The Current Rules of NeoNomicon


The 100-Series Rules


Rule 101/1
Power 2
Obey The Rules

All players must always abide by all the rules then in effect, in the form in which they are then in effect, and interpreted in accordance with currently existing game custom.


Rule 102/0
Power 2
The First Speaker and Voters

Each Player shall be either a Voter or the First Speaker; no Player may be both at the same time. There will always be one First Speaker. The term "Player" refers to any Voter or the First Speaker.


Rule 103/1
Power 2
What Is A Rule Change?

A rule change must be one of the following: (1) the enactment repeal, or amendment of a rule; (2) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of an amendment; or (3) the transmutation of a rule into having another Power rating


Rule 104/0
Power 2
Adopting Proposals

All proposals made in the proper way shall be voted on. Three conditions must be satisfied for a proposal to be adopted: (1) a quorum must have been achieved; (2) the required number of votes must have been cast in favor of the proposal; and (3) the prescribed voting period must have elapsed or all players have cast a vote, whichever is first.


Rule 105/0
Power 2
Proposals Must Be Written Down

Any proposed rule change must be written down (or otherwise communicated in print media) before it is voted on. If adopted, it must guide play in the form in which it was voted on.


Rule 106/0
Power 2
When Proposals Can Take Effect

A rule change will take effect when either the prescribed voting peroid has elapsed, or all players have cast their vote, whichever is first. No rule change may have retroactive application.


Rule 107/1
Power 2
Numbering Proposals

The First Speaker shall give each proposed rule change an ordinal number and an amendment number for reference. The numbers shall begin with 301, and each rule change proposed in the proper way shall receive the next successive ordinal, whether or not the proposal is adopted. If the rule change applies to an existent rule, that rule shall keep its ordinal number, and have an increase by one on its amendment number.


Rule 109/1
Power 2
Making Proposals

The proper way to make a proposal is to send it by electronic mail to the current First Speaker. E will then distribute the proposal to all Players. The prescribed voting period begins at the moment that the proposal is distributed by the First Speaker.


Rule 110/1
Power 2
Winning The Game

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 be amended or repealed. The winner of the last game shall become the new First Speaker for the next game, assuming all current duties allocated to the First Speaker.


Rule 111/1
Power 2
Forfeiting The Game

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 eir judgement to incur it, may be imposed.


Rule 112/0
Power 2
At Least One Power 1 Rule

There must always be at least one Power 1 rule. The adoption of rule changes must never become completely inpermissible.


Rule 113/0
Power 2
Rule Changes That Affect Rule Changing Rules

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 is impermissible solely on account of the self-reference or self-application of a rule.


Rule 114/2
Power 2
Voting and Voting Options

  1. Voting is a duty and a right.

Voting is both a duty and a right granted to all players.

All players may vote on any proposal legally submitted and duly distributed prior to the end of the prescribed voting period. All players voting on the most recent proposal, to be defined as the proposal whose voting period has terminated last chronologically, shall be deemed an Active Player.

All active players must vote on any proposal legally submitted and duly distributed prior to the end of the prescribed voting period. Failure to do so shall result in the player being deemed an Inactive Player.

  1. Voting Options

    Players may:

    1. Vote to Affirm. (ie. Yea, Yes, For, support, etc.)
    2. Vote to Oppose. (ie. No, Nay, Against, etc.)
    3. Vote to Abstain. (ie. Abstain, Present, etc.)
    4. Not Vote.
  1. Voting Procedures

    Players vote by informing the First Speaker of eir vote prior to the end of the voting period by any of the following means:

    1. By posting eir vote(s) publicly.
    2. By sending eir vote(s) privately to the Speaker.
    3. By informing the speaker in any other way. (ie. verbally, telepathically etc.)

Any player using procedure "C" above shall deem that the Speaker is the sole arbiter of the timing, value, existance and validity of eir vote(s).


Rule 115/0
Power 2
Permissibility Of The Unprohibited

Whatever is not explicitly prohibited or regulated by a rule is permitted and unregulated, with the sole exception of changing the rules, which is permitted only when a rule or set of rules explicitly or implicitly permits it.


The 200-Series Rules


Rule 201/0
Power 1
Quorum

Quorum is defined to be 25% of the active registered players.


Rule 204/0
Power 1
One Player One Vote

Each player has exactly one vote.


Rule 205/0
Power 1
The Prescribed Voting Period

The prescribed voting period on a proposal is seven days, starting from the moment that the proposal is distributed by the First Speaker.


Rule 206/0
Power 1
When Proposals Take Effect

An adopted proposal takes effect at the moment that the prescribed voting period ends.


Rule 207/0
Power 1
Scoring When A Proposal Is Adopted

When a proposed rule change is adopted, those players who voted against it receive 5 points each. A player whose proposed rule change is adopted also receives 10 points.


Rule 208/0
Power 1
Scoring When A Proposal Is Defeated

When a proposed rule change is defeated, the player who proposed it loses 10 points.


Rule 209/1
Power 2
Required Number Of Points To Win

The winner is the first player to achieve a score of 1 000 points.


