/------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | | | MORNINGTON NOMIC - RULESET | | | | Volume 0 - Nomic Mechanics | | | | (Last updated during Year Four, Week Three) | | | \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-------------------\ | Table of Contents | \-------------------/ 0 Nomic Mechanics 0.1 Terms of Reference 0.2 Rules and the Ruleset 0.3 Players 0.4 Proposals 0.5 Votes 0.6 The Nomic Week 0.7 Points of Order 0.8 Gaming Lounges /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.0 - Nomic Mechanics \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.0.0 - Rude Mechanicals This part of the Ruleset details the mechanics and terminology used in constructing rulesets. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.1 - Terms of Reference \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.1.1 - The Name of the Nomic The name of this Nomic shall be "Mornington Nomic". Rule 0.1.2 - Terms of Reference Within the Rules and other Official Documents, most words and phrases should be given the interpretation they normally have in the English language. However, some words and phrases may be explicitly redefined within Official Documents to have a special interpretation in the Game of Mornington Nomic. In particular, the capitalisation of a term tends to mean that it is being used with some special Game-specific interpretation in mind. However, such capitalisation is not a necessity and Game-specific definitions for such words and phrases should also be used when it seems more natural to do so. Unless otherwise indicated, when a choice is specified to be made at random, the intended meaning is that each possible selection should have an equal probability of being chosen. The Spivak terms "e", "em", "eir", "eirs", and "emself" should be interpreted as gender-neutral third person pronouns which are the singular variants of their plural counterparts "they", "them", "their", "theirs", and "themselves" respectively. The term "Mornington Crescent" in this Ruleset refers to, according to context, either the game described in Volumes 1 and above, or the London Underground Station of the same name. The term "Game" in this Ruleset can mean either "Mornington Nomic" or "Mornington Crescent", but this should be clear from context. Rule 0.1.3 - The Only Way To Die Whenever a Rule calls for a die-roll to be made, the person required to make the roll shall do so using the dice server at http://www.pbm.com/dice, with results being sent to the Game Lounge in which the die-roll is required. If a Player is required to make a die roll after eir Turn, that Player's Turn is not considered to be complete until the roll is made; an incomplete Turn may be timed out as if it had not been made. If the results of the die roll should be interpreted by the rolling Player, eir Turn is not considered complete until these interpretations have also been made. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.2 - Rules and the Ruleset \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.2.1 - Numbering Rules shall be numbered for reference purposes, with three numbers in the format "[Volume].[Section].[Rule]" (eg. "1.3.4"), Volume and Section being defined in the Ruleset's Table of Contents, and Rule being an integer number used to distinguish between Rules within the same Section. New Ruleset components shall be placed in a Volume and Section in accordance with that suggested in the Proposal upon their Enactment. They shall have a Rule number equal to the next successive integer number after that of the last Rule in the relevant Section. If a Rule is Amended its number does not change. Repealing one Rule does not affect the Rule number of any Rule, except the one Repealed, which is then removed. A Renumbering Proposal allows the Speaker to rearrange the Rule Numbers in a Section. The Rules in that Section shall be numbered with the lowest ordinal Rule receiving the Rule Number 1, the next lowest 2, and so on, with the exception of Rules which exist solely as a heading for a Section or Volume which may have an ordinal number of 0. Rule 0.2.2 - Change Or The Better Ruleset components (that is Rules, Sections, or Volumes) may be marked with a Mutability Modifier indicating how easy it is to change that ruleset component. This Modifier is placed in square brackets after the name of the ruleset component, and if omitted is assumed to be Unstable. Any ruleset component having a particular degree of Mutability has a corresponding Mandate requirement for that component to be changed (Mandates are defined in Rule 0.5.1). The Mutability Modifiers are as follows, in increasing order of ease of modification: - Immutable: ruleset components marked as Immutable cannot have their content changed. A Status Change Proposal must be passed with a Total Majority Mandate to remove Immutability, at which point the ruleset component becomes Static. A Proposal to remove Immutability must be passed separately from and before any Proposal to modify the content of an Immutable ruleset