Subject: Minimalist Dynamic Mornomic

From: "Kevan Davis" <kevan@s...>
Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 13:33:40 -0000

Hm, this was something that appeared in my skull on the train back
from conversations with Wayper the other week - a radical offshoot
(or even redirection) of Mornington Nomic, pushing it away from the
traditional Nomic style and more towards the "Bartok" school (a
quick, easy game where a new set of rules evolves from nothing,
each time you play, with as much earlier-game historical reference
as you feel like).

It's all a bit vague and rough, but I'd rather post it for feedback
than polish it to absurdity or get bored and lose it. That the
language of the game makes it suitable for play in a pub or at
MCiOS *without anyone noticing that it's a Nomic* seems quite a
nice thing. And it embraces the issue of rules shifting beneath
play, rather than being unsettled by it.

I dunno. Thoughts, please. Now that you're waking up.

Kevan

-----

Summary of Concept
------------------

Rather than having a single complicated Ruleset full of rules that
might not see use in a given game, we have one very, very simple
Ruleset (covering basic movement and nothing much else) and develop
a new set of Actions (and, by inference, gamestates and things) for
each game. A mix of forging new Actions with spurious names, and
bringing in favourite or staple ones from older games. 

>From this we can build up an archive of Actions, grouped by the
games they appeared in. It then becomes possible to start a game of
"Brighton Rules 1972", simply referring to the previous game of the
same name to see which Actions it used. 

Basic Rules
-----------

Before starting play, someone decides on the name of the Ruleset
for this particular game. "Chalk Farm 1984", "Baker Street",
"Ruttsborough '57", or whatever - you know the drill. Since each
game will evolve different rules, this is useful as an archive
title, as well as perhaps giving a theme to the game, and some
flavour to the game conversation. 

Each Player then places their Piece on the board, at a Station of
their choice (other than - of course - Mornington Crescent). Play
then proceeds clockwise, starting with a random Player. 

During their Turn, a Player may make up to five Steps. A Step may
either be a Move (moving their Piece one Station) or an Action
(which affects the gamestate in a specific way). 

If a Player Moves to Mornington Crescent, they immediately win the
game. A Player cannot Move to Mornington Crescent unless an Action
has permitted it. 

Actions
-------

If the Action has been played before in the current game (and if
its costs are paid), it is automatically successful. If it has not
been played before, it is only successful if no Player objects to
its creation. Objections are made by pointing out that the Ruleset
"does not allow it". For example:-

Kevan : Morden. And I shall Counter-Flip PaulWay back to TCR,
since he didn't move last turn.
Dunx : Not under the 1948 Regency Rules you don't!
Kevan : Oh, yes, my mistake. I'll just pay a Red and Shunt him
to Wimbledon, then. {The Shunt action being used and
defined earlier in the game, and accepted.}

Objections can be worded in a leading way, if the objector likes
the idea but wants to haggle about specifics ("I think you'll find
you have to pay a Blue Token for that, under Regency Rules."). 

The first time an Action is played, any specific requirements of it
should be stated in that play. ("I invoke Knip by spending a
Podume.", "I shall claim a Token, being at an Interchange. I think
I'll go for a Red one.", "I Shadow PaulWay to copy his Spin, since
we are both at the same Station."). 

Unless otherwise specified, an Action is assumed to have no cost or
requirement, and can be played at any Station (targetting any
player at any Station). 

Where an Action targets a named Player, the "stored" version of
that Action simply specifies "a Player". eg:- 

"I spend a Green Podume to reverse Dunx's Polarity."

is "stored" in the Ruleset as

"A Player may reverse any Player's Polarity, at the cost of
a Green Podume."

States
------

Actions can either have a one-off effect on some aspect of the
gamestate, or "permanently" change it. The consequences of such
permanent changes are known as States. For example:-

"I spend a Metal Token to invoke Spink, which means Players
can't collect further Tokens."

"Since RiffRaff is at Morden, I shall bring the Morden Paradox
down upon him, preventing him from Moving until someone
else Moves there."

Such States could be revoked by future Actions:-

"Since I have no Tokens, I can break us out of Spink."

"I invoke Whirlman's Backplay, being at Tottenham Court
Road. All States are terminated."

Basic Terms
-----------

To save copious definition when invoking new Actions, the following
basic terms can be used:-

BLOCKING - Stations can be Blocked. If a Station is Blocked,
no Player may Move to it. (But they can move from
it, if they were there when it became Blocked.)

eg. "I invoke a Bokanovsky Catastrophe, which
Blocks all Stations adjacent to me until
my next turn."

SHUNTING - Players can be Shunted, by a number of Stations.
The Shunting Player immediately moves their victim
the specified number Stations along a single Line.

eg. "I spend a Puce Token to Power-Shunt Ole by 
five Stations, to Victoria."

WILDING - Stations can be Wild. If a Station is Wild, any
Player may move directly to it as a Move.

eg. "I play Pilkerton's Seventh Degree of Freedom;
all Stations other than MC are Wild for the
remainder of the game!"

--
http://uncertain.org/~kevan
"I play postal chess with a man who doesn't know me."

---

From: Paul Wayper <paulway@e...>
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 12:29:11 +1100

>play, rather than being unsettled by it.

Well, I'm certainly up for it. After initially being worried about a lack 
of rules, I actually think it will get things rolling much better than all 
our previous attempts after the Great Breakdown.

So, Chalk Farm '84 anyone?

Paul

---

From: "Kevan Davis" <kevan@s...>
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 09:32:01 -0000

> our previous attempts after the Great Breakdown.

Mm, I've got a feeling a bit of a 'core ruleset' might well evolve by 
itself regardless.

> So, Chalk Farm '84 anyone?

Good idea. Game opened in the Cryer Lounge; I suppose anyone can join 
in whenever they like, for now.

(What happened to the Garden and Rushton Lounges, incidentally? 
Victims of Yahoogroups' friendly "post regularly or have a moderator 
who keeps an eye on things, otherwise we'll delete your group and all 
its archives" policy?)

Kevan

--
http://kevan.org
"I gazed a gazely stare."

---

From: "Kevan Davis" <kevan@s...>
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 17:32:38 -0000

> either be a Move (moving their Piece one Station) [...]

Having just confused someone with that sentence, I should clarify 
that I should really have written "moving their Piece to an 
*adjacent* Station". Tsk.

K.

--
http://kevan.org

---

From: Paul Wayper <paulway@e...>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:08:41 +1100

Patience? Bah. I expect a fifteen minute flash animation of "patience" 
(or even patients) bouncing attractively around the screen.

*laughs* but then I haven't even got a domain. Where are you getting 
hosted through, Kevan, and what are their rates like?

Have fun,

Paul

---

From: "Kevan Davis" <kevan@s...>
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 15:12:18 -0000

> (or even patients) bouncing attractively around the screen.

Alas, no money for a copy of Flash. And no time to use it even if I 
had.

> hosted through, Kevan, and what are their rates like?

I'm being hosted through a friend who couldn't think of anything 
better to get me for my birthday, some months ago.

Dvorak's been shifted, as well. Did any Mornomickers ever try the map-
based Crescent deck, out of interest?

http://www.dvorakgame.co.uk/cardlist.cgi?mornington2

Kevan

--
http://kevan.org
"Hm, signature quotes don't look
as good under a short URL."