* Legacy (1999, 2000, 2008)

Legacy is a meta-composition.  It invites performers to become part of
the compositon process in a deeper way than improvisation.  It turns
out to be a very challenging score to execute, and should not be
undertaken lightly.  Legacy can not be performed in real time before
an audience, but instead results only in a series of recordings.

The ideas involved come from Peter Suber's game Nomic, my father's
description of the performance of a John Cage composition, my ex-boss'
exuberant rants on Frippertronics, and my wife's description of John
Zorn's COBRA and Ed Chang's Map scores.  There are no winners, losers,
points, or grades, although the competitively minded could add such
rules easily during the course of play.

I have edited the text somewhat for the sake of clarity.  However, the
text of the rules in this edition is completely identical to the text
of the rules in the 2000 edition.

** PREPARATION

Each player must have access to a recording studio with a multi-track
recorder, or equivalent technology.  Two or more players may use the
same studio.  Each studio's multi-track recording system must be fully
media compatible with every other studio.

Players use cards or dice to determine who will be the next player
after them, such that all players are arranged in a single cycle.

A blank piece of media, a blank track list, and a copy of these rules
are prepared.  The media is a single piece of media for the
multi-track recorder used by all players.  For example, if all players
were using an ADAT, the media would be one ADAT tape cartridge.  The
track list describes the contents of each track on the media.  Each
track must be labeled as new, last, or legacy on the track list.
Labeling tracks this way makes the rules clearer, also making future
rules easier to write.  All tracks on the track list begin the game
marked as legacy.

Players use cards or dice to determine who goes first.  The first
player then receives the media, track list, and rules.

** RULES

The initial rules of the game are given below, headed by the marker
"o)" and exdented.  Other paragraphs are just notes and illustrations.

o) This set of rules is seeded from Legacy Rules 2.0.

If the initial list of rules evolves and new games are begun, this
rule helps in documenting what came from where.

Legacy Rules 1.0 was written in September 1999.  No games were played
with rules 1.0, which were discarded in favor of a slightly modified
version 1.1.

Version 2.0 of the Legacy rules were begun soon afterwards, completed
in June 2000.  Ordering of actions was clarified, and the exact time
at which a rule could be added was unrestricted.  The idea of
arbitration for difficult to interpret rules was toyed with, but no
satisfactory general strategy for it in initial rules could be found.

o) No rule may be deleted or modified.

This is one of the reasons why the game is called Legacy.  You must
operate under all previous restrictions.

o) All rules are in effect at all times and under all circumstances.

This is one of the main rules that gives this composition its
character.  It is also one of the most difficult to understand.

If there is a rule that says "all music must be performed with a
piano" and another that says "all music must be performed with a
guitar", it will be impossible to finish your turn, since you can't
follow both rules simultaneously.

If there is a rule that says "all music must be performed with a
piano" and another that says "all music must be performed on the black
keys of a piano", you can finish your turn.  Both rules can be
followed at the same time.

o) The game is over when a player's turn begins and that player cannot
   finish their turn, cannot follow a rule, or breaks a rule.  A
   player's turn may end intentionally or unintentionally.

o) A players turn begins when he or she receives the media, rules, and
   track list.

The rules define beginnings and ends of turns this precisely for the
sake of future rules.

o) A player's turn ends when the next player's turn begins.

Note that rules regarding how long a turn may take, or how much time
may pass between turns, is left indefinite.  It is probably a good
idea to make a rule limiting the amount of time a turn may take early
in the game.

o) Each turn, between the beginning and end of the turn, the player
   whose turn it is must record new material over one or two legacy
   tracks, simultaneously marking these tracks as "last" on the track
   list.  This action is called "injection".

Note that the recording and marking of tracks is required to be
"simultaneous".  This is to prevent future rules from modifying this
action by requiring player action between recording and noting the
track.

Player actions are named to make it easier to write future
rules.

o) Each turn, after injection and before the end of the turn, the
   player whose turn it is must mix all tracks marked "last" together
   into one or two resulting tracks which overwrite tracks that have
   been marked "legacy".  Simultaneously, these resulting tracks must
   become marked as "new".  Optionally, any tracks marked "legacy"
   tracks may be simultaneously incorporated into the resulting track.
   Some portion of all tracks marked "last" must be audible in the
   resulting track.  This action is called "combination".

Note that mixing last tracks and legacy tracks all must happen at
once.  The rule is worded to make it difficult or impossible to add
future rules that change the way "last" and "legacy" tracks are
combined.

o) Each turn, after "combination" and before the end of the turn, the
   player whose turn it is reclassifies all tracks marked "last",
   marking them as "legacy".  Immediately after that, the player
   reclassifies all tracks marked "new", marking them as "last".  This
   action is called "reclassification".

o) Each turn the player whose turn it is adds one or more new rules
   to the list of rules.  This action is called "extension".

o) A rule added to the list of rules may not suspend or invalidate all
   or part of any another rule.

Generally compositional rules are added, but there is no restriction
to the nature of the rules you may add.  For example, a player might
add a rule about making future rules, or a more restrictive version of
an existing rule.

Note that any player may end the game at any time by making a rule
that cannot be followed.

Also note that a rule may be added that suspends itself.  It is also
acceptable to write a rule that is superceedable by including a clause
in the rule itself stipulating something to the effect of "this rule
may be modified or eliminated by other rules."