Subject: acka-research-digest V2 #242
From: [email-masked] (acka-research-digest)
To: [email-masked]

acka-research-digest    Saturday, January 31 1998    Volume 02 : Number 242

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 10:37:25 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Chronology of a Non-Point Win

On Fri, 30 Jan 1998, Malenkai wrote:

> towards the CFJs in question make the offer, and that the justices
> accept it.  I also suggest that if it comes to spirit of the game,
> that the court rule I never left, otherwise Internomic is pretty
> hosed, as the other moderator has not lifted a finger, AFAIK.

I sent a couple of queries about whether you received any votes privately
other than the ones that were posted on the list , and you never replied.

Niccolo Flychuck

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 12:23:42 -1000
From: Rico <[email-masked]>
Subject: RFC: Evil Midnight Bomber

This guy needs some serious work; he'll get shot down in seconds as he is
now.  I've included some comments after the proposal, please let me know
what all of you think.

For those of you who don't get the reference because you haven't seen the
Tick, well... you should.

- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Create a new rule, with any number in the 900's which would make it
unique, with the title "Evil Midnight Bomber" and the following text,
delimited by BOOM:

BOOM
There exists a unique, unownable entity known as the Evil Midnight Bomber
What Bombs At Midnight (hereafter known as the Bomber for purposes of this
Rule). 

At midnight on each day whose date (day of the month) is a prime number
which contains the digit '3', the Evil Midnight Bomber has a 1 in 50
probability (determined by the Officer in Charge of Random Things) of
bombing a random Rule (chosen by the same officer as above, from all
current Rules in the Ruleset) in one of the following four manners:

1. If the day in question is the third of the month, the Bomber shall
use a Hoffa Bomb, which repeals the Rule.  If the Rule in question states
or implies that it cannot be repealed by other Rules, the Hoffa Bomb shall
fail.

2. If the day in question is the thirteenth of the month, the Bomber will
use a Frobnotz Bomb, in which a noun phrase in the selected Rule (noun
phrase chosen by the Speaker) shall trade places within the Ruleset with
another noun phrase (chosen by the Harfmeister) from the Rule immediately
succeeding the selected Rule in ordinal number.  If the two noun phrases
chosen are of different pluralities (i.e. one is plural and the other
singular) then the Frobnotz Bomb shall fail.

3. If the day in question is the twenty-third of the month, the Bomber
shall use an Airline Luggage Bomb, which transports the Rule in question
to the Wilds of Ackanomia.  While a Rule is in the Wilds of Ackanomia, it
remains part of the Ruleset, but is treated as if it did not exist.  In
order to reintroduce a Rule which has been transported to the Wilds
(hereafter the abducted Rule) into the Ruleset, the Archaeologist must
organize an Expedition, which at least five players (including the
Archaeologist) must state publically that they are joining.  Each player
involved in this Expedition must spend a minimum of three consecutive days
in the Wilds of Ackanomia, starting from the time e declared e was joining
the Expedition, or the Expedition fails.  Once the entire Expedition has
returned from the Wilds of Ackanomia (with each member having been there
at least three consecutive days), it is considered successful and the
abducted Rule shall be returned to the Ruleset (once again treated as if
extant).  If the Rule in question contains any form of the word "post,"
however, the Airline Luggage Bomb shall recognize its nemesis and fail.
  Unfortunately, a side effect of the Airline Luggage Bomb is that it
damages the eardrums, making one hard of hearing.  Therefore, for a week
after an Airline Luggage Bomb has exploded, all players involved in an
Expedition to recover an abducted rule must publicly post at least one
message each per day in which, aside from subject line and signature, no
lower-case letters exist.  Such a message is considered to be Shouted.
The B-Ack, should such an entity exist, has an 80% chance (determined by
the Officer in Charge of Random Things) of hearing a Shouted message
posted by a player in the Wilds of Ackanomia, instead of a 40% chance.  If
a player involved in an Expedition to recover an Abducted Rule fails to
send at least one Shouted message per day, e becomes Stoned, should such
an attribute exist, otherwise e becomes Hosed.  If, at any time, there
exists no such entity as the B-Ack, this paragraph shall repeal itself.

