[spoon-discuss] Redefinition

[Daniel Lepage <dpl33@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A more finalized form of a proposal to overhaul many of the basics of 
the game. I believe it is compatible with everything it doesn't change 
(please let me know if I missed something). I also added the keywords 
OnNweek and OnCheckpoint, with OnCheckpoint have three subwords, 
:First, :Second, and :Third. I think it would make things much easier 
if every rule that defined something that happened at the beginning of 
an nweek had the keyword OnNweek, so simply be filtering by that kw we 
could get the list of nweekly events.

Anyway, I've tried to be thorough, and to keep most of the definitions 
in the same numerical location in the ruleset as their current 
counterparts are. If nobody has any suggestions or criticisms, this 
protoproposal will be made into a full proposal next nweek.

I don't propose:

{{
__Redefinition__

Replace rule 13 [[r13/3, __Definitions__]] with:
{{
__Abstract Objects__ {*(Definitions, Abstract, Objects),2*}

A Game Object is anything which exists within the context of the game, 
that is, its existence must be mandated by the ruleset; the term Object 
shall be an unambiguous synonym for Game Object in all game documents 
except where specified otherwise. [[Note that this does not require the 
object's definition to be in the ruleset; an object could be defined by 
reference to an outside Document]]

An External Force is anything which exists independantly of the game.

An Outsider is an External Force which is also an Object. [[ i.e., 
something that exists outside of the game but is also acknowledge by 
the rules as influencing the gamestate, and thus exists within the game 
as well, such as a player]]

A Game Document is a body of text specified as a Game Document by the 
Rules. Game Documents are Game Objects. [[ which is true by definition, 
but we might as well be safe and state it.]]
}}


Replace rule 2 [[2/3, __Names__]] with:
{{
__Names__ {*(Definitions, Abstract, Objects),2*}

All distinguishable Game Objects should have unique identifiers. 
Objects indistinguishable from each other need not have separate 
identifiers [[So a players points don't need to be named separately, 
but different players do]].

An abbreviation or nickname for an object may be used in place of its 
identifier provided that the context makes it unambiguous which object 
is being referred to.
}}

Replace rule 14 [[r14/1, __Forfeit__]] with:
{{
__Players__ {*(Definitions, Player, ProposingEntity, LostSoul), 2*}

A Player is an Outsider who consents to be governed by the rules, 
fulfills all requirements for playerhood specified by the rules, and 
has become a player in a manner specified by the rules.

An External Force may become a Player by posting a message to a Public 
Forum containing a request to become a player and a uniquely 
identifying name that e wishes to be known by. It may do this if and 
only if it fulfills the following requirements:
* It is capable of passing the Turing Test
* It is either not already a Game Object, or a Lost Soul
* It has a working e-mail address

A Player may cease to be a player by Forfeiting the game; this must be 
done in a Public Forum unless there are no working public fora, in 
which case e may notify the administrator privately instead. The 
Administrator must report the Forfeiture as soon as possible if this 
happens.

No restrictions may be placed on when a player may forfeit; any player 
may forfeit the game at any time (regardless of the clock, the watch, 
etc.)

When a Player ceases to be a player for any reason, e loses all game 
defined properties and attributes except for eir Name, and becomes a 
Lost Soul. Lost Souls are game objects.

Players are Limited PEs.
}}

Replace r25 [[r25/1, __The Administrator__]] with:
{{
__The Admin__ {*(Definitions, Admin, ProposingEntity, GremlinFund)*}

The Administrator, or Admin, is an Outsider who consents to be governed 
by the rules, fulfills all requirements for Adminhood specified by the 
rules, and has become the Admin in a manner specified by the rules.

An External Force may become the Admin if and only if the rules state 
that it is the Admin.

The person known as David E. Smith is the Administrator.

The Administrator is a Limited PE. Any passage or failure bonuses for 
proposals made by the Admin have no effect, unless they give points to 
em, in which case said points are given to the Gremlin Fund.
}}


Reenact rule 6 [[r6/0, __Game Definitions__, repealed nweek 24]] giving 
it the text:
{{
__Proponents__ {*(Definitions,Proposals:Making)*}

A Proposing Entity, or PE, is an entity which is capable of issuing a 
Proposal. Any PE may make a Proposal at any time, subject to any and 
all restrictions laid out in the ruleset.

