Current rules of Imperial Nomic Game 15.
Is Nomic Popular? This is the access count since 9th August 1996: 
Judge for yourself!
- Minimal Office Holders
The Game of Imperial Nomic shall always include at least two not
necessarily distinct players who are office-holders: The Imperial
Emperor / Empress (TIE) and The Humble Scribe (THS).
- What TIE Says Goes
The decision of TIE is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The initial holder of the position of TIE is Duncan "Slakko" Richer.
- How to Play
A Proposal is submitted by sending it by electronic mail or the
World Wide Web to THS, who must publish via the World Wide Web the
current ruleset, proposal list, and current scores of all players.
- Rights and Responsibilities of TIE
TIE will judge each proposal submitted and accept, reject or ignore it.
To ignore a proposal, the condition by which it is ignored must be
explicit elsewhere in the ruleset. TIE may, at any time, modify or
remove any existing rule or enact new rules, by the issuing of a
Proclamation. In addition, e may, at any time, issue a Directive calling
for proposals in a certain area.
- Rights of THS
The Humble Scribe may rewrite a proposal to clarify its meaning, as long
as the rewriting does not alter the meaning.
- Automatic Queueing System
If a player has submitted two undecided proposals and then submits a new
proposal, the new proposal will replace the oldest of that player's
undecided proposals.
- I Think You Meant Something Else
Any player may, at any time, submit a Point of Order to raise any issue
relevant to the game.
- Application of Rules
Each submission will be numbered and a new rule will apply to all
submissions numbered greater than or equal to its own proposal unless it
specifies otherwise.
- Resolution of Conflicts
When several rules apply at the same time and have different consequences
then the rule with the lowest number is applied first. Other rules may
then be applied so long as they do not conflict directly with a rule that
has already been applied.
- Winning the Game
The game ends when a player qualifies for the title of The Exalted Winner
(TEW).
- Justify your Proposal
Repealed by Proposal P14.
- The Rainbow Connection
All players start the game with status RED. If a player
submits 3 accepted proposals without any intervening rejected or
ignored proposals, the player's status will be raised to the next
level. Levels match the colors of the spectrum, in order: RED,
ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO, VIOLET. Three rejected proposals
in a row will reduce their status one level. A RED player having three
consecutive rejected proposals becomes the FOOL. The first player to
obtain VIOLET status will be declared The Exalted Winner (TEW). The
count of rejected or accepted proposals is reset to 0 whenever a colour
change occurs for whatever reason (added by P93). TIE may not
win the game, but is initially VIOLET(added by P109). If no more
than two players submit proposals in a given update, those players shall
rise by one colour. If both are INDIGO, becoming VIOLET, they both win.
- Ten Letters
Repealed after Point of Order P36.
- More Office Holders
Repealed by Proclamation P113.
- Location, Location, Location
Players are happy little marbles that live on a big Chinese Checkers
board. The world is a plane of holes, spaced so that connecting each
hole would result in a tiling of the plane by equilateral triangles.
Coordinates will be (x,y), where x is number of spaces up and to the
right of the origin, y is the number of spaces right (so up and
to the left from the origin is really (1,-1)). (Added by P123) New
players start at (0,0), with 10 GC.
- Laureate's Laurel
All proposals which have abab rhyme pattern cannot be ignored. Accepted
poems gain the proposer one Laurel, rejected ones earn them one Angst.
Players with Angst may not rise to a rank above BLUE.
- Equal Opportunity Act
A proposal is to be ignored as soon as it discriminates
between players upon their identities rather than
upon the content of the proposals concerning these
players.
- Marble Movement
The direction in which the vector (1,0) points shall be known as
the "RED" direction; (0,1) shall point "ORANGEward"; and so on, proceeding
clockwise about the origin, ending with the "INDIGOwardly" pointing
vector (1,-1). The mystical direction of "VIOLET" is thought to be
perpendicular to the board, but any scientific marble knows that's
just a religious fable and an impossibility.
- The Big tick
The only unit of time in the game is a tick, and the only other
terms referring to time in the game shall be those explaining the length
of a tick. A tick passes whenever a new proposal, point of order or
movement is processed.
- More Equal Opportunity
If TIE chooses, relevant Points of Order may be given equivalent benefits
to a Proposal.
- Gratuitous ABBA Song
Players on entrance to the game receive 5 Gold Coins, as do all existing
players at the time of this proposal.
