Subject: MN: Year 2, Week 43 Proposals

From: duncan@l... (Duncan Ellis (Dunx))
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 06:31:12 GMT

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MORNINGTON NOMIC

Proposals for Voting on in Week Forty-Three
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Proposal 621 - Keep the balance right. [Amendment]

Reword the second paragraph in Rule 0.9.1 (Kudos) to read:

At the start of each Week, the lowest Kudos score of all Active Players at
the end of the previous Week is determined. This lowest score is subtracted
from each Player's Kudos score of the previous Week and given to em as eir
starting Kudos for this Week. Kudos then gets added to or subtracted from
this score from the current Weeks' events. If a Player is Inactive at the
end of the Week, no changes shall be made to eir Kudos.

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Proposal 622 - Reintermination [Action]

[Terminus Collect] - duration 20 minutes, no cost.

If eir Move ends at a Terminus (i.e. eir Move ended at a Terminus on the
line they moved along during that Move), a Player may play a Terminus
Collect Action. This Action may not be played twice on the same Terminus,
and the Move must include movement on the Line Segment which the Station
Terminates. Thus, [Wild] movement or other Actions which move a piece
directly to its destination cannot be used in the same Play as a Terminus
Collect Action.

Upon successful completion of the Terminus Collect, the Player receives one
Silver Token.

{Basically a rework of the Terminus Running, with a couple of slightly more
friendly ideas:
* It's a post-move action that directly prevents people wilding in.
* It's cost is lower, and the implicit trip to Bank to convert to a Gold
makes the player easier to target.
* It's got a better definition of the fact that the move actually terminates
at that station on that line.
Hopefully people will find this a bit more playable.}

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Proposal 623 - Lack of Interest Declared [Resignation]

Julie shall be forced to Resign.

{ Comment:
I've targeted Julie because e was made Inactive by proxy, and because
e'd stopped playing by that stage anyway. It seems unlikely e'll return.

I have refrained from targeting miKi in the same way, since e was active
right up until the point where e left, even though eir Inactivity is
about as long standing as Julie's. Maybe rethink in a few months.
}

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Proposal 624 - We're Bound for Botany Bay (not quite)

A new Turin '57 subset for the city of Sydney. The URL of the map in
question is:

http://people.enternet.com.au/~cbrnbill/maps/sydney.htm

Goal: Macdonaldtown (an almost completely disused station...)
Bank: Town Hall
Loop: Rooty Hill

Line Codes are:

SR : Southern Line (Green)
WR : Western Line (Yellow)
NR : Northern Line (Red)
IR : Illawarra Line (Blue)
BR : Bankstown Line (Brown)
CR : Cumberland Line (Purple)
MR : Monorail (White)
LR : Light Rail (Light Blue)
TZ : Taronga Zoo Ferry (Blue)
MF : Manly Ferry (Light Blue)
WF : Watson's Bay (Green)
PF : Paramatta, Meadowbank Ferry (Yellow)
DF : Darling Harbour Ferry (Purple)
NF : Mosman, Neutral Bay Ferry (Red)
HF : Hunter's Hill Ferry (Brown)

The body of water corresponding to the Thames is the Sydney Harbour.

In addition to the normal system of interchanges, ferry stops which sharea
name with a rail station (such as Milson's Point) are also considered
Interchanges.

Classifications of stations are as per normal.

There are no zones shown on the map; therefore all Rules relating to Zones
are ignored. Players shall gain a single Bronze Token on eir Turn.

Central Station is the Median of the map, and the Quadrants are superimposed
on the Sydney system in the same way as they exist in the London
Underground.

All Interchanges are to be considered the equivalent of British Rail
stations for the purposes of the Emporium. All other Rules relating to
British Rail stations shall be ignored.

Hats are claimable as normal.

Gambits referring to specific London Underground stations are to be ignored,
except in the case where the names of the stations in the Gambit are alsoto
be found in stations in the Sydney system.