Rule 210/1
Power 1
Resolving Conflicts

If two or more rules of the same power conflict with one another then the rule with the lowest effective ordinal number takes precedence. If at least one of the rules in conflict explicitly says of itself that it defers to another rule (or type of rule) or takes precedence over another rule (or type of rule), then such provisions shall supercede the numerical method for determining precedence. If two or more rules claim to take precedence over one another, or to defer to one another, then the numerical method must again govern.


Rule 211/1
Power 1
Invoking Judgement

Any player who has a question or complaint about any matter concerning the laws and their interpretation may email eir statement to the First Speaker, who will then distribute it to the rest of the Voters. A call for judgement is then incurred on that statement.


Rule 212/1
Power 1
Selecting A Judge

When Judgement has been called for, a Judge is randomly selected from among the other registered players by the First Speaker. E has 3 days in which to accept or refuse the appointment by posting to the First Speaker. Any player who does not respond to selection in 3 days shall be penalized 10 points, and is deemed to have refused appointment. If e refuses appointment, then a further random selection is made from the remaining pool.


Rule 213/0
Power 1
Delivering Judgement

Having accepted the appointment, a Judge has exactly one week in which to post an official Judgement. A Judge who fails to deliver Judgement within that period is penalized 10 points.


Rule 214/0
Power 1
Three Possible Judgements

There are only three possible Judgements: (1) True; (2) False; or (3) Undecided. A Judgement may be accompanied by reasons an arguments, but any such reasons and arguments form no part of the official Judgement itself.


Rule 215/0
Power 1
Judgements Must Accord With The Rules

All Judgements must be in accordance with all the rules then in effect. When the rules are silent, inconsistent, or unclear on the statement in question, however, then the Judge shall consider currently existing game custom and the spirit of the game in reaching a decision.


Rule 216/0
Power 1
Judgements Are Not Rules

If a statement on which Judgement has been called is Judged to be true, and that Judgement is not overruled, it does not thereby become a rule, or any part of a rule. It merely becomes an explicit part of currently accepted game custom.


Rule 217/0
Power 1
Overturning Judgements

At any time in the week following the posting of a Judgement of "true" or "false", any player may propose that the Judgement be overruled, i.e. changed to "undecided". If that proposal is adopted, according to whatever rules are currently in effect for the adoption of proposals, then the Judgement is overruled, and the Judge who made it penalized 20 points.


Rule 218/0
Power 1
Registered Players

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 parrticipate 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.


Rule 219/0
Power 1
Winning By Paradox

If the rules are changed so that further play is impossible, or if the legality of some action cannot be determined with finality, or if some action appears equally legal and illegal, then a player may call for judgement on a statement to that effect. If the statement is judged true, and the judgement is not overruled, then the player who called for judgement is declared the winner of the game. This rule takes precedence over every other rule for determining the winner of the game.


The 300+-Series Rules


Rule 305/0
Power 1
Spivak pronouns

WHEREAS we are living in very PC times, and
WHEREAS we all agree that discrimination is an evil thing,  

LET IT BE RESOLVED THAT   In all official communication in NeoNomicon, that is proposals and rules, the Spivak Pronouns are to be used.  

The Spivak pronouns are defined to be:  

e for 3rd person nominative regardless of gender, equals he or she
em for 3rd person objective (ackusative or dative) regardless of gender, equals him or her
eir for 3rd person genitive, equals his or her
emself for 3rd person reflexive, equals him/herself.

Rule 306/1
Power 2
Rule precedences and the Power Rating system

  1. Every Rule has got a Power rating. This rating is an integer > 0 (zero) or the rating <infinite>.
  2. Every Proposal has got a Power rating. This rating is an integer > 0 or the rating <infinite> and is set by the proposer.
  3. Any conflict in the rules is resolved in the following order:
    a) If the two conflicting rules have different Powers, let the one with the higher rating be active
    b) If they have the same Power, the conflict is resolved according to the rules already present and dealing with such problems.
  4. Any rule change can only be performed, if the change has got a Power rating higher than the Power rating of the rule that is to be changed.
    a) If a rule change changes several Rules, it has to have a higher Power rating higher than the highest member of the set of Power ratings of the rules that are to be changed.
  5. For a rule change to be enacted, the quote of votes in favour to votes against has to exceed the Power rating.

    To clarify §5, consider the case of a rule with Power rating 1. This can be changed by a simple majority. A rule with Power rating 3 has to have 75% majority for a change and so on. An <infinite> classed rule can only be changed by absolute unity.
  6. The points awarded to the players is not to be affected by the Power
    rating of the proposal.

Rule 309/1
Power 1
Delegating votes

Any player may delegate eir vote to another player by stating on the bulletin board that e wishes to do so.  If a vote has been delegated and the delegating player abstains eir vote is counted as the same as the vote of the player to whom it has been delegated.  This is continuous, so if player A delegates to Player B, who delegates to Player C and A and B both abstain C's vote counts as three votes.

The Player who controls the votes should explicitly state what value each vote has and who will be responsible for it. The vote still belongs to the player who delegated it who will get any points resulting from laying the vote. It is no requirement to align all votes under a Players control and e is not required to delegate all votes under eir control.


Rule 311/0
Power 1
Correcting errors

Let each player, who officially (= on the mailing list) informs the WebMaster of an (spelling) error in the rules or on the WebSite be awarded 2 Points.