The excercises of Walt Meadornack and his All-Stars, detailed here, referred to as "games"(actually rigorous acts of mental strain and unconditioning), owe their development to John Zorn and his Pool/Archery/Cobra compositions. Described also as "games" with intricate rules, they're based on musical and environmental conditions which effect how the music is ultimately played. But Walt Meadornack had no intentions of just simply recreating Zorn's experiments; not so much because of Walt's DIY attitude of self-suffeciency and deep respect for his own innovation, but rather because he did not want to pay over $100 for the Box Set which revealed the rules, charts, and sketches used for Zorn's games. Besides, that would only demystify the process. Instead, Walt Meadornack and his scholarly compatriots devised their own unique (but similar) system.

An important goal that the All-Stars had in mind when planning these experiments was to overthrow the formulas that had developed during the regular sessions (leftover conditioning from the Radio-Man's Apathy Camps) by creating a more chaotic environment that would better facilitate the desired randomness of sound thru explicit (though at times undecipherable) guidelines and general suggestions.

The All-Stars, having created hundreds of guidelines, put each one on its own fortune cookie message-o-gram and put them all in a hat. During the improvisation each performer would draw 3 (more or less) rules to follow during the performance.

The guidelines are meant to be all encompassing- effecting pitch, volume, tone, mood, tempo, rhythm, instrumentation, and even degrees of sub-concious influence that cannot even be gauged or monitored with the naked eye. Referred also to as "suggestions," they are not meant not to constrict the musicians' options but instead broaden them.

In simple terms, it is difficult to think while people are screaming and breaking things. And when one cannot think the brain takes over by filling in the variables with predictable formulatic Radio-Man logic. To combat that unfortunate tendancy, the All-Stars let the hat do the thinking for them.
Two major works have been recorded using this technique (recorded; that is, not everything the All-Stars create is available to anyone at all--much of the Sound has simply vanished into thin air after its performance (many have said that the only real art is that which is not intended for an outsider's eyes or ears (or feet (What, feet can't like art? (Another belief imposed upon you by Elementary School Art Teacher Man, no doubt)))). The two recorded works are clear sketches of progression of the Hat Game idea.