Current proposals - Fascist 8

Proposals are in chronological order, and the following links have been provided for your access pleasure:
First thirty-five proposals
Most recent batch of old proposals
Recently judged proposals
unjudged proposals.

Older Judged Proposals

Proposal 141

Proposer: Pirate Haddock
Proposed: Mon, 06 Mar 95 07:01:55 -2400
Proposal: Blistering barnacles! By the bloodstained bracelets of Cuthbert Calculus, you mangy citizens old goat of an emperor will be eviscerated by the bloodthirsty crew of the dread Bounty. Beware! For you cannibalistic caterpillars and troglodytic trampy sea-gherkins will be walking the plank and visting Davey Jones' locker! TPK may judge a pirate's oath to be bloodcurdling. If TPK finds the oath bloodcurdling, that pirate advances in rank by 1, gains a ship strength of 1, gains 500 po8, and becomes a notorious pirate. Similarly, that mangy maggot TIE may judge a foul citizen's praise to be noteworthy. If TIE so judges, that festering open wound that is a citizen will advance in rank by 1, gain a ship strength of 1, gain 500 po8, and become famous. Every 10 proposals, TPK and TIE must find one oath bloodcurdling and one praise noteworthy.

Word of the King: Rejected. Although your choice of rewards for a bloodcurdling oath was itself questionable (as it contains two potentially conflicting clauses), you really lost it when you tried to dictate what TIE or TPK must do, going against a longstanding Fascist tradition. And how come these Oaths are all sounding the same? Did you write a computer program to generate them?


Proposal 142

Proposer: Pirate Tivol
Proposed: Mon, 06 Mar 1995 16:56:04 EST
Proposal: Look out all you unbelievably contemptable Citizens, lest we slash your throats and drain you of your blood, setting the viscous red liquid into jars set out in the sun so it will then clot and solidify as it spoils, forming small lumps that resemble the thick, casein-rich part of coagulated milk! I hereby propose, oh great Pirate King, that The Entrepreneurial Pigeon Breeder be allowed to serve as a source for official communications from any Game or other sort of place from which his Pigeons return, even those Pigeons which he lets fly randomly.

Word of the King: Accepted with modification as rule 98. Your pigeons will return official communications from any other Fascist Game so long as THS-8 once receives an OK of that from TIE or THS of the corresponding game; they will be official communications from any other sort of place, so long as that place is already independently known to this game to exist. And that is indeed a bloodcurdling Oath; in fact, since I can't think of any Oath that could possibly be more bloodcurdling, I'll award you the 500 Po8 (but not all that other stuff) that Haddock suggests, despite my last rejection. But the rest of you Pirates best not think this trick will work again!


Plea for Guidance 143

Pleader: Citizen Death
Pleaded: Tue, 07 Mar 95 01:19:14 EST
Plea: O, most put upon Emperor, though The Evil Pirat King has attempted to be sneaky and circuitous in limiting you power, has he not overlooked the clause in Rule 2 which will allow you to modify or remove a rule *at any time* and the fact that, though we Citizens submit proposals for new rules, the only reason that those Proposals ever become law is that the Imperial (or Royal for those dirty scum) whim makes it so? Why would you need a proposal to be made to expunge the dastardly clause of Rule 95 that prevents you from posting rules made by deciding proposals? Enlighten me, please, O source of infinite Wisdom.

Comments of the King: Har! My interpretation of the way things have always worked in these here Fascist games is that passing or rejecting proposals into law is a separate activity from the ability of rulers to make new laws or change laws on their own initiative, and therefore possibly subject to differing regulations. But, blazing blue thunderbolts of Neptune, this Plea for Guidance is unfortunately up to that craven, ghostly Emperor to decide!

Decision: Unfortunately We must agree that issuing proclamations (Rule 2) is distinct from passing and rejecting proposals (which doesn't actually appear to have a rule). [THS - I believe Rule 1 covers the latter activity. This decision adds a clause to Rule 2.]


Proposal 144

Proposer: Pirate Anarchy
Proposed: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 12:14:30 +0000 (GMT)
Proposal: Yo Ho! The wind she blows! As Boarding another Ship is a particularly Piratical thing to do, unlike the foul Citizens who try to keep their distance and use cannons, Pirates gain a +2 bonus to their die roll for the purposes of Closing attempts. Also, if a ship is equipped with Grappling Hooks, which are available for the small price of 300 Po8 in either Atlantis or Pirate Cove, all Closing attempts for that ship shall be at an additional +2 Bonus.

Word of the King: Accepted as Rule 99.


Proposal 145

Proposer: Citizen Donagel
Proposed: Tue, 07 Mar 95 21:34:11 -2400
Proposal: Oh Mighty Emperor, I, Donagel of the GSF Emperor's Servant's, have been lossed for too long. After the villianous Pirates defeated me, I lossed all sense of self and wandered aimlessly. I was brought back to my senses by a a native girl who kept me safe from the pirates. She tell me of a secret route known only to her shaman and he gave it to me on his death bed. He said that it will lead me to the Isle of the dead, but only a skift can take it. The path lies off the shore of the Near Azores. I pray that this magial path will lead to your restoration.

Decision: Rejected.
Comments: Since this Rule cannot be enacted while We are Dead, it would be ineffective in restoring Us from the Dead.


Proposal 146

Proposer: Citizen Donagel
Proposed: Tue, 07 Mar 95 21:47:59 -2400
Proposal: Oh Mighty Emperor!! Though this may seem immodest, and perhaps even presumptuous, but since the Floating Palace has been sunk, I propose that The City of Atlantis be chosen as the captial of your Empire. Already we are preparing a Royal Dwelling for you upon your return from the Isle of the Dead. The money for this has been graciously donated by the average citizens themselves. The honor would be great and labor would be of love.

