Cycle 14/Ruleset

Time

General

All times mentioned in this ruleset are in UTC. Days start at 00:00 UTC. Weeks start on Monday 00:00 UTC.

Phases

Each week is divided into two phases:

Phase I: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

Phase II: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Players

Any person may become a player by posting a message setting forth their intent to do so in the channel ⁠game-actions, provided they have not been a player at any point in the past seven days. A player may cease being a player by sending a message that sets forth their intent to do so in ⁠game-actions.

When a person becomes a player, they gain 1⚡.

The Obelisk

The home of Infinite Nomic has come under threat by a great evil. At the beginning of the game, an Obelisk made of black stone stands a kilometer tall and 10 kilometers away from the Gates.

For the Obelisk to move a distance closer is for its distance from the gate to be reduced by that amount. If this would result in the distance becoming negative, it instead becomes 0.

Once per week, one player can peek through the gate window and observe the Obelisk, and roll 1dN where N is the number of Cuts the Obelisk currently has (to a minimum of 1). When they do so, the obelisk's position becomes that many kilometers closer (it had moved mysteriously in the middle of the night), then each player gains 1⚡ (evidence of their renewed resolve).

On the observation of the Obelisk each phase, if an odd number is the result of the dice roll that happens after the observation of the Obelisk, the Obelisk summons an entity, named a "Grebe" to aid it, in addition to moving the distance as per the rules when said odd number is rolled. There can only be a maximum of 5 Grebes aiding the Obelisk at once. If the amount of Grebes ever exceeds this amount, the extra Grebes immediately cease to exist (due to some mysterious existential force).

Items

Items are entities defined as such by the rules. Items can only be owned by players. By default, items can be traded. When an item's owner cannot reasonably be determined using publicly available information, or if it would be owned by a non-player, it is instead destroyed.

For an entity to gain an item is for that item to be created in that entity's possession. To grant an entity an item is to create it in that entity's possession.

For an entity to lose an item is for that item to be destroyed from that entity's possession. To revoke an item from an entity is to destroy it from that entity's possession.

Trading

A trade is an exchange or transfer of items between two entities, with each entity giving a specified finite set of items to the other. Reputable players can trade items with other reputable players.

When otherwise authorized, a trade between two players takes place when both players explicitly consent to the trade in #trades within 7 days of each other.

Ritual Components

Ritual Components are Items. Each Ritual Component has an associated Emoji, as shown below. The following items are Ritual Components:

• ⚡Resolve
• 💎Crystals
• 🌿Herbs
• ⚗️Reagents
• 🩸Blood of Stone
• 🖤Black Heart

Unlike other Ritual Components, ⚡ cannot be traded.

Actions

When defining a game action that can be performed by sending a message, the rules should specify a channel where the game action can be taken. If the rules enable performing an action by sending a message without providing for a specific channel, the action can be taken by sending a message in #game-actions. Similarly, if the rules provide that a game action can be taken without making any provision for any method to take that action, the action can be taken by sending a message in #game-actions.

Actions that are to be performed by sending a message are done by sending a message in the appropriate channel that clearly and unambiguously sets forth intent for the action to be taken.

A player is "reputable" if they have continuously been a player for the previous seven days or if they have continuously been a player from a time that was within 3 days of the round starting.

Whenever a player performs an action that would modify the information that the players generally agree should be tracked, that player should make a reasonable effort to track the outcome of the action in the generally-agreed-upon applicable location.

Random Choices

A person shall not deliberately select random values for a rules-defined action without intending to use those values to the best of their ability to resolve that action.

If a person has selected some or all of the random values necessary to perform an action, they shall not discard the valid specifications in order to attempt a substantially similar action with the goal of obtaining different random values. If there is consensus that a preponderance of the evidence exists, or if a Judge ruling, not overturned, finds that a player has done such a thing, all attempts other than the first are deemed to be invalid and to not have affected the gamestate.

Dice Rolls

A rule that requires a selection of an NdK value, for non-negative integral N and positive integral K, is requiring the random selection of the sum of N rolls of a K-sided die; that is, the sum of N independent selections of integers from 1 to K, using a uniform random distribution. If N is zero, the sum is zero.

Tasks

Tasks are Actions that cost ⚡ to perform. A player must have at least 1⚡ to perform a Task, and when a player performs a Task, they automatically lose 1⚡.

Mining

As a Task, a player can enter the Crystal Quarries to mine for 💎. That player gains 1d3 - 1💎.

Herbalism

As a Task, a player can cultivate Herbs from the Greenhouse Botania. That players gains 1d6🌿.

Alchemy

As a Task, a player with sufficient items can combine 1💎 and 5🌿 in their possession to create 1⚗️.

Beating of the Black Heart

As a Task, a player with sufficient items can combine 1🩸, 1⚗️, and 1⚡ in their possession to create 1🖤.

Blood Acquisition

As a Task, a player can approach the Obelisk to try to collect its essence. That player rolls NdK, where N is the number of Cuts the Obelisk has (see Rituals, below) and K is the integer number of Kilometers the Obelisk is from the Gates. For each 1 that player rolls in this way, they gain that many 🩸.

Start a Gathering

As a Task, a player can Start a Gathering by posting their intent to do so in #rituals, specifying its associated ritual type.. A Gathering can only be started if the Ritual's prerequisite (if any) is met.

Rituals

A ritual type has a Prerequisite, a Cost, and an Effect.

A Gathering is a single instance of a ritual. It has an associated ritual type.

