The Rules of Ackanomic: Otzma Cards


Rule 1240/2
Otzma Cards Rule Suite
Niccolo Flychuck (Uri Bruck)

[Otzma Cards are a set of entities that can be used to carry out game actions. They can be used only once. They can be perceived as Magic style cards for Ackanomic, or as Gadgets that can only be used once.]

[Otzma Cards Rules.]

The RuneMaker is the Custodian of the Otzma Card Rule Suite (the 1240.Y rules).


Rule 1240.1/21
Definition of Otzma Cards
Niccolo Flychuck (Uri Bruck)

I.

1. Otzma Cards are Nameless Gift Entities.

2. Otzma Cards can be created only according to the rules.

3. The optional office of RuneMaker exists.

II.

1. At any given time the number of Otzma Cards in Ackanomic may not exceed 100.

2. Any single player may not own more than six Otzma Cards simultaneously.

4. If a player already owns the maximum number of Otzma Cards and receives or acquires an additional Otzma Card, e must destroy, as soon as possible, either the new Otzma Card, or one of eir existing Otzma Cards.

5. If a player receives or acquires an Otzma Card, that cannot be owned by that player simultaneously with other cards owned by that player, then the player must destroy as soon as possible one or more Otzma Cards, until the Otzma Cards e owns meet all the restrictions placed on Otzma Cards.

6. In either of the cases described in the above subsection 4,5. The Player cannot use any Otzma Cards until the Otzma Cards e owns meet all the restrictions laid down by the rules.

III.

1. The RuneMaker can only create Otzma Cards on Otzma-Days. Other methods for creating Otzma Cards may be defined by other rules, as long as the maximum number of Cards created in any period of 7 consecutive days is 14.

2. The following entities may declare an Otzma-Day: the President, the RuneMaker, or any Rule.

3. Otzma-Days must be declared at least three-days in advance, unless it has been declared by a rule. An Otzma-Day lasts for three days or until the RuneMaker has declared the end of the Otzma-Day, whichever comes first. Once an Otzma-Day is over, at least 10 days must pass before the next Otzma-Day can start; this sentence has precedence over section VI of this rule.

4. When an Otzma day starts, the RuneMaker determines the following value:
a. LSAP - Longest String of Accepted Proposals, since the beginning of the previous Otzma-Day. On the first Otzma Day, the LSAP is calculated from the beginning of the game of Ackanomic. The ordering of proposals, for this purpose, is by numerical order of proposal number, as for a Chrome Streak.

5.

a. There are two methods the RuneMaker can use to create Otzma Cards. Probabilistic, and Deterministic. For each Otzma Card, the RuneMaker shall make a random determination that will determine the method used, with equal probabilities.

b. The Deterministic method - the RuneMaker selects an Otzma Card type among the legal Otzma Card types and creates it.

c. The Probabilistic method - the RuneMaker determines the type of the new Otzma Card by randomly selecting a type among the legal Otzma Card types. The probability of an Otzma Card type being selected depends upon its F-Designation. The default F-Designation is Normal. All Normal Card types have the same probability of being selected. Cards with an F-Designation of Rare have one third the probability as Normal Cards. Cards with the F-Designation of Common, have three times the probability of being selected.

d. Rules that define Otzma Cards may define an F-Designation for that type of Otzma Cards.

e. The maximum number of Otzma Cards that the RuneMaker may create on a single Otzma Day is equal to the LSAP. If the LSAP is equal to or greater than 10, and it is permissible to create Otzma Cards, then the RuneMaker must create at least 1 Otzma Card.

f. It is impermissible to create an Otzma Card if creating that Card will exceed any Instance limits specified for Otzma Cards by the rules.

g. At the end of the Otzma Day the RuneMaker publicly posts a list including both the cards in the treasury and those that he created, and initiates an Auction (public or private at eir discretion) for each set of Otzma Cards, where all Cards of a given type form one set. The cards within each set are not grouped for the purposes of R516.

h. During the Otzma day in which they are created and also during the Auction mentioned above in part g. each Otzma card is considered to be on display in the Museum and is considered not to be in the Treasury for any purpose.

IV. Otzma Card Types.

1. Otzma Card types may be defined by other rules which explicitly claim that they are defining Otzma Card Types, and belong to the Otzma Card Rule Suite. This rule takes precedence over any rule which defines an Otzma Card type.

If ever the number of Otzma Cards of a given type exceeds a limit set by the rule which defines that type of Otzma Card, one randomly selected Otzma Card of that type shall be destroyed. This shall be repeated until the number of Otzma Cards of that type does not exceed the aforementioned limit.