An Unlimited PE is a PE that can issue proposals without paying 
proposal costs; PEs that are not Unlimited are said to be Limited. All 
PEs are Limited unless the rules specify otherwise.

}}

Replace rule 212 [[r212/6, __Bandwidth__]] with:
{{
__Bandwidth__ 
{*(Proposals:Bandwidth,Player:Properties,Admin:Properties)*}

There exist Game Objects known as Bandwidth Chits. Any object can 
possess Bandwidth Chits. X Bandwidth Chits, where X is a number, may be 
written as XBW.

At the beginning of each nweek, the number of Chits held by each player 
becomes 10, and the number of Chits held by the Admin becomes 4, unless 
another rule specifies otherwise.

}}

Replace rule 19 [[r19/12, __Proposals__]] with:
{{
__Proposals__ {*(Proposals,Proposals:General,Proposals:Unauthored)*}

A Proposal, or Prop, is a Game Document consisting primarily of a list 
of changes to the gamestate.

There exist different types of props. Each type has the following 
attributes associated with it:

A proposal cost: Limited PEs must pay this cost in order to issue a 
prop of this type.
A passage bonus: When a prop of this type passes, its proponent, if one 
exists, receives this bonus.
A failure penalty: When a prop of this type fails, its proponent, if 
one exists, receives this penalty.
Content Restrictions: A set of restrictions, which may be empty, 
governing what sorts of changes or texts may be included in the text of 
a prop of this type, which entities may submit props of this type, and 
when they may do so.

General Props are Proposals with a prop cost of 2BW, a passage bonus of 
3d6 points and one charm, and a failure penalty of 1d6 points and one 
charm. Any PE may issue General Props. General Props have no Content 
Restrictions.

An Unauthored Proposal is a Proposal whose prop cost, passage bonus, 
and failure penalty are all 0. Unauthored Props may not be issued 
simply as Unauthored Props; only as types of props that derive from 
Unauthored Props.

When a proposal Passes, the gamestate changes listed within it are 
made. This supersedes all other rules.
}}

Replace rule 395 [[r395/3, __Respect__]] with:
{{
__Respect Props__ {*(Proposals:Unauthored:Types,Dimensions:Respect)*}

Respect Props are Unauthored Props, with the following restriction: 
they must contain exactly one change to the gamestate, which must be to 
increase or decrease the Respect of a game object that has the Respect 
property by an integer between 1 and 3, inclusive.

}}

Replace rule 396 [[r396/4, __Administrator Proposals__]] with:
{{
__Quotes__ {*(Proposals:Unauthored:Types,Quotes)*}

Quotation Props are Proposals with prop cost 0, passage bonus 3 points, 
failure bonus 1 point. A Quotation Prop has the following Content 
Restriction:
It must consist of exactly one change to the gamestate, which must be 
to Modify the Quote Book to add:
	* A quote made by a game entity, past or present, other than the 
prop's Proponent.
	* The name of the entity that made the quote
	* The date that the quotation was made, and/or the URL of an archived 
copy of the message containing the quote.

When a Quote Prop passes, the entity Quoted gains 2d5 Score Points.
}}

Replace rule 15 [[r15/14, __Voting__]] with:
{{
__Voting Procedure__ {*(Voting)*}

A Poll is an event used to make a decision. A Poll has three primary 
attributes: a list of Eligible Voters, a Duration, and an Issue to be 
decided.
The Eligible Voters set is the set of all Game Objects who are allowed 
to cast votes in the Poll. Each Voter may cast a single vote on the 
Poll; this vote may be Yes, No, or Abstain (or some obvious variant on 
one of these words, so 'sure','nay',etc. work; but if it's not obvious 
what the vote means, it should be interpreted as an Abstain vote). If a 
Voter submits more than one vote, the *last* one submitted is their 
actual vote. (so votes can be changed by resubmitting them).
The Duration of a Poll is an amount of time signifying how long voting 
will continue. When the Duration of the Poll Concludes, the Issue is 
resolved. The Issue is said to have Passed if more Yes votes than No 
votes were cast on the Poll; otherwise, it Fails.

Polls are only called when specified by the rules. If a poll is called, 
but no list of Eligible Voters is specified for it, it is assumed that 
all Players are Eligible Voters, and nothing else is.
If a Poll is called, but no Duration is specified, it is assumed that 
the Duration is until the end of the current nweek.

