Messages - webDiplomacy

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17 Nov 12 UTC	Spring, 1: Greetings kids. We're going to play this while explaining stuff as we go along, as this is the first game for three of you. This game is all friends - I think this is right (correct me if I'm wrong): Lovejaam - Andy timbrown2002 - Tim peacetaker - Venetia (nice pun) Don't Look Now - Clare gnuvag - me I'll try to put down a few basics here to get us going. Each phase lasts a maximum of 24 hours. This means you have 24 hours to negotiate with other players, decide on your orders, then submit them and click ready. If everyone clicks ready before the 24 hours is up, the game will progress to the next 24 hour phase. Each year has two seasons, Spring and Autumn. After the each season, if required, there is a retreats phase where units that have been defeated have to retreat or disband (i.e. be destroyed). After the Autumn phase there is a builds phase, where you create new units if you have acquired new supply centres. At the start of the game, it seems like the best strategy is to (a) make at least one alliance, preferably more and (b) try to get a couple of new supply centres as quickly as possible. The more supply centres you own, the more units you can build, so this is key to success. Equally key to success is negotiating with other players - it's virtually impossible to win a game on your own. Roughly speaking, each unit has the same strength, and can move to one neighbouring territory in each turn, with the exception of convoys, where you can transport an army over the sea via one or more fleets. The important moves are called supports - either support hold or support move. This allows you to add to the strength of one unit to either make it defensively stronger or offensively stronger. Rather than explain it here, you should look in the rules for how supports work. In order to gain control of a supply centre, you have to occupy that territory at the end of the Autumn phase - note that if you're in the territory in Spring, then move out, you won't gain control of it and you won't build a new unit. You can only build new units (your choice of fleet or army) in your home support centres (i.e. the ones you start with). So it's important that you hang on to them, but the territory must also be vacant to build a unit there. Fleets can occupy sea territories or territories with a coastline, armies obviously only on land. You should also check about supporting moves between armies and fleets - for example a fleet can't support an army into a territory without a coastline, but I think it can support it into a territory with a coastline. Not completely sure about that yet. The objective is to win outright by gaining control of 18 support centres, but the game can also be agreed as a draw between two or more players. You can make any plans you like with other players, and obviously you can tell the truth or lie as much as you like. At some point you will have to break an alliance to win the game (if they don't break it first). I would suggest the first thing you should do now is private chat with one or more other countries to make some alliances, then submit your orders for the first move. Oh yeah, another thing I forgot - if two units (or equally supported units) try to move into the same vacant territory, neither will move in. Another thing - if you make your orders and click save, that means they will be executed when the 24-hour period is up. However if you click ready, that means they will be executed when everyone else clicks ready - this is obviously preferable, as it makes for a quicker game. The 24-hour period is there to allow you to negotiate and change your mind about orders. Another useful thing is to understand the symbols on each game summary - for example on your homepage. The symbols by your name mean the following: Dash (-) - you have no orders to fulfil for this phase Exclamation marks (!!) - you have orders to fulfil, and you haven't submitted any Grey tick - you've saved your orders, but haven't clicked ready Green tick - you've saved your orders and have clicked ready A mail icon by the name of a different country indicates you have a message from that country. You can use the controls underneath the map to move back or forward through the phases to see what has happened.
18 Nov 12 UTC	Spring, 1: I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing - what could possibly go wrong!!
18 Nov 12 UTC	Spring, 1: I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing - what could possibly go wrong!!
18 Nov 12 UTC	Spring, 1: Did you read all the blurb above? Make some alliances with other countries and try to take over some new supply centres!
18 Nov 12 UTC	Spring, 1: Hello! What I want to know is - if i click 'move' will it move me out of the country I'm already in - or just move some of my army into the neighbouring country?
18 Nov 12 UTC	Autumn, 1: A move command will move the unit you instruct to move to the country you tell it to move to. so yes, it will leave the country you move from empty.
19 Nov 12 UTC	Autumn, 1: Looks like we've lost Carthage, so their units are there for the taking...
06 Dec 12 UTC	Spring, 6: Who changed the time of the game!! I missed a turn. That's so not fair. I got home at 2am last night and decided not to log in etc as I would be home in time this evening to take my turn before 8pm.
06 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 6: The times can change - even though it's a 24 hour phase. If everyone makes their moves and says they are ready then the next move starts, with another 24 hour cycle.
06 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 6: Given Carthege left, Italy missed a move, I"m stuck in stalemate... surely we should all vote for a draw and start a new game? This one is dullsville...
07 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 6: One good thing to do if you don't have a lot of time is very quickly make your moves and save them, but don't click ready. That way you know that you've made some moves even if you don't get a chance to change them before the deadline comes round. It is difficult to keep track of the game cycles (especially if you're playing a few games simultaneously)!
07 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 6: As for the game, personally I don't think it's ready for a draw yet - I think there's value in playing on for at least a few more turns to see if anyone (or two) can gain an advantage.
13 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 8: Clearly no advantage, time for a draw?
13 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 8: Ha. Don't be silly, you're going to die a long and painful death.
13 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 8: As if...
14 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 8: Them's fightin' words.
14 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 8: Play nice children! No-one is going to die a long and painful death!
14 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 8: Except Persia...
17 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 9: Evening all. I have a potential problem coming up - flying to Italy this Thursday (in real life, rather than in this game) and will therefore be with very sporadic (i.e. virtually no) internet access for a week or so. I'd like to carry on with this game, so would everyone be happy to pause it for a week or so starting from Wednesday?
17 Dec 12 UTC	Autumn, 9: Or maybe we all just call it a draw?