-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORNINGTON NOMIC Proposals for Voting on in Year Two, Week Seven -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 391 - Spoonerism [Amendment] Reword Rule Rule 1.7.4 (Open the Cutlery Drawer, Mrs Higgins) to:- A Player may perform the Action of "[Spooning ]", where "" is a Player adjacent to the Actioning Player's Piece position. A Spooned Player gains a "Spoon Clamp" Possession. If a Player is carrying a Spoon Clamp, e may not perform any Action which involves the expenditure of Blue, Red, Silver or Gold Tokens. In addition, eir Turn may not have a total duration of more than thirty minutes (although Game Time should still be advanced by one hour). A Player carrying a Spoon Clamp collects double the number of Tokens which e would normally accrue from eir Moves, but pays the same penalties. A Player may destroy a single Spoon Clamp which they are carrying, by Moving to any Station within or on the Circle Line and performing the Action of "[Unspoon]". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 392 - The Critic as Artist [Amendment] Reword Rule 1.11.1 (Born to be Wild) to:- At any given point in a Game, up to three Stations may be designated as being "Wild", signifying that Players may move directly, with little restriction, to these Stations. If a Player performs a pre-Move Action of "[Wild]", eir LV is set to zero and all Wild Stations are treated as Valid Moves for the remainder of eir Turn. A Player may not adjust eir LV after performing a "[Wild]" Action. { Comments: The "unless Blocked" rule is superfluous, the "unless a Home Station" isn't really that necessary (people are welcome to Wild and pay the toll if they wish), and the "unless occupied" seems rather unlikely (and all lower-case kudos to the Player who happens to pounce on someone at a Wild Station). And the near-to-MC rule is best imposed when declaring a Wild Station, rather than Moving, I think. } Any Player may perform the post-Move Action of "[ Wild]" to declare any Station as being Wild, provided that it is not within three Stations' distance of Mornington Crescent. { Comments: Away with the "one per Quadrant" rule, I think - as it stands, if we made both Oxford Circus and Holborn Wild, no more Wild Stations could be declared, since they're both on Quadrant Boundaries and cover all four. We could make exceptions of border Stations, but it'd just mean we could declare a cluster of Wilds along the Central or Northern - which seems just as bad as a group in the same Quadrant, whatever the thinking was for barring that. } This Station is added to the list of Wild Stations on the Game State Document; if there are now more than three Wild Stations, the first Wild Station is removed from the list. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 393 - Homework [Other, Multiple] { Comments: Splitting the rather tortured Home Stations Rule into four sections, tidying up the wording as we go. This also does away with the need to announce Home Stations on the mailing list, instead creating a "[Home: ]" Action, which a Player *must* perform during eir first Turn; this acts as a "[Home]" Action, permitting the Player to Move straight to eir Home Station. } 1. Introduction [Amendment] Reword Rule 1.12.1 (Home Stations) to:- Each Player in the Game of Mornington Crescent has a Home Station; a Player's first Move is typically to their Home Station, and a Player is usually able to return to eir Home Station directly, and at no cost, during the Game. Other Players attempting to pass through a Player's Home Station must pay a toll to that Player. { Comment: Pushing towards the "introductory paragraph to each major aspect of the Game, to give new players a foothold" approach that I leaned towards in the abortive HTML ruleset. } 2. Declaring a Home Station [Enactment] If a Player has no defined Home Station, he *must* perform the zero-duration Neutral Action of "[Home: ]" during eir Turn, where Station is a valid choice of Home Station - this Station then becomes that Player's Home Station. This Action may not be performed if the Player already has a Home Station. The following sets of Stations may not be used as Home Stations: * Interchange Stations * Stations which are six Stations or fewer from Mornington Crescent (including Mornington Crescent itself) * Stations in Zone 1 * Terminus Stations * Other Players' Home Stations (unless those Players agree) 3. Home Station Tolls [Enactment] If a Player's Move takes em on or through another Active 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. 4. Going Home [Enactment] If a Player performs a pre-Move Action of "[Home]" or "[Home: ]", eir LV is set to zero and eir Home Station is treated as a Valid Move for the remainder of eir Turn. A Player may not adjust eir LV after performing a "[Home]" Action. 