| README.mdView |
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| 1 | +# Nomic |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +Initial Set of Rules |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Immutable Rules |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +### 101. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +All players must always abide by all the rules then in effect, |
| 10 | +in the form in which they are then in effect. |
| 11 | +The rules in the Initial Set are in effect whenever a game begins. |
| 12 | +The Initial Set consists of Rules 101-116 (immutable) and 201-213 (mutable). |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +### 102. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +Initially rules in the 100's are immutable and rules in the 200's |
| 17 | +are mutable. Rules subsequently enacted or transmuted |
| 18 | +(that is, changed from immutable to mutable or vice versa) |
| 19 | +may be immutable or mutable regardless of their numbers, |
| 20 | +and rules in the Initial Set may be transmuted regardless of |
| 21 | +their numbers. |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +### 103. |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +A rule-change is any of the following: (1) the enactment, |
| 27 | +repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule; (2) the enactment, |
| 28 | +repeal, or amendment of an amendment of a mutable rule; |
| 29 | +or (3) the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable |
| 30 | +rule or vice versa. |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +(Note: This definition implies that, at least initially, |
| 33 | +all new rules are mutable; immutable rules, as long as they |
| 34 | +are immutable, may not be amended or repealed; mutable rules, |
| 35 | +as long as they are mutable, may be amended or repealed; any |
| 36 | +rule of any status may be transmuted; no rule is absolutely |
| 37 | +immune to change.) |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +### 104. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +All rule-changes proposed in the proper way shall be voted on. |
| 43 | +They will be adopted if and only if they receive the required |
| 44 | +number of votes. |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +### 105. |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +Every player is an eligible voter. |
| 50 | +Every eligible voter must participate in every vote on rule-changes. |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +### 106. |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +All proposed rule-changes shall be written down before |
| 55 | +they are voted on. If they are adopted, |
| 56 | +they shall guide play in the form in which they were voted on. |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +### 107. |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +No rule-change may take effect earlier than the moment of the |
| 62 | +completion of the vote that adopted it, even if its wording |
| 63 | +explicitly states otherwise. No rule-change may have retroactive |
| 64 | +application. |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +### 108. |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +Each proposed rule-change shall be given a number for reference. |
| 70 | +The numbers shall begin with 301, and each rule-change proposed |
| 71 | +in the proper way shall receive the next successive integer, |
| 72 | +whether or not the proposal is adopted. |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +If a rule is repealed and reenacted, it receives the number of |
| 75 | +the proposal to reenact it. If a rule is amended or transmuted, |
| 76 | +it receives the number of the proposal to amend or transmute it. |
| 77 | +If an amendment is amended or repealed, the entire rule of which |
| 78 | +it is a part receives the number of the proposal to amend or repeal |
| 79 | +the amendment. |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +### 109. |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +Rule-changes that transmute immutable rules into mutable rules |
| 85 | +may be adopted if and only if the vote is unanimous among the |
| 86 | +eligible voters. Transmutation shall not be implied, but must |
| 87 | +be stated explicitly in a proposal to take effect. |
| 88 | + |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +### 110. |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +In a conflict between a mutable and an immutable rule, |
| 93 | +the immutable rule takes precedence and the mutable rule |
| 94 | +shall be entirely void. For the purposes of this rule a |
| 95 | +proposal to transmute an immutable rule does not "conflict" |
| 96 | +with that immutable rule. |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +### 111. |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +If a rule-change as proposed is unclear, ambiguous, paradoxical, |
| 101 | +or destructive of play, or if it arguably consists of two or more |
| 102 | +rule-changes compounded or is an amendment that makes no difference, |
| 103 | +or if it is otherwise of questionable value, then the other players |
| 104 | +may suggest amendments or argue against the proposal before the vote. |
| 105 | +A reasonable time must be allowed for this debate. |
| 106 | +The proponent decides the final form in which the proposal is to be |
| 107 | +voted on and, unless the Judge has been asked to do so, |
| 108 | +also decides the time to end debate and vote. |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +### 112. |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +The state of affairs that constitutes winning may not be altered |
| 113 | +from achieving n points to any other state of affairs. |
| 114 | +The magnitude of n and the means of earning points may be changed, |
| 115 | +and rules that establish a winner when play cannot continue may be |
| 116 | +enacted and (while they are mutable) be amended or repealed. |
| 117 | + |
| 118 | +### 113. |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | +A player always has the option to forfeit the game rather than |
| 121 | +continue to play or incur a game penalty. |
| 122 | +No penalty worse than losing, in the judgment of the player to |
| 123 | +incur it, may be imposed. |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +### 114. |
| 126 | + |
| 127 | +There must always be at least one mutable rule. |
| 128 | +The adoption of rule-changes must never become completely |
| 129 | +impermissible. |
| 130 | + |
