Hi guys,
This is of course one of the eternal questions facing Diplomacy players - when to lie and when to tell the truth. A book could be written on the matter. Many things play in... the anonymity of playing on the internet, crossed with the closeness of playing in a community.

Here in dc, I bet players get to know each other game after game, whereas say on a judge, things can be completely anonymous. Thus here we have to plan for the future, establish credibility, etc. In face to face play, you learn the personalities of all your friends, and you use that to your best ability. Same thing here. That's one thing I really like about the club play, is that you do get to know each other, and try to figure out how to beat the people you know. It's not a matter of playing objectified strangers.

Even what constitutes a lie is different to everyone. I recently had one person tell me... "Yeah I agreed to the DMZ but I never agreed I wouldn't go there"... I was like... Um yeah, ok. Mental note for the future about what this person says. Surprisingly, no this one did not come from Ray.

So everyone is different. I try to play every game without lying, and without resorting to loopholes or technicalities... for once you do that, you set yourself up as someone you cant really talk to, w/o a level of confidence that what you talk about will be meaningful. In many games I succeed, for if you're attacked, you generally have to lie less than if you're the attacker. And I've gotten attacked a lot lately.

But of course there comes a time when you have to make choices, and have to either stab someone, or lead someone on, or whatever... and those who master that ability to lie will do well.

Some telltale signs of a lie...

- if a player normally writes you daily, and stops.
- if a player's tone seems to be oddly different
- if a player makes a move and explains it with a rationale that doesnt seem like a realistic explanation.
- if a player insists on moving by your centers, or keeping units in places that are not strategically suited to growth elsewhere.
- if a player tells you "i'm not playing for a win, really".