Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 14:30:49 EST From: Jeremy D Selengut To: frc@nvg.unit.no Cc: selengut@MIT.EDU Subject: End of Round Summary Well, folks, that ends round 52. Definitely not what I expected when I suggested the theme - but that's the beauty of it isn't it? There were some very inventive INVALID rules in this round, with some chemistry topics that I would have dearly loved to seen come into play. Maybe I need to suggest a theme of "reactions" some time...(nah). Congrats to Vanyel for his back-door, seat of the pants, everyone-else- take-one-step-backward-and-you-volunteer win. I guess it only stands to reason that the player with the highest confirmed Humbug content should win this round... Also a tip of the keyboard to Colin who successfully made an appearance from the land of lurk. I think the device of extending the first week by a day was sucessful, maybe we should try a 10-day first "week" out for a spin and see if that works... Round 52 Theme: The Elements of Style Round begun: 00:00 (EST) -0500 06:00 +0100 sabre.wulf.nvg.unit.no time (FRCST) :-) ============ Proposals: >Temporary R.O. Override 52:A > Vote expires 17:05 EST Mon, 26 Feb: >========= >That for purposes of calculating eligibility, Feb. 29th will not be >counted during this round, in essence giving everyone 8 days instead of >7 until eligibility expires. >========= FOR: Jeremy, Dug, Vanyel, Ronald, Stephen AGA: PASSED 4/4 52:B That 52:7 be declared VALID Voting expires 12:36 EST Sat, 2 March FOR: AGA: Stein, Dug FAILED 0/2 ============= STATUS: F W E A H Vanyel *Winner and new Judge* 0.0 1 1 1 1 96% Stein *Wizard* 4.0 >=80% Residue 3.0 >=80% Doug 1.0 19 0 0 0 81% Ronald 0.0 >=80% Stephen 1.0 ??? Colin 2.0 75% Style 20 5 5 20 50% 52:1 20 20 20 20 20% 52:2 60 0 0 10 30% 52:4 28 14 14 14 28 4/7 2/7 2/7 2/7 4/7% 52:9 25 0 75 0 0% 52:10 11 33 11 33 11 1/9 1/3 1/9 1/3 1/9% 52:12 4 0 4 4 88% 52:13 100 0 0 0 0% 52:15 xx 0 0 xx xx? 52:16 <2 0 0 <2 >96% ============= Rules: 52:1 RONALD 05:50:21 Mon, 26 Feb, VALID, Style=0 >>>>> Style, like any other item in the FRC Universe is made out of these (and only these) Five Elements: Fire Water Earth Air Humbug In each item these Elements are present in different proportions. (Style, for instance, contains 50% Humbug, 20% Air, 20% Fire, 5% Water and 5% Earth.) Each Rule shall describe an item of the FRC Universe in terms of the Five Elements. >>>>> No problems. Having all rules present proportions of these five things may get tedious... 52:2 Stein 06:50:40 Mon. 26 Feb, VALID Style=1 >>>>> The proportions of the elements in an item is also called the FWEAH signature, and always add up to 100%. While each valid rule has a unique FWEAH signature, all invalid rules are 100% humbug. This means that whenever a valid rule is voted invalid humbug must be supplied, and other elements must be removed - and vice versa when an invalid one is voted valid. How this is done must be explained in the first rule by any player who consists of less than 80% humbug. >>>>> No problems if I don't assume anything, and I don't... 52:3 Stephen 10:13:31 Mon, 26 Feb, INVALID, Style=1 >>>>> The FWEAH signature of an item is often given as a list of 5 numbers, representing the percentage of each element in the order Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Humbug, separated by dots. (Since elements only ever occur in integer percentages, this causes no confusion). For example, the Judge consists of 100% fire, so eir signature is 100.0.0.0.0; from now on, all FWEAH signatures will be specified in this notation. Except when a valid rule is voted invalid, or vice versa, no item can ever change its signature. Furthermore, all items other than invalid rules have different signatures, so can easily be distinguished by simple FRChemical analysis. Each valid rule contains at least as much humbug as the previous valid rule. Furthermore, if there has been no invalid rule since the previous valid rule, it contains strictly