| Knightship-Rene - jason4747 (Jun 17, 2010, 8:30 pm) |
| Congratulations Rene - great to see you are still around in DC - and getting better all the time. You and I played back in the Penguin Days of DC24 and DC43. Good times. Jason [Reply] |
| Knightship-Rene - FuzzyLogic (Jun 17, 2010, 8:42 am) |
Dating clear back to dc21, Rene joins our ranks today and surges ahead to Knight Tactician!
Our crowd now stands at 23 strong...
Welcome!
-mike
[Reply] |
| Knightship-Rene (Community) jason4747 Jun 17, 08:30 pm |
| Congratulations Rene - great to see you are still around in DC - and getting better all the time. You and I played back in the Penguin Days of DC24 and DC43. Good times. Jason |
| Lost My Logo - Kenshi777 (Jun 10, 2010, 2:38 pm) |
At least put the US Men's National Soccer team logo up there if you mean to pull such shenanigans.
- B.[Reply] |
| Lost My Logo - AceRimmer (Jun 10, 2010, 2:33 pm) |
| I seem to have misplaced my DC logo... does anybody know where it went? Perhaps Mr. Sims could look for it in his Cup. His Lord Stanley's Cup. [Reply] |
| Lost My Logo (Community) Kenshi777 Jun 10, 02:38 pm |
At least put the US Men's National Soccer team logo up there if you mean to pull such shenanigans.
- B. |
| Hot summer knights! - Kenshi777 (Jun 04, 2010, 11:57 am) |
I am greatly honored to join in such fine company, many of whom I
recognize from past games. Thanks to all the officers of DC, past and
present, for providing this excellent service to us.
Shameless pitch for my variants - GMs are always welcome (and
appreciated) to run a game of Balkans1860, Dark Ages, Sengoku, or
South American Supremacy - feel free to contact me. Keep your eyes
peeled for the next ones soon to leave the workshop - South East Asia
and American Civil War. All of my variants are RP supported, and
hosted on DC and the DipWiki.
Arigato gozaimasu -
B. (Kenshi777)
On 6/4/10, Michael Sims wrote:
That's right folks it's June in the midwest and witth that comes humidity,
mosquitos, thunder storms, and hot summer nights.
Lots of Knights too!
Welcome Darryl and Ben as our new Initiates! I'll leave it to you two to
fight over who makes the coffee and who washes the cars...
Also moving up the charts, Adam, Fredrik and Alan become Officers, while
Nathan attains the title of Knight Tactician! (the highest Knight rank
before getting your yellow icon)
And way at the top... where it becomes harder and harder to advance... We
have two players climbing thru the Orders... Michael (psychosis) leaves his
Parchment behind to follow in the Order of the Raven, and our fearless
leader Garry trades his furry little Ocelot for the almighty Mammoth.
Congrats all!
-mike
Order of the Onyx
www.diplomaticcorp.com
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://www.dipwiki.com
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants[Reply] |
| Hot summer knights! - FuzzyLogic (Jun 04, 2010, 10:58 am) |
That's right folks it's June in the midwest and witth that comes humidity, mosquitos, thunder storms, and hot summer nights.
Lots of Knights too!
Welcome Darryl and Ben as our new Initiates! I'll leave it to you two to fight over who makes the coffee and who washes the cars...
Also moving up the charts, Adam, Fredrik and Alan become Officers, while Nathan attains the title of Knight Tactician! (the highest Knight rank before getting your yellow icon)
And way at the top... where it becomes harder and harder to advance... We have two players climbing thru the Orders... Michael (psychosis) leaves his Parchment behind to follow in the Order of the Raven, and our fearless leader Garry trades his furry little Ocelot for the almighty Mammoth.
Congrats all!
-mike
Order of the Onyx
www.diplomaticcorp.com
[Reply] |
| Hot summer knights! (Community) Kenshi777 Jun 04, 11:57 am |
I am greatly honored to join in such fine company, many of whom I
recognize from past games. Thanks to all the officers of DC, past and
present, for providing this excellent service to us.
Shameless pitch for my variants - GMs are always welcome (and
appreciated) to run a game of Balkans1860, Dark Ages, Sengoku, or
South American Supremacy - feel free to contact me. Keep your eyes
peeled for the next ones soon to leave the workshop - South East Asia
and American Civil War. All of my variants are RP supported, and
hosted on DC and the DipWiki.
Arigato gozaimasu -
B. (Kenshi777)
On 6/4/10, Michael Sims wrote:
That's right folks it's June in the midwest and witth that comes humidity,
mosquitos, thunder storms, and hot summer nights.
Lots of Knights too!
Welcome Darryl and Ben as our new Initiates! I'll leave it to you two to
fight over who makes the coffee and who washes the cars...
Also moving up the charts, Adam, Fredrik and Alan become Officers, while
Nathan attains the title of Knight Tactician! (the highest Knight rank
before getting your yellow icon)
And way at the top... where it becomes harder and harder to advance... We
have two players climbing thru the Orders... Michael (psychosis) leaves his
Parchment behind to follow in the Order of the Raven, and our fearless
leader Garry trades his furry little Ocelot for the almighty Mammoth.