| 131 | +### 115. |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +Rule-changes that affect rules needed to allow or apply |
| 134 | +rule-changes are as permissible as other rule-changes. |
| 135 | +Even rule-changes that amend or repeal their own authority are |
| 136 | +permissible. No rule-change or type of move is impermissible |
| 137 | +solely on account of the self-reference or self-application of a |
| 138 | +rule. |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +### 116. |
| 141 | + |
| 142 | +Whatever is not prohibited or regulated by a rule is permitted |
| 143 | +and unregulated, with the sole exception of changing the rules, |
| 144 | +which is permitted only when a rule or set of rules explicitly |
| 145 | +or implicitly permits it. |
| 146 | + |
| 147 | +## Mutable Rules |
| 148 | + |
| 149 | +### 201. |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +Players shall alternate in clockwise order, taking one whole turn |
| 152 | +apiece. Turns may not be skipped or passed, and parts of turns may |
| 153 | +not be omitted. All players begin with zero points. |
| 154 | + |
| 155 | +In mail and computer games, players shall alternate in alphabetical |
| 156 | +order by surname. |
| 157 | + |
| 158 | +### 202. |
| 159 | + |
| 160 | +One turn consists of two parts in this order: (1) proposing one |
| 161 | +rule-change and having it voted on, and (2) throwing one die once |
| 162 | +and adding the number of points on its face to one's score. |
| 163 | + |
| 164 | +In mail and computer games, instead of throwing a die, players |
| 165 | +subtract 291 from the ordinal number of their proposal and multiply |
| 166 | +the result by the fraction of favorable votes it received, rounded |
| 167 | +to the nearest integer. (This yields a number between 0 and 10 for |
| 168 | +the first player, with the upper limit increasing by one each turn; |
| 169 | +more points are awarded for more popular proposals.) |
| 170 | + |
| 171 | +### 203. |
| 172 | + |
| 173 | +A rule-change is adopted if and only if the vote is unanimous |
| 174 | +among the eligible voters. If this rule is not amended by the |
| 175 | +end of the second complete circuit of turns, it automatically |
| 176 | +changes to require only a simple majority. |
| 177 | + |
| 178 | +### 204. |
| 179 | + |
| 180 | +If and when rule-changes can be adopted without unanimity, |
| 181 | +the players who vote against winning proposals shall receive |
| 182 | +10 points each. |
| 183 | + |
| 184 | +### 205. |
| 185 | + |
| 186 | +An adopted rule-change takes full effect at the moment |
| 187 | +of the completion of the vote that adopted it. |
| 188 | + |
| 189 | +### 206. |
| 190 | + |
| 191 | +When a proposed rule-change is defeated, the player who |
| 192 | +proposed it loses 10 points. |
| 193 | + |
| 194 | +### 207. |
| 195 | + |
| 196 | +Each player always has exactly one vote. |
| 197 | + |
| 198 | +### 208. |
| 199 | + |
| 200 | +The winner is the first player to achieve 100 (positive) points. |
| 201 | + |
| 202 | +In mail and computer games, the winner is the first player to |
| 203 | +achieve 200 (positive) points. |
| 204 | + |
| 205 | +### 209. |
| 206 | + |
| 207 | +At no time may there be more than 25 mutable rules. |
| 208 | + |
| 209 | +### 210. |
| 210 | + |
| 211 | +Players may not conspire or consult on the making of future |
| 212 | +rule-changes unless they are team-mates. |
| 213 | + |
| 214 | +The first paragraph of this rule does not apply to games by |
| 215 | +mail or computer. |
| 216 | + |
| 217 | + |
| 218 | +### 211. |
| 219 | + |
| 220 | +If two or more mutable rules conflict with one another, |
| 221 | +or if two or more immutable rules conflict with one another, |
| 222 | +then the rule with the lowest ordinal number takes precedence. |
| 223 | + |
| 224 | +If at least one of the rules in conflict explicitly says of |
| 225 | +itself that it defers to another rule (or type of rule) or |
| 226 | +takes precedence over another rule (or type of rule), then |
| 227 | +such provisions shall supersede the numerical method for |
| 228 | +determining precedence. |
| 229 | + |
| 230 | +If two or more rules claim to take precedence over one another |
| 231 | +or to defer to one another, then the numerical method again governs. |
| 232 | + |
| 233 | +### 212. |
| 234 | + |
| 235 | +If players disagree about the legality of a move or the |
| 236 | +interpretation or application of a rule, then the player |
| 237 | +preceding the one moving is to be the Judge and decide the |
| 238 | +question. Disagreement for the purposes of this rule may be |
| 239 | +created by the insistence of any player. This process is |
| 240 | +called invoking Judgment. |
| 241 | + |
| 242 | +When Judgment has been invoked, the next player may not begin |
| 243 | +his or her turn without the consent of a majority of the other |
| 244 | +players. |
| 245 | + |
| 246 | +The Judge's Judgment may be overruled only by a unanimous vote |
| 247 | +of the other players taken before the next turn is begun. |
| 248 | +If a Judge's Judgment is overruled, then the player preceding |
| 249 | +the Judge in the playing order becomes the new Judge for the |
| 250 | +question, and so on, except that no player is to be Judge during |
| 251 | +his or her own turn or during the turn of a team-mate. |
| 252 | + |
| 253 | +Unless a Judge is overruled, one Judge settles all questions |
| 254 | +arising from the game until the next turn is begun, including |
| 255 | +questions as to his or her own legitimacy and jurisdiction as Judge. |
| 256 | + |
| 257 | +New Judges are not bound by the decisions of old Judges. |
| 258 | +New Judges may, however, settle only those questions on which |
| 259 | +the players currently disagree and that affect the completion |
| 260 | +of the turn in which Judgment was invoked. All decisions by |
| 261 | +Judges shall be in accordance with all the rules then in effect; |
| 262 | +but when the rules are silent, inconsistent, or unclear on the |
| 263 | +point at issue, then the Judge shall consider game-custom and |
| 264 | +the spirit of the game before applying other standards. |
| 265 | + |
| 266 | +### 213. |
| 267 | + |
| 268 | +If the rules are changed so that further play is impossible, |
| 269 | +or if the legality of a move cannot be determined with finality, |
| 270 | +or if by the Judge's best reasoning, not overruled, |
| 271 | +a move appears equally legal and illegal, then the first player |
| 272 | +unable to complete a turn is the winner. |
| 273 | + |
| 274 | +This rule takes precedence over every other rule determining |
| 275 | +the winner. |
| 276 | + |