- More Marble Movement
Each proposal may be accompanied by a request to move in the
direction corresponding to any colour, being a movement of (n,0), (0,n),
(-n,0), (0,-n), (n,-n), or (-n,n). Movement only occurs on accepted
proposals, or at a cost of one gold coin, unless specified otherwise.
(Added by P81) n may not be more than the maximum speed of the
marble, which is 1 unless specified otherwise.
(Added by P79) When multiple units may be moved in one movement,
the movement shall be treated as distinct moves of one unit each, unless
specified otherwise.
(Added by P110) TIE may move one unit per tick, before the effects
of any other marble's movement are determined.
- Bank
A location specified on the score page contains the Bank.
All players shall have acounts at the Bank, and will be
able (via asking THS very nicely) to make deposits and
withdrawals from the Bank. Interest is 50% paid every five
ticks (parts of GCs are measured in Schillings, 100 S = 1 GC).
- Building Boom
When submitting a proposal, any player of ORANGE status or higher
may propose to devise some building. No more than one building may be
in any single location. The new architectural
marvel will be built if and only if the accompanying proposal
is accepted and TIE approves of the building.. A player who has
built a building this way will be known
as a Concrete Ingeneer Architect (CIA).
- Shines Clearer and Lasts Longer
Fulfilling a directive entitles the marble to a free buffing, which
enables it to move three spaces instead of one. At the SAS a marble
may pay for coatings, as follows:
- Teflon, 5 GC, enables movement on rejected proposals.
- Grease, 2 GC, doubles the speed.
- Rubber, 7 GC, prevents involuntary movement and bounces other marbles.
- Uranium, 15 GC, prevents other marbles coming within 1 hole.
- Solvent, 3GC, removes the outermost other coating. If no coating
then the marble's speed is halved (rounded down). The SAS will
apply this to the purchaser or to the marble that enters the SAS first
after the purchaser leaves, if the purchaser wishes. Solvent does not
survive after its application (it either removes a coat and disappears,
or pits the surface and disappears)
Only the most recent three coatings have any effect.
- Don't Get Pushy
If a marble moves into an occupied square it shoves the former occupant
along the same vector, imparting to the former occupant a velocity equal
to that used to enter the space (for the purposes of this game changing
direction requires a full stop).
- Honest Day's Work
Accepted proposals, at TIE's discretion, may earn their authors one
additional Gold Coin.
- Gas Guzzlers
Repealed by Proposal P66.
- Paint Chips
The points exactly 5 units COLOURward of the origin shall be
coloured in the corresponding COLOURs. Thus, (5,0) is red, (0,5) is
orange, (5,-5) is yellow and so on. A player landing on a point coloured
in the hue one colour higher or lower than his own in the spectrum shall
have his colour changed to that of the point. However, the colour change
cancels the effect of any Buffing.
- Clinker
A player earns 1 GC for each marble collision they produce deliberately.
- The Great Wall
The Great Wall is located REDwards of the origin along the Orange-Blue
longitudinal line that passes through (6,0). REDwards of the wall is the
land of the Mongol Hordes. Marbles may not enter or cross the Wall unless
specified in later rules. If rule 26 would cause a pushed marble to crash
into the Great Wall, the pushed marble suffers concussion, loses any
coatings in its possession and is returned to a random location as close
as possible to (0,0) to recover.
- Bill
A marble at the imperial palace may pay 5 GC to move instantly to any
other building. If the building is occupied they swap places with the
current occupant.
- Geographical Names Act
A hole may be a Vista, an Obstacle, or neither. A marble that enters
an Obstacle Hole will be ejected immediately, but marbles may enter a
Vista hole. All buildings, and all named holes with exception of the
Great Wall at the adoption of this rule, are Vistas. The Great Wall
holes are Obstacles.
- Curious Polygonal Conspiracy
Should six marbles not all of the same colour ever occupy a regular
hexagon of side-length 2 or greater, the colour of all six marbles will be
changed to the colour one lower than that of the formerly highest-ranking
marble.
- It's the Feds
When submitting a proposal, any player of INDIGO status or higher may
propose to place an Obstacle from the Glossary of Rubber Obstacles
(below) on the Board. The Obstacle will be placed if and only if the
accompanying proposal is accepted and TIE approves of its placement
(TIE will probably not want to see his subjects or Locations boxed in,
nor infinite loops set up.) A player who has placed an Obstacle in
this way will be known as a Fabulously Bouncy Ingeneer (FBI). A
player may not attempt to place a Building and an Obstacle with the
same proposal.
