Alas, Poor Nomiblog...

The new year has not been kind to Nomiblog. Kevin's got a new job, one without long stretches to dawdle and browse the net. Ulaire Toldea went on a business trip and is now playing catch-up at work. Digital Sextant's new semester started, so he's busy teaching college students about zombies. Amy's job is busy as always, and she's been interviewing as well. Even I've been too busy (helping a variety of people in two states work through the drama, marital spats, and complexities of their lives) to find time to post or admin the way I should. I don't know what Master of the Small and Pointless's excuse is, but, then again, I never did. :) (Sorry Brad, I couldn't resist.) Bills and votes have both dropped off to a trickle.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And if that doesn't work, I'll just retire it sometime in February.

The Cricket Customer You Are Trying To Reach

The cricket customer you are trying to reach is either not answering his phone is outside the calling area. Please try again.

Wow, a whole week without a post at Nomiblog. Did the holiday break kill it? Did rule #12,345,678 kill it? Or is this sort of silence just what happens when one player is on a business trip, two other players are mad at each other, and the administrative baron is too busy engaging in flamewars? Oh well, at least Master of the Small and Pointless still has his sense of humor. Mark my words - nomiblog shall rise from the grave!

Guess I'd better think of a good rule for next week, and propose it tonight or tomorrow.

What kind of Nomic am I playing?

Yesterday I whined about how complicated the process of administrating Nomiblog has become. At the time, I suggested the best course of action is to start proposing rules that establish winning conditions, and gently nudge it into an end-game scenario. (mild pun, or at least double-meaning, intended)

Having slept on it, I feel a little differently. So today I proposed a bill that would reset the rules every month.

After all, this Nomic wasn't really intended as something with an attainable goal or a single winner. Instead, it was meant to be an ongoing clever diversion. Inspiration for zaniness. I think a monthly rule repeal will keep it on the intended course. I'll let you know if this bill passes and how it works out.

Nomiblog is getting complicated

Took me over an hour to tally votes, award Wenceslasmas gifts, update sidebars, and adjust totals. Yuck. I guess I need to start proposing bills with win conditions.

More than 12 lines long

I was going to post this over at Nomiblog. While it's under 11 lines in the editing window, it jumps to 14 once posted in Nomiblog's narrower window. (Rule 63 penalizes that)

600a: Future bills may establish a Bacos-to-QI'yaH exchange rate. Until then, Bacos are worthless foreign currency and cannot be traded, given, removed, or spent, except as follows:
600b: Within 24 hours of the ratification of this bill, the Administrator will create a "Bacon Bits" post. Other players may respond with Bacon Bits posts of their own, once per week each.
600c: A bacon bits post includes the title "Bacon Bits" and the bolded name of a single person. Such a person is a then designated the "Bacon Target". With the exception of the first such bacon bits post, the poster must explain how the new Bacon Target is linked to the most recent previous Bacon Target.
600d: There can be only one Bacon Target at a time. Each Bacon Target replaces all previous Bacon Targets. The penalty for repeating Bacon Targets is Frag equal to your Bacos at the time.
600e: When you post bacon bits, you gain 2 Bacos. If your new Bacon Target is someone whose name is related to food or drink, you will gain 3 Bacos.

Trolling In Nomic

My behavior at nomiblog yesterday bordered on Trolling. It was an experiment in the power of lobbying, which I hope to never feel compelled to reproduce. This was really close to my Freebird gag. Similar design space, so-to-speak.

Interesting points that I learned yesterday:

1. I now have a really good idea of why Internet Trolls exist. It's really scary that I found that to be fun. Suddenly I understand some of Zeev's motivations over at the Scion forums. *shudder*
   
2. I hope I never do that again.
   
3. Lobbying is an effective tactic in Nomic, but took a lot of energy to get that critical "no" vote. Probably not worth the effort or stress.
4. Better to keep the game light and fanciful. Perspective is important. It's just a game, so only do that which makes it fun.
5. It may have pissed Kevin off. I'd like to think he got the joke, but I won't know till tomorrow. If so, I owe him an apology.
6. It really is a bad idea to make nomic rules that prevent people from voting.
7. I think I now know why my last Nomic (this was years ago) eventually fell apart. Which means I can avoid it - provided yesterday didn't kill this one. :)
   

Playnomiblog Week 1 Summary

Votes have been tallied on week #1 over at my nomic game blog. Bill #9 has been unanimously ratified. Players may begin posting Lineages as well as Bills. Get your credentials ready! Who will be the first Baron or Baroness of Nomiblog?

There are currently four players, but you could sign up to be the 5th!

The scores / point totals are:
1 (r_b_bergstrom) to 0 (Kevin, Brother Andrei, and Ulaire Toldea)
Not that points do anything currently.

playnomiblog.blogspot.com

I've created the framework of a Nomic Blog. If you're interested in playing, contact me, and I'll get you added to the roster of that blog.

Weird Growths In Portland

Another outgrowth of this trip is that I will probably launch a third blog sometime in the next week or two. The point and purpose of said blog is as a way to host a game of Nomic.

If you're interested, stay tuned to this blog, as I'm sure to post a link.

Speaking of links, sorry about the boring lameness of the Nomic link above. While actual games of Nomic tend to be riotous and freeform, for some reason websites about them always look dry and encyclopedic. Trust me, the game is / can be an incredible blast, akin to Blank White Cards, Fluxx, or Calvinball.