If the game is a LIVE (5 min. phases) game, the game will start at the specified time (it will be shown just above and to the right of the title of the game. If it says it will start in 8 minutes, that is when it will start.

If the game is a non-live game (12hr phases, 24hr phases etc.) the game will start as soon as 7 players join the game.

As far as what country you will be, you will not know until the game begins. The system in place tries to make is so that you play every country an equal amount in the long-run. So if you haven't played Russia much, you will have a stronger likelihood of being Russia in your next game.

I hope that answered your questions.

Here is a link to the FAQ: http://webdiplomacy.net/faq.php
And here is a link to the site rules: http://webdiplomacy.net/rules.php

Reading those should answer some of your questions as well.

Look at Tom, being the big cool mod...

Look at 2WL trying to be funny...

Although to be fair, Tom is a really cool mod, and 2WL is really funny. :)

I hope the countries balance out in the end.
On my 6th game of Europe on this site, and have played around 6-7 games face to face with my friends. I am still yet to play Russia a single time.
I feel that puts me at a disadvantage as never having played the country I don't really know how I would be feeling if I was in that persons shoes. I know I can think what I would do, but if I was in the actual situation I can imagine it would be different. :P

"On my 6th game of Europe on this site, and have played around 6-7 games face to face with my friends. I am still yet to play Russia a single time. "

Yeah, probability is a bitch.

Note, regarding start times for live games versus non-live games, the delimeter between the two is < 1 hour phases versus >= 1 hour phases.

A 1 hour per phase game is a non-live game and will start when all seats are filled.

Any shorter of a phase length is considered a live game and will start at the appointed time.

"On my 6th game of Europe on this site, and have played around 6-7 games face to face with my friends. I am still yet to play Russia a single time."

I think the odds of that are about 40%. A bit less since it isn't truly random. Hardly unexpected.

Well 40% for this site, but don't forget I also play this with my friends in live face to face games, and I estimate about another 6-7, so the chance of me not having played Russia with both those factors taken into account falls to 13-15% Not ridiculous statistics but unlikely, and annoying.

Then again once playing RISK while defending my friend rolled a double 6 three times in a row. That comes to a 1/46656 chance That is the most ridiclous back luck (good luck for friend) that I have ever witnessed. So ridiculous statistics come around occasionally. And no, he definitely was not cheating the roles, I was watching.

And that reminds me, speaking of ridiclous statistics I once won 1000 dollars from a random selection of millions of people. There were 10 winners. THAT is the most ridiculous probability I have been fortunate to witness. I don't know the exact number of possible entrants, that's impossible to know but it was over a million Making my winnings less than 1/100000 likely. That was exactly two years ago now.

Probability can be a bitch, but sometimes it's friggen awesome.

@Minty - I once played a game of poker and got pocket Aces 3 times running. What's more I didn't lose with any of them - if I recall I just picked up the blinds.

PS - Welcome to the site Yakman

I once played Texas Hold 'em and got seven straight hands of full house or better. Probability was a bitch for my opponents that evening. Another time I flopped a straight, turned a flush, and rivered a straight flush (Q high with the Jack in my hand so the absolute nuts for the hand) while my two remaining opponents had the K high and A high flushes. Gotta love probability sometimes.