MICROCIV RULEBOOK
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MicroCiv is a live-action role-playing game (LARP) that simulates global economics and politics in relatively small areas. During gameplay, participants are free to start, join, or manage municipalities, businesses, and other organizations. Participants can choose to take any role within player-driven societies and can change their path at any time. Municipalities can exist as independent city-states or be combined under a larger sovereign power. Areas in the real world are utilized as playing areas during gameplay. It is important to note that these game rules are not set in stone but should only be altered by advanced gamemasters who have a deep understanding of the game and its subject matter.

PARTICIPANTS
During each game session, participants are free to take any actions they want. For example, they may socialize, make business agreements, execute industrial functions, run their business, make trades, take part in political activities, buy and sell properties, create currency, design a flag or logo, et cetera. The only time this free activity stops for some participants is when they are involved in a battle or a crime. Battles and criminal activity can begin as soon as any applicable participants currently engaged in an industrial action finish them. All activities can resume after the battle is finished. Participants not involved in a battle or criminal activity can resume normal activities during it, though the result of a battle or criminal activity may affect what they are able to do after it's over. Not all participants must be present at a game session, and deals can be discussed when a game is not in session. But no industrial actions, combat, exchange of currency, exchange of resources, or trade of securities are allowed if a game is not in session. However, participants can make offers to each other outside of a game session. These offers can be carried out the next time that those participants are active in a session, if the offers are still available. By default, participants are named after their given name or a short version of it with their initials included. This is the name that must be used for scoring; however, other methods of naming can be used as well, and gamemasters can allow participants to use an alias to represent their characters.

GAMEMASTER(S)
Gaming sessions are declared by the gamemaster, and it is the gamemaster's responsibility to inform all players where and when the game session will be. The gamemaster accepts or rejects proposals for new playing areas, chooses the method(s) of industry, combat, and criminal, police, and spy activity, decides when the game is active or paused, and keeps track of the game score. There can be multiple gamemasters that will vote on rules and rule changes (a majority vote wins). But gamemasters can only be voted in or out of the position unanimously. Gamemasters can also take part in the game itself. Gamemasters must also resolve disputes within the game, if necessary, but most disputes should be resolved by entities within the game. Each participant in the game must be registered with the gamemaster. Each participant is registered with their given name, or a shortened version of it, as well as their full initials.

ENTITIES
Each participant is considered an entity. However, organizations can be formed that are separate from participants and are considered their own entities. These entities can own items separately from participants, just as participants themselves can. When a participant creates an organization, the participant must define its structure and how executive decisions are made for it. For example, they must decide the initial executive participant or participants, how executive participants of the organization are decided, and what type of powers executive participants have. These arrangements can be very simple or become complex power structures. The 2 most common types of entities in MicroCiv, besides participants themselves, are businesses and governments. But organizations are not limited to these types. Businesses can be as simple as a sole proprietorship or partnership between 2 people or set up as a complex corporation with a chief executive officer, board of directors, and shareholders. Likewise, governments can be as simple as a single despot or be composed of different branches with various types of governmental powers and limitations. Organizations can be set up in any manner. And of course, multiple participants can form an organization together under their agreed-upon terms.

PLAYING AREAS
Playing areas are defined as regions, municipalities, or properties. Playing areas are usually private locations that are owned or rented by a participant or their guardian in real life; however, public locations can be utilized as well. MicroCiv regions are larger areas, usually a house and its yard, sometimes a public park. MicroCiv municipalities are distinct areas within a region, usually a room or sometimes a portion of a yard. Municipalities can also be referred to as hamlets, villages, towns, cities, or metropolises. MicroCiv properties are different objects in a municipality that are at least semi-permanent in location, such as various types of furniture and closets. The default owner of all properties is the participant who owns or rents the property in real life, or the child of the renter or owner. If there are multiple of such participants, they must come to an agreement on who owns what before it is entered into the game. The gamemaster has to approve of any arrangement as well, and his counsel should be sought to resolve any disputes or concerns. Properties in public playing areas must be claimed by a participant or entity. Playing areas can be removed from the game by the gamemaster, but they also might have to be removed if their real-life owners or renters move out or if a public area becomes inaccessible for any reason.

SOVEREIGNTY AND GOVERNMENT
The default sovereignty of each municipality works in a similar way as property ownership, but sovereignty over a municipality in a public location must be claimed. Sovereignty can be changed through sale, election, gift, or combat. The sovereign entity of a municipality is not required to hold elections. When multiple municipalities are owned by the same entity, additional layers of sovereignty are optional (counties, parishes, states, provinces, countries, kingdoms, empires, et cetera). The sovereign entity is able to make laws regarding business, taxes, and tariffs. Sovereign entities can also establish legal tender, allowable currencies, and outlawed currencies, within their municipalities. Sovereign entities ultimately decide the type of economic system in their municipalities. The sovereign entity has the ability to seize properties and change their ownership, but it doesn't have the ability to take the items of an entity. However, a sovereign entity can impose fines and consequences within its municipalities for the entity. But the entity is not required to pay these fines if it is willing to accept the consequences. For example, a sovereign entity could impose a fine on a participant under threat of banishment. The participant would then have to choose to either pay the fine or be disallowed from entering any area they are banished from during gameplay. Sovereign entities also have the ability to banish other entities temporarily or permanently. The sovereign entity is also responsible for legal judgments within their municipalities. If the sovereign entity of a municipality is a participant, they have complete control over sovereign decisions. If the sovereign entity is an organization, the power structure of the organization must be adhered to when executive actions are taken. The names of municipalities are decided by their sovereign entities and can be changed at any time. The name of a region is at first decided by the gamemaster or gamemasters, but their decision can be changed by a vote of the sovereign entities of the municipalities within the region, with each municipality receiving 1 vote.

