people who post before you get your first post in?

people who don't pretype their post?

people who post multiple times in a row?

people who type really slowly?

DingleberryJones?!? ;)

err... maybe I should have said "people named DingleberryJones?!?"

People who start threads to tell the rest what annoys them?

People like Fortknox who take 2 posts to tell one joke? :P

Something very annoying recently happened to me and I'd like people's opinions.

Basically I was in a game where I had a strong alliance with another power. We had a gameplan and were working together well. Then he went CD, and someone took over the CD and IMMEDIATELY began attacking me.

I wouldn't have minded if the player I had allied with had stabbed me - but there seems something really annoying about having someone take over a county in CD, and then take advantage of the fact that the country they've taken over had been in an alliance which would not likely have been broken at that stage if the original player had stayed on...

@Dingleberry: 'Behaviour' is the correct spelling. I'm not American.

(yes, Jamie, I realize that.)

When my ally goes into CD, normally they miss 2 movement phases. When you see this happening, you have to act defensively and realize the new player, when he/djbent eventually joins, owes you nothing.

This is a reason why I hate sitters. I'd rather pause for a week than deal with a sitter that doesn't take the time to see the history of the game and keep alliances that were already in place.
They can be worse, as you don't get the 2 NMR turn warning like a CD brings...

I remember once in Public Press game where I began the game allied (I was Germany) to England and Italy.

It was a crazy game on many levels, and I do believe that I fought everyone at some point, but they thing that really annoyed me was this.

England went CD inexplicable part way through. He was being doubleteamed by France and Russia so I tell the new guy that we'd make natural allies. And of course the bugger doesn't respond beyond a "look, I'm screwed", rushes into the low countries, and promptly is killed while I have a two year setback.

Fastforward a while. The only powers left are myself, Italy, Russia, and Turkey. Italy (the most powerful) and I are contemplating attakcing the others when suddenly he gets banned for multiaccounting (in another game). Quickly, a new Italy joins. I suggest some moves. What does he say? Nothing, he just inexplicably goes on an all-out offensive against me. Gah!!

Despite these annoyances though, I was later vindicated.

Consider it a change of goverment (revolution).
Was he RUS by any chance? :)

I do this a lot (take over a CD and attack a former ally) - in most cases it's due to the alliance being unnaturally friendly (e.g. the other guy is so exposed that it's a crime to not attack).

If someone just missed 2 turns and can still stab you afterwards it's surely not his fault.

If an ally goes CD, the best thing you can do is immediately weaken them as much as possible, and get ready to get attacked.

My standard practice is one NMR, move towards him. 2 NMR's? Take SC's before someone replaces him!

About sitters though, they usually just keep things going the way they were predicted to.

I'd be more surprised of a stab if it came from a sitter in the account than if it came from the original ally.

@Dingleberry.
I don't know why, but your post "When you see this happening, you have to act defensively and realize the new player, when he/djbent eventually joins, owes you nothing. .", just caught me the right way. I found that very humorous.

I'm sure djbent has never once turned on an ally; the alliances were just dynamic in nature:)

it made me chuckle too =)

"My standard practice is one NMR, move towards him. 2 NMR's? Take SC's before someone replaces him!"

Mine too...

@LG - well i used to take over quite a few CDs, just for fun, and i know at least two where i did not go along with the former ally's "plans" (ie. letting him solo) and instead helped force a stalemate and a draw. sadly happened to be the same person both times on the wrong end of the stick, boy was he furious. but we're still friends =)

My standard practice is as follows:
1 NMR, begin panicking and ask in the global forum if he's ok.
1a - wait for his response for the full turn length.
2 NMRs, contact one of the mods and see if he can do some snooping to get me the player's phone number and address.
2a - call him and find out why the hell he hasn't made any moves, explaining to him in a calm, non-accusatory manner how much his lack of support is causing considerable agony and anxiety.
2b - send overnight letter demanding he put in his orders or else
3 NMRs, find his address, break into his computer and put in the orders myself after raiding his/her refrigerator.

I'm sure this un-named person has completely forgotten all about it.

