Smid's Diplomacy Game Thread #1

[Smid]

I will do the adjudication on Sundays (my time) so that wherever you are in the world, so long as you send your orders to me by midnight on a Friday evening, I will receive them in time.  Each season can be one week in length, so I'll adjudicate every weekend.

The thread will be used to post orders/maps each week, and also any comments anyone wants to make publicly. Orders can be PM'd to me. In the event that I receive more than one set of orders in the week from the one player, I will use the last set sent. If no orders are received, all units belonging to that nation will stand to (no move/no support/no convoy). If there are two sets of orders and latest set only provides orders for some units (but not all), the units not given orders in the latest set will stand to, even if the earlier set provided orders for them, as it will be assumed that you now want that unit to not carry out the earlier provided orders.

I think that's all pretty self-explanatory and nothing out of the ordinary, but I'm just laying that out to ensure it's clear.

I'll now draw the countries for the players:

[The Mikado]

I'm looking forward to this.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I'm looking forward to this.

Same here.

[Smid]

Sorry to keep you waiting.

I've just drawn names and countries out of my pocket...

Xahar - Austria-Hungary

Ben - Germany

Gustaf - Russia

Lewis - England

Erc - Turkey

Mikado - Italy (sorry mate)

Happy Warrior - France.

Three days is probably too short for negotiations, so this first turn will be one-and-a-half weeks - orders in by midnight, Friday 25 July. I won't be entirely strict on the midnight thing, but I won't be waiting for anyone to submit orders. If they're not in when I log on sometime on Sunday, I won't wait.

[minionofmidas]

Each season can be one week in length, so I'll adjudicate every weekend.

Is that two seasons a year, with conditional orders for withdrawals and builds given along with the move orders? Or are these separate?

[Smid]

Each season can be one week in length, so I'll adjudicate every weekend.

Is that two seasons a year, with conditional orders for withdrawals and builds given along with the move orders? Or are these separate?

Very good question. Perhaps give conditional orders, but once I put the results in the thread, you can have 24 hours to change them if you wish. Give me the conditional orders, though, so that if you don't get a chance to log on in that 24 hour period, I can still go ahead with withdrawls and builds without slowing down the game.

[minionofmidas]

Each season can be one week in length, so I'll adjudicate every weekend.

Is that two seasons a year, with conditional orders for withdrawals and builds given along with the move orders? Or are these separate?

Very good question. Perhaps give conditional orders, but once I put the results in the thread, you can have 24 hours to change them if you wish. Give me the conditional orders, though, so that if you don't get a chance to log on in that 24 hour period, I can still go ahead with withdrawls and builds without slowing down the game.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[Smid]

Attention!

Erc advises that he will be most likely unable to access the internet for the space of a week or thereabouts from the roughly the 25th to the 31st of July. Unfortunately this corresponds fairly closely from revealing the Spring 1901 moves, to the lodging Fall 1901 orders. He requested that I push back the deadline for these orders by 24 hours or thereabouts - indeed, with timezones, it would probably end up being less than that, and I was initially planning on agreeing with that and advising as such here.

I have subsequently given it more thought however.

If Diplomacy were like chess, and strategy based solely on the ability to plan moves and predict opposing moves, than extending the deadline by 24 hours or so would disadvantage him by reducing the time for him to consider his moves, while still giving him the opportunity to lodge orders. As Diplomacy is not like chess, however, and negotiations form a substantial portion of the game, I realised that extending the deadline would affect other players to a large degree also - creating a disadvantage to people negotiating with Erc, and this disadvantage being offset by an advantage to any players against whom he may be conspiring with those he negotiates with.

I therefore have decided that it is probably fairest to push back the deadline for Fall 1901 orders by not 24 hours, but by one week and have these orders due on Friday, 8 August. Before making this my ruling, however, I would like to hear any dissenting opinions. There are conceivably three options:

1. Strictness in relation to the deadline - orders are due by Friday the first and there shall be no flexibility with this;
2. A slight degree of flexibility - extend the deadline by 24 hours to allow Erc to submit orders hurriedly;
3. Extend the deadline by a week to allow for negotiations with Erc to proceed for Fall 1901.