5. Haven't You Got Homes To Go To? [Repeal] Repeal Rule 1.5.9 (Home is Where the Start Is). ("A Player's first Move in any Game must be to eir Home Station with no Actions. This Rule takes precedence over Rule 1.3.1.") -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 394 - A Change is as Good as a Rest [Other, Multiple] { Comment: there is an odd omission in the line changing rules with regard to changing line when not at an interchange. This proposal seeks to address this. } [Amendment: Sausage? Sausage?! Oh, Blast Yer Eyes!] Add the following definitions to Rule 1.17.6 (Station Categories): Interchange - An Interchange Station is one which is defined on the Map as being an Interchange Station. Co-Situated - A Co-Situated Station is one which has more than one Line serving it at the same map location, but which is not an Interchange. For instance Bayswater is Co-Situated, whereas Turnham Green is not. { Comment: The Interchange definition is slight duplication from the Map Rule (1.17.1), but the Co-Situated thing is new. } [Amendment: Oh I Don't Know, Something Witty Probably] Amend Rule 1.5.4 (Go With the Flow) by appending the following text onto the end of the last sentenced of the definition of Move Node: " or if it is Co-Situated." Change the penultimate paragraph to read as follows: "A Piece may not change Line Direction during a Move Portion, or when changing Line at a Co-Situated Station during a Move." { Comment: the core of it, explicitly allowing line changes during a Move at a Co-Situated Station but limiting it slightly by making sure you keep going in the same direction. } [Amendment: Look, I've Run Out of Title Ideas, Alright?] Amend Rule 1.17.4 (Line Code) so that its last paragraph reads as follows: "When a Player makes a Move, e should state which Line the Station e is Moving to rests on. If e changes Lines during the Move then the Lines of each part of the journey should be stated. If e Moves to an Interchange or Co-Situated Station, e should nominate a Line of eir choice from those available." { Comment: a slight hole to plug, ensuring Players specify the Line Code on Co-Situated Stations as well as Interchanges. With this definition of Co-Situated in place there are a few places in the ruleset which could be simplified somewhat (eg line change away from a peak-only station in the Richard Whiteley Experience) but I shan't put those forward if and until this passes. } -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 395 - Racked With Gilt [Amendment] { Comment: Following an established tradition of stealing Kevan's ideas, this Proposal attempts to apply the Luggage Rack to the Game's state. The idea behind this is to try and reduce the size of the ASCII art block at the top of the GSD to a more manageable size. This Proposal should reduce the scale of the Bridges/Knip/Wild/Game Time slab. It also moves the record of the current Drone Keeper into the Player Luggage Rack, giving a Possession of the Drone Stick to the Drone Keeper. Very little can be done about Token Stacks - they're already pretty dense information structures, and can only really be shrunk if we can find adequate single character token names and acceptable station short forms. Neither of these seems likely. } Amend Rule 1.4.12 (The Luggage Rack) to read thus: "There shall be a section of the Game State Document known as the Luggage Rack, detailing Possessions of each Player and the current Game. "Hats shall be abbreviated by listing only the initial letter of the Hat type, as shown below. The current Drone Keeper shall possess the Drone Stick. "A Luggage Rack shall also be included in the GSD for the Game itself. The Game's Luggage Rack must always precede those for the Players. The Possessions which the Game holds or may hold are as follows: " Clock - always held. Defines current Game Time Wild - held when there is at least one Wild Station, this is an ordered list of Station names with the most recently declared Wild Station last. Bridge Prop - held when Bridges are Up Knip Clamp - held when the Game is in Knip "A typical Luggage Rack would be:- "+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------+ | Game | Clock (Tue 1800), Wild (Bank, Gunnersbury), Knip Clamp | +---------------+--------------------------------------------------------+ | Brooke-Taylor | Railcard, Queen's Park Stub, Hat (C) | | Cryer | Railcard, Hats (COT) | | Garden | Railcard, Euston Stub, Drone Stick | | Rushton | Charing Cross Stub, Hats (ACOTV) | +---------------+--------------------------------------------------------+" { Comment: This is the same text with stuff added, but there was so little in the first place that it was just simpler to replace the whole thing. That is in fact all that is required, since the Rules defining the various game and player states are well-written enough to say merely that the information must be recorded, not how. } -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 396 - The Deer Shunter [Amendment] Amend Rule 1.10.1 (A Shunting We Will Go) as follows: Make the first paragraph read as follows - "If a Player Moves to a Station that is already occupied, e can elect to Shunt to that Station. Any Players who are currently located at the Target Station and have the same Line Code as the Shunting Player are Shunted to a single Station with a specified Line Code of the Shunting Player's choice, which fits the following criteria:-" Delete the condition for a valid shunt which refers to the target station being on the same line as the shunted player, and add the following criterion: "* the target Station with the given Line Code is reachable