NomicWiki - Nomicide Rules

An official list of current rules for Nomicide - last updated 23 April 2008. A briefer version may be found at NomicideAbridgedRules. Bear in mind that these rules may soon be outdated, as a Constitutional Convention has begun.

NOTE: To link to an individual rule, use the URL http://community.livejournal.com/nomicide/39342.html#rule_xyz, replacing the 'xyz' with the rule's number (ie, #rule_101, #rule_304).

Immutable Rules

101

All players must always abide by all the rules then in effect, in the form in which they are then in effect. The rules in the Initial Set are in effect whenever a game begins. The Initial Set consists of Rules 101-115 (immutable) and 201-215 (mutable).

102

Initially, rules in the 100s are immutable and rules in the 200s are mutable. Rules subsequently enacted or transmuted (that is, changed from immutable to mutable or vice versa) may be immutable or mutable regardless of their numbers, and rules in the Initial Set may be transmuted regardless of their numbers.

103

A rule-change is any of the following: (1) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule; (2) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of an amendment of a mutable rule; or (3) the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable rule or vice versa.

(Note: This definition implies that, at least initially, all new rules are mutable; immutable rules, as long as they are immutable, may not be amended or repealed; mutable rules, as long as they are mutable, may be amended or repealed; any rule of any status may be transmuted; no rule is absolutely immune to change.)

104

All proposed rule-changes meeting the proper criteria shall be voted on. They will be adopted if and only if they receive the required number of votes as judged by the maintainers at the time that voting was closed.

105

Every player is an eligible voter.

(Note: This definition should be taken to mean that non-players are not eligible to vote. This will be administratively enforced through moderated membership and members-only voting for polls.)

106

All proposed rule-changes shall be posted to this website before they are voted on. If they are adopted, they shall guide play in the form in which they were voted on.

107

No rule-change may take effect earlier than the moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it, even if its wording explicitly states otherwise. No rule-change may have retroactive application.

108

Each proposed rule-change shall be given a number for reference. The numbers shall begin with 301, and each rule-change proposed in the proper way shall receive the next successive integer, whether or not the proposal is adopted.

If a rule is repealed and subsequently reenacted, it receives the number of the proposal to reenact it. If a rule is amended or transmuted, it receives the number of the proposal to amend or transmute it. If an amendment is amended or repealed, the entire rule of which it is a part receives the number of the proposal to amend or repeal the amendment.

109

Rule-changes that transmute immutable rules into mutable rules may be adopted if and only if the vote is unanimous among the eligible voters. Transmutation shall not be implied, but must be stated explicitly in a proposal to take effect.

110

In a conflict between a mutable and an immutable rule, the immutable rule takes precedence and the mutable rule shall be entirely void. For the purposes of this rule a proposal to transmute an immutable rule does not "conflict" with that immutable rule.

111

The state of affairs that constitutes winning may not be altered from achieving n points to any other state of affairs. The magnitude of n and the means of earning points may be changed, and rules that establish a winner when play cannot continue may be enacted and (while they are mutable) be amended or repealed.

112

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.

113

There must always be at least one mutable rule. The adoption of rule-changes must never become completely impermissible.

114

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.

115

Whatever is not 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.

Mutable Rules

201 (Amended by 362)

All players joining the game at the start shall begin with zero points.

Players joining the game after it has begun shall begin with the average of the scores of the players whose LJ handles immediately precede and immediately follow theirs alphabetically. For purposes of this game, alphabetically, the underscore shall be considered to precede the digits, and both to precede the letters.

202 (Amended by 345)

The basic unit of time shall be the interval. Each interval shall be seven days long, beginning at 1200 UTC and ending immediately before 1200 UTC on the appropriate dates. Wherever a rule refer to an period of time beginning at a time other than 1200 UTC that is to last one interval, it shall refer to the period of time ending at 1200 UTC four days after the date when the period began. (Thus, for example, one interval from 2004 UTC on November 2nd is 1200 UTC on November 6th, and one interval from 0318 UTC on January 24th is 1200 UTC on January 28th.)

203 (Amended by 351)

The game will proceed by sessions, with each session lasting one interval and beginning at the conclusion of the previous except where otherwise stated. Each session consists of three parts as follows:: 1. At the opening of each session, the session poll will be opened. This poll shall allow all eligible players to vote separately on each rule-change that met the proper criteria and was proposed during the previous session. These rule-changes will be voted on in the form in which they were proposed at the close of the previous session. This poll will remain open for one interval, at the end of which the votes will be officially counted.
2. During each session, any player may choose to propose rule-changes. Only rule-changes posted as a discussion post in this community shall be considered to be proposed.
3. At the close of each session, first, all rule-changes receiving sufficient votes in the session poll shall be enacted, and second, all score changes resulting from that session shall be effected.

204 (Amended by 308)

During each session, each player may either propose one rule-change by posting a discussion post to Nomicide or sponsor one proposed rule-change by so indicating in a comment on the corresponding discussion post. If at a particular time a player appears to have attempted to do both, only the proposal shall be considered valid at that time. If at a particular time a player appears to have attempted to sponsor multiple rule changes or proposed multiple rule-changes, the player shall be considered to have sponsored none or proposed none at that time. (Note: players may withdraw proposals or sponsorships either by (a) editing the discussion post or replying to the sponsorship comment to that effect, or (b) deleting the post or comment. The former is preferred.) (Note: any comments sponsoring a withdrawn proposal are null and void.)

No proposed rule-change shall be voted on except where required by a rule.

All proposed rule-changes with at least three valid sponsors shall be voted upon.