V.

1. Otzma Cards may only be used according to the rules.

2. Each Otzma Card can only be used once. Once it has been used, it is destroyed.

3. A Player uses an Otzma Card by notifying the appropriate Officer that e is using an Otzma Card, and which Card e is using, depending on the type of Card. If the Otzma Card definition does not define a specific Officer, context, or forum in which the Card can be used, then its use must be announced in the public forum. In any case, the use of Otzma Cards must be reported to the Financier.

4. When a player uses an Otzma Card on a proposal, and the proposal is retracted, the Otzma Card is destroyed.

5. The results of using an Otzma Card are announced by the appropriate Officer, along with the name of the Player who used the Card, and the manner of its use.

6. A Player can only use an Otzma Card that e owns.

7. A player may use at most one Otzma Card per proposal.

8. When a player has used an Otzma Card in a public forum, e may not use another Otzma Card in a public forum for three days. This section has no effect on Otzma Cards used on proposals.

9. a. An Otzma Card which is used in the public forum takes effect immediately if and only if there a Counter-Action defined for a Card of that type. If a Card is Countered within three days of its having been played in the public forum, then the Counter-Action is performed.

b. An Otzma Card which is used in the public forum and has no Counter-Action defined for its type, takes effect three days after its use has been announced, unless it is Countered within those three days. In the latter case the Countered Card has no effect at all.

c. An Otzma Card can only be Countered by an entity which is explicitly allowed by the rules to Counter an Otzma Card of that type.

d. An Otzma Card can be Countered at most once.


Rule 1240.2/7
Otzma Card of Type Go Fish
Niccolo Flychuck (Uri Bruck)

1. This rule defines an Otzma Card type called 'Go Fish' 'Go Fish' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.

2. An Otzma Card of type 'Go Fish' can be used in the following ways:

a. In a public forum it can be used to Counter any other Otzma Card, in accordance with the rules. The player who plays the Go Fish Card plays the Card by announcing that e is playing it, and which Card it is being used on. The announcement must non-ambiguous.

b. When used on proposals. A player can use a Go Fish card on a proposal by sending a message to that effect to the tabulator. When a Go Fish Card is used on a proposal, all other Cards used on that proposal have no effect, but they are destroyed anyway. If more than one Go Fish Card is used on a proposal, then the effect is the same as if one Go Fish Card has been used on a proposal. When a Go Fish Card has been used on a proposal, the date of the end of the Voting on that Proposal is considered to the date it has been used.

c. A Go Fish Card can be used over another Go Fish Card only if the Go Fish Card it is used on has not been used on a Go Fish Card.

3. Counter-Action:

a. If the Go Fish Card was used on a Card that has no Counter-Action defined for it, then the Counter-Action is identical to the effect of the Card it was used on.

b. If the Go Fish Card was used on a Card that has a Counter-Action defined for it, then the Counter-Action is as follows: A new Card is created that is identical to the type of Card the Go Fish Card had been used to Counter, and it is given to the player who played the Card that was Countered by the Go Fish Card.

4. This rule takes precedence over all other rules in the Otzma Card Rule Suite except rule 1240.50 to which it defers precedence.

5. There may be at most 14 Otzma Cards of type "Go Fish".


Rule 1240.3/2
Otzma Card of type Map Shard
Malenkai (Randy Hall)

A Card of this type can only be played in the public forum. 'Map Shard' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.

A player who plays this Card shall announce the name of a Map Writer or Map Custodian, and name a Buried Treasure that has not yet been discovered, for which the named player is privy to its Map.

The named player shall, within 3 days of the Card taking effect, privately post any 10 consecutive words from the named Map to the player who played the Card. The passage chosen must contain at least one verb and one noun. If the Map contains no qualifying passage, however, the named player shall post this fact instead.

This rule has precedence over Rule 1217 where there is a conflict.

Its Counter-Action: The private post per above shall be posted publically as soon as humanly possible by either party who was privy to it. (Once posted by one player, the other player is not obligated to do so).


Rule 1240.4/2
Otzma Card of type Summon Tornado
Malenkai (Randy Hall)

A Card of this type can only be played in the public forum.

A Tornado shall sweep through Acka 4 days after this card takes effect [i.e., 7 days after it is played].

At any given time there may exist at most one Card of this type. 'Summon Tornado' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Rare.


Rule 1240.6/3
Otzma Card of type Share my Expenses
Niccolo Flychuck (Uri Bruck)

An Otzma Card of this type can only be played in the public forum. When a player who is about to pay any sum of money, plays a Card of this type e announces the name of another player, and an amount he wants that player to pay, provided it is at most half what the former player has to pay. The player whose name was announced pays the named amount, and the player who played the card, pays the remainder.