under normal Piece movement rules taking into account current restrictions on line changes, route blockage, and so on, unless specifically exempted." Add the following paragraph after the criteria: "No penalties for line changes shall be applied to the Shunted Players during the Shunt." Replace the example as follows - "Brooke-Taylor : Euston (VC) Cryer : Finsbury Park (PD) Garden : Euston (VC) Rushton : Euston (VC) [Shunting Brooke-Taylor and Garden to Oxford Circus (CN)] { Comment: Following on from the shunts and lines controversy, this amendment reworks shunting slightly - the shunter needs to be on the same line as the shuntee, but may shunt onto a different line. This will also make shunting of inanimate objects more interesting. The addition of restrictions on the Shunt itself not only covers line changes during the Shunt (thus adding another amusing dimension to gap minding), but is also worded to include blocks (which up until now have not been covered). Justification can be found (albeit remotely) in Real Life: a shunting locomotive must be on the same line as rolling stock which is being moved, but once in control as many different sets of points as necessary may be negotiated. Of course, in Real Life the shunting loco doesn't automatically spring back to its starting point, but then again the Shunting physics is generally non-Newtonian in any case. } -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 397 - Cut Out the Deadwood. (Repeal, Multiple) *Repeal Rule 1.19.1 (QED). *Repeal Rule 1.17.5 (Alignment) {Comment: just another awkward thing for Players to keep track of, and nobody has yet found a use for it. We've already got Zones, Quadrants, Line Codes and god knows what else: if somebody ever did find a use for the Alignment then the game would IMHO become unbearably fiddly.} *Repeal Rule 1.7.11 (Ghost Stations). {Comment: In its current form, this rule is unlikely ever to be used. It wastes a Turn and loses two Black Tokens for no discernible benefit. True, the player cannot be Shunted, but is there a point in this? Besides, I have moral objections to any Rule which defines a Ghost Station as other than a previously existing Station which has closed.} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 398 - Special Rulesets. (Enactments, Multiple) {Comment: I'm proposing to put Special Rulesets in a new Section 2, and leave Section 1 to deal with standard MN rules.} SECTION 2 - SPECIAL RULESETS Rule 2.0.0 Each Special Ruleset defines only the differences between it and the standard Mornington Nomic Ruleset. The following Special Rulesets are recognised: Chalk Farm '84 (Section 2.1) The Finsbury Option (Section 2.2) Ruttsborough '58, a.k.a. "Hell Starts at Hainault" (Section 2.3) {Comment: ...and any others people care to add in later.} Section 2.1 (Chalk Farm '84) Rule 2.1.1: The End Of The Line All Terminus stations on a line that the Player stands on are considered Wild for that Player only. If e stands at an Interchange, all Terminus stations on all lines of that Interchange are considered Wild. However, the [Token Running] Action may not be performed if the Player arrived at the Terminus by a Wild Move. Rule 2.1.2: You Can't Swim When a Player is in Spoon, e may not cross the River Thames by any means other than [Home] or [Wild] moves, unless eir move contains the action [Unspoon] and no other Actions other than adjustment of LV or exchanging [Gold to Silver, Bronze or Blue] or [Silver to Bronze] Tokens. Rule 2.1.3: Clearance Granted for Landing Each Player starts the Game with a Pass for the Zone containing eir Home Station: this may not be Zone 1. Section 2.2 (The Finsbury Option) Rule 2.2.1: (More Lines to Play With) The North London Line from North Woolwich to Richmond, and the Thameslink connection from Kentish Town to Farringdon, London Bridge, Elephant & Castle and Moorgate, are both considered part of the full Board, with Line Codes of (NL) and (TL) respectively. The Jubilee Line Extension is considered to be a full part of the Board, and all its connections to other Lines treated as standard Interchanges. {Comment: this means you'll have to find another Map, but surely anyone playing MN or indeed MC has access to a tube map with all these lines on somewhere. If you don't, then you don't have to join in the game anyway.} Rule 2.2.2: (Home Isn't Where The Start Is) A player need not play eir first move at eir Home Station, provided eir first move is in the same Quadrant and on the same Line. Rule 2.2.3: Striles A Strile may be performed between any two stations provided that each contains a Token Stack with the same number of Tokens: they need not, however, be identical Stacks as in the standard ruleset, as long as they contain the same number of Tokens. Rule 2.2.4: Pickering If there are two identical Token Stacks on the Board, a Player may perform the 20-minute Pre-Move Action of [Pickering and ], at a cost of 2 Blue Tokens, one of which is placed on each Stack (the bottom token of the Stack being discarded if that would cause the Stack to have more than 6 Tokens.) No Tokens may be picked up from a Pickered Station. The Pickering lasts until the end of that Player's Turn, and the Stations must be in different Quadrants. If