I thought I had made that pretty clear that it was just a few of mine that did...3/56

I worry that 48 hour phases are just much too long. 48 hour phases = 10 days/ game year, which leads to fatigue. Like MM said, it isn't all that fun to play the same game for six months (one of these games through 1918). I'll play either way, but i do think that we should remember that the reason why many games end in 1908 or 1910 isn't just because of this supposed perverse three way draw incentive- it is mainly just because of fatigue from playing the same game for a long time.

Agree with uclabb... 1 day 12 hours is a completely reasonable phase length.

I think Lando said it before, but 48 just makes it easier for the occasional day or weekend where you just can't put time into the game. Especially with such high quality players, I'd struggle to keep up on some weekend.

That is a valid point as well.

Perhaps it could be 48 but with a policy to finalize builds/retreats if possible.

@Yonni- I have to admit, I don't really get what you are saying- Surely having longer turns just gives you more time to fall behind on the weekends. It's not like high quality players run out of things to say.

I find that there's a smaller chance that, in 48hrs, I'll have no time to exchange press than in 36hrs. Makes sense, no?

It makes sense. It also is a tautology- If you have more time to send press you will have more time to send press. If there are those who find that they are too time pressed in 36 hour games in order to be effective, then I fully respect that, and, like I said before, I am playing no matter what (the first tournament had 50 hour turns after all). My points were just, first, that longer phases inevitably leads to fatigue and more boring end games (and it seems to me the whole goal of the tournament is to not have boring games) and second, that longer phases aren't a cure-all for those who don't log on as frequently: In fact, it often is worse as it gives those who log on more frequently time to completely flesh out a plan/alliance. For example, I know that in the game that you and I played with Lando recently, Lando was basically dead on arrival because you, THM, and I had already been talking for so long.

Uclabb does have a point, though I feel the need to disagree with him just because he brought back traumatic memories by citing that game.

Yeah. I'm fine either way of course. I'm just talking about my schedule personally. Obviously it works differently for different people.

I'm fine either way, but uclabb makes a very good point. I'll add that apart from boredom and predictability longer phases also means you have to compete with people willing to invest 10 hours writing press on each turn...

Btw, has the idea to limit the amount of press one could send each turn ever been discussed?

Like 140 characters per message?

You consider a tweet a long thing? :)

I've had people write me pages, a couple of times per phase, almost every phase - and I'd assume they're doing it with the others also. My goal would be, if we're measuring it in characters, to avoid 5-digit numbers.

I usually send several hundred messages a game :/

Perhaps there is an argument to start every game in a special state of pause where messages can be written and sent but not read until all players have pressed unpause. That way each player will read every other player's opening message to them at the same time.

One for the future, perhaps?

I think 48 hours works when you have people a) in different time zones / continents; b) who work, and therefore can't access webdip during the day; and c) who negotiate and discuss.

I have played 36, but I find it can be hard to get a comment/response/refine/agree loop in that time, unless you are online at the same time

Do we have any idea when this will start?

What would be the best, IMHO. Is the option to have 24hr build/retreat phases and 48 diplomacy phases. Quick! To the feature suggestion thread.

I'm waiting for a few sitter volunteers to get back to me. We have two players who would require sitting for the first week or two.

@Yonni - two days feels long when every build/retreat is also two days, BUT, it is true some of those can be complicated, too... truth be told, with full press, the expectation should be 2 days each turn, and just prepare for that... Hopefully people will ready moves whenever they can...

@Goldfinger: If you count me as one of the players that would need a sitter for the first week because I can only start the 18th, I'd prefer to step out of the tourney for one game rather than being sitted for the first week.

I have nothing against being sitted by someone, but my problem lies in the fact that the first years are often huge in amount of how you develop your interactions with your fellow nieghbours and how you will position on the map based on game dynamics and alliances and such. I find that a sitter has more uses when the game has already its dynamics developped and the sitter can take over where the original player has left its game. For those reasons, if you had myself in your thoughts regardings sitters, I'd prefer to step out. If it wasn't about me, than everything's good! = )

@slyster - I was going to launch your two games at the same time, if that's alright. Uclabb needs the sitter until march, I believe.

And it will be 48 hour phases, with the expectation that players will ready when practical.

To be clear, this is where we're sitting at the moment. I just have to ask the maybes if they're in or out.

MadMarx - GR 1
TheWizard - GR 2
slyster - GR 5
LanGaidin - GR 6
The Hanged Man - GR 7
Tom Bombadil - GR 9
Yonni - GR 10
WarLegend - GR 11
uclabb - GR 14 (sitter needed until March)
Tusky McMammoth - GR 15
C-K - GR 16
ghug - GR 17
Ivo_ivanov - All-time 17
rdrivera2005 - GR 18
gantz - GR 19
goldfinger0303 - GR 24 (dec)
Your Humble Narrator - GR 27
StackelbergFollower - GR 28
Lando - GR 33
sereginss - GR 35 (overall, dec.)(peak WTA GR would put him at 75 this month)
KyleFC - GR 36
bo_sox - GR 41
allanxo - GR 46
mdrltc - GR 48
josunice - (NL - peak would put him around 50)
mscott - GR 57
Imhotep - GR 58
rhydon - GR (NL - 59 overall)
Pete U - GR 63
L1Star - GR 64
KingRishard - GR 70 (dec)
ckroberts - GR 73
hellalt - GR 75
qtlp - All-time 82 (GR 346 currently)
Mapu - GR 87
drano - GR 95 (all-time)
jacobcfries - 104
Socrates Dissatisfied - GR 105
Gen. Lee - GR 121
Leif_Syverson - (NL - peak would put him at about 142)
erik8asandwich - GR 166 (overall)
captainmeme - NL
Devonian -NL
sweetwatersam - GR 176
LakersFan - GR 221
podium - GR 411
NigeeBaby - GR 594
shudda - NL

maybe:

Cachimbo - GR 12
jmo - GR (NL - 12 overall)
EightFoldWay - GR 36 (dec)
Hellenic Riot - GR 90 (dec)

Sitters (available whenever a player needs it and a pause is not feasible)

martinck1 - GR 4
Octavious - GR 26
Indybroughton - GR (NL - 34 overall)
MKECharlie - GR 151 all-time

Ok, thanks GF!

I'll Sign up as a sub if you need one, my current GR is 355th-all time is 222.

That's quite a list

Cachimbo and martinck1 won't be available, and I don't think jmo will be joining us either. achilles, you're in.

Well-that went better then I expected! Sounds good to me!

So-I'm a sub? Or am I in the actual Masters?
I'm fine wih both, but I must say I'd enjoy playing in the Masters and I'd like to know for sure what I am going to be in this tournament.