Donagel, Mayor of Atlantis, GSF Emperor's Servant

Decision: Accepted, adoption delayed by Rule 95.
Comments: That's all very nice, assuming We ever return from the Dead.


Proposal 147

Proposer: Citizen Alexandre
Proposed: Wed, 8 Mar 1995 09:53:34 -0500 (EST)
Proposal: Oh Bauble of the Heavens, spangle of the universe in whose divinely descended wisdom we trust as though it, Athena like, had sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus, I have a thought, which though it pales in comparison to the mighty wit-storms which daily blow through your vast intellect, may still be worthy of your consideration.

The current crises causes me to reflect that there is no chain of command in fair Atlantis, leaving us vulnerable to such dire straights as these in which we now find ourselves. Therefore, I propose that when such a situation strikes, the citizens of Atlantis shall be able to seek guidance from the Oracle at Atlantis.

The Oracle will make a pronouncement concerning each proposal which has been accepted by the deceased Emperor. On a roll of 1,2 or 3 on a single six sided die, the Oracle will choose to pass on the wisdom of the deceased Emperor in a form which we poor citizens can comprehend, and such a proposal becomes law immediately rather than delayed. However, should the roll be a 6, the signs are misinterpreted and instead the last rejected proposal becomes law. Upon the Emperors return to his rightful state, all accepted proposals immediately take effect and any mistaken proposals are immediately removed from the rules.

[THS note - Does this proposal "relate purely to the Municipality of Atlantis" and therefore come under the jurisdiction of the Mayor? Who decides in ambiguous cases?]

Remarks of TIE: I think this proposal would be under the jurisdiction of the Mayor. I would suggest that THS decide in ambiguous cases unless/until someone proposes otherwise.

Mayor's Action: Accepted with modification as Rule 100. It seems to me doubtful that such an esteemed personage as the Oracle of Atlantis "would choose to pass on the wisdom" of the Emperor. Rather he would pass it on immediately. But you are right, since the Oracle of Atlantis can divine the wisdom of the Deceased Emperor, he should be used in this time of crisis. However,the Oracle would know if he passed on a proposal that was already rejected before! Knowing that he had read the signs in error, he being of great wisdom, would refer the matter to a man who the Emperor trusts. [THS note -- Namely, the mayor. For details, see the posted rule.]


Proposal 148

Proposer: Citizen Toejam
Proposed: Thu, 09 Mar 95 15:28:22 -500
Proposal: Oh most honorable emperor, may the light of the heavens shower down upon you, and release you from your plight, that we may join together with you, in your imminent vengeance upon the cowardly pirates. Your most ingenious royal engineers have proven themselves worthy once again. Their newest development, the sextant, an object purchaseable in Atlantis for 50 pieces of 8, shall make navigation much easier, and faster. A captain owning a sextant shall be able to reach a destination faster, with every 2 proposals counting as 3 for purposes of time to reach a location. These instruments are very fragile, however, and any sextant on a ship involved in combat shall stand a 4 in 6 chance of breaking.

Oracle Says: I'm not getting any vibes on this one. Over to you, Mayor. [by rule 100 - THS]

Mayor's Action: Rule is accepted as stated [becomes Rule 103 -- THS], except that such a fragile instrument as a sextant can only be made in Atantis, Makal, Sakal, Takal, or the near Azores.


Plea for Guidance 149

Pleader: Citizen Toejam
Pleaded: Thu, 09 Mar 95 15:32:46 -500
Plea: Does a player count as a colonist for the purposes of establishing a colony? Can one have 24 colonists/marines, land somewhere, and wait the requisite 5 proposals and still have the colony be established?

Decision: No, a Player does not count as a Colonist. [Affects Rule 43. - THS]


Proposal 150

Proposer: Pirate Haddock
Proposed: Fri, 10 Mar 95 03:07:15 -2400
Proposal: Harrr! Ye scurvy-eyed dipsy doggies of citizens and your vile stool mongering ectoplasmic maniacal vagabond of an emperor had better hear this! The dread crew of the BOUNTY shall plunder your tribes of their tripes, by titan Tryphon Triton's trident!! Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles in a thundering thyphoon!! May the storm winds of the south shred your sails and dance the sailor's hornpipe on ye maggoty mangy mackerels! Methinks that rule 15 makes it too hard to win this game! I propose that instead, to have Won, a player must have 2,000 po8 and have become notorious (if a pirate) or famous (if a landlubbing scoundrel of a citizen). Money is_ everything after all, isn't it, oh dread TPK?

Word of the King: Rejected. Right now, we don't even have a way to become the Exalted Winner, so I'm not about to go monkeying with the only other rule defining the goal of this game; and besides, Pirate Kings like monuments with foul inscriptions celebrating their evil deeds. Finally, you still seem confused about what Notorious is: it's a rank, that comes just above Pirate Captain.


Proposal 151

Proposer: Citizen Donagel
Proposed: Tue, 07 Mar 95 21:43:30 -2400
Proposal: Oh mighty Emperor! In order to defend the jewel of the Empire, I the Mayor of Atlantis, propose the following:
That a Atlantean Navy be used.. Ths Home defence force will include 3 War galleys and a fortified Harbor. The Naval forces are not allowed to leave the waters of Atlantis, and if involved in combat will automatically join forces with all ships of all colors presently located in the port of Atlantis. I further would like to authorize the building of Militia forces. This force, though not as valorous as the Royal Marines, will consist of every able body man. I must admit that this is not my idea, but rather that the citizens are alredy chomping at the bit to arm themselves against the villians who sent you down.
These stern measures are for the stern times we find ourselves in.
Donagel, Mayor of Atlantis, of the GSF Emperor's Servant

Oracle Says: Whoa! That crystal ball is cloudy! And since the Mayor is by law prevented from deciding on proposals he has made himself, I guess you psychedelic Citizens are just going to have to wait on this one until TIE is busted loose from the Spirit World. FunkY!


