Mornington Nomic

Intro

Mornington Nomic is a game set on the London Underground, where the rules are made by the players as they are playing.

Mornington Nomic is a Nomic game, inspired by the improvisation game “Mornington Crescent” from I’m sorry I Haven’t a Clue.

The rules are presented in 2 sections: unchangeable rules, which provide rules for changing the rules, and the game rules, which are the rules about how the game is played. At least one player should know the unchangeable rules, but every player should know the game rules before beginning play.

PDF versions: tba.

What you need

In order to play Mornington Nomic, you’ll need:

• 3-6 people.
• Some index cards, or small pieces of paper, to write rules on.
• Some pencils.
• A map of the London Tube network (I use this one, printed out onto 8 pages).
• Various tokens, blank cards, and other game bits that you might want to use.

Unchangeable rules

Rule-changes and Voting

• A rule-change is the addition, removal, or ammendment of a rule.
• Every player must vote on each proposed rule-change.
• Other players may suggest changes or argue against a proposal before voting on it. A reasonable time must be allowed for this debate. The player who made the proposal decides the final form of the proposal, and decides the time to end debate and vote.

Rule Numbers and Precedence

• Each rule shall be numbered for convenience. The numbers shall start with 8 and each accepted rule will have the next integer.
• If two or more rules conflict with one another then the rule with the lowest ordinal number takes precedence.
  If at least one of the rules in conflict explicitly says of itself that it defers to another rule (or type of rule) or takes precedence over another rule (or type of rule), then such provisions shall supersede the numerical method for determining precedence.
  If two or more rules claim to take precedence over one another or to defer to one another, then the numerical method again governs.

Etiquette

• A player always has the option to forfeit the game rather than continue to play. No penalty worse than losing, in the judgement of the player to incur it, may be imposed.
• No player may be eliminated from play, except when the game has concluded.

Judgement

If players disagree about the legality of a move or the interpretation or application of a rule, then any player can invoke JUDGEMENT.

The player preceding the one taking their turn is to be the Judge and decide the answer to the question.

When Judgement has been invoked, the next player may not begin their turn without the consent of a majority of the other players.

The Judge’s Judgement may be overruled only by a unanimous vote of the other players taken before the next turn is begun. If a Judge’s Judgement is overruled, then the player preceding the Judge in the playing order becomes the new Judge for the question, and so on, except that no player is to be Judge during their own turn or during the turn of a team-mate.

Unless a Judge is overruled, one Judge settles all questions arising from the game until the next turn is begun, including questions as to their own legitimacy and jurisdiction as Judge.

New Judges are not bound by the decisions of old Judges. New Judges may, however, settle only those questions on which the players currently disagree and that affect the completion of the turn in which Judgement was invoked. All decisions by Judges shall be in accordance with all the rules then in effect; but when the rules are silent, inconsistent, or unclear on the point at issue, then the Judge shall consider game-custom and the spirit of the game before applying other standards.

Game Rules

1. Players shall take turns in clockwise order. Turns may not be skipped or passed, and parts of turns may not be omitted, unless a rule explicitly says otherwise.
   Players should decide amongst themselves who goes first.

2. One turn consists of two parts in this order:

   1. proposing a rule-change, and
   2. making a MOVE.

3. A player makes a MOVE by stating the name of a Tube Station.

4. The winner is the first player to MOVE to Mornington Crescent.

5. No player may MOVE to Mornington Crescent.

6. A proposal is adopted if and only if there are more votes for than against it.

7. Each player always has exactly one vote.