205 (Amended by 320)

When the voting concludes on a proposal, the proposer shall receive N points and each sponsor N/M points, where M equals the number of sponsors and N is calculated by subtracting 291 from the ordinal number of the proposal and multiplying the result by the fraction of favorable votes it received. All scores shall then be rounded to the nearest integer. (Example: if Proposal 322, sponsored by 6 players, receives nine votes in favor and three opposed, then N = (322-291)*(9/4) = 23.25, N/M = 23.25/6 = 3.875, and the proposer nets 23 points and each sponsor 4 points.)

206 (Amended by 360)

If a proposed rule-change is defeated, the proposer shall lose 10 points and each sponsor shall lose 3 points.

207 (Amended by 350)

If a player fails to propose or sponsor rule changes for five sessions in succession, that player forfeits.

208 (Amended by 301)

A rule-change is adopted if and only if it receives a 90% supermajority among those eligible voters who vote on it. If this rule is not amended by the end of the fifth session, it automatically changes to require only a simple majority.

209

Each player always has exactly one vote.

210 (Amended by 346)

The winner is the first player to achieve 200 (positive) points.

211 (Repealed by 337)

At no time may there be more than 25 mutable rules.

212

If two or more mutable rules conflict with one another, or if two or more immutable rules conflict with one another, then the rule with the lowest 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 supersede 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 again governs.

213 (Amended by 354)

If players disagree about the legality of a move or the interpretation or application of a rule, then the player alphabetically preceding the one moving is to be the Judge and decide the question. Disagreement for the purposes of this rule may be created by the insistence of any player. This process is called invoking Judgement.

The Judge's Judgement may be overruled only by a unanimous vote of the other players taken before the next session is begun. If a Judge's Judgement is overruled, then the player alphabetically preceding the Judge becomes the new Judge for the question, and so on.

Unless a Judge is overruled, one Judge settles all questions arising from the game during Judgement, including questions as to his or her own legitimacy and jurisdiction as Judge.

New Judges are not bound by the decisions of old Judges. New Judges may, however, settle only those questions on which the players currently disagree and that affect the completion or noncompletion of the move or application of rule over which Judgement was invoked. All decisions by Judges shall be in accordance with all the rules then in effect; but when the rules are silent, inconsistent, or unclear on the point at issue, then the Judge shall consider game-custom and the spirit of the game before applying other standards.

A Judge may, where necessary, suspend play for one interval. This suspension of play does not automatically affect the completion of the session poll or delay the effect of any rule thereby enacted. If Judgement is invoked less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the next session, this suspension automatically occurs, but may be nullified by agreement of a majority of the players and the Judge.

"Judgment" and "Judgement" shall be considered synonymous terms; however, the latter shall be preferred when possible. (Note: this means that "judgement" should be the tag placed on Judgements, rather than "judgment".)

214 (Amended by 348)

If the rules are changed so that further play is impossible, or if the legality of a move cannot be determined with finality, or if by the Judge's best reasoning, not overruled, a move appears equally legal and illegal, then the first player unable to complete a turn is the winner.

This rule takes precedence over every other rule determining the winner.

215 (Amended by 349)

When the game ends, the Constitutional Convention shall begin. No mutable rules other than this one shall be considered in effect during the Constitutional Convention.

When the Constitutional Convention opens, the winner of the game or whosoever said winner shall designate will become the Head of the Constitutional Convention.

During the Constitutional Convention, all members are encouraged to post questions, comments, and suggestions regarding the Initial Ruleset for the next game on Nomicide, within reason.

At any point during the Constitutional Convention at least four days subsequent to the end of the game and at least one day subsequent to the expiration of the previous poll, the Head may propose an Initial Ruleset. If a poll of Nomicide members lasting four days shows that the majority support said ruleset, then the Constitutional Convention will close and a new game begin with that ruleset; otherwise, the Constitutional Convention will continue as before. No Head may propose more than three Ruleset polls.

If any member has held the position of Head for at least one month (def. as the period between the Nth day of a month and the Nth day of the following month or the period between the Nth day of a month and the last day of the following month, whichever is shorter) and no Ruleset poll is in progress, any member may request an approval poll; this poll will run for four days.

In the approval poll, the names of all current Nomicide members will be listed in a random order, and all members will be given the choice whether or not to vote for each one. If the majority of voters support the present Head, that member will continue in the position; if they do not, whichever member received the most votes will become Head. In the event of a tie, the members with the most votes will be given 48 hours to decide which of them will become the Head - if they have not come to a consensus in that time, the approval poll will be reopened for 48 hours. (Note: this process may repeat if the reopened poll ends in a tie.)

If a third Ruleset poll by the current Head ends with no Ruleset supported, an approval poll will be run as if it were requested, save that the Head will not automatically continue in the same post if that member receives majority support. (Note: This means that the same Head may be re-elected only if said Head receives the most votes in the poll.)

301

Amending 208:

A rule-change is adopted if and only if it receives a simple majority of support among those eligible voters who vote on it.

308 (Amended by 352)

Amending 204:

During each session, each player may either propose one rule-change by posting a discussion post to nomicide or sponsor one to three proposed rule-changes by so indicating in comments on the corresponding discussion posts. If at a particular time a player appears to have attempted to do both, only the proposal shall be considered valid at that time. If at a particular time a player appears to have attempted to sponsor more than three rule-changes or proposed more than one rule-change, the player shall be considered to have sponsored none or proposed none at that time. (Note: players may withdraw proposals or sponsorships either by (a) editing the discussion post or replying to the sponsorship comment to that effect, or (b) deleting the post or comment. The former is preferred.) (Note: any comments sponsoring a withdrawn proposal are null and void.)