Special Report 152

Reporter: Pirate Anarchy
Reported: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 20:26:58 +0000 (GMT)
Report: Deep in the endless oceans did we finally encounter the thing that had for so long plagued our nightmares, the great Serpent of legend; more than three times the length of our mighty vessel did it measure in length, its cavernous mouth filled with row upon row of razor-sharp teeth, and great fountains of water erupted at the lash of its massive tail. Our weapons bounced off its hide harmlessly, it seemed to laugh at us with its cold flickering red eyes. Then it struck, its head swooping down with impossible speed, devouring one of our brave crew. We knew then that we could not prevail against the beast's awesome power, that only a legendary weapon could possibly penetrate its thick scales. Though it pains me to admit it, we fled on the wings of the wind pursued by the dread monster for full three days and nights, until, tired of its sport, it paused one final time to regard us with its unblinking, malevolent gaze before diving beneath the waves in a thunderous explosion of water. We knew in our hearts, though, that someday would come a reckoning...

Game effects: The Sea Serpent will have a 1 in 6 chance of appearing midway during the voyage every time a ship(not life raft) embarks on a voyage of length greater than or equal to 15. It cannot be defeated by normal combat, only a legendary weapon will slay the beast, thus the normal option is flight. Every proposal following 1 die is rolled; on a 1 or 2 the serpent eats 1 die's worth of Crew, and sinks the ship if there aren't any crew left; on a 3 the ship moves one distance unit closer to its destination, on a 4 it moves two distance units closer to its destination, on a 5 it moves 3 distance units. On a 6 however the Serpent will simply swim away. Anyone who manages to defeat the serpent gains 2 levels of Bravery and a 500 Po8 bounty.

The Red Dragon continues its voyage of discovery... er... well it would be a voyage of discovery if we didn't keep on going in circles and end up back where we started. Now WHICH OF YE FOUL SEA-DOGS HAS THE STAR CHARTS? I'll keel-haul the lot of ye if we run into that damn Serpent again! Look sharp, mateys... oh, ENOUGH of this exploration stuff. We're sailing to Takal for some good, wholesome plunder! Beware the Red Dragon ye filthy Citizens! Har! Har!

Word of the King: I believe your Report, Pirate Anarchy, and award you the prescribed benefits. The only minor modifications to your game effects, which become Rule 104, is that if a Player facing the Serpent chooses to fight, s/he must conduct combat as against a ship of strength 12, although without legendary weapons victory only means that the Serpent swims away, not that it is defeated. A tie or a loss means that the player's ship is sunk. Also, the Serpent automatically swims away when the ship reaches within 5 distance units of land, as it prefers the deeper waters of the open ocean. You, Anarchy, are naturally the first to face the Serpent under the terms you have described, fleeing from it toward Takal.


Proposal 153

Proposer: Pirate Dawn
Proposed: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 22:17:35 +0100 (MET)
Proposal: Hear me ya, filthy atlantean citizen's, alway ya're runin' from a good honest fight, never lookin' where ya the good part of the battle is, alway keepin' and eye out for a way to flee, i spit on you, but not always ya can flee. The TPK and the TIE can call out for the great pirate and atlantean battle at any time they see fit. if that happens every pirate and citizen must stop with every action they are doing the and return to their homeplace. Every ship returning to its homeport will be enlisted in a battlefleet. a battle fleet is exactly the same as a squadron, except that the color of the ship doesn't matter and that the leader of the battlefleet always the ship of the TPK for pirates and that of the TIE for citizens, or the ship they are occupying. If the TPK or the TIE have gathered enough ships in their oppinion they will procceed to the battle water with the battlefleet. when both fleets arrive there the battle will begin The victor of this battle will be the only ruler of the game. that means that if the pirates win all proposals will be decisided by the TPK and if the atlanteans win by TIE, until the next great- battle. if one side does not appear the other side has won automaticly

Word of the King: Rejected. Squadrons don't have to all be the same color anymore, so you can organize a big battlefleet whenever you'd like, within the existing rules. Crush those scurvy Citizens!


Proposal 154

Proposer: Citizen Andre Engels
Proposed: Wed, 15 Mar 95 13:04:07 MET
Proposal: I think it's a good thing to change Rule 22. There is no reason to give boundaries to the number of Settlers, Marines or Buccaneers that can be provided at once. Therefore I propose that part (1)-(3) of this Rule be replaced by:

Every time a Citizen's ship docks at Makal, a Pirate's ship docks at the Pirate Cove, or any ship docks at a colony controlled by the appropriate power that has been in operation for 15 proposals, that Player can load any number of Settlers and Marines/Buccaneers for free. However, the number of Marines/Buccaneers can never grow beyond 15 this way.

Oracle Says: I am getting sleepy ... sleepy... in my dreams I am picking up emanations from the lost spirit of TIE... He desires us to accept this proposal... He is filled with a longing to have no new rules... Rule 22 shall be amended.


Plea for Guidance 155

Pleader: Citizen Alexandre
Pleaded: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 08:09:31 -0500 (EST)
Plea: Does the Oracle at Atlantis have any comment to make on rules which passed prior to the discovery of the Oracle but after the death of the Emperor?

