The Initial Rules of EcoNomic
Immutable Rules
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100. The first Speaker of EcoNomic is Narf (JoshuaN@earthlink.net). Additional players may join by announcing eir intent to the speaker.
101. 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. Until such time as they are legally transmuted, Rules 101-115 are immutable, and Rules 201-219 are mutable.
102. Mutables and Immutables
Initialy rules in the 100's are immutable and rules in the 200's 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 Ruleset may be transmuted regardless of their numbers.
103. What Is A Rule Change?
A rule change must be one of the following: The enactment, repeal, or amendment of a rule in its current state; or the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable rule, or vice versa.
104. Adopting Proposals
All valid proposals submitted privately to the Promoter shall be voted on unless the proposal is publicaly retracted by its author. 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.
Proposals must effect a rule change to be valid.
105. Proposals Must Be Written Down
Any proposal must be submitted to all the players before it is voted on. If adopted, it must guide play in the form in which it was voted on.
106. When Proposals Can Take Effect
A proposal will take effect when either the prescribed voting peroid has elapsed, or all voting entities have cast their vote, whichever is first. All rule changes within a proposal take effect when the proposal takes effect. No rule change may have retroactive application.
107. Numbering Proposals
The Speaker shall give each proposal an ordinal number for reference. The numbers shall begin with 301, and each valid proposal shall receive the next successive ordinal, whether or not the proposal is adopted. If an accepted proposal creates a new rule, the number of the rule shall be one higher than that of the current highest numbered rule. If an accepted proposal ammends an existing rule, the rule number shall not change, unless specified by the proposal.
108. Mutable/Immutable Inconsistencies
Mutable rules that are inconsistent in some way with some immutable rule (except by proposing to transmute it) are wholly void and without effect. They do not implicitly transmute immutable rules into mutable rules and at the same time amend them. Rule changes that transmute immutable rules into mutable rules will be effective only if they explicitly state their transmuting effect.
109. Making Proposals
The proper way to make a proposal is to send it by electronic mail to the current Promoter. The Promoter will then distribute the proposal to all Players. The prescribed voting period begins at the moment that the proposal is distributed by the Promoter.
111. 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 the judgement of the player to incur it, may be imposed.
112. At Least One Mutable Rule
There must always be at least one mutable rule. The adoption of rule changes must never become completely inpermissible.
113. 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.
114. Voting Options
Voting Entities may vote either for or against any proposal during the prescribed voting period. Voting Entities should send their vote by electronic mail to the Tabulator before the end of the voting period. Voting Entities who do not vote within the prescribed period shall be deemed to have abstained.
115. 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.
Mutable Rules.
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201. Quorum
Quorum is defined to be 50% of the total number of votes possessed by all voting entities.
203. Required Number Of Votes
The number of votes required to pass a proposal is three-fifths of the votes legally cast within the prescribed voting period.
204. One Player One Vote
Each player has exactly one vote.
205. 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 Speaker.
206. When Proposals Take Effect
An adopted proposal takes effect at the moment that the prescribed voting period ends.
207. Scoring When A Proposal Is Adopted
When a proposal is adopted, those players who voted against it receive 5 points each. A player whose proposal is adopted also receives 10 points.
208. Scoring When A Proposal Is Defeated
When a proposed rule change is defeated, the player who proposed it loses 10 points and each player who voted for it gains 3 points and 1 E-Dollar.
209. Required Number Of Points To Win
The winner is the first player to achieve a score of at least 100 points. If more than one player achieves this condition simultaneously, all such Players win. When a game ends in this manner:
- All players' scores are reset to 0, but they keep their E-Dollars.
- a new game is begun. All the rules and proposed rule changes retain the status they had at the end of the old game.
210. Resolving Conflicts
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 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. Within a rule, sentences and clauses occuring first take precedence over clauses coming after them unless the later sentence or clause claimes precedence.
211. Invoking Judgement
Any player who has a question or complaint about any matter concerning the laws and their interpretation may email their statement to the Speaker, who will then distribute it to the rest of the Players. A call for judgement is then incurred on that statement.
