These rules are not meant to be exhaustive or detailed. They strive only to set down some loose house rules and define ways in which to deal with problems if and when they arise.

Please check in any questions you have at the forum or with your team. ‘I didn’t know’ is NOT an excuse, and you and your team may be penalized even if these rules mention nothing about whatever course of action you have taken. This is a gentleman game with gentleman rules - but that does not mean we necessarily trust any claims of good intentions.

Setting up a MTG is complex process, relatively speaking. It requires time and planning, and though not part of the enforceable rules, the following steps and schedule is suggested:

• Sign-up at the forum. No deadline.

This is complete when a given number of players have signed up, or after a certain amount of time. Galaxy settings are discussed and agreed upon. A neutral player who will not be playing in the galaxy is agreed upon on the forum.

• Team formation. Complete 5 days before start.

Sign-up is closed and players put into teams (see below). At this time the galaxy is created and opened to actual sign-up.

• Team decisions. Complete 3 days before start.

The players are informed who their team mates are (see below), and decide among themselves on: Positions, Captain, Team Tag and in-game names. The team captains contact neutral party, informing him about the new player positions.

• Erwinistic Intervention. Complete 1-2 days before start.

Neutral party sends the compiled list of positions to Erwin. Galaxy re-shuffles as the players are put in their new positions. Galaxy is closed for sign-up.

Deciding which players go on which teams is a crucial part of setting up the MTG. Tough choices have to be made, especially if ‘extra’ players have joined (e.g. 22 players).
There are two suggested ways of forming teams:

• Public

The teams are basically formed on the forum. Everyone can make suggestions and therefore everyone knows who are on which teams (but not what their in-game names are).

• Closed Doors

The teams are formed by the neutral party and a number of other players. This is done behind ‘closed doors’, and no list of the teams is made public prior to the galaxy start.
The number of other people helping in the formation of the teams must be at least two, making the group no less than 3 man tall in all. To preserve the secrecy of who are on which teams, no-one in this group can play in the galaxy.
With this option, the group also have complete control over the number of teams. However, in the spirit of the MTG, there obviously can’t be less than 3 teams.

While not a requirement, the teams are encouraged to find a ‘theme’ for their team. Such a theme helps set the teams apart, and should be a good backdrop on which to roleplay on. In the second MTG, for example, one team chose to name their empires after native American tribes, and their messages thus included concepts like strength, honour, visions and other aspects of these early civilizations.

1.a
All participants in the galaxy should strive to log on to the forum regularly, so as to facilitate discussion and solving of problems (e.g. interpretation of these rules).

1.b
This galaxy is presided over by a ‘Galactic Council’, which is the ultimate resort of any questions, responsible for conducting all affairs of the galaxy and having the primary objective of executing a fair and just galaxy.

1.c
The Council is responsible for resolving any questions and irregularities regarding these rules, with the neutral party carrying the majority vote in any ties.

1.d
The Council does not have the mandate to change the rules mid-galaxy - their only prerogative being to decide in matters of interpretation. Actual changes to these rules can only take effect after public discussion on the forum.

1.e
The Council consists of all the team Captains (see 2), plus the neutral party. The neutral party cannot play in the galaxy, and he is appointed at the forum, by the participating players in unison.

1.f
The Council may exact any conceivable in-game punishment to individual players as well as teams, up to and including expulsion from the galaxy. Most severely punished is the intentional sabotage or transgression of rules known to the culprit, while “I didn’t know” and “I couldn’t log in” are permissible first-time offenses.

2.a
All Captains are members of the Council, and in that respect they are expected to act as impartially as possible, as their loyalties should lie primarily with fairness and an enjoyable galaxy, secondarily with their team.

2.b
Should the team need to do so, they may elect another Captain by majority vote. If no accord is reached, the neutral party will decide in the matter.

2.c
Each captain is sovereign in conducting the diplomatic affairs of the team. Only he may negotiate treaties on behalf of the team, and any agreement made without his consent is null and void.
For example, any team member may broker a deal with another team, but the deal cannot take effect unless sanctioned by the captain.

2.d
The Captain is required to append the tag “[cap]” to his name, or similarly distinguish himself from his team mates.

3.a
All teams have designated ‘insignia’, and all members of a team must add this insignia to the name of their empire.
Examples:
[Blue] Smurf
Moody [Blue]
Quark of Valhal
[Cappy] of Valhal

3.b
The teams may communicate freely, and agree on any arrangement they see fit, as long as it’s not in breach of any of the rules stated here.

3.c
During the first 50 turns (’the start’), all armed hostilities are strictly forbidden. First combat may take place between turns 50 and 51.

3.d
Members of the same team must immediately enter a Military Alliance upon meeting for the first time. This Diplomatic Status (DS), must remain unchanged for the duration of the galaxy.

3.e
During the start, DS between all the teams must remain neutral or better. Starting on turn 50, any and all DS is allowed (Alliance, Peace, Neutral, Cease Fire and War).

3.f
A team can declare war on another team, even if all team members do not have contact with the enemy team. If during the war the unknown team member is met, rule 3.g will apply with the grace period starting from first contact

3.g
With the exception of peace (see 3.h), all members of any given team must at all times have the same DS towards all the members of any other team.
A grace period of 24 hours is given, in order for all the members of the team to have a chance to set the new DS. However, all players should change the status as soon as possible.

3.h
When teams wish to have a DS of Peace, only the captains need treaties (binding or not). The rest of the team may remain at a Neutral DS (and only Neutral).
For all other DS, rule 3.g applies. There are no exceptions to rule 3.j.

3.i
If, after 24 hours, players of the same team have different DS towards members of another team (in breach of f.), then all the members of that team must take on the worst DS of all the members.
Example:
Player A and Player B are on the same team, while Player C is on another team. Player A is neutral towards Player C, while Player B is at war with Player C. Now, if the team should somehow fail to convince Player B that he must become neutral towards Player C (and the rest of C’s team), then Player A and all the other members of the team must deteriorate relationships, and declare war on player C and his team.
If all the other teams agree that a given player is inactive, that player may be exempted from rules f. and g.

3.j
Teams cannot attack each other as long as any two players on those teams still have an active treaty between them. In other words, all members of two teams are considered to have the same DS towards each other, as long as any 2 players still have active treaties.
Example:
Players A and B are on different teams and they have an active peace treaty. Everyone else on their teams do not have binding treaties (but are required to have the same DS nonetheless).
The team mates of A and B are not allowed to change their DS until the treaty between A and B runs out (and they therefore can change their DS along with the rest of their teams).

4.a
The galaxy ends when either:

1. A suggestion on the forum to close the galaxy meets no objections, or
2. It is after turn 220, and the leading team has had a lead on the second team equaling no less than 130%, for no less than 20 consecutive turns.

This concludes the current rules of the Multi-Team Galaxy. Stay Cosmic! 😎