If you make a Diplomacy Game, but you aren't ready, willing, and able to spell out what the "usual diplo rules" or the "basic diplo rules are", then you should:

A) not create the game because you will fail at running it.

B) not be surprised when other people make up their own rules.

C) not be surprised when players get frustrated with you and decide that "kill the host" is an awesome rule.

D) enjoy micromanaging a diplomacy game because you couldn't be bothered to start with a solid foundation to begin with.

E) not be surprised when your game does not fill up because most people here who are looking for a diplomacy game also know a poorly designed diplomacy game when they see one.

F) enjoy watching your poorly constructed diplomacy game go FUBAR, and blow up in your face.

G) ??

+1

Mission FUBAR

G) of named it "if you don't go PE you are playing this wrong" or "the only diplo where you can't go PE"

Just leave the diplomacy template making to professionals such as Only The Pie, MGSB or myself. At least 4/5 of the open games diplomacy games should be templates by the professionals.

^ Fucking hell we even have DIPLO elitists...

@Genghis: Thanks mate, I appreciate that. I actually have a standard set of diplo rules I put in every game I make, Copy/paste style
@Ox: *Dramatic Bow*

I literally don't join games where there are no rules posted but it says "Diplo" in the title. Not worth.

Am i counted a professional? ;)

I've never seen a template made by you, except that one game you JUST invited me to.

Edited 9/4/2015 15:20:27

Same here. ;) I have never joined a game made by you.
Maybe an issue of different time zones. ^^

Edited 9/4/2015 16:40:38

A lot of people here assume that writing "Diplo" in a game title is enough: everyone knows how that works, right?

No.

If you want a game with special rules, you'd better spell them out, and in great detail. DO NOT ASSUME anyone else plays the game the way you do.

You'll be better for it.

I would personally right a tutorial.. Taking samples from great templates of diplomacys.

Instead of people being told to right rules.. Which is boring to some..

Lets help them by giving a full-in-depth tutorial written on this..

Lets stop telling them what NOT to do..

And start telling what TO DO!

The rules tend to be one hell of a hassle on the description, but if you're going to make it an open game, they're a must. Remove something else from the description but add them in detailed enough to be understood.

You can type the typical "standard diplo rules" + any other small details you'd like to add if it's going to be a game in which all members will join by invite and you trust enough for it, but that's a special case.

Games that say "Diplo" only on the title... I just totally ignore them. 99% of the time the settings are just lame, like, Issander's Huge World normal fog 1 territory autodistribution with 7 players with >50% boot rate. My requisites to join an open one is basically the map not being retarded, settings being playable, host having a boot rate under 75% (I'm not picky, as you see lol), a decent amount of players and 1~3 people I already know inside. I kinda don't like playing diplos with everyone else being randomers around.

And start telling what TO DO!

Ok, sure.....

FOR THE LOVE OF SCIENCE PLEASE SPELL OUT YOUR RULES IN THE GAME DESCRIPTION!

Tutorials are great but fizzer is expecting a player base increase with "Warzone" and i can guess that a lot of them won't read a tutorial on the forums but will read the game description.

It's not hard to Copy and paste after all :)

Seriously, just copy this exact thing into your game:

This is a Diplomacy Game, please follow the rules

1. You must declare war to attack, do so one turn in advance (Declare turn 3, send orders turn 4)
2.Alliances are allowed, but must be public
3. If you KNOW a player is going to be booted, you MAY NOT take their land, you must wait till it is neutral
4. Don't Spam, Troll, Start Fights, etc.
5. Please roleplay (Optional, but strongly advised)
6. Failure to follow the rules will result in you being PE. PE's can be attacked by any player, and are encouraged to do so to eliminate rule-breakers.

I am currently trying to find new kinds of diplo's. I am trying to use the custom scenario to improve the diplo's. I have an idea which, using custom scenario's, would work very well in diplo's.

For this to work there must be a host who is not participating in the game. I know that most of you want to, if you create an open game, play the game as well, so this might not be ideal. I, however, have found it quite amusing to stand above the fights and see it from a different perspective.

i have found the PE rule a rule which does not always work very well. People tend to hold to their old alliances and do not want to assist destroying the PE. When you make a custom scenario, you can add some different features with which the host alone can punish lawbreakers. This does not work on all maps though.

You have to use a map where you can leave a whole lot of territories out. for example the 30 years war map. make a scenario on that map but leave out the colonies. You now have a whole lot of territories which are not in the game. I have used these territories to give bonusses to people. If you start a diplo and you give every player a bonus which consists of a high percentage of their income you will be able to control the game. if someone breaks the law and should become PE, you, as the host, takes away this territory, now he will lose a high percentage of his income, with which you punished the rule breaker, he will be nearly powerless and has little influence in the game anymore.

I have used this in a game and it worked very well.

@Tjoex, I've tried that, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Players often reinforce those territories, and I have to give myself huge amounts of Income to take them.

I don't tend to have PE problems in my games. Like, they rarely show up, and when they do, they are destroyed quickly. Maybe it's just luck. To me, the most effective way to enforce no PEs will succeed is making sure all/most superpowers in a match are people you trust/have played with before/have been invited and not found through open slots.

If anyone goes PE, he may have support, but not from the stronger nations. Naturally, that person and whoever supports him wouldn't take too long to lose.

The major problem in Claim diplomacies is the insane amount of PEs, without stronger nations to watch out for, you're safe to do as you please, not to mention the people who don't publicly claim or just ignores other claims.

@onlyThePie, when you start the game, give yourself a territory next to their 'income bonus' territory and put something like 100000 armies there. problem solved.

How do you balance the extra income from that territory with the income on the rest of the map?

I mean, for instance, if you make it a +100 bonus, then it becomes impossible to eliminate anyone on the map. But if it's a very small bonus, then losing it isn't such a huge deal, when it comes down to it.