It's like offering to drive someone to the airport without a car. Or lawyering a case without talking to your defendant. Or getting married without meeting the spouse. Or firing a drone without knowing the target. Or jumping off a plane without checking for the parachute.

If you want to play without talking, play gunboat. If you want to play a full press game, you should be talking like one of those kids toys that drive parents crazy.

@TrPrado - Yeah, I try to talk to everyone, or at least my immediate neighbors.

This isn't really specific, just a general problem that I encounter sometimes.

I'm confused about why this annoys people. If *you* don't ready up, then the turn won't progress. And you can still talk to them before the turn progresses - it's not like their orders are final.

Some people are impatient. Some people have one opening for certain countries. I basically never ready up - but I'm not going to hold readying up "too early" against someone.

@ATC - I know, but I just take issue with my immediate neighbors not talking to me, and readying up is a signal that they've done all the talking they want. If I'm Turkey and Russia doesn't want to talk to me (random example, I can't recall that exact situation happening) that's terribly frustrating.

Hmm. Readying up in my case means "Unless you've got something to say, I'm not going to hold the game up." In some cases this is because we're playing across timezones, so it gives the game a chance to progress. But at times I've been in over 10 games and all those 'Not Ready' banners drive me nuts. Also talking, not talking is a tactic in its own right.

@Chumbles - That's completely correct and I agree...

...if it's in mid-game. But on the first turn, "not talking" to a neighbor is as much of a tactic as playing soccer without a goalkeeper is a tactic, and holding the game up isn't a primary concern as much as feeling out the other players and the overall environment of the game.

True, Leinad, the first turn is a special case - I've often thought that perhaps a change to the phasing should be a double-length Pre-Spring 01 Dip phase as that is the most critical Dip phase. But your main beef while annoying, should give you a gift of a target - change your strategy and get them out of the game. Play the people, not the country!

The reason I dislike people readying in 01 without sending press is two-fold:

1) it means that person took the time to log on, took the time to set some orders, and then vanish. It means I play no importance whatsoever to the decision-making process. It means that if they DID send press, it certainly wasn't me, which means I'm inconsequential. Each country has a variety of openings. That player has already only considered one of them, and if I'm their neighbor, then it means they already have a default which could mean the default is "attack my country" for example: if I'm Austria and Italy readies orders without sending me press, it could mean his default is to attack Austria anytime he draws italy. If it is, and he eventually does send me press, my press won't likely sway his decision if he has received press from Russia offering to open up anti-Austrian.

2) it means the player is wholly content with the orders they have submitted without sending press in the event he goes to bed and everyone else around him also readies orders and the phase progresses. Readying orders screams "I'm fine with the phase rolling-over, I've done all I care to accomplish".

I'd say that in about 25-30% of phases, there's still someone I'm talking to, waiting press from, etc within the last hour. Sometimes, I have to ponder a situation a while longer and am toying with the orders I want to submit. Finally, I like the predictability that comes with when a phase ends. I don't want F01 to end at 3 a.m., S02 to end at 4 p.m. and F02 to end at 11 p.m. It's nice to know precisely what time a phase ends.

Sometimes I'm in games that end at 5 in the morning which allows me to wake up at 4, check for press, send or change any details, get ready for work and check when the phase rolls over.

Having a predictable ending time allows me to maintain a schedule and fit the game to it.

I'd "+1" that ^^^ but there is no way in hell I'm waking up at 4am just to check some press...

Lemme guess. They're playing England and you're playing France? ;) (don't answer that)

Maybe it's a mind game, maybe it's efficiency, could be anything. Roll with it.

I get what you're saying because it happens to everyone but you cats just sound like scorned women who are angry that something didn't happen as you anticipated. It's likely the person you're talking about is new to the game or that his plans don't involve your assistance or more likely, that you're his target. You are his neighbor after all.

Attack the person being shady: problem solved.

If anyone thinks not sending press to your neighbor in 1901, even if your neighbor is the mark, is smart. Please never play with me.

It's probably because the save and ready buttons are so.close together.

@steephie no way

Some players don't use the save button, ever.

But it could be they decided that you are their enemy or can be safely ignored without needing to change orders.

I think steephie is onto something. Maybe we should change the Ready button so that when you click it, it instead stores your orders until the phase goes through. That way, we can have a Save button that saves your orders and a Store button that stores them.

We could always put the Ready button on another page.

@Jeff - No specific case, just a general problem that I've encountered. I do roll with it, but that doesn't mean I'm not irritated.

@MyxIsMe - I take no issue with your use of the term "cat," but I'm confused by the "scorned women" bit. Are men not allowed to be "scorned?" Do some people, in your case women, not sometimes have the right to feel that way?

But this is a thread about Diplomacy, so I guess I should take off my "complain about casual misogyny" glasses.

Most likely it is, indeed, a new player. In which case they probably would be an easy target, so attacking them would be a good plan. A good player would still talk to their neighbors, even if their plan is to attack them, because they know that not talking at all is a bright red "attack me" flag.

There, in fact, is no sane reason to not talk to a vital neighbor before the first turn. It does nothing but raising suspicion, and it doesn't give you the benefits of talking: securing DMZs/bounces, forging alliances, and gaining information.

From Leinad: "A good player would still talk to their neighbors, even if their plan is to attack them, because they know that not talking at all is a bright red "attack me" flag."

Agreed. Essentially, not at least sending a quick note is an invitation to attack. I don't find it particularly gauche or annoying, just unwise. Also, you are more likely to get stable and profitable alliances if you talk to people at some length and show that you have their interests in mind as well as your own. Finally, a fair amount of early-turn talking can put interesting players that you might want to seek out again on your radar, even if the the game in question ends early for you.

Indeed.

I think that another reason it's important to talk to others, because, psychologically, it's easier to stab someone when they've only typed one or two sentences, if that much, your way.