Congrats all!
-mike
Order of the Onyx
www.diplomaticcorp.com
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://www.dipwiki.com
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants |
| Variant Creation - charlesf (Jun 01, 2010, 12:10 pm) |
Variant Creation [post:16601]
BODY {
FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif
}
In regards to pure variant design, also look at
unit-space ratios. You'll want round 2.0 to 2.5 spaces per unit. Go above or
below that and you'll likely run into issues. Similarly, consider stalemate
lines and consider what victory criteria make for the best gaming experience.
There are many many more similar issues of Diplomacy variant
craftsmanship.
If you want a truly polished variant, you'll be
working on such a project for years. It's easy to draw and design
a Diplomacy variant in no time. But if it's supposed to be really worth
playing, you're going to have to devote a lot of time to it as I think Ben will
readily attest.
As for the graphics side of things, use a
reasonably sophisticated graphics programme. Sure, you can do stuff in MS
Paint. But that's an incredibly primitive tool that only a masochistic variant
designer would use these days. I use Paint Shop Pro. Not the most sophisticated
software, but I've been using it for years so familiarity is a big
plus.
You needn't worry about Realpolitik implementation
before you've designed and sufficiently polished your variant. It's pretty much
the very last step.
Charles[Reply] |
| Variant Creation - Kenshi777 (Jun 01, 2010, 9:36 am) |
The map itself is the hardest and most critical component of variant
creation. The success of your variant (defined as people wanting to
play it) will be determined by how aesthetically pleasing the map
itself is, and how balanced the gameplay is.
As for aesthetics, that largely depends on where you start, and what
kind of graphic arts skills you have. In its most basic form, one
really doesn't need anything more than MS Paint and an outline map to
get started. Here's a site I use for a lot of my maps.
http://www.d-maps.com/
Of course, the more sophisticated (and successful) variant designers
use Paint Shop Pro or more advanced software to create much more
aesthetically pleasing maps. Their efforts are often rewarded in
player appeal, as very few will sign up to play on an ugly map.
Then there are the gameplay considerations. At the very least, I
recommend these rules of thumb:
1 - Each position should have roughly equal incentive to ally with
each of its immediate neighbours.
2 - Generally speaking, a good diplomatic dynamic is created in
"triangles" (groups of three powers being co-located, with buffer
zones or other disincentives sheltering them from early attack by
outside powers)
3 - Each power should have roughly equal prospects for overall victory.
Notice these are rightly labeled recommendations, not rules. Standard
Diplomacy at least partially complies with all three, but not rigidly.
I recommend #2 in particular for the first time variant designer,
because it provides a good starting point for achieving balance. One
can have the best looking map on the planet, but players will only
give it a single try and not return if they find that certain
positions (or certain alliances) are inevitable.
Finally - I can not recommend the Realpolitik adjudicator program
highly enough. It supports variants, has a very user-friendly
tutorial for the newbie variant designer, and is widespread throughout
the Diplomacy community. And of course, it's free, found here at the
creator's website -
http://realpolitik.sourceforge.net
Hope this helps -
B.
On 6/1/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Sean2010 posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
"If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any
particular
project in mind?"
Yes, I have a thought for a Diplomacy variant (well a couple of variants),
but I've never operated an idea aimed to eventually be on the computer. How
would I go about doing this?
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16598] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you subscribed to the Community forum at
diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to receive future posts, you may
change your subscriptions in your profile. If you are unable to discontinue
undesired messages, please notify feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://www.dipwiki.com
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants[Reply] |
| Variant Creation (Community) charlesf Jun 01, 12:10 pm |
Variant Creation [post:16601]
BODY {
FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif
}
In regards to pure variant design, also look at
unit-space ratios. You'll want round 2.0 to 2.5 spaces per unit. Go above or
below that and you'll likely run into issues. Similarly, consider stalemate
lines and consider what victory criteria make for the best gaming experience.
There are many many more similar issues of Diplomacy variant
craftsmanship.
If you want a truly polished variant, you'll be
working on such a project for years. It's easy to draw and design
a Diplomacy variant in no time. But if it's supposed to be really worth
playing, you're going to have to devote a lot of time to it as I think Ben will
readily attest.
As for the graphics side of things, use a
reasonably sophisticated graphics programme. Sure, you can do stuff in MS
Paint. But that's an incredibly primitive tool that only a masochistic variant
designer would use these days. I use Paint Shop Pro. Not the most sophisticated
software, but I've been using it for years so familiarity is a big
plus.
You needn't worry about Realpolitik implementation
before you've designed and sufficiently polished your variant. It's pretty much
the very last step.
Charles |
| Variant Creation - Sean2010 (Jun 01, 2010, 9:04 am) |
"If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any particular
project in mind?"
Yes, I have a thought for a Diplomacy variant (well a couple of variants), but I've never operated an idea aimed to eventually be on the computer. How would I go about doing this?[Reply] |
| Variant Creation (Community) Kenshi777 Jun 01, 09:36 am |
The map itself is the hardest and most critical component of variant
creation. The success of your variant (defined as people wanting to
play it) will be determined by how aesthetically pleasing the map
itself is, and how balanced the gameplay is.
