Agora's Book of History in its current form follows my signature.
--Warrigal
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1993:
CHAPTER I
[1] WHEREAS, in June 1993, the world's only MUD-based nomic,
Nomic World, had recently collapsed; yet, many of its players
enjoyed nomic and did not wish to forego such a noble pursuit;
[2] And WHEREAS, Originator Chuck Carroll therefore composed
an Initial Ruleset for an email nomic, based on the Initial
Rulesets of Peter Suber, inventor of Nomic, and on the
Rulesets of Nomic World and other nomics,
[3] And WHEREAS, a nomic thus rose like a phoenix from the
ashes of Nomic World, played on the mailing list originally
set up for discussion of Nomic World, and coming into
existence at June 30, 1993, 00:04:30 GMT +1200, with a message
sent by FIRST SPEAKER Michael Norrish, which read, in part,
[4] "I see no reason to let this get bogged down; there
are no precedents or rules that cover this situation, so I
think we may as well begin directly.... Proposals for new
rules are invited. In accordance with the rules, these
will be published, numbered and distributed by me at my
earliest convenience."
[5] And WHEREAS, this nomic began as a humble and nameless
nomic, known unofficially as yoyo, after the mailing list it
was played on, until its Players, much later, gave it its
OFFICIAL NAME of Agora,
[6] And WHEREAS, Agora has now become the wisest, noblest,
eldest, and most interesting of all active email nomics, due
to the hard work and diligence of Agorans as well as the
frequent advice of Agoraphobes,
[7] BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the history of Agora shall be
forever chronicled in this Book of History. Long Live Agora!
CHAPTER II
[1] When Agora first came about, on June 30, 1993, its rules
were as follows: <1>
[2] Immutable Rules
101. All players must always abide by all the rules
then in effect, in the form in which they are then in
effect. The rules in the Initial Set are in effect at
the beginning of the first game. The Initial Set
consists of rules 101-116 (immutable) and 201-219
(mutable).
102. Initially rules in the 100's are immutable and
rules in the 200's are mutable. Rules subsequently
enacted or transmuted (that is, changed from immutable
to mutable or vice versa) may be immutable or mutable
regardless of their numbers, and rules in the Initial
Set may be transmuted regardless of their numbers.
103. At any time, each player shall be either a Voter
or the Speaker; no player may simultaneously be a
Voter and a Speaker. At any time there shall be
exactly one Speaker. The term "player" in the rules
shall specifically include both the Voters and the
Speaker.
104. The Speaker for the first game shall be Michael
Norrish.
105. A rule change is any of the following: (1) the
enactment, repeal, or amendment of a mutable rule; or
(2) the transmutation of an immutable rule into a
mutable rule or vice versa.
(Note: This definition implies that, at least
initially, all new rules are mutable; immutable rules,
as long as they are immutable, may not be amended or
repealed; mutable rules, as long as they are mutable,
may be amended or repealed; any rule of any status may
be transmuted; no rule is absolutely immune to
change.)
106. All rule changes proposed in the proper way
shall be voted on. They will be adopted if and only if
they receive the required number of votes and quorum
is achieved.
107. Any proposed rule change must be written down
(or otherwise communicated in print media) before it
is voted on. If adopted, it must guide play in the
form in which it was voted on.
108. No rule change may take effect earlier than the
moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it,
even if its wording explicitly states otherwise. No
rule change may have retroactive application.
109. The Speaker shall give each proposed rule change
a number for reference. The numbers shall begin with
301, and each rule change proposed in the proper way
shall receive the next successive integer, whether or
not the proposal is adopted.
If a rule is repealed and reenacted, it receives
the number of the proposal to reenact it. If a rule
is amended or transmuted, it receives the number of
the proposal to amend or transmute it.
110. Rule changes that transmute immutable rules into
mutable rules may be adopted if and only if the vote
is unanimous among votes legally cast. Transmutation
shall not be implied, but must be stated explicitly in
a proposal to take effect.
111. In a conflict between a mutable and an immutable
rule, the immutable rule takes precedence and the
mutable rule shall be entirely void. For the purposes
of this rule a proposal to transmute an immutable rule
does not "conflict" with that immutable rule.