As I said, I think option 3 provides the most fairness and balance to everyone, but I'm happy to hear counter-arguments.

[minionofmidas]

Fine with me.

[Хahar 🤔]

I'm fine with any time.

BTW, will you have pretty maps? I want maps!

[The Mikado]

I'd personally prefer the delayed-one-day option, but whatever works best for Erc.

[Erc]

Personally...obviously I'd prefer Option 3, but I'd be more than fine with (2) as well if people prefer.

[Gustaf]

I'd say option 3 is the most fair.

And I concur with Xahar that maps are needed.

[Smid]

Right-o, option 3 it is.

Realpolitik provides the option of "Save as BMP" - so maps are not a problem.

[Smid]

Has anyone seen Happy Warrior around? I haven't seen him since we started and I'm a little worried he's not been on and France won't submit orders or something. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

[minionofmidas]

Has anyone seen Happy Warrior around? I haven't seen him since we started and I'm a little worried he's not been on and France won't submit orders or something. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

I don't think there is ground to worry.

[Smid]

Yeah, if he's not around, he's not around and we can cross that bridge when we come to it. I just haven't seen him on here in a bit.

[muon2]

It's good to see another game get started. Smid seems to have a good sense of how to make the game go forward. Keeping orders on the same day of the week is a good choice. I would also strongly encourage anyone who has a conflict to let Smid know, as Erc did.

I also would encourage the players to keep at it even if there are bad turns. The last game disintegrated when one alliance picked up a big advantage. There's always a role for a kingmaker. Don't get frustrated if allies don't want to hear from anyone else. In my experience there will come a time if minor players stay active.

If any of you must drop out, I would recommend letting Smid know as soon as you can. Civil disorder really throws off the game for everyone else.

[minionofmidas]

Yeah, if he's not around, he's not around and we can cross that bridge when we come to it. I just haven't seen him on here in a bit.

Not what I meant actually.

[Gustaf]

Yeah, if he's not around, he's not around and we can cross that bridge when we come to it. I just haven't seen him on here in a bit.

Not what I meant actually.

omgententeomg!!1!

Btw, Smid I haven't played that much Diplomacy so I'm not sure if there are different sets of rules or anything but I would appreciate direction to an on-line rule book. I do know the rules I've played with but I don't know if those are standard or not.

[minionofmidas]

www.diplom.org

[Хahar 🤔]

Has Germany submitted orders? Ben's out for the week.

[The Mikado]

Has Germany submitted orders? Ben's out for the week.

He told me he submitted them before he left.

[Smid]

Muon - thanks for the support.

Gustaf - yeah, that link Lewis provided is probably the best, check that out. If you've got Realpolitik, you might like to use it to test your orders against hypothetical orders from neighbouring nations.

[Smid]

Here are the move orders from Spring 1901:



The orders received were as follows:

France
A Paris: NMR
A Marseilles: NMR
F Brest: NMR

Russia
F St Petersburg (sc) - Gulf of Bothnia
F Sevastopol - Rumania (*Bounce*)
A Moscow - Ukraine
A Warsaw - Galacia

Italy
F Naples - Ionian Sea
A Rome - Venice (*Fails*)
A Venice - Trieste (*Fails*)

Germany
A - Berlin - Kiel (*Fails*)
F Kiel Hold
A Munich Hold

Austria
A Budapest - Rumania (*Bounce*)
F Trieste Hold
A Vienna Hold

Turkey
F Ankara - Black Sea
A Constantinople - Bulgaria
A Smyrna - Constantinople

England
F Edinburgh - Norwegian Sea
A Liberpool - Edinburgh
F London - North Sea

Resulting in the following placement of armies and fleets:



There are no necessary retreat orders. Fall 1901 orders are due in two weeks.