Counter-Action: The player who played the card pays the player whose name e announce, the sum of money e originally named when e played the Card, plus 10 percent, the sum of both being rounded down to the nearest integer.

At any given time there may at most 10 Cards of this type in existence. 'Share My Expenses' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.7/2
Otzma Card of type Share your income
Niccolo Flychuck (Uri Bruck)

An Otzma Card of this type can only be played in the public forum. When a player plays this a Card of this type e also names another player, and a sum of money which is at most half of a sum the named player received in the preceding three days. The Named player transfers that same amount to the player who played the Card.

Counter- Action: The player who played the card transfers the amount of money e named to the player e named, plus 10 percent, the sum of both being rounded down to the nearest integer.

At any given time there may at most 10 Cards of this type in existence. 'Share Your Income' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.8/2
Otzma Card of type Swinging Sale
Niccolo Flychuck (Uri Bruck)

A Card of this type can only be played in the public forum. A player who plays this Card, can purchase a Capital-Swinger Office for half its normal price, provided that such purchase does not violate any restrictions on the purchase of Capital-Swinger Offices.

At any given time there may exist at most one Card of this type. 'Swinging Sale' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.9/3
Otzma Card of Type Tactical Retreat
Guy Fawkes (Robert Shimmin)

1. This rule defines an Otzma Card type called "Tactical Retreat".

2. Once an Otzma card of type "Tactical Retreat" is played, Swingers have another type of Party Chess move available. They may, in their turn remove any single friendly Party Chess piece from the Party Board and add it to their collection of off-board pieces. A King may not be removed from the board in this way. This option will remain available until it is either exercised or the Tactical Retreat card which made it available is countered.

3. Counter-action: When a Tactical Retreat card is Countered, the Party Chess option made available by the Tactical Retreat Card is no longer available. If the option was not available when the Countering took place, the Counter-action has no further effect.

4. There may be at most 10 Otzma Cards of type "Tactical Retreat" 'Tactical Retreat' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.10/2
Otzma Card of Type Paratroop
Guy Fawkes (Robert Shimmin)

1. This rule defines an Otzma Card type called "Paratroop."

2. An Otzma Card of type Paratroop may be played only by a Swinger, and only in their turn. If the Swinger uses an Otzma card of type Paratroop, and before the end of his turn, places an off-board piece on the board, he may place that piece where it attacks one or more enemy pieces. This takes precedence over the usual conflicting restriction on placement plays.

3. Counter-action: the piece placed under the influence of the Paratroop card is removed from the board and placed in its owner's collection of off-board pieces.

4. There may be no more Paratroop cards in existence than 1.5 times the number of Offices of Swinger. 'Paratroop' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.11/4
Otzma Card of Type Foul Fowl
Malenkai (Randy Hall)

A Card of this type can only be played in the public forum, and may only be played when the Chartreuse Goose is Somewhere Else.

A player who plays this Card shall announce the name of an active player. Upon doing so, the Chartreuse Goose is transferred to the player named.

Its Counter-Action: The Chartreuse Goose is transferred to the player who played this card.

There may be at most 5 Otzma Cards of type "Foul Fowl". 'Foul Fowl' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.12/4
Otzma Card of type TruthSeeker
Malenkai (Randy Hall)

A Card of this type can only be played in the public forum, and its play must be accompanied with a payment (by the player playing it) to the Treasury of a quantity of A$ which is 4 times the square of a non-negative integer. This non-negative integer is referred to as "T" for the purposes of this rule. 'Truthseeker' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.

The Scholar of *ping* shall, within 3 days of the Card taking effect, privately post T words from the Machine's truth, undisguised, to the player who played the Card. Such post shall also unambiguously specify where each word is located in the Truth.

This card has no effect if there is no Scholar of *ping*, if the current Scholar of *ping* has not revealed the Machine's Truth, or if T exceeds the number of words in the Machine's Truth.

Its Counter-Action: The private post per above shall be posted publically within 3 days, but before any other public messages are sent by the revealing player if possible by either party who was privy to it. (Once posted by one player, the other player is not obligated to do so).


Rule 1240.13/2
Otzma Card of Type Fix My Gadget
Guy Fawkes (Robert Shimmin)

1. This rule defines an Otzma Card type called "Fix My Gadget."

2. This card is played in the public forum. When a player plays this card, he unambiguously identifies a currently broken [as opposed to destroyed] Gadget. Upon the playing of this card, that Gadget is no longer broken.

