.
(And slightly inconvenient.)
Freedom without exits is decorative.
\/\ WHAT THE GAME IS ACTUALLY ABOUT
The game is about corners.
In practice:
Becoming harder to corner.
\/\ A FEW USEFUL TERMS
Corner
A situation with no viable exit. (Often discovered slightly too late.)
Exit
The ability to sidestep a situation without being forced to comply.
\/\ THE CLOSEST THING TO RULES
* Corners exist where exits don’t.
* The more exits you have, the harder you are to corner.
This is not widely advertised.
\/\ WHAT COUNTS AS AN EXIT
Anything that reduces the number of situations in which you must say:
“I have no choice.”
In practical terms, an exit is a capability.
Something you can do, use, access, or rely on that gives you another way through.
Examples include, but are not limited to
* A second way to earn
* A way to grow food
* A non-digital way to communicate
* A skill that lets you solve a problem without asking or paying
If it increases your ability to decline things politely, it qualifies.
If it reduces dependence, even better.
If it does both, it’s suspiciously effective.
\/\ HOW TO PLAY
This is a game of many small exits. Everywhere.
Start with something tiny and unremarkable.
Add one.
Then another.
And so on. You get the idea.
(This is not a one-time move.)
\/\ THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING
Exits have a tendency to produce more exits. No one is entirely sure why.
(There are theories. Most of them involve compounding competence and reduced panic.)
You start by adding one.
Then another.
Exits stack.
Over time, they compound.
At a certain point, they start to interact in ways that make you difficult to corner.
\/\ ENDGAME
Uncornerable = exits everywhere
There is no final level.
No cinematic escape sequence.
No applause.
Just… fewer traps.
\/\ SIDE EFFECT
Players who play long enough often report:
“feels like freedom.”
This is a side effect.
And it’s what happens when you become hard to corner.
\/\ THAT’S THE GAME
Exits & Corners™
Further assembly required.
Try not to lose.
Paul (Private) †
Exit Operator
TheExitLetter.com
\/\ END OF INSTRUCTIONS /\/
THINGS WORTH NOTICING
<1> You don’t need more freedom. You need more exits.
<2> FREEDOM, RECALCULATED
Freedom = exits everywhere = Uncornerable
(Built through many small exits, everywhere.)
<3> THE CORNER TEST
No exit = corner
One exit = not enough
Multiple exits = “freedom”
<4> Convenience is often just a well-decorated corner.
<5> THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING:
Most players imagine one big escape (an off-grid move, for example).
The game doesn’t work like that.
You build exits everywhere until corners stop forming.
It is entirely possible to own three goats and an off-grid cabin…
…and still be financially cornered by a single bank account.
