Call For Judgment: Disobeying the Spirit of the Law
Ok, so I tried to increase my BlanceRating by 470 based on the wording of Rule 15, Sailor/Captain Hat sections:
The way I see rules like this working is as a two-part process. First there is a condition which must be satisfied, then an effect that must or may happen when that condition is satisfied. So for example:
If A then B. If you have 20 hats, you may make a post...
If A then B. If a candidate goes idle, the Running mate.. etc.
So I treated Rule 15 in a similar way:
If A then B. If I declare I am paying hats, I may increase my balance rating by X. I suppose you could read the rule as one whole declaration phrase. In this reading, it's not a two-part condition and effect rule like most of the others, but a statement of possibility, telling me what I can declare. It might be easier to think of a rule like this punctuated as follows:
I contend that this is not what the rule means. If it did, it would be meaningless; the Captain is entitled to declare anything he or she wants legally anyway. So, I suggest that it is a normal, two-part condition and effect rule. Since I can satisfy the condition (declaring I am paying hats), I should be allowed to fulfil the effect. It does not say anywhere that I need to actually pay the hats.
Failed 3 to 12 by Brendan at 3:01 pm GMT on 5.6.2004.
The Captain may, at any time, post to the GNDT declaring that he or she is paying X * 3 Hats to increase his or her BalanceRating? by X, where X is a nonnegative integer.
The way I see rules like this working is as a two-part process. First there is a condition which must be satisfied, then an effect that must or may happen when that condition is satisfied. So for example:
Each Player with more than 20 Hats may, not more than once every five days, make a post to the Blog declaring that he or she uses his or her Elite Skills to change a single instance of an alphabetical character.
If A then B. If you have 20 hats, you may make a post...
Should a Candidate go Idle during the course of a campaign, or drop to 0 Hats, the Running-Mate becomes the new Candidate
If A then B. If a candidate goes idle, the Running mate.. etc.
So I treated Rule 15 in a similar way:
The Captain may, at any time, post to the GNDT declaring that he or she is paying X * 3 Hats to increase his or her BalanceRating? by X, where X is a nonnegative integer.
If A then B. If I declare I am paying hats, I may increase my balance rating by X. I suppose you could read the rule as one whole declaration phrase. In this reading, it's not a two-part condition and effect rule like most of the others, but a statement of possibility, telling me what I can declare. It might be easier to think of a rule like this punctuated as follows:
The Captain may, at any time, post to the GNDT declaring that "he or she is paying X * 3 Hats to increase his or her BalanceRating? by X, where X is a nonnegative integer."
I contend that this is not what the rule means. If it did, it would be meaningless; the Captain is entitled to declare anything he or she wants legally anyway. So, I suggest that it is a normal, two-part condition and effect rule. Since I can satisfy the condition (declaring I am paying hats), I should be allowed to fulfil the effect. It does not say anywhere that I need to actually pay the hats.
Failed 3 to 12 by Brendan at 3:01 pm GMT on 5.6.2004.
<< Home