1. The Professors for this game are Babak, rdrivera2005, and TheWizard. They are expected to post a lecture approximately twice every game year as well as to answer questions posed in the thread. If you want, the three of you can work out a system amongst yourself to stagger your posts by season or by day of the week. If you know that you'll be out for a bit and can't post for a while, let me know and I'll do a guest lecture for you.
2. NOBODY but the three professors is to post any commentary. However, anybody may ask any relevant question, even extremely leading questions.
3. Nobody who is playing in the game or advising somebody in the game is to post in this thread while the game is active. However, once the game is over, End of Game statements from the TAs and students are encouraged.

First of all I want to thank Peter for the invitaion to be a professor at this game and for the hard work making it happen. Also thanks to all the students, TAs, professors and advisors for helping this year edition of SoW to start.

I think as a professor I have the right (or obligation) to give some lecture for the students at start so I want to at least give some points for them to think about and maybe put in practice on this game. I will organize in a list, like some checkpoints for this and for other games. Feel free to ask for further explanations on these ideas or to criticize it or tell it´s just bullshit or that my English is terribly poor, lol.

Number 1 - Write, write and write again. I know this have been said over and over but it´s not bad to say once more. This game is diplomacy, not strategy, nor tactics or luck. So, if you don´t like or are to lazy to write to the other players consider playing only gunboats or even better: go play Risk.
Of course you don´t need to write a letter to all other players on each turn, neither flood the inbox of your allies or the global (unless you are obiwan^2). But you should keep a communication flow with every other player, even the ones on the other side of the board ( Have you ever heard that proverb: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"). Keep talking with your allies and with the ones that you are attacking and with the ones that are attacking you, maybe at some point they will hear the voice of reason and give you all their centers :-)
Also, most people don´t like to outright lie if it´s not needed, so if you ask a question about what is going on or about his views on the board it´s really likely you will get some interesting information or at least will have more insight about that player reasoning. This lead to the second point.

Number 2 - Always look at the big picture. This is one of the common mistakes for the new players. You as England are soo absorbed crushing Germany that you didn´t see a Jugg coming until you are wipped out (ok, this is a bit of exaggeration but I want to make clear this point). So, always look around all the board trying to understand what is happening and discover what is going to happen next. Of course, you can´t plan for some turns ahead like chess, as diplomacy is dinamic, but not even considering the future is a bright path to tragedy (I am poetic today).
Also, when the game advances to the middle game (around 1904/1905) and if you are
still on the game you should try to find your path on the game (ask yourself: I can win? How I will grab my 18 dots? If you can´t win, it´s time to try findind a safe way to be in a draw or in the worst case a survive, I will not advance on that as this is a bit polemical).

Number 3 - Manage to control your anger, your pride and your guilt. Sometimes you write a lot, plan Well, look the big picture and still got screwed. For example: you got Russia and on 1901 England, Germany, Austria and Turkey attack you. Or your ally screw your best plan to take three centers on a year by misordering a support or NMRing. Or your long term ally stabs you for a one center gain. Or ever. Your first reaction is write on spite and tell them how you met their mother in the red district and what you did with her or start an endless whining about how you have been cruelly betrayed. Don´t do it!!!
Count to ten and act like a man (or woman). Go back to the first two itens. Send messages to everybody. Look the options you have, make another briliant plan, beg for mercy and offer to be someones puppet in exchange to survive, lie to everyone telling you hate the other and will help him solo just on spite and if the chance come, stab him too. In short, don´t let your feelings harm your play.
Also, don´t let guilt block you to advance on the game. If a good ally give you the chance to stab for the solo, stab for the solo, you are giving him a lesson that is far better then the game result. And this lead to my number 4.

Number 4 - Learn with your mistakes. If you got stabbed try to understand why this happened. Avoid just blaming that idiot, asshole, shithead that stabbed you and try to identify how you could have prevented it, look for the signals that your alliance is falling. Also, after the game look for the points where you could have acted diferently both diplomatically and tactically. Write EOGs (this should be mandatory for SoW) and ask the other players to write too, so you can understand what they are thinking and learn what you SHOULD or SHOULDN´T have done. Ask the other players after the game (via PM) about why he did or didn´t do some moves or why you were unable to convince him to do something. If you understand why you lose or didn´t win is more likely you won´t make the same mistakes again.

