@MarkS. foundations looks great! understood as well re: order of operations (proofs, graph/set theory, transfinite non-loopy + finite loopy games.

re: idempotents, i meant games like far star

also, i will continue to repeat that i understand ur perspective

@meowzz far star is not a game. It's a subtle notational convenience that could lead to confusion (e.g. you thinking it's a game). It's covered in the last chapter of Lessons in Play for a reason, and IIRC Haff and Garner do not discuss it at all in their otherwise comparable textbook. Just like skipping to a graduate text is not reasonable, skipping to the end of Lessons in Play (or however you came across it) is not reasonable either.