Wow, the last Diplomacy game went really well. Since it had been so long since somebody ran one of these things I wasn't sure how it'd go, but it blew away my expectations! Thanks to everyone who participated or spectated in that, and today I'll be looking to write another new chapter in Smogon Diplomacy history with all of you. And we're gonna do it with an exciting twist: a variant map! While the last game used the Classic seven-player map of Europe that works great as an introduction, this game will take it up a notch with a massive 10-player variant that should make room for more strategy, stealing, and stabbing than ever before: War in the Americas! Set in the fine and dandy year of 1840, ten Powers, consisting of upstart states and expansive empires alike, battle for control of the New World across two continents and three oceans! Rally your armies, raise the flags of your fleets, and negotiate your way to total domination!
The WITA map and rules overview from the UK Diplomacy Archive
An introductory WITA strategy article from BrotherBored, legendary Diplomacy player and blogger
If you're newer to Diplomacy and need to learn the underlying rules of the game, check out the official Diplomacy rulebook; however, I should warn that this variant is not recommended for beginner-level players due to its complexity. Please only sign up if you're already familiar with Diplomacy or willing to learn VERY quickly.
Deviations/clarifications from the standard rulebook:
Signing up is simple: just post a reply saying "in" or "sub"! Priority will be given to people who didn't get a chance to play in the last game, but aside from that it's first come, first served. I will also accept subs at any time because we may end up needing them. I will not be filling a second board even if we get 20 people, because GMing one board by hand will already be a form of torture as is.
Last game, I tried to implement a "hydra" system that allowed multiple players to share the same slot in the game and act as one. This had some limited success, but it also opened things up to players who simply left everything for their partner to do and barely bothered to engage with the game directly. As a result, I will not be using the system again for this game.
The game will begin a week from the posting of this thread on July 11th or when signups fill, whichever comes second.
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If you want more information about how the WITA variant works, I recommend the following sources since they helped me learn it as well:===============================================
The WITA map and rules overview from the UK Diplomacy Archive
An introductory WITA strategy article from BrotherBored, legendary Diplomacy player and blogger
If you're newer to Diplomacy and need to learn the underlying rules of the game, check out the official Diplomacy rulebook; however, I should warn that this variant is not recommended for beginner-level players due to its complexity. Please only sign up if you're already familiar with Diplomacy or willing to learn VERY quickly.
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Important Notes:
- Please follow all Smogon and Circus Maximus forum rules, both here and in the Discord.
- The game will use the War in the Americas variant map made for ten players.
- Powers will be assigned to players at random after the sign-up period.
- Private communication is key to success in Diplomacy, but I want to keep it centralized in one place for a better postgame (and maybe spectator) experience. Therefore, joining the game Discord is mandatory for players: https://discord.gg/mRMXhShstB. There will still be a game thread where players will also be free to post.
- Orders should be given to me privately on Smogon or Discord before each specified deadline. If you fail to do this, it will be treated as an NMR (No Messages Received) and all of your units will hold in place.
- Spring and Fall order phases will last for 72 hours each after the previous results have been posted in the game thread. Retreat and build phases will last for 24 hours each. Deadlines will not be extended to accommodate late order submissions, but the game may be paused for a certain period if at least 2/3 of Powers vote for it.
- If you submit orders that are invalid/impossible somehow (for example, if you ordered an army from Bogota to Chicago for some reason), I will point this out and give you an opportunity to correct it or keep it as is. Invalid orders will be treated as if no order was given at all. Also, why would you ever want to go to Chicago?
- If you miss multiple phases of orders in a row, I will sub you out or find you a partner to help you finish the game.
- You are not allowed to screenshot OR copy-paste chat logs for use in the game. If I catch someone doing this, they will be warned and then subbed out if it happens again.
- Above all, PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH THE HOST DURING THIS GAME. In the last game I used a polished, purpose-built application (Backstabbr) to easily process orders and adjudicate the game in line with the rules. However, no major Diplo site supports WITA sandboxes, so I am forced to manually edit the locations of every unit in each phase via MS Paint, and I will also have no help with properly resolving orders. As a result of this, mistakes will happen. Please point it out when I mishandle something, and I will correct errors as they come.
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Deviations/clarifications from the standard rulebook:
- In addition to the standard spring, fall and winter phases, each phase will also have a one-hour "twilight" period after each deadline that I will use to resolve orders and update the board. Powers may not submit new orders during these periods.
- Rather than the standard "rulebook press" system, in which negotiations between players are not allowed during builds and retreat phases, negotiations will always be allowed regardless of the phase. I've made this change after feedback from our previous game, where players took issue with the restrictions of rulebook press. However, negotiations will still be prohibited if the game is paused due to a vote.
- If a Power wishes to end the game in a draw, that player must propose a draw vote that outlines which Powers will be included as draw partners; draws do not have to include all Powers that are still in the game when the draw is proposed. However, all surviving powers must agree to the draw proposal for it to end the game, even if the proposal does not include them as a partner. In addition, the Powers included in a draw must have enough combined supply centers for a solo victory if they were held by one Power (24 in this case). Again, this change comes after feedback from the previous game, which turned into a grisly display of what can happen when draws are forced to include all survivors. Draw votes will be conducted by secret ballot.
- Once a Power is eliminated from the game (defined by their supply center count reaching zero at the end of an in-game year), the player(s) from that Power are no longer allowed to influence the game via private negotiation channels; their access to them on the Discord will be revoked and their Power-specific channels will be locked. I meant to enforce this in the previous game, but was unable to do so because LonelyNess is a horse-kissing rules lawyer /s
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Sign-Up Information
Signing up is simple: just post a reply saying "in" or "sub"! Priority will be given to people who didn't get a chance to play in the last game, but aside from that it's first come, first served. I will also accept subs at any time because we may end up needing them. I will not be filling a second board even if we get 20 people, because GMing one board by hand will already be a form of torture as is.
Last game, I tried to implement a "hydra" system that allowed multiple players to share the same slot in the game and act as one. This had some limited success, but it also opened things up to players who simply left everything for their partner to do and barely bothered to engage with the game directly. As a result, I will not be using the system again for this game.
PLAYERS:
sunny004
a fairy
apricity
- Lechen
- Aura Guardian
- Dead by Daylight
- meamPearl
- pulsar512b
- bluedoom
- M2H
- askaninjask
- JALMONT
- ImaginaryNeon
sunny004
a fairy
apricity
genisu
The game will begin a week from the posting of this thread on July 11th or when signups fill, whichever comes second.
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