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Mind Guerrilla Inner circle Queens, NY 2670 Posts |
Available from Lebanon Circle Magic:
http://lebanoncircle.co.uk/Doppleganger.html Calling Doppelgänger a "book test" doesn't seem to do it justice. Its premise is bibliomancy, i.e. divination using books. In this case, rare editions of literary classics (by no less than Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Use of the term "book test" is not out of line, however, since it's inevitable that these books will be compared to others in that genre. As book tests go, "Dopps" may be the most deviously designed one I've come across. I've never seen books appear so innocent/examinable yet be so gaffed up the wazoo (I can say "wazoo" on the Café, right?). When my books arrived, I read "The Pit and the Pendulum" from beginning to end and spotted nothing fishy. This actually made me a little concerned and had me wondering, "How can this possibly be any sort of book test?" I then read the manual and was stunned and delighted to see how ingeniously the books are structured. The books all look authentic. The condition and type of aging is different for each title (They weren't all just dunked in tea). This adds to their credibility. They do not look like they all came in a set. Any single Dopps book can be used to show off your skills but the "full Doppelgänger effect" requires at least three titles. In the full effect, the performer reveals words from all books in play, finding meaning in each, and using these words to weave together whatever tale is relevant to "the reason we are all gathered here tonight." In addition, there is the possibility that a spec may hit upon a page that triggers a special, creepy climax. Interestingly, the Doppelgänger effect was inspired by a card effect well known to mentalists. While this card effect is best done with a large group of spectators, Dopps seems best suited for an intimate parlor setting. It may therefore be necessary to give more attention to audience management than would be necessary in a typical bizarre effect. The method is easy to master. You should get the hang of it in a matter of minutes. The mammoth 272 page manual insures you'll not be at a loss for performance ideas, whether you're presenting yourself as a mentalist, a medium, a parapsychologist, a paranormal investigator, etc. You can even use pre-recorded audio to make the Doppelgänger effect essentially self working! Not only does the manual contain complete scripts for these but Prof BC recently revealed that he will be making actual recordings (using professional voice actors), available to Doppelgänger owners! How do the three Dopps books compare to each other? For my money, the Conan Doyle book takes the gold medal here. The text looks like crisp typeset and it contains four opportunities for a spec to trigger the special climax. The text in Stevenson and Poe looks fine to the naked eye. Under the magnification of my very near-sighted eyeballs, however, I can see what appears to be evidence that these two books were printed in the computer age. Of course, this shouldn't be an issue in the ordinary handling of a performance. The Stevenson book offers three opportunities for the special climax (two require some finessing), while the Poe has only one. One of the Poe stories, in some instances, employs a variation on a reveal which isn't explicitly mentioned in the manual. This might throw a performer if he isn't aware of it. On the positive side, the Poe book boasts stylish deckle edge pages. Rating each Dopps book on a scale from 1 to 10, I'll give the Conan Doyle a 10, the Stevenson a 9, and the Poe an 8. These books are expensive but, considering the amount of work that went into them, the price seems reasonable. At current exchange rates, a single book costs about $260, two are about $475, and all three about $640 (shipping is included in all these prices). Each Dopps title is strictly limited to 100 copies. There are probably less than 30 sets left as of the date of this post. Verdict: Recommended! Prof BC has done a staggeringly amazing job on these. Doppelgänger sets a new high standard for bizarre oriented book effects. I'll be saving my pennies for the next set in the series. |
algebraic Inner circle 1008 Posts |
I recently received my three book set all numbered 80.
Thank you for the heads up on the size of the manual. I'll need to check my ink levels. |
Mark_Chandaue Inner circle Essex UK 4187 Posts |
Hmm I get my bonus on the 20th Jan and I know where a big chunk of it is going assuming any of these are left by then.
Mark |
Mind Guerrilla Inner circle Queens, NY 2670 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-12-29 10:58, algebraic wrote: So probably less than 20 sets left at this point. Am I a mathematical genius or what? |
Mark_Chandaue Inner circle Essex UK 4187 Posts |
Decided I couldn't risk these selling out so I just pulled the trigger on the set. If I don't get a bonus this year I'm in deep doodoo!!
Mark |
Mark_Chandaue Inner circle Essex UK 4187 Posts |
Made the right decision to pull the trigger early, this is down to single figures.
Mark |
VIEW Special user 687 Posts |
I just wish the effect was described. Or even a video. There's very little detailed clue as to how it looks when performed.