more humbug than the previous valid rule. Also, each valid rule contains at least as much humbug as its author. >>>>> Judgement: As Judge I must interpret the rules, but only when forced to do so. I feel that this rule forces me to interpret the meaning of "FRC Universe" as brought to bear by 52:1. Does this mean the scope of the FRC _in this round_ only or alternatively, all of it through time (the future too?). If this rule is VALID, then the FRC Universe must be limited to the present round only because Stein, who presently must have >= 80% humbug by 52:2, has been Judge in the past. This rule would make FWEAH signatures invariant, and so would be inconsistant with the changing of the Judgeship to Stein in the future or from him in the past. I choose to interpret "FRC Universe" in a more literal sense than is implied by this rule. I think this will make for a more interesting round and does not injure Stephen overmuch as there is plenty of time to put in another attempt. For Style, I love (as a chemist) the concept of FRChemical analysis but dislike the squeeze put on the number of rules caused by the upwardly inching humbug factor. 53:4 Doug 10:38:04 26 Feb, VALID Style=2.0 >>>>>> (This author of this rule is 81% Humbug and 19% Fire.) Each rule following this one must specify an Affected Element (which must be Air, Fire, Water, Earth or Humbug) and state that any restrictions the rule imposes applies only to rules containing the Affected Element. >>>>>> Judgement: No problems. Style: Simple, effective and resurrects my personal latest fovorite concept, the conditional restriction! 53:5 Doug 10:42:17 26 Feb, INVALID Style=-1.0 >>>>>> (This author of this rule has an FWEAH signature of 19.0.0.0.81) Each rule following this one must specify an Affected Element (which must be Air, Fire, Water, Earth or Humbug) and state that any restrictions the rule imposes applies only to rules containing the Affected Element. >>>>>> Judgement: Inconsistent with 53:4. This repost by Doug was not necessary because 53:3 is INVALID. If I'd allow the repost, this rule would be INVALID because the 19.0.0.0.81 does not specify which element goes with which number. Style: Not very. 52:6 Colin 17:35:57 (EST) Mon, 26 Feb, INVALID, Style=1 >>>>> Like all FRCers, I contain only two elements: Water (93%) and Air (7%). Declaring a rule invalid makes it unstable, and it reacts with the rule following, exchanging its non-Humbug for Humbug. Should there not be enough Humbug in the subsequent rule, however, the combination becomes explosive with consequences too dreadful to imagine. Fortunately, this has not happened as yet. This rule originally contained 20% Water, 10% Earth, 10% Air and 60% Humbug, but due to its interaction with 52:5 (which was almost entirely Humbug anyway), it is now 23% Water and 57% Humbug, the other proportions remaining unchanged. Elements exist in opposite pairs: so, for example, any rule originally containing Fire could not have been made by a person containing half or more Water, nor could such a rule put any Water-based restrictions on any later rule. If a previously invalid rule becomes valid, then it regains its original FRChemical formulation by a similar reaction with the next rule to be proposed for which this reaction is possible under the laws of FRChemical combination. >>>>>> Judgement: This rule does not follow the 52:4 requirement to specify a Affected Element. Style: I *like* explosions, but other inconsistancies keep this rule from going higher on the style charts. 