The Next Cauldron

[MatthewV]

Very simplified and stolen rules (I hope.)

You may throw words or phrases of not more than 30 letters* into the Cauldron.

1) If your offering follows the secret rule, you will get a prize. (The prize also follows the secret rule.)

2) If your offering follows the secret rule AND the special even-more-secret bonus rule, you will get one additional prize. (Yes, this prize does count toward your total.)

3) If the rule does not apply to your offering, you get nothing.

4) If your offering breaks the rule, you get a FIREBALL!

5) Five FIREBALLs will wipe out all your prizes, forcing you to start again.

6) You may only make one offering at a time. Your next offering must be after the Cauldron's response (which could be "The Cauldron does nothing.").

WINNING CONDITIONS: You must guess the Cauldron's secret rule. You earn your first guess when you have ten five. prizes in your bag. After that, you may guess once for each new prize you earn.

A starter hint: the Cauldron does not follow its own rule. Or break it.

* by letters, I mean any alphanumeric characters or symbols found on a keyboard.

Capitalization is irrelevant. Other things might be relevant.

Scores:
Scurra - prizes 0, fireballs 1
lexprod - prizes 1, fireballs 0
xalolo - prizes 1, fireballs 0
ralphmerridew - prizes 5, fireballs 1
Hitchhiker - prizes 1, fireballs 0
ChickenMareno - prizes 0, fireballs 1
Quailman - prizes 1, fireballs 2
jesus_saves - prizes 1, fireballs 0

Rule-followers and prizes (which also follow the rule):
open the pod bay doors
giant ship
shining example
sunshine
chess
re-fribulating gigometer
red heart
chocolate cookie
vanilla pie
James Buchannan
bachelor
strange charm
wand
Triwizard Cup
importance to double check
Doberman pinscher
puppy
hint
number four
love
Tove
Torvalds
level
ewe

Rule-breakers (fireballs):
eye of newt
watchamacallit
truth and beauty
philosopher's stone
slithy tove

[ralphmerridew]

Throw seagulls into the cauldron.

[Scurra]

Once again, I shall offer eye of newt.
_________________
_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Amb]

I shall throw in R2D2

[lexprod]

I ask the Cauldron to open the pod bay doors
_________________
I'll have a P please...

[MatthewV]

The seagulls squawk and dive bomb the cauldron but it ignores them.
Scurra has eye of newt, the cauldron become enraged at the animal cruelty and returns a FIREBALL!
The beeping of R2D2 fails to get the cauldron's attention.
Lexprod call to open the pod bay doors is happily digested. The cauldron offers a giant ship in return.

[xalolo]

I will throw in a shining example

[MatthewV]

The cauldron happily accepts the shining example and return some sunshine

[xalolo]

I'll throw in a Tic Tac Toe game

[ralphmerridew]

I will throw in a re-fribulating gigometer

[MatthewV]

The Tic Tac Toe game is boring and ignored by the cauldron. It however, mentions that it likes the game of chess.

A re-fribulating gigometer? How wonderful! But I am not quite sure what it is. The cauldron then gives ralphmerridew a red heart.

[xalolo]

The logical next step is Lots of ameobas

[ralphmerridew]

Add in a watchamacallit as well.

[Hitchhiker]

I'll throw in a chocolate cookie.

[Amb]

THrow in my Accountant

[MatthewV]

The Lots of ameobas and the Accountant are ignored.

A watchamacallit? I call it a FIREBALL!

The chocolate cookie is wonderful! The cauldron gives a vanilla pie in return.

[ralphmerridew]

Okay, how about James Buchannan?

[Quailman]

an alarm clock

[ChickenMarengo]

I'll offer the cauldron truth and beauty

[MatthewV]

Virtually forgotten presidents! James Buchannan earns a bachelor

The alarm clock is ignored.

The cauldron despises truth and beauty! FIREBALL! However, it does like them separately.

[ralphmerridew]

I'll try strange charm

[Quailman]

I will throw the Triwizard Cup into the cauldron.

[MatthewV]

The strange charm is much appreciated! The cauldron responds with a wand

The Triwizard Cup is also liked! The cauldron cauldron almost made a mistake and gives Quailman the importance to double check

[ralphmerridew]

Next, a Doberman pinscher[/b]

[Quailman]

The philosopher's stone

[MatthewV]

TheDoberman pinscher is tossed in. The happy cauldron offers ralphmerridew a puppy

The cauldron hisses at the philosopher's stone and returns a FIREBALL!

[ralphmerridew]

Next, Loki.

[mv*]

Loki is ignored by the cauldron.

[Hitchhiker]

Would the Cauldron like a kakapo?

[MatthewV]

The kakapo is tossed so that it appear to fly. But the cauldron ignores it.

After ignoring so many items, it returns a hint and the number four

[Quailman]

I will throw a slithy tove into the cauldron.

[ralphmerridew]

Put on some thick gloves so I can toss a porcupine in.

[Amb]

My (fictitious) copy of Dungeons and Dragons

[xalolo]

I'm throwing in the entirety of GenCon

[MatthewV]

The slithy tove returns a FIREBALL!

rm's porcupine, Amb's Dungeons and Dragons, and xalolo's GenCon are all ignored.

The cauldron offers some love as a consolation prize.

[ralphmerridew]

Next, a question

[xalolo]

I'm putting in my lack of idea

[j_s*]

I ll throw a vowel into the cauldron

[MatthewV]

Any question and all questions will be ignored.
As will your lack of idea (and the plural form too!)

Vowel on the other hand, gets a FIREBALL!

[ralphmerridew]

I will throw in Tove Torvalds.