As for aesthetics, that largely depends on where you start, and what
kind of graphic arts skills you have. In its most basic form, one
really doesn't need anything more than MS Paint and an outline map to
get started. Here's a site I use for a lot of my maps.
http://www.d-maps.com/
Of course, the more sophisticated (and successful) variant designers
use Paint Shop Pro or more advanced software to create much more
aesthetically pleasing maps. Their efforts are often rewarded in
player appeal, as very few will sign up to play on an ugly map.
Then there are the gameplay considerations. At the very least, I
recommend these rules of thumb:
1 - Each position should have roughly equal incentive to ally with
each of its immediate neighbours.
2 - Generally speaking, a good diplomatic dynamic is created in
"triangles" (groups of three powers being co-located, with buffer
zones or other disincentives sheltering them from early attack by
outside powers)
3 - Each power should have roughly equal prospects for overall victory.
Notice these are rightly labeled recommendations, not rules. Standard
Diplomacy at least partially complies with all three, but not rigidly.
I recommend #2 in particular for the first time variant designer,
because it provides a good starting point for achieving balance. One
can have the best looking map on the planet, but players will only
give it a single try and not return if they find that certain
positions (or certain alliances) are inevitable.
Finally - I can not recommend the Realpolitik adjudicator program
highly enough. It supports variants, has a very user-friendly
tutorial for the newbie variant designer, and is widespread throughout
the Diplomacy community. And of course, it's free, found here at the
creator's website -
http://realpolitik.sourceforge.net
Hope this helps -
B.
On 6/1/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Sean2010 posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
"If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any
particular
project in mind?"
Yes, I have a thought for a Diplomacy variant (well a couple of variants),
but I've never operated an idea aimed to eventually be on the computer. How
would I go about doing this?
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16598] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you subscribed to the Community forum at
diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to receive future posts, you may
change your subscriptions in your profile. If you are unable to discontinue
undesired messages, please notify feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://www.dipwiki.com
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants |
| Variant Creation (Community) charlesf Jun 01, 12:10 pm |
Variant Creation [post:16601]
BODY {
FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif
}
In regards to pure variant design, also look at
unit-space ratios. You'll want round 2.0 to 2.5 spaces per unit. Go above or
below that and you'll likely run into issues. Similarly, consider stalemate
lines and consider what victory criteria make for the best gaming experience.
There are many many more similar issues of Diplomacy variant
craftsmanship.
If you want a truly polished variant, you'll be
working on such a project for years. It's easy to draw and design
a Diplomacy variant in no time. But if it's supposed to be really worth
playing, you're going to have to devote a lot of time to it as I think Ben will
readily attest.
As for the graphics side of things, use a
reasonably sophisticated graphics programme. Sure, you can do stuff in MS
Paint. But that's an incredibly primitive tool that only a masochistic variant
designer would use these days. I use Paint Shop Pro. Not the most sophisticated
software, but I've been using it for years so familiarity is a big
plus.
You needn't worry about Realpolitik implementation
before you've designed and sufficiently polished your variant. It's pretty much
the very last step.
Charles |
| Variant Creation - charlesf (May 31, 2010, 12:47 pm) |
Variant Creation [post:16572]
BODY {
FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif
}
That's so broad a question that you'd have to
specify as to what in particular you're interested about. Design proper,
graphics software, Diplomacy software... Those are three entirely different
subjects.
If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any particular
project in mind?
Cheers,
Charles[Reply] |
| Variant Creation (Community) Sean2010 Jun 01, 09:04 am |
"If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any particular
project in mind?"
Yes, I have a thought for a Diplomacy variant (well a couple of variants), but I've never operated an idea aimed to eventually be on the computer. How would I go about doing this? |
| Variant Creation (Community) Kenshi777 Jun 01, 09:36 am |
The map itself is the hardest and most critical component of variant
creation. The success of your variant (defined as people wanting to
play it) will be determined by how aesthetically pleasing the map
itself is, and how balanced the gameplay is.
As for aesthetics, that largely depends on where you start, and what
kind of graphic arts skills you have. In its most basic form, one
really doesn't need anything more than MS Paint and an outline map to
get started. Here's a site I use for a lot of my maps.
http://www.d-maps.com/
Of course, the more sophisticated (and successful) variant designers
use Paint Shop Pro or more advanced software to create much more
aesthetically pleasing maps. Their efforts are often rewarded in
player appeal, as very few will sign up to play on an ugly map.
Then there are the gameplay considerations. At the very least, I
recommend these rules of thumb:
1 - Each position should have roughly equal incentive to ally with
each of its immediate neighbours.
2 - Generally speaking, a good diplomatic dynamic is created in
"triangles" (groups of three powers being co-located, with buffer
zones or other disincentives sheltering them from early attack by
outside powers)
3 - Each power should have roughly equal prospects for overall victory.
Notice these are rightly labeled recommendations, not rules. Standard
Diplomacy at least partially complies with all three, but not rigidly.
I recommend #2 in particular for the first time variant designer,
because it provides a good starting point for achieving balance. One
can have the best looking map on the planet, but players will only
give it a single try and not return if they find that certain
positions (or certain alliances) are inevitable.