Decision: As proposals are not retroactive, rules which passed prior to the discovery of the Oracle are not affected by the Oracle's pronouncements.


Plea for Guidance 156

Pleader: Pirate Anarchy
Pleaded: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 14:33:39 +0000 (GMT)
Plea: Now that the Super Coop III has been sunk by those vile Imperials, we need somewhere to house the Pigeons. I hereby volunteer to be the new Entrepreneurial Pigeon Breeder, either temporarily or until Tivol gets his ship sorted out.

Word of the King: The reports of Tivol's demise were greatly exaggerated, so he'll be continuing as EPB.


Proposal 157

Proposer: Pirate Anarchy
Proposed: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 14:33:39 +0000 (GMT)
Proposal: Vile lackeys who continue to worship the dead Emperor! Fear the Red Dragon, for our hearty buccaneers shall carry out what both you and we wish; namely your reunion with that corrupt, overweight (well underweight now) toad. You'll all walk the plank, fools! Har! Har!

The game is being unnecessarily slowed down by the need to wait for too many decisions. I therefore propose that a proposal can be officially postponed if the person responsible for judging it has not yet responded with a judgement and judgements have been received for one or more higher-numbered proposals. There is no rule which states that TPK and TIE must judge proposals in numerical order. THS can renumber the proposals if he likes.

Word of the King: Accepted! Modifies Rule 1. Excellent proposal, it should help with exactly the kind of situation we've been experiencing lately. For this, together with the fine Pirate Oath, I award you the body part of your choice (or you may decline if you wish). Just let THS know. The proposals will be renumbered if they are rearranged, to keep time linear for other game purposes.


Proposal 158

Proposer: Citizen Toejam
Proposed: Wed Mar 15 14:51
Proposal: Oh great Emperor, for whom there are not sufficient flatteries: I propose to modify rule 34, such that players gain +1 to their die roll for every 5 Marines or Buccaneers. There's something to be said for volume. I also request the removal of the word "Hostile" from the last paragraph of the rule, as there exists the possibility for non-hostile natives in lands.

Oracle Says: The spirits have favored me with a simple message from the spectre of TIE: "Numbers count." I take this to mean that the proposal is accepted. [Modifies Rule 34. - THS]


Proposal 159

Proposer: Citizen Donagel
Proposed: Mon, 13 Mar 95 23:33:58 -2400
Proposal: Oh Mighty Emperor! Since the piratical scourge infest our seas, I, as Mayor of Atlantis, would like to propose that money be taken out of the treasury and offered as a reward to any one who sinks a pirate ship or captures(and brings back) a pirate. The reward should be a 700 coins for sinking a ship, and 1000 coins for the capture and return of a pirate captain(player captain). This allows us to reward the efforts of your loyal subjects, and also gives money for ship building to the brave souls who fight our war.

Oracle Says: With the aid of mood-altering substances, I have communed with the One True TIE, who decrees acceptance of this proposal, commanding "Go forth and Sink the Piratical Scum!" [Modifies Rule 25. - THS]


Proposal 160

Proposer: Pirate Haddock
Proposed: Fri, 10 Mar 95 18:57:56 -2400
Proposal: Die, you foul landlubbing scummy citizens. You and yer emperor will rue the day they came across the Bounty! We'll feed yer twitching remains to the many pigeons flying about. Harrrr! A player may go searching for undersea treasure. This action takes 10 proposals (not that player's proposals, but 10 total proposals made by anyone). A player must be at sea to this, that is must not be docked anywhere. The player has a 1/3 chance of discovering treasure worth at least 300 po8. The player has a 1/6 chance of sighting a mermaid underwater, in which case that player must give that mermaid 400 po8 if that player has them. Sighting a mermaid will make a pirate notorious and a citizen famous (because of all the tales they will tell about it).

Word of the King: Deferred. I basically like this proposal, but you need to get straight what a Notorious Pirate is. Feel free to resubmit. Also, what would it mean for a citizen to be Famous?


Proposal 161

Proposer: Citizen Slakko
Proposed: Tue Apr 4 21:16
Proposal: Oh Great Emperor who wishes to see a great Empire flourish, I propose that people who create extra bounties for the empire, through the development of new colonies, shall be rewarded for their efforts. Once a player has established a colony, 200 Po8 are made available in Atlantis, to be collected on that player's return to the home town. Further, the colony may produce a single product, at the coloniser's discretion, which can be sold for double the initial value on return to Atlantis or Makal.

Oracle Says: The message from TIE is "to go fourth and take the product," which seems pretty positive (?), so I believe this is accepted. [As rule 105; but it's not clear how the initial value of a new commodity is determined. -- THS]


Proposal 162

Proposer: Citizen Napoleon Bonaparte
Proposed: Thu Apr 6 15:28
Proposal: If all the people believe so, the emperor may be declared insane, and removed from office placing the next highest person Emperor.

Oracle Says: "IxNay, at'swhay ongwray ithway insane emperors? And owhay is ethay extnay ighesthay ersonpay, anyway?" Rejected.


Proposal 163

Proposer: Citizen Donagel
Proposed: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 15:14:32 -0500 (EST)
Proposal: Oh Mighty Emperor! Since Atlantis is now the Captial of your Empire, I propose that all the ammentities formerly allowed at the Floating Palace, be allowed at Atlantis. Specfifically, That marines,cannons and Settlers be available for ships docked at the port of Atlantis.
Donagel, Mayor of Atlantis, GSF Emperor's Servant
[THS Note - I am not aware of any references to the Floating Palace in the current set of rules.]