In addition, the following Gambits are declared according to Rule 2.7.9:

The City Tourist (2 red, 4 blue, 3 green): Exhibition Centre -> Museum ->
Circular Quay
The PaulWay Arrival Gambit (1 black, 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 bronze, 1
silver): Hornsby -> Central -> Stanmore
The Olympic Tourist (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze): Central -> Olympic Park->
Taronga Zoo
The Danger Man Attack (6 Red, 4 Blue, 1 Silver): King's Cross -> Redfern ->
Mount Druitt

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Proposal 625 - Infinite Darkness... [Amendment]

Replace the text of Rule 1.4.24 in its entirety, with the following:
"There shall exist a Small, Unique, Indestructable Possession known as
the Podume of Infinite Darkness, which may be present on the Map or in the
Luggage Rack. It may be placed on a Station or picked up from that Station
only by a Player finishing eir Turn at that Station (with the Actions of
[PoID on <Station>] and [Collecting PoID] respectively.)
The presence of the PoID at a Station is indicated as a Token Stack
with the Text "PoID": No other Tokens may be placed on that Station, and
placing a PoID on a station which already contains a Token Stack destroys
that Stack. The PoID's presence in the Luggage Rack is indicated as a
standard Possession.

If there is no PoID in play, any Player may play the Action of [Forging
PoID] to bring the PoID into play in eir Possession. This Action may be
played only if the Forging Player voluntarily plays "Pass" twice in
succession, with no Actions other than the Forging (i.e. the Pass may notbe
forced by any other Rule), and e has remained situated at the same Station
for all that time, and Game Time is not between 0800 and 2000 (inclusive):
and it may not be performed at a Holy Station.
{Comment: Summoning the Infinite Darkness cannot be done during
daylight hours, or in church... and it costs a lot, and (like all black
magic) is ruined if the summoner is disturbed, for instance by being
Shunted...}

The PoID is destroyed if it is dropped on a Holy Station or Shunted
directly to one, or if a Player carrying it ever finishes eir Turn at a Holy
Station.

If a Player is carrying the PoID: E loses 2 points of LV per turn
automatically (for a total adjustment of between +1 and -5), e may not make
any Special Moves, and e may not be the target of any Action which directly
targets another Player (i.e. any action which includes the string <player>
where <player> is the name of any Player involved in the Game), nor may e
move to Mornington Crescent or pass through a Holy Station. Also, one of eir
non-Black Tokens is converted to a Black Token for each Turn the PoID
remains in eir possession.

If the PoID is on a Station: All players must lose 2 points of LV per
turn (for a total possible adjustment of between +1 and -5) and may not make
any Special Moves or be the target of any Action which targets another
Player. Mornington Crescent and all Holy Stations are treated as Blocked for
Players only (but not for the purpose of Shunting Token Stacks), and all
Players must convert one non-Black Token to a Black Token each Turn, as
above.

The PoID may be Shunted as if it were a Token Stack. It is destroyedif
it is ever shunted directly to a Holy Station, but may not be Dead-End
Shunted. It may not be shunted to Mornington Crescent, but may be
Double-Shunted there (if it is involved in a Double-Shunt, any other Token
Stacks involved in the multiple Shunt are destroyed.)

If the PoID is ever on Mornington Crescent (by being Double-Shunted
there), all Players must lose two Tokens if they have them, and one
Possession (Clamps may be removed only if the Player has no non-Clamp
possessions to lose) per Turn: these are discarded. All Token Stacks lose1
Token each time the Player who Double-Shunted the PoID to MC takes a Turn.
If a Player has no Tokens or Possessions to lose, e may play no move other
than "Pass" with no Actions. If no Players have any Tokens or Possessions
left, the game is abandoned with no winner.

It follows that the only way to remove a PoID from Mornington Crescent
is to Double-Shunt it away - the same way it arrived - as no Player may move
to MC to play a single Shunt, nor can e get there to pick it up.

