Cycle 12/Ruleset

Time

All times mentioned in the rules are in UTC. Days begin at 00:00 UTC. Weeks begin on Monday.

Each week is divided into two phases, containing the following days:

• Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
• Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Phases are identified by successive Roman numerals; the First phase of the cycle is Phase I.

Sheets

A sheet is an image of a writing surface, or portion thereof, which may have inscriptions. Everything on the surface must be hand-drawn or handwritten (perhaps with technological assistance) except for reasonable additions that do not reduce the handmade character. Players should ensure that they are capable of creating and uploading all types of sheets.

The header of a sheet (if any) is a section of the text set apart from the main content. A stack is an ordered set of sheets.

Transcription

Under certain circumstances, transcriptions of sheets may be produced. In all circumstances, these transcriptions are non-authoritative.

Upon a request made within 14 days of a submission, the submitter of a sheet shall, within 7 days, produce a transcription of the sheet and make said transcription reasonably available to the public.

Cards

A card is a type of sheet. Cards should have an aspect ratio approximately equal to 4:3 and should contain only enough detail that they can be reproduced relatively easily on an index card.

A deck is an ordered set of cards.

Submission

To submit a sheet is to attach or link to that sheet in a message.

A new sheet is a sheet that has never been submitted before.

Tiles

A tile is a type of sheet. Tiles have an aspect ratio of 1:1.

A map is a 2-dimensional grid of non-overlapping tiles, indexed by integer coordinates.

A tile in a map is adjacent to the tiles surrounding that tile orthogonally.

Rules

A rule is a body of text which governs the state of the game. Rules that are in effect apply continuously. When a player joins the game, they agree to abide by the rules in effect.

Rules should be short to aid in rewriting.

Subrules

A subrule is a rule that claims another rule as its parent. The subrule is not part of the parent; instead this relationship is to be used for organizational purposes.

A rule that is not a subrule is a top-level rule.

The path of a subrule is: <path of parent > → <title of subrule>. The path of the top-level rule is the title of the rule.

Changes

A change is a body of text which describes a change to the gamestate.

Types of changes are defined by subrules of this rule.

Textual Changes

A textual change describes one or more modifications to the gamestate or ruleset.

When applied, the changes it describes are put into place, in the order they are described.

Location Change Cards

A location change card modifies the properties of a location.

A location change card takes the form of a location card with the same coordinates as an existing location. It may specify any properties for that location, including special tags.

A modification by location change card should endeavor not to change the general feel of the location too much.

Proposals

A proposal is a change or a set of changes duly submitted as a proposal. When a proposal takes effect, each of its changes are applied in a sequence and in the same instant.

Players can create a proposal sending a card or message in #proposals, optionally specifying a title and/or the proposal's class, which defaults to Standard.

Lifecycle

At the end of a proposal's voting period as defined for its type, a thumbs-up and thumbs-down emoji reaction by a player on the message in which the proposal was created represent a vote for or a vote against that proposal, respectively.

At the end of its voting period, a proposal takes effect if it is popular as defined for its type, the message in which it was created has not been edited or deleted, and none of its cards have been edited or deleted.

Standard Proposals

The voting period for a standard proposal is the first phase after it was submitted.

It is popular if it has more votes in favor than votes against.

Urgent Proposals

The voting period for an urgent proposal starts at the time it was submitted and ends two days later. An urgent proposal is popular if there are no more than two votes against it.

Urgent proposals are only to be used to correct the game to its intended state and to maintain playability.

Urgent proposals may only be submitted by reputable players.

Actions

When a rule defines an action that can be taken by posting to the server, it should specify where that action can be taken.

If the rules provide that a player can take a game action, but do not provide a method, or the rules provide that a game action can be taken by sending a card without providing for a channel, that player can take that action by sending a card in #game-actions.

Card Sending

When a rule dictates that an action can be taken by sending a card, then that action can be performed by attaching or linking to a card (in the relevant channel) showing unambiguously that they intend to perform that action.

Joining

Any person can join the game by sending a card in #game-actions. When they do so they become a player of this cycle.

Reputability

Players are considered reputable if they have continuously been a player for the last seven days, or if they have continuously been a player from a time that was within three days of the cycle starting.

Tracking

A character sheet for a player is a sheet which should act as the basic form of gamestate tracking. It must contain all the information required of it by the rules, otherwise it is not a character sheet. Its header shall contain the words "Character Sheet" and the player it was created for.

Self-Updating

When a player takes some actions that change one or more values required to be tracked on their character sheet, they must attach or link to a new character sheet that reflects the gamestate as it would be if those actions were to succeed. This is called "Self-Updating".

Update Notifications

When a player takes some actions that would modify one or more values required to be tracked on another player's Character Sheet, they shall notify that person through Discord ping so that they may include those changes in their character sheet.

Medal Box

A player's medals are tracked on their character sheet in a special portion labeled "Medal Box". Nothing may be inside this portion of the sheet except for icons representing medals that player has earned.

Tracking

Character Token

A player's character token is tracked on their character sheet in a special portion labeled "Token", clearly separated from the other info on the sheet. The contents may be an illustration or symbol.

