[s-d] RFC: Devices

["Mike McGann" <mike.mcgann@xxxxxxxxx>]

Request for comments. Here's what I've put together for a revision of the
Device rules. Summary is that it tries to fix some problems with the current
set, includes the concepts that Wonko wanted, removes the power of creating
Blueprints from the Artisan, sets a precedence order (Rules, Device Powers,
Device Regulations), explicitly prohibits certain actions, has Player Unique
devices (a player can only own one type of device), lengthens the bidding
process, doesn't specify how blueprints are created and is instead left to
proposals, allows the owner to destroy his own device and requires a player
to accept a trade offer.

- Hose

A Device is a type of Game Object. All Devices have the following
Attributes:

* Device Name
* Device Owner
    * Range: All Players
* Device Uniqueness
    * Range: Either "Non-Unique", "Player", or "Game"
    * Default Value: Non-Unique

If a Device has a Uniqueness value of "Player", no two Devices must ever
have the same Device Name and Device Owner at any time. If a Device has a
Uniqueness of "Game", no two Devices must ever have the same Device Name at
any time. The Player that is the Device Owner for a Device is said to be the
Owner of the Device.

A Device may also have a set of Powers. A Power is a series of one or more
Game Actions that are performed when activated. Powers are prohibited from
creating, destroying, submitting, or altering Game Documents and from
creating, repealing, amending, or overriding the Rules of the Game and from
creating, destroying, or altering Blueprints and from changing the State of
the Clock and from Hitting or Stopping Panic Buttons. Devices and Powers are
governed by the Rules of the Game and by the Device Regulations. Whenever
the Rules and the Device Regulations conflict, the Rules shall take
precedence.

A Blueprint is a type of Game Object that defines a Device. All Blueprints
have the following Attributes:

* Blueprint Name
* Blueprint Uniqueness
    * Range: Either "Non-Unique", "Player", or "Game"
    * Default Value: Non-Unique
* Production Count
   * Range: Any integer value greater than or equal to zero or "Infinite"
   * Default Value: Infinite
* Price
   * Range: Any non-negative amount of Mackerel
   * Default Value: m50

A Blueprint may have a Property named Biddable. If it has that Property, it
also has an attribute named Starting Price with a Range of any non-negative
amount of mackerel and a Default Value of the value for the Price Attribute.

A Blueprint may also contain a Game Document known as the Additional Device
Definition. The Additional Device Definition shall contain additional
Attributes (and their Values), Properties, or Powers that the Device it is
defining shall have.

No two Blueprints must ever have the same Blueprint Name. If at any time a
Blueprint has a Production Count of one, it shall gain the Biddable
Property. If at any time a Blueprint has a Production Count of zero, that
Blueprint shall immediately cease to exist.

A Player, as a Game Action, may purchase a Device by specifying a Blueprint,
if and only if, the Player has a sufficient amount of mackerel and if the
Blueprint does not have the Biddable Property. A sufficient amount of
mackerel is an amount equal to or greater than the Blueprint Price. If the
Device can be legally created, it is Produced from the specified Blueprint
for the Player who submitted the Game Action.

A Device can only be created by being Produced from a Blueprint. When a
Device is Produced from a specified Blueprint for a Player, the Price of the
Blueprint is subtracted from the Player's amount of mackerel. A new Device
is created with the Device Owner set to the Player, the Device Name set to
the Blueprint Name, the Device Uniqueness set to the Blueprint Uniqueness,
and the Device gains any Attributes (and their Values), Properties, or
Powers that are specified in the Additional Device Definition. The
Production Count of the Blueprint is then decremented by one if its value is
not Infinite. The Device Name of the Produced Device becomes immutable and
can never be changed.

If a Blueprint has the Biddable Property, bidding for the Blueprint's Device
opens at the start of Breakday [[nday 1]] and the Blueprint's Price is set
to the Starting Price. Any Player, as a Game Action, may submit a
non-retractable bid, specifying a Biddable Blueprint and an amount of
mackerel greater than the Blueprint's Price. The highest amount of mackerel
bid on a Blueprint becomes the Blueprint's Price. Bidding ends at the start
of Ballotday [[nday 9]], and the Player with the highest bid is the winner.
At the end of Thirnight [[nday 12]], if the winning Player has a sufficient
amount of mackerel, the Device for the Blueprint is Produced for the winning
Player. If the winning Player does not have a sufficient amount of mackerel,
the winning Player automatically and repeatedly converts one Point into
mackerels until the winning Player has a sufficient amount of mackerel (and
the Device for the Blueprint is Produced for the winning Player) or until
the Player has zero points. If the winning Player still does not have a
sufficient amount of mackerel, their mackerel is set to zero.

A Player, as a Game Action, may destroy any Device that he owns and that
device shall cease to exist. A Player, as a Game Action, may offer any
Device that he owns to another Player. A Player, as a Game Action, may
accept an offer and the Device Owner on the offered Device shall be set to
the accepting Player.

__Device Regulations__

A Player may only activate Powers on Devices for which he is an Owner.

Every Power has a Name, one or more Game Actions that are performed when the
Power is activated, and a Cost. A Power's Game Actions may require the
Player, when activating, to specify values for parameters or to specify Game
Objects as targets. A Cost is one or more Game Actions the Owner must
perform to activate the item. The definition of a Power can be written in
the following format: "Name (Costs): Game Actions".

An Owner can activate a Power as a Game Action, unless prohibited by other
Rules or Device Regulations, by specifying the Name of a Device, the Name of
a Power on that Device, and any required parameters or targets. If the Owner
cannot fulfill the Costs or the required parameters or targets are not
specified, are not complete, or are incorrect, invalid, or illegal, the
Power is not activated.

When a Power is activated, all the Cost's Game Actions are performed, then
all the Power's Game Actions are performed, and then the Power is said to
Resolve.

For brevity, the following can be used as a Cost:

* Zero: A Game Action that does nothing.
* Spend mX: The Owner has an amount of X subtracted from his mackerel. This
Cost can only be fulfilled if the Owner has an amount of mackerel equal to
or greater than X.
* Lose X: The Owner has an amount of X subtracted from his Score. This Cost
can only be fulfilled if the Owner has an amount of Points equal to or
greater than X.
* Tap: After this Device's Power Resolves, this Device gains the Tapped
Property.
* Sacrifice: After this Device's Power Resolves, this Device ceases to
exist.
* Requires X: The Owner must own a Device with the Device Name of X or this
Cost cannot be fulfilled.

Powers cannot be activated when the Clock is Off.

Any Device that has the Tapped Property cannot have any of its Powers
activated. At the beginning of Breakday, all Devices lose the Tapped
Property.

If a Power's Game Action conflicts with a Device Regulation, the Power's
Game Action takes precedence.
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