52:7 Residue 22:49:18 (EST) Mon, 26 Feb, INVALID, Style=2 >>>>> The Affected Element of this rule is Earth. Any restrictions this rule imposes apply only to rules containing Earth. Rules that contain Earth do not impose restrictions. Needless to say, this rule does not contain Earth. I, Residue, am composed of 50% Air and 50% Fire. In other words, I'm full of hot air...which makes me the ideal person to explain how the FWEAH signature adjustment introduced in Rule 52:2 is accomplished. You see, whenever a rule is declared INVALID by any means, all of its Fire, Water, Earth, and Air (if any) are loaded onto a truck and whisked away to a huge warehouse in Duluth, Minnesota. The loaders are, of course, always careful to staple a receipt (printed on 100% recycled Humbug) to a rule before carting away its non-Humbug Elements. A receipt so stapled to a rule is considered in every way a part of that rule. Now, should an INVALID rule be changed to VALID, all the Elements taken from that rule (if any) are loaded back onto a truck at the Duluth warehouse and immediately returned to the newly validated rule, the attached receipt is destroyed, and the original elemental composition of that rule is thus restored. >>>>> Judgement: heres how I worked through the first paragraph and find the rule INVALID 1) "Any restrictions this rule imposes apply only to rules containing Earth" 2) "...this rule does not contain Earth" Therefore 1+2: 3) Any restrictions this rule imposes do not apply to itself. Therefore 3+1: 4) Restrictions this rule imposes _may_ apply to rules _not_ containing Earth. Is this a paradox -- an internal inconsistancy? It would seem so, I have tried to find a way around it, but I cannot. Sorry. Style: Duluth, the home of Humbug. Need I say more? 52:8 Residue 10:43:19 (EST) Tues, 27 Feb, INVALID, Style=0 >>>>> The Affected Element of this rule is Water. Any restrictions this rule imposes apply only to rules containing Water. This rule contains no Water, so _that_ restriction doesn't apply to this rule. There are exactly seven types of Dwark: Happy (5 parts Fire, 1 part Air), Sneezy (2 parts Water, 3 parts Air), Dopey (1 part Water, 1 part Earth, 5 parts Air), Grumpy (3 parts Humbug), Sleepy (2 parts Earth, 1 part Humbug), Bashful (1 part Water, 1 part Humbug), and Doc (2 parts Fire, 1 part Water, 3 parts Earth, 1 part Air, 2 parts Humbug). There are exactly seven types of Antidwark: Antihappy (5 parts Water, 1 part Earth), Antisneezy (3 parts Fire, 2 parts Earth), Antidopey (1 part Fire, 5 parts Earth, 1 part Air), Antigrumpy (3 parts Humbug), Antisleepy (2 parts Air, 1 part Humbug), Antibashful (1 part Fire, 1 part Humbug), and Antidoc (1 part Fire, 2 parts Water, 1 part Earth, 3 parts Air, 2 parts Humbug). Each type of Dwark has one corresponding type of Antidwark. To find the Antidwark type corresponding to a particular Dwark type, simply add the prefix "Anti-" to its name (e.g., Bashful's corresponding Antidwark type is Antibashful). Every VALID rule is composed of one of the following combinations: three Dwarks of three different types, three Antidwarks of three different types, or a Dwark-Antidwark pair (that is, a Dwark and an Antidwark of the corresponing type). This rule, for example, is composed of Antigrumpy, Antisleepy, and Antibashful. Therefore, it is 12.5% Fire, 25% Air, and 62.5% Humbug. >>>>> Judgement: The same logic I applied to 52:7 works here. Style: The concept is wonderful, but the details are overly cumbersome. 52:9 Stein 04:46:59 (EST) Wed, 28 Feb, VALID, Style=1.5 >>>> Affected element of this rule is earth, and restrictions in this rule apply onl y to rules containing earth. The FWEAH signature of a rule equals the proportion of the number of times each element is mentioned in the rule. Eg. if only earth was mentioned in this rule, and fire was not, it would have been 100% earth, as it is it is75% earth and 25% fire. Also for a rule to be valid at least half of the previous valid rules must contain earth. >>>> Judgement: Since this rule contains earth, it applies to itself, so there are no problems like those of 52:7 and 52:8. Style: Simple, but neatly applies to all previous rules. A little discussion of why this rule is 3/4 earthy and 1/4 fiery would have been stylish... 