Nomic

Nomic is a Board game whose characteristic is not to have preestablished rules, since those are built with the liking of the players during the part. Nomic can be played either on table, or by correspondence or in line.

Part of Nomic consists in modifying the rules which apply to it. The players begin the part by applying a unit of rules starting ( initial rules ) which has in particular the conditions in which the rules can be modified. These conditions posed, of new rules can be created, modified or cancelled. One can also modify or cancel the basic rules. The rules making it possible to designate the winner or to decide under which conditions a part ends can also be modified in the course of part.

Thus each part of Nomic is different from different, and obeys the logic interns of which it is equipped - what leads to always different plays.

For the players, the interest of a part can lie at the same time in the fact of trying out various processes implemented for creation or the modification of the laws, and in that to test their aptitude to identify or cause logical faults in the rules, which cause unexpected situations of blocking - in general to the profit of the player. The term devoted in the english-speaking is “scamming”, that one can translate by swindles or paradox .

Usual rules

If nothing obliges to use these rules, they are however common to many parts of Nomic.

the rules are separate in two categories: immutable and changeable
the rules starting are immutable
the new rules are changeable
an immutable rule cannot be modified
has each turn, a player can choose to propose to modify or remove a changeable rule. He can also make a rule changeable immutable or conversely.
Each modification suggested is subjected to the vote of the participants.

The author

Nomic was conceived and created by Peter Suber. It was published the first time in the article of Douglas Hofstadter Metamagical Themas (in Scientific American , 1982), then in the book of Hofstadter, was translated into French under the title: My thémagie . Peter Suber modified the rules and published them in its own book, The Paradox off Self-service Amendment in 1990.

Nomic is a play in which the change of the rules counts for a blow. From this point of view, it differs from almost all the other plays. In Nomic, the action of basic play consists in proposing a change of rule, to discuss appropriateness of the change suggested, to vote the change, to decide on what one can or cannot make then, and to do it. Of course, even this basic definition of the play can be changed. - Peter Suber, “How to Play Nomic”

I make a distinction between plays “with procedure” and plays “of substantive law”. In the plays “of substantive law”, one plays to gain points and the part. In the plays “with procedure”, one seeks to bind and to intriquer the rules, that it is for the pleasure of logic or to preferably obtain a victory by paradox with a victory at the points. - Peter Suber

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