And Number 5 and most important - Have fun and remember it´s just a game.

Let the battle begins.

Good morning, class, ;)

Thanks to Prof. rdrivera for the opening remarks. I wholeheartedly agree with all of them. Starting from the acknowledgements to the last suggestion. And just to hammer home that point, let me just assure you how important his suggestion number 1 is… Even the best strategist is easily outplayed by even just two of his neighbours ganging up on him/her if he doesn’t receive support. So make sure you have allies on the board, and there is no other way to do that than talk!

One thing, I might add to the above suggestions is that you familiarize yourself with the textbook of the course, the diplomatic pouch: http://www.diplom.org/index.py

Just as on example for all the useful things to be found in there, let me point out the example of stalemate positions. Familiarize yourself with them, they do come in handy throughout the game, and especially in mid- and endgame. If you want to win you need to get a unit across the 17-17 stalemate line spanning from StP to MaO, and knowledge of the big and small stalemate lines is useful to stop a powerful alliance advancing and can also be used as a diplomatic means.

Another thing I would like to add to Prof. rdrivera’s comments is that you need to stay flexible. Alliances may and will shift during the course of a game, your best ally may stab you and a former enemy might suddenly become your best friend. This has happened numerous times in many games and the ability to adapt to the dynamics of the board is key to survival and victory. As Prof. rdrivera said, look at the big picture and don’t let emotions take over, rather try to make other players become emotional.

Also, always try to anticipate moves from other players. The better you get at this the better you can react or even act to prevent the terrible thing they were planning to do to you to happen. On a related note, don’t hope for players to make move that would be good for you, plan with the more realistic one. Most likely your vict…allies are capable of assessing their own moves and the effects they might have and will not do the move that is beneficial to you but to themselves. Finally, assume that your opponents deserve the GR of MadMarx and possess the diplomatic finesse of Edi Birsan and take the surprises that some don’t as a welcome gift… not the other way round.

And of course, never NMR and enjoy every game!

I want to start off by thanking our Dean, peterwiggins for putting together this semester of School of War. It is a very difficult and time-consuming job and it is often a thankless one. Thank you Dean pw for your leadership.

I want to also thank my fellow professors, TheWizard and rdrivera2005 and look forward to teaching this course alongside these two accomplished and intelligent Dip players, you students are in for a treat.

My thanks also extend to the full advising staff and our two TAs for this first class. It will be a delight and wonderful experience for all the students, both in this class as well as all those auditing this class with them on this thread.

Last but not least, I look forward to seeing our new students learn, grow, and thrive both in this game and in this community, so my best wishes extend to you all as well.

All of that said, I am very thankful for the wonderful commentary provided already above in this pre-game phase... I can only say that I agree with the knowledge my fellow professors have imparted, and I hope you all take these lessons to heart.

The website that TheWizard provided is an amazing resource... and if I may, I'll point you to this link in particular:

http://www.diplom.org/~diparch/resources/strategy.htm

I used this site and these links extensively in my early days... to learn about how to start strong but also as the game progressed to learn what can be expected. There are a LOT of amazing resources out there, specially in the age of the internet - so go forth and do some independent study once your country has been assigned.

in this pre-game phase, I will add two quick notes to the great points mentioned above.

1 - if you have the time, visit your adversary's past games. Though I no longer do this in my current games (well, mostly because I play anon games) in my earlier games on this site I did this regularly. Sometimes you can glean some great information about how your opponents are inclined to play. Do they tend to make strong opening moves? do they tend to stab allies earlier in the game or much further into the play? are they particularly strong with the country they are assigned in this game? what is their message/game ratio?

Now obviously I would not suggest that you make hard and fast judgements about your opponents, but sometimes you can learn some very useful information from this research that can be helpful to you in your negotiations as well as in your strategic planning with your allies and enemies. If you see a player that has a tendency for picking an early enemy, try to make sure that in your 1901 negotiations you are not THAT unfortunate neighbor. If you notice someone tends to stab in the mid-game (1904-6 timeframe) then you should position yourself to profit from such an eventuality.

