[s-b] CFI verdict: 15 points for DOOM!

["Glotmorf" <dwhytock@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

CFI: 15 points for DOOM!

Plaintiff: Peter 

Statement: When Peter played eir Card of DOOM! on nweek 80 nday 3, e 
gained 15 points. 

Plaintiff's argument: The text on Card of DOOM! doesn't state that the 
normal action doesn't occur if the required cards are not chosen. Other cards 
(such as Greater Booty and Petty Theft) state that something happens 
"instead" of the normal action if the normal conditions aren't meant. Here 
without the use of the word "instead" or something similar, one would follow 
Card of DOOM!'s instructions in order, just like any other card. The card-
player chooses cards. The chosen cards, if any, are discarded. The card-player 
gains 15 points. Then, if not all cards were chosen, more stuff happens 
(namely, the random devouring of the card-player's hand, followed by other 
players' hands). 

Defendant's Argument: The wording of the card suggests that the two are 
intended as disjoint alternatives. You pick the target cards, and then the target 
cards are discarded and you gain 15 points; if you didn't pick the target cards 
properly, then discarding the targets is impossible, so instead you go to the 
end of the card, and the DOOM! randomly devours your hand. Since the 15-
point gain is grouped with the discarding of the targets, it doesn't happen 
unless that whole block happens, which it didn't in Peter's case because e 
failed to specify valid targets.

I (as member of the Upper House and/or alternatively designated judge) rule 
TRUE on this CFI.

Reasoning:

Rule 1726/1 reads: "The Body is a Game Document; it should describe the 
card's direct effects on the gamestate, and may be empty. If not stated 
otherwise, all effects are assumed to occur when the card is played."  This 
seems to indicate the effects described in a card's body as a collection of 
events.  The typical interpretation of a B Nomic rule is that a collection of 
events described by a rule occur in sequential order based on the order in the 
rule.  Even if those events occur simultaneously, they somehow, all in the 
same instant, nevertheless occur in the order they're listed in the rule.

Consequently, the first event in the body of the Card of DOOM! is that the 
player picks the target cards.  The second event is that cards so chosen are 
discarded and 15 points are awarded.  The third event is that cards are 
randomly chosen from the player's hand and then from other players' hands as 
needed if the initial choice was inadequate.

Since the condition based on the choice occurs after the action based on the 
choice, it suggests that the action based on the choice be carried out as well as 
possible given the choice made, which means it's carried out poorly if the 
choice is poorly made.  Hence, "all those cards" in the second sentence of the 
DOOM! body results in no cards if no cards are chosen.  Only after that point 
is any action taken based on the paucity of choice.

This consequence seems reasonable, considering the overall objective of the card 
seems to be to cause devastation in the interests of a point gain, and that failure to 
execute the procedure correctly results in said devastation falling back on the acting 
player.  However, two other possible interpretations should be noted, based on this:

- If a player has nothing but a Card of DOOM! in eir hand, e can play it, designate the 
three other players' cards as targets and explicitly designate no card from eir then-
empty hand.  The three cards in other players' hands would be discarded, along with 
the card chosen from eir own hand (none).

- If a player has nothing but a Card of DOOM! in eir hand, e can play it, designate the 
three other players' cards as targets and fail to designate a card from eir then-empty 
hand.  The three cards in other players' hands would be discarded, and then, 
because e failed to explicitly designate no card from eir then-empty hand, five more 
cards from other players' hands would be discarded. (As annoying as this may be, it 
too seems in keeping with the spirit of profiting through devastation.)

I have said.

-- Glotmorf

-----
The Ivory Mini-Tower: a blog study in Social Technology.
http://www.nomic.net/~dwhytock/imt


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