212. Selecting A Judge
When Judgement has been called for, a Judge is randomly selected from among the other registered players by the Speaker. The player selected has 3 days in which to accept or refuse the appointment by posting to the Speaker. Any player who does not respond to selection in 3 days is deemed to have refused appointment. If a selected player refuses appointment, then a further random selection is made from the remaining pool.
213. 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.
214. 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.
215. 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.
216. 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.
217. 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.
218. Registered Players
A player is any person who is registered as a player. No entity other than a game entity 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.
220. Legality of Multiple Rule Changes
Anti-Matter
It is permissible for a proposal to contain more than one rule change.
221. Game Entities
Anti-Matter
Game entities are those entities designated as such by the rules. The creation, destruction, or other alteration of game entities, or the changing of a game entity to a non-game entity or vica-versa, is only permitted if explicitly allowed or required by a rule or rules.
222. Voting Entities
Anti-Matter
Voting entities are those entities designated as such by the rules. The changing of a voting entitity to a non-voting entitiy or vice versa is only permitted if explicitly allowed or required by a rule or rules. Voting entities with at least one vote can vote on proposals. Non-voting entities may not vote on proposals. The number of votes a voting entity gets is determined by the rules, and may only be changed by the rules.
223. Players are Voting Entities
Anti-Matter
Players are voting entities with one vote each.
224. Some Game Entities
Anti-Matter
Points, E-Dollars, votes, proposals, and rules are all game entities. Players are not game entities.
225. Keep the Ruleset Pretty
Anti-Matter
The speaker may, at eir discretion, make any purely cosmetic changes to the ruleset for the purpose of improving readablity. Here, "purely cosmetic" is defined to mean "not changing any part, substantial or insubstantial, of the rule's meaning".
226. The Categorized Ruleset
Anti-Matter
Each rule has a category. The category a rule belongs in is determined by whichever player is in charge of maintaining the ruleset. No rule may be in a category of its own; each category must contain at least two rules, or no rules. The rules in the ruleset are ordered by category, and within each category by number. The order of the categories is up to the player in charge of the ruleset.
227. Raw Materials
Narf
There exists a class of entity known as raw materials. Raw materials are neccesary in building of gadgets and gizmos.
228. Gadgets and Gizmos
Narf
There exists a class of entities knowns as gadgets. Gadgets have no effect on game play but are neccesary in the construction of Gizmos. There exists a class of entity known as gizmos. Gizmos have an effect on game play as specified by the rule that creates them.
229. Factories
Narf
There exists a class of entity known as factories. Factories can only be acquired as specified in the rules. Factories turn raw materials into gadgets and gadgets into gizmos as specified in the rules.
230. Mines and Farms
Narf
Players may own Mines and Farms. Mines and Farms produce raw materials in accordance with the rules. Mines and Farms can only be acquired in accordance with the rules.
232. Power Cards
Anti-Matter
There exist game entities called power cards. Each power card has a name and a special ability, or abilities, it grants its owner. Only those power cards exist which are defined in the rules. Each power card is either owned by a player or is out of play. All power cards are initially out of play. All abilities granted by power cards take precence over all mutable rules unless otherwise specified.
Three days after this rule takes effect, each player recieves one power card, at random, from those out of play. This paragraph is then removed from this rule.
233.
Power card redistribution
Anti-Matter
Power cards are periodically redistributed. Power card redistribution occurs immediately after a player(s) win the game, and additionally 3 months after the latest power card redistribution. When power cards are redistributed, the following things happen in order:
1) All power cards go out of play.
2) Each player recieves a power card, at random, from those not in play.
Additionally, whenever a new player joins the game, e recieves a power card at random from those not in play.
234. Power Card Supervoter
Antimatter
There is a power card Supervoter. The player possessing the power card Supervoter may specify one proposal each week and get 2 extra votes on that proposal.
