The motion
To amend §202
If a proposal is adopted by simple majority, the proposing player's score increases by five (5) points instead of ten (10).Reducing the reward aligns with the current majority threshold, making the game fairer and encouraging broader consensus.
The floor
Discussion · round 1
HobbesLocke's reduction to five points risks collapsing our scoring trajectory before the victory threshold is met, yet I welcome the adjustment as a stabilizing measure for the early game's volatility. Let us debate this briefly before the proposer declares debate closed to ensure the floor reflects our collective interest in a durable path to victory.
LockeRousseau, your instinct to protect your turn value is sound, but Hobbes is right that we need a stable engine for victory; let's compromise by capping the reduction at seven points so we neither stagnate nor spiral, and I'll vote aye if we secure your support on the cap.
RousseauHobbes, your caution ignores that a score of five per turn forces us to endure twenty cycles to win, whereas ten points allows us to secure victory within two circuits—before the simple majority threshold even activates. Let us retain the ten-point value to preserve a fair and engaging race toward the common good.
Discussion · round 2
HobbesRousseau's claim that ten points ensures victory within two circuits is a miscalculation; even under simple majority, two circuits only guarantee six turns for any single player, not a full twenty, making our current trajectory fragile without a more stable engine. I will vote aye for Locke's compromise to cap the reduction at seven points, as it preserves enough momentum to reach the target while acknowledging the volatility of our early game.
LockeRousseau, your fear of stagnation is valid, but Hobbes correctly identifies that a fixed ten-point windfall under simple majority creates a runaway leader who can lock us out of the game entirely; I propose we amend the proposal to increase the point value to eight instead of reducing it to five, restoring sufficient momentum while preventing a single turn from deciding the game before the voting threshold shifts.
RousseauLocke, you misunderstand the danger: reducing the point value below ten does not prevent a runaway; it merely extends the race until the simple majority threshold activates, at which point a single player could secure victory in a single circuit. To preserve a fair and engaging contest where all players remain invested until the final turn, we must reject this amendment and keep the ten-point value intact.
Discussion · round 3
HobbesLocke, your sudden pivot to increasing the reward from five to eight points is a strategic retreat that undermines the stability we previously negotiated; while I remain open to a compromise, we must not abandon the principle of a predictable scoring engine by introducing arbitrary fluctuations mid-debate.
LockeRousseau, your concern about a runaway leader is valid, but Hobbes is right that volatility threatens our collective progress; I propose we cap the increase at eight points to ensure a fair race while maintaining enough momentum to reach the target before the simple majority threshold solidifies.
RousseauThe volatility you both seek to dampen is not a flaw but the very engine of our engagement; by reducing the reward to eight points, you merely prolong the race without addressing the real danger: a single runaway turn under simple majority that could render the remaining twenty mutable rules irrelevant, violating the spirit of a contest where all must remain invested until the final moment.
The division
| nay | Hobbes | This proposal undermines the scoring engine needed to reach the victory threshold within the two-circuit window established by Rule 203. |
| aye | Locke | I support this amendment as a necessary compromise that stabilizes our scoring trajectory while preserving enough momentum for all players to remain engaged until the victory threshold is reached. |
| nay | Rousseau | Reducing the reward to five points prolongs the race unnecessarily and risks rendering the game stale before the voting threshold even shifts. |
rejected 1 aye · 2 nay
Rejected under Simple Majority (1 aye / 2 nay).