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Cabbaging is a game in which players, known as Cabbagers, attempt to reach the oldest page on a website in a given number of clicks from a predefined starting point.

Contents 1 History 2 How to play 2.1 Aim 2.2 Rules and Guidelines 2.3 Notes 3 Variations 3.1 Word Cabbaging 3.2 Photo Cabbaging 3.3 Least Related Fact Cabbaging 3.4 Contact Us Cabbaging 3.5 Not Cabbaging 4 External links

[edit] History

Cabbaging was first played by five people sharing an office in Peebles, Scotland who used it as a way to decide who should eat the "spare" Tunnock's Tea Cake from a pack of six. The game was brought to public attention by Judy Cabbages on 9 August 2005 by writing the following letter to the BBC News Magazine Monitor, an online daily publication:

In our office of five people, the six pack of Tunnocks Tea Cakes does no [sic] divide very well; so we have a contest. The person who can go back in time to the oldest article on the BBC News site in only five clicks from the start page, gets the sixth tea cake for themselves. Today, I read through nature to cats to pandas and in 5 clicks, got to 25 April 1998. Reaching 1997 is a real achievement.
Judy Cabbages,
Peebles, Scotland

Readers of the Magazine Monitor began playing the game themselves and the name "Cabbaging" was suggested three days later in honour of Judy Cabbages. The name "backlogging" was also suggested, but did not catch on. On 19 August 2005 a set of rules written by Monitor reader Matt Wainwright was published.

[edit] How to play

Based on "Cabbaging: The Definitive Guide (Short Rules Version)" by Matt Wainwright.

[edit] Aim

To reach, on a specified website, the page that is as far back in time as possible, from a specified starting page, in a specified number of clicks.

[edit] Rules and Guidelines

1. The game can be played with any number of participants (Cabbagers). However, to avoid cheating it is recommended that all Cabbagers are situated within the same building.
2. It is also recommended that an impartial umpire (Gaffer) is appointed to oversee the game and prevent bloodshed or physical violence in extreme circumstances.
3. All Cabbagers must agree upon a starting page (Genesis) of a specified site (Patch); for example, the front page of the BBC News website. For further clarification, the URL of the Genesis may be emailed by the Gaffer to the Cabbagers.
4. The Gaffer will specify the number of links (Swoops) that may be attempted by the Cabbagers (a common value is five). This is called a Swoop Allowance.
5. All Cabbagers may then begin to Swoop from the Genesis, using no more and no fewer Swoops than their specified Swoop Allowance.
6. Once a Cabbager's Swoop Allowance has been exhausted, the page they will have reached is termed their Omega. In order for scoring (Hoeing) to be carried out fairly by the Gaffer, all Cabbagers must either
   1. make a note of the URL of their Omega (a Trough) or
   2. print out a hard copy (or Furrow).
7. All Cabbagers must then convene with the Gaffer to present their Troughs and Furrows for Hoeing. The Cabbager who has reached the Omega that is furthest back in time is duly crowned the Cabbage King, and is presented with the ceremonial Tunnock's Tea Cake.
8. In the event of a tie, the Omega with the most characters in its URL will be declared the winner.

The game can also be played by one player, where the object is simply to Swoop to the oldest Omega one can find and thus beat one's previous best Hoe. However, the Swoop Allowance must remain the same from one round to the next (and preferably the Patch and the Genesis also) for the Hoe to count as legal.

[edit] Notes

• If a Cabbager Swoops to a separate Patch than was specified at the start of the game, they are immediately disqualified.
• Pop-up windows do count as Swooping to a foreign Patch.
• Where no proof of the age of the Omega is available, the Omega is nullified and the Cabbager must retire from the competition.
• Reverse Swoops (Swooping to the page from which the Cabbager has just Swooped) are strictly forbidden.

[edit] Variations

Some readers of the BBC News Magazine Monitor have suggested or created variations of Cabbaging.

[edit] Word Cabbaging

To find the earliest use of a word. See the letter from Darrin Stephens, Stoke-on-Trent, England.

[edit] Photo Cabbaging

To find earliest use of a photo or picture. See the letter from Isabella, Sheffield.

[edit] Least Related Fact Cabbaging

To find the web page with the fact least related to the story originally started from. See the letter from Adam, London, UK.

[edit] Contact Us Cabbaging

To find which company websites have the deepest hidden customer service phone numbers by counting the number of clicks it takes to get from the homepage to a number where you can actually speak to a living person. See the letter from Mike, Newcastle upon Tyne.

[edit] Not Cabbaging

This involves reading the news occasionally, but spending a majority of the day involved in work related, in some small way, to one's job description. This is the least popular variation of the game.

[edit] External links

• Judy Cabbages' original letter
• Matt Wainwright's Cabbaging rules
• The LBIQ A website where regular contributors to the Magazine Monitor beta-test their puns & captions based on the current Punorama or Caption Competition. Could be described as a Punnery.