What you will note is that the better players will not have these predictable modes of behavior, but with those in the lower to medium level of experience, sometimes these patterns will jump out at you.

I do want to reiterate - it is important that you don't box yourself in by passing a quick judgment and thus making decisions in-game only based on these judgments.

2) the second point I want to make is to reinforce and reiterate the points both other professors made: Diplomacy is KEY in this game. as you start off in 1901, make sure that you reach out to every other player. Often, for newer players, this can be a challenge as you don't know how to approach a player on the other side of the board. One diplomatic strategy I like to use is to acknowledge that reality in my initial messages... to note that he and I may not have much to talk about yet as both of us are trying to figure out how to interact with our neighbors, but that I would like to build a relationship of trust with them in order to build a more lasting alliance.

Try to put yourself in their shoes from the start... what would you want to hear if you were them. how would you like to be treated by the various countries if you were there... acknowledge the issues you two are likely to have and indicate your interest in solving them in a mutually agreeable manner. These early interactions may well define your mid-game relationships.


Anyways... I look forward to engaging with you all during this semester, and once more I extend my thanks to all the staff and to the Dean, and wish the best wishes for our students and TAs.


meanwhile, to our auditing students who are following along in this thread... be sure to ask questions. What are the questions that haunt you at the start of every game. What are the issues you struggle with before you even start a game? are there specific countries and openings that you are curious about? this might be the best time to ask your questions so that the professors can provide you answers before this actual game gets underway.

best of luck all.

I would like to start the question-flood right away. As a very new player I'm not familiar with the abbreviations. I've learned some of them during the games I've played but not all.

Professor rdrivera adviced to "Write EOGs". What does EOG stand for in this case?
Professor Wizard told to "never NMR". What does NMR stand for in this case?

I spotted the School of War thread too late to join (and apart of that, my GR isn't enough high & I haven't played enough games to be accepted to a student). Anyway, I will be following the games and hopefully I learn somehting.

So far I've learned few things during the gameplay that the intro at this website doesn't tell straightly to new players (I think it should!): Two units can't change places between each other unless convoy is used. You can't support hold a unit if it tries to move even if the move fails.

EOG = End Of Game statements/commentaries (sometimes called AARs, After Action Reports). They give a commentary on how you saw the game from your viewpoint, comments upon what worked/didn't work and basically explain the game.
NMR = No Moves Received (sometimes NOR, No Orders Received) which means that a player didn't submit orders. When it says DON'T NMR it means never miss inputting orders.

Question. Can I inquire about the English opening called the "Northern opening, Clyde variant" It says on diplo that the moves are the following:F Edi-NWG F Lon-NTH A Lvp-Cly.
I am very curious how this can be helpful in any way.

You don't really threaten to put an army onto the mainland which Germany or France or both may appreciate.

but why Clyde? Why not hold or send the unit to Wales (there is no fleet in Chunnel) where you can access it quicker if needed?

but from clyde it can go to norway.

I know I'm not supposed to post here, can I get my advisor's name?

so basically its just England babying Germany and/or France. interesting... thank you

when, and how, someone should stab? i mean, i know that to stab for 1 center should not be done...
in other words, how can we determine if a stab is effective? how can we define the "effective stab"?

there is definitly that voice inside of you that says "good job, that SOB deserved to die"
but I can give no legit definition

Two questions:

What conditions do you think England should ensure to warrant a first turn stab to English Channel?

What conditions do you think Italy should ensure to warrant a first turn stab of Austria?

@mongoose: as lando said. Usually though I prefer edi to nwy. That leaves more options and even enables an emergency convoy to lon if needed.

@wolf: hard to answer. And you'll probably get a different answer from most people. In my opinion, to give you a major advantage in the game, I.e. make your solo much more likely.

@uclabb: if you think france would move there, or if you are sure of germany attacking france.
Italy: if you think austria is an idiot. Any competent austria can strike back and by the end of 1902 you are in bad shape.

On my phone now hence the short answers. If anyone wants me to elaborate I will later.