{Comments: Now PoIDs can be really nasty, but *much* harder to forge...
can you cooperate to shunt something to MC to dislodge the PoID before it
destroys the Game? That was the situation we faced at the Delphi MC server,
and with not one but three PoIDs in the Long Game...}
*Amend Rule 1.7.15 to change the cost of forging a PoID to 10 Black
Tokens and no Silvers, and make it a 60-minute Action.

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Proposal 626 - A Lot of Silly Old Buffers [Multiple]

*Amendments to Rule 1.5.6:
-Amend "but the previous station will be counted twice" to "and the
previous station is counted once." Also, change "Finsbury Park" to "Arsenal"
in the given example. {Comment: A minor change, but the basis of what comes
next...}
-Add, at the end of the Rule, the following paragraphs:
"Beyond the end of the line at every Terminus Station are considered
to be buffers. A player whose LV is sufficiently high may Rebound off them,
as if e were rebounding off a Blocked Station situated one station further
on, with the Action of [Rebounding off Buffers at <station>] where <station>
is the Terminus in question. Thus, a Player at South Kensington with an LV
of 7 could rebound off the buffers at Olympia to Sloane Square or Bayswater,
and with an LV of 6 to Notting Hill Gate or back to South Kensington.
"The [Line Change] Action may not be played subsequently to the
Rebound, either off a Block or off the Buffers."
{Comments: Rebounding off the end of the line (like the Snakes and
Ladders where you have to roll the exact amount on the dice to win or you
bounce off and, if unlucky, land on the snake you thought you'd missed...):
also a good way to get rid of an annoying Shadower... bounce off, land up
where you started and Shunt.}
{Further comments: This is all here to set up a Ruttsborough
amendments...}
*Repeal: Rule 2.4.4 (Terminus Slingshot, Ruttsborough Ruleset)
*Enactment: Crash Barrier (New Rule 2.4.4, Ruttsborough Ruleset)
-If a Player is in a position to Rebound off the Buffers or a Blocked
Station, e may instead elect to use it as a crash barrier, with the Action
[Crash]. Upon doing this, e stops at the Terminus Station and reduces eirLV
to zero.
The effects of a Crash are as follows: All Players in the same Quadrant
(including the Crashing Player emself) are affected by the Crash, and must
lose one Plastic Token if e has one (chosen by the Crashing Player and
placed under normal Token placement rules, i.e. in a different quadrant from
the affected Players), one Hat if e has one (which is discarded: Crashing
Player's choice from A-Z, British Rail, Compass, Terminus, Verdant) and all
Pigeons if e has any (also discarded.) Any player with the Money Belt does
not lose Tokens, any player who has played the [Hands on Hat] Action in eir
previous Turn does not lose a Hat, and possession of an Overpriced Baguette
will prevent the Pigeons being scared off and lost.
Action: [Crash]. 10-minute Pre-Move. Cost: As above, plus 2 Red Tokens
for the Crashing Player.
{Comments: This action appears to be a leveller - everybody loses
Tokens, Pigeons and Hats, and it is the crashing player who loses all eir
LV plus 2 Reds. However, e gets to choose where the Tokens go, and just
watch those stacks build up... placing five or six tokens on stacks all at
once, and at own
choice, is not to be sneezed at. A well-judged crash landing could net a
couple of complete stacks in the process of sending tokens flying all over
the board, a badly-judged one hurts everybody and benefits nobody. As for
the rest of the effects - ever heard of shockwaves? You can hang on to your
tokens and hats, and Pigeons will come back for the crumbs...}
*Amendment to Rule 2.4.3:
Rule 2.4.3 should now read: "All Actions in the standard Mornington
Nomic Ruleset which have a cost in Red Tokens have that cost reduced by one
Red Token: if this reduces the cost to zero, then the Action may be
performed during Knip. This reduction in cost does not apply to any Actions
which are only defined in this Special Ruleset.
Also, expenditure of Black Tokens is permitted during Knip."
{Comment: A slight change to the Rutts Knip rules - allowing all Blue
and Red Token actions is a bit much, especially as my main point in putting
this in originally was to allow Shunts and Wilds, at a time when they both
cost one red token... now Wilds cost a Black and Shunts are free in Rutts.
But the main point of this amendment is to make it clear that any
Rutts-specific actions don't get the reduction that vanilla-rules actions
get.}

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Proposal 627 - Shunting the Money Around [Multiple]

Amend Rule 1.4.18: "Unique" to be added to the description of Money
Belts in the Emporium.