@Fortknox:
I agree, as soon as I get a hint of an NMR (including, even, my ally suddenly going quiet after there's a precedent of active communication/joint strategy supports and planning), I turn hostile on them. If they're abandoning the game, they won't mind. If they're quiet because they intend to stab me, then I don't mind. If they're just pulling an NMR but they intend to return and be a good ally.. well hopefully I haven't ruined the alliance prematurely, but if I did.. so be it. Having an ally that NMRs with any frequency is probably worse than not having the ally at all.

yeah like Friendly Sword in our first league game. or every player in games 2 and 3 =P

im annoyed when some one takes over a Cd country that has the most supply centers then wins the game.

That shouldn't worry you too much Bishop, you would have lost anyway.

Adverts for cars.

I got annoyed only once in Diplomacy.
It was a WTA game and we could have blocked the leader (Turkey) from winning. I was Germany and I was asking England to help me.
The english guy couldn't bother less about the game and preferred attacking me to "gain a few SCs" (even though it's an absolute non sense in WTA), and Turkey won.
When I was asking England about why he was continuing his attack when he could draw the game, he was just telling me he couldn't care less about the game and wanted it over soon..

TARABLUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

(I'm sure there are people in here who could tell you that story)

I accept what people are saying about how the moment my 'ally' NMRed I should have reacted. Unfortunately in the game in question I was under heavy attack from another power already, and I didn't have the units spare to go and move towards my NMR ally at the same time. (I was a CD takeover in the game myself, so I didn't join in the best tactical position to start with)

(Nonetheless I accept it is good advice to be wary if your allies go NMR on you)

@Xapi i know i would of lost but it is still annoing

also i hate when the same guy joins all your games and reaks havoc against you

I cannot figure out the acronym NMR. Would some one please help me out? Thank you in advance.

i hate
hypocrisy
stupidity
egoism
in that order

no moves returned - ie you didn't enter orders (or on this site, didn't update them all the way until you had the finalize button showing) so all units hold as default

Thanks, djbent.

No it's annoying when someone takes over CD of your enemy, in a game you were set to win in a year or two and then somehow sets up a damn stalemate line so you end up having to draw grrrrrr.

NMR= No Moves Received

You talk about a player going CD and being replaced as if that was an instant thing. There is first an NMR, at this point you should be lighting up their message board with questions and proposals.
It would also help if you knew who the person was and had a direct email, so that you are not locked into the web routine here. However there are social issues that many of the more recent generation are unable to handle or unwilling to accept that blocks such communication.
Check all their other games to see if the NMR is site wide.
If you have not heard from them on after the first NMR then as the deadline approaches you could reasonably move into a more defensive position relative to their country which may also double as an offensive position depending on the game situation.
You detail your concerns and the history that lead up to it in the game to the country. This way if there is a new player he has in front of your side of the relationship and an explanation as to what you are doing and why. You are also protected tactically from radical moves by a replacement. Then if there is a replacement and no communication you can launch your attack or reinforce your position.
Remember that you have a responsibility in the alliance of countries and that a change of player or a defacto breach of the alliance by an NMR needs to be dealt with.

From a CODE perspective this site has an approach that encourages the new player to make an attack on the former ally in that there often is no time left for the new player to get acquainted with the other players so they are simply dropped into a game and have an opportunity for mischief and can use the systems short time lag to enhance his explanations of why he stabbed.
What is needed from a CODE perspective is to have an automatic full cycle extension whenever there is a new player from the time of his entrance into the game. This gives everyone a chance to negotiate with the person as well as the replacement to negotiate with everyone else.
However, given the priorities of the Code Committee this thread will be long gone as most of its readers before there is even a distant memory of the suggestion.

"However, given the priorities of the Code Committee this thread will be long gone as most of its readers before there is even a distant memory of the suggestion." - That's a very pointed comment Edi
You might be happy having a phase 'off' every time a CD is taken over, but for most people on the site that would cause outrage.

hey Jamiet you were going to do a live game today, remember? we need another player, please join NOW