Send comments or corrections (only for the HTML version of this file) to Doug Massey ([email protected]).
You can receive a copy of this file via E-mail by sending your local Judge a message with "get ep.house.rules" in the body.
This document describes the Electronic Protocol House Rules. These rules cover Diplomacy play via email with human and computer adjucation.
These HRs cover regular and variant games. In the case of variant games these HRs may be modified by the rules of the variant and the alterations will be found in the rules of the variant. GMs should announce such differences at the time of the game creation.
If a game is not being played on a judge, a player should ignore any references to the judge in these rules.
This document supplements Hasbro's Diplomacy rules (most recent American edition.)
1) Joining a game implies an intention to play the game through to the end. Leaving a game without a good reason is considered very disrespectful. Don't join unless you are willing to commit yourself to an entire game, which may take several months.
2) Automatic allies or automatic enemies will not be allowed in the same game. If you violate this rule you risk, at the very least, expulsion from the game.
3) Players may not communicate with each other directly (ie, through a mechanism other than the judge) in games where the identity of other players is concealed, or at all in games where communication is barred. The potential for this arises if they guess at another player's identity or if the player's identity is accidentally revealed.
3a) Players in gunboat games may not make any claim, true or false, as to their real identities.
4) Players are expected to treat each other with dignity and respect. Abusive language or behavior is frowned on, unless clearly in character in a roleplayed game.
5) Unless otherwise stated, observers should not offer opinions and analysis of the game.
6) Players should submit moves by the deadline. It is suggested that players submit a set of tentative orders as soon as possible and then modify them as the turn progresses. A player who consistently submits moves after the deadline risks being expelled from the game.
7) Players should not continue negotiations past the deadline. If they need more time they should request a deadline extension. If you have already submitted orders, you may continue to diplome after the deadline has passed.
8) It is unacceptable behavior to deliberately submit moves late for any reason (example, while awaiting reply from an ally).
9) Turns will never be replayed. Turns may be reprocessed to correct an error, but no new orders will be allowed. Turns will only be reprocessed if there was an error in calculating the results on the part of the judge software. GMs may change this rule at their discretion without losing EP status for the game.
10) If a player is unable to continue playing, the player should notify the GM as soon as possible to allow the GM time to find a replacement.
11) Computer opponents are not allowed in games without prior permission.
12) A valid registration form is required for all players. Lying on your registration for is grounds for expulsion from the judge. The following fields must be valid: Name, Site, Email, Level, Address. In non-judge games, the GM will decide what information he requires.
13) A player is responsible for submitting their own orders. GMs are generally willing to accept orders over the phone if necessary, but the final responsibility lies with the player.
14) All games must be set NoNMR.
15) All games must be set "different-site", meaning that not more than one player from the same site may be in the same game. "chaos" and foreign language games are exempt from this rule.
16) All games must have a GM.
1) Players may not reenter a game as a different power under any conditions.
1) GMs are to remain scrupulously impartial in all matters.
2) GMs should not change the parameters of the game after players start signing up for the game unless the players unanimously vote to do so. This includes changing the deadline calculation, victory conditions, press flags, etc.
3) GMs may not play in their own game. Judge keepers may not play in any game on their own judge. EP status will not be granted to games that violate this rule.
1) All votes to change the nature of the game (deadline calculation, etc.) must be unanimous.
2) The GM is responsible for officially announcing a vote and recording the outcome. He must announce the outcome of the vote but should not announce the number of votes for each option or how anyone voted.
3) A vote is not closed until the next move has processed.
4) In all cases, if a player does not submit a vote, then that player is assumed to have voted against the proposal, ie NVR=no.
5) GMs may be ejected by a unanimous vote of the players. The vote will be run by the judge keeper. This is really a method of last resort and the judge keeper will only allow this after all other methods have failed.
1) Draw votes will be managed by the judge where available. If the draw mechanism is unavailable, the GM will run the vote. The draws will be DIAS unless otherwise stated when the game was created or unless the game was changed to non-DIAS by the players.
2) Voting on draws is anonymous. Draws may only include players that have not been eliminated from the game. Draws may not give order of finishes such as 2nd place, 3rd place, etc. Players are either included in the draw or not.
3) The following people can vote in a draw: All players who had not been eliminated by the end of the game year, i.e. have both no units and no supply centers.
4) The GM reserves the right to terminate a game in a draw involving all of the remaining powers if it is clear that the position on the board has reached a stalemate. (Determined by no changes to province ownership for the last three game-years.) The GM must announce their decision to start the three game-year clock one season prior to doing so. If a player objects to the termination and can convince the GM that there is still play in the game then the game will continue
5) All players entitled to vote must vote unanimously for the draw vote for it to pass.
6) All surviving powers may conceed a victory to a single power by unanimous vote, subject to the same voting restrictions and methods as those for draws. The DIAS flat does not apply in this case.
1) Cheating:
Intentionally circumventing the house rules, the judge mechanism, or the rules of the particular game can lead to the player being blacklisted in the EP hobby.
The name of a player blacklisted will be distributed to the EPCC, all judge keepers, and all GMs along with a statement advising them of the player's past actions and a request to deny the player entry into any EP games.
2) Cross Play:
Attempting to influence a player's behaviour in one game by offering threats or concessions in another game is called "cross play". This is strongly discouraged.
a) The following people can submit press in a game: Players currently in the game plus players who were in the game but were eliminated, observers, the GM, the manager, and the editor. (But if you resigned or were kicked out, you have no such privileges.) No player or observer can claim to be the GM, or judge keeper. Nor can the GM or judge keeper pretend to be one of the others, or a player, if in fact that is not the case.
b) You may forge correspondence from other players within the limits of the press settings unless you are sending correspondence to the GM.