Oracle Says: The emperor's spirit calls to me across the gulf... he says the floating palace has been purged from the laws of the land already, just as he himself has been purged from the land. Rejected. [Bringing on the Hurricane. - THS]


Proposal 164

Proposer: Citizen Toejam
Proposed: Wed, 15 Mar 95 14:57:53 -500
Proposal: Oh mighty emperor, may the Pirate King find the roaches he eats laced with arsenic: I propose to modify rule 41. Currently, since goods can be traded in any land, then the governor of a given land shall be awarded 10% of all revenues made by its markets in tax revenue. Toejam

Oracle Says: The patriotic soul of the emperor, still throbbing in the underworld, cries "No taxation without representation! And there's no trade occurring, anyway, so we better not do anything to discourage it." Rejected.


Proposal 165

Proposer: Citizen Andre Engels
Proposed: Wed, 29 Mar 95 14:09:46 METDST
Proposal: Hail to the great emperor! That your ruleset be divided into sections, to make it better readable. Each section will contain those rules dealing with one aspect of the game. If a new Rule is proposed, the proposer may mention the section it is to be placed in. If no section is given, this is up to THS. New sections can be created, old ones removed, or rules placed in another section, by proposal, or by decision from TIE or THS.

THS is responsible to create the sections upon acceptance of the above rule. If he is afraid that is too much work (which I can well imagine), I volunteer to do this job in his place.

Oracle Says: Last night I dreamt I walked under the great canopy of the night sky, littered with stars. The spirit of TIE joined me, and we walked together for a time. He said, "The Laws of my Empire have become as Numerous as the Stars in the Sky. Who could divide them into Constellations? That Citizen would be Valorous." I feel this proposal is Accepted.

[THS note: To enter the Rules Division contest, send me email with the proposed titles of the sections and the numbers of the rules to go in each section. Note that you also need to add a rule corresponding to the provisions in this proposal for the treatment of new proposals and the creation of new sections. (Such a rule didn't yet make sense when the rules weren't in sections.)

Andre's submission was judged first, in honor of his making this proposal; but it had some major drawbacks, so the contest is opened to all. The first acceptable division will earn one level of Bravery. THS's decision on submissions is final; after all, he has to deal with the adopted method of splitting the rules for the rest of the game. Which might be a long time as there's no way to win right now.]


Proposal 166

Proposer: Pirate Haddock
Proposed: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 12:16:38 EST
Proposal: Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, ye'll be feeling me wrath ye citizen scum! By fire and water and mighty thunder, we maim and break and tear asunder! All non-money valuables (lumber, silk, etc) shall be known as wares. A pirate who plunders wares shall be known as a ware pirate. If a ware pirate has not plundered for 20 proposals, he will have gone soft. Soft ware pirates will not be tolerated!

Word of the King: Accepted as Rule 106. Yo ho, this proposal has struck me pirate's funny bone! (I like the rhymes, too. 50 Po8 for Haddock.) For the purposes of this rule, Treasure shall be considered a money-valuable. So acquiring treasure doesn't turn you into a Ware Pirate, but everything else does. The penalty for a Soft Ware Pirate may either be legislated, or TPK will choose the first time a Ware Pirate goes Soft. (Bwa-hah-hah-ha!)


Proposal 167

Proposer: Citizen Donagel
Proposed: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 17:07:42 -0500
Proposal: Oh mighty Emperor! Since in these troubled times, all voices and efforts should be striving to overthrow the Pirates, I propose that the Mayoral elections be indefinately postponed until you return from the land of the living. Failing this, mayhaps we should extend the length of the Mayor to 200 proposals(effective immeadiatly) so that sound policies can be continued.
Donagel of the GSF Emperor's Servant

Oracle Says: I'm getting bad vibes on this one. The emperor feels the elections aren't bothering anyone -- in fact no one's even noticing. Rejected.


Proposal 168

Proposer: Citizen Napoleon Bonaparte
Proposed: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 15:40:01 -0700
Proposal: If a pirate is caught he should be beheaded without trial.

Oracle Says: Good, good, good vibrations... the Emperor's spirit is not inclined to be merciful to Pirate scum. Accepted as Rule 107.


Proposal 169

Proposer: Citizen Toejam
Proposed: Mon, 10 Apr 95 10:35:57 -0400
Proposal: Dear and glorious emperor, whose death weighs heavily upon us like a, um, 2-ton...heavy thing: Players may, with the use of non-combatant colonists (no buccaneers or marines), attempt to convert natives to the player's cause. A player gets +1 to their die roll for every 5 colonists being used to convert. With friendly natives, a single 6-sided die is rolled, and on a roll of 1, the natives become hostile for that player only, and execute the colonists. On a 2 or 3, no natives are converted. For every number above 3, that many natives are converted. If the natives were already hostile, then the colonists are executed on a 1-3, no effect on a 4 or 5, and for every number above 5, a native is converted, and the natives become non-hostile toward that player only.

Oracle Says: A crystal clear message on this one, like a telegram from the dead:
Accepted. [as Rule 108]
Comments: Someone had better start discovering lands and finding natives if these rules are going to be useful.


Proposal 170

Proposer: Pirate Anarchy
Proposed: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 17:58:33 +0100 (BST)
Proposal: Yo Ho! The Wind she blows!
Clarifications of Combat Rules (and a use for Bravery)
If a ship is attacked, the owner MUST submit his intentions to fight or flee within 20 Proposals of notification. If he/she fails to do this, he/she has to fight with a -2 penalty to his die roll while the crew argue what to do.
Also, when players attack other ships, the initial engagement is considered to end 3 Proposals after the attack was first declared for purposes of further movement and sailing orders. This is then followed by fleeing if applicable. No one who is not in a Squadron with the players involved can interfere in a naval fight.

