[s-d] New Emergency Procedures

[Daniel Lepage <dplepage@xxxxxxxxx>]

I'm not proposing this yet, but here's what I think we should do to  
rule 0-0. We ought to split it into sections - some of the things it  
describes may be useful even outside of states of emergency, so that  
for example we can have a well-defined player base or a decent public  
forum in the event of some catastrophe.

Also, I'm starting a habit I hope will catch on, which is that if a  
rule mentions another rule explicitly by name or by number, it should  
include a comment at the bottom listing all such mentions so that when  
we write proposals to change rule X we can find all other rules that  
need to be updated accordingly.

The other main differences between this and the current r0 are that  
there's only one round of voting (ties aren't very frequent, in my  
experience), and that there's a way to short-circuit the whole process  
if a 3/5 majority of the players agree on a quick fix.

A new section 0:
{{
== Section 0: Emergency Procedures ==

=== Rule 0-1: Determining Players ===

The term "Potential Emergency Participant" (PEP) refers to any player  
of B Nomic.

If it is uncertain who the current players are in the game, or if  
there are fewer than four such players, then it instead refers to any  
entity that was a player before such uncertainty or drop in player  
count.

If this still cannot be determined, then the term instead refers to  
any human who has, within the past two months, posted a message to a  
forum recognized by the game.

=== Rule 0-2: Communication ===

Emergency Fora are the means of inter-player communication during an  
Emergency. All working Public Fora are Emergency Fora as well.

In the event that the normal means of communication between players  
are unavailable, any PEP can designate any means of communication  
between PEPs as an Emergency Forum by making a reasonable effort to  
alert all other PEPs of the existence of the Forum. Emergency Fora  
count as Public Fora, but as soon as there is a valid working Public  
Forum any PEP can annul any Emergency Forum, making it cease to be an  
Emergency Forum.

=== Rule 0-3: Declaring Emergency ===

Any PEP may declare to any normal Forum or Emergency Forum that he or  
she is recognizing a State of Emergency, or that he or she is ceasing  
to recognize a State of Emergency.

A PEP is considered to be Panicking if he or she has recognized a  
State of Emergency more recently than he or she has ceased to  
recognize a state of emergency.

If at any time five or more PEPs are Panicking, the game immediately  
enters a State of Emergency.

If at any time three or fewer PEPs are Panicking, the game cease to be  
in a State of Emergency.

If a player declares that he or she has hit his or her Panic Button,  
or otherwise activated it, this is interpreted to mean that the player  
is Recognizing a State of Emergency.

=== Rule 0-4: Time Stop ===

When the game enters a State of Emergency, game time is stopped.  
Whatever means used in the Game to track time is stopped as of the  
beginning of the Emergency. Pending events and deadlines relative to  
Game time are postponed until Game time resumes. Pending events and  
deadlines with absolute dates and times do not occur. Actions declared  
during this time do not take effect until game time resumes.

This does not apply to events or actions described by this section of  
the rules.

=== Rule 0-5: The Emergency Coordinator ===

When the game enters a State of Emergency, the PEP who most recently  
held the Minister of Ministries becomes the Emergency Coordinator  
(EC). If this Emergency Coordinator does not exist, or it is unclear  
which PEP it is, or if he or she does not possess the Active property,  
then any PEP may make himself or herself the Emergency Coordinator by  
declaring so in an Emergency Forum. If multiple PEPs do so, the first  
to do so becomes Emergency Coordinator; in the event that it is  
unclear who did it first, the competitors must work it out amongst  
themselves.

=== Rule 0-6: Submission ===

After the game enters a State of Emergency, at the first midnight UTC  
when there is an Emergency Forum and an Emergency Coordinator, the  
Submission phase begins. During the Submission Phase, each PEP may  
submit a single Refresh Proposal (RP). PEPs may also modify their own  
RPs during this time.

A Refresh Proposal consists of a list of changes to the game which may  
affect any aspect of the Game or the state of the Game, including, but  
not limited to: rules, scores or other player attributes, the valid  
list of players, current holders of any Ministries, the legitimacy and/ 
or actuality of any action taken in the context of the Game, etc.

=== Rule 0-7: Voting ===

Once 5 days have elapsed from the beginning of the Submission phase,  
the Submission phase ends, and the Voting phase begins. The EC must  
send out a list of all RPs from the Submission Phase, and each PEP may  
vote in favor of a single one of those RPs. Votes are cast by  
announcing them on the Emergency Forum, and may be changed in the same  
manner.

If, however, no RPs were submitted during the Submission phase, then  
instead the Submission phase begins anew as described in rule 0-6.

[[Dependence: 0-6]]

=== Rule 0-8: Resolution ===

Once 3 days have elapsed from the beginning of the Voting phase, the  
Voting phase ends and the RP with the greatest number of Votes is  
selected as the Winning RP.
In the event of a tie, the EC selects a Winning RP from those that tied.

Once a Winning RP is selected, all changes listed in it occur,  
implemented by the Emergency Coordinator as needed.

=== Rule 0-9: Restart ===

Once the EC has made all the necessary changes to the gamestate, he or  
she must proclaim the End of the Emergency. At this point all players  
cease to be Recognizing a State of Emergency, the Emergency ends, all  
RPs are destroyed, and normal gameplay resumes.

=== Rule 0-10: Short-Circuiting ===

Any PEP, during the Submission phase, may declare his or her RP to be  
Finalized. Once an RP is declared Finalized, it can no longer be  
modified, and PEPs may cast votes for it even when the Voting phase  
has not yet begun.

If an RP has ever been voted for by 3/5 or more of all PEPs, then that  
RP is immediately selected as the Winning RP and the State Emergency  
ends as described in rules 0-8 and 0-9.

[[Dependence: 0-9]]

}}

-- 
Wonko

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