component. - Static: ruleset components marked as Static may be changed by passage of a Proposal with Totally Unanimous Mandate. - Stable: ruleset components marked as Stable may be changed by passage of a Proposal with a Total Majority Mandate. - Unstable: Sections or Rules marked as Unstable (or which are unmarked, which is taken as a synonym) may be changed by passage of a Proposal with a Active Majority Mandate. In a Proposal containing changes which have different mandate requirements (eg which call for changes to both one Static and one Stable Rule) then the most demanding mandate is required for the entire Proposal. Rule 0.2.3 - Rule Changes 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. Rules may also be changed by Rules, subject to constraints in the Ruleset. Such Rule Changes shall be known as "Non-Proposed Rule Changes". Rule 0.2.4 - Free for All Whatever is not prohibited or regulated by a Rule is permitted and unregulated, with the sole exception of changing an Official Document, which is permitted only when a Rule or set of Rules explicitly or implicitly permits it. Official Documents include the Rules, Player's Proposals, Votes cast and voting records, the list of current Players, Game State Documents and any other document so designated by the Rules. Rule 0.2.5 - Rule Conflict All Rules shall be considered to work together implicitly. Rules shall be evaluated with the specific taking precedence over the general, the stated taking precedence over the implicit, and the more Immutable taking precedence over the less so. Rules can explicitly state that they defer to another rule or set of rules, or can state that they explicitly take precedence over another rule or set of rules. Where a deference loop or precedence loop exists (e.g. two rules that claim precedence over the other), this shall be ignored and the other methods of evaluating rule precedence listed in this Rule shall be used. If two or more Rules are in conflict, or the validity or treatment of a particular act in relation to these Rules is not clear or in question, then the Speaker is empowered to raise an Emergency Proposal that will amend as many of the rules as necessary to bring about a resolution of the problem. Rule 0.2.6 - Keep the Ruleset Tidy In the Ruleset, the Speaker is free to make as many corrections of spelling and layout as e sees fit, provided that these changes do not affect the wording or meaning of the Rules. E need not inform the Players of these corrections. Rule 0.2.7 - Volume Control The Mornington Nomic ruleset is divided into the following Volumes: - Volume 0: the Nomic mechanics - Volume 1: the Basic Rules for Mornington Crescent - Volumes 2 and higher: Special Ruleset groups (related Special Rulesets being grouped together) Special Rulesets are adjuncts to the Basic Rules which add or modify the Rules under which a Mornington Crescent game is to be played. Special Rulesets may be referred to explicitly by name, or by number in the form 'SR ' where is the relevant Volume and Section reference. No Special Ruleset may alter the rules of Mornington Nomic, directly or otherwise. Special Rulesets have no effect on any games of Mornington Crescent other than those they are incorporated in. They may, however, be amended via proposal in the same way as any other Mornington Nomic rules. Special Rules always take precedence over the Basic Mornington Crescent rules for any relevant Special Rules games, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the Special Ruleset. Special Rules may never take precedence over the Nomic Mechanic rules. Otherwise, all Special Rules are treated in exactly the same way as Basic Rules. Special Rulesets may (but need not be) classified as follows: * Options are Special Rulesets which add new elements to the Game * Variants are Special Rulesets which modify the behaviour of other Mornington Crescent Rules. These are not hard and fast classifications, there being nothing to stop Rules being both added and modified within a Special Ruleset. Special Rulesets may depend for their use on the inclusion of another Special Ruleset in a Game. Such a dependency must be stated clearly in the text of the Special Ruleset. Rule 0.2.8 - In Case Of Ambiguity, Break Glass If a part of the Ruleset is ever regarded as being ambiguous, in a manner which the Speaker feels requires urgent attention, e may ask the Player responsible for that ambiguity to clarify the wording one way or another. The Rule or Rules in question shall be immediately updated to reflect this judgement, the amendment being announced on the mailing list. The Player responsible for an ambiguity is e whose Proposal (or other activity) caused the ambiguity to come into effect. If no Player can be regarded as being clearly and solely responsible for the ambiguity, the Speaker may clarify it emself. