1. General
   Except as mentioned below, the 4th Edition 2000 Rulebook will be used. However, apart from some very minor changes and additions to the rules regarding convoys (which prevent convoy paradoxes from arising) the rules are the same as those in the 1971 rulebook. The 2000 rulebook can be viewed on line at http://www.wizards.com/avalonhill/rules/diplomacy.pdf [to download right-click on link and 'Save copy As..' [2.51MB]. No impersonation or deception of the GM is permitted under any circumstances.* The GM's decision is final on any interpretation of the rules of Diplomacy, these House Rules or any eventuality not covered by the two documents combined.
2. Starting a Game
   Players should apply by filling in the online Waiting List Form if they wish to play a game of Diplomacy. Preference lists for countries will be used if supplied. [Preference explanation for GM's interest ONLY!]
3. Your email address
   The GMs will NOT accept orders sent from any e-mail address other than the one you have specified to play the game under (e.g. the one that you signed on with). You can of course e-mail us from your regular address beforehand advising us you want to change it.
   If you are unable to use your specified address, then you can tell us from your new address, but you'll have to convince us that you are who you say you are, by telling your GM something known only to you and no other player.
   Any orders received from an 'unknown' e-mail address will be returned to that address explaining that they are not allowed, and will also be cc`d to the original address of the player of that country. The game deadline will not be delayed under any circumstances, even if all this takes place close to the deadline.
   Unless you have good grounds otherwise, we prefer that you use only one e-mail address. If this causes you problems then discuss it with your GM and he'll sort it out. Just don't assume orders will be accepted from a secondary e-mail address.
   In the unlikely event that your GM should change their e-mail address you'll be advised immediately, and told to double check on the Diplomacy 2000 website as proof.
4. Game System
   The game will be played on a traditional UK two-season game year. Thus Spring orders should contain retreats (which may be conditional on that season's moves) for vulnerable units, in the absence of which any dislodged unit will be disbanded. Autumn orders should include conditional retreats and conditional builds/removals. The conditional builds may be conditional on the previous season's moves or retreats. [see also 'Introduction to Newcomers'.]
   If two or more players attempt to retreat to the same space they will stand each other off and both will be removed from play, though a player may indicate which unit is to have priority if both units are his. If a player fails to submit build orders in an Autumn move then no builds will be made even if due. Unless there is a clear instruction to the contrary "Remove A(Par)" means "remove the army that was in Paris before this season, but may not be now." - though if there was no Army in Par at the beginning of the move, but there is at the end of the move, then that A(Par) will be removed instead.
   If a player fails to submit removal orders in an Autumn move (or the country is in Anarchy) then the GM will disband units which are not in supply centres as necessary. The distance of any such unit from the nearest home sc will be calculated and the furthest unit removed. In the event of a tie units in sea spaces are removed first, then units outside the home country. In the event of a tie, fleets are removed before armies and if all else fails disbands are made alphabetically. Thus, England would remove F(HEL) and F(SKA) before A(Pic), but A(Pic) would go before F(ENG) or F(NTH). A(Bel), F(Hol) and even A(Ank) would not be removed because they are in supply centres.
5. Orders [see also 'Writing Orders For Diplomacy' on how to write orders]
   All orders (Provisional and Final) should be clear and, to avoid any misinterpretations, they must include details for all units. All moves, stands, supports, retreats, disbands and, for the Autumn phase, builds, should be shown on each set of orders sent in. In addition, the only press to be published by the GM will be the press included with the latest set of orders received. Any press sent with earlier orders for a season will be ignored.
   For example, if someone playing Austria sends in Provisional Orders for Autumn 1903 stating that he wants to build an Army in Vienna, then sends a final set of orders for the same season which does not specify any builds, that player will not be able to build an army in Vienna.
   If you send more than one set of orders then label them to make sure the GM uses the latest set. Either number or date your orders. E-mails can get delayed and it is not unusual for a later set to arrive before an earlier set.
   Orders for different games must be sent in different emails. Each set of orders should state player's name, game, country, year and season. For the interpretation of orders see above. Implied orders will be accepted, for example "A(Mun) S A(Ruh)-Bur" is a valid order to both units (if A(Ruh) is not written in the orders), however, a contrary explicit order (e.g. "A(Mun) S A(Ruh)-Bur; A(Ruh)-Bel") will override an implied order, the unit is not considered to be ordered twice. A misordered unit attempting to move cannot be supported in place.
   Orders should be submitted in good time for the deadline set under each game. It is a good idea to send a set of provisional orders upon receipt of the game report. Late orders will usually not be accepted, but we (the GMs) reserve the right to accept late orders in exceptional circumstances at our discretion. Therefore you should not assume that it is safe to reveal your plans after the deadline. GM's will acknowledge receipt of orders within 48 hours. [For differences of time zones around the world check out: The World Clock - Time Zones.]
6. No Moves Received
   Failure to submit orders by the deadline will result in an NMR. The effect of two successive NMR's will depend on whether the game is a standby game, or a no standby game. In a standby game, two successive NMRs means that I will find a replacment player to take the part of the country concerned. In a no-standby game the offending country will be placed in anarchy (which means all units stand but may be supported by other players). The GM will not start a game with an NMR in S01 even if it means holding the game over and finding a new player, so don't NMR in Spring 1901!
7. Abbreviations
   In game reports provinces will be abbreviated to the first three letters of their names, capitals for sea spaces, lower case for land spaces. [also click here to see full list of abbreviation or see map with abbreviations]
   Exceptions are:
   GoB, or GOB = Gulf of Bothnia
   GoL, or GOL = Gulf of Lyons
   Lpl = Liverpool
   Lvn = Livonia
   MAO = Mid Atlantic Ocean
   NAf = North Africa
   NAO = North Atlantic Ocean
   NTH = North Sea
   NWG = Norwegian Sea
   Nwy = Norway
   TYS = Tyrrhenian Sea
   ENC, ENG or ECH = English Channel
   Other abbreviations used in game reports are:
   NMR = No Moves Received
   NRO = No Retreat Ordered
   NRP = No Retreat Possible
   MS = Mutually Supports
   Hold or Std. = Stands
   A(Kie)-Hol (FAILED) = Failed Move
   A(Kie)-Bur (MISORDER) = Illegal or Impossible Move or non-existent unit.
   A(Kie)-Mun (DISLODGED TO Den) = Unit forced to Retreat.
8. Errors
   In the rare instance of an error creeping into an adjudication the error should be brought to the GM's attention immediately. Any errors carried over for more than one season will stand. Obvious errors should not delay the game and players should submit orders on the basis that the moves printed were correct (even if the game report was incorrect as to the consequence of those moves).
9. Game Endings [see here for further explanations]
   A game may be ended at any time on any terms proposed by any player (or by the GM) by an unopposed vote of the players. Failure to submit a vote on a proposal is deemed to be a vote in favour to end the game. If more than one proposal has been put forward [even several proposals] then players must make sure to vote 'for' or 'against' all of the proposals. Also if multiple proposals are made and all are carried then the first one is the one that gives the result. The identity of the player proposing the game-end will not be revealed.
10. Proxies
    A player may sign over control of one or more units to another player at any time, provided that the player so doing continues to receive the adjudication. Such an arrangement may be cancelled at any time, without notice, by the player concerned. The rest of the players in the game will not be notified by the GM that units have been handed over.
11. Press
    Press releases for publication alongside the game are welcome and may be conditional on that season's moves. The GM will have a reserved dateline which may not be used by the players. The names of the seven capitals - Vie, Lon, Par, Ber, Rom, StP, Con followed by "(Govt.)" - or the seven Powers followed by "(Govt.)" are reserved for the players concerned.
12. Maps
    Regular Diplomacy games will usually have maps with the game reports, however do not rely on them. Read the game report! The GM will have no sympathy with anyone who misorders on the basis of an error in a map, if the game report was correct.