Followup question for Italy attacking Austria. As of present, I'm aware of four effective means of attacking Austria as Italy:

(1) Obrieni Attack (Rom -> Ven -> Tyl, then support oneself to Tri or attack Vie and Tri)
(2) Bohemian Crusher (Rom -> Ven -> Tyl, then Ven -> Tyl -> Boh, build A Ven and attack in 1902)
(3) Austrian Attack (Rom -> Ven -> Tri)
(4) Stab Lepanto (run standard Lepanto, then convoy to Alb/Gre and get into Adriatic by 1902)

Which of these do our dearest professors feel gives you the best chance against a competent Austria?

@mongoose: let the professors answer the questions please =)
@UOSnu: after the game starts. If it's already started, then I'll do it before I go to sleep tonight.

http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=46549

...Oh wow. I'm sorry. This is not the live games thread.

And so it begins...

With Agent K as Turkey and Draugnar as Italy, do you think that the game will be better or worse than if they were nations not in direct conflict with each other?

About England moving to the channel: I think you should do that only if you really not trust France or trust a lot on Germany. Generally, an English fleet on EC in 1901 is not that bad to France as a France fleet on EC to England, as that fleet could go for Bel in the Fall and also France can usually defend from that and still go for 2 builds unless Par have gone to Bur. Also, this usually means a good relationship with Russia and some deal about the north, as you will probably have to face a really angry France. In short I will only go for that opening if you really suspect France is coming your way as this limits your possibilities and also weakens the position on Scandanavia.

About Itally attacking Austria: I know a lot of people will not agree with me, but I think the best attack is not attack at all in 1901. Unless Turkey is a complete moroon he will offer a deal to Autria and you will be hammered on 1902. If you have a strong deal with Russia and he also attack Austria on the sight it could work, but in this case Russia will probably get the most of it. Also, France could think it´s a good moment to sail East and Turkey to sail West when you start building armies instead of the much needed fleets. So, think twice before moving after Austria in 1901. I like to think Italy is the power you have to do the most subtle diplomacy, keeping alive on the beginning and preparing the ground for the future expansion..

But both advices are just general guidelines, each game is unique and the diplomacy on it is by far most important than any book tactics or advice.

And the game starts, it will be interesting to see how the TAs will deal with the traditional Italy/Turkey dilemma. I would expect some non-obvious opening on this game, but probably it´s just me trying to put some spice on it.
Good game to all players and please don´t forget to take some notes to write a great EOG (End of Game Statements) in the end.

@goldfinger0303 - I don´t thinks it´s better if TAs take nation not directly in conflict or not, but this could lead to different game dinamics, of course.

I like the fact that a TA take Italy, as this is one country that is usually considered dificult to play and a more experienced player could show some interesting gameplay for Italy. And about AgentK and Turkey it´s a fact it could be more interesting to see him as a power with more options (at least at start), but on the other hand he could show how you can make use of diplomacy and interfere in all the board even being stuck in a corner....

This will be a fun game and don't read anything into Agent K and I being the TAs. Beyond my "respecting" his obvious skill, there won't be any metagaming on my part. It's a game and I don't take anything from the forums into games.

@Draugnar: I appreciate the thought, but you're not supposed to post in this thread.

Everybody else: keep up the good discussion. It will get even better once there are actual moves to consider!

I'm only posting now to say my posting before was just to reassure everyone there would be no metagaming. No strategy discussion and not interested in corrupting the game in any way. This is my last post in this thread. I promise.

A question for the professors:
In Spring 1901 (and in general), is it better to be the one who initiates discussion, who opens the pressing, or to let other people press you first so that you can better react to the atmosphere?

I will first answer to Peter´s question.
I don´t think in a high level game it makes much difference if you initiate the discussion or wait a little bit to sense the board, it depends more on your style of play. But sometimes when playing with new players or not that skilled ones initiating the conversations could be key. For example, if you as France convince Germany to go for a Sealion, discuss all the moves for the first years and create a strong trust (or affinity) between you, I guess a late England will be in deep trouble.
So, to give you a final answer, when I don´t know with who I am playing I would rather start the discussion at least to have this first impact. But this is just my two cents;