52:10 Residue 09:00:18 (EST) Wed, 28 Feb, VALID, Style=0 >>>>> The Affected Element of this rule is Water. Any restrictions this rule imposes applies only to rules containing Water. The FWEAH signature of each valid rule does not contain more than two numerically distinct proportions. Each numerically distinct proportion in the FWEAH signature of any valid rule occurs in that signature at least twice and does not occur in the FWEAH signature of any other valid rule. This rule is 33 1/3% Air, 11 1/9% Fire, 33 1/3% Water, 33 1/3% Air, 11 1/9% Earth, 33 1/3% Air, and 11 1/9% Humbug. >>>>> Judgement: No reason for this to be invalid, but may cause some controversy down the road, I suspect... Style: Adds some complexity, but in a contrived way, I am not fond of keeping track of all these fractions. The mention of 33 1/3% Air three times is a really lame work-around for 52:9 -- I was tempted to be purposefully obtuse and add them up to 100% by themselves... 52:11 Ronald 11:38:36 (EST) Wed, 28 Feb, INVALID, Style=0 >>>> An Affected Element of this rule is Fire. Any restrictions this rule imposes applies only to rules containing Fire. An Affected Element of this rule is Water. Any restrictions this rule imposes applies only to rules containing Water. An Affected Element of this rule is Earth. Any restrictions this rule imposes applies only to rules containing Earth An Affected Element of this rule is Air. Any restrictions this rule imposes applies only to rules containing Air. From now on every Rule shall give the FWEAH signature of a Rule which signature has not been given before. Rule 2's signature: 26% Fire, 24% Water, 25% Earth, 25% Air. Rule n's signature contains n% more Fire than Water. >>>> Judgement: Rule 52:9 is VALID, therefore, if 52:2 had Earth as a componant as is suggested here, it would have mentioned the elements in the given proportions. It does not, so this rule is inconsistant and INVALID. Style: Ho Hum. 52:12 Colin 00:49:11 (EST) Thurs, 29 Feb, VALID, Style=1 >>>>> The Affected Element of this rule is Humbug, and hence its restrictions apply only to those rules which contain Humbug. For any rule from this one on to be a valid rule, it must firstly contain at least one verse of the Humbug Song, which goes as follows: THE HUMBUG SONG: first verse (sung to the tune of 'The Spam Song') Hum-bug Hum-bug Hum-bug Hum-bug Hum-bug Hum-bug Hum-bug Hum-bug Secondly, it must contain at least as much Humbug as its author. This author contains precisely 75% Humbug, so that's all right. This rule is 88% Humbug, 4% Earth, 4% Fire and 4% Air. [It was originally going to contain less Humbug and some of the fifth element instead, but I discovered I'd misread 52:10 when I was checking through things] Of course, if I can't count and this rule doesn't contain the 23 occurences of the word Humbug that I think it does, it will become 100% Humbug, in pretty short order, so I'd better explain how. By singing the Humbug Song enough times at a rule he judges invalid, the Judge can drive out all the non-Humbug elements. Should it become valid again, for any reason, the rule will emit every last Humbug from the Humbug song back into the FRC universe, restoring itself to an appropriate composition, but driving the Judge up the wall in the process. (Who said this job was risk-free?). >>>>> Judgement: The only potential problem with this rule is the first sentence of the last paragraph. This rule actually contains only 22 occurences of the word Humbug. Luckily the sentence is of the form: if __ and __ then... Since I must assume that Colin can in fact count (albeit inexpertly), the rule does not force itself into INVALIDity. Style: +2 for answering Stein's challenge with humor. -1 for making me count Humbug's and find your counting error. 52:13 Doug 19:24:31 (EST) Thurs, 29 Feb, VALID, Style=0 >>>>> This rule is 100% Fire, and its restrictions apply only to rules containing its Affected Element, which is Fire. The Affected Element of a fantasy rule whose immediate valid predecessor's Affected Element is Fire must be something other than Fire. >>>>> Judgement: No problems. Style: No style. 