4. If the day in question is the thirty-first of the month, the Bomber
shall use a Harfy Bomb.  A Harfy Bomb changes all occurrences of the
most-often-occurring word, excluding articles, conjunctions, and
conjugations of the verb "to be," in the body and title of the Rule to the
following double-quote-delimited string: "Harfy Harf Harf".  If no one
word occurs most often in the Rule in question, the Harfy Bomb shall fail.

Any time that one of the Bomber's bombs successfully explodes, he shall
shout out in a ringing voice so as to be heard by all Ackanomic, 
"MWA HA HA!  I got you, my pretty, and your Golden Frog too!"

Any time one of the Bomber's bombs fails, he will scream in frustration,
loudly enough to be heard by all Ackanomic, "Curses!  Foiled again!"

It is rumored to be written in the Ackanomicon that if the Bomber screams
while the Fat Lady is singing, the End of the World may occur.
BOOM

- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I definitely think that the Hoffa Bomb is too powerful.  I really like the
Airline Luggage bomb, and the Harfy Bomb makes me crack up every time I
think of, for example, Nemesis Eggplants suddenly becoming known as
Nemesis Harfy Harf Harfs.  The other two are kind of take-it-or-leave-it,
though.

Some other ideas I had were the Terrorist Bomb, which would detach a
random building from its suction cups (since I don't believe we have
Floods any more) or the Party Crasher Bomb, which would be tossed onto the
Party Chess board and blow a hole in the board across which pieces
couldn't move.  If and when I propose this, I'll give credit (and
points) to any who propose new bomb ideas.

Please let me know if you like it in its current form, and if not, what
should be changed.

(The Airline Luggage Bomb may meet with resistance because of its
similarity to the Sinister Aliens, which I gather not too many people
liked.  I tried to make it relatively easy (and fun) to get the rule
back.)

On an unrelated note, I encourage people to vote for Slakko's B-Ack
proposal whether or not I decide to submit this one.

- -rico

Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface. 

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 01 Feb 1998 08:39:15 -1100
From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: RFC: Like a rolling Stone

> I would like to nominate this post for a Silver Moon award.
>
> Balsamic Dragon

If I have any say in the matter (which I probably don't), I do too.

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 01 Feb 1998 09:24:29 -1100
From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CPPIA RFC

AARON KEESLER wrote:

> I actually prefer cheap trinkets to exist.  In fact, I wouldn't mind
> having zero-value trinkets.  I just like making trinkets the have cool
> descriptions, and a read through the trinket list shows all sorts of
> interesting Ackahistory in cheap trinkets.  However, I am neither the
> Trinket-Harfer or the Financier... is it significantly more work?
>
> Just my A$.02
>

I like em too.
A creative statement that :
    doesn't tie up liquid assets
    Can be made when your practically skint

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 17:53:32 -0500
From: Towsner <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: RFC: Evil Midnight Bomber

>1. If the day in question is the third of the month, the Bomber shall
>use a Hoffa Bomb, which repeals the Rule.  If the Rule in question states
>or implies that it cannot be repealed by other Rules, the Hoffa Bomb shall
>fail.
	What if it destroys, say, the Speaker?  Or proposals?  Or CFJ's?
This is just too dangerous.

>2. If the day in question is the thirteenth of the month, the Bomber will
>use a Frobnotz Bomb, in which a noun phrase in the selected Rule (noun
>phrase chosen by the Speaker) shall trade places within the Ruleset with
>another noun phrase (chosen by the Harfmeister) from the Rule immediately
>succeeding the selected Rule in ordinal number.  If the two noun phrases
>chosen are of different pluralities (i.e. one is plural and the other
>singular) then the Frobnotz Bomb shall fail.
	This is good, but how about a verb phrase?  We already have
something which changes noun phrases.  Also, I'd like the Speaker and
Harfmeister have to pick them both independantly.