Finally - I can not recommend the Realpolitik adjudicator program
highly enough. It supports variants, has a very user-friendly
tutorial for the newbie variant designer, and is widespread throughout
the Diplomacy community. And of course, it's free, found here at the
creator's website -
http://realpolitik.sourceforge.net
Hope this helps -
B.
On 6/1/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Sean2010 posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
"If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any
particular
project in mind?"
Yes, I have a thought for a Diplomacy variant (well a couple of variants),
but I've never operated an idea aimed to eventually be on the computer. How
would I go about doing this?
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16598] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you subscribed to the Community forum at
diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to receive future posts, you may
change your subscriptions in your profile. If you are unable to discontinue
undesired messages, please notify feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://www.dipwiki.com
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants |
| Variant Creation (Community) charlesf Jun 01, 12:10 pm |
Variant Creation [post:16601]
BODY {
FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif
}
In regards to pure variant design, also look at
unit-space ratios. You'll want round 2.0 to 2.5 spaces per unit. Go above or
below that and you'll likely run into issues. Similarly, consider stalemate
lines and consider what victory criteria make for the best gaming experience.
There are many many more similar issues of Diplomacy variant
craftsmanship.
If you want a truly polished variant, you'll be
working on such a project for years. It's easy to draw and design
a Diplomacy variant in no time. But if it's supposed to be really worth
playing, you're going to have to devote a lot of time to it as I think Ben will
readily attest.
As for the graphics side of things, use a
reasonably sophisticated graphics programme. Sure, you can do stuff in MS
Paint. But that's an incredibly primitive tool that only a masochistic variant
designer would use these days. I use Paint Shop Pro. Not the most sophisticated
software, but I've been using it for years so familiarity is a big
plus.
You needn't worry about Realpolitik implementation
before you've designed and sufficiently polished your variant. It's pretty much
the very last step.
Charles |
| Variant Creation - Sean2010 (May 30, 2010, 2:13 pm) |
| How do I go about creating a variant? [Reply] |
| Variant Creation (Community) charlesf May 31, 12:47 pm |
Variant Creation [post:16572]
BODY {
FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif
}
That's so broad a question that you'd have to
specify as to what in particular you're interested about. Design proper,
graphics software, Diplomacy software... Those are three entirely different
subjects.
If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any particular
project in mind?
Cheers,
Charles |
| Variant Creation (Community) Sean2010 Jun 01, 09:04 am |
"If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any particular
project in mind?"
Yes, I have a thought for a Diplomacy variant (well a couple of variants), but I've never operated an idea aimed to eventually be on the computer. How would I go about doing this? |
| Variant Creation (Community) Kenshi777 Jun 01, 09:36 am |
The map itself is the hardest and most critical component of variant
creation. The success of your variant (defined as people wanting to
play it) will be determined by how aesthetically pleasing the map
itself is, and how balanced the gameplay is.
As for aesthetics, that largely depends on where you start, and what
kind of graphic arts skills you have. In its most basic form, one
really doesn't need anything more than MS Paint and an outline map to
get started. Here's a site I use for a lot of my maps.
http://www.d-maps.com/
Of course, the more sophisticated (and successful) variant designers
use Paint Shop Pro or more advanced software to create much more
aesthetically pleasing maps. Their efforts are often rewarded in
player appeal, as very few will sign up to play on an ugly map.
Then there are the gameplay considerations. At the very least, I
recommend these rules of thumb:
1 - Each position should have roughly equal incentive to ally with
each of its immediate neighbours.
2 - Generally speaking, a good diplomatic dynamic is created in
"triangles" (groups of three powers being co-located, with buffer
zones or other disincentives sheltering them from early attack by
outside powers)
3 - Each power should have roughly equal prospects for overall victory.
Notice these are rightly labeled recommendations, not rules. Standard
Diplomacy at least partially complies with all three, but not rigidly.
I recommend #2 in particular for the first time variant designer,
because it provides a good starting point for achieving balance. One
can have the best looking map on the planet, but players will only
give it a single try and not return if they find that certain
positions (or certain alliances) are inevitable.
Finally - I can not recommend the Realpolitik adjudicator program
highly enough. It supports variants, has a very user-friendly
tutorial for the newbie variant designer, and is widespread throughout
the Diplomacy community. And of course, it's free, found here at the
creator's website -
http://realpolitik.sourceforge.net
Hope this helps -
B.
On 6/1/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Sean2010 posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
"If you want any useful hints, perhaps you should
first relate to us what gives rise to this question. Do you have any
particular
project in mind?"
Yes, I have a thought for a Diplomacy variant (well a couple of variants),
but I've never operated an idea aimed to eventually be on the computer. How
would I go about doing this?
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16598] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you subscribed to the Community forum at
diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to receive future posts, you may
change your subscriptions in your profile. If you are unable to discontinue
undesired messages, please notify feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://www.dipwiki.com
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants |
| Variant Creation (Community) charlesf Jun 01, 12:10 pm |
Variant Creation [post:16601]
BODY {
FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif
}
In regards to pure variant design, also look at
unit-space ratios. You'll want round 2.0 to 2.5 spaces per unit. Go above or
below that and you'll likely run into issues. Similarly, consider stalemate
lines and consider what victory criteria make for the best gaming experience.
