I've updated this to address G.'s concerns. I'd like to get it into the distribution after this one, because I consider it a prerequisite for contracts. Comments appreciated.
-Aris --- Title: Conditionals and Determinacy v2 Adoption index: 3.0 Author: Aris Co-author(s): Create a power 3.0 rule entitled "Conditionals and Determinacy", with the following text: A conditional is any textual structure that attempts to make a statement affecting any part or aspect of the gamestate (the substrate), or the permissibility or possibility of any action affecting such a part or aspect, dependent on the truth value or other state of a textual structure (the condition). The condition is said to be "affixed" to the substrate (inverse "to be conditional upon"). A condition is inextricable if it is unclear, ambiguous, circular, inconsistent, paradoxical, depends on information that is impossible or unreasonably difficult to determine, or otherwise requires an unreasonable effort resolve; otherwise it is extricable. A conditional is inextricable if its condition is inextricable; otherwise it is extricable. A player SHOULD NOT use an inextricable conditional for any purpose. If a restricted value, or the value of a conditional, or a value otherwise required to determine the outcome of a restricted action, CANNOT be reasonably determined (without circularity or paradox) from information reasonably available, or if it alternates instantaneously and indefinitely between values, then the value is considered to be indeterminate, otherwise it is determinate. If an action would, as part of its effect, make a restricted value indeterminate, it is void and without effect unless it is explicitly permitted to do so by a rule; this restriction should be interpreted in accordance with existing precedent, and this rule defers to judicial discretion and game custom. Create a power 3.0 rule entitled "Conditional Announcements", with the following text: A player SHALL NOT deliberately make an action taken by announcement conditional on an inextricable condition, and any such conditional is INVALID, and its substrate void and without effect; these restrictions should be interpreted in accordance with existing precedent, and this rule defers to judicial discretion and game custom. Extricable conditionals do not necessarily fail; however, they must be reasonably resolvable given complete knowledge of the gamestate at the time the message takes effect. This knowledge CAN require interpretation of data in non-trivial ways (e.g. interpretation requiring CFJs), but such interpretation must be achievable without absurd effort. No by-announcement conditional may ever be conditional upon information which cannot be deduced from the knowable gamestate at the time the message takes effect, nor can such conditionals ever change the time the message takes effect. Loops are generally viable, subject to the above restrictions. However, long loops used abusively may fail, at the discretion of a judge; the presumption is in favor of the loop being sucessful. This rule is intended as a codification and clarification of existing precedent. It does not attempt to overrule existing precedents, but only to make explicit the principles by which its subject matter is to be understood. Create a power 3.0 rule entitled "Rational Action", with the following text: An irrational action is one that is either deliberately hidden from view inside a larger message (e.g. a report) or contains excessive repetitions or complex loops that make the message unreasonably hard to comprehend or respond to. All other actions are rational. A player SHALL not take an irrational by announcement action, and any such actions fail. Amend Rule 1023, "Common Definitions", by removing the third item of the top level list, and renumbering appropriately.
