Announcing the second Epsilonian Diplomacy Championship!

This is a great game to play if you want to show off your strategy and diplomatic skills. To learn more about the game, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy_(game).

If you've never played the game, this would be a great time to start! Even beginners can do extremely well in Diplomacy. I remember my first game, I took over for a struggling England half-way through, and ended up winning! :D

Sign up by posting your interest in this thread!

Current Player Roster
~gbno1fan (if we do not get 7 players)
~Memphus
~Peter Grimes
~Kentharu
~General_W
~twistlok


Things to note about this time around:
1. If we get 7 players that are interested, (including ItalianVoice, if she's interested in playing her own country ;) ) then I will gladly stick to being the Game Master. In fact, I would almost prefer this role. If it comes to that, I would ask everyone to copy me on all of their emails at the "Diplomacy Record" address. I would then be able to review situations for any possible violations, answer any questions, and enjoy the game through knowing everybody's plans. :mischief: This would allow an additional player to participate.

2. I'm considering using a variant map. I found an excellent variant called "Versailles Variant." It is based on Europe in 1929, after the Treaty of Versailles. The map is a little bit different. There are more territories, and more supply centers (43 in all - need 22 to win). In addition, there are "Minor Powers" to go along with each "Major Power." Think of these as puppet states - each "Major" power would be assigned one "Minor" to control. To me, it seems to add a little bit more complexity to the diplomatic situations, and the added territories / supply centers appear to make it more difficult to play a couple of the - traditionally easy - countries.

Read the directions for the variant yourself here: http://www.users.bigpond.com/kennedy4/index.html

Please comment on whether you would like to play the Vanilla format, or try the variant. I'm also open to ways to improve the overall look of the map. While I took the map from the website listed above, I modified it a bit to fit the prior system of reporting. Or if you have your own suggestions to how we can make this game even more exciting, now is the time to mention them!

http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom2/VersaillesVariant.jpg

For the record, here is the vanilla map:
http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom1/Spring1901.jpg

Tie me down, send me out, Sign Me Up!

As for Variant vs. Vanilla, I would prefer to call the choice Modified vs. Pure; but that does not mean that I vote against the variant. In a tie, I would cast my vote for Purity, but I will be very happy playing any map :)

As for the way the game works, I found your system to work quite well. The move map is the one I find most useful, followed by the resulting turn map.

EDIT. Scratch this. Not enough time.

IM HERE IM HERE!! yes yes you can all now cower in fear :evil: for the grand and great ken has returned

Is this all the interest we have? We have 2 players plus me. And one of the players is planning on being gone for most of July.

yeah - I'd be interested - but not right now :sad:

I'll be leaving for a week for vacation in July - and we'll also be moving to our new house in July... so a lot going on.

If they game dosn't start till later - count me in. But if you're going to start now, I'll just watch with interest :)

I would give it a shot. I saw some of PeterGrimes maps and it looks intresting though i will probably make a comeplely bone head move as it will be my first game.

Same Goes for Russia ....err I mean Memphus

My Wedding is in T Minus 12 Days, so if we start the week after that I am in, if not Then I will watch and make witty comments ;)

good luck with the wedding btw, just in case i don't tell you

:bump: anyone still interested in this?

I plan on starting this game up sometime later this month after everyone has settled down from vacations and stuff.

Sounds good I am in :)

I'm still interested. But this time I think I'll try to get Italian Voice on my side ;)

We're currently at 6 interested players (including me). We have space for 1 or 2 more.

The first turn is tentatively set to begin August 1, with deadline on August 8.

Any issues with that date?

August 1 works great for me.

I love original diplomacy - but I think I'll cast my vote for the Versailles Variant.
I'm happy to play either one though :)

thats ok with me

I hope to start the first turn tomorrow. Is everyone still interested?

I'd prefer to have a "go" vote from all of us before I start the game.

go, I am still in :goodjob:

go - I'm still in. :thumbsup:

go 3, 2, 1

reporting :salute:

EDIT- or go which ever

We are still awaiting a response from twistlok.

