Hi guys,



as you may have noticed, we have a full complement of players
(indeed, I've had to turn down almost enough players to fill a
second game). I've worked out power assignments based on preferences
you have provided me with. However, I shall be holding off until
tomorrow in launching the game according to one player's wishes.



Until I've done so, I ask you guys not to discuss the game with any
other players.



This shall be the third 1936 playtest and the first one with the
latest 1.5 map version. I've created a Realpolitik game module for
v1.5 and you'll find it attached in a zip-file. Using it is child's
play and may prove invaluable in both testing and visualising
various possible moves. You might also want to enter your orders
into Realpolitik and then simply copy-paste the text output into
your orders mail to me. Helps you avoid mistakes.



How to install? You need to place the unzipped module file into
Realpolitik's "Variant Files" sub-folder. Then open Realpolitik and
select 1936_15 in the variant drop-down module. Note that SC
provinces are solely defined as the SC dot, so if you want to enter
an order involving such a province, make sure you click on the dot.



Also, Realpolitik allows you to have space names shown on the map if
you toggle "Names" in the "Map" drop-down menu. This might help you
familiarise yourself with the space names (unit icons cover the
space labels, so you might toggle the unit view on or off).



Anyway, I've attached a map with the name view toggled on. I won't
however include such maps in regular adjucations as it makes for a
more cluttered map. Just thought the below might prove helpful to
especially those new to the variant.




I
shall be also including a dpy-file?for Realpolitik in
every adjucation. Should you open it with Realpolitik (and
have previously installed the variant module), you'll see
the present state of the game. You'll then be able to
click through the game's history, toggle on space names,
experiment with moves and see how they might be adjucated.
Realpolitik rocks and I do highly recommend the software's
use! You can download the programme at: http://realpolitik.sourceforge.net/


Another few points I'd like to stress:


?
-
Preliminary Spring and Fall orders need to be submitted 48
hours in advance of the actual deadline. I believe
this?considerably diminishes the?likelihood of NMRs and
mistaken orders. So I've made this a requirement. These
deadlines for preliminary orders shall be listed in
brackets in an adjucations Deadline Schedule section.
?
-
Note that deadlines shall generally be at 6 PM CET (GMT+1)
rather than your local time.
?
-
All negotiation mails need to be CCed to me. This is very
helpful from a playtesting perspective, allows me to spot
mistaken assumptions regarding the rules or map and allows
me to keep stats on the game's mail volume. And hey, I
just like being in the loop.
?
-
Make sure you use the order header format. It helps me
sort through mail, so please stick to it (e.g. DC344 Sp36
P1). I also encourage the analogous use of the negotiation
header format on the lines of "DC344 Su37 PGS" (that would
be a Polish mail to both Germany and the Soviet Union sent
prior to the Summer 1937 adjucation), but it's by no means
a requirement. Just a standard some might find as useful
as I do.
?
-
Since our game's DC344, our message board's email is dc344(at)diplomaticcorp.com.
Please include that adress whenever sending out a public
email. You may wish to subscribe to the DC344 forum on the
DC message board.
?
-
I welcome any press from players and observers. Submit it
to me and I shall include it in the adjucation
(anonymously or not, as specified). Press may be made
conditional on the adjucation's actual results, if so
desired.



Further below you shall find my House Rules document
(slightly amended from previous iterations).



Okay, I'll leave it at that. Should you have any
questions, don't hesitate to ask.



Cheers,



Charles




HOUSE RULES FOR DC344




Deadline Schedule
Spring and Fall
deadlines will be usually scheduled on a set day?every
week, 6 PM CET. Summer Retreats and combined
Winter Retreats/Adjustments deadlines shall usually
follow 48 hours later. Players may submit conditional orders. For
instance, a build order may be made conditional upon the
retreat orders of any player.
Power Preferences
Players may submit their ranked
preferences in regards to which power they wish to play
prior to the official game start.
Administration
1. GM
Impersonation is strictly off-limits. Any attempt
to forge a GM email or communication will be cause for
immediate removal from the game.
2. If
two players know each other in real life circumstances
in the same game, they need to inform the GM. You should
expect that this information will not neccessarily be
kept secret.
3. The
GM of the game has the final say and final decision
on all matters relating to the game, whether they
are covered in the rules or not. Any questions or
disputes should be raised to the GM of the game first
and then only if the player is still unhappy, the GM or
player can ask the DC moderators for their opinion on
the matter.
Orders Format
1. It
is a player’s responsibility to submit correct moves
to the GM by the deadline. These ought to be labelled
with the DC number, the correct season, great power
identifier and a number identifying that particular set
of orders. An example: DC344 Sp36 F2. This would be the
second set of French orders submitted for Spring 1936 in
the game DC319.
2. The
GM has no obligation to check moves to see if they
are correct prior to the deadline, or send out a
reminder to submit moves.
3. Orders will not be accepted by
the GM after the deadline has passed (except when a
player fails to send orders in on time, yet does so
within an eligible grace period).
4. The
GM will accept all reasonable abbreviations.
However if an order is unclear and not clarified by the
deadline, the order will be declared void and the unit
will hold. Abbreviations that could be applied to more
than one space on the map should be avoided.
5. The
designation of A or F in orders is to remind players
of their pieces. If you leave out the unit type
in an order, the order is still valid since only one
unit can occupy any province. Even an incorrect
designation of A of F will not cause an otherwise valid
order to fail.
6. In
the situation where a unit has been ordered more than
once in a set of moves, then the first order will be
deemed to be the VALID and overriding order
(additional orders for the same unit will be ignored).
In the situation where a city has been ordered for
multiple builds, the first build order will be deemed
valid and overriding (additional orders for the same
unit will be ignored).
7. Moving
to and from provinces with multiple coasts.
* When
a unit is moving FROM a province with multiple coasts,
the coast need not be specified. Therefore a fleet
moving FROM say, Rome(wc)
may be ordered from?Rom or from Rom(wc) equally.
* When a unit is moving TO a province with
multiple coasts, and movement is only possible to?one
coast, the coast need not (but may) be specified.
* When a unit is moving TO a province with
multiple coasts, and movement is possible to either (or
any) coast, the coast must be specified, or the order
will fail.
* If ordering a fleet build in a province with
multiple coasts, the coast must be specified, or the
build order will fail.
* When supporting a unit that is in a multi-coast
province, you do not need to specify the coast of the
unit being supported. Remember support is given for a
province as a whole, not a particular unit type or
coast. If a wrong coast is explicitly stated, the
support order is still valid, since support is given for
a territory as a whole, NOT the unit on the coast.
8. Paradoxical
Situations: Any paradoxical situations will result
in all affected orders failing.