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.3 - Players \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.3.1 - Players and Player States Anyone may apply to join Mornington Nomic by sending a request in an email to the Speaker (see Rule 0.3.2) stating that they wish to join the game, and giving a one-word Name by which they wish to be known. The Speaker will then determine whether the application is successful. Any successful applicant becomes a Player. The Speaker's decision is final in this matter. There are two Player States: Active and Inactive. A Player may change eir Player State at any time by sending a message to the list announcing the change, which will take effect immediately. New Players are Active by default. A Player may at any time post a message to the Discussion Lounge announcing a desire to change the Name e uses in Mornington Nomic. This change shall take effect at the end of the current Game Week or after three days, whichever is later, provided that no other Player objects to the change of Name before then. All Players must always abide by all the Rules. Rule 0.3.2 - The Speaker One Player shall hold the office of Speaker. The Speaker's role is to maintain the ruleset, and perform various other functions as specified by rules. If the Speaker is unable, unwilling, or prevented by a rule, from fulfilling any of eir tasks, e may designate a Deputy to take responsibility for those tasks (either temporarily or permanently). Any other Player who is willing and able is a valid candidate for the role of Deputy Speaker. Throughout the Ruleset, the term 'Speaker' shall be read as meaning the Speaker or Deputy Speaker, as appropriate. Rule 0.3.3 - Filled Roles Players in the game of Mornington Nomic may take on various Roles during play. These Roles and their responsibilities include (but are not necessarily limited to): - Speaker: as defined in Rule 0.3.2 - Player in a Mornington Crescent Game: such a Player makes Move in Games in which e is participating in accordance with the Rules for that Game. When a Player's State changes to Inactive, an asterisk is marked next to eir name in the Game State Document of any Games in which e is currently taking part and eir turn is skipped until e changes eir state back to Active. - Proposer: defined in Rule 0.4.2 - Voter: defined in Rule 0.5.3 Rule 0.3.4 - Can You Hear Snoring? Any Player may Inactivate another Player by announcing this fact in the Discussion Lounge, provided that the Inactivated Player has neither Voted nor played a Mornington Crescent move for more than three weeks. When a Player is Inactivated in this fashion, e becomes Inactive. Rule 0.3.5 - Resignation Any Player may Resign from a Game of Mornington Crescent or from Mornington Nomic as a whole by posting a message to the Discussion Lounge informing the other Players of eir wish. If a Player Resigns from a particular Mornington Crescent Game eir name is removed from those parts of Game State Documents which record the current Game position (eg ownership of Game elements). If a Player Resigns from Mornington Nomic, it is treated as if e has Resigned from all Mornington Crescent Games which e was participating in at the time of Resignation. Any Player may submit a Proposal of Type Resignation, Proposing that a Player be Forced to Resign either from a particular Mornington Crescent Game or from Mornington Nomic. This requires a Mandate of Active Unanimity. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.4 - Proposals \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.4.1 - Proposals Each Proposal submitted by a Player should have a name (typically summing up the aim of the Proposal in a few words, usually in the form of a very bad pun), a Type, any amount of text stating what the Proposal should do if it is Voted through, and any amount of commented text explaining anything the Proposer feels the need to explain. Proposals may be of the following types:- * Ruleset - To manipulate the content of the ruleset. All such manipulations in a single Proposal should have one general aim or effect. Ruleset Proposals may consist of any number of sub-Proposals of the following types: + Enactment: To create one new Rule or Ruleset component to be added to the Ruleset. + Amendment: To change the wording of one existing Rule in the manner detailed in the Proposal. + Repeal: To remove one Rule, as specified by the Proposal, from the Ruleset. * Renumbering - To renumber all the Rule Numbers in a particular Subsection, or to renumber a single Rule. * Resignation - To force another Player to Resign. * Mutability - To change the Mutability Modifier of a Rule, Section, or Volume by one level of Mutability. Commented text is signified by surrounding it with curly braces, and is entirely ignored if the Proposal passes and alters the Ruleset. Rule 0.4.2 - Proposal Submission Any Active Player may put forward a Proposal for the consideration of other Players. This is done in the role of Proposer. Each Proposal must have a unique number, being the name of the Proposer together with an index number one more than the last Proposal which was published by that Proposer. A resubmission of a previous Proposal whether modified or not is still