Idlification

Well, if we're declaring Shadow idle, we may as well go ahead and declare Loric idle as well (he hasn't done anything since the 26th, which is over a week ago).

Proposal: God Is A Number

Nobody's using factories. And why should they? Nothing factories produce DOES anything.

I propose changing Rule 19 - Commodities. Specifically, editing the entry for Robots to read:

Robots are extremely helpful in construction. For each Eetcha of Robots a Representative controls, the price of building Infrastructures and Space Utilities is reduced by 10%, to a maximum of a 50% discount. They can be built in Factories for 5MC per Eetcha.

Enacted by Damanor Jan 5; +10 to Cayvie, +5 to Damanor.

Proposal: Making Galactic Domination a Little More Difficult

Let's be honest. In rule 22, General Election, the second option is just a tad bit too easy to obtain. People can simply pay 10 MegaCredits and qualify. Also, I think the whole budget thing is a little too easy to abuse. Assuming you had a shipyard and the requisite titanium, one could pay 10 MegaCredits, switch one's budget to 70/10/10/10, and use the SEVENTY PERCENT DISCOUNT to buy ships at less than one third their normal cost. Then, one could pay 10 more MegaCredits and change their budget back to what it was originally. This is kind of silly.

Therefore, I propose the following rule change:

In Rule 17, Government Spending, rewrite the second-to-last sentence to read

This costs 5 Mega-Credits per 10-percent change in preference (for example, changing preferences from 10/20/30/40 to 20/20/20/40 would cost 10 Mega-Credits, but changing from 10/20/30/40 to 50/10/10/30 would cost 30 Mega-Credits).

Enacted by Damanor Jan 5; +10 to Cayvie, +5 to Damanor.

Proposal: Cleaning up my own messes [trivial]

In Rule 22, change the sentence:

The people choose the representative with the most infrastructures.

so that it reads:

The people choose the representative with the most infrastructures and Space Utilities.

Also, change the phrase:

If at any given time a single representative has three out of the first four listed qualifications

to read:

If at any given time a single representative (other than the Speaker) has three out of the first four listed qualifications

The 2 MCr from this trivial post will be given to the active Representative with the lowest MCr total. (I need to fix these things before I post them, rather than after.)

Enacted by Damanor Jan 5; +2 to Cayvie, +2 to Damanor.

Proposal: Galactic Mining Market

Add a new rule, Galactic Mining Market, which contains the following:

By some economic twist, there exists a market much like a traditional stock market, except with values based on the ratio of mineral mining. Before the start of a new week, each representative is allowed to place a wager based on the ratio of Adamantium-to-Titanium mining as a composite from all planets. One mining session performed by a representative increments the respective mineral count by one. At the end of the week (Sun 23:59), the representative with the prediction closest to the final ratio value earns a double return on his wager. If two representatives are equidistant in prediction values from the outcome ratio, each earns a 50% return on each's respective wager; if three representatives are equidistant, a 33% return, etc.

Unrewarded credits are deposited into the Galactic Bank at the end of the week. If an insufficient amount of credits exists in the Mining market to reward the winner(s), the Galactic bank covers the shortage with a direct transfer of funds to the winner. Other than these deposits and withdrawls, the Galactic Bank plays no other part in the Mining Market and thus representatives need not deposit their wagers.


As an example: If Adamantium is mined 7 times in one week, and Titanium 5 times; and Damanor predicted a 1.3 ratio at 10 credits while Loric a 1.2 ratio at 20 credits, then Damanor would earn 20 credits (as 1.3 is the closest to the ratio of 1.4) and the remaining 10 unrewarded credits would be transferred to the Galactic Bank.

Failed by Damanor Jan 5; -5 to Mat, +2 to Damanor.

Idle player: Shadow

I don't think we've heard from Shadow in some time, so he/she/it has been declared idle. Quorum is now 5.

Proposal: Keitalia’s Laboratory

New Infrastructure:

*Laboratory Complex (25): works to improve efficiency of infrastructures. For the cost of 15MC with comment in the GNDT of what is being enhanced, a Representative may increase 10% efficiency on any aspect in an infrastructure. The Representative may claim their enhancement after a waiting period of 5 days. The enhanced infrastruture is tracked in the GNDT by adding an ‘!’ next to the infrastructure that's affected (ex: Combat Shipyard!). A new enhancement can only affect one infrastructure and a Representative cannot improve the Laboratory or an enhanced infrastructure.

Failed by Mat Jan 4, 17:47. Timed out

Budget Proposals

A bit late this week (sorry about that), but here are the current pending budget proposals:
D:20/C:20/R:30/I:30
D:30/C:20/R:20/I:30

Just vote using one voting icon or the other for your preferred budget plan.

D:30/C:20/R:20/I:30 I declare this the winner, since we can't really wait on it.

Proposal: Preventing self-nomination (triv)

[This fixes the fifth instance so the past speaker cannot elect his/herself.]

In rule 22, change the following

Foolishly trusting the one they just threw out of office, the public elects a representative chosen by the outgoing Speaker.

to

Foolishly trusting the one they just threw out of office; the public allows the Speaker to choose a representative (other than himself) to be elected.

Enacted by Damanor Jan 3; +2 to Mat, +2 to Damanor.

A couple of questions

(Well, the first question was answered immediately after I posted this. Perhaps I'm posting too hastily)

2) Was "Political Upheaval" passed correctly? I only count five For votes, including Damanor's. (Note that my vote was changed from For to Against.

Proposal: Rebellion!

I propose that the following events have transpired:

It appears that underneath our interstellar noses, the people of the small planet of Aberdeen have begun harboring some discontent toward the Planetary Council. This appears to be the doing of one woman, named Elisande, who has rallied the people of Aberdeen and gotten them to do her bidding willingly. Underneath her rule, the citizens of Aberdeen have built a Mining Complex, a Space Complex: Combat Shipyard, and a Space Complex: Trading Post.