Finally, it is well known that Bravery is helpful in Battles; for every level of Bravery above Bold possessed by a player, they gain a bonus of +1 to their combat dierolls.

Word of the King: Accepted, amending Rule 76. You had an open field here. The only tiny modification is that fleeing occurs immediately, not after 3 Proposals. Also, the 20 proposal period for any outstanding battles will start now and last until prop. 191.


Proposal 171

Proposer: Pirate Tivol
Proposed: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 19:42:20 EDT
Proposal: Yo Ho! The Wind she blows!
Dear Mayor,
kindly follow my advice to you that you accept every proposal made by a Pirate and reject every proposal made by a Citizen until you hear further word from me. Do not delay in making your decisions, either, hoping to stall long enough for your lackeys to capture me, but work as expediently as you can. You wouldn't want you office to become a home for a stagnant old worker, now, would you? I'm sure you'll find it easy to comply with me.

my proposal:
Oh Great Mayor, who's children are so extremely well behaved and tasty: Obviously, one in such a lofty position as yours must recognize the importance of Pigeons on the great seas, and certainly you were shocked and dismayed with the rest of us as we witnessed what seemed to be the disappearance of Pigeon communication all together! To remedy this situation, I think it would be appropriate for a central office to be built within Atlantis for the Pigeon Breeder. This office, unlike cramped Ships, would hold as much personnel as the owner wishes, and anyone in Atlantis could do business at the office as easily as they could do business at the Pigeon Breeder's Ship. However, seeing as my current state as a Pirate has brought me some difficulties during my stays at Atlantis, and since some petty Citizens might not realize the importance of Pigeons, I feel some protection should be offered the Breeder if he is a Pirate. The Pirate Breeder, his personnel on and off his Ship, and his Ship itself shall not be harmed nor plundered while the Breeder is in Atlantis.

Tivol's recommendation: Accept.
Mayor's Action:
Though it break my heart, I hereby resign from the office of Mayor of Atlantis, though my nomination stills stands. I hereby refused to rule against or for the proposal. I will not dignify it will a response. I realize this will mean the loss of my adopted child Harold. But his life was to be taken anyways as he had contracted the plague just before his abduction. I only hope that the Pirates shall contract it. Let me also say this, that I challenge the arse who took my helpless, legless, blind, plague-ridden son to a duel. I will dispatch him and his vile lot. Oh..and don't forget to vote for Mayor, vote for Donagel...who would rather loss his son than let the piratical scourge infest our fine city.

[THS notes: Okay, this is a doozy. So now there is no Mayor. This does not appear to prevent Donagel from becoming Mayor again at Proposal 180, as he is the current Mayor-elect. And at that point Tivol may still have Donagel's Child, because Donagel's claim that his resignation implies Harold will be killed is not supported by the rules. Also, Tivol is challenged to a duel by Donagel, who goes on shore at Atlantis. Finally, now that there is no Mayor, this proposal needs to be decided by the Emperor (yes, that's right, even though Tivol is a Pirate.) And having a Mayor's Child has no effect on the Emperor's decision, which of course can only be transmitted through the Oracle, at least as things stand now. I think that covers everything.]

Oracle Says: The Emperor is a pigeon-hater. Nix to this proposal!


Proposal 172

Proposer: Citizen Napoleon Bonaparte
Proposed: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 15:48:18 -0700
Proposal: All laws that are passed must first, before becoming law, be judged by an assembly of citizens, then may be made into a law. (Being the proposer of this, I would like, if this passes, to be on the assembly) The panel would consist of 7 citizens, and those citizens would have a title other that "citizen" such as "assemblyman Napoleon Bonaparte."

Oracle Says: The Emperor must be having a bad day in the Land of the Dead. He rejects this one, too!


Proposal 173

Proposer: Citizen Napoleon Bonaparte
Proposed: Tue, 2 May 1995 12:18:23 -0700
Proposal: O great emperor I propose that all pirates should have a bounty placed upon their heads.

Oracle Says: The Emperor's spirit is happier! This is accepted, and the bounty is set at 100 Po8/level of rank. Becomes rule 6.6.


Proposal 174

Proposer: Pirate Tivol
Proposed: Wednesday 3 May 1995
Proposal: Avast, ye spineless and non-civic-minded citizens who go about failing to perform yer governmental duties. Bah, we Pirates would never be so weak! In fact, great Pirate King, I would think it would be a tremendous benefit to all involved if you could pass this proposal which, since it's about an event not currently in the ruleset, could fall under your jurisdiction (and should create a rule in Section 1): If, during a Mayor's current term, the Mayor feels himself incapable of serving his post for whatever reason (like being dead or feeling wimpy), then Pirates can take over the office. The first Pirate to Atlantis who wishes to claim the office of Mayor will get the office, with preference going to the Pirate with the most of the Mayor's Children. The Pirate Mayor may not be deposed by outside forces until the next elected Mayor is due back in office. A Pirate Mayor has all the rights of the existing Mayor and no extra restrictions due to the fact that he is a Pirate (such as those that beset you, oh Pirate King).

