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[Diplomacy] JPP01 - Game Called: Italy Wins!
JustPlainPavek
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Diplomacy!
Please read all of this post if you would like to play. Diplomacy is a strategy game for seven players and a gamemaster. It is sometimes compared to Risk but has key differences — all players move simultaneously, only one unit can occupy a territory at once, no dice are rolled, and defenders always win ties. The conduct of back-channel negotiations, alliances, and the dreaded backstab are key elements of the game. We will be playing the standard turn-of-the-century Europe map (see below), but if this goes well and I don't end up totally burnt out by the end of it, I might consider a variant in the future. Due to time constraints I will only be running one game at a time.
A good introduction to the rules of the game is here; if you read nothing else, read this. Prosthetic Conscience has also run two games on the forums already which you might want to read through (please note I have added some rules regarding communications that he did not specify in his own games — again, read this whole post). Hasbro's official rules are here (pdf) and there is also Wikipedia. See also the Diplomacy Archive FAQ.
Added: Rules clarification about coastal movement.
The Diplomacy Archive and the Diplomatic Pouch have a wealth of articles from the long history of the hobby. I highly recommend reading through them, not only to get some ideas for strategy for yourself but also to be aware of what your opponents might be up to!
Deadlines
The game will start 10 PM, Sunday February 10th. Please do not send any game messages prior to this. This is the planned schedule of seasons (note that all times are Eastern Standard Time zone).
Spring1901 — Ends 10 PM Wednesday Feb 13th
(Spring retreats) — (N/A)
Fall 1901 — Ends 10 PM Saturday Feb 16th
(Fall retreats and builds) —Ends 10 PM Sunday Feb 17th
Spring 1902 —Ends 10 PM Tuesday Feb 19th
(Spring retreats) — Ends 10 PM Weds Feb 20th
Fall 1902 — Ends 10 PM Friday Feb 22rd
(Fall retreats) —10 PM Saturday Feb 23rd
Winter 1902 builds — 10 PM Sunday Feb 24th
(Spring retreats) — (N/A)
Fall 1901 — Ends 10 PM Saturday Feb 16th
(Fall retreats and builds) —Ends 10 PM Sunday Feb 17th
Spring 1902 —Ends 10 PM Tuesday Feb 19th
(Spring retreats) — Ends 10 PM Weds Feb 20th
Fall 1902 — Ends 10 PM Friday Feb 22rd
(Fall retreats) —10 PM Saturday Feb 23rd
Winter 1902 builds — 10 PM Sunday Feb 24th
...etc.
This may not end up being an ironclad schedule, depending on the need for retreats and builds, but I will always post reminders in the thread and will do my best to keep seasons falling on the same days of the week, despite the odd number of days. Whenever possible I will post maps displaying the orders and their resolution later the same night; if this is for some reason not possible, I will endeavor to let you know. Players should probably be aware that the game will likely run for at least a month, and can potentially last much longer.
Sending Orders
I won't repeat all the rules of the game here — the links listed above do a far more thorough job than I could — but if anything is at any time unclear on how orders work please post a question in orange or (if you don't wish to be publicly identified as the questioner) PM me. It is highly highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with the complete rules of the game before play begins — particularly how bounces and supports work, since these tend to cause the most confusion. My Diplomacy experience is not massive so I will appreciate any polite corrections and your patience in the event of an error on my part.
All orders should be sent to me, JustPlainPavek, via PM on this forum, with the subject line "JPP01 - [Season Year] Orders from [Country]". You may send your orders in either complete or abbreviated form:
Complete:
Army Munich moves to Burgundy
Army Ruhr supports Army Munich's move to Burgundy
Fleet North Sea convoys Army Denmark to Belgium
Army Denmark moves to Belgium through Fleet North Sea's convoy
Army Sweden holds
Army Ruhr supports Army Munich's move to Burgundy
Fleet North Sea convoys Army Denmark to Belgium
Army Denmark moves to Belgium through Fleet North Sea's convoy
Army Sweden holds
Abbreviated:
A Mun moves to Bur
A Ruh supports A Mun to Bur
F Nth convoys A Den to Bel
A Den moves to Bel via F Nth convoy
A Swe holds
A Ruh supports A Mun to Bur
F Nth convoys A Den to Bel
A Den moves to Bel via F Nth convoy
A Swe holds
The abbreviated form is, with a few exceptions (which are noted on the map below) the first three letters of the province name. Looking at the map in Prosthetic Conscience's games, I just noticed that this map actually uses different abbreviations in a few cases from his; past players, please note.
