The rules of this game are created by the players. That has been happening for nearly four decades, and it is still happening.
Nobody can accurately remember that far back, and most current players began playing less than 20 years ago.
So here you will find, if you need them, reminders about what the players (or others before them) said in the past about how the game should go, and what they actually did, which was not always the same.
Beginners should start at “Beginners start here” which is a one-page abridgement that is all you need to get started.
If your style of searching is top-down, then pick from the Rules sub-menu the page for the phase of the game (Submitting, Posting, Voting etc) that you are interested in.
If your style of searching is bottom-up, then look at the index and follow up references that looks promising.
Look in the Introduction if you want an explanation of the way the rules are presented, such as division into Rules and Comments, or typographical conventions.