Saturday, May 16, 2009

Proposal: Rationed word length

Self-killed - Devenger

Adminned at 18 May 2009 08:58:15 UTC

Add a new dynastic rule:

There is a statistic Comfort that applies to all non-Host Contestants, which is an integer with minimum value 1, defaulting to 10, that represents what the current quality of life of that Contestant is.

An invalid word, for any given non-Host Contestant, is a word that is longer in letters than that Contestant’s Comfort, which is not the name of any Contestant or the Host, and which is not defined by the rules; no words are invalid for the Host. Any blog post required or permitted by a dynastic rule is invalid and has no effect if it contains an invalid word for the Contestant who posted it, and the fact is pointed out in a comment to that post within 24 hours; however, even if the dynastic rules somehow require or permit a proposal or CFJ, this rule expressly has no effect on proposals nor on CFJs. Contestants should nevertheless attempt to avoid invalid words in their proposals; but nothing in particular happens if a proposal contains an invalid word.

You’ve had it easy so far in the bunker; but we’re going to start rationing things to see how you cope. So that’s rationed food, rationed hot water; we even wanted to ration oxygen but the lawyers wouldn’t let us.

Basically, the less you have to live on, the harder you’ll find it to put together a coherent sentence. 10 is easily enough to write more or less anything, but I imagine the value might quite possibly come down due to future rules, either voluntarily or due to a forced deduction. The way votes are looking at the moment, this is initially going to apply mostly to diary room posts. (I may try to voluntarily stay under some defined comfort level anyway, though.)

Comments

Wakukee:

16-05-2009 18:41:00 UTC

against SingularByte (12) Has a name over 10 letters long…

Wakukee:

16-05-2009 18:41:57 UTC

Whoops, missed the nam part… CoV against

Klisz:

16-05-2009 18:50:13 UTC

for  And I think you mean CoV FOR, not CoV AGAINST.

Devenger:

16-05-2009 18:52:34 UTC

for though I’m scared I’ll struggle with this

Bucky:

16-05-2009 18:58:32 UTC

against , this should exclude the titles of posts.  Also, names of Contestants (including idle Contestants) and direct quotes from the Ruleset that are a sentence or longer should never be invalid.

Also, what about text strings that aren’t words (suchasthisexample) or words that would be too long exc ept that they have extra spa ces inser ted?

Kevan: he/him

16-05-2009 19:02:35 UTC

for Yes, we could use a definition of “word”, but we can manage on common sense for a while.

Bucky:

16-05-2009 19:04:24 UTC

Also, the post should only be invalid if it contained a word that was invalid when it was posted.  In other words, decreasing someone’s comfort level shouldn’t ever invalidate a recent post that was valid when it was posted.  Same with a Contestant who goes Idle right after being named in a Diary entry.

ais523:

16-05-2009 19:05:12 UTC

@Bucky: names of Contestants are valid under that rule; a rule quote will not be right if not in a proposal, and there you can say what you like. And to add extra space is legal, but would be bad style; to keep words short is not all that hard…

Yoda:

16-05-2009 19:58:31 UTC

against What about DoVs?  “Declaration” has 11 letters in it.

Darknight: he/him

16-05-2009 20:20:00 UTC

imperial

Klisz:

16-05-2009 20:34:59 UTC

@Yoda: Not “required or permitted by a dynastic rule”; the dynastic rules will most likely only say that someone has achieved victory, not that they can post Dov.

Rodlen:

16-05-2009 21:56:03 UTC

against

Qwazukee:

16-05-2009 22:50:08 UTC

imperial

smith:

17-05-2009 04:11:36 UTC

for

arthexis: he/him

17-05-2009 06:09:01 UTC

against

Influenza:

17-05-2009 08:32:56 UTC

for

ais523:

17-05-2009 18:51:24 UTC

imperial to negate the implicit author for, and all the deferentials which go with it. I don’t want a proposal like this to pass solely because I’m the Host; I’d prefer it to pass or fail on its own merits.

Devenger:

17-05-2009 19:40:51 UTC

ais, you can’t do that (your vote is still FOR), as per Rule 1.4 Voting: The Host cannot cast a vote of DEFERENTIAL. It’s a self-kill or nothing…

Wakukee:

17-05-2009 20:40:42 UTC

Also, this creates an unnamed rule? So I think that I will stick to my :against:

Qwazukee:

17-05-2009 23:00:12 UTC

A imperial vote just means we trust your judgment as Host that this Proposal fits the Dynastic theme.

TAE:

18-05-2009 03:54:56 UTC

Is it a problem that we don’t know, when this is enacted, what anyone’s current level of comfort actually is?

Qwazukee:

18-05-2009 05:00:39 UTC

Currently 7-5.

Rodlen:

18-05-2009 05:18:31 UTC

TAE: Yes.

SingularByte: he/him

18-05-2009 09:32:05 UTC

against

Kevan: he/him

18-05-2009 10:41:19 UTC

[TAE] No, the value is described as defaulting to 10.

Psychotipath:

18-05-2009 13:07:31 UTC

against This means that someone would have to check every word in everypost against a persons comfort as set at the time of posting. That seems overly complicated. Bedsides i Like using long words inexplicably they fill me with ebullience.

Psychotipath:

18-05-2009 13:12:03 UTC

CoV for Although I fear my inexperience might cause me to fail in making worthy and able posts. (@ Influenza)

redtara: they/them

18-05-2009 13:12:05 UTC

against As per the reasoning of Bucky and Psychotipath

Psychotipath:

18-05-2009 13:52:17 UTC

Which reason?

redtara: they/them

18-05-2009 13:54:06 UTC

“This means that someone would have to check every word in everypost against a persons comfort as set at the time of posting. That seems overly complicated. Bedsides i Like using long words inexplicably they fill me with ebullience. “

Quazie:

18-05-2009 14:04:16 UTC

against

TAE:

18-05-2009 15:41:59 UTC

against Insofar as we are getting close to the 48 hour mark, and if ais were able to support it without taking the deferential votes with him, this would be failing (7-8 with 2 deferring), but as it is, it is passing (9-8).  My vote puts it in equipoise (9-9)with 18 of 23 votes cast.

ais523:

18-05-2009 15:56:05 UTC

against s/k, I still like the idea, but I think I’ll have to come up with a fixed version.