The character token is intended to represent the player's location on multimedia representations of the World map. If a character token has (a) clear outline(s), the outside is to be considered not a part of the token, and may be rendered as transparent.

Good

Each player has a number of gooderhose points, starting at 0. A player with at least 1250 gooderhose points that is in the Tower of Ferrets wins the cycle.

Proposal Points

When a proposal takes effect, the player that created it gains 1 gooderhose point from this rule. Players cannot gain more than 5 gooderhose points from this rule per phase.

Items

Items are entities described as such by the rules. Items are always owned by exactly one entity, and they cannot be owned by any entity that the rules do not allow to own that item. Unless another rule states otherwise, players may own all items. When an item's owner cannot reasonably be determined from publicly available information, it is instead deleted.

A list of items owned by a player is part of that player's character sheet.

Item Actions

For an entity to gain an item is for that item to be created 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.

For entity A to take an item from entity B is for that item to be transferred from entity B to entity A.

For entity A to give an item to entity B is for that item to be transferred from entity A to entity B. If an entity is a Located entity, that entity can only give or take items from or to another located entity if they are in the same location.

Trade

A trade is an exchange of items between two entities with each entity giving a specified finite set of items to the other. Reputable players may trade with other reputable players. A trade takes place when both parties explicitly consent to such a trade by sending a card or message in #trades within 7 days of each other.

Adoption

Reputable players may start the process of adoption by giving a nomster a treat. Any player may gain one treat if they do not have any treats. An adoption is successful if and when the nomster joins their team. A successful adoption may be included in the stipulations for the consent of a trade or for another adoption.

Locations

A location is an entity with a location tile, name, description, and coordinates.

A location is a tile that contains an illustration depicting a location.

A location card is a card that contains the description of a location. A location card's header is "Location:" followed by the name of the location and its coordinates.

Location Sheets

A location tile is a tile that contains an illustration depicting a place.

A location card is a card that contains all the properties of a location as defined by the rules, except for its location tile. A location card's header consists of "Location:" followed by the name of the location and its coordinates.

World Map

The World map is a map of the tiles of all existing locations, arranged according to their coordinates.

Locations are adjacent if their tiles are adjacent in the World Map.

When a location suggestion is fulfilled, it is added to the world map by sending its location tile and location card as a pair to #world-map. This submission should be paired with a textual transcription of the Header of the location for easy searching.

New Locations

Players can suggest a location by submitting a new location tile or location card in #new-locations.

Players can create a location through one of two methods:

• By submitting a new location card in reply to an unfulfilled location tile suggestion.
• By submitting a new location tile in reply to an unfulfilled location card suggestion.

The location is created with the referenced location tile and the required information indicated in the card, if otherwise permitted.

When the location is successfully created, the suggestion is fulfilled.

Creation Constrains

A location cannot be created from a location suggestion older than one week.

Position Constrains

When a new location is created, it must be adjacent to at least one existing location, and cannot be placed in the same position as an existing location.

However, if there are no existing locations, the new location may be placed at (0, 0), and must be named "Apeiros Village." The creation of this location is deferred until it has five of the same reaction on its location card submission message, and is still otherwise permitted.

Terrain Tags

Terrain tags (or simply "tags") are properties described as such by the rules.

When a rule describes a tag, it should include a non-binding note for what the tag should be used for in other rules.

Special tags may not be assigned to a location while fulfilling a location suggestion.

Tag Families

When the rules describe that two or more tags from a tag family, then no location may have more than one tag that is a part of that family.

If an action would cause a location to have more than one tag that is a part of a particular tag family, then that action fails.

Located Entities

If an entity is described by the rules as located, then that entity is associated with a location. It is said to be "at" or "in" its associated location.

When an entity moves to Location A, its associated location becomes A.

Players are located entities. Players can move to any location adjacent to their current location by sending a card or message to #map-actions. The initial location for all players is the location at (0, 0).

Tags

All terrain tag definitions should be defined in subrules of this rule.

Civilized

Civilized is a special tag.

Note: Monsters are only meant to spawn in non-Civilized areas.

Medals

Medals are cosmetic flairs that can be earned by players. Medals do not provide any form of benefit to players. Each medal must have the following characteristics:

• A name
• A shape or symbol
• A condition that a player can satisfy to earn it
• A non-zero quantity representing the max number of players that may have that medal.

Participation Medal

Name: Participation Medal

Condition: Be a reputable player in cycle 12

Quantity: 50

Shape:

Cartographer

Name: Cartographer Medal

Condition: Accomplish both: Suggest a location and have it fulfilled, AND fulfill someone else's location suggestion.

Quantity: 20

Shape:

Nomster Tamer

Name: Nomster Tamer Badge

Condition: Tame a Nomster.

Quantity: 20

Shape:

Nomsters

Nomsters are located entities which can either be wild or tame. All nomsters have the following properties:

• an elemental type
• a class

Tame Nomsters

Tame Nomsters additionally have the following properties, which must be unique:

• a portrait representing them
• a species name
• a species description
• a name

A card that contains all of the above properties and those defined by parents of this rule for a particular tame nomster is that nomster's nomster card.