Anyone may add to this Glossary of Rubber Obstacles, provided that the
Obstacle is inherently rubbery and that a brief example explaining the
nature of the Obstacle is given.
- Pillar: Marbles entering the space occupied by this hexagonal pillar
immediately bounce off in the opposite direction. (A marble
travelling GREENward into a pillar is ejected REDwardly.)
- Trampoline: Trampolines are large, flat, upright sheets of rubber and
are oriented perpendicular to one of the three main axes (R-G, O-B,
and Y-I). Marbles bounce off Trampolines following the "angle of
incidence equals the angle of reflection" rule. (Suppose a
Trampoline is oriented R-G. A marble travelling GREENward into it is
ejected REDwardly; a marble travelling YELLOWward into it is ejected
ORANGEwardly.)
- Slingshot: Streched out like a big rubber band that's ready to snap,
Slingshots are fixed in one of the six cardinal positions. Marbles
landing on Slingshots are automatically ejected in the direction of
the Slingshot. (A marble travelling into a YELLOW Slingshot is
ejected YELLOWwardly.)
- Mat: Lying on the ground, a rubber Mat is stretched
so tautly that any marble who passes over it is immediately vaulted
into the air and lands two holes away from the Mat without passing
through the hole inbetween. Marbles hit by falling Mat-launched
marbles only move one hole, as per any normal collision. (A
GREENwardly travelling marble that runs into a Mat will be launched
GREENwardly.)
- Strange Loops
No proposal takes effect until the tick after its implementation, unless
a bribe is paid.
- Imperial Automobile Association
The SAS can also provide the following services to any marble, with
membership costing 3 GC:
-
Towing: For just 4 GC per hole (5 for non-members), the SAS will tow
you to any empty hole. While their route of towing can have bends in
it, it must pass only through empty holes.
-
Patching: For just 3 GC (4 for non-members), the SAS will arrive on
the scene and patch up your solvent-pitted surface, removing pits from
multiple pittings in case you were especially unlucky.
-
Insurance: If a member is passively involved in a collision that
generates at least 5 GC for the instigator, the SAS will give it 1 GC.
- Stranger Loops
Any movement which creates an infinite loop will result in all involved
marbles being reassigned random vacant locations as per the Big Bang.
Further, each marble will receive 12 GC compensation.
- Poetry Publishing
A player at the Imperial Small Press may pay 5 GC to remove 1 Angst. A
player with no GC, but Laurels, may receive 4 GC, automatically move to
the Imperial Small Press, and lose 1 Laurel.
- Marbles in Orange
An orange marble may pay 3 GC to become a police officer. If a police
officer "witnesses" a crime then the offending marble is fined 3 GC. If
unable or unwilling to pay, that marble is taken to the Jailyard. Current
crimes are:
- Major pileups: the policemarble must be involved in a collision
of more than two marbles.
- Speeding: the policemarble must be passed or clinked by a marble
moving more than 4 units from one proposal.
Policemarbles may not be fined for Speeding.
(Added by P101) New marbles sent to the Jailyard act as if they
came from the ORANGE direction, knocking any occupant BLUEward. All
revenue from the collisions goes to the arresting Policemarble.
- Hawkeye
Any marble speeding within 1 square of the imperial grounds is
automatically spotted by the sharp eyes of the emperor and fined TWICE
the usual speeding fine.
- Imperial Insurance Agency
The Imperial Automobile Association also offers the following insurance:
- Basic Insurance: for a cost of 5 GC the IIA will prevent the holder
of this plan from losing one level of status due to having three
consecutive proposals rejected. This plan is good until it is needed.
- Comprehensive Coverage: This plan prevents the holder from losing any
levels of status for any reason whatsoever. This plan costs 2GC per tick
of coverage.
- Incarceration Insurance: the holder of this plan will not be
involuntarily moved to the Jailyard for any violation of the Traffic laws.
This plan costs 4GC and is good for 25 ticks from its purchase.
- No Fault Insurance: This plan is bought on a proposal-by-proposal
basis. The holder of this plan suffers none of the ill effects of
having the proposal rejected (though any effects of acceptance are as
normal). This plan costs 3GC per proposal.
