Fourplay chess is a four-player chess variant. There must be four people playing to start. In these rules, the word 'Player' refers to any of the four people playing Fourplay. The Board, Pieces, and play during Turns exist and are carried out according to the Rules. No other Boards or Pieces exist in the game except those defined by the Rules. No action is legal by any Player except those defined by the Rules.
The official name of this Game is Fourplay Chess. If at any point in the Game the name is changed, all references to the name of the Game in other Rules are automatically changed to the new name. This takes precedence over all other Rules.
A Player is any person who is registered as a Player. No person may register as a Player more than once concurrently. Anyone is allowed to observe the Game and participate in discussion of any issue, but no person who is not a Player may make a proposal, or vote on any proposal, or call for judgement, or judge, or score points, or win the Game.
Each Player is a Voter. Additionally, there will alays be one Speaker. The Speaker can be a Player, although he is not required to be. The term "Player" refers to any Voter, and to the Speaker if he is a Voter.
Fourplay is meant to be played with four Players. If it any time in the
game there are less than four Players, the remaining Players may
continue to make, vote on, and pass proposals in accordance with the
Tules. However, if a Player leaves the game, one of the following
happens:
(i) If one or more Players leave during the Piece Purchase phase of
the Game, then the Purchase phase of the Game is suspended until there
are once again four Players. The Collector will then discard all
submissions he had received prior to the suspension, and the Purchase
phase of the Game will start over again from the beginning.
(ii) If one or more Players leave during the Piece Setup phase of the Game, then the Setup phase of the Game is suspended until there are once again four Players. The Collector will then discard all submissions he had received prior to the suspension, and the Setup phase of the Game will start over again from the beginning.
(iii) If one or more Players leave during the Play on the Board phase of the Game, then the Turns of the Players continue normally until it is the Turn of the Player who left the Game; play is then suspended until someone else can be found to fill the vacated Office, and play continues normally.
When a new Player fills a vacant Office, he receives the Office and all its possessions exactly as they were left by the previous Player. He may change the name of the Office, its colors, and the name of its Mascot by announcing publically that he is doing so, as long as he does so in accordance with the Rules. He may not change the Mascot or change the position of the Board except as in accordance with the Rules.
The state of affairs that constitutes winning the Game may not be changed from achieving n points to any other state of affairs. However, the magnitude of n and the means of earning points may be changed, and Rules that establish a winner when play cannot be continued may be enacted and (while mutable) be amended or repealed. The winner of the last Game shall become the new Speaker for the next game, assuming all current duties allocated to the Speaker.
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 judgement of the Player to incur it, may be imposed.