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« on: November 24, 2013, 02:32:23 pm »
So I thought I'd have a go at improving the starting rules for forum Nomic. I'm not trying to start a new game with these rules, rather I thought it would be good if we discussed how we want to start off any future games we play. I've copy-pasted the rules mail-mi provided and changed them significantly to something closer to how I'd choose to start a game. It's very much a work in progress and while there may simply be points of disagreement between different people, I'm quite happy to listen to advice on changes.
I think the most important things these rules should do are be clear and concise and allow players to jump right into making interesting rule-changes, rather than messing around with trying to make things workable, and they should have sensible deadlines to keep the game moving at a good pace.
So let me know what you think and how the starting rules can be further improved.
Setup Rules
001. Player order at game start is determined randomly.
002. All players start the game with 0 points.
003. Initially rules in the 100s are immutable and rules in the 200s are mutable. Rules in the 000s simply define the starting gamestate and cannot be retroactively changed.
004. The person who initiated the game thread is the Scribe at the beginning of the game.
Immutable Rules
101. All players must always abide by all the rules currently in effect, in the form in which they are currently in effect.
102. Rules may be immutable or mutable regardless of their numbers.
103. A rule-change is any of the following: (1) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule; or (2) the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable rule or vice versa.
104. No rule-change may take effect earlier than the moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it, even if its wording explicitly states otherwise. No rule-change may have retroactive application.
105. Each proposed rule-change shall be given a number for reference. The numbers for enacted mutable rules shall begin with 301, and each rule-change proposed in the proper way for the enactment of a mutable rule shall receive the next successive integer, whether or not the proposal is adopted.
106. If a rule is repealed and reenacted, it receives the number of the proposal to reenact it. The first time a rule is amended or transmuted, .1 is added to the end of its number. Any subsequent time it is amended or transmuted, the number after the point is increased by 1.
107. In a conflict between a mutable and an immutable rule, the immutable rule takes precedence and the mutable rule shall be entirely void. For the purposes of this rule a proposal to transmute an immutable rule does not "conflict" with that immutable rule.
108. If a rule-change as proposed is unclear, ambiguous, paradoxical, or destructive of play, or if it arguably consists of two or more rule-changes compounded or is an amendment that makes no difference, or if it is otherwise of questionable value, then the other players may suggest amendments or argue against the proposal during the voting phase. The active player may amend the proposal based on the above concerns. If this occurs, the voting phase restarts and all votes cast are rendered void. If this occurs more than twice in a row, the voting phase ends and the proposed rule-change is rejected.
109. The state of affairs that constitutes winning may not be altered from achieving n points to any other state of affairs. The magnitude of n and the means of earning points may be changed, and rules that establish a winner when play cannot continue may be enacted and (while they are mutable) be amended or repealed.
110. A player always has the option to forfeit the game rather than continue to play or incur a game penalty. No penalty worse than losing, in the judgment of the player to incur it, may be imposed.
111. Whatever is not prohibited or regulated by a rule is permitted and unregulated, with the sole exception of changing the rules, which is permitted only when a rule or set of rules explicitly or implicitly permits it.
112. The Scribe is responsible for keeping a public list of all current rules, a public list of all past and present rules and rule-changes, and a public tally of each player's score.
113. When a player wins, the game is over. If multiple players simultaneously reach the required score, the player/s with the highest score wins.
Mutable Rules
201. Play proceeds as follows: The active player may roll a 6-sided die. The result is added to the active player's score. In the same post as the die was rolled, the active player may propose a rule-change. Once the rule-change has been proposed, the voting phase commences. The rule-change takes effect if and only if the vote is approved. Once the voting phase has concluded, the next player becomes the active player.
202. If 96 hours pass without a proposed rule-change, the next player becomes the active player.
203. There can only be one active player at a time.
204. During any voting phase, players cast votes by typing xxx Vote: Yes or xxx Vote: No in the game thread, where xxx is the proposal number. Before conclusion of the voting phase, players may change their vote. Only the most recent vote by each player is valid.
205. A voting phase for the enactment, repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule is concluded when one of the following occurs:
1) All players have voted.
2) More than 50% of the players have voted Yes.
3) 48 hours have passed since the voting phase commenced and more than 75% of the players have voted.
4) 96 hours have passed since the voting phase commenced.
206. A vote for the enactment, repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule is approved if and only if more than 50% of the voting players voted Yes.
207. A voting phase for the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable rule or vice versa is concluded when one of the following occurs:
1) All players have voted.
2) More than 75% of the players have voted Yes.
3) 48 hours have passed since the voting phase commenced and more than 90% of the players have voted.
4) 96 hours have passed since the voting phase commenced.
208. A vote for the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable rule or vice versa is approved if and only if more than 75% of the voting players voted Yes. Transmutation shall not be implied, but must be stated explicitly in a proposal to take effect.
209. An adopted rule-change takes full effect at the moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it.
210. The winner is the first player to achieve 100 (positive) points.
211. If two or more mutable rules conflict with one another, or if two or more immutable rules conflict with one another, then the rule with the lowest ordinal number takes precedence.
If at least one of the rules in conflict explicitly says of itself that it defers to another rule (or type of rule) or takes precedence over another rule (or type of rule), then such provisions shall supersede the numerical method for determining precedence.
If two or more rules claim to take precedence over one another or to defer to one another, then the numerical method again governs.
212. If players disagree about the legality of a move or the interpretation or application of a rule, then the player preceding the one moving is to be the Judge and decide the question. Disagreement for the purposes of this rule may be created by the insistence of any player. This process is called invoking Judgment.
The Judge's Judgment may be overruled only by a unanimous vote of the other players taken before the next turn is begun. If a Judge's Judgment is overruled, then the player preceding the Judge in the playing order becomes the new Judge for the question, and so on, except that no player is to be Judge during his or her own turn.
Unless a Judge is overruled, one Judge settles all questions arising from the game until the next turn is begun, including questions as to his or her own legitimacy and jurisdiction as Judge.
New Judges are not bound by the decisions of old Judges. New Judges may, however, settle only those questions on which the players currently disagree and that affect the completion of the turn in which Judgment was invoked. All decisions by Judges shall be in accordance with all the rules then in effect; but when the rules are silent, inconsistent, or unclear on the point at issue, then the Judge shall consider game-custom and the spirit of the game before applying other standards.
213. If the rules are changed so that further play is impossible, or if the legality of a move cannot be determined with finality, or if by the Judge's best reasoning, not overruled, a move appears equally legal and illegal, then the first player unable to complete a turn is the winner.
This rule takes precedence over every other rule determining the winner.
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