"Typical" Definitions in Gimmick Rallyes

The following list was originally borrowed from our Sample General Instructions for a Coursemarker Gimmick Rallye. There is additional discussion at the end of this article.

Definitions

Commentary follows each group of definitions.

COMPLETE

execute or delete

DELETE

consider non-existent for rallye purposes

EXECUTE

physically do

These definitions interact with each other, and affect many other sections of your GIs. Be very careful changing them for a gimmick. Usually it is easier (and safer) to base gimmicks on whether you use "execute" or "complete" elsewhere, rather than to gimmick the definition of one of these three terms.

INTERSECTION

a location where two or more roads meet, where you can proceed in more than one direction excluding a U

a location where two or more differently named roads meet

a location where two or more differently named roads meet, where you can proceed in more than one direction excluding a U

These are only a few of the more common variations on this definition, which doesn't do much by itself. However, other definitions may specify actions that can be done only at intersections.

The "differently named" condition will be affected by which words exist on signs. Maple Ave and Maple Cir are differently named. But if Avenue, Circle, and their abbreviations do not exist on signs, then Maple and Maple are not differently named.

TURN

change your direction of travel between 60 and 120 degrees [in an intersection]

change your direction of travel approximately 90 degrees [in an intersection]

L

turn to the Left [in an intersection]

R

turn to the Right [in an intersection]

C, CS, or S

Continue Straight [through one intersection]

Continue as Straight as possible [through one intersection]

OBSERVE

see the indicated sign or landmark along your route and completely pass it

LANDMARK

an object identified by a government-erected sign, or one of the following: CH, INTERSECTION, OPP, PL, T, SIDEROAD, SIGNAL, or STOP. Ordinals (first, second, etc.) may be used to specify landmarks.

These are usually fairly straight-forward, but gimmicks can be based on whether they must be done at intersections, and on the definition of an intersection.

OPP

an Opportunity to turn in the direction indicated

CH

a Chance to turn in the direction indicated

PL

a Place where you are to turn in the direction indicated

Common gimmicks include removing the "in the direction indicated" condition, or adding an "in an intersection" condition. Another is to define one of these (typically CH or PL), and then use one of the others (typically OPP, including the phrase, "Eh, what's Opp, Doc?" in the critique). It is also possible to define more than one of these, setting up different gimmicks.

AT

as close as possible, within 100 feet

ON

physically upon

ONTO

on the road by name

NLORBN

No Longer Onto the Road By Name

The importance of the word AT is normally in the GI's Signs section; perhaps one of

All words after AT in an instruction must be on a sign at the intersection

A word after AT in an instruction must be on a sign at the intersection

All words after AT in a route instruction must be observed on a sign

If the order is not specified, "PEPPER DR" could match the instruction to turn "AT DR. PEPPER" (assuming punctuation is a separator, not part of a word). If multiple signs qualify, signs for "PEPPER CT" and "SUNKIST DR" could match "AT DR. PEPPER". If the sentence applies only to route instructions, an AT in another type of instruction could be a gimmick.

The important semantics of ONTO are typically described in the Route section of the GIs. Usually, executing (or completing) an instruction using ONTO puts you on the road by name. When onto, you must remain on the road by that name until a designated trigger. A common trigger is the NLORBN instruction. (A common gimmick is instead a NLOBRN instruction.) The GIs should explicitly state whether you should U to remain on the road by name.

See also: Onto Gimmicks

SA

Sign Anywhere: the indicated sign can appear anywhere, or may be hard to see

SOL

Sign On Left: the indicated sign must appear on your left as you pass it

SOR

Sign On Right: the indicated sign must appear on your right as you pass it

These definitions (or something equivalent) will appear in any rallye that uses Sign Location Gimmicks, including most A-B rallyes.

SIGNAL

an electrically operated traffic control device, working or not

an intersection where traffic is controlled by electrically operated traffic control devices, working or not

STOP

an octagonal sign with the word "STOP" on it

a government-erected sign with the word "STOP" on it

a government-erected sign that controls traffic flow at an intersection

a government-erected red-and-white sign

a red-and-white sign that controls your forward progress

an intersection where traffic is controlled by [any of the above]

There are so many ways to twist rallyists' expectations of what a SIGNAL or a STOP is. An octagonal sign can be identified from the back. Bus stop signs (as well as others) have the word "STOP" on them. No Parking and Do Not Enter signs are red and white. Modern yield signs are red and white, and control your forward progress. CMs and CP signs may control your forward progress, if the GIs tell you to stop at them.

A common Q-A gimmick is to define one of these as an intersection, and then to ask what color it is.

T

an intersection shaped like the capital letter T, approached up the stem

SIDEROAD

an intersection shaped like the capital letter T, approached across the top

CROSSROAD

An intersection of exactly four roads from which a road goes to the left, a road goes to the right, and a road goes generally ahead.

Be extremely careful if you make any changes to these definitions. It is very easy for these definitions to apply more broadly than one might expect, which can make an interesting gimmick if you intended it that way, and which can cause problems if you didn't.

U

reverse your direction of travel

A "CYA" sentence in the GIs (typically under Route) instructs rallyists to "Make any U at a safe and legal place, but consider it made where instructed." If the rallyist goes another block for a safe place to U, any signs or RMs seen in that block (in either direction) don't count for rallye purposes.

CRI

Continue or begin working on the RI indicated and delete all lower numbered RIs, if any

DRI

Delete the RI in effect

Whether CRI deletes or only removes from effect lower-numbered RIs is up to you.

It is typical that completing certain instructions will trigger an event, such as the activation of a NOTE instruction that follows a route instruction. Since complete is defined to mean execute or delete, an instruction might trigger the event twice -- once when executed, and again if later deleted (e.g., by a CRI)!

Discussion

A key question is which operations can be performed only at an intersection. Typical operations that may require an intersection are: L, R, TURN, CS (Continue Straight). U does not normally require an intersection; it is often needed at a dead end (cul-de-sac).

These definitions don't address the distinction between turning AT, ON, or ONTO. This is typical -- the distinction is normally clarified elsewhere in the General Instructions, normally in the Route section and/or Signs section.

GIs often define additional abbreviations for brevity, but typically in sections other than Definitions, such as:

CM

Coursemarker

CP

Checkpoint

GI

General Instruction

RI

Route Instruction

RM

Rallyemaster

SI

Special Instruction

Supp

Supplemental Instruction