There are many many more similar issues of Diplomacy variant
craftsmanship.
If you want a truly polished variant, you'll be
working on such a project for years. It's easy to draw and design
a Diplomacy variant in no time. But if it's supposed to be really worth
playing, you're going to have to devote a lot of time to it as I think Ben will
readily attest.
As for the graphics side of things, use a
reasonably sophisticated graphics programme. Sure, you can do stuff in MS
Paint. But that's an incredibly primitive tool that only a masochistic variant
designer would use these days. I use Paint Shop Pro. Not the most sophisticated
software, but I've been using it for years so familiarity is a big
plus.
You needn't worry about Realpolitik implementation
before you've designed and sufficiently polished your variant. It's pretty much
the very last step.
Charles |
| variants vs. standard - pieandmash (May 21, 2010, 2:31 pm) |
| better at variant.......i think because the standard map is so well known [Reply] |
| variants vs. standard - charlesf (May 20, 2010, 6:27 pm) |
Just a curious question for some of those that have played a bunch of different games - do you find that you perform better or worse at one or the other?
My Diplomacy experience is rather limited, but no, I don't think my gaming performance has much at all to do with the variant at hand. The same basic skills are required in any Diplomacy variant.
I carefully study whatever scenario is thrown at me. Gaining a deeper understanding of the game's topography etc. is what's among the most fun aspects of playing Diplomacy. It's incidentally also the key to designing decent Diplomacy Variants, which I enjoy doing arguably at least as much as actually playing.
That being said, I have played only a very limited number of Standard Diplomacy games in my life. I'm a variant guy. Though I haven't played all that many variant games either - a function of playing at most two games at a time and not having been engaged in the hobby for a good number of years.
Anyway, for me, Standard is a bit of an irrelevance. The 1900 variant is imo the better "Standard". No other nation other than Germany remotely interests me in Standard, whereas I find all of 1900's powers sufficiently interesting.[Reply] |
| variants vs. standard (Community) pieandmash May 21, 02:31 pm |
| better at variant.......i think because the standard map is so well known |
| Thought for new players - txurce (May 15, 2010, 1:44 am) |
Sean,
Thanks for a very encouraging editorial on why there's a benefit to playing out poor positions. I could add that there is also the issue of respect for the investment of time and effort by the other players. But in considering your perspective - the playing out of a losing position as an educational experience - I thought of the EOG statement I just wrote for DC261. My hand grew steadily worse the entire game... and it was a long, long game. Much to my surprise, I had about as many "fun" moments playing it out as I do in a winning effort.
Jorge[Reply] |
| Thought for new players - Kenshi777 (May 14, 2010, 7:07 pm) |
not to mention, DC awards you points for surviving, and you come out
much better than being eliminated. This is a wonderful feature of the
community, and promotes more realistic play that emulates what real
heads of state would be expected to do. (the rational ones at least -
if you find yourself in control of the DPRK in some variant, feel free
to isolate yourself diplomatically and invite ruin on your country
daily)
B.
On 5/14/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Sean2010 posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
Hello everyone,
As some of you may know, I'm a very vivid Diplomacy gamer; in fact, you
could probably consider me an addict. I've gone for some time until fairly
recently without playing Diplomacy not even so much as 1 on 1 with my uncle
who taught me the game 12 or so years ago.
I would like to voice that abandonments are both avoidable, and there's
lessons to be learned by losing. Such as you learn traps to watch out for,
you also learn ways to either counter them or turn a trap against you
against the player (a feat I admittedly haven't quite gotten the handle on),
or you learn ways to either find ways to be useful or strike the game's
dynamics or more the game's present political state.
Winning is fun, but I believe abandonments ignore that losing can and is fun
too.
Technically, you're never out until you're our. Granted, when you're losing
or in an undesirable position, there are great difficulties; however, it
takes time, dedication, and determination to make the best of your situation
and better it.
1). Losing can also teach you to adapt your playing style by either adopting
styles and strategy/tactics you've seen, or you can create an alternative
playing style.
2). Playing out losing positions often does hold a fruitful benefit of
learning the map better, and this provides you the useful information on how
to use your position to attempt impacting the present trend of the game.
Sometimes, this is all that is needed to get back into the game, or you can
find ways to make yourself useful.
Ideally, it may be easier to approach the game with these in mind:
1). Play to attain a winning seat not just a solo. A win is still a win even
if it isn't the preferable goal of a solo.
2). Play to survive, many players are more likely to eliminate/conquer a
player who doesn't offer or emphasize its usefulness.
3). If you can't survive looks to support a player, often referred to as
kingmaker, sometimes this will help you survive, but sometimes it does help
you get back into the game.
I hope that this helps out newer players to the hobby, and thank you for
taking the time to read this post.
