Hey all. Deadline in under 12 hours. Adjudication may be a little late tomorrow, but don't put off sending those moves in, since it might happen on schedule.
 
Thanks!
John

 
From: untitled36(at)hotmail.com
To: welsh_stroud(at)msn.com; davidknight1955(at)gmail.com; ilovethechiefs(at)gmail.com; landru428(at)aol.com; greg.shtraks(at)gmail.com; matthew_barnes(at)brown.edu; rk(at)giorsoine.dk; orders(at)diplomaticcorp.com; mike(at)fuzzylogicllc.com
Subject: Winter Blitz Gamestart
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:45:56 -0600






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*Announcer's Voice, accompanied by upbeat music*
"Welcome once again to the Annual Winter Blitz, the game where seven players compete for semi-fabulous prizes! And now, heeeere's your host..... JOHN!"
 
Thank you, thank you! Please sit down, your standing ovation is embarrasing me! Before we begin, let me go over some rules:
 
HOUSE RULES:
During the Blitz, I hold to Diplomaticcorp house rules. Except to say I reserve the right to handle any situation that comes up however I see fit. So... I follow the house rules, except when I don't. Got it? But seriously, I don't expect we'll have any issues. I just have to cover myself. If you ever have an issue, whether it be I recorded your moves wrong, or you disagree with my handling of some situation, you have a hard and fast 24 hours from the deadline to contact me. Otherwise, the adjucation (or whatever is debated) stands.
 
YOUR BEST ALLIES:
Yes, Diplomacy is a game where you can't trust anyone. Take a look at the faces of our players. Completely untrustworthy, every one of them. So what do I mean, "your best allies?" orders(at)diplomaticcorp.com, and Prelims! Yup, the orders email is your first, last, and only defense against the capricious whims of your humble GM. You just know you sent in those orders, but I have no record of them? If you cc'ed the orders box, you're safe! If not, tough cookies! And Prelims. Oh, I could write ballads about my love for prelims. I'd suggest that as soon as I send out an adjucation, you fire off some prelims. Who knows what that silly old "real life" everyone is talking about might bring you? Loss of internet? Emergency travel? Barbarian hordes ransacking your dwelling? Well, Prelims make sure you at least do something. Otherwise, you get to say hello to my old friend "NMR." We don't want that. Trust me. He's not a nice guy.
 
OTHER RANDOM STUFF:
Please make sure you put DC413 in the subject line, ideally followed by your country and season. I'm not nearly the stickler about this that some GMS are, but still, it makes both our lives easier.
The Game goes on NO MATTER WHAT. If you will be journeying to the moon for a couple weeks, we will NOT put the game on hold or delay deadlines. If you know you will have an extended absence, either give me conditional moves, or find a stand-in (one who is not a Blitz player or GM). Also, press is "Black" meaning you can send press to be included with adjucations claiming to be from yourself, an anonymous source, or even someone else. HOWEVER, purporting to be me (the GM), or any of the tournament directors in press or even in private emails is strictly forbidden and you WILL be expelled from the game and most likely the tournament as well.
 
DEADLINES:
The Blitz is set up for Spring and Fall on Mondays and Thursdays respectively. Summer and Winter are on Tuesday and Friday (when required). Orders are due by 8:00 AM CST on each of those days. I'm terrible with coverting timezones, but I think we are -6:00 from GMT, which makes the deadline 2:00 PM GMT (I think). I prefer a "first thing in the morning" deadline over a "late night" deadline, so either send them in the night before, or get up early, kids. Also, on a technical note, I accept orders until I BEGIN adjucation. Whether that's at 8:00 AM sharp, or 10:15 AM. I'm generally pretty prompt, with the possible exception being Fridays, but be safe and send in early! FIRST DEADLINE IS THIS COMING MONDAY AT 8:00 AM CST (2:00 PM GMT??)! In a Blitz game, I don't normally send out reminders for moves, so be a big boy and get your own moves in, eh? 
COUNTRY ASSIGNMENTS:
I know, I know. "John, shut up and tell us what country we are!" Okay, okay! Put that dagger down! I'm getting there. Assigned via OpenOffice's random number feature, we have:
 
Player list for dc413IDCountryNameEmailLocationConradWAUSTRIACharles Welshwelsh_stroud(at)msn.comEllicott City, MD, USdiplomat1ENGLANDdavid knightdavidknight1955(at)gmail.comlondon, HERTS, UKilovethechiefsRUSSIAPhilip Kingilovethechiefs(at)gmail.comSt. Louis, MO, USlandru428FRANCEAndrew Casseselandru428(at)aol.comBrooklyn, NY, USthecount1282GERMANYGreg ShtraksGreg.Shtraks(at)gmail.commonclair, NJ, USTheFinalCountdownTURKEYMatt Barnesmatthew_barnes(at)brown.eduBoston, MA, UStrezdkITALYRene Krollrk(at)giorsoine.dkFarum, DK Happy Stabbing, folks!*Music surges again, confetti explodes into the air, and the scene fades on the contestants glancing cautiously at one another, each sharpening their blades* John