considered to be a new submission which requires a new Proposal number. Further, for a Ruleset Proposal containing Enactments some indication must be included of where exactly these new Ruleset components would reside. The Proposer submits the Proposal to the Discussion Lounge with a subject line beginning "MN: Proposal ", where is the Proposal number, and including the title of the Proposal. At any time prior to the close of Voting a Proposer may withdraw a Proposal which e has submitted for consideration by notifying this fact to the Discussion Lounge. The Proposal is then considered never to have been submitted and any Votes cast in relation to it are discarded. Note that there is no limit on the number of Proposals which may be open for consideration at any given time, but Proposers are encouraged to use common sense in not swamping the other Players. Similarly, there is no explicit prohibition of submitting and re-submitting modified versions of a particular Proposal idea until it passes, but again the Proposer is urged to use common sense in not continually submitting Proposals which e knows will always fail. Rule 0.4.3 - Proposal Enactment A newly enacted Proposal takes effect at the moment at which Voting Results for that Proposal are published in the Discussion Lounge. No Proposal may have any retroactive effect, explicit or otherwise. The wording of a Proposal has no effect until it has enacted. When a new Ruleset component is created, it takes the name of the Enactment Proposal (or Proposal section) that Enacted it. In order to simplify the incorporation of new text into the Ruleset, Proposals containing content which is to inserted verbatim should be formatted in a similar way to the Ruleset. The implementation of the Proposal is performed by the Proposer, the modified Ruleset Volumes being sent to the Speaker. Permission to perform the Proposal implementation edits must be sought from the Speaker. Only one Proposer may edit the Ruleset at any given time, in order to prevent conflicting changes being applied simultaneously. If such permission is not obtained, the Speaker has the right to ignore the edits. If the Speaker feels that a Proposer is taking an unreasonable amount of time to implement a Proposal, especially if the implementation of other Proposals is being blocked by such apparent inaction, permission to edit the Ruleset may be withdrawn. Notice of such withdrawal must be posted to the Discussion list. Rule 0.4.4 - We Are Not Men, We Are Veto The Speaker may Veto the consideration of any Proposal which is before the Players if e feels that there is undue duplication or conflict with other outstanding Proposals, or if the Proposal number is not unique, or for any other reason. A Proposal being Vetoed means that it is not voted on and cannot become a part of the Rules. The Speaker must publish the reasons for eir decision to the list. A Point of Order may be raised (in the usual way) if a Player feels that the Speaker's reason was not valid. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.5 - Votes \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.5.1 - Mandates and Their Application In order for a Proposal to be Enacted it must achieve the necessary Mandate, a Mandate being the required proportion of FOR Votes within a particular set of possible Voters. The following are Mandates which are specifically recognised, but others are possible and may be specified as necessary (the most likely qualification being that a specific percentage of a voting population must be in favour): 1/ Total Unanimity - all Players Voted in favour 2/ Active Unanimity - all Active Players Voted in favour 3/ Simple Unanimity - all Players who Voted were in favour 4/ Total Majority - a majority of all Players Voted in favour 5/ Active Majority - a majority of Active Players Voted in favour 6/ Simple Majority - a majority of those who Voted were in favour Rule 0.5.2 - When to Vote All Votes for a Proposal must be submitted in the calendar week following the publication of that Proposal. Rule 0.5.3 - Voting and Proposal Adoption All Players who are Active at some point during the voting period for a Proposal are considered to be the Voters for that Proposal. Players not Active at all during that period may not vote in regard to that Proposal. The Proposer may not Vote. A Voter may cast eir Vote on a Proposal by sending an email to the Discussion Lounge with the subject line "MN: Vote on " where is the Proposal number being voted on. If the email does not have this subject line, votes may be considered invalid. Votes for multiple Proposals may be cast in a single message by including the Proposal numbers of all the Proposals being voted on in the email subject line. Valid votes are FOR, AGAINST or PASS. Any other vote is invalid. Each Voter has exactly one vote per Proposal. If a Player attempts to vote for a single Proposal more than once, only the latest valid vote shall be counted. In order for a Proposal to be adopted, it must achieve its required Mandate. Rule 