Sure, but only if everybody knows about it. In that case, this thread just becomes part of the game.
I’m not sure I’d say that that’s something I’d prefer (having to court 6 players PLUS however many people may be participating in this thread by spreading rumors, propaganda, or what-have-you seems like a little more work than I’m bargaining for) over keeping the game more clearly defined to Powers only, but I’m certainly not stopping anyone.
It might make for a slightly more interesting game in some areas – the concept of ‘public opinion’ would come into play much more heavily (it’s hard to gauge in a PBEM game if a certain feeling about a particular Power is favored – whether a stab is decried or supported among the other players on the board, for instance), which I find intriguing.
But I don’t think it’s as simple as just ignoring the observers. As I mentioned previously, Wikkit and JayLa had a difference of opinion regarding my position coming into this year. But what if they had both said that I was a big threat in the West? And what if they both said that because Germany put them up to it (just as an example)? And what if that point of view gained favor because of what they said? And what if my relations with my allies were damaged because of it? That’s not something that I could just ignore.
At that point we’re talking another level of diplomacy – I’ve got to figure out a way to get Wikkit (just using you as an example) to post what I want him to post, instead of what my enemies do. But how do I convince him? In the game, you get other Powers to say certain things based on promises or deals you make. But what deal can I make with a ‘player’ that isn’t directly involved in the game?
So it seems like it would have to get personal. You’d have to make deals that carry over from game to game. Which I don’t think is appropriate.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m still being paranoid about it. On preview Abe Babe is pretty blase about it too, so I guess it’s just me.
In the Dip 983 game, back in the stone age, there was a lot of chatter and outside kibbitzing. You gotta take into account that if you read it, the others are too. All other things being equal, I sometimes did the opposite of what the conventional wisdom was, or try to put some spin on it, since it also game my enemies ideas too.
There’s not much you can do if you get the dreaded “board leader” moniker, though.
So, now that 1046 is over, nobody wants to run another game?
I probably shouldn’t have made the offer to WL in the first place. It’s one thing to respond if someone asks for advice; it’s another to try to tell them how they “should” run their turn.
IMHO, it seems unethical to ask someone who’s not in the game to post something that intentionally misrepresents a player’s position. Since I don’t have a lot of experience yet and don’t know all of you well enough to guess how your minds work, I would probably be off base when trying to analyze moves in your game. But any inaccuracies in what I came up with would be due to my own ignorance, and even experienced players might come up with different ideas of how well a particular person was doing.
IMO White Lightning is the single greatest threat, not only in this game, but in all of Western Civilisation, nay, the universe. Either him or reality television, it’s a toss up.
And while I am at it, in dissing the “French Menace” hee hee, I don’t agree with JayLa’s contention that France can repel all boarders (excluding Diplomatic means: I am sure zee wily Frenchman is making every effort to Dip his way out of his box); seems it would come down to a guessing game.
Okay JC. I’ll send you another volley of emails proposing that we work together as soon as I get home from work today (ETA 2 hrs.)
And Shibb, no, I can’t. Assuming all enemy units are hostile (heh), I’d have no shot at defending my centers. I need 4 of my 5 units just to guarantee keeping Mar and Spa against JC’s 3 units.
If I knew which way he was going (Mar or Spa), I could devote F MAO to defending Brest. And then, if I knew what the plans were for F ENG and A Pic, I could win there too. So if JayLa means that I could defend my territory against all comers, he’s right. As far as I can tell it would require guessing right in two of two 50/50 choices. But to guarantee victory (for this season, anyway) I’d need another unit in Brest.
I gotta say I see WL’s point and I sorta agree. I’m not saying that players shouldn’t solicit advice from outside sources as a rule, but I would certainly not like to see these threads become too heavy a factor in the games. I wouldn’t want to see a player suffer because he didn’t check the thread on a given day. But then again as long as it all stays within reason I see no reason to outright label any of it as wrong.
I like seeing and hearing all the outside perceptions based soley on moves and positions, being completely unaware of the diplomacy behind it. I think that once a outside observer is contacted for advice and becomes privy to the diplomacy of the game, it gets dangerous. He should use caution in his words.
The players can certainly use the board to spread any information they wish, but I don’t really like the idea of observers consiously spreading information and misinformation.
One reason that I both disliked and liked GoAlien’s analysis:
Dislike: he was pretty thorough and I don’t doubt that he sometimes pointed out something that my opponent’s had missed.
Like: he was very even-handed in it (and quite humorous) so it was unlikely to give one side an advantage over anyone else. Plus it did ruin the element of surprise, and sometimes pointed out my own weaknesses that I might have missed.
I guess that’s really a lot of likes against a single dislike.
Oh and Shnitte, I like the idea, but if you can find me some reasonably high quality flags from the time, I’ll gladly put them up. Images like that aren’t all that easy to come by, sadly.
Ditto, and I’ve been looking. I’ve even got a waving Canadian flag archived in case anyone wants to fight Canada.
Now, I happen to know that WL is no threat to anyone, he’s planning to just sit quietly within his borders. Really. And I’m not just saying that because he gave me head. Really.
Exactly. You’ve stated my point better than I could have. I also love seeing other people’s opinions on the game.
Shibb: I totally agree about Go alien. More than once I found myself sitting here miming throttling him because he pointed out something that I was hoping would go unnoticed. But on the whole I valued and appreciated his contributions.
JayLa: I apologize. I hadn’t connected screen names with the real names that have been showing up in my inbox. Won’t happen again.
Dave: Hey, I’ve been telling everyone the same thing about you.
Well you’ve gotten no nibbles or takers so far, but I’ll throw my hat in. I’ll take Russia, Turkey, Austria, Italy, and you can have the rest. Now we got to get somebody to run it.
Is it really that much worse? I suppose having them constantly write asking “Can I sail my fleet across these mountains?” could be frustrating, although I asked my share of probably stupid questions in Dip 934, my first game in years.
It could be fun. A noob doing his first stab must bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded GM.
DiploBill is my WM tourney GM. But then, you knew that already, of course
