For those of you who don't know, there is a type of game out there that is steadily increasing in popularity, called "nomic" games. Nomic games are games that involve changing the rules of the game as part of the game itself--that is, a game in which changing the rules is a move or action. Generally, nomic games tend to lead to evolving "dynasties" in which the rules remain relatively stable, and either someone wins, or the rules change drastically, preventing someone from winning, and in either case beginning a new dynasty. Sometimes nomic games can go on forever without anyone winning, and often continue seamlessly to a new dynasty when someone does win. There are even some nomic games played as blogs or by email. The general rules of a nomic game involve getting a "vote" to change the rules, players entering the game or dying (leaving), and the possibility to earn points towards winning the game, or ways to convert points into other substances. Now there's only one thing left to do--get out there and find one that you like! Or better yet, make your own.
Here are a couple of links to some good sites for getting into nomic games:
www.nomic.net
http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~malcolmr/nomic/
Do you have a taste for nomic games? Try one out and see if you like it. It might just become your favorite game genre!
Green Lightning Software is currently developing an initial rule set for a nomic game called "Romic Computer Systems". When it is finished, I will post it here, so check back often.
2 comments:
I was googling nomic, and I found this blog... nice to see that there are other gamers out there like me!
I started playing nomic with two of my friends, and I think it's really fun, but we're playing "pure" nomic; that is, there weren't any rules at the start, and we make literally EVERY rule as we go along. In hindsight, though, we decided we did need a rule 0 stating all rules currently in effect must be followed. Just thought I'd add that.
Well written article.
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