Following up on Jason's popular How to Win at Rock-Paper-Scissors post, I did some digging to see how nerdy Rock-Paper-Scissors ("RPS" to professionals) can get.
It turns out, pretty nerdy. Artist David C. Lovelace noted that there was a five-gesture RPS variant in the wild (they add "Lizard" and "Spock"). Five gestures wasn't enough for Lovelace—he decided to create a seven-gesture variant called RPS-7, which added Fire, Water, Air, and Sponge to the classic game. But things didn't stop there. Lovelace proceeded to create RPS-9 which added Gun and Human to the mix, creating an immensely complex matrix of solutions.
Yeah, and this being the internet, things did not stop there. Lovelace created an RPS-11 (adding Wolf and Devil), RPS-15 (Lightning, Dragon, Tree, Snake), and then what he terms "the real madness": RPS-25 (see also the flash game).
But wait, there's EVEN MORE. From Lovelace's site:
It took all year, but I went ahead and brought about the entropy of my mind by developing the latest, and I truly hope last, RPS variant. Take a deep breath, set your monitor to its maximum resolution, and prepare to try and absorb the infinitely complex universe-devourer that is RPS-101!
Described as "the most terrifyingly complex game ever," RPS-101 can be explored using the interactive chart, the 5050-outcome HTML page, or the RPS-101 Outcome Guide (a paperback book describing all the outcomes).
From the RPS-101 Outcome Guide: Chainsaw DICES Turnip, Turnip STAINS Cup, Cup HOLDS Beer, Beer AFFECTS Chainsaw USE. Wow.