A player can Contribute to a Gathering by reacting to the message in which the Gathering was initiated with the corresponding Emoji of a Ritual Component they possess, provided they possess at least one of that Ritual Component. When they do so, one of that Ritual Component is revoked from them, and they become a Contributor of that Ritual Component to that Gathering. A current Contributor of a Ritual Component to a Gathering cannot again contribute that same Ritual Component to that same Gathering.

A Contributor of a Ritual Component to a Gathering can Withdraw that component from that Gathering by removing the corresponding reaction. When they do so, they are granted the amount of contributed Ritual Component they have previously contributed to that Gathering but has not yet been refunded, then cease to be such a Contributor.

While sufficient Ritual Components are contributed (having not been withdrawn) to a Gathering to satisfy its associated ritual type's cost, the player who started that Gathering can complete it. When this occurs, the effect of its ritual type is applied. A Gathering cannot be completed more than once.

If a Gathering is not completed by the end of the phase in which it was started, it fails, and each Contributor of each Ritual Component Withdraws said Ritual Component.

Ritual that Displaces the Obelisk

The following is a ritual type:

Prerequisite: None.

Cost: 1 💎, N🌿, where N is the Obelisk's distance from the Gates in kilometers

Effect: The Obelisk is moved back 1 kilometer.

Ritual that Rends the Obelisk

The following is a ritual type:

Prerequisite: The Ritual that Rends the Obelisk has not yet been performed this week

Cost: 1⚡, 3💎, 4🌿 2⚗️. The amount of ⚡ needed to successfully perform the Ritual is increased for each Grebe aiding the Obelisk as follows, from left to right: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3 (for example, if there were to be three Grebes aiding the Obelisk, the cost would be 5, as 1⚡, the starting amount, + 1⚡+ 1⚡+ 2⚡= 5⚡)

Effect: The Obelisk receives 1 Cut, causing it to bleed.

Ritual that Destroys a Grebe

The following is a ritual type:

Prerequisite: There is at least one Grebe aiding the Obelisk.

Cost: 1⚡, 2🩸

Effect: One Grebe ceases to exist, no longer aiding the Obelisk.

Ritual that risks our survival

Prerequisite: None

Cost: 5💎

Effect: The Obelisk is moved forward 1 kilometer. All players who are a contributor to the ritual gain 1🌿.

Ritual that Frees Us

The following is a ritual type:

Prerequisite: The Obelisk has received 10 cuts.

Cost: 10⚡, 10💎, 10🌿, 10🖤

Effect: The Obelisk is destroyed.

Winning and Losing

If at the end of a week, the Obelisk has reached or gone past the Gate (that is, if its distance from the gate is zero or negative), all players lose and the cycle ends.

Once the Obelisk is destroyed, all players who contributed to the Ritual that Frees Us are the winners of the game and the cycle ends.

Proposals

Proposals are made by sending a message in the channel #proposals.

A 👍 or 👎 reaction from a player on a Proposal message at the time when the voting period ends constitutes a vote in favor or against, respectively. If a person's vote is unclear (excluding abstentions), it is considered to be against.

At the end of its voting period, a proposal takes effect if it is popular (as defined for its type) and the message in which it was submitted has been neither deleted nor edited. If more than one proposal would otherwise take effect simultaneously, they take effect in the order in which they were created.

The class of a proposal must be one of the classes listed below. When a proposal is submitted, the submitter may specify its class. if no class is specified, the proposal class defaults to Standard.

Urgent Class Proposal

The voting period of an urgent proposal begins at the time it is submitted and ends two days after. An urgent proposal is popular if it has no more than two votes against it.

Rules to the contrary notwithstanding, only a reputable player can submit an urgent proposal. Urgent proposals should only be used to correct the game to its intended state and to maintain playability.

Standard Class Proposal

The voting period for a standard proposal is the phase that started after the proposal was submitted. A standard proposal is popular if it has more votes in favor than votes against.

Judges

There shall be a sole Judge, responsible for resolving rules disputes. An incumbent Judge can be removed with the assent of two players, but they should not be removed except for abuse of office. A person can cease being the Judge by publicly stating so.

A request for justice shall take the form of a question or statement. The proper response to a question is an answer to that question, and the proper response to a statement is the truth value of that statement.

Upon formal submission of a request for justice by a person other than themself in #request-for-justice, the Judge shall, as quickly as possible, issue a response to the request. This response shall be binding only to the extent that it reasonably directly pertains to the request, and only to the extent that it does not blatantly and obviously contradict rules text.

Within 4 days of a judge issuing a ruling, a public vote of confidence on that ruling can be initiated in #request-for-justice. Votes may be cast in such a vote for a period of 2 days after initiation. Votes are to be cast by 👍 or 👎 reactions on a clearly designated poll message; if a person's vote is unclear, it is to affirm the judgement. A ruling is overturned if strictly more players vote in favor of overturning than affirming.

A ruling may be overturned by the Judge who made it within one week of being made. When a ruling is overturned in this manner, the Judge shall then issue a new ruling on the initial request, which shall be binding in the same manner as the original ruling.

An overturned ruling shall have no bearing on the interpretation of the rules or of the gamestate.

Any reputable player may become a candidate for the Judge by sending a message in the channel #judge-elections. If there are any Judge candidacies put forward during a week, the player whose message is both popular and has the most 👍 reactions from players becomes the Judge once that week ends. A Judge Candidacy message is popular if it has more 👍 than 👎 reactions from players on its initiating message. Ties are broken in favor of the player with the earliest text message during that week.