If you fail to write your orders correctly, they will not be counted; if you type the wrong abbreviation, or try to support a place you can't reach, or fail to specify exactly where you are convoying through, then too bad. (You will want to take particular note in specifying the coasts of St. Petersburg, Spain and Bulgaria when moving fleets through them.) "Forgetting" to write correct orders may sometimes work as a strategy, but it may make your allies suspicious.
You may send as many sets of orders as you like up until the deadline. I actually recommend you send a placeholder set of orders first thing in the new season, just in case you aren't able to get back to the game before the next deadline. However, please note that I will delete all but the last set of orders sent without reading any of the previous ones. Thus, if you decide you want to make changes to a previous order, you must write your full set of orders in a new message if you wish for them to all take effect. If you fail to specify an order for a unit, it will Hold by default. Late orders will not be accepted.
If you fail to send any orders for two consecutive turns, your country will undergo bloody revolution and a new ruler will take your place from the reserve list. The game can be time-consuming and we all have lives outside this, but if you feel you cannot continue to play, don't leave your allies hanging; turn your position over to one of the reserves. In the event that all players cannot make a deadline (for a holiday, for example) we can announce a temporary postponement.
Lastly, please refrain from discussing build orders during the build phase. You may conduct other PMs as usual, but directly asking another player to build at a particular location during this time is forbidden, since in normal live games the build phase takes place instantaneously and those kinds of negotiations would have to have taken place beforehand.
Communications
This game is not called Diplomacy for nothing — most games involve a large amount of discussion behind the scenes. There are three principal modes of communication in the game (not counting the sending of orders to the GM detailed above):
- Person-to-Person PMs — You are welcome to PM (or IM, or e-mail) other players as much or as little as you like during the game. You may "cc" or "bcc" more than one participant in your message, however "ccing" your Orders to anyone other than the GM is forbidden. This is strictly to preserve an element of uncertainty in the game, and you are welcome to write other players separate messages describing what your orders were (or what you claim them to be). Similarly, using screenshots / image captures of other players' messages is forbidden, but forwarding a message to another player is allowed, since the text can conceivably be altered prior to sending.
You do not need to cc the GM on regular PMs between each other. If, however, you receive a message which violates these rules, it is your responsibility as a player to report it immediately — this is the only instance in which the use of screenshots (to document the offense) is acceptable. Players who violate these rules risk losing their position in the game to a replacement ruler. - Posting to the Game Thread — Players are welcome to post as much or as little on the public game thread as they like. Just remember that orders are sent to the GM, not posted here. It's probably not a good idea to call out your enemies in public, but then again maybe it's all a ruse to confuse your real enemy?
- Third-Party Participation — Players can enlist other forum members as mouthpieces to carry messages, anonymously or under a false flag, to the rest of the game's participants that the player himself might not want to be caught saying. It's advisable not to use people from the reserve players list to carry these messages, as they may well be joining the game at some later point. If mouthpieces post to the public game thread, they must identify themselves as a mouthpiece by posting in cyan text; the same applies for PMs. (You can add a little flavor by posing as a Swiss newspaper or American war correspondent or whatever, if you'd like.) Mouthpieces are under no obligation to answer honestly if asked who fed them their message, but the player who taps them to assist is requested to please notify the GM privately by PM prior to the mouthpiece's first message, just so I'm aware that their participation is legit.
Outside observers are also welcome in the thread, but please do not impersonate a mouthpiece messenger if you have not in fact been enlisted in that role by an active player.
Mouthpieces
The following players have either been enlisted as or volunteered their services as mouthpieces. Their non-cyan posts should be treated as normal commentary, however.
- INeedNoSalt
Player Roster
Signups are currently full, but reserves are still open! There is a decent chance at least one or two reserves will get some action this game, so if you're following along in your armchair at home, why not sign-up as a reserve should your general-ing become needed?
- England: Varcayn
- France: Gumpy
- Italy: visiblehowl
- Germany: Stew_Stick
- Austria: Papillon -- In Exile, Game Over!
- Old Turks: Infidel -- Palace Coup, Inactive!
- NEW Turks: Mad Jazz
- Old Russian Tsar: TheLawinator -- Deposed in Revolution, Inactive!
- NEW Russian Revolutionaries: Kayne Red Robe
Reserve
I will take a reserve of two to five players; if anyone drops out or undergoes revolution, you will be able to sub in for them and attempt to lead their country to victory as your own.
- RESERVE ONE OPEN!
- Reserve Two
- Reserve Three
- ...
