What day are we due for the unpause?

Sometime soon I hope. I think either early next week or early next decade. Someone once said it would be 14 days or 14 years, I forget which.

Haha!

I have to say... I've kinda lost interest. And I know that my going stupid for a phase, and the position that ensued, are somewhat responsible for my interest dwindling down. But still: so many pauses... (some my own fault, I know)

The games should be started up again asap for just that reason

As the two week pause period for this game has also past, I ask the players to immediately vote unpause so we can get going again.

Ya, I think a 2-week pause was pretty excessive. A sitter would have been a bit better or simply subbing out for the alternate student.

Agreed, considering there are over 16 people involved in this game having a two week pause for one person is a little much.

My apologies. As dean I should have subbed out the person instead of allowing it. Its my first go at running anything on webdip, so its a learning experience for me too i guess!

Apologies for another violation of the thread rules ... I don't think it is your fault, goldfinger. The demand for a pause came out of the blue if I remember correctly and was granted within half a day or even less. Which brings me to my next point, I can only play for another 4 -5 weeks and then I'm moving house. I have no idea how and when I will be able to play webdiplomacy again after the move, but all in all I'd say not less than two weeks. So, there is still some time to organise things, but I suppose it would be better to have a sub or a sitter ready and not another prolonged pause.

I already have a sub waiting, thank you Pepjin

Don't worry Pepijn, my forces will surely have swept west by then.

To go along with the theme of this game. I will be gone from Friday until the end of the month. I will have internet access. However, unlike I do now, I won't be sitting at my computer all day so I ask TAs and students to be patient with my replies. I'm sure I'll be able to get to the computer enough as to not disrupt the game but please don't interpret my decrease in messaging to be a lack of interest in the game.

Well, yes, that is true, Yonni! The purple storm is rising!

"please don't interpret my decrease in messaging to be a lack of interest in the game."

Feel free to interpret mine thus.
If there are subs waiting, they are welcome to my positions. Having said that, and having publicly repeated my dwindling interest in this game, I want to assure all players and all involved that I will honour my engagement if there is no way out of it and will do so to the best of my capacities.

Well, on a positive note, this game has taught everyone the problem with the pause feature of games ;)

So we're looking at 1 person leaving within 3 to 4 game years and another disinterested player in a game that's still paused? Hmm. Just out of curiosity, Cachimbo, if you're planning on leaving this game after all yours are completed, why take time to join a new one?

So we're waiting on BenGuin? Who initially asked for the pause? If it wasn't BenGuin, I recommend that if we haven't heard from him by Wednesday that we have a mod force-unpause it and if he goes into CD that we get a substitute together.

He requested the pause. But his 2 weeks are up..

Let me take a second to be clear:

I was first interested in SoW as either a TA or a student. For sake of making the thing work, I was made a student and had no issues with that.
I was somewhat disappointed to draw a country I like and do fairly well with, but thought I would make the best of it regardless. I've engaged with my TA on many occasions and have read Tru Ninja's great analyses. I've also invested myself fully in diplomacy and have played the game as I would any other. Save for that one missed phase...
I still can't explain that one: it's a mix of being too busy to properly play and misreading the clock. It's never happened to me before (with the exception of a half-missed phase the week before or so).
I tried my best to come back from that mistake and have engaged in much diplomacy again. I don't mind that I'm far behind on this game, I don't mind that it may not be my best. I wish it could be different, but this is what it is, it's my fault, and I will do my best on it.

Having said that...

After such a long pause so early in the game, returning to my positions in a game which didn't exactly fit with my expectations is a bit much. I'm mostly losing interest because I have great games going on that excite me a lot more, and this one has absolutely no rhythm and, consequently, I've lost my feeling of the table.

Call me metaphysical or overly sensitive about it, but as far as I'm concerned, rhythm and feel are as much a part of Diplomacy as tactics are. And that is the reason why my interest in this particular game is dwindling.

Now, if a sub is ready and willing to play my part, I'm more than happy to give my place to someone who needs it. If none are available, or if it's too complicated, I will honour my engagement and play this game as I would any other: win first, draw if you must, survive in the worst case scenario.

Do not mistake my lack of interest for a lack of honour.

The game has been unpaused.

would i be able to join if cachimbo does not want to play?

You'd have to talk to goldfinger0303 about that. He's hosting the SoW this season and knows whether or not there are alternates standing by. If he does, then they are the first option, but I'm sure he would allow you to add your name to the list. Lastly, if he allows it, he would have to contact a Moderator to swap the two of you out.

TBH, the proffing has gotten a bit stale without a second prof to discuss things with or people from the general community asking questions. That being said, I will propose the following:

After I post my commentary, I invite the students themselves to ask questions about my commentary. Examples might include why I said what I did concerning a country on the map, or why I'm predicting what I am but I will limit my answers to include only answering about questions concerning my commentary in general. I won't answer questions about what I think another country is going to do unless I directly post that in my comments and I won't offer suggestions for a player to do or say in the game itself since that's the job of their TA. This would bring a bit of life to the thread and might bring some life back into from a 2-week pause.

This is my suggestion and if there's no interest, I'll simply carry on as we are but the option is on the table.

Bump! Finally..

I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me as a TA to comment here, but since it's meta and not actually about the game, I'll go ahead.

I don't think the students should be allowed to ask Tru Ninja questions as he suggests. It would bring in another level of diplomacy to the game, with the types of questions made starting to affect the moves in the game. I really think that should be avoided at all costs if you can.

I really don't think it would be difficult to find a replacement professor. Or if someone else would rather TA, we can bump a TA up.

That being said, where's ivo? Do we know he won't be coming back?

^ That was completely inappropriate... ;-)

Unpaused.. Orders went through.. Yay!

I actually have to agree with Smiley on this. The commentary already skews the diplomacy a bit but having the players comment and get responses could be a little too much.

Yes, Tru Ninja I will have to remain adamant on students not commenting on the game on this thread, but I appreciate your willingness to keep this thread alive and interesting. I believe Ivo is the other professor? I will contact him immediately. Nonetheless, I invite all other members of the community to follow this game, roleplay, and comment.

@Cachimbo, If you really feel that you don't want to play this game any longer, I will oblige, but having two subs in a game makes me nervous, because I believe Pepijn is in the same game as you? EmperorMaximus is our first sub.

@livingghost1 - would you like me to add you to the list? There is a very good chance that you will be called up

Dear all,

My positions are not very good and I feel it would be quite wrong to leave the game now. It is true that I have no interest in playing the game, but I will still work my ass off at coming back from the dead. I believe I owe it to the 15 other people or so that are part of this.
To my TA: I apologize if I will not communicate my thoughts much during the next little bit. If I do manage to get back into shape, we'll talk. But until then, I'll put every ounce of energy I can dedicate to this game at making sure Turkey isn't written off the map.

To TruNinja: Thank you so much for all your comments.

To all: My sincere apologies. I regret that my performance was not what it usually is. I've made the game more difficult for some of my neighbours and somewhat perturbed the balance of power. What's more, I've publicly said I've had enough of the game, and I believe that such behaviour is not becoming of a good player. I've recently had to face other players who kept saying, throughout the game, that they were through, and it only made the game more boring for me. It thus wasn't fair of me to act in that way and I apologize.

Now...
TO WAR!!!!

@goldfinger0303- yes please, i would like to go on the list. Thanks