52:14 Ronald 12:20:06 (EST) Fri, 1 March, INVALID, Style=0 >>>> The Affected Element of this rule is Air. Any restrictions this rule imposes applies only to rules containing Air. The FWEAH signature of such Rules does contain a numerically distinct proportion that appears exactly three times. This Rule contains 50% Air, and 16 1/6 % each of Fire, Water and Earth. >>>> Judgement: Please pay attention to the following chain of logic: 1) 52:9 applies to _all_ rules, even those preceding it. 2) 52:2 cannot contain Earth, because earth is not mentioned (52:9) 3) In order for 52:9 to be valid, then, the other two valid rules preceding it (52:1 and 52:4) must contain Earth (52:9) 4) If 52:1 contains Earth, it must have equal parts of all elements (52:9) 5) Since the signature of 52:1 does contain Air and does not contain _exactly_ three repeats of a numerically distinct proportion, this rule is INVALID. 52:15 Residue 17:51:44 (EST) Fri, March 1, VALID, Style=1 >>>>> The Affected Element of this rule is Air. Any restrictions this rule imposes apply only to rules containing Air. The complete FWEAH signature of this rule is, and always will be, impossible to determine. I'll close by singing the second verse of the Humbug Song; to wit, "Rule 52:2, Is 60% Fire, And 10% Air, And 30% Humbug," which, oddly enough, happens to be true (albeit slightly off-key). >>>>> Judgement: No Problems. Style: May catch someone out in the future... 52:16 Vanyel 18:58:21 (EST) Mon 4 March, VALID, Style=0 >>>>> THe affected element of this rule is Humbug. For any future rule which contains any Humbug at all, the author must specify the Direction of its Humbug. In modern physics it is known that quarks have Topness and Bottomness, etc., but they have not yet discovered that the more basic FRCon has a directedness at specific people. Thus, for example, this rule's author's own Humbug (96%--1 each of the other four) is directed at himself, Vanyel, for not posting a Rule sooner. And now, to close with a rousing chorus of the Humbug song: Humbug humbug, boy I feel so Humbug humbug not a bit of the other four only only HUMbug humbug humbug humbug... >>>>> Judgement: No Problem. Style: After the first week has ended I will start awarding negative style for rules which provide so little challenge or entertainment. 52:17 Stein 03:52:06 (EST) Thurs 7 March, INVALID, Style=1.5 >>>>> The Affected Element of this rule is Fire. Any restrictions this rule imposes apply only to rules containing Fire. No author that is less than 50% Humbug may ever sing verses of the Humbug Song. From now on each valid rule must have more humbug than the previous valid rule. I however will gladly close by singing the third verse of the Humbug Song; to wit, "Rule 52:2, Is 50% Fire, yes And 50% Air, And No, No, No, No Humbug at all!" which, oddly enough, also happens to be true and in key to boot. >>>>> Judgement: Inconsistant with 52:16 which requires directional Humbug. Although Stein posted this long after Vanyel's 52:16 arrived, he did not appear to have read it. Even if Stein could prove that he never received it (to make his rule UNSUCCESSFUL) he will have timed out. Style: I really like the way this would have set up different FWEAH's for 52:2 depending on the constituents of future rules. A nice concept, but I doubt I could have judged it VALID due to the fact that 52:12 contained both Air and Fire... -Jeremy D. Selengut. TWJ (Ret.) Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 05:06:51 +0100 (MET) From: Orjan Johansen To: Fantasy Rules Committee Subject: Re: Proposal to make 52:17 VALID On Sun, 10 Mar 1996, Orjan Johansen wrote: > I hereby propose that 52:17 be changed to VALID. > I vote FOR for the time being. This appears to have failed, I cannot recall anyone who voted FOR except me, and I changed my vote. Spring break is approaching here in Seattle and people are starting to disappear. I have the feeling frc is sleeping too? Greetings, Oerjan. -- Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.