Generic Core Rules

The BlogNomic Standard Ruleset

This is a generic ruleset for Nomics based on the core ruleset used in BlogNomic (http://www.blognomic.com). It has been written by Josh Hadley, Kevan Davis and Thomas Chick, based on the contributions of the hundreds of players of BlogNomic from 2004 to 2021. This is version 1.0; the most recent version can be found at https://wiki.blognomic.com/index.php?title=Generic_Core_Rules.

It is shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International) 4.0 licence.

If you use it - please do let us know!

Usage notes

As written, this ruleset is optimal for online play. To make it appropriate for real-time or offline play, remove the rule Idle Players, and change the time thresholds in the rule Enacting and Failing from 48 hours to the duration of your choice (we would recommend at least half an hour but not more than two hours).

Core Rules

Ruleset and Gamestate

This is the Ruleset; all players shall obey it. The Gamestate is defined as any information which the Ruleset regulates the alteration of.

The ruleset consists of two sections: the core rules, which govern the game as a persistent whole, and the round's rules, which cover the specific rules of gameplay for the current round.

The Ruleset and Gamestate can only be altered in manners specified by the Ruleset.

If the Ruleset does not properly reflect all legal changes that have been made to it, any player may update it to do so.

Players

Any human may become a player by announcing their intent to do so in a gamestate channel.

Some players are Admins, responsible for updating the Ruleset. Players who wish to become Admins may submit a Proposal to make themselves Admins. Existing Admins may be removed from their posts by Proposal, CfJ, or voluntary resignation.

Idle Players

A player can be active or idle. By default they are active. If a player wishes to switch between active and idle, they must make an announcement in a gamestate channel to that effect. Once a player has been made idle they cannot become active again until five days have passed.

For the purposes of all Gamestate and the Ruleset, excluding the Rules “Ruleset and Gamestate”, “Players”, and any of those Rules’ subrules, idle players are not counted as players.

When a player becomes active, if they became idle in the same game, their personal gamestate retains the last legally endowed values it had, if they are still valid. Otherwise (including if a value is invalid, does not exist, or the player idled in a different game), the player is given the default value for new players, if such a value exists.

Rounds

The game is divided into Rounds. Each Round may be headed by a single player, known as the Emperor. The Emperor is also a player for all core rules, but is not a player for all round rules, unless otherwise stated.

Official Entries and Votable Matters

An official entry is any communication whose content or format is determined by the ruleset.

A Votable Matter is an official entry which player may cast Votes on, such as a Proposal, a Call for Judgement or a Declaration of Victory.

A proposal is a kind of Votable Matter used to make changes to the ruleset or gamestate. Any player may submit a proposal to change the Ruleset or Gamestate by making an official entry that starts with the text "PROPOSAL:", and which describes those changes, unless the player already has 2 Proposals pending.

A Call for Judgement (or CfJ) is a Votable Matter used if two or more players actively disagree as to the interpretation of the Ruleset, or if a player feels that an aspect of the game needs urgent attention. A player may raise a CfJ at any time by making an official entry that starts with the text "CALL FOR JUDGEMENT:".

A Declaration of Victory (or “DoV”) is a type of Votable Matter used when a player believes that they have won the round. If a player (other than the Emperor) believes that they have achieved victory in the current round, they may make a DOV detailing this, by making an official entry that starts with the text "DECLARATION OF VICTORY:". Every player may cast votes in response to that DoV to indicate agreement or disagreement with the proposition that the poster has achieved victory in the current Dynasty.

Votes

Each player may cast one vote on a Votable Matter by making a response to the official entry that comprises that Votable Matter, indicating FOR, AGAINST, or DEFERENTIAL. A player's valid vote on a Votable Matter is that player's most recent response to the official entry for that Votable Matter, and must, except when otherwise specified, be a vote of FOR or AGAINST, or VETO if the player is the Emperor. Additionally, if the author of a Votable Matter has not made a vote in response to that Votable Matter, then the author’s Vote is FOR. A non-player never has a Vote, even if they were a player previously and had cast a valid vote.

If a player other than the Emperor casts a vote of DEFERENTIAL, then the vote of DEFERENTIAL is an indication of confidence in the Emperor. When the Emperor has a valid vote other than VETO on a Votable Matter, then all votes of DEFERENTIAL on that Votable Matter are instead considered to be valid and the same as the Emperor’s vote, unless otherwise specified.

When a player casts a vote AGAINST their own Proposal (which is not in the form of a DEFERENTIAL vote), this renders the Proposal Self-Killed. The Emperor may VETO a Proposal; when the Emperor casts a vote of VETO on a Proposal, this renders the Proposal Vetoed. Self-killing or vetoing a proposal cannot be reversed; once cast, such a vote cannot be changed.

Enacting and Failing

A votable matter can be enacted if more than half the players have voted FOR it, or if it's been open for voting for 48 hours and has more votes FOR than AGAINST. (Proposals which have been Vetoed or Self-Killed can never be enacted.)

A votable matter can be failed if half or more of the players have voted AGAINST it, or if it's been open for 48 hours and cannot otherwise be enacted, or if it is a proposal and has been Vetoed or Self-Killed.

Proposals must be resolved in chronological order, from oldest to newest.

CfJs and DoVs are processed like proposals, except that they do not need to be resolved in chronological order and Vetoing or Self-Killing them has no effect. If a DoV is failed, the player who posted it cannot make another DoV for 120 hours (5 days).

Whenever a proposal' or CfJ is enacted, the enacting admin must make the prescribed changes to the ruleset or gamestate. Whenever a DoV is enacted then the procedure described in the rule Victory and Ascension takes place.

Victory and Ascension

When a DoV is Enacted, the player who posted it has won, and if al players wish to continue, and a new round can begin in which the player who made the DoV becomes the Emperor. The New Emperor can optionally make an Ascension Address, which is an official post in whcih they set out the theme for the new round, and all round rules are repealed.

Round Rules