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Emergency Proposal 016 - Flying Start [other, multiple]

1. I can see the Light [amendment]

Amend the first sentence of Rule 1.14.1 to read as follows:

"Any Player may perform the Move action "<Token Colour> token on <Station>" to
place a single Token of any colour e owns on any Station that e passes through
during eir Move or finishes eir Move at."

2. Do not pass Go, do not collect L200 [amendment]

Amend the fourth paragraph of Rule 1.12.1 to read as follows:

"If a Player's Move takes em on or through another Player's Home Station, the
Moving Player must give that Station's owner eight Bronze Tokens or their
equivalent. If the Moving Player does not have such Tokens, e may not Move on
or through that Station, unless compelled to do so by another rule, in which
case the Token Penalty is disregarded."

{Comment:

Slakko's choice of Home Station is beautifully vicious, but falls straight into
the trap of creating a perpetual Dollis Hill loop. The cost of performing a
Dollis Hill Sidestep is 1 Silver Token, as described in Rule 1.7.2, which takes
precedence over Rule 1.8.1, even though this Rule describes the cost as 'all
tokens of a colour of [the actioning player's] choice'. This is because of Rule
0.2.8.

No player is currently in a situation to acquire Silver tokens, thus everyone
is bound to play Dollis Hill as eir move, since Rule 1.8.1 takes precedence
over all other Rules that describe a move of Dollis Hill as an illegal move,
viz Rules 1.3.1 and 1.12.1. I can find no way for any player to over-ride the
compulsion to play Dollis Hill as eir move.

Unfortunately, Slakko may not now change eir choice of Home Station, since e
has played eir first Move, and e may not change eir move as eir first Move must
be to eir Home Station. I thought about the possibility of straddling, but
there is no provision for placing a Token Stack on Dollis Hill under the
current circumstances, since players may only place tokens on 'unoccupied'
stations they 'pass through' (Rule 1.14.1).

Straddling itself would not be useful, except that with repeated placing of
tokens on a Token Stack at Dollis Hill there would eventually be enough tokens
to allow a straddle to Stanmore, where a Gold Token could be collected, which
the player could then convert into Silver Tokens.

Alternatively, Players could conspire to build a BuBkReBk Token Stack on Dollis
Hill and claim a Silver Token that way (Rule 1.14.2) but this also falls foul
of the not being able to place Tokens on Dollis Hill problem. However, this
would appear to be a preferable solution to the straddling option as it is
quicker.

So, the solution would appear to be amending Rule 1.14.1 to allow placing of
Tokens on a Station you are at. Hence this Emergency Proposal (note that the
bit about not performing this action more than once is not included as it is
covered by other rules). We can reinsert the 'unoccupied' bit later if desired.
However, there is a slight dilemma over the issue of the bronze token penalty
for moving to another player's Home Station -- no-one has sufficient bronze
tokens. Hence the second part of this Emergency Proposal.

I'm pleased to see Dollis Hill loops coming into play and causing such a ruckus
-- that's the way it should be.}

{
  Speaker's comment:

  Actually I think a Forced Pass might do the trick, but such is quite a
  poor solution (I can't really see Ondyszeki staring blankly at the
  wallpaper for three days as a clever way to get out of a DH loop), and
  either way I think this Proposal could do with enacting.

  Lower-case kudos to Slakko for thinking to set up Home at Dollis Hill,
  by the way. I did laugh rather a lot, there.
}

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                         Raised by dave, 16/03/98
              Dunx has been selected to Judge this Proposal
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