July 8, 2026: I'm Going To Worldcon With The Chaos Machine!

I think I just put the whole post into the headline.

I first ran the Chaos Machine more than 20 years ago! It has not been out in public for several years, more's the pity. But it was very well received at the previous LAcon in 2006, and they asked if it could come back. Well, yes. Yes, it can. I really enjoy playing with this toy; the way you play with it is by introducing others to it and watching what they build! To quote an old description: "a giant communal build-it-yourself project that's a cross between an Erector set, model trains, a pachinko machine, and a jungle gym . . . " We will get a starter frame set up on Wednesday, and people will add to it all weekend. This is what you get when you buy a number of "Chaos Toy" sets, put them together, and invite people to get hands-on. (I just tried to link to the Chaos Toy company and they are no longer at their old website. I hope they are okay . . . At any rate, sets are almost always available on eBay.)

Here's a YouTube video of the Machine at Linucon 2005. It's blue in this movie. Later, for reasons that seemed really compelling at the time, I bought a great deal of spray paint and reskinned it as a steampunk device, with a black frame and metallic bits. And Malcolm Kudra, the Machine's biggest supporter for many years, built a Giant Gear Thing(tm) that has to be seen. You have to see it because I don't have a photo. This will be corrected.

But here is a great overhead shot of a BIG Machine presented by Craig Trader, who played with us at Penguicon in 2007 and started collecting his own bits and taking them to Maker Faires.

This has nothing to do with my work as a game designer. This is pure fanac, done because I love it. Please, if it sounds like fun, come play with us!

-- Steve Jackson