_Types of Durations_

The Duration of a Poll may be any of the following:
* An absolute point in ntime, such as "nweek 212, nday 6". In this 
case, the Duration Concludes at that point in ntime, or, if it has not 
elapsed but that time has already passed, immediately.
* A relative point in ntime, such as "three ndays from the calling of 
the Poll". In this case, the Duration Concludes at the end of the 
specified period. A <T> Poll, where <T> is a unit of ntime, is a Poll 
with <T> as its Duration (for example, a 3-nday Poll)
* Either of the above, with a point/amount in real time/wtime 
substituted for the point in ntime. This use is strongly discouraged 
except in cases where ntime would be unsuitable.
* Indeterminate. An Indeterminate Duration does not Conclude based on 
time. Indeterminate Polls should generally be Short-Circuited (see 
below), but don't have to be...

_Special Polls_

A Poll may have any of the following optional flags:
* Short-Circuited: The Duration of a Short-Circuited Poll Concludes as 
soon as every Eligible Voter has cast a vote.
* Very Badly Wired (VBW): A VBW Poll's Duration Concludes as soon as 
enough Eligible Voters have cast votes that the outcome of the Poll 
could not be changed by the votes cast by the rest of the Voters.
* Strict: In a Strict poll, each Voter gets exactly one Vote; this 
sentence takes precedence over any rule that would allow players to 
cast multiple votes on a Poll.
* Imperial: In a Imperial poll, the Administrator has the power to Veto 
the Poll, at any time up to the official posting of the results. If e 
does so, the Issue only Passes if the number of Yes votes cast exceeds 
twice the number of No votes (at the time of resolution).
* Despotic: A Despotic poll is an Imperial Poll, except that if the 
Issue is vetoed, it Fails regardless of what votes are cast.
* Concealable: In a Concealable poll, votes may be sent to the 
Administrator privately; when the Duration Concludes, the administrator 
must post publicly the private votes.
}}

Reenact rule 23 [[r23/2, __The Ballot__, repealed]] in the form:
{{
__Proposal Voting__ {*(Proposals:Voting, Voting, OnNweek, 
CheckingPeriod:Third, Clock:Stopping)*}

The third Checking period of each nweek is the Voting Period of that 
nweek. At the beginning of a Voting Period, a Concealable Imperial Poll 
with a Duration lasting 'til the end of the Voting Period is called on 
every proposal issued since the beginning of the previous Voting 
Period; on Unauthored Proposals, the Polls called this way are also 
strict.

The collection of these Polls in each nweek is called that nweek's 
Ballot.

The polls on a Ballot have an additional voting option: Shelve. Shelve 
votes are treated as No votes; however, if a Ballot poll fails, but it 
would not have failed if the Shelve votes had been Yes votes, or it 
would not have failed if the administrator hadn't vetoed it, then the 
proposal of that poll is Shelved - it neither passes nor fails, and is 
included on the next nweek's Ballot.

At the end of each nweek, the Clock Stops until the administrator posts 
the results of the Ballot polls to a public forum.

The effects of the proposals on a Ballot are considered to happen in 
"simultaneous sequential order"; that is, they are processed in 
increasing order by serial number, and the effects of their 
passage/failure occur in this order, but the entire process is 
considered to happen instantaneously.

}}

Create a rule:
{{
__Temporary Cleanup Rule__ {*(Temporary,OnNweek,Voting,LostSoul),12*}

This rule supersedes all other rules.
At the beginning of a Voting Period, the Ballot of that nweek contains 
only those proposals made since the beginning of the eighth nday of the 
preceding nweek.
When this rule takes effect, one Lost Soul is created for each entity 
that was ever a player in B Nomic, but is no longer a rule-defined 
entity, with the last name that entity had in the game before it either 
ceased to exist within the scope of the game, and all Former Players 
become Lost Souls.
At the end of the nweek, this rule is repealed.

[[This rule is needed because some parts of this proposal assume that 
they've been in the ruleset the whole time; this rule makes sure that, 
for example, the next nweek's Ballot doesn't contain every proposal in 
the history of the game (since the definition of a Voting Period 
changed slightly, it's arguable that there's never been a Voting Period 
in the sense one of the new rules suggests)]]

}}

Repeal rule 25 [[r25/1, __The Administrator__]] and rule 26 [[r26/2, 
__New Players__].

}}

--
Wonko

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