PROPERTIES AND INDUSTRY
Property ownership can be changed through sale, gift, or by decree of a sovereign entity. Properties can also be rented. Each property has a resource value (A through Z). Regions and municipalities each have a resource value as well. These values are randomly assigned. A property may produce the resource it provides or the resource of its municipality or region. This is decided by the worker. To gather a resource, a worker must successfully complete a designated industrial task while at the property. Industrial tasks can produce 1 through 9 resources, depending on the difficulty assigned by the gamemaster. The property owner or renter, or any entity assigned by the property owner or renter, can work at a property. This is often done for payment in game currency. Once these resources are created, they will be owned by the entity that owns or rents the property, unless there is an agreement made for the worker to keep them. Resources must be symbolized with smaller-sized letters (sometimes lowercase). Resources can be turned into products using the same method, but a participant can only manufacture letters in their initials, or their opposite letters. In addition to this, it must be done at a property that is able to produce the same type of resource or its opposite letter. Products are symbolized by larger-sized letters (sometimes uppercase).

CONTRACTS AND TREATIES
Verbal or written contracts and treaties can be agreed upon by multiple entities. Witnesses to the agreements can also take part. Agreements do not necessarily need to be honoured, but they can be enforced by law. If enforcement by the sovereignty of the applicable municipality is not obeyed, the infringing entity risks seizure of property or banishment.

CURRENCIES AND TRADE
Any entity is allowed to create its own currency. Currencies can be named whatever the entity decides and can be produced in any denomination. Currencies can be hand-drawn, printed on a home computer, or professionally made. Currencies can also be electronic. Currencies can be fiat, pegged to other currencies, pegged to properties, pegged to resources or products, or pegged to labour. But the actual value of a currency is decided by market forces. Currencies are not necessary for trade, as participants may opt to barter, trade commodities, trade services, or make other arrangements.

SCORE
Participants can earn points by turning in products that they own to gamemasters. Products must spell the name, initials, or opposite initials of any participant currently active in the gaming session. If a name is submitted, the participant receives 1 point for each letter in the name. If initials or opposite initials are submitted, the participant only receives 1 point, regardless of the number of letters in the initials. A participant can also turn in the entire alphabet for 100 points. A participant's score is the total points they have accumulated divided by the number of days they have played the game. A participant is marked for a day played if they partake in at least 1 gaming session during the calender date. Participants under 18 receive a bonus when trading in products for points. The formula for this is: (18 - age) / 10. This bonus is added for each point but is not used for gaining force. Entities are unable to attain a score.

FORCE
Instead of points, a participant may choose to gain 1 force instead of 10 points. Force can be accumulated fractionally. Organizations can also gain force. There is no limit to the amount of force a participant or organization can have. A participant's score can't be traded for force.

COMBAT AND UPRISINGS
To engage in combat, an entity needs at least 1 force and must challenge a present sovereign entity at the site of a gaming session. Battles are only fought for the sovereignty of a specified municipality that is currently being utilized during a gaming session. The defending combatant gets to choose which applicable game or variation of game to simulate the battle with. Belligerents may hire other combatants to fight for them, but which entity's force is being entered into the battle must be specified. The loser of the battle will also lose 1 force. If the defender loses, the winner will gain sovereignty over the contested municipality. Defenders can choose to forfeit the targeted municipality before the battle begins to prevent a loss of force. If a combatant gives up during a battle, force will be lost. If a defender has no force, they automatically lose. A participant in a municipality can engage in an uprising once per gaming session if they have no force. This will allow combat against the sovereign power, but will reduce their score by 10 points regardless of victory or defeat (going into a negative value is allowed). Gamemasters may choose to exclude the combat mechanic of MicroCiv by not specifying any or removing all methods of combat.

CRIME, POLICING, AND ESPIONAGE
Participants may initiate criminal, police, and spy activity at the cost of .1 force; this is lost regardless of success or failure. Criminal, police, and spy activity can be done on behalf of themselves or another entity if allowed by that entity. Entities defend from criminal, police, and spy activity at no cost of force. Criminal, police, and spy activity can be utilized to steal or temporarily seize items from another entity that is active in the gaming session in the same municipality, to take actions in a municipality they are currently banned from, or to expel a banned participant that has gained access to the municipality illegally. To successfully carry out crime, police, or spy activity, a participant must defeat or cause the other participant to forfeit in methods specified by the gamemaster for this function. The defender chooses the method if multiple options are available. When a participant attempts to steal or seize items, they must specify the defending entity. If a participant is successful at stealing or seizing, they are able to take up to 3 items from the defending entity. Items can be anything in the entity's direct possession, such as a piece of currency, a resource or product, a document, et cetera. Like with combat, entities can be represented by other participants. This function can also be left out or removed from the game in the same way as combat.