112. The state of affairs that constitutes winning
may not be altered from achieving n points to any
other state of affairs. The magnitude of n and the
means of earning points may be changed, and rules that
establish a winner when play cannot continue may be
enacted and (while they are mutable) be amended or
repealed.
113. A player always has the option to forfeit the
game rather than continue to play or incur a game
penalty. No penalty worse than losing, in the
judgment of the player to incur it, may be imposed.
114. There must always be at least one mutable rule.
The adoption of rule changes must never become
completely inpermissible.
115. Rule changes that affect rules needed to allow
or apply rule changes are as permissible as other rule
changes. Even rule changes that amend or repeal their
own authority are permissible. No rule change or type
of move is impermissible solely on account of the
self-reference or self-application of a rule.
116. Whatever is not prohibited or regulated by a
rule is permitted and unregulated, with the sole
exception of changing the rules, which is permitted
only when a rule or set of rules explicitly or
implicitly permits it.
[3] Mutable Rules
201. Quorum for a proposed rule change is defined to
be 20% of Voters at the beginning of the prescribed
voting period for that proposal
202. All players begin with 0 points. Points may not
be gained, lost, or traded except as explicitly stated
in the rules.
203. The winner is the first Voter to achieve 100
(positive) points. If more than one Voter achieves
this condition simultaneously, all such Voters win.
When a game ends in this manner:
-If there is only one winner, that Voter
becomes the Speaker, and the old Speaker
becomes a Voter
-If there is more than one winner, the
Speaker randomly selects one of the
winners, who becomes the new Speaker, and
the old Speaker becomes a Voter.
-All players' scores are reset to 0.
-A new game is begun. All rules and
proposed rule changes retain the status
they had at the end of the old game.
204. A proposal shall be made by submitting it to the
Speaker. Only Voters may make proposals. As soon as
possible after receiving a proposal, the Speaker shall
assign the proposal a number and distribute the
proposal along with its number to all players
205. The prescribed voting period for a proposal
shall be one week, beginning at the time the Speaker
distributes the proposal to all players.
206. Each Voter has exactly one vote. The Speaker
may not vote.
207. Voters may vote either for or against any
proposal within its prescribed voting period. In
order to be legally cast, the vote must be received by
the Speaker by the end of the prescribed voting
period. The Speaker may not reveal any votes until
the end of the prescribed voting period. Any Voter
who does not legally vote within the prescribed voting
period shall be deemed to have abstained.
208. At the end of the prescribed voting period on a
proposal, the Speaker shall reveal all votes legally
cast on that proposal. If the Speaker's consent may
be required for a proposal to be adopted, then the
Speaker should indicate at that time whether or not e
gives eir consent. If the Speaker does not explicitly
indicate that e refuses to consent to the proposal, it
shall be assumed that e consents.
209. The required votes for a proposal to be adopted
is as follows:
For a proposal which would directly alter the
actions which are required of and/or forbidden to
the Speaker:
a) a simple majority of all votes legally
cast, if the Speaker consents;
b) a 2/3 majority of all votes legally cast,
if the Speaker does not consent;
For all other proposals, a simple majority of
votes legally cast.
This rule defers to rules which set the required
number of votes for proposals which propose to
transmute a rule.
210. An adopted rule change takes full effect at the
moment of the completion of the vote that adopted it.
211. Voters who voted against proposals which are
adopted receive 10 points apiece. Players whose
proposals are adopted shall receive a random number of
points in the range 1-10 inclusive. Players whose
proposals are not adopted shall lose 10 points.
212. If two or more mutable rules conflict with one
another, or if two or more immutable rules conflict
with one another, then the rule with the lowest
ordinal number takes precedence.
If at least one of the rules in conflict
explicitly says of itself that it defers to another
rule (or type of rule) or takes precedence over
another rule (or type of rule), then such provisions
shall supersede the numerical method for determining
precedence.
If two or more rules claim to take precedence
over one another or defer to one another, then the
numerical method again governs.
213. If players disagree about the legality of a move
or the interpretation or application of a rule, then a
player may invoke judgement by submitting a statement
for judgement to the Speaker. Disagreement, for the
purposes of this rule, may be created by the
insistence of any player. When judgement is invoked,
the Speaker must, as soon as possible, select a Judge
as described in the Rules. The Speaker must then
distribute the statement to be judged, along with the
identity of the Judge, to all players.
