Standard rules for Forum games

[Pedros]

Game managers (GMs) almost always publish their own set of "House Rules" before a game, laying out how the game will be run and what they expect from the players. But they do not always cover all important points.

From time to time we will add "standard rules" which will operate in any game where no specific rule is in place for that game; the first one (and at the moment the only one in view) covers proposals for draws or solo concessions, and how they are dealt with.

Players should be clear that any "House Rule" overrides these rules where it covers the same ground. It is the responsibility of the player to be aware of the House Rules in force before joining a game.

[Pedros]

The game may be ended at any time with the agreement of all surviving players to a proposal for a draw or a solo victory. The draw may include all survivors or some of them (but not any eliminated players or countries in Civil Disorder). A proposal may be made by any surviving player at any time, and should state clearly what the proposed result is. It may be made either publicly or by Private Message. If sent privately it will be a valid, formal proposal only if sent to all surviving players and to the GM and the GM will not make the proposal public unless and until it is unanimously agreed.

Draw proposals, unless resolved earlier, will remain on the table until the start of the third movement phase following the proposal; if the proposal is made during a movement phase, that phase will count as the first one. More than one proposal can be live at the same time; the same player may propose another proposal when they already have a live proposal in existence; and all players are entitled to vote on each live proposal.

As soon as any proposal achieves unanimous agreement the game is over and that is the result, whatever may happen in relation to other votes (the system time-stamp will be the deciding factor if more than one proposal is passed before the GM announces the result); a proposal which receives a single 'No' vote becomes dead immediately. A player who has cast a vote on a particular proposal is not entitled to change his vote. If a player has not voted by the time the vote expires, the proposal is lost.

Votes, like proposals, are valided only if circulated (publicly or privately) to all surviving players and the GM.

[asudevil]

Out of curiosity, can a person PM the GM with a no vote, but vote yes in the public thread, so that their allies will think they still want a draw when in reality they want a solo?

Also, any person who abstains is considered a NO, correct? So its not just any No vote that kills the deal, its any abstention a the end of the 3 move phases correct?

I dont want it to look like someone has to say No to kill it. Its like normal diplomacy where you can just ignore the proposal and its considered a "pocket veto", to use the US government term.

[Pedros]

Out of curiosity, can a person PM the GM with a no vote, but vote yes in the public thread, so that their allies will think they still want a draw when in reality they want a solo?

Also, any person who abstains is considered a NO, correct? So its not just any No vote that kills the deal, its any abstention a the end of the 3 move phases correct?

I dont want it to look like someone has to say No to kill it. Its like normal diplomacy where you can just ignore the proposal and its considered a "pocket veto", to use the US government term.

Draw proposals are conducted publicly, at least as far as the players are concerned (although they can be hidden from the wider public, as the rule states.) This goes for the votes as much as for the proposals. So No. The first vote available to all players and the GM is the one that counts. If it isn't available to all, it isn't a vote.

I'll amend the rule to make this clear!

[BigBert]

Yeah, the "first vote counts" is also a good idea to include explicitly. I remember that we had an instance in our last Heptarchy game where somebody wanted to change his vote from "accept" into "reject" after another had been published.

[Pedros]

It was that game made me think of it Bert. I don't know if it would have occurred to me otherwise!

[Pedros]

With the increasing number of variant maps and rules the chances of a paradoxical set of orders is going to be increased. (The paradoxes in Regular Dip are when a convoy leads to a situation where different results are obtained depending whether the convoy orders are adjudicated before orders attacking the convoy or afterwards. They are "very rare" - I've never heard of one cropping up in real play. The relevant rules for Regular Dip are in the Avalon Hill 2008 rule book p 17 under "A Convoyed Attack Doesn’t Cut Certain Supports" and "Two More Tricky Situations") An instance almost cropped up the other day in Deluge as a result of Army/Fleet units being used. This made me realise that I've never included a House Rule about this and no variant I've ever seen includes one amongst its rules. So we need a default rule in place for cases where neither the variant nor the GM's House Rules make any provision for this.

The following rule will be in force immediately in all Active and future games unless the GM or the game rules include a different provision.

If a paradox occurs as a result of one or more convoys, Army/Fleet moves, or any similar event, and the cases in the regular rules are similar, then those rules will apply if at all possible.

In any different instance, or if those rules do not provide a solution to the immediate paradox, then all units involved in the paradox will Hold (except that a unit ordered to support a unit involved in the paradox will continue with its support order.

There is a topic for discussion of this rule at viewtopic.php?f=34&t=28209

[Pedros]

This new rule has immediate effect for any new game and is strongly recommended for introduction to any game which is already active. It is not optional and not negotiable.

Any game in FG which is played Fog of War, or has any other kind of hidden moves or maps, must have a second person with a GM-type role (which has become known as the "Second Eyes") whose responsibility is simply to check all submitted orders, adjudications and maps (the developing overall map for the game and also any maps submitted privately to players in FoW or exploration games). Players must submit their orders to both GMs. Any game which falls under this rule cannot continue without the second GM-role being active and effective and GMs are required to pause the game whilst a replacement is found. Second Eyes who find that they are unable to continue in the role for whatever reason must notify the GM immediately.

Whilst the Second Eyes does not need to be an accredited GM in DVFGs, the GM is responsible for ensuring that they are sufficiently familiar with the rules of Diplomacy and of the particular variant being played to be able to undertake the role competently.

This will obviously make it more difficult to start games, but all GMs know how often they make mistakes, and without this kind of safeguard there is no way in which they can be spotted and corrected.

[Pedros]

This is a clarification of the rule in regular Diplomacy, which states that if a country fails to order a destroy during the Winter adjustment phase the unit "furthest from the country" shall be destroyed. This is not altogether clear.

Unless the rules of a specific game, or the GM's House Rules, state differently, this means the unit which is the greatest number of spaces away from the nearest supply centre in its home country.

The other rules - fleets before armies, then alphabetical - are clear in the original and remain in force.

[Pedros]

Unless otherwise stated in GM House Rules, the following rule will henceforth apply in all games, including those already active:-

If two different orders are included for the same unit, then they are ambiguous and will both be invalid. Note that if the two orders are effectively the same (eg Hold and Move to its current space) then they are not considered "different orders"

Please do not post discussion here