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[Diplomacy] Eurasia: German Victory!
Hi I'm Vee!
Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered User regular
Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered User regular
Much of this stolen blatantly from JustPlainPavek's OP in CF!
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.
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. 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!
Schedule
Each year will take a week.
Sunday: Game begins
Monday: Talktalktalk
Tuesday: Spring ends, orders resolved
Wednesday: Retreats resolved
Thursday: Talktalktalk
Friday: Fall ends, orders resolved
Saturday: Retreats resolved
Sunday: Build orders
Order must be sent in by 9pm PDT/10pm MDT/11pm CDT/Midnight EDT. This means that all Spring orders must be sent in by Tuesday at 9, all Spring retreat orders must be sent in by Wednesday at 9, Fall orders must be in by Friday at 9, Fall retreat orders must be in by Saturday at 9, and Build orders must be in by Sunday at 9. For the purposes of this thread, anytime you see a time not defined by PDT/EDT/etc, I am talking about PDT, because that's where I live.
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 bold 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, visiblehowl, via PM on this forum, with the subject line "[Game] [Country] Orders [Season] [Year]" (i.e. Eurasia Italy Orders Spring 1901). You may send your orders in either complete or abbreviated form:
Complete:
Abbreviated:
The abbreviated form is, with a few exceptions (which are noted on the map below) the first three letters of the province name.
I will be lenient as to incorrect order writing, within reason. If it's obvious what you meant, I'll do it that way. However, if you don't specify a coast when moving to a region with two coasts, or there are two territories you could move to with slightly different names and you put one instead of the other, tough luck. (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 and don't screw over the person who will be taking your place; turn your position over to one of the reserves before you start missing turns. In the event that all players cannot make a deadline (for a holiday, for example) we can announce a temporary postponement.
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):
All countries filled! Still taking reserves!
Signup requirements are below the spoiler. Please do this even if you're playing as a reserve.
Games:
We have two games playing simultaneously: Eurasia and Eastasia. These are just names, there's nothing actually different between the two games. This is the Eurasia thread. The players and their countries are below:
[strike]Dyscord - Italy[/strike]
Elldren - Germany
Richy - France
TheLawinator - Turkey
[strike]Thetheroo - Austria[/strike]
[strike]Varcayn - England[/strike]
[strike]Zek - Russia[/strike]
Reserves
amateurhour
Casual Eddy
Ethan Smith
thorgot
Current Map:
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.
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. 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!
Schedule
Each year will take a week.
Sunday: Game begins
Monday: Talktalktalk
Tuesday: Spring ends, orders resolved
Wednesday: Retreats resolved
Thursday: Talktalktalk
Friday: Fall ends, orders resolved
Saturday: Retreats resolved
Sunday: Build orders
Order must be sent in by 9pm PDT/10pm MDT/11pm CDT/Midnight EDT. This means that all Spring orders must be sent in by Tuesday at 9, all Spring retreat orders must be sent in by Wednesday at 9, Fall orders must be in by Friday at 9, Fall retreat orders must be in by Saturday at 9, and Build orders must be in by Sunday at 9. For the purposes of this thread, anytime you see a time not defined by PDT/EDT/etc, I am talking about PDT, because that's where I live.
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 bold 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, visiblehowl, via PM on this forum, with the subject line "[Game] [Country] Orders [Season] [Year]" (i.e. Eurasia Italy Orders Spring 1901). 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.
I will be lenient as to incorrect order writing, within reason. If it's obvious what you meant, I'll do it that way. However, if you don't specify a coast when moving to a region with two coasts, or there are two territories you could move to with slightly different names and you put one instead of the other, tough luck. (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 and don't screw over the person who will be taking your place; turn your position over to one of the reserves before you start missing turns. In the event that all players cannot make a deadline (for a holiday, for example) we can announce a temporary postponement.
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?
All countries filled! Still taking reserves!
Signup requirements are below the spoiler. Please do this even if you're playing as a reserve.
Signing Up
I'm sort of expecting a fair number of people to sign up for this, so since there are only seven slots, I'm going to go by some better criteria than "who happens to be online when signups go up".
When you signup, please PM me the following information. PM, not a public post.
1. The % chance you'll be able to see the whole game through. What are the chances that you'll be able to keep playing this game for up to three months? Three months is probably too long to expect this game to last, but it could happen, so let me know what your availability is. If you think it's 90% likely you'll be able to play for 2 months, but only 60% likely you'll be able to play in the third month, feel free to say that.
2. How much you want to play, on a scale of 1-10. Please be honest with this; I don't want to see a bunch of tens just because people think that's the only way they'll be able to play. I'm expecting mostly scores between 7 and 9.
3. How many games (approximately) you've played before. Preference will be given to people who have played before, subject to the above criteria.
These are in order of importance. I'd rather have 7 newbies who only kind of want to play but will commit to the full time than 7 veterans who desperately want to play but will drop out within a few weeks. It probably won't come down to me choosing between newbies and veterans, but if I'm choosing between two people who have similar answers to 1 and 2, preference will go to the veterans since that tends to make the game more fun for other veterans.
All of these criteria are subject to change on my whim. Please remember not to post your answers publically, but send them to me via PM.
I'm sort of expecting a fair number of people to sign up for this, so since there are only seven slots, I'm going to go by some better criteria than "who happens to be online when signups go up".
When you signup, please PM me the following information. PM, not a public post.