<airline bomb stuff>
	I joined after the sinister aliens were repealed, but I kind of
like this.  Maybe we could use this and number 1, but have a way to shield
rules.

>4. If the day in question is the thirty-first of the month, the Bomber
>shall use a Harfy Bomb.  A Harfy Bomb changes all occurrences of the
>most-often-occurring word, excluding articles, conjunctions, and
>conjugations of the verb "to be," in the body and title of the Rule to the
>following double-quote-delimited string: "Harfy Harf Harf".  If no one
>word occurs most often in the Rule in question, the Harfy Bomb shall fail.
	This certainly seems interesting.

>Any time that one of the Bomber's bombs successfully explodes, he shall
>shout out in a ringing voice so as to be heard by all Ackanomic,
>"MWA HA HA!  I got you, my pretty, and your Golden Frog too!"
	Golden Frog?  What's a Golden Frog?

	How about a bomb which somehow reverses a rule?  It might not be
too dangerous if it's temporary (maybe a few days) For example:
	Each main verb in every sentance in the selected rule will be
reversed.  If a main verb is negated, then the negating word or words will
be removed.  If the main verb is not negated, then an appropriate form of
the word "not" will be inserted to make it negative.

- --
- -Henry Towsner, AKA else...if, The Fearless Alibi Posesser, Laefu, and Yilran

	<[email-masked]>

	Success is the child of audacity.
		-Benjamin Disraeli

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 23:14:05 +0000 ()
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: _Acka:_ Re: RFC: Evil Midnight Bomber

On Sat, 31 Jan 1998, Towsner wrote:

> >1. If the day in question is the third of the month, the Bomber shall
> >use a Hoffa Bomb, which repeals the Rule.  If the Rule in question states
> >or implies that it cannot be repealed by other Rules, the Hoffa Bomb shall
> >fail.
> 	What if it destroys, say, the Speaker?  Or proposals?  Or CFJ's?
> This is just too dangerous.

The Aliens Abduction Rule could have done the same thing, but it was
allowed.

> 
> >2. If the day in question is the thirteenth of the month, the Bomber will
> >use a Frobnotz Bomb, in which a noun phrase in the selected Rule (noun
> >phrase chosen by the Speaker) shall trade places within the Ruleset with
> >another noun phrase (chosen by the Harfmeister) from the Rule immediately
> >succeeding the selected Rule in ordinal number.  If the two noun phrases
> >chosen are of different pluralities (i.e. one is plural and the other
> >singular) then the Frobnotz Bomb shall fail.
> 	This is good, but how about a verb phrase?  We already have
> something which changes noun phrases.  Also, I'd like the Speaker and
> Harfmeister have to pick them both independantly.

Well, we've _tried_ something which changes noun phrases, but whenever
someone actually tries to use a Pyraic Frobnotzer, it gets hit with a
Scroll of Crumble.  I'd like to see a noun phrase change which couldn't be
crumbled.

> 
> <airline bomb stuff>
> 	I joined after the sinister aliens were repealed, but I kind of
> like this.  Maybe we could use this and number 1, but have a way to shield
> rules.
> 
> >4. If the day in question is the thirty-first of the month, the Bomber
> >shall use a Harfy Bomb.  A Harfy Bomb changes all occurrences of the
> >most-often-occurring word, excluding articles, conjunctions, and
> >conjugations of the verb "to be," in the body and title of the Rule to the
> >following double-quote-delimited string: "Harfy Harf Harf".  If no one
> >word occurs most often in the Rule in question, the Harfy Bomb shall fail.
> 	This certainly seems interesting.

I'll seriously consider voting for anything that would create
Harfy Harf Harf's disease. :-)  Or perhaps requiring players to 
Harfy Harf Harf YES, NO or PRESENT on a rule.

Ooooh, that could be mean - players Harfy Harf Harf, but they're not
allowed to vote.  Valaraukar would rule supreme!!!!

