Proposal: Endgame, winning and general Rules of Engagement

[Corbeau]

These rules apply only to players who care about scoring and victory. If you only want to enjoy the game and ignore the score, you are free to disregard everything here EXCEPT ONE THING: once a player declared Endgame/Resignation, if there is no objection and you are stronger than him, you must NOT attack him until he has left the game. After he leaves (if there are no objections), he is considered Resigned and you may drag his carcass over the floor all you want. If there ARE objections, this means someone is competing for his place; in that case please leave them to settle the contest on their own.

The goals of these rules are:
- to decrease the chance of ganging-up on the player as much as possible
- to prevent players to boost their weaker allies and undeservedly gift them a better place on the ranking table
- promote individual play and move game emphasis from alliance-building to empire-building and decrease the effect of popularity contests and association-by-familiarity

Basic principles

The game ends with a score victory. There is no alliance victory. When the game ends is decided by players by way of unobjected Endgame Declaration, but can also be agreed informally by concensus.

However, a player can end his game by declaring Resignation. The player should declare Resignation only if he is satisfied by his rank OR sees no way to improve it and only if he wishes to stop playing. If there is no objection, the Resigning player leaves the game with the current rank.

Another player may object to Resignation, but should do so only if he wishes to contest the Resigning Player's ranking place (for example, Resigning Player is 3rd and the Objecting Player is 4th or 5th and believes he has a chance to reach the 3rd place).

Official rules and protocols

1. The game ends with a score victory. There is no alliance victory.

2. Once score of all players is known, any player can declare Endgame/Resignation. Deadline for objection is the END of the SECOND turn (or third TurnChange) after the declaration. If there are no objections until deadline, the score is noted at the moment of declaration and the scoring part of the game ends. (Declaration should be accompanied by the score list which is the "official endgame declaration document".)

(The reason the deadline so much shorter than the usual LT is to avoid calculation and manipulation: "if I object, this will happen, if I don't, that will happen, let me try this strategy and if it succeeds, I will object, if it doesn't, I won't". You either want to continue playing or you don't.)

3. Endgame/Resignation declaration can be objected by other players. The purpose of the Objection should be solely to keep playing in order to improve the Objecting Player's position on the ranking table relative to the Declaring Player, not influence the whole game and other players. Naturally, if the game continues, the game is on for everybody.

However, there is difference if Endgame/Resignation is objected by a player who is weaker or stronger than the objecting player.

For the purposes of those rules, "stronger/weaker" player means "has higher/lower score than...". Players whose scores are within 10% difference are considered equal. This is reevaluated every turn.

3.1. If the objecting player is stronger than the declaring player, Endgame is cancelled, but not Resignation. Game continues, but ends for the Declaring Player. His ranking position is frozen/preserved and he is not allowed to play any more in order to prevent him to influence the score of the players still playing officially.

3.2. If the Objecting Player is not stronger than the Declaring Player, endgame declaration is cancelled. However, players stronger than the Declaring Player are not allowed to attack him anymore, nor is he allowed to attack them. In case of breach of this rule, if there is no agreement (confession), the injured party should allow the game admin a delegation so that the admin can verify the claims.

3.3. The Objecting Player may declare that he is objecting Endgame, but not Declaring Player's Resignation. In that case, 3.1. applies.

3.4. Endgame/Resignation can not be cancelled by the Declaring Player nor a formal or informal Ally of the Declaring Player. For the purposes of this rule, players are considered Allies if they are fighting against same third player(s). In case of foul play, it is upon the "third player(s)" to cry "foul" and raise an issue with the admin.

3.5. In case of forbidden attacks, the offending player will be sanctioned by the admin delegating himself into the offending player's nation and reverse the effects of the attack in the fairest way possible; this will create a lot of mess and will probably result in a lot of crying, but is very easy to avoid: do not attack whom you shouldn't attack. If you are continuing to play, allow respectful resignation or, if you are resigning, leave the game in an orderly manner.

3.6. Endgame/Resignation declarations and cancellations should not be used as means to block out the strongest player from an alliance war. If there is suspicion, issue should be raised. Common sense will be applied.

If the admin is involved in the said alliance war, you should trust him to be objective and fair. If you are afraid in advance that admin will abuse his power, you probably shouldn't be playing, for your sake. Keep in mind that this is just a game.


Possible problems, abuses and related questions

Q: I am fighting my foe and winning. Why is he allowed to get out of the game in a way that I can't stop him and destroy him?

A: If he has "declared Endgame/Resignation", he is effectively surrendering to you. You have won. Once he is out of the game, you are free to continue to conquer his carcass. If other players wish to take his rank, it is upon them to act, object and fight for themselves, not you.

Q: My alliance is fighting another alliance. The endgame declaration is only used to block out our strongest player out of the conflict for 2-3 turns after which someone will "object" the declaration only for the war to continue, where those 2-3 turns were used to fortify or prepare an attack.

A: Hence rule 3.4. However, if suddenly some other player emerges from outside your local conflict, you have the right to cry "foul". Common sense will be applied. Also, now you have an idea who else is your enemy and can act accordingly.

Q: My opponent has broken the rules and is lying about it.

A: Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. This is why the admin may want to collect evidence. Or he may say "you guys fight it out and leave me out of it, all previous declarations are null and void". Just play the game, not the meta-game.