The official rulebook. Tabs on the right are one of the booth upgrades.
The rulebook in the short film adaptation.
The Arstotzkan Ministry of Admission "Rules & Regulations for Inspectors" (or the rulebook) is an invaluable reference tool including immigration protocol and lists of valid seals and location authority information.
The inspector can use it to verify crucial details of documents and to check the requirements of the day's inspections. The information can be used in the inspection mode to highlight discrepancies.
Contents[]
The five sections of the rulebook are as follows:
- Basic Rules shows the conditions entrants must meet in order to gain entry such as the documents they must carry. These change as the days progress, mostly due to political intervention: see the timeline for more information.
- Regional Map shows all the countries in the region. Clicking a particular country will show its official issuing cities along with its passport design. This feature can be used to highlight forgeries with an invalid issuing city.
- Booth info provides a brief overview of the inspector's booth and any upgrades that have been purchased.
- Documents shows the details of officially recognized documents, (including all M.O.A. foreigner documents), such as ID card district and M.O.A./M.O.L. seals.
- Confiscation shows the procedure for passport confiscation and (as of the October 2013 patch) current policy regarding which passports should be taken.
Rules[]
The following rules are listed in the rulebook and are in effect at different stages of the game. See a section below for gameplay rules not stated in the rulebook.
| Rule | In effect | In-universe reason, if given |
|---|---|---|
| Entrant must have a passport | since day 1 | |
| Arstotzkan citizens only | only on day 1 | |
| All documents must be current | since day 2 | |
| Foreigners require an entry ticket | only on day 3 | |
| Foreigners require an entry permit | on days 4–26 | |
| Arstotzkan citizens must have an ID card | since day 4 | |
| Workers must have a work pass | since day 6 | Jobs in Arstotzka become fewer and Ministry of Labor wants to control foreign work force.[1] |
| No weapons or contraband | since day 7 | Need for more thorough inspections after a terrorist attack on day 6[2] |
| All Kolechians must be searched | only on day 7 | Kolechian extremists are suspected of the attack on day 6.[3] Rule is repealed by day 8 after Kolechia files an official complaint. |
| Diplomats require authorization | since day 8 | Kolechia filed a complaint and is sending a diplomat.[4] |
| Foreigners require an ID supplement | days 13–26 | New M.O.A. director wants to institute stricter protocols for foreigners.[5] |
| No entry from Impor | only on day 19 | In retaliation to Impor trade sanctions.[6] Rule is repealed a day later due to Impor repealing said sanctions.[7] |
| Asylum seekers must have a grant | since day 21 | Arstotzka establishes a program for political asylum to harbor the Antegrian whistleblower.[8] |
| Confiscate Arstotzkan passports belonging to Altan residents | on days 24–27 | The terrorist attacks have cast suspicion on Arstotzkans living in the Altan district. Confiscation begins at the Ministry of Information's request.[9] |
| No entry from United Federation | only on day 25 | A polio outbreak in United Federation.[10] |
| Entrant must have polio vaccine certificate | since day 26 | Ministry of Health institutes a new policy to prevent polio from spreading to Arstotzka.[11] |
| Foreigners require an access permit | since day 27 | According to the inspector, to make his work easier.[12] The Ministry of Admission states the reason is to improve efficiency.[13] |
| Confiscate all Arstotzkan passports | since day 28 | In response to continued attacks. Listed at the back of the rulebook, in the Confiscation section.[14] |
Rules not in the rulebook[]
The following rules affect gameplay and failing to adhere to them leads to a citation. They are introduced in the official bulletin but are not mentioned in the rulebook.
| Rule | In effect | In-universe reason, if given |
|---|---|---|
| Wanted criminals must not enter | since day 14 | Ministry of Admission begins co-operating with Ministry of Justice to apprehend criminals.[15] |
| All denials must be accompanied by a reason for denial | since day 18 | Unfavorable international press concerning practices at the border.[16] |
Trivia[]
The rulebook uses a different typeface for subheadings in pre-1.1.60 versions of the game.
Unused rules[]
The game files list rules that are not currently used in the release version. They mostly reflect ideas abandoned during the game development.
- No entry from Antegria
- No entry from Kolechia
- No entry from Obristan
- No entry from Republia
- Detain all Kolechians
- Fingerprint all Kolechians
- Foreigners must be 18 or older
- Workers must have a work permit (reworded as Workers must have a work pass in the release version)
- Goods must have a customs permit
- No entry for foreign military
- Maximum visit of 14 days
References[]
- ↑ The Truth of Arstotzka and the official bulletin day 6
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 7
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 7
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 8
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 13
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 19
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 20
- ↑ The Truth of Arstotzka on day 21
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 24. Also listed at the back of the rulebook, in the Confiscation section.
- ↑ The Truth of Arstotzka on days 23 and 25, official bulletin on day 25
- ↑ The Truth of Arstotzka and the official bulletin on day 26
- ↑ Discussion with the third entrant on day 28
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 27
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 28
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 14
- ↑ Official bulletin on day 18
See also[]
- Cheat sheets – fan-made sheets to speed up processing entrants