> 
> >Any time that one of the Bomber's bombs successfully explodes, he shall
> >shout out in a ringing voice so as to be heard by all Ackanomic,
> >"MWA HA HA!  I got you, my pretty, and your Golden Frog too!"
> 	Golden Frog?  What's a Golden Frog?

More expensive and harder to eat than a Chocolate Frog. :-)
The sacred Golden Frog of Jara.  Have you not heard of it?

My personal idea for a bomb:

The Fog Bomb - no-one may move locations for a week.
Just to allow for something else to happen besides rule-based changes.

> 	How about a bomb which somehow reverses a rule?  It might not be
> too dangerous if it's temporary (maybe a few days) For example:
> 	Each main verb in every sentance in the selected rule will be
> reversed.  If a main verb is negated, then the negating word or words will
> be removed.  If the main verb is not negated, then an appropriate form of
> the word "not" will be inserted to make it negative.

Is it always obvious which verb in a sentence is the main verb?

- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko the Really Lost Warner Brother - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/
Queens' College -- PhD, Pure Maths, Graph Theory -- Cambridge University
Acka - RuneMaker, Chess-Umpire, Map-Harfer, Senator, Wearing Agenda Hat

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 16:11:07 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: _Acka:_ Re: RFC: Evil Midnight Bomber

Thank you Slakko (note in-reference), for fixing the Subject line on
this....

>> 	What if it destroys, say, the Speaker?  Or proposals?  Or CFJ's?
>> This is just too dangerous.
> 
> The Aliens Abduction Rule could have done the same thing, but it was
> allowed.

And it was also repealed. I think after abducting Rule 104, players
felt that it had already seen the maximum of its fun potential. (That's
just a guess; I don't pretend to speak for everyone who voted for its
repeal.)

>> 	How about a bomb which somehow reverses a rule?  It might not be
>> too dangerous if it's temporary (maybe a few days) For example:
>> 	Each main verb in every sentance in the selected rule will be
>> reversed.  If a main verb is negated, then the negating word or words will
>> be removed.  If the main verb is not negated, then an appropriate form of
>> the word "not" will be inserted to make it negative.
> 
> Is it always obvious which verb in a sentence is the main verb?

Hm. Actually, that's a good point, since sentences with conjunctions
and/or semicolons that are basically equivalent to two sentences
will have two "main" verbs.

My two Ackapennies: I'm not too big on rules that involve random
determination. We already have several of these. I find much more
interesting the interplay of rules that act deterministically - the
difference between Conway's Life and a roulette wheel, so to speak.
(Random determination also means more work for the OiCoRT.)

breadbox

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 19:19:05 -0500
From: Towsner <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: _Acka:_ Re: RFC: Evil Midnight Bomber

>>> 	How about a bomb which somehow reverses a rule?  It might not be
>>> too dangerous if it's temporary (maybe a few days) For example:
>>> 	Each main verb in every sentance in the selected rule will be
>>> reversed.  If a main verb is negated, then the negating word or words will
>>> be removed.  If the main verb is not negated, then an appropriate form of
>>> the word "not" will be inserted to make it negative.

>Hm. Actually, that's a good point, since sentences with conjunctions
>and/or semicolons that are basically equivalent to two sentences
>will have two "main" verbs.
	That's why I said *Each* main verb.

- --
- -Henry Towsner, AKA else...if, The Fearless Alibi Posesser, Laefu, and Yilran

	<[email-masked]>

	Success is the child of audacity.
		-Benjamin Disraeli

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 20:27:43 -0500
From: Towsner <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Economy RFC

This would create an economy of sorts.  Costs for various things would go
up and down as the economy goes down and up.

Create a rule called "Internos" delimited by GENERALITY
GENERALITY
	An interno is a nameless, ownable entity.  If an interno is ever
owned by anything other than the Ackan Reserve, than it will be transfered
to the Ackan Reserve.
GENERALITY

Remove section III from rule 505, and renumber all subsequent sections of
that rule by one less than what they were previously numbered.

