It took me a little while to figure out this forum but I think I've finally got it sorted. Having read through countless threads in GT I've recognised the following unofficial rules. Perhaps we could make this a sticky so newcomers know how to play 
THE UNOFFICIAL GT RULES
1. There are 2 teams: Catholics and Protestants. All players are to affiliate themselves with one of these teams before play commences.
1A - Orthodox Church members are to be treated as Catholics with beards, except in threads pertaining to the authority of Rome and/or the Pope (or on doctrnial matters post schism) in which case they are to assume the anti-Catholic position.
1B - To keep the forum from becoming too predictable, the occassional exhibition game will be played between Sabbitarians and the rest of the church.
2. The object of the game: is to establish that the other team is wrong. This may prove difficult at times especially when both teams are saying the same thing in different ways. This is where strategy becomes so important.
3. Winning strategies:
* Establish the oppositions perspective for them. This is of upmost importance if one is to gain the upper hand. Distortion and exaggeration are the key here. Try to find ambiguious quotes from the other sides great players from the past and use them out of context to establish that the other side really believe something other than what they are professing to believe. Getting this part right can make or break the game.
* Avoid arguing against the points the opposition raises. This will only distract from the position you've established already. Rather you should always endeavour to reestablish the other teams faulty perspective as outlined above and argue against it. This style can be referred to as: "What I think about what I think you think."
* Skilled players are able to fool the opposition into defending aspects of the faulty position that was presented for them. This helps reinforce acceptance of the distorted perspective and ensures the truth of the matter will not be discussed, further ensuring that players won't find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to argue against a position they actually agree with.
* Less skilled players need not worry. There are still plenty of strategies that will work effectively for the novice. Perhaps the most effective is the "cut and paste" method, whereby a player is to ignore all information presented to them and simply restate their position over and over again. This will infuriate and try the patience of even the most skilled opposition player and will eventually empty the thread, leaving the novice with a win through attrition.
4. Scoring:
There are several ways to score but the most effective methods are the "slam dunk distortion", "disassembly", "strawman" and "team doubles".
* A Slam Dunk Distortion is when a player is able to use the oppositions own words to reaffirm the faulty perspective they were given initially. A Super Slam Dunk is when the opposition is led into a trap of loosely outlining the faulty perspective first and then the player uses those words and adds the twisted quotes and the appropriate rebuttal all at once. This is worth double points.
* Disassembly is when a player takes the oppositions post and pulls it apart point by point. The more things they can object to, the more points they get.
* Strawman is the act of recognising a loosely supported argument by the opposition an proclaiming "Strawman" in the rebuttal. A strong strawman call is worth a lot of points.
* Team Doubles are when a player quotes a fellow team members post that has already scored and adds an "Amen" or a clapping icon to it. This allows the original post to score again.
5. Winning the game:
The game is only over when everyone stops playing. It's still unclear how the eventual winner is decided, but there are many who believe they can avoid losing by expressing a premature intent to leave and highlighting it with a parting blow. If it's already been established that they will not be around for any contention of their parting words, they have avoided outright defeat. Alternately there are other players who believe winning is only attained by having the final say altogether. This can cause some confusion as there is no official time limit between posts, so a late charge may go uncontested by a player who has already claimed victory.
I hope this helps clear things up for anyone who was unsure of how to play.
1A - Orthodox Church members are to be treated as Catholics with beards, except in threads pertaining to the authority of Rome and/or the Pope (or on doctrnial matters post schism) in which case they are to assume the anti-Catholic position.
1B - To keep the forum from becoming too predictable, the occassional exhibition game will be played between Sabbitarians and the rest of the church.
2. The object of the game: is to establish that the other team is wrong. This may prove difficult at times especially when both teams are saying the same thing in different ways. This is where strategy becomes so important.
3. Winning strategies:
* Establish the oppositions perspective for them. This is of upmost importance if one is to gain the upper hand. Distortion and exaggeration are the key here. Try to find ambiguious quotes from the other sides great players from the past and use them out of context to establish that the other side really believe something other than what they are professing to believe. Getting this part right can make or break the game.
* Avoid arguing against the points the opposition raises. This will only distract from the position you've established already. Rather you should always endeavour to reestablish the other teams faulty perspective as outlined above and argue against it. This style can be referred to as: "What I think about what I think you think."
* Skilled players are able to fool the opposition into defending aspects of the faulty position that was presented for them. This helps reinforce acceptance of the distorted perspective and ensures the truth of the matter will not be discussed, further ensuring that players won't find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to argue against a position they actually agree with.
* Less skilled players need not worry. There are still plenty of strategies that will work effectively for the novice. Perhaps the most effective is the "cut and paste" method, whereby a player is to ignore all information presented to them and simply restate their position over and over again. This will infuriate and try the patience of even the most skilled opposition player and will eventually empty the thread, leaving the novice with a win through attrition.
4. Scoring:
There are several ways to score but the most effective methods are the "slam dunk distortion", "disassembly", "strawman" and "team doubles".
* A Slam Dunk Distortion is when a player is able to use the oppositions own words to reaffirm the faulty perspective they were given initially. A Super Slam Dunk is when the opposition is led into a trap of loosely outlining the faulty perspective first and then the player uses those words and adds the twisted quotes and the appropriate rebuttal all at once. This is worth double points.
* Disassembly is when a player takes the oppositions post and pulls it apart point by point. The more things they can object to, the more points they get.
* Strawman is the act of recognising a loosely supported argument by the opposition an proclaiming "Strawman" in the rebuttal. A strong strawman call is worth a lot of points.
* Team Doubles are when a player quotes a fellow team members post that has already scored and adds an "Amen" or a clapping icon to it. This allows the original post to score again.
5. Winning the game:
The game is only over when everyone stops playing. It's still unclear how the eventual winner is decided, but there are many who believe they can avoid losing by expressing a premature intent to leave and highlighting it with a parting blow. If it's already been established that they will not be around for any contention of their parting words, they have avoided outright defeat. Alternately there are other players who believe winning is only attained by having the final say altogether. This can cause some confusion as there is no official time limit between posts, so a late charge may go uncontested by a player who has already claimed victory.
I hope this helps clear things up for anyone who was unsure of how to play.
(Do I get Team Doubles points?)