3. Counter-Action: The Gadget that was repaired is once again broken.

4. At any time there may be no more than 5 "Fix My Gadget" cards. 'Fix My Gadget' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.15/3
Otzma Card of type Art Thief
Malenkai (Randy Hall)

A Card of this type can only be played in the public forum, and only when the Ackanomic Museum of Antiquities (Museum) contains one or more entities other than players. 'Art Thief' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.

A player who plays this Card shall unambiguously announce the name of an entity (other than a player) contained in the Museum. Upon doing so, the following shall occur:

a) If the entity's donation value is less than A$10, then the theft succeeds.

b) If the entity's donation value is greater than A$10, then for every A$10 of the entity's value the chance of failure is 1%. (So, for an A$350-value entity, the chance of failure is 35%.)

c) If the chance of failure is non-zero, then the Officer in Charge of Random Things shall determine whether or not the theft fails. If the theft does not fail, it succeeds.

d) If the theft succeeds, then the entity is removed from the Museum and transferred to the player(and is no longer considered "on display" in the Museum).

e) If the theft fails, then one of the two following events occurs (with equal probability): Either the player is Caught Stealing, or another random item of the same type is stolen by mistake(and transferred to the player as in d) above). Item types, for this purpose, consist of Trinkets, Gadgets, and Prosthetic Foreheads.

Its Counter-Action: The player playing the card is deemed to have been "caught stealing" [and suffers the applicable penalties, qv R 850]. If the player still possesses the entity transferred as above, it is transferred back to the Museum as if it had never been removed (i.e., its donor and display status are restored).


Rule 1240.16/2
Otzma Card of type Skeleton Key
Alfvaen (Aaron Humphrey)

This card may only be played in the public forum.

By playing this card, a Player may do one of the following things:

1. Gain entrance to any location e would otherwise not be able to gain entrance to, if and only if e has already declared eir intention to enter.

2. Free emself from a Gaol cell.

Counter-Action: The player is returned to the last location e was in before playing the Card, and cannot perform any action that would require leaving that location for the remainder of the day.

At any given time there may be at most 5 Cards of this type. 'Skeleton Key' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.17/4
Otzma Card of type Arctic Explorer
Alfvaen (Aaron Humphrey)

This card may be played only in the public forum.

If the owner of this card, when it is played, does not possess a Ice Pick of some description (that is, an entity with the word "Ice Pick" in its name), then the card has no effect.

Otherwise, if e names any On Ice player (the target) in the same message, then the following will occur: If the target owns any tradeable entities besides A$, then one of those entities, selected at random, is transferred to the player of the card. Otherwise, 10 A$, or all the target's A$ if the target does not have enough A$, shall be transferred to the player of the card.

Counter-Action: The card-player's Ice Pick, any entities taken from the target by playing the Card, and one other entity chosen at random(or up to 10 A$, as in the last sentence of the previous paragraph, if no other entities are owned by the card-player), are transferred to the possession of the target.

At any given time there may be at most 5 Cards of this type. 'Arctic Explorer' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.18/2
Otzma Card of type Lay Off!
The Gingham Wearer (Tom Walmsley)

This card may only be played in the public forum.

In order to play this card the owner must unambiguously specify any single gadget. For the next week (i.e. 168 hours) any attempt to use a scroll of crumble on that gadget will fail. The scroll will still be destroyed however.

Counter-action: A Scroll of Crumble may once again be used to destroy the gadget in question.

At any given time there may be at most 7 cards of this type. Lay Off! cards have an F designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.19/1
Otzma Card of Type Founder's Boon
JT (JT Traub)

This rule defines an Otzma card type called 'Founder's Boon' which have an F-designation of Rare.

At any time, there may be at most 3 Cards of this type in existence.

An Otzma Card of type Founders Boon allows one of the following actions to be taken as a public action.
a) To make the person playing this card the Founder of a Church or Cult to which that player belongs if and only if the original founder of that church or cult is no longer a member of the church or cult
b) To take one single action in a Church or Cult to which they belong as if they were the Founder of that Church or Cult.

There is no Counter-Action defined for this Card type.


Rule 1240.20/1
Otzma Card of Type Roulette Wheel
Alfvaen (Aaron Humphrey)

A Card of this type may only be played in the public forum. A player who plays this card must name a Gadget or Otzma Card that is in eir possession.

If a Gadget is named, then that Gadget is converted to another Qualified Gadget of a randomly determined type. If the original Gadget is broken, then if possible, the new Gadget is also broken. If it would be illegal for that player to own the new Gadget for some reason, then the original gadget is destroyed instead.

