Hi guys,
we're fast approaching the first adjucation deadline, Wednesday 1 July 6 PM CET (GMT+1). Should you have not yet sent in your (preliminary) orders, I strongly recommend you do so now since that allows me to alert players of possible mistakes, serves as an insurance against adversity leading to NMRs and hence allows me to relax on that count.
- Note that any illegal order (whether for a player or minor power unit) will simply be reported as a hold order.
- Entry into my mail inbox is the decisive criterion when it comes to meeting the deadline. In emergencies, you can also call me under the number I earlier provided and verbally communicate your orders to me (provided I'm at home, of course).
- Should a player believe I have made an adjucation error, he may appeal the adjucation until the next adjucation has taken place. My rulings are final.
Now a few recommended guidelines for how to format your orders:
a. Identification: As I previously noted, the orders mail should be marked using the following format:
1648: Sp49 A1
The above referring to the first Austrian order set sent to me for the Spring 1649 Moves. The shorthands:
Austria: A
Denmark-Norway: D
England: E
France: F
Poland-Lithuania: P
Spain: S
Sweden: W
Turkey: T (
yes, I mean to fully change all documents to Turkey being used over "Ottoman Empire".)
b. Major Power unit orders: As necessary, a player's messages should specify what his Great Power's units are doing that season (i.e., moving, holding, supporting, or convoying) or what retreats, disbands, or builds the player wishes to execute. Players should use the unit orders format that is provided in the basic Diplomacy rules and the abbreviations for the spaces that are provided in the supplemental 1648 rules.
c. Minor power unit orders: During Spring and Fall turns, players should specify how they are allocating their Diplomacy Points (DPs) and what they expect the receiving Minor Powers to do with their units. Again, players should use the unit orders format that is provided in the basic Diplomacy rules and the abbreviations for the spaces that are provided in the supplemental 1648 rules. Example: 2DP: A Tra S A Mol H.
NOTE: I will only publish the Minor Power order that receives the most DPs or the hold order. I will not indicate which player submitted a particular order to a Minor Power or what that order was. Only the submitting player and I will know for sure who submitted an order for that Minor Power.
d. "Press" releases: As desired, a player's messages may include press releases. Unlike unit orders, press releases may be made conditional on what the other players do. For example, the Swedish player may have one press release to use if Poland-Lithuania attacks Sweden and another press release to use if Poland-Lithuania attacks Austria. Press will be designated as being sent by the player who sent it unless I am instructed to publish it anonymously. I retain the right not to publish a press release if I deem it inappropriate.
Well, that's it. I apologise my initial house rules document doesn't cover all the various contingencies. I'll try to do better in future.
On another note, my current involvement in the hobby extends to also GMing a 1900 variant game next to this one. It is run on the DPJudge and only has just started. Unfortunately, I had to remove our Italian player on account of numerous violations and the Russian player chose to resign on account of being a near-mute. So two openings, unmarred by any adjucations having yet taken place, are currently on offer. 1900 is a terrific variant (designed by Baron Powell, who is also the inventor of the DP mechanism featured in 164
and, should you be able to fully participate in both games, you are invited to join the 1900 game. See
http://www.diplom.org/openings/openings.html#USDP. The game is called 1900_090601.
Cheers,
Charles