4) Deception and the GM
The GM will not participate in deceptions involving other players. The GM will delay the game and ask for new orders from a player if the GM suspects that a player's orders were faked by another player.
Anyone violating the privacy of another player or GM may be ejected from the game. This specifically refers to electronic mail, but will be used in other situations if justified.
6) Bad Behavior
Players who are known to NMR, deceive the GM, or are simply known to be abusive may not be allowed to play in this EP games. And players who become abusive to the GM or other players during a game can be ejected.
7) Sneaking into a Game
You can not enter a single game as multiple players, use an alias without prior arrangement, or be related to another player. All information provided in your registration form must be accurate as mentioned above.
GM - internal game problems.
Judge keeper - technical problems
EPCC - EP House Rules
A problem in the game should be brought to the attention of the GM. He will make a ruling and refer any technical problems to the judge-keeper. If the GM can not be reached then the EPCC should be contacted, or the Judge Keeper for purely technical problems. If a player disagrees with the GM's ruling in response to a complaint he should simultaneously address an appeal to the GM and the EPCC.
Generally, appeals should be broadcast to the entire EPCC ([email protected]). However, if the problem involves secret elements of a game (eg: pending orders) then it should be send only to EPCC members who are not in the game. If the game is gunboat, then your identity is secret and you must take all procautions against mailing your appeal to any member of the EPCC who might be in the game. The player should send mail only to the judge keeper if he is a member of the EPCC, or let the GM form a list of EPCC members not involved in the game and send to everyone on that list. If that is not possible, the player may send his appeal to the EPCC secretary.
The EPCC should also be contacted if the GM seems to have disappeared.
The EPCC should rule over the house rules even if they have been modified. However, the EPCC has the right to refuse to hear an appeal (no decision), in which case the Judge Keeper or GM has the final word.
1) VII.3.b
When a fleet can move to two coasts and the coast is not specified,
the adjudicator will pick an arbitrary coast. Actually not totally
arbitrary, but the first one in its movement list.
2) IX.1
Do not specify owners of units in support and convoy orders. This
redundant specification would unnecessarily complicate the parser.
The movement results will indicate the alternate power on support
and convoy orders.
3) IX.7
Based on the second statement after XIV.5, IX.7 does not apply if
either or both of the dislodged or dislodging unit is convoyed.
4) XII
Armies intending to use a convoy must specify the convoy route
in their movement orders as in the examples:
5) XII.4
Since convoy routes must be specified, there will never be any ambiguity.
6) XII.5
a) This rule when taken literally can have some unintended results.
For example:
What happens in the Mid-Atlantic ocean? What about if the additional order:
is entered? With literal interpretation of the rules, the fleet in Spain would be dislodged, but its support to the fleet in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean (of an action in a body of water containing a convoying fleet) would not be cut. This adjudicator makes five passes to determine what support gets cut:
Using this algorithm, Spain's support above would be cut in pass three. The Mid-Atlantic Ocean's dislodgement would be detected in pass four. Portugal would be given the "no convoy" status and thus would have no effect on any unit in Brest in pass five.
7) XII.6
This rule is known to be vague and lead to certain paradoxes when a
unit is given the choice between a land route and a convoy. However,
this does not apply here since an army must specifically specify its
convoy route if it is to be convoyed. Note that convoy between
adjacent provinces are possible, and may be useful certain
circumstances.
8) XIII.2
The rule reads as follows:
"BUILDING AND REMOVING UNITS
(ADJUSTMENTS). After the Fall moves have been played, and the
retreats (if any) made, each player's number of units must be
adjusted to equal the number of supply centers his Great Power
controls. If he has fewer centers than units, he must disband the
excess units only, by removing them from the board. The units
removed may be any of his units he choses. If he has more centers
than units, he may build units by placing them..."
(Emphasis on must and may is not in the original.)
This is vague. Is the rulebook saying that he must disband units and may build units because he can always disband units but is not always able to build units? If not, why is the rulebook saying that he must adjust his units to be equal to the number of supply centers that he controls?
Here is the replacement rule: You don't have to accept all possible builds. Possible builds not being using must be specifically marked using the WAIVE command or your orders will be marked as unfinished.
9) XIV.4
If a power is required to remove a unit and no valid order is
received, the least recently produced unit that is not at a supply
center will be disbanded. This is the first one listed on the
reports which will be the one most likely to be furthest away from
a home supply center. (However, in any case NMR is prohibited by above
rules, so this change should have no effect.)
10) Coastal Designations for Fleet Support Orders
The judge requires that an order for a unit supporting a fleet movement
to a bi-coastal province specify the correct coast, otherwise the support
will be void.
1) Diplomacy Rules and Copyright Infringement
Hasbro permits us to run Diplomacy games electronically with
the understanding that no copies of the rules will be distributed
electronically and that all Hasbro maps retain the Hasbro
copyright. If you violate this understanding, you put the
entire Internet hobby at risk.
2) Change of Address
The GM is not responsible for problems caused by you changing your
e-mail address without notifying the GM.
Extra eMail addresses can be added with the IAmAlso command.
Your return address can be changed with the set address command.
To remove an address, re-register.
3) House Rules
Changes to any of these rules will result in loss of EP status for the
game in question unless specifically exempted above.
The EPCC is the only body that can make official changes to these house rules.