I'm looking at getting a Mental Epic board. I do a routine similar to it already, but doing the routine with this prop just feels more like me. My question here isn't so much about doing the work of the routine, but about presenting the choices to the spectator. I don't want to over-think, but I also don't want to be blantantly obvious about a force (which for me almost always means cards at this point in my inexperience).

Here's my thoughts: I'm thinking of a stand-up situation, parlor or small stage. It strikes me as odd that I would say (for example) "Name me any color" and "Name me any city", and then go into a set of instructions for selecting a card. Should all the choices be presented in a similar fashion, so all the responses seem pretty much the same? That way, no single "choose this" stands out screaming to the audience "He did something fishy here!"

So I wondered about making it all about choices: Hand them a small set of cards with colored circles, select three, narrow down to one. Repeat with a set of cards with something else on them - fruits, names, whatever. One last time with a regular deck and the cut deeper routine - cut, turn over and push off the first card, do it again, then go to the first face-down card. Now we narrow these three to one. And every choice looks the same.

Is this too much thinking into this?
Ed

It's probably too much thinking. On one hand, you don't want any one choice to stand out as suspicious, but on the other hand, if each of your choices is restricted to a handful of cards, you might get the opposite problem where all of the choices seem suspicious. Your audience might start to think that all of them were forced.

That being said, one of my favorite ways of handling the choices made in an effect like this comes from Max Maven's "Middle Telepathy" in Prism. He uses ESP cards for the first choice and provides a great rationale for using them. Each choice gets progressively more difficult: in the second, the spectator draws a simple object and in the third the spectator thinks of any famous person or character. And it is really easy to do.

Thanks for the pointer. I was looking at Prism at a dealer's shop just last week, same place I saw the ME board. I like it because it doesn't have to be "heavy mentalism" while still being a cool trick.



And that was the other side of the coin. If every choice were "Pick three - choose two of those - okay, we'll use that one", it's a pattern that would lead many to believe it's all random, but make others think that you've done something to direct the choices. On the other hand, it's simple, direct, and makes everything look like it's done the same way.

When I did it as a kid's trick (without the ME board), I'd have them grab a handfull of pennies from a glass and we'd count them, then pick one crayon out of a box, and last a cross-cut force.

Ed

Ed -

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&forum=5

Look at Bill Palmer's response to the timing question...great routine!

Cheers!

Also note that there are versions of Mental Epic that do not require any forcing, leaving you completely open to any three choices.

The least expensive is Jim Gerrish's "Mental Epilogue" do-it-yourself board found on my site in his Hardboard and Duct Tape Book 1.

However, if you aren't up to a woodshop project, the next best choice (in my humble opinion) is "Astor Epic," from Astor of Hungary - http://www.astormagic.com/store/index.php While there is no forcing with Astor Epic, he likes to include a two-digit number as one of his choices for logical reasons he explains, but it is not a hard and fast rule and there really is no forcing.

Stanyon:

Reading through the linked thread gave me several ideas. I liked the idea of doing the card work at the very beginning - by the time you get to it, the audience is so involved in your routine (let us hope!!) that they won't remember any "funny" details. And it can be much more straightforward.

Alos, someone in the thread mentioned doing it as a themed routine. With that, I can see pulling up a young lad - he's going to be driving his first car. So you need to get the color, how fast he's going, and the make of the car. Call up three adults to help. They have cards with colors and he chooses one without seeing them; they have dice and select a number and he chooses the order; they select Hot Wheels and he picks one. Lots of room for by-play and interaction for a whole-family show.

Professor:

I'd like to check out that no-force board. Could make life much easier!! Thanks for the pointer.

Ed

There is a new version of Mental Epic that is out .... I seen it first hand here localy and the guy uses some different things I have ever seen before. I have tried to figure out the effect and I think he has hit something of gold. If he is doing what I think he is doing. I think it is will be out soon, so keep an eye out for it. "Larger than life" I believe is the name.


See ya real SOOOON!