Amend Rule 1.10.1
*the paragraph describing Money Belts is to be amended to read:
"If the Shunted Player possesses the Money Belt, no Tokens may be claimed
during the Shunt. However, the Money Belt may be taken instead."
{Comment: So if you want to protect your Tokens, you have to go and get
the Belt from the person currently protecting eir own... and it's now
Unique, so you can't buy one if somebody else has one. As they stand, Money
Belts are a bit too powerful otherwise - being forever immune to losing
Tokens is too great a bonus for a mere 5 Bronzes.}
*The paragraph about shunting Token Stacks is to be amended to read:
"Token Stacks may be shunted as if they were Players, with the
following exceptions: there is no Token cost for Shunting a Stack, the
Shunting Player may approach the Target Station along any Line, and does not
reduce eir LV after Shunting a Token Stack. If a Token Stack is Shunted to a
station containing another Token Stack, a Double Shunt must be performed,
otherwise the single Shunt is invalid."
*Rule 1.10.2: the final paragraph is to be amended to read:
"For every Double, Triple or greater multiple of Shunt performed on a
Player (but not on a Token Stack), the Shunting Player gains 1 Silver
Token."

*Rule 1.4.7: one Amendment plus one Enactment.
-Amend the final paragraph to read:
The Suspect Package can be Shunted as if it were a Token Stack, but may
not be Dead-End Shunted. If one Suspect Package is Shunted into another,
both are immediately detonated (at no extra cost to the Shunting Player)
with effects as described in Rule 1.7.30, but all references to a
two-station radius are taken to refer to a four-station radius instead.
-Add the following paragraph afterwards (Enactment):
If a Player is in a position to Shunt a Suspect Package, e may Defuse
it instead by moving to its location and playing the Action of [Defusing
Package]. Upon doing this, eir LV is reduced to 0 but e gains 1 Silver
Token, and the Package is removed from the Game. E may not do this if e has
placed a Suspect Package on the Board emself during eir last three Turns.
Action: Defusing Package (10-minute Post-Move). Cost: 0.
{Comments: This last one is a way of getting rid of Suspect Packages
without exploding them... and I include the restriction to prevent people
placing a Package one turn and defusing it the next turn for the bonus.
Bombers don't usually try to defuse their own bombs.}
*Rule 2.8.2: amend the final paragraph to read:
Flags may be Shunted as if they were Token Stacks: but Flags may notbe
Dead-End Shunted or destroyed in the explosion of a Suspect Package, nor
shunted to Mornington Crescent.

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Proposal 628 - Carry on Clamping [Multiple]

{ This basically changes Clamps so that you need to share a Station (and
Line) to put one on someone. Shunts are suitably adjusted to prevent
you Clamping someone then Shunting them, and Shadowing tweaked in light
of the amended Shunting. }

1. This Time It's Personal [Amendments]

In Rules 1.4.26 (Freem), 1.4.27 (Narg), 1.7.4 (Spoon) and whichever details
the Green Clamp, replace "a Player with a Piece adjacent to the Actioning
Player's Piece position" with "a Player who shares a Station and Line with
the Actioning Player".

2. Suspect Clamp [Amendment]

Reword the first paragraph of Rule 1.7.43 ("Line Velocity", starring Keanu
Reeves) to:-

A Player may perform the Action of "[Velocity-Bombing <Player>]", where
<Player> is a Player who shares a Station and Line with the Actioning
Player. Upon performing this Action, the targetted Player gains a
"Velocity Bomb (Dormant)" - an Indestructable Possession.

