1. Editorial
2. Poll Question #2
3. More Ackanomic News
4. Special Report: Cycle Win Information
5. Sub-Game Sloppy Joes
6. Advertisement
A much quieter past seven days have passed in Ackanomic since this paper came to you last. There has been only one more win attempt, one that, if it succeeds, would prevent this paper from ever having come to you, so there's no point worrying about it in the Editorial :-). A frobbed proposal queue has seen submissions dwindle slightly, with a low 16 proposals to be voted on over the past week. Perhaps, once the fabled submissions 'bot is up and running, a tweaking of the queue is in order?
The old wins are still under dispute. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the second appeal of Slakko's Agenda Conditions win, but it has been revealed that the win will still be claimed, simply at a date after the submission of the win CFJ. Malenkai's Swingpoints Production CFJ is in its first appeal to the Supreme Court, but as yet only Malenkai has provided any arguments as to its success.
And now a message from the Editor, Advertising: If there is any way that the staff here at the Infrequent Ackan can make this newspaper better for you, the reader, please tell us. This paper always aims to provide Ackans with a comprehensive news and opinions service, so if you want your opinions heard, or your letters published, please send them to dcr24@cam.ac.uk.
Have another good Ackan week - hopefully I'll see you again next Saturday.
Last week's Poll Question attracted an all-time high of 1 response. The result of this is that 100% of players suggested that no change should be made to the current system of judgements, appeals and Supreme Court decisions. If this isn't what you wanted, then you should have voted. The winner of our Lucky Dip trinket will be notified by our contests Manager in a public financial message.
A great earthquake passed through Acka this very morning. Some players' homes were tossed hundreds of cat-heights into the air, and thrown several kaa away. Miraculously, no-one was hurt or even badly dishevelled in the disaster, and structural damage was reported as non-existent. "It was as if my home had always been on this kaa" one Ackan denizen was reported as saying. The cause of this earthquake: the inauguration of the Ackanomic Printing Guild, and its extravagant building next to the Library.
The Ackanomic seer, Nostrachaos, told this reporter that the disaster of this morning had been predicted years ago, and had been written down in the Codex of Haon, but in a disguised form so as to not affect history. He was happy to have the relevant passage quoted:
When the dead are seen in the lantern's gaze
And a triumvirate of cloaks are transparently seen
The book stacks' neighbours will wake in a daze
And paper arise of brilliant white sheen.
Nostrachaos has promised to keep The Infrequent Ackan informed whenever any further prophecies come true. At this stage, however, he is in no position to reveal more of the Codex. Such hidden secrets must remain hidden, to prevent the course of history being altered.
In Duel news, Slakko lost to /dev/joe after a valiant last-minute attempt to prevent the run-away win. Meanwhile, the first four-player Duel is underway, a game of Spades to settle the growing dispute at the heart of the Razor Boomerangs.
With all the Cycle reforms completed, the Infrequent Ackan has decided to provide a quick summary of the nature of cycle wins, and to examine more closely the way wins appear to be heading. All statistics in this section assume that no win-claiming CFJ currently in appeal will be overturned.
17 Cycles in all have been won. The most common method of winning is the standard points method, whereby the Magic Number is achieved. This method has been used in various guises during the game, first as Rule 422, then Rule 220, and finally Rule 603. Winners by this method: Malenkai 4 times, Bascule once, and Habeous Corpus once. The method encourages heavy involvement in the game, so as to accumulate points faster than all other players.
The next most common method is via a Paradox Win CFJ. This has occurred 5 times, with Malenkai winning twice, and /dev/joe, ThinMan and Mohammed once each. Paradox Wins have the advantage of simply requiring a well-hidden flaw in the rules to be spotted, but the disadvantage that a well-hidden flaw to one person is simply a different interpretation to another. PWCFJ verdicts of TRUE are notoriously difficult, and these days the question must be asked as to whether a successful Paradox Win CFJ can occur again, given the combined expertise of the players in addressing potential paradoxes.
Only one other winning method has produced multiple winners, namely the Museum Win. This method is the most obvious Scam Win tactic, provided that you have not used it before (as a Museum Win can only occur once for any particular player). Any scam capable of creating A$5000 can produce a Museum Win, making it extremely flexible. Malenkai and /dev/joe are the two Museum Winners.
The remaining wins have all been by individual methods. Robert Sevin won the first cycle when Rule 666 declared him the winner. This was partially compensation for having his points win attempt revoked by the Supreme Court. Malenkai won the 14th cycle by becoming an Angry Villager, with the (now fixed) Frankenstein Monster Part Scam. He also won the 16th cycle via Beldin's Pants, a rule whose innate mutability (thanks to the Magic Potato) could see similar situations happen again. Slakko won the 17th cycle by Secret Agendas, having successfully authored 5 proposals in a Chrome Streak, achieved 15 attributes on the Player / Entity page, and having authored a message containing 10 misspelled prime-length words.
What method will the next win take? No-one knows...
A delectable collection of subgame treats to delight the gourmand.
Round 12 saw The Gingham Wearer's cell count lead slashed to nothing. His Gamepoints lead is still significant, four ahead of his nearest rival. Can he regain the cell lead, or will the new challenger, breadbox, start racking up cell points? The question of co-operation has been well and truly answered, with two players combining to attack TGW's viri last turn, while breadbox worked on maximising his own count to mount an effective defence. Only six players are still in the game, so the action is gradually becoming more and more cut-throat.
Fictionary
rufus's mediocre performance continues his success in Mediocrity. Without a point so far, he is currently in the mediocre Gamepoint place. Can someone force him out? Will rufus ever win a round? Your questions will be answered by Rex Mundi - Mediocrity Referee. Just wait for the next instalment in our Mediocre saga. Unlike last week, however, there is now another player in a potentially Mediocre score. Slakko is the only player on 3 points, but this will mean nothing if no-one gets rufus to win a round before too long.
Ye Olde Rusty Lantern has taken the Western-Fantasy crossover and made it its own. Some surprisingly familiar characters have entered the story, with the Thin Man and erPhil having the recognition quality of "I'm sure I've seen him somewhere, but where"? The story, as with all good stories at this stage, has a few loose ends to be cleared up later. There should be plenty of ale to go around, provided the cards in the deck last long enough. Keep in touch with the nuttiest Subgame yet!
Two rounds in, and the Grab-a-Donkey Active List is shrinking fast. With a few early resignations, and fast and furious lassooing, 8 involved players are already in the dust where their donkey used to be. So, like I said last week, get your chaps on, sharpen up those lariat skills, and cover your donkey well, 'cause it's gonna be a rip-roaring ride for a good 15 rounds or so.
In the Grab-a-Donkey pool, there are three players each with a shot at A$15. The first Infrequent Ackan betting pool is therefore a qualified success. Admittedly more people would have made it a more interesting bet, but one can't complain if people don't want to risk their own money.
The Infrequent Ackan is still, still, still looking for interviews. If you've held an office in Ackanomic for more than 2 months, then contact us for interview information. PLEASE CONTACT US - WE'RE DESPERATE FOR AN INTERVIEW!
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Copyright © Duncan Richer writing under the pseudonym of "Slakko", 14/2/98.
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