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MatCult Inner circle 1518 Posts |
Quote:
On 2014-01-08 05:11, VIEW wrote: The effect is described really clearly here: http://www.lebanoncircle.co.uk/Doppleganger.html Quote: You can engage in DETAILED REMOTE viewing. The illustrations are all unique, but you not only can divine that the spectator has selected an illustrated page, you can then go on to describe the illustration IN GREAT DETAIL with no prompts whatever--YOU CAN ACTUALLY DRAW A PICTURE OF THE ILLUSTRATION your spectator has freely selected (provided, of course, that you can draw). Still, no peeks, no prompts. The method requires NO PROMPTS. The reading commences WITHOUT A WORD OR GESTURE from the spectator. She merely selects her book, flips to the page she desires, and you begin telling her what she is reading. But more, you can have other spectators select other books from the 'library' of first editions, turn to any page they secretly desire, and you can conduct SIMULTANEOUS readings from each book.
"Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business."
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VIEW Special user 687 Posts |
Honestly - all I can decipher from that is that there's a drawing dupe.
The rest is hyperbole. Which is a Shane as I love the aesthetic of these. But no one is describing the routine. |
Mind Guerrilla Inner circle Queens, NY 2670 Posts |
Quote:
On 2014-01-08 12:31, VIEW wrote: I hope this helps. I'm quoting Prof BC from a post he made up in "Spooky"... --- "SOME OF THE EFFECTS POSSIBLE WITH DOPPELGANGER The Mentalist (simple version) The performer invites a number of people to take any book they like from a small library of rare volumes. They return to stand at their seats and are asked to open their various books to any page they desire and read the first two or three lines of their silently selected page. Soon the mind-reader begins to get impressions: he sees a well with no water in it, a sense of fear (perhaps it is a comment about some fear or something frightening), an animal (he thinks a dog) struck along the roadside, a seahorse (or perhaps these are two elements—the sea and a horse). Water, violent death, an image of fear—if he has touched upon the selected page, he asks that person to sit. Most of the participants close their books, impressed, and sit. But one remains standing. The performer concentrates on this one. This is an unusual one. He still has an image of water in his mind that he cannot quite clear. No. That does not apply. It was one of the other participants who retains a strong connection still. The performer hesitates—this is unusual. Yes, unusual. There is something in this page’s opening moments that refers to something unique—peculiar, curious, even strange. Is that right? The last participant, astonished, admits that is exactly correct and sits. [The mentalist then asks that the books be handed to another audience member for yet another demonstration, using perhaps the pictures this time, and is again able to see the salient images. For a finale, he draws an exact replica of an image the last spec has chosen.] The Medium (simple version) The books are laid out, one at each place, around the séance table as the sitters choose their seats. The medium lights candles as soft music fills the sitting room. He places a newspaper clipping in the center of the table and announces that they will attempt to contact the spirit of one long deceased. Tonight will be a ‘book reading’ séance rather than a Ouija, Tarot, or Table Turning communication. The sitters are asked to meditate quietly before opening their various books to any page they feel themselves drawn to. The medium opens a book, too. They are all old books, rare editions of famous titles, that once resided in the library of a famous clairvoyant who used them in his sittings precisely as they are being used now. After the sitters have had time to read the pages they have chosen and quietly contemplated those feelings and visualized the images they contain, the medium begins to read from his book aloud. He stops after only a few moments. Was that a sound in the room? Perhaps it was a signal. He reads the passage he stopped upon again. Perhaps this word or phrase is important. It is an unusual word. Does anyone else have a similar word or phrase on the page before her? One sitter says she has indeed. The medium replies that may be significant. He reads on, and this time there is a definite disturbance in the room. Almost everyone is aware of it. The medium reads the word he has stopped on, and this time several sitters see that they have also turned to a page with this word upon it. The medium thinks perhaps they have made contact. He may stay on that page or go to another, he says, and asks the sitters if they feel a sense of what would be right. They reply and, depending upon their feeling, he remains on the same page or else turns to another place in the book. He reads aloud again. Nothing seems to happen, but the medium stops nevertheless. He happens to know that a phrase on this page is indeed significant to the spirit they are attempting to reach. He wonders if they have failed to recognize a sign. Indeed, several sitters (always a different number and mix of people) do have this word on the page they have freely selected. Now the medium asks one of the sitters to read aloud from her page. As she is reading, there comes an unmistakable sign in the room, and the word she has just read not only coincides with other sitters’ pages (though not the medium’s), it also matches a key point in the newspaper clipping that has been in plain view at the center of the table throughout the sitting. One of the sitters is asked to read that clipping, and the sitters realize that every one of the words adduced have been directly related to the spirit’s history. What’s more, the central fact of the deceased (up to this moment left undisclosed) is also to be found on the page of the last reader (and no other sitter!) The Parapsychologist (simple version) To test the existence of thought transference, the scientist has brought along a collection of rare, old books. Venerable titles instill both confidence and calmness of mind, essential elements