a Pickering is in force, a Player whose move passes through one Pickered Station may instantaneously transfer to the other one and continue eir move from there, in either direction. Example: Cryer stands at Balham with an LV of 8. Oval and Snaresbrook have identical Token Stacks (BlReBuRe ). Cryer : [Pickering Balham and Snaresbrook] Buckhurst Hill (From Balham to Oval is 5 Stations, Snaresbrook to Buckhurst Hill is 3 stations. The Token Stacks now read: (BlReBuReBu ) on both Balham and Snaresbrook. A move through a Pickering is not considered to have changed Line, nor crossed the River. Section 2.3 (Ruttsborough '58) Rule 2.3.1: Fast and Furious LV has a maximum of 15, rather than 10, although only 10 points of LV are necessary for the [Dollis Escape] Action. LV may be adjusted by up to 3 each Turn. Rule 2.3.2: Carry On After The Crash When a Shunt takes place, both Players lose only 6 points of LV, or down to zero if eir LV was less than 6. Rule 2.3.3: Bad Guys Have All The Fun All Actions with a Red Token cost in the standard MN Ruleset have that cost reduced by 1 Red Token, and only actions which include expenditure of Metallic Tokens are prohibited by the game being in Knip. Rule 2.3.4: Terminus Slingshot A player who finishes eir Turn at a Terminus may play the 20-minute Post-Move Action of [Terminus Slingshot] and transfer eir Piece to any other Terminus on that Line provided that a straight move between the two would not involve a change of Line Direction. This action costs 1 Black Token and gains 1 Silver. {Comment: Phew, that was long...} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 399 - The Long Game [other, special ruleset] In the Long Game, the cost for moving to Mornington Crescent is 25 Gold Tokens; otherwise, there are no differences to the standard rules. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 400 - Wombling Free [other, multiple] 1. Underground [amendment] Include the following text in Rule 0.4.1 (Proposal Types): A proposal may be of type 'Enactment' and subtype 'Special Ruleset'. If such a proposal passes, it creates a Special Ruleset rule with the name and text of said proposal. This Ruleset is assigned a number one higher than the highest numbered ruleset currently in existence. 2. Overground [repeal] Repeal Rule 0.4.15 (Special Ruleset Proposals) {Comment: just a spot of tidying up, hence the Wombles references, and minor rewording; also changing special rulesets proposals to 'enactment' type, rather than 'other' (as they are in Rule 0.4.15), because it seems appropriate} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposal 401 - Beck's Variable [enactment] 1. Beck's Variable There shall be an entity known as Beck's Variable (shortened to Beck's), the value of which shall be recorded in the Game State Document for each Game. The value of Beck's is separate for each Game. The initial value of Beck's at the start of a new game shall be 6.4. Beck's may not have a value lower than -3 nor higher than 10. 2. Adjusting Beck's The value of Beck's may be lowered by the neutral action "Lowering Beck's by " where x is the amount Beck's is being lowered by. The value of Beck's may be raised by the neutral action "Raising Beck's by " where y is the amount Beck's is being raised by. The token cost for adjusting Beck's is described in the following table: Beck's +/- | Token Cost ------------+------------- 0.15 | -1 Black 0.3 | -1 Blue 0.5 | -1 Red 0.65 | -1 Bronze 0.75 | -1 Silver 1.1 | -1 Gold Players may use tokens in combination to adjust Beck's, but may never adjust it by more than +/-2 in a single action. Beck's may not be adjusted more than once per turn. 3. Effects of Beck's Players may never make a move such that their LV combined with the current value of Beck's is greater than 12.4. If a Player's current LV is such that this would be the case, e must lower the value of Beck's as described above, or lower eir LV, or both. If e is unable to lower either Beck's or eir LV by enough to make eir combined total less than 12, e must play a move of Pass. {Comment: in the draft proposal it was =>12, but I realised that along with instability, this would make achieving an LV of 10 impossible, so I've adapted it slightly -- LV 10 is still difficult (as intended) but no longer impossible} 4. Instability If Beck's is ever lower than +2, the Game is said to be Instable. This fact should be recorded in the Game State Document. When the Game is Instable, each Player must pay 1 Black Token at the start of eir turn, before any pre-move actions, and may not raise eir LV above 6. If eir LV is above 6 when the Game becomes Instable, it is automatically reduced to 5 at the start of eir next turn. Players may not move to Mornington Crescent when the game is Instable. The following actions are illegal when the Game is Instable: Bridges Up/Down, Compass Wormhole, Detonating Package, Dollis Sidestep, Dollis Escape, Ignore the Gap, Straddling, Striling, Wild. 5. Enacting Beck's Any games currently in progress when this proposal passes (if indeed it does pass) shall adopt an initial value for Beck's of 4.2, upon which action being completed, this section of the rule shall repeal itself. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------