If an Otzma Card is named, then that Otzma Card is converted to another Otzma Card of a type determined by the RuneMaker by the Probabalistic Method. If the instance limits for the new type of Otzma Card would be violated by its creation, or it would be illegal for that player to own the new Otzma Card for some reason, then the original Otzma Card is destroyed instead.

At any time, there may be at most 5 Cards of this type in existence. 'Roulette Wheel' type Otzma Cards have an F-Designation of Normal.


Rule 1240.21/1
Otzma Card of type Training Regime
Attila the Pun (Micah Smukler)

A card of this type may only be played in the public forum. When it is played, its owner must name one of the following Characteristics: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma. The value of the characteristic named may not be more that 16. The Dungeonmaster must then randomly determine a second Characteristic from the above list, except that the Characteristic named by the player, and any Characteristic with a value of 3, shall not be eligible for selection; if no Characteristic is eligible for selection, the card is destroyed and has no effect.

Upon the Dungeonmaster making a random determination as above, the value of the Characteristic named by the player is increased by 2, and the value of that determined randomly by the Dungeonmaster decreased by 1.


Rule 1240.50/1
Otzma Card of Type Shield
JT (JT Traub)

A card of this type can only be played on another Otzma card of a different type.

Otzma Cards of type Shield have the same F-Designation as Otzma Cards of type Go Fish.

When an Otzma Card of type Shield is played, an Otzma Card of type Go Fish may not be played on the card the Shield card was played on.

If Otzma Cards of type Go Fish are ever renamed, then all occurrences of the string Go Fish in this rule are replaced with the new type of what used to be Go Fish.

If Otzma Cards of type Go Fish are ever repealed, this rule will repeal itself.

Counter-Action: A Go Fish card may once again be played on the card this was played on, and the deadline for playing a Go Fish card is extended by the length of time the Shield card was in effect.

At any time, there can be no more than 5 Otzma Cards of type Shield in existence.


Rule 1240.51/1
Otzma Card of Type ACME InstaGadget
Slakko (Duncan Richer)

This rule defines an Otzma Card type called ACME InstaGadget. The F-designation of ACME InstaGadget Otzma Cards is Normal. There may be no more than 5 ACME InstaGadget cards in existence at any one time.

A player with an ACME InstaGadget card may play it in the public forum, naming a type of Gadget whose Blueprint is not Useless, and paying either

(a) the last price paid at Public Auction for a Gadget of that Type, if such a value is defined, or
(b) A$500.

The amount paid goes to the Treasury.

A Gadget of that type will be created in the possession of the player who played the Otzma Card.

[Note: This Card has no Counteraction, so the Gadget is created 3 days after the Otzma Card is played.]


Rule 1240.52/0
Otzma Card of Type Felicitous Populi
K 2 (Kelly Kelly)

This card may only be played in the public forum.

A player who plays this Card shall unambiguously announce:
i) an event described in the rules which requires a random determination to be made, for which there is more than one possible outcome
ii) the desired outcome from amongst the possible outcomes for that event
iii) and an amount of A$ which e is 'betting' (referred to as B).

Immediately upon playing the card the specified amount of A$ is transferred to the treasury from the player. If the player had insufficient A$ the card shall have no effect.

Otherwise, if the named event occurs during the 3 days after the card is played, the the probability of the desired outcome is increased in the following manner. All outcomes are expressed as fractions using the smallest common denominator (referred to as D). The denominator of all the possible outcomes and the numerator of the desired outcome are increased by X, where X is B*D/200 rounded down.

At any given time there may be at most 7 Cards of this type. 'Felicitous Populi' Otzma Cards have an F-designation of Normal.

Its Counter-Action:
If the card is countered prior to the random determination the probability of the specified event occurring shall be unaltered from its usual value. If the card is countered after the random determination the player who played it shall transfer an amount of A$ equal to B to the player who countered the card.

This rule has precedence over any rule that defines probabilities for a given event.


Rule 1240.53/0
Otzma Card of Type Enslavement
JT (JT Traub)

Otzma Cards of Type Enslavement have an F-designation of Rare. There may be at most 3 Otzma Cards of Type Enslavement in existance at any given time.

An Otzma Card of Type Enslavement is played in the Public Forum. The player playing it must name another player, and a third player who is in thrall to the named player. The third player then is in Thrall to the player who played the card.

Counter Action: The player who played this card is then in thrall to the player who was Overlord the thrall he attempted to steal. The player who was being stolen is also in thrall to the player who was his Overlord before this card is played.


Timestamp: Fri 02 Oct 1998 08:13 EDT


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