On 1/30/2020 3:44 AM, Alexis Hunt wrote: > On Thu., Jan. 30, 2020, 06:08 AIS523 wrote: >> I should note, though, that "in a timely fashion" is a relatively new >> phrasing. For a long time, the standard phrasing was "as soon as >> possible" (which was nonetheless defined to mean "within seven days"), >> which was perhaps even more quirkily Agoran, but very confusing to new >> players (as holding out the actions in question until the end of the >> seven-day window was accepted and often done intentionally). >> >> -- >> ais523 >> > > My recollection is that it was four when I joined, changed to seven when > the game started slowing down, and then the terminology was changed when it > was decided that seven days was really not as soon as possible. >
The phrase "as soon as possible" was used for Speaker's duties in several places in the initial ruleset, without being defined. In 1994 the definition adopted was: > Whenever a Player is required to perform a certain action "as > soon as possible", e is required to perform this action before > performing any other actions which have a less strictly defined > time requirement. then combined with a week limit (1994): > Whenever a Player is required to perform a certain action > "as soon as possible", e is required to perform that action > within a week, and no later than any other action e is > subsequently required to perform. The "no later than" part was dropped in 2000: > Whenever a Player is required to perform an action "as soon > as possible", then e is required to perform the action within > a week. (all references above from Zefram's rules text) "In a timely fashion" was added as a synonym in 2008: > (a) The phrases "in a timely fashion" and "as soon as possible" > mean "within seven days". >From 2011-2013, and was actually a variable speed control with a minimum setting of five days: > The Speed switch is a single switch, tracked by the Assessor, > with values of Slow, Normal (default) and Fast. The Speed switch > is secured. [...] > (a) The phrases "in a timely fashion" and "as soon as possible" > mean "within X days", where X is 14 when the Speed is Slow, > 7 when it is Normal and 5 when it is Fast. Then in 2013, the "as soon as possible" was deleted (because it no longer meant that), and then the variable speed was repealed putting it back to a week. -G.