No proposed rule-change shall be voted on except where required by a rule.

All proposed rule-changes with at least three valid sponsors shall be voted upon.

320 (Amended by 353)

Amending 205:

When the voting concludes on a proposal, the proposer shall receive N points and each sponsor M points. All scores shall then be rounded to the nearest integer.

The values of all variables shall be calculated as follows. All variables will be calculated to 3 significant digits. All variables shall be recalculated individually for each player receiving points. N is calculated by subtracting 291 from the ordinal number of the proposal and multiplying the result by the fraction of favorable votes it received. M is calculated by dividing N by the number of valid sponsors for a proposal, and then multiplying by J. J is equal to half the number of sponsorships a player did not exercise in the session, plus one. If the value of M is greater than the value of N, then the value of M shall become equal to N.

(Example: if Proposal 322, sponsored by 6 players, receives nine votes in favor and three opposed, then N = (322-291)*(9/12) = 23.25, N/M = 23.25/6 = 3.875, and the proposer nets 23 points and each sponsor 4 points. If one sponsor had the option to make 3 sponsorships and only used one, J=0.5x2=1+1=2 and thus they would get 8 points for their sponsorship. If they had sponsored 2, then they would have gotten J=1.5, thus 6 points)

321

a) Every player shall receives 5 points for each of the following events:

The player's Birthday
Christmas
The anniversary of the game beginning (10 Nov)
Easter
The player's local national day(eg 4th July for US players, 6 Feb for NZ players)

b) Players may only receive points for each event once per calender year. Points shall be awarded to players at the end of the session in which the event occurs.( Except as noted below.)

c)Players should notify the maintainers, by replying to a vote post, of events which may not apply to all players and for which they wish to receive points.

d) Should an event not apply to any player(eg local national day), that player may choose the date for which they receives the points for that event by notifying the maintainers at least one session prior to the nominated date.

e) For those events which occur between this proposal and its enactment, points shall be awarded upon its enactment. This section (e) and the sentence in parentheses(and the parentheses) of (b) shall be removed after the points from this section are awarded to players.

323

At any time, any player who has no active rule-change proposal in the current session may make a fast-track proposal in a post to nomicide. Any player who has posted a fast-track proposal in a session shall be considered to have made a proposal in a discussion post for rules purposes, except as stated below. (Note: this prevents posting more than one proposal per session.) Each fast-track proposal must contain exactly one rule-change.

No players may sponsor a fast-track proposal. Fast-track polls will be included in the session poll; this poll will cause the enactment or defeat of the enclosed rule-changes as normal, save that no rule-change from a fast-track proposal shall pass that does not receive a two-thirds supermajority in favor. (Note: if no other rule applies, then this implies that two-thirds will suffice for passage; however, the application of another rule, e.g. 109, may raise the bar.) If a fast-track proposal passes, the proposer shall receive exactly 15 points; no other rules rewarding points for the passage of the proposal shall apply.

330

In each session poll, the proposal with the most sponsorships from the previous session shall be voted on. In the case of a tie, all the tied proposals shall be voted on.

If there are no proposals to be considered in the session in question, the set of proposals not yet voted on from one session earlier shall be considered unless no earlier session exists. (Note that this process may iterate. If no proposals are made for a sufficient number of consecutive sessions, therefore, this will result in all proposals going to vote, then empty vote posts until new proposals are made.)

Withdrawn proposals shall be considered to have -1 (negative one) sponsors for purposes of this rule.

332

In communications with external Nomics, the office of Diplomat is designated as the official representative of nomicide. All communications with external Nomics are to be conducted according to any and all Diplomatic Directives then in effect; whatever is not explicitly allowed, required or regulated by a Directive is prohibited, though Judgement may be invoked for extraordinary circumstances on which the Directives are silent.

When at the opening of a session the office of Diplomat is vacant, nominations shall be taken in the vote post. Nominees are voted upon in the session poll ending that session, and must receive a majority (>50%) of the vote to be elected Diplomat. If none of the nominees receives the necessary votes, the nominee(s) with the fewest votes are eliminated, and a subsequent vote is held for the remaining nominees. Only players of nomicide are eligible for nomination.

If a procedure is later enacted for the election of an office of nomicide, that procedure shall be used in place of that given in the preceding paragraph.

Once properly elected, the office of Diplomat is held until:: a) the Diplomat resigns the office;
b) the Diplomat ceases to be a player of nomicide; or
c) the Diplomat is found by a Judge to be in violation of the Diplomatic Directives then in effect.

If at any time the office of Diplomat is vacant, its duties revert to the maintainers, according to all relevant rules and Directives, until a new Diplomat is elected.

Diplomatic Directives may be proposed by any player, with a limit of one per player per session. Any Directives so proposed are voted on in the session poll, and are adopted if and only if they receive at least a two-thirds majority in favour. If a Directive is adopted, its proposer shall receive five points; no other rules regarding the award of points for proposals of any kind shall apply.

Proposing a Directive does not count towards the player's proposal(s) and/or sponsorship(s) for the session in which it is proposed. All proposed Directives shall be given a number for reference; these numbers shall begin with D101, with each proposed Directive receiveing the next successive integer, whether it is adopted or not.

Players not authorised by the rules are prohibited from representing themselves by act or omission as an official representative of nomicide, and any player found by a Judge to do so shall lose the sum of fifteen points.

