Q: Does the shadow ruleset apply?
A: No, it does not.
Extralegal activities carried out by multiple judges should be called "a series of extralegal activities", not game custom.
I find no part of the shadow ruleset to be of such importance to the continued functioning of this game as to warrant granting it a higher priority than the official rules.
The priority of law is indisputable: the rules come first, followed by game custom, followed by the judge's opinion.
The only valid meta-rules are those of any friendly game, don't cheat and don't break anything.
WHEREAS the shadow ruleset holds little value after 311, it should be renamed and reclassified as an informal legal commentary.
I disagree with the meta-rules you mention, jay, because "don't cheat" is open to interpretation - especially in this strange sort of a game. Finding loopholes and beneficial interpretations of the rules will often strike other players as "cheating". So was flatluigi cheating? gerryblog? Me, with my Abron friend? I see these things as instances of players testing and pushing the rules to try to forward their goals.
I know, this seems to be a minority view here.
On a side note, this question is so vague that I don't see it helping to clarify the issue... and what is the issue, exactly? If the rules are primal, it would be great to see this judgment linked to them in some way. If the judge's opinion is lowest in priority here, of what value is this judgment?
By all means, rename that page to whatever you think best describes it - I thought it was you and gerryblog (or was it ctmf?) who cooked up the name and the concept?
"don't cheat" is open to interpretation
Yes, and as in the poker analogy, a certain amount of misdirection is expected.
Cheating would be, for instance, changing the player point sheet without authorization or exploiting a technical web flaw.
I did support the shadow ruleset, but times have changed and I think most of my predecessors are on board with this plan.
I think most of my predecessors are on board with this plan
My people are pretty ambivalent about it. I say no harm leaving it around for archival purposes.
s/most/two/
WHEREAS the shadow ruleset holds little value after 311
Not true at all. It holds the same value it always did. It's a history of thoughts regarding game custom and spirit of the game. It was never intended to supersede the actual rules. What it was intended to do is fill in the gaps, to act as an amplifying document. Rule 212 unambiguously requires the judges to follow the rules first, then consider (but not necessarily follow) those other things.
The value it does have, though is this: how, as a judge, can I consider those other things, if there is no written history of that kind of discussion? Rely on my memory? Rehash the same old arguments in the forums? That document allows us to not start from scratch. We can 'stand on the shoulders' of previous generations.
it should be renamed and reclassified as an informal legal commentary.
I have no beef with that. It was a tongue-in-cheek name, serving as a warning of what could happen if it were abused (and if judicial abuse were not somewhat curbed, now done.)
...followed by game custom, followed by the judge's opinion.
I don't agree that it says that exactly. More like rules, then the judge's opinion (influenced by being familiar with game custom.)
I don't disagree with any of that, ctmf.
This is just a formal disambiguation so a future player doesn't claim "but the shadow rules sez X", an informal de-escalation to defcon 3, and a hint to the players that most problems should now be solved via the legislative branch rather than the judicial, by default.
When the shadow set was first started I fully expected it to be an inherited set of martial law standards for turns and turns to come. I'm glad gerryblog's stunts squeaked through and made that unnecessary.
how, as a judge, can I consider those other things, if there is no written history of that kind of discussion?
There was a LOT of hogwash in there that doesn't deserve to influence a properly balanced game.
Well, at first that hogwash wasn't in there. It kind of got hijacked away from my original intention. Can't complain though, 'cause who am I? Just another player.
I fully expected it to be an inherited set of martial law standards for turns and turns to come.
At the time, it was looking like the only solution to the sock thing was for each oncoming Judge to start the turn by re-validating or tweaking the no socks judgment. That would have been a shadow rule. I exaggerated and called the whole set that for dramatic effect. Heh.
Seems to have worked.
In the above posts by ctmf and jay, "hogwash" should be interpreted as "those things that I did not specifically design and desire to be in the shadow ruleset".
Right.
The priority of law is indisputable: the rules come first, followed by game custom, followed by the judge's opinion.
I think it's pretty disputable. The judge only has to consider the game custom while forming an opinion, so the last two things should be swapped around. Even then game custom doesn't count for much because there's no reason why the judge can't consider it to be a bunch of shit and form a totally contradictory opinion which is then enforcable.
This is minor quibbling though. Mostly I just wanted to dispute the 'indisputable', as this in itself seems to be a game custom. Having the judgements listed and summarised in an unbaised manner does make the game easier to follow. At the same time it makes sense to remind people that they don't *have* to follow it and of how little game custom really matters. But I think that happens quite a lot anyway, we're a pretty opinionated and vocal bunch as a rule.
I'll agree anything I proclaimed this round has no bearing beyond being readable by a future judge.
I do think it should be a judge's duty to put aside personal preferences and defer to custom when possible, except when current rules outlaw those customs, which is why that's the priority order in my own head.
I do think it should be a judge's duty to put aside personal preferences and defer to custom
Except those parts of it that are hogwash, right? Those parts should obviously be ignored. :)
Yes, legitimate game custom should be based on the rules, and other history gets hand-waved because retroactivity is such a pain to admin, IMO.