of a successful experiment. The first test subject comes forward and takes up any book, turns to any page, and reads it silently (but with attention) while the other test subjects look on and try to pick up on her thoughts. The other test subjects now step forward and each select a book. They are asked to work through several pages, skimming lightly but not actually reading, and to stop when they feel a page is particularly significant. They are to mark that page and close the book for the moment. When they have done this, the scientist looks at the original test subject’s chosen page. He will apply the Möhr scale of word significance to the page she has selected: some words are so common (a, the, up, down, and the like) that they will coincide too often by a predictable ratio. Other words are so uncommon or arcane that (even if transferred telepathically) there is little chance of finding those words in another book to prove the match. The Möhr scale rates words by sound, length, and frequency to determine which words on a given page have the best chance of a) being received telepathically, and b) being found in another ‘orthographic event’ (written document) such as a book. After this Möhr evaluation, the scientist announces five likely words on the ‘control’ page. He asks the other test subjects to open to their pages and asks how many have the first word on their pages (none do). The second word? One or two actually have this word (a remarkable percentage). The third? A different mix of one-to-three have this word (even more remarkable). The fourth? none have this word (much more expected—in fact, having a single match is considered within the standard variation for coincidence, two or more matches in the course of a full experiment is considered evidence of telepathy). The fifth word? This time, a new mix of two-to-as-many-as-all find that they have this word on their pages. The scientist concludes that the reader has strong ‘sending’ telepathy, and the one with the most hits has a strong ‘receiving’ ability; this ‘receiver’ is then selected for the next experiment using the pictures in the books, but this time they will test her ability to send rather than receive a telepathic message (for sending and receiving, researchers have discovered, are two different skills). She looks at an image (of her free choosing) for a full minute, and when the others take up books and settle on their own images it is found that significant similarities exist between the picture she chose and those ‘received’ by most (and possibly all) of the others. The Paranormal Investigator (simple version): A collection of rare, old and famous books are shown through a series of tests (using, for example, EMF detectors) to possess a strong and unusual force. The books were the property of an occultist who died one hundred years ago with these books gathered about him on his desk. One member of the party is asked to take any of the books into another room, shut the door and (selecting any page at random) quietly read the words of that page into the empty room. She is then to mark her page and close her book before rejoining the group. When she returns, the next person is asked to take a different book and go into that room. She is to attempt to feel which page she is to turn to, allowing the spirit to move her to her selection. Again, she is to read that page quietly to the room and close the book around some type of bookmark, so she can find the page again. This is then repeated with all the other members of the party, each using a different book. When finished, they share stories of how reading in the empty room made them feel and then open their books again as a group and share which page numbers they turned to. These page numbers do not coincide, but the investigator now tells the tale of the occultist, and the significant elements of his life (and death) are eerily found to coincide with the significant words unaccountably shared between the pages each person independently selected (but that are not revealed until after the tale has been told). Commentary As you can readily see, Doppelgänger offers the performer a wide range of effects depending upon how s/he wishes to present them. Additionally, these ‘simple’ versions all feature completely free selection of book and page by every participant. Absolutely no control occurs at any time. The performer never peeks a page, never forces a selection, does not fish, nor does s/he control the spectators in any manner. What you have read is precisely what happens in performance. The only element added is the performer’s ability to know what is on those pages and thereby stage-manage the effects and revelations. Stage managing revelations is always in your control (so if, for example, you are doing the Parapsychologist routine above, and want someone to get a hit every time (instead of having a word or two that receive no hits), you can arrange that with no trouble at all). It all depends upon the effect you wish to achieve. Of course, with Doppelgänger you also have the option to use call-outs, forces, or have the spec invisibly (and unknowingly) signal her page to you. These techniques put you in the driver’s seat earlier in the routine; they also allow you (if you wish) to shape the routine to a specific, pre-ordained conclusion. The watchword for Doppelgänger is flexibility." |
John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 12938 Posts |
I would say, spec picks book, opens to prescribed page, picks word, imagines, visualizes it on a white board, great misto magi divines the word in vivid colors and imagery. Crowd cheers.
Or, what the gorilla above me said. J |
Mind Guerrilla Inner circle Queens, NY 2670 Posts |
Quote:
On 2014-01-08 16:23, John C wrote: Actually, Dopps differs from more traditional book tests in that the spec is not directed to pick a word. Rather, the perf gets impressions that match words or emotions on whatever page the spec selects. The drawing dupe mentioned in MatCult's post refers to when a spec chooses a page with an illustration on it. |
Mind Guerrilla Inner circle Queens, NY 2670 Posts |
FYI: A little bird just told me there are only 8 sets left.
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