SDN Diplomacy #2: Comments Thread

[loomer]

Yeah, I was puzzled about that myself. Then I remembered and it was pretty much a 'Oh, fuck. Yep, I am an idiot.' moment.

[Lord Relvenous]

Still in, just got slammed by school and work, totally slipped my mind.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

I'll take over Russia, I guess, then? If that's okay.

[Duckie]

Confirmed. Grandmaster Jogurt is now Tsar of All the Russias. You may contact him by AIM Vorlagenjogurt or by PM.

[Spoonist]

Still in, just got slammed by school and work, totally slipped my mind.

Then I would recommend, PM your orders early, then late.
First just PM away whatever you feel like, then do the diplomacy bit, if someone changes your mind, send another PM with new orders. Duckie will use the last orders you send in. That way you will never "fail" to make an order.

I'll take over Russia, I guess, then? If that's okay.

Welcome to the party. Have you played before or are you a newbie?

[Duckie]

Spoonist is correct, and that's a logical strategy for meeting the deadlines. Preliminary Orders followed by revising are always a good idea if you're concerned about meeting a deadline.

As I remember Jogurt was a country in SDN Diplomacy 1. He wasn't Italy or Germany- he may have been Austria.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

Checking over my PM box shows no evidence of having played in an earlier game here. I have played a bit of the game way long ago, but most of my experience comes from living with someone who usually had at least three games going simultaneously in play-by-email and who liked to talk about his plans... a lot. Then again he usually played variants.

[Duckie]

Checking over my PM box shows no evidence of having played in an earlier game here. I have played a bit of the game way long ago, but most of my experience comes from living with someone who usually had at least three games going simultaneously in play-by-email and who liked to talk about his plans... a lot. Then again he usually played variants.

Huh. But we know eachother, and I swear you were one of the people I met via the original game via the original game, so that's odd. Weird.

Today's Advanced Diplomacy Fact: Supporting an army which is ordered to Support bolsters the Supporting Army's Defense. Thus, if attacked, it's less likely to be dislodged (attack strength 1 or more greater than defense strength) or cut (=).

[Spoonist]

Checking over my PM box shows no evidence of having played in an earlier game here. I have played a bit of the game way long ago, but most of my experience comes from living with someone who usually had at least three games going simultaneously in play-by-email and who liked to talk about his plans... a lot. Then again he usually played variants.

Huh. But we know eachother, and I swear you were one of the people I met via the original game via the original game, so that's odd. Weird.

Today's Advanced Diplomacy Fact: Supporting an army which is ordered to Support bolsters the Supporting Army's Defense. Thus, if attacked, it's less likely to be dislodged (attack strength 1 or more greater than defense strength) or cut (=).

Psst, Duckie you shouldn't spoil him hustling us. Of course you have only played a little bit, and only seen it once or twice. So should we increase the ante at this point?

[Duckie]

Some very interesting moves today. Builds are due by monday, Spoonist must contact me within 24 hours with his retreat for the unit in Saint Petersburg.

Your Winter builds are due on Monday.

[loomer]

Did my Smyrna to Ankara move fail somehow?

[Duckie]

Did my Smyrna to Ankara move fail somehow?

No, it's an oversight. I usually catch most of my proofreading errors, but I made two this turn which really is annoying. Let me fix the maps.

Also I keep forgetting to colour in the a in syria, which is annoying to my OCD but not game-changing. I'll try to remember next turn.

[Duckie]

Retreat phase posted early due to unanimous retreating player assent (which was rather easy to happen due to there being only one person).

I will say that I never expected to see anyone in Livonia, let alone a British army of all units. It's such a rare space for anything to happen in.

[Spoonist]

Retreat phase posted early due to unanimous retreating player assent (which was rather easy to happen due to there being only one person).

I will say that I never expected to see anyone in Livonia, let alone a British army of all units. It's such a rare space for anything to happen in.

Bah, you have never heard of the british commonwealth's spelunking forces. It's to be immortalized in the upcoming book "Doctor Zhivago, I presume?".

...and its not a retreat as long as you are moving forward.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

As news of the true results of the end to the civil unrest in Russia appears to have not reached all leaders before the end of the previous maneouvers, the Tsar would like to give a reminder that it was the communists who were crushed, and not the nobility.

[Duckie]

Indeed. But "Communist Revolution" is way funner to say than "No order received" or "Civil Disorder". Random seasonal communist revolutions!

Sorry for the inconvenience to you, Jogurt.

Although I could recolour you lighter red than Austria, if you like.

[Duckie]

Winter has passed, and it is now the start of Spring of the third year.

While it is almost certainly finals week, I hope you still have consideration for your citizens and do not abandon them to utter destruction.

[Duckie]

Spring 1903 posted. Quite an epic confrontation in the Balkans going on now, and some of you might be wondering (or shouting) this:

FAQ

What the hell just happened in the Balkans?
Two attacks. Turkey and Italy ordered to march on serbia, with the italians in Trieste supporting the Bulgarian thrust towards Serbia. However, the Italian supporting army was dislodged by budapest and austria's armies in concert. Thus, the Bulgarian attack failed.

However, the remaining power behind the attack (1, for an unsupported move) still cut the support order of the Serbian army, so Rumania was unsupported, and therefore the Russian army in Sevastopol and the Turkish fleet in the Black sea could successfully take Rumania.

I see a lot of people ordering mutual supports (for instance, Russia this turn):
You can indeed do this, although that wasn't a question. It allows two armies to hold with strength 2. You can still defeat mutually supporting armies with 3 armies, just like any usual support/hold situation, it just takes proper placement and orders, so don't consider them a superweapon but rather a useful defensive (if static) arrangement.

Germany's F Sweden Supports English F Norway [implied Hold] failed. Why?
F Norway didn't Hold. You can't support a hold that happens on due to a failed move.

[loomer]

Question - can you voluntarily disband an army despite having the capacity to support it?

[Duckie]

In order to speed things along, once all 3 retreat results are received, the map will immediately be posted. Please retreat order carefully as this means that revisions will not generally be possible.

[Thirdfain]

Wiener Zeitung
1 April 1903

Three-front War Erupts!
"This should go just fine" says Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff

The perfidious Italians and Russians have turned their back on the proper European order, supporting the cause of Turkish imperialism! Units of the KuK Armee soundly defeated a pack of garlic-scented pasta-eaters around Trieste, sending them packing (presumably on their motor-scooters) back from whence they came. The ministry of public information would like to reiterate that claims of a naval defeat in the Ionian sea are nothing but poppycock, and remind the Kaiser's good citizens that rumors are treason.

[Duckie]

Question - can you voluntarily disband an army despite having the capacity to support it?

Only if that army is dislodged, you can refuse to order it during the retreat phase or order it to disband. You cannot voluntarily order an army that is not retreating to disband.

[Spoonist]

Thought I would post a summary:
Support Centers 1903 (start of)

• 4 Russia (4,5)
• 4 France (3,5)
• 4 Ottoman (3,4)
• 5 England (3,4)
• 5 Austria-Hungary (3,4)
• 5 Italy (3,4)
• 7 Germany (3,5)

[Spoonist]

Sweet, a free invite to portugal.

[Eris]

Thought I would post a summary:
Support Centers 1903 (start of)

• 4 Russia (4,5)
• 4 France (3,5)
• 4 Ottoman (3,4)
• 5 England (3,4)
• 5 Austria-Hungary (3,4)
• 5 Italy (3,4)
• 7 Germany (3,5)

Shhhhh! Don't be giving me early leader syndrome damn you!