The Turning of the Years
Starting Map:
- Game Start
- Spring 1901 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1901 Turn Resolution
- Winter 1901 Builds
- Spring 1902 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1902 Turn Resolution
- Winter 1902 Builds
- Spring 1903 Turn Resolution
- Spring 1903 Retreats
- Fall 1903 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1903 Retreats
- Winter 1903 Builds
- Spring 1904 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1904 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1904 Retreats
- Winter 1904 Builds
- Spring 1905 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1905 Turn Resolution
- Winter 1905 Builds
- Spring 1906 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1906 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1906 Retreats
- Winter 1906 Builds
- Spring 1907 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1907 Turn Resolution
- Spring 1908 Game Resumption
- Spring 1908 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1908 Turn Resolution
- Fall 1908 Retreats
- Winter 1908 Builds
- Game Called — Italy Wins!
Questions? Let me know if anything's unclear. Reserves are still open!
JustPlainPavek on
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Just glad this game is continuing, I love it and hopefully it becomes something of a regular on these forums
I won't be signing up, but just posting to support. I like your mouthpieces idea, might keep the thread more alive outside of turn postings. And the idea of reserves was something that never crossed my mind, due to my GM nubiness
Will be watching this one
Prosthetic Conscience: Are you planning on running an Awesome/Win All-Star game? i.e. the top 7 countries from both games? If so, I'll definitely be participating in that. If not, I predict that the Team Win game will be over within 2 weeks, so I'd like to sign up for this game.
INeedNoSalt, noted. Though if Team Awesome decides on an Axis win, I hope you'll consider signing on here, if nothing else as a reserve.
The Team Win game was my first time playing Diplomacy too. You should check out the Team Win thread to see how I did. :P
(Hint: I'm yellow.)
I thoroughly enjoyed the Team Win game and I hope I'll have as much fun with this.
If Team Awesome keeps going, I could take one of the three active players for this game, maybe the other two in reserves. If you settle on an Axis draw, feel free to sign up here. I don't know that Prosthetic Conscience was planning on an All-Star game but if he is that's cool too...
I'd want to be Germany if I didn't know that I'd be gangbanged. Something along one of the sides would be nice.
Psht, you don't get to choose.
Mostly my biggest turn-off with Diplomacy is that I'm pretty sure it's not balanced at all. Italy for example is in a shit position.
I'm not an overly experienced Diplomacy player, but its a fun game; even if you do get Italy.
From what I've read of the strategy articles, the consensus seems to be that most countries are pretty balanced, but Italy is the exception to the rule. (I've played Italy in the past and can definitely commiserate.) It's not impossible to win as Italy — plenty of people have written strategies articulating how you might going about this — but you are playing at a bit of a geographical disadvantage. One proposed correction to this I've read is replacing the starting Army in Rome with a Fleet; I'm open to the idea, if other people wanted to try it.
Russia starts with an extra unit, which gives them an advantage from the start, but if they try to go gungho by themselves, and the other players are at least self-aware, they'll realize what's happening and try to prevent it.
On the note of an all-stars game, I'll wait until the two games are completely finished and then throw out some PMs to the top players. Sign up for this game if you wish, and it'll be your decision if you want to play two games at once. If you choose to pass by the invite I'll drop down to the next player below you (going from most SCs/units to lowest). It'll go ahead if I have enough people from both old games willing to play.
Also, from what I've read Italy's strategy is to convince everyone else it's in a horrible position, and so should be ignored.
If people don't mind seasons falling on different days of the week, I have no problem just making it three and three, but I think the regularity of the calendar helps people stay on track.
Have I officially !signed up yet?
I mean, you don't really know me, but what little reputation I have is one of being pretty honest. You can ask pretty much anybody who's played Phalla with me.
That means one spot left for the player roster! Reserves still welcome afterwards, but it looks like we may well be able to kick this off this weekend.
Besides, I've done remarkably little backstabbing in this game...
Lets hope the new robotic nation does better then Robo-Germany
Edit: Oh Shitz!
Ok, I will roll up nations and post them shortly. To give everyone a chance to get situated with their country, I will say let's refrain from sending out any game messages until 10PM tomorrow. That should give people a time to check this thread, maybe read up a bit on the country if they want, and start thinking about opening strategy. Fall 1901 will last till 10PM Wednesday, but you can send in orders any time before then.
I will still encourage people to sign up for reserve spots; if my experience with Diplomacy is any guide, there is a pretty good chance that at least one or two players will drop, giving you a chance to lead a revolution against them and take control as rightful ruler of the nation.
Man, I hope I'm England or Spain.
Or Russia.
...Or Turkey.