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16253] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
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Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://nairenvorbeck.angelfire.com/
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants
.[Reply] |
| Thought for new players (Community) txurce May 15, 01:44 am |
Sean,
Thanks for a very encouraging editorial on why there's a benefit to playing out poor positions. I could add that there is also the issue of respect for the investment of time and effort by the other players. But in considering your perspective - the playing out of a losing position as an educational experience - I thought of the EOG statement I just wrote for DC261. My hand grew steadily worse the entire game... and it was a long, long game. Much to my surprise, I had about as many "fun" moments playing it out as I do in a winning effort.
Jorge |
| Thought for new players - Sean2010 (May 14, 2010, 3:30 pm) |
Hello everyone,
As some of you may know, I'm a very vivid Diplomacy gamer; in fact, you could probably consider me an addict. I've gone for some time until fairly recently without playing Diplomacy not even so much as 1 on 1 with my uncle who taught me the game 12 or so years ago.
I would like to voice that abandonments are both avoidable, and there's lessons to be learned by losing. Such as you learn traps to watch out for, you also learn ways to either counter them or turn a trap against you against the player (a feat I admittedly haven't quite gotten the handle on), or you learn ways to either find ways to be useful or strike the game's dynamics or more the game's present political state.
Winning is fun, but I believe abandonments ignore that losing can and is fun too.
Technically, you're never out until you're our. Granted, when you're losing or in an undesirable position, there are great difficulties; however, it takes time, dedication, and determination to make the best of your situation and better it.
1). Losing can also teach you to adapt your playing style by either adopting styles and strategy/tactics you've seen, or you can create an alternative playing style.
2). Playing out losing positions often does hold a fruitful benefit of learning the map better, and this provides you the useful information on how to use your position to attempt impacting the present trend of the game. Sometimes, this is all that is needed to get back into the game, or you can find ways to make yourself useful.
Ideally, it may be easier to approach the game with these in mind:
1). Play to attain a winning seat not just a solo. A win is still a win even if it isn't the preferable goal of a solo.
2). Play to survive, many players are more likely to eliminate/conquer a player who doesn't offer or emphasize its usefulness.
3). If you can't survive looks to support a player, often referred to as kingmaker, sometimes this will help you survive, but sometimes it does help you get back into the game.
I hope that this helps out newer players to the hobby, and thank you for taking the time to read this post.[Reply] |
| Thought for new players (Community) Kenshi777 May 14, 07:07 pm |
not to mention, DC awards you points for surviving, and you come out
much better than being eliminated. This is a wonderful feature of the
community, and promotes more realistic play that emulates what real
heads of state would be expected to do. (the rational ones at least -
if you find yourself in control of the DPRK in some variant, feel free
to isolate yourself diplomatically and invite ruin on your country
daily)
B.
On 5/14/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Sean2010 posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
Hello everyone,
As some of you may know, I'm a very vivid Diplomacy gamer; in fact, you
could probably consider me an addict. I've gone for some time until fairly
recently without playing Diplomacy not even so much as 1 on 1 with my uncle
who taught me the game 12 or so years ago.
I would like to voice that abandonments are both avoidable, and there's
lessons to be learned by losing. Such as you learn traps to watch out for,
you also learn ways to either counter them or turn a trap against you
against the player (a feat I admittedly haven't quite gotten the handle on),
or you learn ways to either find ways to be useful or strike the game's
dynamics or more the game's present political state.
Winning is fun, but I believe abandonments ignore that losing can and is fun
too.
Technically, you're never out until you're our. Granted, when you're losing
or in an undesirable position, there are great difficulties; however, it
takes time, dedication, and determination to make the best of your situation
and better it.
1). Losing can also teach you to adapt your playing style by either adopting
styles and strategy/tactics you've seen, or you can create an alternative
playing style.
2). Playing out losing positions often does hold a fruitful benefit of
learning the map better, and this provides you the useful information on how
to use your position to attempt impacting the present trend of the game.
Sometimes, this is all that is needed to get back into the game, or you can
find ways to make yourself useful.
Ideally, it may be easier to approach the game with these in mind:
1). Play to attain a winning seat not just a solo. A win is still a win even
if it isn't the preferable goal of a solo.
2). Play to survive, many players are more likely to eliminate/conquer a
player who doesn't offer or emphasize its usefulness.
3). If you can't survive looks to support a player, often referred to as
kingmaker, sometimes this will help you survive, but sometimes it does help
you get back into the game.
I hope that this helps out newer players to the hobby, and thank you for
taking the time to read this post.
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16253] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you subscribed to the Community forum at
diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to receive future posts, you may
change your subscriptions in your profile. If you are unable to discontinue
undesired messages, please notify feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://nairenvorbeck.angelfire.com/
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants
. |
| Thought for new players (Community) txurce May 15, 01:44 am |
Sean,
Thanks for a very encouraging editorial on why there's a benefit to playing out poor positions. I could add that there is also the issue of respect for the investment of time and effort by the other players. But in considering your perspective - the playing out of a losing position as an educational experience - I thought of the EOG statement I just wrote for DC261. My hand grew steadily worse the entire game... and it was a long, long game. Much to my surprise, I had about as many "fun" moments playing it out as I do in a winning effort.