However, I have assigned powers for the Versailles map. My process:

1. First of all, since we have only 6 players, I found a version of the map that is only for 6 (the original Versailles map had 6 players). I wanted to randomly assign both major and minor powers, without allowing for a major power to be next to (or extremely close to) its minor power. This meant that Britain, Germany, and USSR could not be with Sweden, Poland and USSR could not be with Rumania, France could not be with Spain, Italy could not be with Yugoslavia, and USSR could not be with Turkey.

2. Next, I put our names, the major powers, and the minor powers in a list.

3. I took a random integer between 1-6, and assigned that major power to the first person on the list. Then a random integer between 1-5, and so on. If the person played the power in the last game, I took a new random integer.

4. I took a random integer between 1-3 (since USSR could only be aligned with 3 minor powers) and assigned that minor to USSR. Then I used the same method for the rest of the major powers.

I feel that this method was fair and will provide a good mix of major/minor powers.

That said, here are the assignments:

General_W - Britain/Spain
gbno1fan - Germany/Egypt
Kentharu - Italy/Rumania
Memphus - France/Sweden
Peter Grimes - Poland/Turkey
twistlok - USSR/Yugoslavia

The first turn/map will be posted shortly.

Beginning of Spring 1929!

Current Turn Due: Tuesday, August 8 at 06:00 GMT
This converts to:
US/Central: Tuesday, August 8 at 00:00 (midnight, Monday night)
US/Eastern: Tuesday, August 8 at 01:00
US/Western: Monday, August 7 at 22:00
Please email your orders to diplomacy DOT record AT gmail DOT com by this time.

Note: I will not be providing a detailed occupation list or unit locations list due to the increased complexity of this map. If you ever need to know the name of a territory, please ask.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. May the best person win!

Current map:
http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom2/Spring1929.jpg

Supply Center Occupations:
General_W - 4 (Britain - 3, Spain - 1)
gbno1fan - 4 (Germany - 3, Egypt - 1)
Kentharu - 4 (Italy - 3, Rumania - 1)
Memphus - 4 (France - 3, Sweden - 1)
Peter Grimes - 4 (Poland - 3, Turkey - 1)
twistlok - 4 (USSR - 3, Yugoslavia - 1)

Just thought I'd clarify - Switzerland is a playable region on this map, and in fact holds a supply center.

(I missed putting the name on the territory. Hopefully this will be fixed as soon as the first moves are processed.)

Some brief questions:

1. Is 18 the target number of supply centers for a victory?

2. Is Leningrad the only province with a north and south coast, and does that work the same as with the original Diplomacy?

3. Can an army move freely from Sweden to Denmark?

Good questions, Peter.

Answers:

1. No, there are 40 supply centers on this map. Victory requires 21. These can be split between the major and minor powers controlled by an individual player.

2. Yes, Leningrad is the only one with two coasts, and it works the same as in original Diplomacy.

3. Yes, an army may move freely from Sweden to Denmark, as in the original Diplomacy.

Keep 'em coming. This is the best time to work these issues out.

just to get this straight i have control of italy and romania the asterix (spelling?) are the supply centers yes?

Kentharu,

Yes, you control Italy and Rumania (which consists of Bucharest and Transylvania).

The asterisks are indeed supply centers.

Also, for clarification, during the build order phase, builds can only be done in an individual power's home supply centers. For example, I can build German units in the German home centers, but can only build Egyptian units in the Egyptian center.

Ouch, England + Spain is a scary combo for France.

Only as scary as France + Sweden is for England.

Or Poland + Turkey for USSR.

I was reading about the Versailles Variant in the Diplomacy Archives, and the authore mentioned that the minor powers are treated as separate entities.

For example, if Russia takes Constantinople, Turkey falls, but may be liberated (and thus revived) if Poland (but no other nation) takes Constantinople from the Russians.

Is this how we're playing this?

Yes, I believe that is the best way to play it.

In other words, a major power cannot "conquer" its own minor power, but liberates it from others instead.

This should be fun - the way I see it, even those of us who are experienced, are facing a new game with new strategies involved. It is a pleasure to be playing a game with the same mechanics but not with the same starting strategies. It seems like this will be much less predictable!

Polish orders submitted.

Turkish orders also submitted, but that's just a cooincidence :blush:

Germany & Egypt's orders are in.

can you confirm that Poland and Turkey's orders are in?