341 (Amended by 368)

At any time a player may make a proposal for the good of Nomicide. Proposals FtGoN must clearly indicate their type by including the phrase for the good of Nomicide somewhere in the proposal post (not necessarily in the proposal text). With the exception of adoption/enaction requirements/criteria(i.e. how many votes are required to be adopted/enacted), proposals FtGoN shall not be considered proposals for purposes of any other rule. Unless withdrawn, proposals FtGoN shall be voted on within eight days (where 'day' is defined as per the International System of Units) of their proposal in a poll lasting no longer than eight days and open to all players of nomicide. If it receives sufficient support in said poll, it shall be enacted immediately. Players do not gain or lose points for proposals FtGoN. This rule supercedes all mutable rules.

344

Any player holding an office defined by the rules may at any time announce that they are taking leave from their office in a post to nomicide, provided that they specify the period during which they are absent and they specify a player of nomicide to act as a deputy. The period of leave must start no earlier than 48 hours subsequent to the announcement. If the period is specified in terms of dates, it shall be assumed to begin at 0000 UTC on the starting date and end at 2400 UTC on the final date.

At any time before the specified beginning of the leave, any player may make a motion to deny leave; this motion will result in the opening of a simple-majority poll of nomicide players lasting 24 hours deciding whether to deny the leave.

At any time before the specified beginning of the leave, the player named to act as a deputy may refuse the position. This will have the same effect as denying the leave.

If the leave is not denied, then player designated as the deputy shall be granted all the normal powers of the office and assigned the title associated with the office prefaced with "Deputy" (e.g. "Deputy Diplomat") during the period of the leave. For rules purposes, the player holding the office shall be held responsible for all actions performed by their assigned deputy in their stead.

The deputy shall be permitted to take leave only if the period specified for their leave does not extend past the period during which they are granted the powers of the office.

345

Amending 202:

The basic unit of time shall be the interval. Each interval shall be seven days long, beginning at 1200 UTC and ending immediately before 1200 UTC on the appropriate dates. Wherever a rule refers to a period of time beginning at a time other than 1200 UTC that is to last one interval, it shall refer to the period of time ending immediately before 1200 UTC seven days after the date when the period began. (Thus, for example, one interval from 2004 UTC on November 2nd is 1200 UTC on November 9th, and one interval from 0318 UTC on January 24th is 1200 UTC on February 2nd.)

If a period with duration measured in intervals is interrupted and resumed, the remaining duration shall be calculated as follows:

If the interruption precedes the end of the period by more than twelve (12) hours: The remaining duration shall be rounded to the nearest day, and the interval shall end immediately before 1200 UTC on the date that many days in the future. (e.g. if a session ending at 1200 UTC November 9th is interrupted by Judgement at any time on November 6th UTC, three days remain - thus, resumption at any time on November 8th implies completion at 1200 UTC on November 11th.)
If the interruption precedes the end of the period by less than twelve (12) hours: The period shall end immediately before 2400 UTC on the date of resumption.

In the event of ambiguous time stamps, barring Judgement, the longer duration shall be used.

346

Amending 210:

The winner is the first player to achieve 500 (positive) points.

348

Amending 214:

This rule takes precedence over every other rule determining the winner.

349 (Amended by 373)

Amending 215:

Section 1: When any player becomes the winner, they may choose one of two resolutions: a Reset or a Constitutional Convention. If they choose the former, a Reset will be performed as described in Section 2 of this rule. If they choose the latter, a Constitutional Convention will be opened and carried out as described in Section 3 of this rule.

Section 2: When a Reset is performed:

Any rule which refers to a specific player shall be repealed. If any rule repealed by this clause is an amendment of a rule in the Initial Ruleset, said rule from the Initial Ruleset shall be enacted with the ordinal number and wording from the Initial Ruleset. (Thus, if through some shenanigans exampleuser had the Judgement rule amended to read "exampleuser is to be the Judge", the Judgement rule would be repealed and re-enacted in its original form.)
For rules purposes, all players' statuses shall be determined as if the game had just begun and they joined at the start. (Note: this implies, for example, that all players shall have zero points and no players will hold any offices after a reset.)
For purposes of calculating the ordinal number of the first proposed rule-change after a Reset, the next successive integer shall be considered to be C+1, where C is the smallest multiple of 100 greater than the largest ordinal number existing before the Reset. (Thus, if a player won the game after rule-change 389 was proposed, C = 400 and the next proposed rule-change would be numbered 401.)
Wherever a phrase of the form "subtracting D from the ordinal number" appears in a rule, D shall be amended to equal C-19, where C is as above. This amendment shall not change the ordinal number of the rule containing the phrase.
The next session shall begin immediately and be numbered R\One, where R is one plus the number of Resets performed since the last Constitutional Convention, written as a Roman numeral. Session numbers shall then increment to R\Two, R\Three, etc. Wherever any rule refers to the number of a session, it shall refer to the number after the backslash ("\").

In the event that another rule specifies conditions on the performance of a Reset that cannot be met without violating the above, such conditions shall be considered void. In the event that another rule specifies conditions on the performance of a Reset that subvert the intent of the above, such conditions shall be considered void.

Section 3: When a Constitutional Convention opens, the winner of the game or whomsoever said winner shall designate will become the Head of the Constitutional Convention. No mutable rules other than this one shall be considered in effect during a Constitutional Convention.

During a Constitutional Convention, all members are encouraged to post questions, comments, and suggestions regarding the Initial Ruleset for the next game on nomicide, within reason.