{ Bringing the structure in line with the other Clamps. }

3. Short Sharp Shunt [Amendment]

Reword the first paragraph of Rule 1.10.1 (A Shunting We Will Go):-

If a Player, after eir Move, shares a Station with another Player, e
may elect to Shunt that Player. This is achieved by performing the
Action of "[Shunting <Player> to <Station>]", where "<Player>" is an
Opponent who shares a Station and Line with the Actioning Player, and
"<Station>" is the chosen Target Station. This Action may only be
performed as the first Action of a Player's Post-Move Action Phase,
and may only be performed if the Actioning Player has a Line Velocity
greater than zero.

For a Shunt to be legal, the following criteria must be met:-

And remove the bullet point "The Shunted Player's Line Code...".

{ Slipped into the preceding section; "shares a Station and Line". }

4. The Speed of Darkness [Amendment]

In Rule 1.7.25 (The Coming of Shadows), replace "A Player may not Shadow
and Shunt a Player during the same Play." with "This Action may only be
performed as the first Action of a Player's Post-Move Action Phase."

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Proposal 629 - Mornington Crescent Isn't Where The Start Is [Multiple]

{ Fixing that Opening-Move-Win thing. I've only bothered barring a direct
MC start - being able to open at Closed or Damaged Stations doesn't seem
too powerful. }

1. Proving the Rule [Amendment]

Reword Rule 2.3.2 (Home Isn't Where The Start Is) to:-

When a Player performs the "[Home:]" Action, all Stations which share
a Quadrant and Line with eir Home Station - with the exception of
Mornington Crescent - become Valid Moves.

2. First-Time Buyer [Amendment]

In Rule 1.5.0 (Valid Moves), replace the "First Turn" bullet point with:-

* Declaring Home (Rule 1.12.4)

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Proposal 630 - Exciting New Buzzwords [Multiple]

{ Mainly just rewording, trimming a lot of that which I consider extraneous,
and reshuffling the important bits elsewhere - the list of Exemptions was
a bit awkward, better combined with the other paragraphs than left as
something to read afterwards.

The most dramatic amendment here is the removal of Token penalties for
illegal Moves; this aspect has always made me very uncomfortable, for two
reasons:-

(1) It's not a fair penalty; having to discard Tokens will hit some
Players harder than others. It may cripple a complicated strategy
that needs just enough Tokens, or it may be shrugged off because
the Player has a dozen Bronzes lying around.

(2) If a Player makes two mistakes in a GSD, other Players may be
tempted to Buzz one of them, wait for the replay, then Buzz the
other. Buzzing becomes an offensive strategy rather than a way
of keeping the game fair.

I've replaced this - at least for the time being - by a requirement to
put a carat ("^") symbol at the start of any Plays which are replacing
Illegal Turns. Although minimal, I think it's probably enough of a
stigma for Players to be careful, without it impacting unreasonably on
the Game. Maybe you should lose some Points if you have more replayed
Moves than unreplayed ones, at the end of a Game, but I'll leave that
for now.

Other impacts - the legality of a Move doesn't default to "Legal" if
no Judges are available; the Game is put on hold instead. Such seems
more reasonable, although it's unlikely we'll ever have to use it.

Finally, the "Anti-Scamming" bit has been taken out, since it seems
superfluous - if someone really does try to Buzz a Player for wearing
flared trousers, or something, it'll just fall on its face at Judgment.
If someone persistently Buzzes trivia just to stall the game, or if two
Players start conspiring to wreck things, it'd just take an Emergency
Proposal saying "Players X and Y should be removed from Game 18 and be
sent to bed without any tea" to solve it. I hope we don't have to "have
a word for" dealing with ungentlemanly conduct. }

1. Cat Had Stolen Batteries [Repeals]

Repeal Rules 1.16.1-7 - those describing the current Rules for Buzzing.

2. One Good Turn [Enactment]

A Turn may be Legal, Questionable, Illegal or Mistimed.

Turns are Legal by default, until proven otherwise; if the most-recently
taken Turn is Legal, play may continue as normal.