Create a rule called "The Ackan Reserve" delimited by ECONOMICS
ECONOMICS
	There is a named, unownable entity known as the Ackan Reserve.  The
reserve is responsible for mainting the value of the Ackadollar.  There is
a Functional office known as Director of the Ackan Reserve, which has four
seats.  There is a Functional office known as the Chair of the Ackan
Reserve, which has one seat.  Anyone holding either of these offices is
considered a Member of the Board of the Ackan Reserve, known for the rest
of this rule as Board Members.  Board Members are appointed by the
President and confirmed by the Senate.  If a Board Member has not been
confirmed by the Senate for at least four weeks, then the Senate must
confirm them or they will lose their office.  A player may not be nominated
to become any Board Member if they already are one.
	The Ackan Reserve may perform certain actions.  An action may be
suggested the the Reserve by any Board Member to all the other Board
Members.  If a majority of members support this action by informing all
other members of their support, then the Chair must publicly announce that
the Ackan Reserve will perform this action.  Two days after the action is
announced, it will be performed.  The Ackan Reserve may not perform actions
unless specified by the rules.  If the Ackan Reserve performs an action for
any reason other than the Board approving it, it happens immediately.
	It is a duty of the Chair of the Ackan Reserve to record the number
of internos in existance, the value of an A$ in internos, and all fees and
rewards in effect, and provide such information at the request of any
player.
	The Ackan Reserve may perform the following actions:
1) It may destroy a number of A$ it owns.
2) It may mint a number of A$.
3) It may transfer a number of A$ from the Treasury to itself.
4) It may transfer a number of A$ to the Treasury from itself.
5) It may declare a fee in internos of up to the cost in internos of an
action to the economy, overriding any previous fees on that action.
6) It may declare a reward in internos of up to the profit in internos of
an action to the economy, overriding any previous rewards on that action.

	Whenever a player performs an action which causes the Ackan Reserve
to lose internos, that player must pay enough A$ to the Reserve to cover
the fee, and then destroyed. Whenever a player performs an action which
causes the Ackan Reserve to gain internos, the Reserve mints enough A$ to
cover the reward, and transfers them to the player.  No action may be taken
which would cause the number of internos owned by the reserve to be reduced
below 0.
	When a proposal passes, the player who made the proposal will be
considered to have performed the action.
	The value of an A$ in internos will be equal to the number of
internos in the game divided by the number of A$, rounded down.
	Filing a CFJ costs the economy 100 internos.  Making a proposal
costs the economy 50 internos.  Filing a CFCJ costs the economy 200
internos unless filed by the Caped Crusader.  When a proposal passes, the
economy gains 300 internos.  When a CFJ is judged true, the economy gains
50 internos.  When a CFCJ is judged true the economy gains 100 internos.
Constructing a tower causes a lose to the economy of 1 interno/meter.  Any
creation, destruction, or enhancement to a building cost the economy the
same number of internos as it cost the building player A$.  Every time a
newspaper publishes, the economy will gain 10 internos.  Every time a
player correctly guesses the truth of the Machine that goes *ping* the
economy gains 100 internos.
{{create 1,000,000 internos in the possession of the Ackan Reserve.  The
Ackan Reserve sets a fee of 250 internos on any action requiring a standard
harfer fee.  The Ackan Reserve sets a fee of 200 internos on making a CFCJ.
}}
ECONOMICS

Amend section VI of rule 505 (formerly section VII) to read "
Harfer Fee

Whenever an action requires the standard harfer fee be paid, instead 250
internos will be destroyed, and the entity which is required to pay the
standard harfer fee must pay the fee set on that by the Ackan Reserve.
This section takes precedence over all rules which require a payment of the
standard harfer fee."

Amend rule 506 to read as follows:"
A class of gift entities known as Trinkets exist. Trinkets always have a
positive, integral value in internos; this takes precedence over all other
rules. The value of a Trinket may only be changed as specified by the
rules.