At any point during the Constitutional Convention at least four days subsequent to the end of the game and at least one day subsequent to the expiration of the previous poll, the Head may propose an Initial Ruleset. If a poll of nomicide members lasting four days shows that the majority support said ruleset, then the Constitutional Convention will close and a new game begun with that ruleset; otherwise, the Constitutional Convention will continue as before. No Head may propose more than three Ruleset polls.

In the approval poll, the names of all current nomicide members will be listed in a random order, and all members will be given the choice whether or not to vote for each one. If the majority of voters support the present Head, that member will continue in the position; if they do not, whichever member received the most votes will become Head. In the event of a tie, the members with the most votes will be given 48 hours to decide which of them will become the Head - if they have not come to a consensus in that time, the approval poll will be reopened for 48 hours. (Note: this process may repeat if the reopened poll ends in a tie.)

350

Amending 207:

A "move" shall be defined as any action taken by a player which has a tangible effect on the game. This includes, but is not limited to, making proposals, sponsoring proposals and voting in polls. Note that even if subsequently withdrawn, the act of making a proposal still counts as an action. The withdrawal counts as a second, separate action.

Actions taken outside of the game, but related to the game, do not count as "moves" for the purposes of this game. This includes promotion, recruitment and diplomatic communications with outside Nomics, as they have no actual effect on the game itself.

Do note that if diplomatic relations result in a tangible effect on the game (such as a treaty), so specific actions are considered moves, while the remainder are not.

If a player fails to make any moves, aside from voting in polls, for five sessions in succession, that player forfeits.

351

Amending 203:

The game will proceed by sessions, with each session lasting one interval and beginning at the conclusion of the previous except where otherwise stated. Each session consists of three parts as follows:

At the opening of each session, the session poll will be opened. This poll shall allow all eligible players to vote separately on each proposal that met the proper criteria and was proposed during the previous session. These proposals will be voted on in the form in which they were proposed at the close of the previous session. Voting on a proposal shall be considered to be voting on any rule-change(s) it contains. If any rule-change in a proposal fails to get sufficient votes to be enacted, all of the rule-changes in the proposal shall be considered to have insufficient votes. This poll will remain open for one interval, at the end of which the votes will be officially counted.
During each session, any player may choose to propose rule-changes. Only rule-changes posted as a discussion post in this community shall be considered to be proposed.
At the close of each session, first, all rule-changes receiving sufficient votes in the session poll shall be enacted in the order in which they were proposed, and second, all score changes resulting from that session shall be effected.

352

Amending 308:

During each session, each player may either propose one or more rule-changes by posting a discussion post to nomicide or sponsor one to three proposals by so indicating in comments on the corresponding discussion posts. Sponsoring a proposal shall be considered to be sponsoring any rule-change(s) it contains. If at a particular time a player appears to have attempted to do both, only the proposal shall be considered valid at that time. If at a particular time a player appears to have attempted to sponsor more than three proposals or proposed more than one proposal, the player shall be considered to have sponsored none or proposed none at that time. (Note: players may withdraw proposals or sponsorships either by (a) editing the discussion post or replying to the sponsorship comment to that effect, or (b) deleting the post or comment. The former is preferred.) (Note: any comments sponsoring a withdrawn proposal are null and void.)

No proposed rule-change shall be voted on except where required by a rule.

All proposed rule-changes with at least three valid sponsors shall be voted upon.

353 (Amended by 361)

Amending 320:

When the voting concludes on a proposal, the proposer shall receive N points and each sponsor M points. All scores shall then be rounded to the nearest integer. The values of all variables shall be calculated as follows. All variables will be calculated to 3 significant digits. All variables shall be recalculated individually for each player receiving points. N is calculated by subtracting 291 from the ordinal number of the first rule-change of the proposal and multiplying the result by the fraction of favorable votes it received. M is calculated by dividing N by the number of valid sponsors for a proposal, and then multiplying by J. J is equal to half the number of sponsorships a player did not exercise in the session, plus one. If the value of M is greater than the value of N, then the value of M shall become equal to N.

(Example: if a proposal with 3 rule-changes(322,323 & 324), sponsored by 6 players, receives nine votes in favor and three opposed, then N = (322-291)*(9/12) = 23.25, N/M = 23.25/6 = 3.875, and the proposer nets 23 points and each sponsor 4 points. If one sponsor had the option to make 3 sponsorships and only used one, J=0.5x2=1+1=2 and thus they would get 8 points for their sponsorship. If they had sponsored 2, then they would have gotten J=1.5, thus 6 points)

354

Amending 213:

If players disagree about the legality of a move or the interpretation or application of a rule, then the player alphabetically preceding the one moving is to be the Judge and decide the question. For purposes of this rule, moves shall include but not be limited to proposing and sponsoring rule-changes, opening session polls and calculating player scores, any game action defined in the rules, and any action defined as a move elsewhere in the rules. Disagreement for the purposes of this rule may be created by the insistence of any player. This process is called invoking Judgement.

For purposes of determining the Judge, the player moving shall be the player whose move (or lack thereof) is of disputed legality except where a rule specifies otherwise. In cases of ambiguity, the player moving shall be considered to be the player invoking Judgement.

The Judge's Judgement may be overruled only by a unanimous vote of the other players taken before the passage of one interval, except as noted below. If a Judge's Judgement is overruled, then the player alphabetically preceding the Judge becomes the new Judge for the question, and so on.

