Nomic

[active_apathy]

So, in this post, I called for expressions of interest for playing Nomic on LiveJournal.

Nomic is an interesting game, in that the game is played exclusively by changing its own rules. A turn consists of a player proposing a rule change, and then the players voting on whether to adopt or reject that rule change. Of course, you can even change the rules that are responsible for that. More detail can be found on the creator's website, on Wikipedia, or from nomic.net.

Typically, the rules start from an initial set of 29, which provide enough of a game to be able to start playing. In the post with the poll, packbat and I discussed ways to make Nomic work on LJ. And then, yesterday packbat posted a draft initial ruleset, which is:

Added text is shown in red. Removed text is struck through.

Immutable Rules

101. All players must always abide by all the rules then in effect, in the form in which they are then in effect. The rules in the Initial Set are in effect whenever a game begins. The Initial Set consists of Rules 101-115 (immutable) and 201-215 (mutable).

102. Initially rules in the 100's are immutable and rules in the 200's are mutable. Rules subsequently enacted or transmuted (that is, changed from immutable to mutable or vice versa) may be immutable or mutable regardless of their numbers, and rules in the Initial Set may be transmuted regardless of their numbers.

103. A rule-change is any of the following: (1) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule; (2) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of an amendment of a mutable rule; or (3) the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable rule or vice versa.

(Note: This definition implies that, at least initially, all new rules are mutable; immutable rules, as long as they are immutable, may not be amended or repealed; mutable rules, as long as they are mutable, may be amended or repealed; any rule of any status may be transmuted; no rule is absolutely immune to change.)

104. All rule-changes proposed in the proper way shall be voted on. They will be adopted if and only if they receive the required number of votes as judged by the maintainers at the time that voting was closed.

105. Every player is an eligible voter.

(Note: This definition should be taken to mean that non-players are not eligible to vote. This will be administratively enforced through moderated membership and members-only voting for polls.)

106. All proposed rule-changes shall be posted to this website before they are voted on. If they are adopted, they shall guide play in the form in which they were voted on.

107. 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.

108. Each proposed rule-change shall be given a number for reference. The numbers shall begin with 301, and each rule-change proposed in the proper way shall receive the next successive integer, whether or not the proposal is adopted.

If a rule is repealed and subsequently reenacted, it receives the number of the proposal to reenact it. If a rule is amended or transmuted, it receives the number of the proposal to amend or transmute it. If an amendment is amended or repealed, the entire rule of which it is a part receives the number of the proposal to amend or repeal the amendment.

109. Rule-changes that transmute immutable rules into mutable rules may be adopted if and only if the vote is unanimous among the eligible voters. Transmutation shall not be implied, but must be stated explicitly in a proposal to take effect.

110. 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.

111. 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.

112. 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.

113. There must always be at least one mutable rule. The adoption of rule-changes must never become completely impermissible.

114. Rule-changes that affect rules needed to allow or apply rule-changes are as permissible as other rule-changes. Even rule-changes that amend or repeal their own authority are permissible. No rule-change or type of move is impermissible solely on account of the self-reference or self-application of a rule.

115. 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.



Mutable Rules

201. Players shall alternate in alphabetical order by username, taking one whole turn apiece. For ordering purposes, underscore shall be considered to precede the digits, which precede the letters. Turns may not be skipped or passed, and parts of turns may not be omitted. All players begin with zero points.

202. One turn consists of three parts in this order: (1) proposing one rule-change in the form of a proposal discussion post open for comments, (2) having a proposed rule change voted on by means of a poll created by one of the community maintainers, and (3) adding N points to one's score. N is calculated by subtracting 291 from the ordinal number of the proposal and multiplying the result by the fraction of favorable votes it received, then rounding to the nearest integer.

(Note: This yields a number between 0 and 10 for the first player, with the upper limit increasing by one each turn; more points are awarded for more popular proposals.)

203. Each player after the first shall begin their turn immediately after the previous player's proposal goes to vote, unless otherwise specified. Each proposal will go to vote one week interval after the beginning of the player's turn, unless otherwise specified. Each vote will last for one week interval.

An interval is defined as the period from Monday to the following Thursday, or from Friday to the following Sunday being four days.

If possible, each player will be notified one week interval before their turn will begin.

204. Each player shall submit the final wording of their proposal to the maintainers of the community prior to it going up for vote. If they fail to do so, the wording listed last in the proposal discussion post will be used.

205. If a player fails to make a proposal discussion post prior to the time when that proposal would go up for vote, that player loses their turn and 20 points, and the next player begins their turn. If a player fails to make a proposal discussion post twice, that player forfeits.

206. A rule-change is adopted if and only if it receives a 90% supermajority among those eligible voters who vote on it. If this rule is not amended by the end of the second complete circuit of turns, it automatically changes to require only a simple majority.

207. If and when rule-changes can be adopted without unanimity, the players who vote against winning proposals shall receive 10 points each.

208. An adopted rule-change takes full effect at the moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it.

209. When a proposed rule-change is defeated, the player who proposed it loses 10 points.

210. Each player always has exactly one vote.

211. The winner is the first player to achieve 200 (positive) points.

212. At no time may there be more than 25 mutable rules.

213. 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.

214. 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.

When Judgment has been invoked, the next player may not begin his or her turn without the consent of a majority of the other players.

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 or during the turn of a team-mate.

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.

A Judge may, where necessary, suspend play for one interval. This suspension of play does not affect the completion of the voting phase of the previous turn, or any rule thereby enacted.

215. 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.

So, yes. The game demands no special skills or knowledge, and doesn't demand much of a time commitment. So, with a bit more detail:

[Poll #910255]

Feel free to link others to this post and this poll if you think the'd be interested.

Also, the comm will need a name; I'll take suggestions in the comments, if anyone has some to offer.