0.5.4 - Abstention and Default Mandates If a Voter could have voted on a particular Proposal and chooses not to, e is considered to have abstained and a Vote of PASS is recorded. Unless otherwise specified, a Proposal must achieve a Mandate of an Active Majority, that is that more Voters voted in favour of the Proposal than the total of those who Voted against or passed. Rule 0.5.5 - Direct Tinkering Ban If the passing of a Proposal would directly cause any aspect of the Nomic other than the Ruleset to be altered, the Proposal must achieve Simple Unanimity to pass. This takes precedence over all other Rules regarding the passing of Proposals. Rule 0.5.7 - Voting Comments In addition to Voting on a particular Proposal, a Player may also add a Comment. This is a piece of text enclosed in curly brackets ('{' and '}') appended after the Vote, such that it is clear which Proposal the Comment is referring to. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.6 - The Nomic Week \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.6.1 - Theocracy of Muntab The Game of Mornington Nomic shall be counted in Nomic Weeks and Nomic Years. The Nomic Week number is incremented each Nomic Week, and the Nomic Year number incremented once on the 16th of April every year. The Nomic Week and Nomic Year have no bearing on Game numbers. Rule 0.6.2 - The Week-End The Nomic Week ends at 11:59am on Tuesday, unless altered by the Speaker. Only the end of the current Nomic Week may be extended (it cannot be shortened) and each Nomic Week must be a minimum of 4 days. After any extension, the end of the following Nomic Week defaults to the next Tuesday at 11:59am which is over 4 days from the end of the extended Nomic Week. All Players must be informed of the extension of a Nomic Week, by the Speaker. The next Nomic Week begins immediately after the previous Nomic Week ends. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.7 - Points of Order \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.7.1 - Points of Order If a Player is concerned about aspects of the Game State, wordings or spellings within the Ruleset, or any point e considers to be minor, e may email the Speaker to this effect. Corrective action shall be taken by the Speaker if e feels it to be appropriate, and announced on the Discussion Lounge. The email containing the Point of Order should have a subject line of 'MN: Point of Order'. If it does not have this subject line, the Point of Order may be considered invalid. If any Player is unhappy with the result of a Point of Order, e may make an Emergency Proposal to correct it. Rule 0.7.2 - Emergency Proposals If a Player is concerned about serious aspects of the Ruleset, e may make an Emergency Proposal. This is effectively identical to a normal Proposal, and should be emailed to the Speaker along with indication that it is an Emergency Proposal. This email should have a subject line of 'MN: Emergency Proposal' - if it does not, it may be considered invalid. The Speaker forwards the Eprop to the Discussion Lounge. Any Player other than e who made the Eprop may submit a Vote on that Proposal, emailing it to the Speaker. After twenty-four hours have elapsed (excluding weekends), the Votes are tallied for the Emergency Proposal. The Eprop is treated as a normal Proposal for the purposes of determining enactment, with the exception that Quorum is ignored. If the Proposal passes, it takes effect immediately. When announcing the results of voting on the Emergency Proposal, the Speaker must distribute a record of how the votes were cast. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ SECTION 0.8 - Gaming Lounges \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Rule 0.8.1 - The Lounges Mornington Nomic takes place on a number of mailing lists, known as Lounges. There are five Game Lounges and one Discussion Lounge - the Game Lounges are used to play the game of Mornington Crescent, and the Discussion Lounge is a forum for discussing aspects of the Nomic, as well as the announcement of Voting Results, Proposal distribution, and so forth. Each of these Lounges has a mailing list set up for it, with the following addresses being those you should post messages to:- * The Discussion Lounge - l-nomic-d@yahoogroups.com * The Brooke-Taylor Lounge - l-nomic-b@yahoogroups.com * The Cryer Lounge - l-nomic-c@yahoogroups.com * The Garden Lounge - l-nomic-g@yahoogroups.com * The Lyttleton Lounge - l-nomic-l@yahoogroups.com * The Rushton Memorial Lounge - l-nomic-r@yahoogroups.com Each non-Discussion Lounge may have a Game being played within it; all postings relevant only to that Game should be made to the appropriate mailing list. To subscribe to any of the Lounges, send a blank email to "l-nomic--subscribe@yahoogroups.com", where "" is the appropriate letter. /------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ All Mornington Crescent Rules (C) Copyright the Mornington Nomic Team 1997-2001 \------------------------------------------------------------------------------/