235. Keep the economy interesting
Anti-Matter
No rule may set an absolute price for any service or benefit in terms of a specific amount of any game currency. [Legal methods of setting a price which a rule could specify include: having an auction, having an officer determine the price, having the price be a certain fraction of the total amount of that game currency in play, having the price be an average of the exchange value of the commodity over some time frame, starting with a value and randomly varying it, and so on.]
236. Power Card: Loser
Anti-Matter
There is a power card Loser. For the purposes of determining the passage or failure of a proposal made by a player while e possessed the power card Loser, for and against votes are switched (against becomes for and for becomes against). The player distributing proposals may not specially mark proposals possessed by the player possessing the power card Loser; however, including the submitter's name along with the proposal is not considered specially marking the proposal.
237. Power Card: Witch
Anti-Matter
There is a power card Witch. Once every two weeks, the player possessing the power card Witch may curse another player. The curse has a duration of one week. The curse must relate to one of the following: Proposals made by that player; votes cast by that player; E-dollars; and points. It must be reasonably possible to avoid the curse by taking or not taking some action, and the curse must not be excessively cruel (what that means is to be determined by CFJ). If the player possessing Witch makes an invalid curse, e still may not make another curse for two weeks. [I'm not sure I like this one much, but I'll propose it anyways.]
238. Comments
Narf
Any text that comes after the [ character and before the next ] character is not part of a rule or proposal, but is there merely as a comment. This does not apply to this rule. This rule takes precedence over all rules it is legaly able to take precedence over.
239. Industries
Narf
The following Industries exist and can produce entities as specified in this rule:
Raw Material Industries:
Timberlands: Cost to buy, 300 E$. Produce 30 tons of timber on the first day of each month.
Coal mines: cost to buy, 300 E$. Produce 30 tons of coal on the first day of each moth.
Farms: Cost to buy, 300 E$. Produce 10 tons of meat, 10 tons of grain and 10 tons of wool on the first day of each month.
Fisheries: Cost to buy, 300 E$. Produce 30 tons of meat on the first day of each month.
Oil Wells: Cost to buy, 300 E$. Produce 20 tons of oils on the first day of each month.
Gadget industries:
Lumberyards: Cost to buy, 500 E$. Convert 5 tons of timber into 4 tons of lumber at a cost of 10 E$.
Refineries: Cost to buy, 500 E$, convert 5 tons of oil into 3 tons of plastic at a cost of 10 E$.
Processing plants: Cost to buy, 500 E$, convert 5 tons of meat and 1 ton of plastic into 4 tons of food at a cost of 10 E$.
Bakeries: Cost to buy, 500 E$, convert 5 tons of grain into 4 tons of food at a cost of 10 E$.
Textile mills: Cost to buy, 500 E$, convert 5 tons of wool into 4 tons of textiles at a cost of 10 E$
Steel mills: Cost to buy, 500 E$, convert 5 tons of coal into 4 tons of steel at a cost of 10 E$
Gizmo Industries:
Construction industry: Cost to buy, 1000 E$, converts gadgets into industries at a cost of 100 E$ (note that a player must still pay for the industry, this represents start up costs, etc...) at the following rates:
Timberlands: 20 tons of steel (for equipment) and 4 tons of lumber. Coal Mines: 20 tons of steel and 4 tons of lumber.
Farms: 20 tons of lumber and 8 tons of steel.
Fisheries: 25 tons of lumber and 4 tons of steel.
Oil Wells: 24 tons of steel 4 tons of lumber
Lumber Mills: 20 tons of steel and 12 tons of lumber
Steel Mills: 28 tons of steel, 3 tons of plastic and 4 tons of lumber
Processing plants: 24 tons of steel, 8 tons of lumber, 3 tons of plastic
Bakeries: 20 tons of steel, 8 tons of lumber
Textile Mills: 24 tons of steel, 8 tons of lumber, 3 tons of plastic
Refineries: 32 tons of steel, 6 tons of plastic
Construction industry: 40 tons of lumber, 20 tons of steel, 12 tons of plastic
Auto industry: 32 tons of steel, 8 tons of lumber, 6 tons of plastic
Supermarket: 28 tons of steel, 9 tons of plastic
Toy store: 24 tons of steel, 15 tons of plastic
Auto industry: Cost to buy, 1000 E$, converts 4 tons of steel and 3 tons of plastic into 1 car (not horribly realistic... but oh well) at a cost of E$ 100
Supermarket: Cost to buy, 1000 E$, converts 4 tons of food into a T-Bone steak, a donut or a loave, converts 4 tons of textiles into 1 garment of protection, at a cost of E$ 100 each.