Jorge |
| Reply notification - Kenshi777 (May 14, 2010, 12:27 pm) |
ah, very cool - that does the job then
On 5/13/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Poobaloo replied to your post 16199 in the Diplomaticcorp forums. The reply
was...
________________________________
all players drop down on home page [post:16219]
body{font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size:12px;}
He was looking for the player selector that was above the scrolling stats
selector on the old site. That player selector isn't there any more. You
can still find this, it's just on the Profile page instead. Go to My
Profile, then at the top is a quick selector to jump to any other player and
see their stats.
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16220] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you opted to be notified if someone
replied to a post you made at diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to
receive future notices of replies, you may disable notifications for this
post or turn off reply notifications entirely in your profile. If you are
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feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://nairenvorbeck.angelfire.com/
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants
.[Reply] |
| all players drop down on home page - FuzzyLogic (May 13, 2010, 3:47 pm) |
all players drop down on home page [post:16219]
body{font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size:12px;}
He was looking for the player selector that was above the scrolling stats selector on the old site. That player selector isn't there any more. You can still find this, it's just on the Profile page instead. Go to My Profile, then at the top is a quick selector to jump to any other player and see their stats.
[Reply] |
| Reply notification (Community) Kenshi777 May 14, 12:27 pm |
ah, very cool - that does the job then
On 5/13/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Poobaloo replied to your post 16199 in the Diplomaticcorp forums. The reply
was...
________________________________
all players drop down on home page [post:16219]
body{font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size:12px;}
He was looking for the player selector that was above the scrolling stats
selector on the old site. That player selector isn't there any more. You
can still find this, it's just on the Profile page instead. Go to My
Profile, then at the top is a quick selector to jump to any other player and
see their stats.
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16220] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you opted to be notified if someone
replied to a post you made at diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to
receive future notices of replies, you may disable notifications for this
post or turn off reply notifications entirely in your profile. If you are
unable to discontinue undesired messages, please notify
feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://nairenvorbeck.angelfire.com/
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants
. |
| all players drop down on home page - z93blom (May 13, 2010, 3:45 pm) |
B.
Are you looking for
Stats->Player?
/Fredrik[Reply] |
| all players drop down on home page (Community) FuzzyLogic May 13, 03:47 pm |
all players drop down on home page [post:16219]
body{font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size:12px;}
He was looking for the player selector that was above the scrolling stats selector on the old site. That player selector isn't there any more. You can still find this, it's just on the Profile page instead. Go to My Profile, then at the top is a quick selector to jump to any other player and see their stats.
|
| Reply notification (Community) Kenshi777 May 14, 12:27 pm |
ah, very cool - that does the job then
On 5/13/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Poobaloo replied to your post 16199 in the Diplomaticcorp forums. The reply
was...
________________________________
all players drop down on home page [post:16219]
body{font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size:12px;}
He was looking for the player selector that was above the scrolling stats
selector on the old site. That player selector isn't there any more. You
can still find this, it's just on the Profile page instead. Go to My
Profile, then at the top is a quick selector to jump to any other player and
see their stats.
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16220] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you opted to be notified if someone
replied to a post you made at diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to
receive future notices of replies, you may disable notifications for this
post or turn off reply notifications entirely in your profile. If you are
unable to discontinue undesired messages, please notify
feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://nairenvorbeck.angelfire.com/
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants
. |
| all players drop down on home page - Kenshi777 (May 12, 2010, 3:19 pm) |
where did this go? I miss it...top solos, eliminated, etc. etc. is all very well, but the all players list made it much easier to find someone than scrolling through the whole player table...
B.[Reply] |
| all players drop down on home page (Community) z93blom May 13, 03:45 pm |
B.
Are you looking for
Stats->Player?
/Fredrik |
| all players drop down on home page (Community) FuzzyLogic May 13, 03:47 pm |
all players drop down on home page [post:16219]
body{font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size:12px;}
He was looking for the player selector that was above the scrolling stats selector on the old site. That player selector isn't there any more. You can still find this, it's just on the Profile page instead. Go to My Profile, then at the top is a quick selector to jump to any other player and see their stats.
|
| Reply notification (Community) Kenshi777 May 14, 12:27 pm |
ah, very cool - that does the job then
On 5/13/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Poobaloo replied to your post 16199 in the Diplomaticcorp forums. The reply
was...
________________________________
all players drop down on home page [post:16219]
body{font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size:12px;}
He was looking for the player selector that was above the scrolling stats
selector on the old site. That player selector isn't there any more. You
can still find this, it's just on the Profile page instead. Go to My
Profile, then at the top is a quick selector to jump to any other player and
see their stats.
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
[post:16220] in the subject line so your message is routed to the
appropriate forum.
You received this message because you opted to be notified if someone
replied to a post you made at diplomaticcorp.com. If you do not wish to
receive future notices of replies, you may disable notifications for this
post or turn off reply notifications entirely in your profile. If you are
unable to discontinue undesired messages, please notify
feedback-at-diplomaticcorp.com.