If the Judge has a conflict of interest – that is to say, is in a position to exploit the powers of Judgement in some way for the personal benefit of the Judge or some affiliated party – then the Judgement may be overruled by a simple majority vote among the other players. (Disagreement among players not the Judge concerning the putative conflict of interest will be judged by the player alphabetically preceding said Judge. Note that this Judge's decision may also be overturned for a conflict of interest.) In addition, Judges who consider themselves to have conflicts of interest may choose to recuse themselves, provided they have not previously recused themselves from the same question. Recusals shall have the same effect as the overruling of their Judgements.

New Judges are not bound by the decisions of old Judges. New Judges may, however, settle only those questions on which the players currently disagree and that affect the completion or noncompletion of the move or application of rule over which Judgement is invoked. All decisions by Judges shall be in accordance with all the rules then in effect; but when the rules are silent, inconsistent, or unclear on the point at issue, then the Judge shall consider game-custom and the spirit of the game before applying other standards.

A Judge may, as desired, suspend play for the duration of Judgement. This suspension of play does not automatically affect the completion of the session poll or delay the effect of any rule thereby enacted. If Judgement is invoked less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the next session, this suspension shall automatically occur. If Judgement is called to examine the presence or absence of a conflict of interest, this suspension shall automatically occur. At any time during a suspension, a player may call for a poll to end the suspension. This poll will run for 36 hours and be subject to the same requirements for success as a standard rule-change. A suspension ended in this manner may not be reinvoked by the same Judge for a minimum of one (1) interval.

"Judgment" and "Judgement" shall be considered synonymous terms; the latter shall be preferred when possible. (Note: this means that "judgement" should be the tag placed on Judgements, rather than "judgment".)

358

Each Office defined by the rules shall have an assigned Staff of at least one. Any Office with an assigned Staff of more than one shall have an Organization Chart comprising a defined hierarchy of positions, a defined set of powers and responsibilities for each position, and a defined Staffer for each occupied position.

For purposes of this rule, a "power" of an Office is defined as an action which either:

carries a rules-defined penalty applied to players taking (or not taking) the action with a specific exception for at least one position in that Office, or
involves a rules-defined restriction which implies that it normally cannot be performed (or abstained from) by players of the game, but that an exception exists for at least one position in that Office.

Powers to perform actions are dubbed "active" powers; powers to refrain from actions are dubbed "passive" powers.

Note: Rule 332, by this definition, establishes that the Diplomat has the power of acting as an official representative.

Additionally, for purposes of this rule, a "responsibility" of an Office is defined as an action which either:

carries a rules-defined penalty for performance of (or abstention from) the action whose application is specific to one or more positions in that Office, or
involves a rules-defined restriction on at least one position in that Office implying its holder cannot (or must) perform the action.

Responsibilities to perform actions are dubbed "active" responsibilities; responsibilities to abstain from actions are dubbed "passive" responsibilities.

(Note: Rule 332, by this definition, establishes that the Diplomat has the responsibility of obeying the Diplomatic Directives.)

The top position of the hierarchy in any Organization Chart shall be unique and shall be designated the Head of the Office in question. The Head of any Office shall possess all the powers and share all the responsibilities held by their Office or any Staffer therein. Wherever the rules refer to a player holding an Office without further elaboration, they either refer to any Staffer of that Office or the Head of that Office as appropriate. Whenever an Office has only one Staffer, that Staffer is the Head of that Office.

A copy of each Organization Chart with the holders of each position indicated shall be kept wherever the record of the rules is officially kept.

At any time, the Head of an Office may request change in assigned Staff in a post to nomicide tagged "administration". Said request must be accompanied by a revised Organization Chart which neither (a) removes from any position passive responsibilities assigned to the whole Office, (b) removes from all positions any active responsibility assigned to any position in the Office, (c) grants to any position powers not already possessed by the Office, nor (d) assigns as a Staffer to any position any player not already part of the Staff of the Office. This request shall be submitted to a majority vote of the community in the session poll. If granted, the new Organization Chart shall be adopted and the assigned Staff of the Office shall become equal to the number of positions therein.

Whenever a player holds the position of the Head of an Office and the number of players holding positions in an Office is less than the Office's assigned Staff, nominations shall be taken in the vote post for any position which is:
(a) vacant, or
(b) held by a player who holds another position within the same Office.
At the end of any session during which nominations were made for a position matching one of the above criteria, a poll will be held for that position that includes all nominees and the current Staffer holding the position (if any). The player who receives:
(i) a majority (>50%) of the vote, including the Head of the Office, or
(ii) a two-thirds supermajority of the vote,
...shall be appointed, if they exist. If no nominee meets one of these requirements, the nominee(s) with the fewest votes are eliminated, and, if the number of players holding positions in the Office remains less than the Office's assigned Staff and any nominees remain, another poll for the position shall be held the following session including all remaining nominees. Only players of nomicide are eligible for nomination.

360

Amending 206:

If a proposal does not successfully pass, the proposer shall lose U points. U is equal to half the points the proposer would have gained had the proposal passed, assuming that the players that voted against the proposal had voted for it, and the players that voted for the proposal had voted against it. If the proposal ties, U shall be calculated assuming that one more player voted for the proposal and one less voted against the proposal. If the failed proposal was a fast track proposal, U is equal to 8.

361

Amending 353:

When the voting concludes on a proposal, if the proposal successfully passes, the proposer shall receive N points and each sponsor M points. All scores shall then be rounded to the nearest integer. The values of all variables shall be calculated as follows. All variables will be calculated to 3 significant digits. All variables shall be recalculated individually for each player receiving points. N is calculated by subtracting 291 from the ordinal number of the first rule-change of the proposal and multiplying the result by the fraction of favorable votes it received. M is calculated by dividing N by the number of valid sponsors for a proposal, and then multiplying by J. J is equal to half the number of sponsorships a player did not exercise in the session, plus one. If the value of M is greater than the value of N, then the value of M shall become equal to N.

