Bug Rules

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Take the side of one (or more) of the bug armies invading the Garden Gala. Commit resources to capture the most territory. Winners split the Prize money according to the number of Bugs they have committed to the winning side.

Rules of Play

It takes $1 to commit each bug, worth four points, which are then allocated to the following categories in a certain way, depending on how you choose to position each bug.

Seed Points – Initial prize money put up by Missing Octave Insights, Inc. to begin the game.

Fruit Points – Portion of a bug's cost that is added to the Prize money.

Fertilizer Points – Portion of a bug's cost that goes to Missing Octave Insights, and helps to cover the cost of running the game.

Egg Points – Portion of a bug's cost that is placed "on account" for a player, and may be recommitted instantly by e-mail rather than surface mail. You may also send in funds directly into your "Egg Points" account for later rapid commitment, and any funds sent with invalid orders go into Egg Points. You may request reimbursement of your Egg Points at any time. Be careful about assuming that Egg Points will be generated by a particular move – you might be beaten to the punch. You must have at least 4 points to commit a bug, even if you expect to generate more egg points with that move.

Allocation of a Bug's point value depends on where it is placed as follows.

Scout – First bug into a unoccupied space: 1 Fertilizer, 2 Fruit, 1 Egg.

Worker – Bug added to a space where you have a majority of bugs: 1 Fertilizer, 1 Fruit, 2 Eggs.

Warrior – Bug added to any other space: 2 Fertilizer, 2 Fruit.

All bugs of all sides arriving in a space "simultaneously" are added one at a time to the battle, like a marching column. Thus two groups colliding in a previously empty space will each be credited one scout and a number of warriors, then the tail of the larger column will be considered workers. Bugs are never killed or removed from an active game, but their "class" is no longer relevant once placed.

It is legal, for instance, to say "Here is a check for $10. Commit 10 Ants to the Roses, then commit all egg points generated to the Daisies, and keep repeating that until less than 4 points remain." It is not legal to make moves contingent on future information other than availability of egg points. Referee's interpretation of ambiguous moves is final.

All e-mail moves will take place in the sequence that e-mail is received here. All moves received at a given time from the PO Box will occur in sequence of postmark, and will come before any e-mails not yet opened but previously received that same day are executed. E-mails might be executed before visiting the PO Box (especially on weekends). The only way to get simultaneous moves is if two letters have the same postmark and are received from the PO Box in the same batch. There is no guarantee when the PO Box will be checked (usually every day or two, especially during the week), and should be considered a random element in the game, as are the vagaries of any sort of mail delivery. Questions should be sent by e-mail only. No other form of communication about the game (especially phone calls) will be respected or appreciated.

Players should submit a PG-rated tag line (e.g., "Viva la Ants" or "For Queen Gertrude",) unique to the player, with each group of bugs to identify their origin. This MAY include an e-mail address etc. if you choose, but is not encouraged. Top winner from each game will be identified on an honor roll, along with money won vs. money committed, to keep the game honest. Contact info will be provided only on request, and only to other players of the game.

It is the number of territories held, not the population of bugs, that determines which army is victorious. Only the pages listed in the directory of the Garden Gala page are valid territories. New territories may be added without notice. Total population will be listed on the Garden Gala page but it is up to the players to determine their side's territory count in an active game. Territories may be considered ½ each to both sides if the bug count on a page is tied. In the event that total territory count is tied when a game ends, the prize money will be split among the matched groups. Any splitting of prize money between players is done proportional to the population count they sponsored as individuals, not territory count they individually occupied.

The active game ends on the first day not less than 1 week from the last received move and not less than 1 month from the first received move. Prize money will remain on account until mailing instructions are received. New games will start up with a different set of bugs as soon as feasible thereafter. Dead bugs from past games may not be removed, but are irrelevant to new games.

Anyone bouncing a check will forfeit any claim to a share of the prize money, and none of their bugs, paid for or not, will be counted in determining the winner.

Earnings from this competition are taxable, so disbursements of $600 or more will require a W-9 form and result in a 1099 form being sent to the IRS. No person receiving a W-2 form from Missing Octave Insights is eligible to compete in this game.

8/14/04