Venus Bluegenes

The Rani's latest ambition?

Make 'Secretary' 'Patrician'.

While it seems harmless enough

This Proposal is hot stuff

As it assumes precedence

(And, thus, garners Influence)

Over ev'ry other Rule

And, to make it more uncool,

It cannot even be changed.

(Is the Proposer deranged?)

Then, even more shockingly,

Came the virtual bribery

And threats of death by robot

For Players who voted 'not'.

"What's 'the spirit of the game'?

Is 'game custom' just the same?"

Wondered deced. "One of those'll

Have to go in my Proposal."

Lots of good Guesses have been

Marked 'wrong' by Rule two-sixteen,

But if a Player should intend

The bothersome Rule to amend,

Such plans would be sure to go wrong

Because the Rule is just too long

Now we must take into account

That there's a maximum word count.

In consequence, Llama Roddy

Wants to split the Rule into three

And then amend whichever one

Keeps on spoiling the Guessers' fun.

In the nick of time, Howie

Rejoined the Game (for, you see,

Had he waited one Move more

He'd have lost his entire score).

Having realised (at last)

If the Proposal were passed

It would be bad for the Game,

Roddy (with a twinge of shame)

Paid the price to change his vote.

That sufficed. Sceptics, take note:

Democracy can depend

On just one vote in the end.