Commands

Players with tame Nomsters may issue commands for them to obey by sending a card or message to #game-actions specifying the nomster by name, the action it should take, and any other information required for it to complete the action.

If the rule for a Nomster Action says it can only be performed by a wild nomster, it can not be issued as a command.

Teams

When a player tames or adopts a nomster, it is added to their team, and that player becomes that nomster's trainer.

Population

The nomster carrying capacity (NCC) is two-thirds of the number of locations in the world map. The nomster index (NI) is an integer value, initially equal to 0.

When a phase begins, the NI is set to the number of wild nomsters in the world map.

While the NI is less than the NCC, any player can spawn a nomster (defined in another rule).

Spawning

To spawn a nomster is to perform all of the following:

• Select a random location in the world map.
• Select a random type and class from the lists of valid types and classes.

When these values are selected, a new wild nomster is created at that location with the selected type and class. The NI then increases by 1.

Type

The following are valid elemental types for nomsters:

• Heat
• Electricity
• Plant
• Air
• Light
• Cold
• Water
• Metal
• Land
• Dark

Class

The following are valid classes for nomsters:

• Amphibian
• Arthropoid
• Avian
• Piscine
• Mammalian
• Reptilian

Taming

Once per phase, if a player is in the same location as a wild nomster, they can attempt to tame it.

The player can make this attempt by rolling a d3. It is successful if the result of the roll is 3.

Creating a Tame Nomster

For each successful attempt to tame a nomster, the player who made that attempt can, once, convert the wild nomster to a tame nomster by sending a nomster card to #map-actions for that nomster, accurately describing its existing properties and assigning it values for all other properties required to be displayed on the card.

Active Nomster

The first nomster that a player tames is that player's active nomster. Once per phase, a player may set or change their active nomster to any nomster on their team by sending a card or message in #game-actions. A player may only give commands to their active nomster.

Actions

Nomster Actions are actions that Nomsters can take, affecting the game-state according to the rule for that action. Nomsters can not take actions except in direct response to actions that a player performs. That player is responsible for tracking the changes that are affected by the nomster action the same as if they had performed the action themselves.

Nomster actions are defined as subrules to this one.

Follow

When given as a command, the Nomster begins to follow the located entity specified. If no entity is specified, it begins to follow the player that issued the command. If it is already following an entity, it ceases to do so. If an entity changes location while the nomster is following them and is in the location that entity is moving from, the nomster takes a follow action.

When taking a follow action in response to entity movement, the Nomster moves to the location of the entity it is following, if it is otherwise able.

Stay

When given as a command, if the nomster is following a located entity, it ceases to do so.

Lick

When given as a command, the Nomster licks the located entity specified if they are in the same location and it is otherwise able.

When a player is licked by a nomster, if it is the first time for them to be licked by that nomster that phase, the player who was licked gains 5 gooderhose points. The player gains no points, however, if they own the nomster that licked them.

Join Team

When given as a command, the Nomster leaves its current team and joins the specified player's team if they are in the same location as that player, it has received a treat from that player within the last 7 days, and it is otherwise able. If there are stipulations on adoption by that player, a nomster will wait until those stipulations are met before joining their team.

Judgement

There shall be a sole Judge, responsible for resolving rules disputes.

An incumbent judge can be removed with the assent of two players, but should not be removed except for abuse of office.

Requests for Justice

Any person can initiate a Request for Justice (RFJ) by sending one or more sheets in #requests-for-justice. The sheets must clearly identify a single statement to be judged and may contain other content.

An RFJ can be initiated on a question instead of a statement, but this is discouraged.

Delivery Judgements

After an RFJ is initiated, the judge shall, as quickly as possible, respond to it. The response shall consist of a clearly identified judgement (either the truth value of the RFJ's statement or the answer to the RFJ's question), optionally with other content. The response should include reasoning.

A response can be assigned to an RFJ by sending it one or more sheets in #requests-for-justice, clearly identifying the RFJ to be responded to (perhaps not in the sheets).

Overturning

Within 4 days of a ruling being made, any player can initiate a public vote of confidence on it by sending a card or message in #requests-for-justice. Players can vote on it for 2 days after initiation by reacting to the card or message containing the vote of confidence with a thumbs-up and thumbs-down emoji that represent a vote for or a vote against respectively. At the end of this period, the ruling is overturned if strictly more players voted in favor of overturning than affirming.

A ruling may be overturned by the judge who made it by sending a card in #requests-for-justice. When this happens, the judge can and shall issue a new ruling on the same request.

Authority

A ruling duly issued on an RFJ is binding, but only to the extent that is pertains reasonably directly to the request and to the extent that it does not blatantly and obviously contradict rules text.

The above notwithstanding, an overturned ruling is wholly null and void and in no way binding and shall have no effect on the gamestate or its interpretation.

Election

Any reputable player may become a candidate for judge by sending a card in #judge-elections. If there are any judge candidates put forward in a given week, the player whose message has the most :+1: reactions becomes the judge once that week ends. Ties are broken in favor of the player with the easiest candidacy in the week.