I can confirm that the following nation/players have turned in their moves:

-USSR/Yugoslavia
-England/Spain
-Poland/Turkey
-Germany/Egypt.

Still missing is France/Sweden and Italy/Rumania.

Turn summary will be posted in the morning.

Since it is the first turn, and I am busy with other things this morning anyway, an extension will be granted for Memphus and Kentharu. I will wait 3 1/2 more hours from this post.

I will be sending a reminder notice to each of them shortly.

Spring 1929 Moves, Beginning of Fall 1929

Information is also available on the first page of this thread.

Current Turn Orders Due: Tuesday, August 15 at 06:00 GMT
This converts to:
US/Central: Tuesday, August 15 at 00:00 (midnight, Monday night)
US/Eastern: Tuesday, August 15 at 01:00
US/Western: Monday, August 14 at 22:00
Please email your orders to diplomacy DOT record AT gmail DOT com by this time.

Notes about moves:
1. Memphus and Kentharu did not turn in any moves.
2. Gbno1fan made an error in his move - Berlin cannot move to Ruhr. :blush:
3. Everything else went smoothly.


Egypt
Fleet Egypt MOVES to Palestine

England
Fleet London – MOVE to North Sea
Fleet Edinburgh – MOVE to Norwegian Sea
Army Liverpool – MOVE to York

France
Did not submit

Germany
Army Munich MOVES to Prague
Army Berlin MOVES to Ruhr (fails due to mistake in order)
Fleet Hamburg MOVES to Holland

Italy
Did not submit

Poland
Fleet Dansig MOVE to East Baltic
Army Warsaw MOVE to Wielpolska
Army Krakow MOVE to Slovakia

Rumania
Did not submit

Spain
Fleed Madrid - MOVE to Portugal

Sweeden
Did not submit

Turkey
Fleet Constantinople MOVE to Thessaly

USSR
Army Leningrad MOVE to Lappland
Army Moscow MOVE to Byelorussia
Fleet Sevastopol MOVE to Black Sea

Yugoslavia
Army Beograd MOVE to Transylvania

http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom2/Spring1929moves.jpg



http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom2/Fall1929.jpg

Magic number is 21 for victory.
General_W - 5 (Britain - 3, Spain - 2)
gbno1fan - 6 (Germany - 5, Egypt - 1)
Kentharu - 4 (Italy - 3, Rumania - 1)
Memphus - 4 (France - 3, Sweden - 1)
Peter Grimes - 4 (Poland - 3, Turkey - 1)
twistlok - 4 (USSR - 3, Yugoslavia - 1)

Just a reminder that today is the deadline for the current turn.

Polska orders submitted

Turkic orders submitted.

gbno1fan, Peter Grimes, General_W, and twistlok have turned in orders.

Kentharu and Memphis have not.

Fall 1929 Moves, Beginning of Winter 1929 (Build Orders!)

Current Build Orders Due: Thursday, August 17 at 06:00 GMT
This converts to:
US/Central: Thursday, August 17 at 00:00 (midnight, Wednesday night)
US/Eastern: Thursday, August 17 at 01:00
US/Western: Wednesday, August 16 at 22:00
Please email your orders to diplomacy DOT record AT gmail DOT com by this time.

Notes about moves:
1. Memphus and Kentharu did not turn in any moves. I'm not sure what's going on with you two, but if you miss another turn I will be looking for a replacement.
2. Rumania was eliminated this turn, but could potentially be liberated by the Italian forces in the future.
3. Everything else went smoothly.


Egypt: +1
England: +2
France: +0
Germany: +2
Italy: +0
Poland: +2
Rumania: -1 (already disbanded)
Spain: +1
Sweden: +0
Turkey: +1
USSR: +2
Yugoslavia: +0



Egypt
Fleet Palestine MOVE to Syria

England
Fleet North Sea – MOVE to Denmark
Fleet Norwegian Sea – MOVE to Oslo
Army York - HOLD

France
Did not submit

Germany
Fleet Holland MOVE to Belgium
Army Berlin MOVE to Prussia
Army Prague MOVE to Austria

Italy
Did not submit

Poland
Fleet in East Baltic Sea MOVES to Lithuania
Army in Wielpolska MOVES to Silesia
Army in Slovakia MOVES to Hungary

Rumania
Did not submit

Spain
Fleet Portugal – HOLD

Sweeden
Did not submit

Turkey
Fleet Thessaly MOVES to Athens

USSR
Fleet Black Sea MOVE to Bucharest
Army Lappland MOVE to Finland.
Army Byelorussia MOVE to Latvia.