No Moves Received
(NMRS)
1. If a
player has not submitted moves to a GM by the deadline,
the following will occur:
- In any season following the first game
year the player in question shall be granted a
six-hour grace period unless he has previously already
benefitted from two such grace periods

- If a replacement player
joins the game, all players will once again have two
six-hour grace periods available to them.


- Should?such
a granted?grace period expire without the player in
question submitting a set of orders or no longer be
eligible for one, the GM shall seek a player replacement
(instead of adjucating) and delay the deadline to
allow for renewed negotiations.


2. For DC Statistics, if a player
failed to submit orders?in Spring/Summer they would
record 1 NMR. If a player NMR'd in Fall/Autumn/Winter
they would record 1 NMR.
Adjudications
1. The
GM will email a map and a copy of the adjudication to
the players and the game forum.
2. Any
errors in adjudications must be brought to the
attention of the GM before the next major deadline
(Spring, Fall, Winter) else that error will stand.
3.
Summer and winter adjucations may be published prior to
the actual deadline once all required orders have been
submitted and no player asked for that not to happen.


End-Game Proposals
1.
There are only 3 suitable end game proposals that are
accepted in a DC game
?
DIAS: This is a Draw Including All
Survivors. It means any player with a SC remaining in
their control shares in the draw.
DRAW: This would be a shared draw for
any named countries (eg. DRAW England-Germany). Any
country not named does not include in the draw.
CONCESSION: This is a concession that ONE
named country will win the game. If this proposal passes
the named country/player will be credited with a solo.
?
2. End
Game Proposals can be proposed to the GM either
publicly (in a group email) or privately to the GM.
The deadline for voting will be the same as the next
season’s deadline. Submitting revised orders without a
vote will not negate a vote submitted on a separate
email – once a vote is submitted, players must
proactively change it or it will be counted. Only
players who are in control of 1 or more supply centers
for the upcoming vote deadline are eligible to vote. An
affirmative vote of YES by all eligible players will
result in the EGP passing, and the end of the game – the
spring / fall unit orders will not be revealed, and the
game is over. If an ‘active’ player in control of 1 or
more supply centers does not submit a vote, their vote
will be considered a NO and result in the failure of the
EGP. All ‘active’ players must vote YES for an end game
proposal to pass. A player’s vote is confidential and
will not be divulged at anytime by the GM including
during or after the game is finished.
3. If
multiple proposals all pass unanimously in the same
turn, preference will be given in the following order:
* Draws including fewer players or solos will
take precedence over draws including more players.
* If multiple draws containing the same number of
players pass, they will take precedence in the order
listed in the GM proposal, from top down.
4. At
no time can an eliminated player be part of a draw or
have a vote in a draw. Only active players can vote in a
any draw proposal.
5. If
a game appears to be stalemated, the GM may choose to
declare the game a DIAS if there appears to be no
substantial change to the board dynamics for 4
consecutive turns (2 years). This rule is most
likely to apply where some power(s) have demonstrated a
stalemate line that cannot be broken given a fixed set
of defensive orders. If the No Substantial Change rule
is to be invoked, the GM will notify the players after
the 2nd season (1 year in) of effect, allowing them at
least one full year to consider the implications of a
potential stalemate. Any declared stalemate will be a
DIAS where all players in control of at least 1 supply
center will share equally in a draw. Some things that
may break a stalemate are:
????????? * The capture of a supply
center
????????? * Dislodging a unit
????????? * Player request, with
explanation of why the game is not stalemated
Press
Press
can be sent to the GM for joint release with the next
adjucation or to the appropriate DC forum. Press can be
WHITE. (i.e. the country who sent the press will be
acknowledged) or GREY (anonymous press).
Proxies and Temporary
Stand-Ins
1.
In-game proxies of moves are not allowed.
2. A player are asked to find a
temporary replacement of themselves by another
player (who is not a current player) to cover any
longer periods of vacation or absence.
Deadline Extensions
Deadline
extensions may be granted in cases of true real life
emergencies or?not overly long?absences. Such requests
ought to be preferably made well in advance.

Recommended Mail
Header Format
While
the aforementioned mail header for order submisssions
is mandatory, the following header format merely
presents a recommendation players may choose to
follow:
?
<DC
ID> <Current Season/Year> <Sender
ID><Receiver ID>
?
Example:
DC344 Sp36 PBGST
?
This would
be a mail sent by Poland (P) to Britain, Germany, the
Soviet Union?and Turkey during the Spring 1936 turn in
the DC344 game.

Additional Player
Responsibilities
Players are required to:


declare
with whom of the players they're playing in
other settings.

forward to the GM all email messages sent
to other players.
submit preliminary Spring and Fall orders
no later than 48 hours prior to the deadline.

submit an end-of-game report.
in the event
that they wish to leave the game, seek a
replacement player on their own accord so as to
cause a minimum of disruption to the game.