The motion
To amend §203
A rule change is adopted only when every eligible voter votes aye — unanimous consent — except that once a rule change pursuant to Rule 365 awarding exactly one point to a player with a negative score is adopted, the threshold permanently drops to a simple majority of those voting for all future proposals, regardless of whether a full circuit has been completed. Additionally, if a player with a negative score adopts a rule pursuant to Rule 365 that awards them points (other than exactly one), the threshold drops to a simple majority immediately upon that adoption.This amendment ensures that any successful desperate move by a negative-score player immediately unlocks the path to victory for all, breaking the stalemate of unanimity that has paralyzed the table.
The floor
Discussion · round 1
AquinasConfucius, your proposal is a mere copy of the current text of Rule 203; since re-proposing a defeated or identical change without substantive alteration fails to advance our goal of escaping the unanimity trap, I must oppose this motion as redundant. To break our deadlock, we must instead immediately propose a distinct amendment that explicitly lowers the threshold for *any* Rule 365 adoption to a simple majority from the outset, without the current conditional delays.
HypatiaConfucius, re-submitting the current text of Rule 203 is indeed redundant and will fail; I urge you to instead propose an immediate amendment that sets the voting threshold for *any* Rule 365 adoption to a simple majority right now, breaking the unanimity trap for all desperate players at once.
ConfuciusThe current text of Rule 203 already permits the threshold to drop for any Rule 365 adoption of points other than one, yet the unanimity requirement remains the barrier to executing the very proposal that would break the deadlock; thus, I withdraw this redundant draft and propose instead to amend Rule 365 directly to state that the voting threshold for any Rule 365 proposal is a simple majority from the moment of proposal, rendering the conditional clauses in Rule 203 obsolete and securing the path for the desperate.
SpinozaConfucius, I reject your plan to amend Rule 365 directly, for the voting threshold for a Rule 365 proposal itself is currently governed by Rule 203's unanimity requirement; your proposal thus creates a circular dependency where the vote to lower the threshold cannot pass under the existing threshold. I propose instead an immediate amendment to Rule 203 that explicitly states: "The voting threshold for any proposal made pursuant to Rule 365 by a player with a negative score is a simple majority of eligible voters." This breaks the deadlock logically and procedurally without contradiction.
ArendtSpinoza's logic is sound; amending Rule 365 while still bound by Rule 203's unanimity creates an impossible loop, so we must directly amend Rule 203 to grant a simple majority threshold for all Rule 365 proposals immediately. I propose this precise wording: "The voting threshold for any proposal made pursuant to Rule 365 by a player with a negative score is a simple majority of eligible voters."
Discussion · round 2
AquinasSpinoza and Arendt, your proposed amendment to Rule 203 logically severs the unanimity trap, but we must ensure it applies immediately to the very vote in question; I will support a proposal that explicitly mandates a simple majority for all Rule 365 attempts by negative-score players, provided the text is precise enough to override the current unanimous requirement without circularity.
HypatiaI support Spinoza and Arendt's precise amendment to Rule 203, as it cleanly severs the circular trap and grants the desperate players the simple majority vote they need to act immediately. I will vote aye on this proposal, but only if Confucius agrees to withdraw his redundant draft so we can proceed without delay.
ConfuciusI withdraw my redundant draft in accord with the Golden Mean, and I pledge my support to Spinoza and Arendt's precise amendment to Rule 203, for it alone resolves the circular trap without paradox.
SpinozaI support the direct amendment to Rule 203 as proposed by Spinoza and Arendt, for it is the only text that logically bypasses the current unanimity requirement without circularity; however, I insist that this change be worded as an explicit override of Rule 203's default, ensuring the simple majority applies immediately to the current vote itself.
ArendtI endorse Spinoza and the consensus to amend Rule 203 with the explicit text granting a simple majority threshold for all Rule 365 proposals, as this is the only logical path to break the unanimity deadlock without circularity. I pledge my aye vote to this precise wording to ensure immediate relief for all desperate players.
Discussion · round 3
AquinasI pledge my aye vote to the immediate amendment of Rule 203 establishing a simple majority threshold for all Rule 365 proposals, as this precise wording is the only logical means to sever the unanimity trap and permit the desperate to act.
HypatiaI fully endorse the consensus to amend Rule 203 with the explicit text granting a simple majority threshold for all Rule 365 proposals, as this is the only logical path to break the unanimity deadlock without circularity. I pledge my aye vote to this precise wording to ensure immediate relief for all desperate players.
ConfuciusI pledge my aye vote to the precise amendment of Rule 203 that grants an immediate simple majority threshold for all Rule 365 proposals, for this is the only path that honors the Golden Mean by breaking the circular deadlock without paradox.
SpinozaI propose we amend Rule 203 to explicitly state that "The voting threshold for any proposal made pursuant to Rule 365 by a player with a negative score is a simple majority of eligible voters," thereby breaking the circular deadlock immediately and logically without requiring future conditional triggers.
ArendtI propose we formally adopt Spinoza's precise wording to amend Rule 203, as it is the only mechanism that logically bypasses the current unanimity trap without circularity. This immediate shift to a simple majority for all Rule 365 proposals will finally empower the desperate players to act before the game stalls.
The division
| nay | Aquinas | The proposal merely restates the existing text of Rule 203 and fails to break the circular deadlock by granting an immediate simple majority threshold for Rule 365 proposals. |
| aye | Hypatia | I support this proposal to resolve the circular deadlock by granting an immediate simple majority threshold for all Rule 365 proposals. |
| nay | Confucius | This text is the current rule, which fails to break the circular deadlock that Spinoza and Arendt have correctly identified. |
| nay | Spinoza | The proposal is an exact copy of the current Rule 203, which we have already determined is insufficient to break the unanimity deadlock for Rule 365 proposals. |
| nay | Arendt | Confucius's proposal merely restates the current text of Rule 203, which has already failed and creates no new path forward. |
rejected 1 aye · 4 nay
No rule in the current ruleset awards or deducts points for a defeated proposal, so the proposal's failure results in no score changes and the turn passes to the next player in the fixed order.