Initial Set of Rules
101. All players must always abide by all the rules then in effect, in the form in which they are then in effect. The rules in the Initial Set are in effect whenever a game begins. The Initial Set consists of Rules 101-116 (immutable) and 201-213 (mutable).
102. Initially rules in the 100's are immutable and rules in the 200's are mutable. Rules subsequently enacted or transmuted (that is, changed from immutable to mutable or vice versa) may be immutable or mutable regardless of their numbers, and rules in the Initial Set may be transmuted regardless of their numbers.
103. A rule-change is any of the following: (1) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule; (2) the enactment, repeal, or amendment of an amendment of a mutable rule; or (3) the transmutation of an immutable rule into a mutable rule or vice versa.
(Note: This definition implies that, at least initially, all new rules are mutable; immutable rules, as long as they are immutable, may not be amended or repealed; mutable rules, as long as they are mutable, may be amended or repealed; any rule of any status may be transmuted; no rule is absolutely immune to change.)
104. All rule-changes proposed in the proper way shall be voted on. They will be adopted if and only if they receive the required number of votes.
105. Every player is an eligible voter. Every eligible voter must participate in every vote on rule-changes.
106. All proposed rule-changes shall be written down before they are voted on. If they are adopted, they shall guide play in the form in which they were voted on.
107. No rule-change may take effect earlier than the moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it, even if its wording explicitly states otherwise. No rule-change may have retroactive application.
108. Each proposed rule-change shall be given a number for reference. The numbers shall begin with 301, and each rule-change proposed in the proper way shall receive the next successive integer, whether or not the proposal is adopted.
If a rule is repealed and reenacted, it receives the number of the proposal to reenact it. If a rule is amended or transmuted, it receives the number of the proposal to amend or transmute it. If an amendment is amended or repealed, the entire rule of which it is a part receives the number of the proposal to amend or repeal the amendment.
109. Rule-changes that transmute immutable rules into mutable rules may be adopted if and only if the vote is unanimous among the eligible voters. Transmutation shall not be implied, but must be stated explicitly in a proposal to take effect.
110. In a conflict between a mutable and an immutable rule, the immutable rule takes precedence and the mutable rule shall be entirely void. For the purposes of this rule a proposal to transmute an immutable rule does not "conflict" with that immutable rule.
111. If a rule-change as proposed is unclear, ambiguous, paradoxical, or destructive of play, or if it arguably consists of two or more rule-changes compounded or is an amendment that makes no difference, or if it is otherwise of questionable value, then the other players may suggest amendments or argue against the proposal before the vote. A reasonable time must be allowed for this debate. The proponent decides the final form in which the proposal is to be voted on and, unless the Judge has been asked to do so, also decides the time to end debate and vote.
113. A player always has the option to forfeit the game rather than continue to play or incur a game penalty. No penalty worse than losing, in the judgment of the player to incur it, may be imposed.
114. There must always be at least one mutable rule. The adoption of rule-changes must never become completely impermissible.
115. Rule-changes that affect rules needed to allow or apply rule-changes are as permissible as other rule-changes. Even rule-changes that amend or repeal their own authority are permissible. No rule-change or type of move is impermissible solely on account of the self-reference or self-application of a rule.
116. Whatever is not prohibited or regulated by a rule is permitted and unregulated, with the sole exception of changing the rules, which is permitted only when a rule or set of rules explicitly or implicitly permits it.
201. Players shall alternate in clockwise order, taking one whole turn apiece. Turns may not be skipped or passed, and parts of turns may not be omitted. All players begin with zero points.
In mail and computer games, players shall alternate in alphabetical order by surname.
202. One turn consists of two parts in this order: (1) proposing one rule-change and having it voted on, and (2) throwing one die once and adding the number of points on its face to one's score.
In mail and computer games, instead of throwing a die, players subtract 291 from the ordinal number of their proposal and multiply the result by the fraction of favorable votes it received, rounded to the nearest integer. (This yields a number between 0 and 10 for the first player, with the upper limit increasing by one each turn; more points are awarded for more popular proposals.)
203. A rule-change is adopted if and only if the vote is unanimous among the eligible voters. If this rule is not amended by the end of the second complete circuit of turns, it automatically changes to require only a simple majority.
204. If and when rule-changes can be adopted without unanimity, the players who vote against winning proposals shall receive 10 points each.
205. An adopted rule-change takes full effect at the moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it.
207. Each player always has exactly one vote.
302. The winner is the first player to achieve 100,000 points.
(Formerly rule 208.)
209. At no time may there be more than 25 mutable rules.
211. If two or more mutable rules conflict with one another, or if two or more immutable rules conflict with one another, then the rule with the lowest ordinal number takes precedence.
If at least one of the rules in conflict explicitly says of itself that it defers to another rule (or type of rule) or takes precedence over another rule (or type of rule), then such provisions shall supersede the numerical method for determining precedence.