Not only have they done this against the wills of the Council, but they have allegedly begun trade with races outside our galaxy, and have acquired technologies that the Council does not understand.

As if this weren't enough, Elisande is offering deals to Free Agents, and only Free Agents. She has a supply of ships she calls Maulers, which bear little resemblance to anything ever seen by the Planetary Council. Not only do Maulers increase their owner's Oortnot value by 5, but they also have a weapon that can shoot powerful, localized shock waves, which can cause seismic activity on the surfaces of planets. She is willing to sell Maulers to any Free Agent who desires them, for the paltry price of 45 MegaCredits each. She is also selling the normal ships available in our military, for 10 MC's more than our standard prices.

Basically, this would mean that the following changes would have to be made to the Ruleset.

Add a new paragraph to Rule 20: Military Force:

Any Free Agent may buy the following ships from the rebellious planet of Aberdeen: Cruiser (40 Mega-Credits), Fighter (20 Mega-Credits), Mauler (45 Mega-Credits). The Cruiser and Fighter are identical to the ones previously mentioned. The Mauler increases its owner's Oortnot value by 5, and enables its owner to assault planets. If the owner of a Mauler wishes to assault a planet, he or she posts a comment in the GNDT, "Assaulting [PlanetName]: (DICE+[Attacker's Oortnot]), (DICE+[Defender's Oortnot]). If the Attacker's outcome is higher, he or she may destroy any one Infrastructure or Space Utility on that planet, or any two ships. If the Defender's outcome is higher, half of each type of ship (rounded up) owned by the Attacker is destroyed.

Also, to the end of Rule 11: Planets, add

No player may at any time represent the rebellious planet of Aberdeen.

Self-killed by Cayvie Jan 2; -5 to Cayvie, +2 to Damanor.

Proposal: Multiple Mining Mania (trivial)

Reading through the rules, I noticed the following discrepancy: under rule 15, Infrastructures and Space Utilities, it says

For each Mining Complex on a planet, each commodity may be mined an additional time.

However, under each of the mineable commodities (I'm assuming one cannot mine Computers or Food), it says

A Representative may mine X no more than once per week

.

I propose to add the following phrase to each of the mineable commodity descriptions: "per Mining Complex."

This should make life easier for those of us who like mine work.

Enacted by Mat Dec. 31

Planetary Claim

Following Loric's earlier lead, I hereby claim Carolina as my own planet (hey, it's where I live in real life anyway). The 100 MegaCredits under the Carolinians' control is now mine. (I'm doing this correctly, right?)

Proposal: Leave the past behind [Trivial]

Renumber Rule 11 - Planets as Rule 12. (There isn't a Rule 12 right now.)

Move Rule 16 - Our Glorious Past, so it is ahead of Rule 12 in the ruleset. Renumber it Rule 11.

Change Rule 10, where it says, "excluding Rules 1-10 and the Glossary" so that it says, "excluding Rules 1-11 and the Glossary".

Enacted by Mat Dec. 31

Proposal: Political Upheaval

Create a rule: General Elections

If the Speaker is ever suspended or removed from the council for any reason, a general election by the public determines a new Speaker from the current representatives in the council. The result of this general election is decided by whatever issue is most important to the people at the moment of the election. Public preference is determined by the deposed Speaker, who posts a comment to the GNDT: Election: DICE. The result determines which of several eligible candidates become the new speaker, as follows:

(1) Fill the treasury! The representative with the highest Mega-Credit total becomes the new Speaker.
(2) Fix the budget! The representative whose budget preferences most closely resemble the current Universal Budget Plan is the new Speaker.
(3) Protect us! The People choose the representative with the highest Oortnot value.
(4) We need industry! The people choose the representative with the most infrastructures.
(5) Chosen successor. Foolishly trusting the one they just threw out of office, the public elects a representative chosen by the outgoing Speaker.
(6) Write-in candidate. Because of a loophole in the election laws, one person was able to vote 75 Trillion times, giving their representative a guaranteed victory. (All non-idle representatives other than the Speaker are equally likely to win - see below.)

In the event that two or more representatives are equally eligible for victory, the Speaker must randomly determine the winner in a way that gives each of those representatives an equal chance for victory (such as using the DICE feature to randomly determine the victor).

If at any given time a single representative has three out of the first four listed qualifications (ie highest MCr, highest Oortnot, closest budget, most infrastructures), any representative may immediately declare a vote of no confidence and remove the current Speaker from the council.

Enacted by Mat Dec. 31, 48 hours pending, over 1/2 current votes are FOR

We interrupt this program for a special bulletin:

With the passage of Galactic Economy, all transactions involving expenditure or acquisition of MegaCredits, other than player-to-player transfers, must be through the Galactic Bank. This includes money gained from proposals (a lot more paperwork than I expected), purchasing new infrastructures, mining, etc. Please be aware of this and make the necessary deposits/withdrawals from the conveniently located ATM in the sidebar.

Another new situation: because of Space Utilities, any player can move a pre-existing infrastructure to a space complex at a cost of 30 (20 for the Space Complex, 10 to move it) within the next 48 hours.

Still another: (See Lost...Lost...) A recent wormhole nexus has reopened revealing several fleets of lost fighters. To see how many of your fleet has returned by putting a comment in the GNDT of: DICE. 1 to 2 yields 2 fighters, 3 to 4 yields 3 fighters and 5 to 6 = 4 fighters. Representatives then may add the Oortnot value to their original. This must be done within 48 hours of this proposals passing. You have 48 hours.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled Blogging.