A player may create a Trinket as a public action. In order to fully specify
this action, the player must state the name, description, and value of the
Trinket to be created. The creation fails if the player does not have
enough A$ to cover the cost of creating the trinket or the Ackan Reserve
does not have enough internos to cover its cost. If the Trinket creation
succeeds then the player who created the Trinket is its initial owner. The
value of the Trinket in internos is destroyed, and enough A$ to be worth at
least that much are transfered to the Ackan Reserve and destroyed.

The owner of a trinket may cash it in as a public action. This action
causes the value of the trinket in internos to be created in the posessiont
of the Ackan Reserve, and it upsets the art and antiquities communities.
The Ackan Reserve the automatically mints the largest number of A$ whose
value in internos is less than or equal to the value of the trinket just
destroyed, and transfers them to the player.

Other rules may also create and bestow ownership of Trinkets, so long as
the rule provides for naming, describing, and valuing the Trinket. In this
case the procedure will be indentical to that for a player, with the
Treasury serving as the creating player.  In these cases, however, if the
value of the Trinket would exceed the number of A$ in the Treasury directly
before it would be created, it is not created.

A player-created Trinket, whose name contains the name of a current or
former player other than that of the creating player, such that the player
name in question existed before the Trinket was created, is a forgery. The
rules may define other circumstances under which a Trinket is a forgery.
Upon it becoming publically knowable that a Trinket is a forgery, it is
transferred to the Treasury, unless the player name contained in its name
is that of a currently active player, in which case it is transferred to
that player. For the purposes of this clause, the Trinket name "contains" a
name N, if it contains a word or
phrase of the same length in words as N, that when stripped of any
conventional English morphological changes, matches N as described in rule
348. [e.g. "Malenkai's Loophole" and "Malenkai-esque Statues" would be
forgeries].

Trinkets have no power to affect any entities except as specified in the
rules."

- --
- -Henry Towsner, AKA else...if, The Fearless Alibi Posesser, Laefu, and Yilran

	<[email-masked]>

	Success is the child of audacity.
		-Benjamin Disraeli

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 19:56:03 +73800 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Proposal 2677

> 	Create a Rule entitled Organizations reading:

You forgot to number the new rules.

> Create a rule entitled Corporate Equipment, delimited by AWORD
> AWORD
> Corporate Equipment are nameless, tradeable entities.  They may only be
> created as specified in the rules. [However a specific piece of equipment
> may specify that it cannot be traded.]
> Where the rules say that an Organization may buy a Equipment of a certain type,
> what is meant is that the Organization may, as an action, contribute an
> amount of currency to the Treasury in exchange for a new Equipment of the type
> specified, which is then created in that Organization's possession.
> AWORD

Was this meant to say Corporation, rather than Organization?

> 	Destroy any big tents in owns.

Huh?

> {{Give any entity which owns a Secret Lab A$1000.  Destroy all Secret Labs.
> Destroy all trade licenses}}

Blah.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 22:57:39 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Proposal 2637 accepted

> Results of Proposal 2637

> > Amend Rule 101 by replacing
> > "The rules and the game state"
> > with
> > "The rules, the rule numbers, and the game state, which are three distinct
> > unownable entities,".

Making the game state an entity was prolly a Really Bad Idea (RBI) :-)

Malenkai

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 20:20:41 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Proposal 2637 accepted

>> Results of Proposal 2637
> 
>>> Amend Rule 101 by replacing
>>> "The rules and the game state"
>>> with
>>> "The rules, the rule numbers, and the game state, which are three distinct
>>> unownable entities,".
> 
> Making the game state an entity was prolly a Really Bad Idea (RBI) :-)

Yep.

Fortunately, I think this will actually not have any detrimental
effect, but it comes awfully close to mirroring the
protected-game-custom crisis.

I also question the logic behind making all rule numbers a single
entity, but that's a purely aesthetic issue (I think).

breadbox

------------------------------

End of acka-research-digest V2 #242
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