--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://nairenvorbeck.angelfire.com/
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants
. |
| variants vs. standard - vegas_iwish (May 10, 2010, 6:25 pm) |
| I have always run tons of variants and faced the "romanticism" people have for standard. Even minor adjs that really improve (IMHO) the game like Milan somehow make the game "sacreligious"(yes have been hit with that term). When I was 10 I was already an SPI/AH wargamer; games with true realism; complexity; historical accuracy. Dip was a kids game played when had non-wargamers in a group. I never could get many WGs to play it once rules like beleagured garrisons; no supply lines; 1 german army not > 2 russian armies (tannenberg/mansurian lakes); etc came up. No variant can stretch dip up to the level of the wargames but they are what can get done so I do them. I'd sacrifice balance for historical feel any day but Standard & some variants work as games. I & A are not as big underdogs as people make them out. People get too caught up in the mysticism of dip vs just playing it. [Reply] |
| variants vs. standard - txurce (May 10, 2010, 1:00 pm) |
| Sean, by Standard Dip not being balanced I meant that, for example, most people would prefer not to draw Austria or Italy. You and Mike are correct in that other factors tend to make the game playable anyway (although it takes significant skill and luck to win with those two). [Reply] |
| variants vs. standard - Sean2010 (May 10, 2010, 12:46 pm) |
In my opinion, I'm better at Standard Diplomacy because I have a better understanding to the map's balance that dictates the map's dynamics through geography and geopolitics, which are included in its prequel Colonial Diplomacy although it's less played so I don't know that map's balance and dynamics well, and I'm more of a poor-medicore diplomat.
"Mike has successfully hammered this point home to me on a few occasions by pointing out that the standard game is anything but balanced, and yet it's, uh, playable."
The balance is through the whole map makeup. Standard Diplomacy is divided by the stalemate line dividing the sphere's of influence by 17-17 supply centers between the West-East sphere's of control. The stalemate line isn't totally a fixed position derived through the map's dynamics or players' decisions as the game progresses like Army v Fleet ratio.[Reply] |
| variants vs. standard (Community) txurce May 10, 01:00 pm |
| Sean, by Standard Dip not being balanced I meant that, for example, most people would prefer not to draw Austria or Italy. You and Mike are correct in that other factors tend to make the game playable anyway (although it takes significant skill and luck to win with those two). |
| variants vs. standard - txurce (May 10, 2010, 11:31 am) |
| Mike has successfully hammered this point home to me on a few occasions by pointing out that the standard game is anything but balanced, and yet it's, uh, playable. Variants like A&E are purposely unbalanced, yet lead to spectacular conflicts. I tend to choose variants based on whether they seem like fun, which for me is a combination of unpredictability, opportunity for diplomacy or tactical variety, and a good-looking map. [Reply] |
| variants vs. standard (Community) Sean2010 May 10, 12:46 pm |
In my opinion, I'm better at Standard Diplomacy because I have a better understanding to the map's balance that dictates the map's dynamics through geography and geopolitics, which are included in its prequel Colonial Diplomacy although it's less played so I don't know that map's balance and dynamics well, and I'm more of a poor-medicore diplomat.
"Mike has successfully hammered this point home to me on a few occasions by pointing out that the standard game is anything but balanced, and yet it's, uh, playable."
The balance is through the whole map makeup. Standard Diplomacy is divided by the stalemate line dividing the sphere's of influence by 17-17 supply centers between the West-East sphere's of control. The stalemate line isn't totally a fixed position derived through the map's dynamics or players' decisions as the game progresses like Army v Fleet ratio. |
| variants vs. standard (Community) txurce May 10, 01:00 pm |
| Sean, by Standard Dip not being balanced I meant that, for example, most people would prefer not to draw Austria or Italy. You and Mike are correct in that other factors tend to make the game playable anyway (although it takes significant skill and luck to win with those two). |
| variants vs. standard - Kenshi777 (May 10, 2010, 11:25 am) |
to an extent, yes. this is true in variants with minor imbalances. I
would say that even Standard has minor imbalances, yet this dynamic
you describe makes all the positions playable. Major imbalances - the
sort that result in "forced" alliances - can remove this effect
though.
-
I have a simple rule of thumb for variant design, a question that
variant designers should critically ask themselves of each position on
their map.
-
...and that is, "does this player have at least two alliance options
with roughly equal incentive?"
-
If the answer is no, then the negotiating element of the game is
eliminated, and though there may remain an entertaining tactical
fight, the opening phase of the game at least becomes predictable when
one alliance is clearly the more profitable option than the other.
-
This is not always apparent prior to playtesting. Speaking from
painful experience, it is all too easy to get "tunnel vision" about a
particular positon as one is designing the map, and not realize that
an alliance pairing is forced.
B.
On 5/10/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Poobaloo posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
A game is never luck of the draw. If you draw a favored nation, that should
be just as unlucky as lucky, cuz the players should be more against you,
whereas if you draw an unlucky nation, you should be able to use that to
make more allies.
________________________________
Read or reply to this post online.
You can also reply to this post via email. If you do, be sure to leave the
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--
Diplomacy in Texas!
www.texasdiplomacy.com
http://nairenvorbeck.angelfire.com/
Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
American Supremacy, and DarkAges Diplomacy Variants
.[Reply] |
