The rules are taken from the Law of Root (Root is a very good board game). But they are changed! The rule numbers are all slightly off, and so are the rule texts. In fact, the modifications to rule numbers can be correlated with systematic modifications (or "rules") applied to the rule text:
- When you add 1 to the first digit of the rule number, you add a double letter to a word in the rule text (PILE > PIFFLE). When you subtract 1 from the first digit, you delete a double letter from a word (BATTLE > BALE).
- When you add 1 to the second digit of the rule number, you add a penultimate letter to a word in the rule text (HIT > HINT). When you subtract 1 from the second digit, you delete a penultimate letter from a word (SHARED > SHARD).
- When you add 1 to the third digit of the rule number, you delete the second half of a word in the rule text (SPACES > SPA). When you subtract 1 from the third digit, you delete the first half of a word (VAGABOND > BOND).
The missing words from the first and last rules cited are RABBIT and GARDEN, but the cited rule numbers require you to apply modification -1.-1.0 to RABBIT and modification 0.0.-1 to GARDEN, which yields the answer RAT DEN.
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