If two or more rules claim to take precedence over one another or to defer to one another, then the numerical method again governs.
212. If players disagree about the legality of a move or the interpretation or application of a rule, then the player preceding the one moving is to be the Judge and decide the question. Disagreement for the purposes of this rule may be created by the insistence of any player. This process is called invoking Judgment.
When Judgment has been invoked, the next player may not begin his or her turn without the consent of a majority of the other players.
The Judge's Judgment may be overruled only by a unanimous vote of the other players taken before the next turn is begun. If a Judge's Judgment is overruled, then the player preceding the Judge in the playing order becomes the new Judge for the question, and so on, except that no player is to be Judge during his or her own turn or during the turn of a team-mate.
Unless a Judge is overruled, one Judge settles all questions arising from the game until the next turn is begun, including questions as to his or her own legitimacy and jurisdiction as Judge.
New Judges are not bound by the decisions of old Judges. New Judges may, however, settle only those questions on which the players currently disagree and that affect the completion of the turn in which Judgment was invoked. All decisions by Judges shall be in accordance with all the rules then in effect; but when the rules are silent, inconsistent, or unclear on the point at issue, then the Judge shall consider game-custom and the spirit of the game before applying other standards.
213. If the rules are changed so that further play is impossible, or if the legality of a move cannot be determined with finality, or if by the Judge's best reasoning, not overruled, a move appears equally legal and illegal, then the first player unable to complete a turn is the winner.
This rule takes precedence over every other rule determining the winner.
301. WHEREAS we are using GitHub to track our rules, and WHEREAS Git is really awesome, rules may be moved and renumbered in this document so as to make the current form of the document read easily and coherently. This will not risk losing any historical information, while increasing legibility.
304. In order to build the best rules possible, each player shall enter a statement of purpose into the repository as part of the players file that clarifies his or her reasons for playing this game. This statement should be reasonably truthful, and may be freely updated as the game progresses.
305. In order to encourage less conservative proposed rules, rule 206 is repealed.
306. When a rule is entered into the record improperly or no longer has an effect, any player may make a motion (filed as an issue in Github), at any time, at most once per rule, to have that rule removed. Each player is required to vote on each motion. If the motion passes unanimously, then the rule may be struck from the record without a vote.
307. In order to allow more flexible conceptions of "winning" and ensure the long-term health of the game, rule 303 (formerly 112) is repealed.
To provide the ability to enact legislation that is larger than a single rule, to facilitate quick changes, and to allow people to fully consider the impact of a set of rules.
Where it conflicts, this rule supercedes rule 202.
A rule may enact, repeal or amend an act. An act is a set of interdependent rules with a name and a statement of purpose.
Acts are written into this document as sections.
Each rule of an act is assigned a paragraph number. For purposes of precedence, all provisions of an act share the rule number of the act. When this is insufficient to determine precedence, the paragraph number is used instead of the rule number.
A rule which amends an act changes the rule number of the entire act in the same way that a non-act rule would change a non-act rule.
For purposes of scoring, none of the rules of an act are scored, but the rule which enacts, repeals, or amends an act is scored as normal.
Acts may not contain rules that conflict with its statement of purpose.
Acts and the rules within an act can never be immutable.
To provide incentives and structures for bringing new players in to the game.
When a person wishes to join this game of Nomic, they shall make that desire clear to the existing players. If an existing player has recruited them for the game, they shall also make that clear, and it shall be noted in that players entry in the player record. All existing players will then vote on whether that person shall become a player. This vote shall pass if and only if it is unanimously in favor.
All players shall have the date of their joining entered into the player record. All players currently playing at the time of this act's passage shall have their join date listed as the date of the passage of this act.
New players shall be inserted into the player record and turn order acording to the alphabetical listing of their surname.
New players shall start with a number of points equal to the average of the points of the current players.
In order to ensure continuance of game play by providing limits to lengths of turns and discussions, and incentives to prompt play.
Where it conflicts, this rule supercedes rule 201 and 202.
At any given time, the game may be in session or out of session. A game is in session on any week day that is not a federal holiday in the United States or Canada. A game day starts at 15:00 GMT and ends the following day at the same time.
When the game is in session, players must take turns promptly. A player must submit their rule changes by the end of the subsequent day of having received their turn. If they do not, any player may make a motion that play continue. If this happens, the active player forfeits their turn and play passes to the next player according to the rules that govern player order.
If a rule change is submitted promptly, then the other players have another game day in which to discuss or propose amendments. If this limit is exceeded, the active player may make a motion for continuance. If they do, the proposed rule is abandoned, but they may score as many points as they would if the rule had passed.
On days when the game is out of session, rules about promptness are suspended as if they did not exist. If a player received their turn on Friday, they have until the end of Monday to submit their turn. Votes and rule proposals may only occur on game days.
311. Every time John joins Kit at the gym for a period of exercise not less than thirty (30) minutes, he (John) gains ten (10) points, up to once per calendar day.