Ok, I am going to be completely honest when I say that the only reason I have joined these forums is to reply to this thread. I think you have a great point, Morgician, and you obviously know what you are talking about. I have read most of this thread but not all, so please forgive me if I repeat a point that has already been made.
The first thing I want to ask you is: have you ever seen David Roth perform "The Planet"? Now you cannot tell me that that effect has no storyline. I would say that that is one of the strongest effects in coin magic. It has a clear storyline, it makes sense, and it is incredible to watch.
I also want to take up that challenge earlier about thinking of a storyline for a coins across routine. "When I was younger, I loved listening to my grandfather who would tell me stories about WWII. He was in the army, you know. He helped to rescue many families who were in trouble. My favorite story was how he rescued a family of four people (show four coins). They were running away when suddenly they found themselves trapped on one side of a huge river. It was lucky that my grandfather knew a little magic. All he did was snap his fingers, and one person suddenly appeared on the other side. He did it again, and another one traveled. One more time, and another one traveled. The last one was the hardest because he was getting tired, but he managed to make the last person travel just by snapping his fingers."
If you want to do a coin matrix, use the same storyline but instead of having them cross a river they "came to a dead end. A huge wall of stone was blocking their path. Luckily, my grandfather knew about the secret tunnels under the ground..." Continue as above.
To continue on that storyline, we can do a one-coin flurry as well. "Well, my grandfather had made the four people travel across the river, but he didn't have enough energy left to make himself travel. Unfortunately for him, the enemy caught up to him. But my grandfather was too smart for them. He ran to the left side of the valley, but when the soldiers chased him he appeared on the right side. He stayed on the left side of the valley, but when the soldiers got there he had disappeared, and he reappeared on the left side. He ran to the left side and disappeared, but the soldiers thought they had him...they sent half of their men to the right and half of their men to the left, but my grandfather was really gone. Of course he couldn't keep doing this, so to scare them off he made himself...20 TIMES LARGER!!"
Anyway, these were just some ideas for a scripted coin routine that makes sense.
I want to make one last point before I end this post. Just by reading what you have written you have obviously been in magic for a very long time, Morgician. How long has it been since you were a layman? For me it hasn't been very long. I only got into coin magic about five months ago. Now, I agree with your point that if you are trying to blow someone's mind then there a certain coin effects that make no sense, and that will not accomplish that job. But if you are just trying to entertain someone, coin magic is just the thing to use. Have you ever seen Dean Dill perform his matrixes (spelling?)? (if you haven't, pick up the Coinvention DVD) They are just pure entertainment, just fun to watch. Not only do they have no storyline and it makes no sense why the coins are jumping from one place to another, it is just pure joy to watch. Why do the coins multiply at the end? Why? There is no reason, but for most laymen there doesn't need to be a reason. They are there to be entertained. When I watch coin magic I obviously know that the coin doesn't go into his hand, but it is still a pleasure to watch. I agree that for some people just being entertained isn't enough. But for the majority of people who go to watch a magic show, just being entertained is what they are there for. If you want someone to walk away from your show scratching their head and saying "how the hell did he do that?" then maybe most coin effects won't have that kind of effect on people. But if you want them to walk away from the show laughing and saying "that guy was really fun to watch," coin magic can do you some good.
If anyone took the time to read this...thanks.
Jitty