1. The % chance you'll be able to see the whole game through. What are the chances that you'll be able to keep playing this game for up to three months? Three months is probably too long to expect this game to last, but it could happen, so let me know what your availability is. If you think it's 90% likely you'll be able to play for 2 months, but only 60% likely you'll be able to play in the third month, feel free to say that.
2. How much you want to play, on a scale of 1-10. Please be honest with this; I don't want to see a bunch of tens just because people think that's the only way they'll be able to play. I'm expecting mostly scores between 7 and 9.
3. How many games (approximately) you've played before. Preference will be given to people who have played before, subject to the above criteria.
These are in order of importance. I'd rather have 7 newbies who only kind of want to play but will commit to the full time than 7 veterans who desperately want to play but will drop out within a few weeks. It probably won't come down to me choosing between newbies and veterans, but if I'm choosing between two people who have similar answers to 1 and 2, preference will go to the veterans since that tends to make the game more fun for other veterans.
All of these criteria are subject to change on my whim. Please remember not to post your answers publically, but send them to me via PM.
Games:
We have two games playing simultaneously: Eurasia and Eastasia. These are just names, there's nothing actually different between the two games. This is the Eurasia thread. The players and their countries are below:
[strike]Dyscord - Italy[/strike]
Elldren - Germany
Richy - France
TheLawinator - Turkey
[strike]Thetheroo - Austria[/strike]
[strike]Varcayn - England[/strike]
[strike]Zek - Russia[/strike]
Reserves
amateurhour
Casual Eddy
Ethan Smith
thorgot
Current Map:
Hi I'm Vee! on
0
Posts
Just a !sign up will do.
The exclamation point is very important.
Yes.
!sign-up
Seriously, fuck Italy.
Should I? I've never played before, but I love Risk and Axis and Allies.
I'll read over the rules a little bit more.
!Signing up so goddamn hard
this may be too much of a departure from phalla for me.
A few minutes later, we all turned in our orders. Friend 1 reached into his right breast pocket and handed them to the GM. The look on Friend 2's face was absolutely priceless as he realized what was happening when the orders were being read.
That, my friends, is Diplomacy at it's finest.
I'm considering signing up but if I have to keep track of moves by digging up my families old board that will make this considerably more of an undertaking. Will you keep track on your board and post pictures visiblehoul?
Looks like fun.
Fun as in
Fun.
:twisted:
!Sign up.
I believe its pretty standard to show the map
!DOWN WITH EVERYONE ELSE, ALL POWER TO ME
I might not be able to get REALLY involved till monday, but I can put in some orders on Sunday, no prob
I got really annoyed when I played it in Critical Failures a while ago - there were two players that formed an alliance that lasted the entire game - and then when they were the last two players, they both forfeited. I thought that was hella lame, I expect you to play to the bitter end.
!Sign me up
*edit* ok, just read the thing, sounds pretty awesome
edit: oh, are you going to post pictures updating the board or something, or am I going to have to track this on my own?
edit2: woo #7
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
I'll reserve I guess, if you still need people.
Players are allowed to tie by mutual consent--it's part of the rules. The tournament scoring system then allots points to each surviving player based on the number of countries left in the game at the conclusion, and so players have to balance ambition and security as they try to maximize their points over several games. Tying gives each player fewer points, but can nonetheless reward players who can keep ironclad alliances.
And your summary of the game is incorrect, because the player controlling France in that game switched halfway through. After Kusu ran his country into the ground I took over, and I was initially left with very little option but to stay in bed with Germany. By the time I was actually in a position to do something nasty I didn't particularly want to and was fine sharing the win.
This is another point about Diplomacy: different people like to play different ways. Some people are 'Methuselahs' and want to form alliances 4lyfe. Other people are conniving snakes in the grass, and toss aside partners as soon as they can get a suitable deal--in fact, some people like betraying their partners so much that they wind up doing it even in disadvantageous positions, just because it gives them a thrill. Understanding the way that each person at the table likes to play is part of the strategy.
tl;dr: you bitches whined a lot when you lost. Suck it.
And just because there are 7 people already signed up, don't feel like you're too late. I'm going to selecting the 7 players who will be the main players by Saturday based on the PMs, so if you've signed up, you MUST SEND ME A PM ANSWER THE QUESTIONS I ASKED IN THE OP!
Also, if I get enough players, I might run two games concurrently (setting up a "Diplomacy All-Stars" game for later), so we'll see how it goes.
No Fat Nation-States
Last time I played, it was as Italy, and I won. =P
It's possible!
Except not anymore because I told you how awesome he is! Bwahahaha!
We used to run online games back in high school that were adjudicated by one of our number but it gets very complicated later on. It's alot of work for the GM, and can be bothersome if you mistype an email address and you don't realize you've done it until the movement phase is already done.
/shameless plug of one of my favourite net sites ever, right up there with PA honest!
I'm already in two games so I can't take on another
!sign up
I don't think I'm that good. Above average at best. Anyways, if you do decide to run another game after this one is over I will try and play.
Why not.
Totally true, although it freaks France out.
I saw a breakdown once of how often each country won in anonymous online games; Russia led with 18 percent of wins/shares of wins, and Italy was last with 13.5 or something percent. So there's a little bit of unbalanced-ness, but you only even notice it when you look at hundreds and hundreds of games.
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Except Russia is also first place in eliminations, whereas Italy ranks 2nd to last or something. I remember that, in general, the higher your percentange chance of winning, the higher your percentage chance of getting eliminated in the game.
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Sending PM now.