If the most recently-taken Turn is Questionable, play may not continue
until the Turn has been established as Legal or Illegal. If any Turns
are played which follow on from a Questionable Turn, those Turns are
deemed Mistimed.

If a Turn is Illegal or Mistimed, it is deemed never to have occurred,
and play continues as normal. If a Turn is made to replace an Illegal
Turn, its Play should be preceded by a "^" character.

3. Buzzing [Enactment]

If a Player believes that another Player has made a Turn which is not in
accordance with the Rules being used for that Game, and if no more than
three other Turns have been made since, e may Buzz that Turn. Buzzing is
done by posting a message to the relevant Game Lounge, detailing the
spotted illegality.

When a Turn is Buzzed, it becomes a Questionable Turn.

The Player who made a Buzz may at any time withdraw their Buzz; the
Buzzed Turn becomes Legal again.

4. Questionable Turns [Enactment]

If a Turn has become Questionable, the Player who made that Turn has
thirty-six hours to either concede or contest the Buzz. If the Buzz
is conceded, or if no contest is made within thirty-six hours, eir
Turn becomes Illegal.

If the Buzz is contested, the Buzzing Player has thirty-six hours to
eir concede or contest this defence. If the defence is conceded, or
if no contest is made within thirty-six hours, the Questionable Turn
becomes Legal.

If the defence is contested, the matter goes to Judgment.

5. Prepare to be Judged [Enactment]

If a Buzz is taken to Judgment, the Speaker shall randomly select a
Player from the set of Active Players, excluding the Buzzed and Buzzing
Player, to act as Referee. If this Player declines, or if e passes no
Judgment within three days of being selected, another Referee should be
selected at random. If no Referee is available, the Game in question
should be put on hold until a Referee is available.

The chosen Referee should post a Judgment to the relevant Game Lounge,
clearly stating whether e considers the Questionable Turn to be Legal
or Illegal. Eir decision is binding.

If the Judgment requires a Judge to clarify an ambiguity in a Rule, the
Speaker may immediately reword the Rule at issue, to reflect the Judge's
decision.

6. Correction [Enactment]

Players are permitted to amend minor details of the GSD, if it has not
been maintained properly. If any aspect of the Token Table or other
information at the top of the GSD does not tally with the listed Plays
(for example, if a Player has Eaten an Overpriced Baguette but not
removed it from eir Inventory), the Player taking eir Turn may amend the
incorrect information.

A Turn containing illegal correction may, of course, be Buzzed.

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Proposal 631 - Overeloquent Roadsigns [Rewrite]

Reword Rule 2.4.1 (Fast and Furious) to:-

Line Velocity has a maximum of fifteen, rather than ten.

{ The rest of this rule was extraneous. "Rather than ten" is kept for its
friendliness. }

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Proposal 632 - Time Flies [Rewrite]

{ This one's a bit strangely worded, at present. }

Reword Rule 1.13.2 (Get a Move On) to:-

A Player may perform the Action of "[Game Time: +0x00]" to advance Game
Time by 'x' hours. Upon performing this Action, Game Time is immediately
advanced, and the Actioning Player's Turn is extended in duration by the
same number of hours.

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Proposal 633 - Bear Faced Cheek [Amendment]

Amend Rule 0.9.4 (Fish and Fowl) by rewording "Who's A Clever Bear?" as
follows:

"Awarded to a Player who has played a particularly clever or cheeky move
sequence in the past Week, as nominated by another Player in the same Game.
The Player shall receive a bonus +3 Kudos points."

{ Comment:
I don't think the Speaker is watching and could do with a bit of a prod.
}

{ Speaker's Comment:
The Proposer is correct - there are too many Games for me to keep trackof
properly - nominations for interesting Moves would be helpful.
}

Also, reword the first sentence of the first paragraph thus:

"Each Nomic Week, on completion of Voting, the Speaker may give out
discretionary bonus Kudos Awards, as specified by this Rule."

{ Comment:
Not all the bonuses are for Proposals any more, so mentioning them
explicitly is wrong.
}

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Dunx
--
Ceci n'est pas un .sig

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