The Cycle

Here's the map of the Model Game:

                ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
                │                                             │
                ▼                                             │
         ┌─────────────┐      ┌──────────────┐                │
         │   EXPLORE   │ ───► │     MAP      │                │
         │  (Territory)│      │   (Model)    │                │
         └─────────────┘      └──────────────┘                │
                                    │                         │
                                    ▼                         │
                              ┌───────────┐                   │
                              │  REFINE   │                   │
                              │ (Iterate) │                   │
                              └───────────┘                   │
                                    │                         │
               ┌────────────────────┼────────────────────┐    │
               ▼                    ▼                    ▼    │
        ┌────────────┐      ┌──────────────┐      ┌──────────┴──┐
        │  ARMCHAIR  │      │ MAP WITHOUT  │      │  ILLEGIBLE  │
        │CARTOGRAPHER│      │  TRAVELERS   │      │     MAP     │
        └────────────┘      └──────────────┘      └─────────────┘
               │                    │                    │
               └────────────────────┼────────────────────┘
                                    ▼
                            ┌──────────────┐
                            │   OSSIFY /   │
                            │    REMAP     │────────────────────┘
                            └──────────────┘

The progression:

• Explore → You encounter territory. Direct experience. Confusion that wants to become understanding.
• Map → You build a model. The confusion becomes structure.
• Refine → You iterate. Test the map against territory. Improve accuracy and usability.

Then the fork:

• Armchair Cartographer → You refine endlessly without traveling. The map becomes a substitute for movement.
• Map Without Travelers → You refine for accuracy without usability. The map becomes too perfect for practical use.
• Illegible Map → You see patterns you can't communicate. The map exists only in your head.

All paths eventually lead to ossification or remapping. Models have lifecycles. The territory changes. The map becomes outdated. What was accurate becomes misleading.

And then? New exploration. New confusion. New mapping. The cycle continues.

The Model Game is won by those who treat maps as living documents—always provisional, always tested against territory, always in service of navigation rather than as ends in themselves.