Word of the King: Accepted with modifications as Rule 1.21. I'm glad to see your sneaky maneuvering continues, Tivol! Very piratical. Anyhow, the modification is that Pirates become Pirate Mayor not just by going to Atlantis, but also by bribing the Nameless Town Officials. You may send such a bribe by emailing the Minister of Trade (cc: THS, please), and the money is deducted from your current Po8. The bribing Pirate becomes Pirate Mayor as long as the bribe is both over 450 Po8 and larger than any bribe since the last Citizen mayor held office. Note this may, of course, boot out an existing Pirate mayor, and note that the bribe is simply lost if it does not qualify for Mayorhood. The clause about Mayor's children is deleted, since no Pirate may have more that one child.



Recently Judged Proposals

Proposal 175

Proposer: Citizen Morven Ruffenbac
Proposed: Tue, 16 May 95 12:48:37 0200
Proposal: Would it not be possible for the Empororer in his infinite wisdom to proclaim rewards for the proposals of new laws. Could he also not make provisions or clarifications on the unfortunate departure of our mayor, the creation of an interim advisory council might be useful.
Your Humble Servant, Sir Ruffenbac

Oracle Says: Rejected.
I quote the Emperor's undead spirit: "It is of course already possible for the Emperor to proclaim rewards or make provisions or clarifications, thus this proposal is unnecessary."


Proposal 176

Proposer: Citizen Morven Ruffenbac
Proposed: Wed, 17 May 95 15:19:51 0200
Proposal: Oh most glorious departed Emporer, the weight of Piratical treachery weighs heavy upon our strong soldiers. It is with much sadness and nashing of teeth that we have lost both our dearly beloved Emporer and our honourable Mayor to whom all the people of our noble empire give the greatest respect as is proper and fitting considering their exalted and well deserved station. The Cowardly Pirate Tivol the gallant pigeon breeder, ever corruptible, has recently proposed the horrifying prospect of a lone Pirate taking control of the office of mayor in the mayors abscence. On can scarce imagine the inequities and inequalities that would result when pirates can fall upon our beloved capital and tyrannically oppress our people rendering goods and services to our eternal enemies and nothing but the lash of the whip to our good people. The Pirate Tivol, sinker of an imperial galleon, has accused us of being spineless and non-civic minded, and while non can doubt the bravery of our citizens in fighting the rampant scourge of Piracy, as we see with Citizens Toejam, and the illustrious Donagel the first of our pirate hunters and a most stalwart opponent as late mayor, there does seem to be a little problem seeing as the Imperial Emporer was killed and we have no Government.
Therefore in order to give glory to us in times of victory and strength in times of trouble I therefore propose the formation of either a Mayoral Council or Imperial Senate to be given powers in time of emergency. This council will be composed of three or five members, one selected by the emporer, one by the Mayor, and three or one by the citizens. They will serve one mayoral terms, perhaps taking office halfway through the mayors term. They will have all the powers of the mayor when the mayor is removed, as well as the emporer when he is gone. they will also recieve 4 po8 for every decision, as well as a golden parachute of 100 po8 whenever they are sacked by either the mayor or emporer. Council members or Senators may be of any rank, as it is expected that our good citizens can only elect men and women of outstanding charachter and bravery, and in case of error one can be quickly sacked. Whether they can or cannot make proposals is up for debate. When the emporer overrules a proposal he has the option to sack a council member. When the emporer is gone the council may do as they see fit, but the emporer, upon returning, may veto any passed proposals without retroactively hampering the earlier affects of the proposals, the council may also not change this sentence stating that our Imperial Emporer will always have sovereignity over the council. When it comes time for the Senate or Council elections and both the emporer and mayor are gone, the Council may vote for the mayors and emporers council member, assuming that a mayor is not being elected or an emporer returning in the same proposal in which case the councilmember or Senator will be selected as usual. It is still an open question whether or not the councilmember must be present in the city to vote, but there should be no quorum. Also a council member may not sack another, nor may he pass any proposal changing this sentence. It is to be hoped that this proposal will instill a sense of civic spirit and public virtue in our great and noble people thereby helping to prevent any collapse of our government in the future either from within or without.
Your Most Humble Servant, Sir Morven Ruffenbac

P.S. It is also possible that we could have a referendum among our important citizens as it appears that the emporer will not be with us for a while. Or perhaps not.

Oracle Says: Rejected. Without going into the details of the departed Emperor's ravings, let us just say that his Lordship feels that committees just slow down an already dragging legislature.



Unjudged Proposals

Proposal 177

Proposer: Citizen Morven Ruffenbac
Proposed: Wed, 17 May 95 15:53:24 0200
Proposal: O most glorious beloved Imperial Emporer, it has recently come to my attention the workings of trade are too simple and improbable and work to the restraint of trade and exploration by our noble merchants and sailors. In order to further the wealth of your citizenry I propose that all fiefs or non-contiguous land masses be given their own pricing scheme. These prices will move independently of each other, we will still retain the +/- 10%, but this will be a general movement randomly determined going from +10 to -10. All are affected by this. Then each indivual area is affected by fluctuation of +/- 3%. (these values may also be lowered but could maintain a 3:1 ratio) Producing areas will retain their price discount, but as the values will diverge rapidly we might have to install proposals keeping producing lands from being undersold. We might also want to request proposals limiting knowledge of other fiefs prices. All in all it is hoped that this will make many of our glorious Emporers citizens very prosperous thereby adding to the general commonwealth and our imperial glory.