362

Amending 201:

All players joining the game at the start shall begin with zero points.

Any person who had been a player but lost the game since the last time the game was won may only rejoin the game under one of the clauses in this paragraph. Any such person may rejoin the game with zero points. Any such person who lost by means other than an intentional forfeit may rejoin the game with N-S points, where N is their previous score or the starting score a new player would have joining with their LJ handle, whichever is lower, and S is the number of complete sessions since the last time the game was won. Any such person who automatically forfeited due to inactivity may rejoin the game with P points, where P is their previous score. Any person rejoining under this paragraph who does not state which clause they will rejoin under shall be readmitted under that which leaves them with the highest score. For purposes of this rule, only the most recent loss of the player wishing to rejoin shall be considered.

364

In the event that a rule-change is enacted would amend a rule that has already been amended or repealed, the rule-change shall be considered void unless its proposer calls for Judgement within one day of its passage. When the proposer calls for Judgement, they shall also provide a revised version of the rule-change which amends the current version of the rule in question, if a current version exists, or enacts a new rule, if no current version exists.

When Judgement is called by the above clause, the Judge shall be charged with determining whether the revised version of the rule-change both (a) effects substantively similar changes to gameplay as the original version of the rule-change would have, and (b) effects no significant changes to gameplay that the original version would not have. If by the Judge's best judgement these criteria are met, the revised rule-change shall be enacted. If by the Judge's best judgement they are not, the rule-change shall be considered void.

Judgements called by this rule shall be subject to overruling as normal. Judgements called by this rule shall not cause the suspension of play.

367

In the event that an enacted rule-change would amend a rule that has already been amended or repealed, the rule-change shall be considered void unless its proposer calls for Judgement within one day of its passage. When the proposer calls for Judgement, they shall also provide a revised version of the rule-change which amends the current version of the rule in question, if a current version exists, or enacts a new rule, if no current version exists.

Judgements called by this rule shall be subject to overruling as normal. Judgements called by this rule shall not cause the suspension of play.

368 (Amended by 370)

Amending 341:

At any time a player may make a proposal for the good of Nomicide. Proposals FtGoN must clearly indicate their type by including the phrase for the good of Nomicide somewhere in the proposal post (not necessarily in the proposal text). With the exception of adoption/enaction requirements/criteria (i.e. how many votes are required to be adopted/enacted), proposals FtGoN shall not be considered proposals for purposes of any other rule. Unless withdrawn, proposals FtGoN shall be voted on no earlier than four days nor later than eight days from the time of their proposal in a poll lasting between four and eight days and open to all players of nomicide. If it receives sufficient support in said poll, it shall be enacted immediately. Players do not gain or lose points for proposals FtGoN. This rule supercedes all mutable rules. For purposes of this rule, 'day' is defined as per the International System of Units.

370

Amending 368:

At any time a player may make a proposal for the good of Nomicide. Proposals FtGoN must clearly indicate their type by including the phrase for the good of Nomicide somewhere in the proposal post (not necessarily in the proposal text). With the exception of adoption/enaction requirements/criteria (i.e. how many votes are required to be adopted/enacted), proposals FtGoN shall not be considered proposals for purposes of any other rule. Unless withdrawn, proposals FtGoN shall be voted on no later than eight days from the time of their proposal in a poll lasting between four and eight days and open to all players of nomicide. If it receives sufficient support in said poll, it shall be enacted immediately. Players do not gain or lose points for proposals FtGoN. This rule supercedes all mutable rules. For purposes of this rule, 'day' is defined as per the International System of Units.

373

Amending 349:

Section 1: When any player becomes the winner, they may choose one of two resolutions: a Reset or a Constitutional Convention. If they choose the former, or if they do not make a choice within seven days of becoming the winner, a Reset will be performed as described in Section 2 of this rule. If they choose the latter, a Constitutional Convention will be opened and carried out as described in Section 3 of this rule.

Section 2: When a Reset is performed:

Any rule which refers to a specific player shall be repealed. If any rule repealed by this clause is an amendment of a rule in the Initial Ruleset, said rule from the Initial Ruleset shall be enacted with the ordinal number and wording from the Initial Ruleset. (Thus, if through some shenanigans exampleuser had the Judgement rule amended to read "exampleuser is to be the Judge", the Judgement rule would be repealed and re-enacted in its original form.)
For rules purposes, all players' statuses shall be determined as if the game had just begun and they joined at the start. (Note: this implies, for example, that all players shall have zero points and no players will hold any offices after a reset.)
For purposes of calculating the ordinal number of the first proposed rule-change after a Reset, the next successive integer shall be considered to be C+1, where C is the smallest multiple of 100 greater than the largest ordinal number existing before the Reset. (Thus, if a player won the game after rule-change 389 was proposed, C = 400 and the next proposed rule-change would be numbered 401.)
Wherever a phrase of the form "subtracting D from the ordinal number" appears in a rule, D shall be amended to equal C-19, where C is as above. This amendment shall not change the ordinal number of the rule containing the phrase.
The next session shall begin immediately and be numbered R\One, where R is one plus the number of Resets performed since the last Constitutional Convention, written as a Roman numeral. Session numbers shall then increment to R\Two, R\Three, etc. Wherever any rule refers to the number of a session, it shall refer to the number after the backslash ("\").

