Whats meta-gaming?

It is in the FAQ. Essentially, it is using things outside the game, or another game, to influence the outcome of a game.

1) Yes.
2) I don't understand...

For example, Zman, one classic example of meta-gaming would be as follows:

You and me are both playing in the same two games. In game A, I am kicking your ass and you are almost certain to be defeated in the next turn. In game B, we are evenly matched and have a non-aggression pact in place. With your support, however, I could easily overwhelm a third power (let's call him County C).

So I say to you: "Hey, if you ally with me and help me defeat Country C in game B, I will allow you to survive in game A".

That is unfair meta gaming, because you are taking something from one game and using it to your advantage in another. It may not get you banned but is considered very bad form. However that's just one example.

And as for Tantris' original question, I do generally find that people are less likely to go CD if:

a) The game is a higher-points game (because the amount you lose if you go CD is that much higher, or
b) The game is a slow one (ie 48-hours per turn or longer) because this tends to reduce CD's caused by people simply forgetting to log in or being unable to for unexpected reasons. You see quite a few CD's in fast games because of this.

Another common version of meta-gaming is to favour people you know in person.

CD rates are also lower in the tournaments </advertising>

I figured I shouldn't enter a tournament till I had a few more games completed.

speaking of which, can we CD takeover in the tournaments?

The tournaments are password protected, so you have to be invited to take over the position for the tournament. then you'll be given the password. You won't just be able to grab it. Same thing with the league games.

I find it thtat people regularly CD/NMR when the game goes against them. Then writes up some bad excuse why the game is "broken" or whatever, and then insist on a draw...

If people dont want to play, they should CD, get eliminated & lose points. That way you can rack up enough pts to play in high-bet games with (hopefully) more dedicated players.

I wouldn't know about wheter high-bet is high-dedication. I've never been in such a game :)

Also note, that someone may claim that they are not going to turn in any orders because of various reasons and then go ahead and do so hoping that you turned in orders based on the expectation that they would not, thus catching you off guard.

If someone just quits in one game, should you not trust that they'll stick around in a second game? That is a minor form of meta-gaming, similar to having played with someone a bunch of times and knowing their style of play and when they are likely to stab. I say stab him in the other game and then he'll quit and it'll be easier to get the rest of his centers. Maybe that'll teach him to fight to the end.

As for avoiding people going CD, it happens a lot in the "lower" games. Tips to avoiding players that just quit:
1. Try and find games with people on the forum. People that post on the forums are less likely to be quitters. For example, you can create a new game with a password and then post the gameid and password on the forum.
2. Amass some points and play in games with buy-ins over 100 . You'll see a lot of games that have a 101 buy-in.
3. Once you have over 100 available points, you can start WTA games. This is more true to the original board game and also less likely to have newer players join.
4. Longer phase lengths are more likely to attract better players because they want more time to diplome with each other.

Metagaming - what people with the ability to remember anything, ever, do.

What is a WTA game, how is it truer to the board game?

And I dont think I understand the whole points system as yet. I have a "60" next to my name. I am in a couple of games that just started, but havent finished a game as yet. What does the 60 mean?

60 is the number of points you have available to invest in new games. If you look at your profile it says:

Available points: 60
Points in play: 40
Total points: 100

It is a useful number for you to know so you know how many points you have to spend should you wish to join more games.

It also sort of helps people know how good other players are. But is not very accurate at that, since many players have a lot of points with most invested so their available is low. Or you got people like me where I only have one game right now so my available is fairly high.

So don't just look at that number and use it by itself to judge another player. Open their profile and look at how many games they've played and how they've done and such.

WTA- Winner-Takes-All. Its truer to the board game because of the rulebook in the board game states:

"As soon as one Great Power controls 18 centres, it is considered to have gained control of Europe. The player representing that power is the winner.

However, players can end the game by agreement before a winner is determined. In this case, all players who have pieces on the board share equally in a draw."

60 is the number of points you have available, you start with 100, and you have bet a total of 40.

PPSC (points per supply center) games can lead to two players wiping out everyone else to maximize the points they get. One player may get the win and 18/34's of the pot while the other gets 16/34ths which is close enough to even. This changes the spirit of the game where you as a player can be okay with someone else wining because you'll still get a large share of the pot.

WTA (winner take all) there are no points for surviving. You win, lose, or draw. If someone else wins then you lose, period. But draws are very common because you reach a point where no one can safely attack anyone else without giving the game to someone else.

Every month there will be a discussion on the forum about PPSC versus WTA.

Yeah, what TGM said.

and the problem is you would not enter a game when your credits decrease.
If they would increase or you would gain a bonus. Then people would join in

So what happens if you hit zero points?

You can never go below 100 . I believe when a game ends, you get put back to 100 - the points being used in current games, if you would be below it.

@Tantris, I believe there may be one other caveat. You can't get back more than you put into that game. Otherwise the punishement for going CD would be moot. But I could be wrong. I haven't seen the code as Kestas hasn't released this newest version yet. He's waiting till he feels it is more stable.

Well, I know it didn't seem it in the post, but I meant that you got back to:
100 - (the points used to buy into all active games)

If you are below 100. Therefor, if you end the only game you are in and you put 25 into, and you got 0 back, you would end up back at 100. If you end that same game with the same 0 , but have another game you used 25 to get into, you would get put back to 75, assuming you would end up below 75.

But you may have 50 , another 30 invested in active games, and the game that ended had a 10 buy in. By your calculation, you get 20 back for a 10 point buy in. I think the max return would be 10 bringing your total to 90: 60 plus 30 invested. The reason is, you shouldn't get rewarded for going CD and I don't think you do. If you go cd in 20 games of 5 , you will never play a game again unless you get a mod to give you back your points.

oh, didn't know that.

Of course, the disclaimer about not having seen the code still applies, but that was my understanding of how this version was going to be.

Ok so what happens when someone stops making moves? Can they jump back in any time? Someone mentioned civil disorder. What does this entail?

If they go into CD, but then log back in the game before someone else takes over, they resume their position and come out of CD. But if someone else buys the spot, they can't resume.

CD is a state acheived by missing two consecutive phases in which you had orders to make. They may be two move phases (if yuou had no retreats, disbands, or builds) or may include retreat and build phases if you had orders to place in them. Theoretically, you could go CD by missing a retreat and a build in the Fall and Winter of a given year.

When you are in CD, your position becomes available for someone else to take over. They have to pay the equivalent points that your position is worth (buy the SCs as it were) and have to be given the password in a passworded/private game. If the game ends with someone in CD, it will show on the last turn result as "Left" next to their name.

I don't understand why PuppyKicker has not been removed from this game:
http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=12910

Unless he is really entering orders at the last moment, we have been having to wait the full turns, even when the rest of us have finalized our orders, every turn for years. He is the one that decided he didn't feel comfortable with the game.

All he has to do is log into the game anytime during the turn. To NMR you have to not login. Logging in to the game but leaving the default holds and/or disbands will keep you active and prevent you from CDing.

Also, no one is forced to finalize. You may enter your orders, click "Update", and leave it like this waiting for the end of the cycle (the gray check will appear next to your country). It's a valid way of avoiding the game to move too fast so you can log in once every turn length and not miss a turn.

Puppy Kicker hasn't been issuing any orders. You can see that on the orders archive, but his most recent login was within this turn so I suspect he is trying to be a dick and just stall the game until he is killed off.