The Game of Law

version 0.5 (12-10-2010)

Overall game mechanics:

• Change, add or remove legislature in order to increase your chances to gain points.
• Change, add or remove legislature in order to decrease the chances of others to gain points.
• Write legislature that gains popular support and gain points.
• Participate constructively and gain points.
• Vote on legislature that puts you in a favorable position.
• Work together or create factions.

The mechanics above only apply if the starting set of rules are in effect. These rules are likely to change, and will heavily influence game mechanics. They may even remove points from the game altogether.

The moderators serve as judges: they must follow the law, but have room to interpret. If you want less interpretation room, write better laws.

The Constitution

1. No article in the Constitution can be changed or removed from the game, except for specific situations described in this Constitution.
2. An article may be removed from the Constitution and turned into a part of Common Law. The proposal must reach 75% of votes. The number of votes cast must be at least 20% of the total number of subscribers, counted at the end of the game round.
3. No one can write a new Constitution article.
4. The moderator(s) reserve(s) the right to veto any legislature, if it may render gameplay  impossible.
5. If conflicting laws exist, Constitutional law always applies before Common Law.
6. If conflicting laws exist within either the Constitution or the Common Law, we look at the numerical sorting. Law 1 applies before Law 2, Law 5 applies before Law 12, et cetera.
7. Emergency laws will only be in effect for a limited number of rounds, with a maximum of 4 rounds.
8. Emergency laws are created in the same way as Common Law, but cannot be changed in any way.

Common Law

1. You win the game when you reach a number of 10*n points, where n = the number of subscribers at the end of the round.
2. If you post in an active game thread, when a round is in progress, your highest scoring comment will be counted as points, with a maximum of 0.5*n, where n = the number of subscribers at the end of the round.
3. Game rounds periods of time, defined and announced by the moderator(s), in which game actions can be performed. Game actions are such things as (but not limited to) proposing new legislation, proposing changes, and submitting votes.
4. New proposals on legislation can only be entered during a game round.
5. All votes will be counted at the end of the round. Screenshots will be made. Voting after the end of round is technically possible, but will have no effect on the game.
6. Every redditor is eligible to play. When you post in an active game thread, you automatically play.
7. All articles of Common Law can be changed or removed. The proposal must reach 51% of votes. The number of votes cast must be at least 10% of the total number of subscribers, counted at the end of the game round.
8. New articles may be added to Common Law. The proposal must reach 51% of votes. The number of votes cast must be at least 10% of the total number of subscribers, counted at the end of the game round.
9. An existing article of Common Law can be turned into a part of the Constitution. The proposal must reach 75% of votes. The number of votes cast must be at least 20% of the total number of subscribers, counted at the end of the game round.
10. About the position and sorting of laws:

1. New laws will be added at the end.
2. One can propose to change the position of an article. The proposal must reach 51% of votes. The number of votes cast must be at least 20% of the total number of subscribers, counted at the end of the game round.
3. If an article changes position, all other articles will be adjusted accordingly.

11. During each round, every player may propose to change, remove or add 1 piece of legislation.
12. A proposed piece of legislation may not be edited, except for ninja edits, The fearsome asterisk will show if a comment has been changed.
13. Only the top 3 propositions will pass, provided they have met their individual conditions.
14. When you break a law, your post or comment will be removed.
15. Information on criminals and their unlawful actions will be made public.
16. When a criminal has been convicted 3 times, the community may vote to ban the perpetrator. The moderators must use the banhammer if the community so wishes. The proposal must reach 75% of votes. The number of votes cast must be at least 20% of the total number of subscribers, counted at the end of the game round.
17. When we have a winner, the game ends. We have a special thread to vote on the basis of a new game: will we play with the current rules, or go back to the original rules and start over. The proposal to switch back to original rules must reach 75% of votes. The number of votes cast must be at least 20% of the total number of subscribers, counted at the end of the game round. Else, we continue with the current rules.

Case Law

This section will contain rulings by the moderators, which can be cited as precedents. They are here to clarify existing laws.

Emergency Law

1. During the first 3 rounds, and no longer than 3 rounds, the moderators reserve the right to adjust all numbers within both the Constitution and the Common Law, which influence the outcome of voting.

1. The moderators solemnly swear they’ll only try to do what’s best for gameplay.