In the event that another rule specifies conditions on the performance of a Reset that cannot be met without violating the above, such conditions shall be considered void. In the event that another rule specifies conditions on the performance of a Reset that subvert the intent of the above, such conditions shall be considered void.

Section 3: When a Constitutional Convention opens, the winner of the game or whomsoever said winner shall designate will become the Head of the Constitutional Convention. No mutable rules other than this one shall be considered in effect during a Constitutional Convention.

During a Constitutional Convention, all members are encouraged to post questions, comments, and suggestions regarding the Initial Ruleset for the next game on nomicide, within reason.

At any point during the Constitutional Convention at least four days subsequent to the end of the game and at least one day subsequent to the expiration of the previous poll, the Head may propose an Initial Ruleset. If a poll of nomicide members lasting four days shows that the majority support said ruleset, then the Constitutional Convention will close and a new game begun with that ruleset; otherwise, the Constitutional Convention will continue as before. No Head may propose more than three Ruleset polls.

If any member has held the position of Head for at least one month (def. as the period between the Nth day of a month and the Nth day of the following month or the period between the Nth day of a month and the last day of the following month, whichever is shorter) and no Ruleset poll is in progress, any member may request an approval poll; this poll will run for four days.

In the approval poll, the names of all current nomicide members will be listed in a random order, and all members will be given the choice whether or not to vote for each one. If the majority of voters support the present Head, that member will continue in the position; if they do not, whichever member received the most votes will become Head. In the event of a tie, the members with the most votes will be given 48 hours to decide which of them will become the Head - if they have not come to a consensus in that time, the approval poll will be reopened for 48 hours. (Note: this process may repeat if the reopened poll ends in a tie.)

If a third Ruleset poll by the current Head ends with no Ruleset supported, an approval poll will be run as if it were requested, save that the Head will not automatically continue in the same post if that member receives majority support. (Note: This means that the same Head may be re-elected only if said Head receives the most votes in the poll.)

374

In any situation where an ambiguity in the rules may affect the proper execution of a maintainer's duties, the maintainer(s) may, at their discretion, make an interim decision as to the proper resolution of that ambiguity.

When discretion is exercised, any decisions by the maintainer(s) are to be made in keeping with any and all guidelines prescribed for Judgement. The rationale for any exercise of discretion is then to be made in the same post as the decision, or, if such rationale exceeds a reasonable length, in a separate post that immediately follows it.

Any player may challenge such decisions within one interval, at which point the challenged decision is suspended (and its effects nullified) while the original matter is referred to Judgement. For purposes of determining a Judge, the player who first challenges the decision shall be considered to be moving; if this would result in a maintainer being Judge, a new Judge shall instead be chosen as though the maintainer had recused.

Directives

D101

At least once per session, the Diplomat must post a summary of communications with external Nomics to the nomicide community. The format for this post is at the Diplomat's discretion, and a session summary may be posted at any time during the session in which it is due.

All posts made under this Directive are to be tagged 'diplomacy'.

D102

The Diplomat must maintain Nomicide's Article on Nomic Wiki. The Diplomat must keep the article up to date and develop it's content at a speed deemed reasonable by the Diplomat. This article must at the least contain a description of gameplay, the basic rules, encouragement for new players to join and links to the games homepage.

If a player finds a resource where the player feels that an article or entry for Nomicide would be beneficial, he may notify the Diplomat as such. If such a situation arises, the Diplomat must reply within 3 days with acceptance or denial and the reason why.

D103

Diplomats may negotiate treaties, on behalf of Nomicide, with other nomics.

The quoted contents of such negotiations must be made available to Nomicide players upon request by any Nomicide player.

Such treaties shall only be binding upon Nomicide after it has been ratified in its final form by a simple majority of Nomicide players and similarly recognised and made binding on and by the other nomic. Ratified treaties shall be listed as a rule of Nomicide, with a T in front of the rule number, and shall not bind Nomicide or its members beyond being a rule of nomicide.

D104

The Diplomat may, at their discretion, converse in any fashion with any representative of another Nomic in their official capacity, subject to the following restrictions:

The Diplomat shall in a timely fashion inform the community of all conversations held and provide transcripts to any player on request. (Note: this requires that all official conversations held under this Directive be recorded so that said transcripts may be produced.)
The Diplomat shall not misrepresent the powers of their Office.

D106

The Diplomat shall ensure that contact information be made publicly available on the nomicide

comm. info page,

rules page, and NomicWiki pages. This contact info will include (at minimum) (a) one email address that the Diplomat checks regularly or (b) one email address that forwards to an email address that the Diplomat checks regularly. The Diplomat may obfusticate the email address if desired.

D107

In the tradition of Switzerland, nomicide shall remain politically neutral in all dealings involving outside Nomics, and the diplomat shall conduct themselves in accordance with this policy.

This includes, but is not limited to, neutrality in any Nomic Wars that may occur between external Nomics. In addition, nomicide shall never be in an power-exchanging relationship to any external Nomic. Said relationships include, but are not limited to participating in any form of protectorate, dominion, rulership, commonwealth, union, coalition, ownership, subserviance, kingdom, nation, tribe, corporation, federation, empire, realm, enclave, confederacy, league, alliance, syndicate, jurisdiction or hegemony, in any type of hierarchial role.

Any direct dealings with outside Nomics shall be in a manner that both assert and maintain the integrity and soverignity of nomicide, ceding no control over the game, and gaining no control over any outside Nomic.

Repeals

337: Repealed 211.

NomicideRules

Immutable Rules

Mutable Rules

Directives

Repeals