Proposal 178

Proposer: Citizen 100550.2260
Proposed: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 06:51:49 -0400
Proposal: Every Tuesday morning, a compulsory study of at least one hour of Orbus Terrarum by The Orb must be undertaken. So there. (:>


Proposal 179

Proposer: Citizen Andre Engels
Proposed: Mon, 26 Jun 95
Proposal: Let a Rule be created with the following text:
Players can attempt to save another Player from The Island of Dead. He or she does so by sailing to the Island and fighting Death, and telling the HoB that he/she wants to battle the Judge of Dead. He/she then first has to fight a Land Battle with the forces of Death (10 troops which get the Marines/Buccaneers bonus of Rule 8.7). If the Player has won this battle, he fights a Personal Duel with the Judge of Dead, who gets a +3. If the Player wins, 1 Player from his side (TIE counting as a Civilian, TPK as a Pirate) at random, or if there is none, 1 Player from the other side at random, is released. If the Judge wins, the Judge takes the Player's valuables, or if he has none, his ship, and the Player is a Prisoner of the Judge.

Let also a Rule be created with the following text:
If a Player is a Prisoner of the Judge of Dead, he must each turn try to fight himself free. This is done by a Personal Duel with the Judge of Dead (who has modifier +3). If the Player wins, he is free. If he does not have a ship anymore he also receives a Life Raft from the trembling Judge. If the Judge wins, he takes the Player's valuables, or if he has none, his ship, and the Player stays Prisoner.


Proposal 180

Proposer: Citizen Andre Engels
Proposed: Wed, 29 Mar 95 14:09:46 METDST
Proposal: Players can group themselves into Parties. Each party must have at least 2 members, which must be either all Citizens or all Pirates. No player may be member of more than one party. A party may make proposals just like a player. A party may be erected, and players may start or cease to be members of a party by sending a message to THS.

Oracle Says: My mind is blank. Let the Mayor decide! [THS note: There currently is no mayor. So the earliest this can be decided is as proposal 180. So I've renumbered it 180. If the Emperor is rescued before then, his original decision can go into effect.]

Mayor's Action:


Proposal 181

Proposer: Citizen Toejam
Proposed: Mon, 01 May 95 15:58:02 -0400
Proposal: Almighty emperor, who even in death makes the Pirate King seem a very silly person indeed:
I propose to modify rule 14 of the Geography, Exploration, and Colonization rules. I propose that for occupied lands created by a proposal or fabled land, that the natives be considered friendly by default. This would include currently existing lands which were created via proposals. If a plyer wish their fabled land to be unfriendly, it must be stated in the proposal.
Your humble servant, Toejam

Oracle Says: I'm gettin' nothing. The crystal ball is cloudy. Better wait for the Mayor to return.

Mayor's Action:


Proposal 182

Proposer: Citizen Andre Engels
Proposed: Mon, 26 Jun 95
Proposal: O, great Emperor, I have seen, with tears in my eyes, that some of your Citizens leave their ships rotting in the Atlantean Harbour, while others are longing to sail, but have no ship at all. I therefore propose the following:
If a New Player enters the game, and no wood is available to give this Player a Ship, then any Player who has not made a Proposal nor issued a sailing order for over 100 Proposals is forced to forfeit his ship. The Player who has not done such a thing for the longest period must do this first. Also upon acceptance of this Proposal I urge the Emperor to use this Rule to get as many as possible from the following Players a ship: Alexandre, TOAD, Napoleon Bonaparte, Phoenix, Morven Ruffenbac, 100550.2260


Proposal 183

Proposer: Citizen Death
Proposed: Sat, 01 Jul 95 23:12:11 0500
Proposal: Oh, Emperor who is only the wiser for having crossed the border separating Life and, um Death! I propose that, should a citizen successfully sail to the Isle of the Dead while his liege is imprisoned there, he shall, independent of any other consequence thereof, relay all impending decisions on proposals that have been made, but not publicized, during the period said liege has spent on said Isle.
Further, the citizen shall be rewarded for this service with a rank of bravery, and the option to change one of the decisions he is relaying, and be given the title of "First Publicator," or the appropriate ordinal.


Proposal 184

Proposer: Citizen John Paul
Proposed: Sun, 16 Jul 95 16:21:13 -0700
Proposal: Oh great Imperious Emperor who rules from beyond the grave and no doubt has great beachfront property on the Island of the Dead,
I, citizen John Paul the Bold, have noticed that although our world is split up into Empries, Kingdoms, Principalities and Fiefs, there is currently no manner in which to name the units above fief and no point in doing so. Therefore I propose the following:
1. When someone names and explores the second fief on a continent (though that person may not have been the one to explore the first) that person also names the principality that the two together make up. Likewise, the person who explores the fourth fief names both the second principality and the first kingdom on the continent, etc.
2. In order to make it worth the effort to do all this naming, anyone who becomes governor of a fief shall recieve 10 Po8 every 5 proposals. For each addtional fief that player governs they recieve another 10 Po8. If the player governs both fiefs in a Principality they recive the normal 20 Po8 and an additiona 20 as a bonus. Likewise anyone who governs a kingdom will recieve 40 Po8 for each Principality and an additional 80 as a bonus, and anyone who governs an Empire will recieve the 160 from each kingdom, and 320 as a bonus.
3. In order to clarify the geography of the known world a little, I propse that the fief in the Principality of Altantis which contains the city of Atlantis to be known as the District of Venezuela, and all things which are produded in the Principality of Altlantis are found in that fief. The second fief in Atlantis currently produces nothing, and shall be known as Bakal.
4. Finally, as it stands it is too difficult for anyone to discover new lands, as they must advance too far in the ranks before they may begin. Therefore, from now on the rules should be modified so that anyone who is a fourth mate or above may set out on a voyage to discover new lands.



Care to submit a proposal? Please use subject "Fascist". (Email gwhitney@umich.edu if the previous link does not work. Thanks - THS.)

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Last modified: Tue Jul 18 15:35:27 1995