    Readers for the blind - Below are links to map decsriptions for each country, scrupulously detailed by Nick Parish. I was told they took six months to finish - a lot of work. Well done Nick.

    • Austria
    • England
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • Russia
    • Turkey
    
    
13. EXTRA RULES - PLEASE NOTE: Whilst most of the GMs will allow a little leeway on the rules, some STRICTLY adhere to all the rules here. Make sure you know what your GM allows [see below for list]. It is a good habit to learn what is the "correct" way to order your units. Always state whether your unit is a fleet or army, always use the abbreviations the adjudications we send you (see rule #6 above) unless you write them out in full anyway, always state the nationality of foreign units, always put the coast in for StP, Bul and Spa even when not needed.
    a) Abbreviations:
    The use of Nor. Please don`t use it ! You should be using Nwy (or NWG, NTH, NAO, or NAf instead - see rule #6 above).
    The use of Liv. It is virtually always obvious what this means depending on the destination or start place of the unit. Please use Lpl and Lvn to avoid any possible confusion.
    Tyrolia/Tyrrhenian Sea. The "correct" abbreviations are Tyr and TYS but these spaces cannot be mixed up as fleets cannot occupy Tyr and armies TYS.
    Typos. Check your orders. Don`t order A(Boh)-Tir (this could mean Tyr or Tri). I once deliberately ordered A(Mun)-Br (could be Bur, could be Ber) but told the GM it was a deliberate misorder. Someone else ordered A(Ser)-Bu (could be Bul, could be Bud), but whether the GM is informed or not - it is a misorder.
    b) Unit designations
    We allow Bre-Pic as a valid order as long as there is one of your units in Bre of course. If you have a fleet and you order A(Bre)-Pic then all the GMs will misorder it. The same rules apply with supporting units.
    c) Supporting foreign units:
    It is better to put the nationality in when supporting foreign units. It helps save the GM from trying to trace the mysterious unit you're supporting - remember, he's not looking at the map when entering your order.
    d) Coasts:
    F(Nwy)-StP. As F(Nwy) can only go to the north coast then we don't need you to specify this. If you get the coast wrong - F(Nwy)-StP sc - we will misorder.
    If you need to specify the coast, which only applies to F(Por)-Spa, F(MAO)-Spa, F(Con)-Bul and build F(StP) and you don't, then the unit holds (or no build for StP).

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