214. If judgement was invoked by a Voter, then the
first Judge to be selected to judge that statement
shall be the Speaker. If judgement was invoked by the
Speaker, the first Judge to be selected shall be a
randomly selected Voter.
In all cases, if a Judge beyond the first must
be selected to judge a statement, it shall be a
randomly selected Voter. The Voter thus selected may
not be the player most recently selected as Judge for
that statement, nor may e be the player who invoked
judgement.
215. After the Speaker has distributed the statement
to be judged and the identity of the Judge, the Judge
has one week in which to deliver a legal judgement.
If the Judge fails to deliver a judgement within this
time, e is penalized 10 points and a new Judge is
selected. A judgement is delivered by submitting that
judgement to the Speaker, who must then distribute
that judgement to all players as soon as possible.
216. A legal judgement is either TRUE, FALSE, or
UNDECIDED. The judgement may be accompanied by
reasons and arguments, but such reasons and arguments
form no part of the judgement itself. If a judgement
is accompanied by reasons and arguments, the Speaker
must distribute the reasons and arguments along with
the judgement.
217. All judgements must be in accordance with the
rules; however, if the rules are silent, inconsistent,
or unclear on the statement to be judged, then the
Judge shall consider game custom and the spirit of the
game before applying other standards.
218. In addition to duties which may be listed
elsewhere in the rules, the Speaker shall have the
following duties:
-register new players
-maintain a list of all players and their
current scores, and make such a list available
to all players
-maintain a complete list of the current rules,
and make such a list available to all players
-make a random determination whenever such
determination is required by the rules.
219. If a player believes that the rules are such
that further play is impossible, or that the legality
of a move cannot be determined with finality, or that
a move appears equally legal and illegal, then the
player may invoke judgement on a statement to that
effect. If the statement is judged TRUE, then the
player who invoked judgement shall be declared the
winner of that game, and the game ends, with no
provision for starting another game.
This rule takes precedence over every other rule
determining the winner of the game.
[4] Of these initial rules, only rule 104 has not been
amended. <2>
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1994:
CHAPTER I
[1] Agora's coming of age was with its first Great Scam, the
Walrus Scam. At the time, in early 1994, Agora had a rule
invalidating any proposal that changed players' currency
holdings based on their votes on that proposal. H. Waggie made
a pair of proposals that would create Happy Walruses and Sad
Walruses owned by those who voted FOR and AGAINST the
proposals, respectively (but explicitly stated that Walruses
were not currency), and then would give things to owners of
Happy Walruses and take things from owners of Sad Walruses.
[2] Both of these proposals passed (though, oddly, an
identical pair that would create Glad Bunnies and Mad Bunnies
did not). Much controversy was had, and eventually H. Waggie
Left in a Huff, never to return. Ironically, the activity this
scam was designed to perform is no longer prohibited. <3>
[3] Agora's next great trial is known as the Black Repeals. In
early 1994, there was a rule that awarded submitting a
proto-proposal before submitting the real thing. There was a
penalty for submitting a failing proposal, but the
proto-proposing award happened when the proposal was
submitted, whereas the penalty happened at the end of the
voting period. Therefore, H. Stella? proposed to repeal each
of the game's 165 rules individually, getting em 330 points,
enough to win; the large penalty would come in the next game.
[4] Surprisingly, all of the proposals passed, leaving the
players debating what would now happen. Eventually, the
distribution (but not the submission) of the proposals was
deemed invalid, meaning none of them had ever taken effect.
Ironically, this means that H. Stella? got the point award and
won, but never got the penalty it was supposed to come with.
<4>
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SOURCES
<1> Agora's Initial Ruleset at
<http://axiom.anu.edu.au/~michaeln/agora/initial-ruleset>
<2> The Full Logical Ruleset at
<http://agora.qoid.us/current_flr.txt>
<3> <http://www.nomic.net/~nomicwiki/index.php/WalrusScam>
<4> <http://www.nomic.net/~nomicwiki/index.php/BlackRepeals>
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