Yugoslavia
Army Transylvania SUPPORT Fleet Black Sea into Bucharest

http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom2/Fall1929moves.jpg



http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom2/Winter1929.jpg

Magic number is 21 for victory.
General_W - 7 (Britain - 5, Spain - 2)
gbno1fan - 7 (Germany - 5, Egypt - 2)
Kentharu - 3 (Italy - 3, Rumania - 0)
Memphus - 4 (France - 3, Sweden - 1)
Peter Grimes - 7 (Poland - 5, Turkey - 2)
twistlok - 6 (USSR - 5, Yugoslavia - 1)

What is the point of playing when two people aren't playing?

Even though it's working out nicely in my favor… I have to agree. It's a bit lame for the Eastern powers.

The absence of Italy and France seems to unfairly benefit England and Germany. Maybe this just means there will be an especially nasty war in the west?

Anyway – I'm not sure what I'm saying.

This game is still fun. :lol:

Sent in my build orders….

Build orders submitted. Please confirm receipt before the deadline (I'm so paranoid :twitch:)

EDIT: Has anyone had contact from Memphus or Kentharu?

I haven't.

Thanks for the reminder, Pete!

All of the build orders are in. Will process in the morning.

Memphus and Kentharu, are you playing or not? If you're not going to play, at least do the decent thing and tell us.

Winter 1929 Builds, Beginning of Spring 1930

Notes about moves:

1. This game is on hold until we hear from Memphus and Kentharu.


Egypt
Fleet Egypt

England
Fleet Liverpool
Fleet London

France
No builds

Germany
Army Berlin
Army Munich

Italy
No builds

Poland
Army in Dansig
Army in Krakow

Rumania
No builds

Spain
Army Madrid

Sweeden
No builds

Turkey
Army Constantinople

USSR
Fleet Sevastopol
Fleet Leningrad (SC)

Yugoslavia
No builds





http://dailydigitalphotos.com/ben/epsilon/diplom2/Spring1930.jpg

Magic number is 21 for victory.
General_W - 7 (Britain - 5, Spain - 2)
gbno1fan - 7 (Germany - 5, Egypt - 2)
Kentharu - 3 (Italy - 3, Rumania - 0)
Memphus - 4 (France - 3, Sweden - 1)
Peter Grimes - 7 (Poland - 5, Turkey - 2)
twistlok - 6 (USSR - 5, Yugoslavia - 1)

srry, i could send orders and what not, i've been really busy i migth as well drop out again, srry

Hello All ~

I have tried to catch up with this and sorry for no word yet.

Unfortunately I don't have the tiem to pursue the complex diplomatic aspect of the game :( however I will begin to submit turn orders so the game can go on. If you have a replacement by all means, if not then I will continue to play but with zero incomming or outgoing communication :crazyeye:

interesting strategy, Memphus :hmm:

Hmm...

We need to make a decision then. Do we continue with this game or do we let it end? What are the opinions?

I'm fine with continuing. But I'm also okay with starting it over. But if we start over, let's do this variant.

Either is fine though one person not playing and one only 1/2 playing makes it kind of an odd game I would think. I guess it dosnt matter it just makes the strat different.

If we start over, i will put my hand to play, since I have some time on my hands ATM. I would not want to take over from a player though.

Sorry to be a homer about this… but life's gotten crazy busy here lately. I can still play, but not as actively as I would like to.

I don't know if my life is going to slow down or not? (After MIA wins the MTDG I'll have more time - ;) )
But till then, I can go either way. If the game continues, I'll keep playing. If we need to restart, I'm ok with that too. If the game gets put on hold till we've got more actives with more time… then that's really fine with me also.

So yeah… I'm no help at all.