Toy store: Cost to buy, 1000 E$, converts 3 tons of plastic and 2 tons of steel into a toy [various toys will be listed in other rules] at a cost of E$ 100 each.
[ok, this is a complicated rule, let me explain how I see it working. The owner of a raw materials industry can sell their product at whatever rate they see fit. The owner of a gadget industry buys raw materials and converts them into gadgets at the price listed, then sells the gadget for whatever price they see fit. The owner of a gizmo industry buys gadgets and converts them into gizmos at the cost listed, then sells the gizmo for whatever price they see fit. Most of the trading will occur between players, the next proposal's will set up an outside market that will jump start the economy, bringing initial money in, and allowing for a relief valve against depression/inflation]
240. New Players
Narf
When a player joins the game, e receives one industry of his choice.
All current players receive one industry of eir choice, then this paragraph deletes itself. [Note: I'm leaving this text here although the rule will repeal itself as soon as we all choose an industry]
241. Market forces
Narf
There is an external market that will buy and sell raw materials, gadgets and gizmos. These are the initial prices it will set.
Item Sell at (per ton) Buy at (per ton)
Timber 20 E$ 3 E$
Coal 20 E$ 3 E$
Wool 20 E$ 3 E$
Oil 25 E$ 5 E$
Meat 20 E$ 3 E$
Grain 20 E$ 3 E$
Steel 40 E$ 9 E$
Lumber 40 E$ 9 E$
Textiles 40 E$ 9 E$
Plastics 60 E$ 15 E$
Food 40 E$ 9 E$
Garment of protection 1000 E$ 50 E$
Auto 1000 E$ 300 E$
Tbone 750 E$ 200 E$
Loave 750 E$ 200 E$
Donut 750 E$ 200 E$
Toys 750 E$ 200 E$
Every 2 weeks, the prices list above will change. The market will buy at 1/2 the average price paid for an item in the previous two weeks and will sell at 2 times the average price paid for an item in the previous 2 weeks.
242. Officers
Narf
There exists an office known as financier. It is the duty of the financier to keep track of the price paid for all items by the market and to report the new price every 2 weeks. The financier is paid 50 E$ every two weeks by the market for his work.
There exists an office known as speaker. It is the duty of the speaker to maintain the ruleset on a web page. The speaker is paid 50 E$ every two weeks by the market for his work.
There exists an office known as promoter. It is the duty of the promoter to distribute proposals that have been legaly submitted to him. The promoter is paid 50 E$ every two weeks by the market for his work.
There exists an office known as tabulator. It is the duty of the tabulator to record votes and announce the results. The tabulator is paid 50 E$ every two weeks by the market for his work.
If an office is ever vacant, the speaker shall accept nominations for the office. After 3 days of nominations, there shall be a 3 day voting period, and the player with a plurality of votes shall receive the office. In case of a tie, there shall be a run off between the tied players. If an officer does not file a required report or submit to the list documents e is required to submit for more than 1 week, the office shall be deemed vacant. [I'll submit a proposal for vacations and temp officers soon]. While an office is vacant, the speaker shall assume the duties of the office.
243. Lucre
Anti-Matter
Lucre is a type of game entity. It is tradable. A player may not have a negative amount of Lucre; if a player must lose more Lucre than e has, e loses all the Lucre e has instead (and is still considered to have paid the Lucre). This does not allow a player to give away Lucre e does not have, however. At the end of each week, each player who had one or more of eir proposals distributed that week gets 5 Lucre.
Lucre for new players
Anti-Matter
Whenever a new player joins the game, e recieves five Lucre plus two Lucre for each player in the game (calculated before e joins).