• Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (General Secretary Josif Brod Stalin): TheDiplomat
• United Kingdom of Great Britain (PM Stanley Baldwin*): Bishop
• French Republic (President Gaston Doumerge): TheGeneral
  
• Federal Republic of Germany (President Paul von Hindenburg): Kapikulu
• Kingdom of Italy (PM Benito Mussolini): Magua
• Republic of Poland (Strongman Józef Pilsudski***): Rider
• Republic of Turkey (President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk): Hugoestr

Special rule for the management of armed minor powers in variants that provide for them:

Each major power (player) has as many Influence Points (IPs) as centers it owns. Every Winter the player can allocate them for any available minor power(s) at will. 

Each winter then the GM will count the IPs allocated at each minor power ruling its allaince for the upcoming year to the power that more "votes" has achieved in that particular "poll" or "influence struggle". Players are not obligued to "vote" for themselves (default) but can also explictly allocate their IPs for other major powers.

IP allocation will remain secret in any case. 

The major power obtaining single majority in each individual votation, gets the alliance (total cotrol) of the minor power for the full following year. A tie on top votes causes the minor power to stay neutral for the subsequent year.

Examples (using Versailles variant) in Winter 1928 (prior to the game start):

(1) Czechoslovakia:

• Germany 3 IPs
• Poland 2 IPs
• Italy 1 IP

Germany obtains alliance (control) of Czechoslovakia for all 1929 (3 vs 2)

(2) Spain:

• France: 3 IPs
• Britain: 2 IPs
• Italy : 1 IP for Britain

Spain stays neutral in 1929 (3 vs 3)

(3) Greece:

• Italy: 1 IP

Italy attains the Greece alliance for 1929

(4) Yugoslavia:

• Turkey: 2 IPs
•  USSR: 1 IP

Turkey obtains Yugoslav alliance in 1929 (2 vs 1)

(5) Rumania:

• Poland: 2 IPs
•  USSR: 1 IP 

Poland obtains Rumanian alliance for 1929 (2 vs 1)

(6) Sweden:

• USSR: 2 IPs
• Britain 1 IP
•  Poland: 1 IP for Britain

Sweden stays neutral in 1929 (2 vs 2)

(7) Egypt: 

• Turkey: 1 IP 

Turkey obtains Egyptian alliance for 1929

Yet (IMPORTANT!), the votation or IP allocation remains secret. Only the results are published by the GM along the Winter adjustments' adjudication.

Examples (Winter 1929): 

Greece: 

• Turkey: 1 IP
• Italy: 1 IP
•  Greece (continuity vote): ½ IP for Italy

Italy retains control over Greece in 1930 (1½ vs 1)

Egypt: no IPs invested by any major powers

• Egypt (continuity vote): ½ IP for Turkey

Turkey retains control over Egypt

Rumania:

• Poland: 3 IPs
• USSR: 4 IPs
• Rumania (continuity vote): ½ IP for Poland>

USSR takes control of Rumania (4 vs 3½)

Betrayal penalty (loss of credibility): 

A power can of course occupy its minor ally's owned centers, yet this will cause the following penalty: the traitor major power loses all IPs in the subsequent Winter and will recover only half of them (rounded down) in the second year after the wrongdoing. The third year after the stab, the traitor power will have again all its IPs, unless it has comitted new acts of treason towards its minor allies.

The continuity vote rule is not affected by this provision. Minor powers will remain casting their ½ IP for their former allies equally.

The unit(s) of such minor power will act as follows:

• If it is at their home SC, it will hold
• If it is adjacent to their home SC, it will move to it
• If it is two provinces away from their home SC, it will also move to it via the shortest possible path, deciding the GM on random bases if two or more paths are equally available.
• If it is more than 2 provinces away, it will hold

If a neutralized minor power owns more than one SC, the unit most distant from its home center will move towards the other owned SC following the same provisions as above. If both units are equally distant, the GM will decide on random bases. 

Example: Yugoslavia controls Belgrade (home) and Athens and has its two armies in Macedonia and Albania. One army will move to Blegrade and the other to Athens on random choice (flipping a coin, for instance).

Any minor power that achieves 3 SCs becomes a major power and will be assigned to a new player. The new player will then name a second home center for his new power. 

1. In case of doubt the GM will have the last word, always applying the rulebook and any special rules (as for above).
2. If a player fails to send orders (NMR/NBR), he will be notified by the GM and must reply declaring if he wishes to follow with the game. Two succesive NMRs in regular or adjustments turns (retreats won't apply) will cause the player to be deposed and replaced - no excuses. If the NMRing player doesn't reply to the GM's mail, he will be deposed and replaced without any second opportunity.
   
3. Regular turns (Spring and Fall) will be scheduled with terms of about 5 days. Weekends can stretch these terms a little.
4. Retreats' turns will have a maximum term of 48 hrs. Only for these, the GM will adjudicate earlier if all orders are in. If they fall fully in weekend, the term can be stretched a little bit too. This is up to the players' needs largely.
   
5. For this variant, Winter turns will have an intermediate length of about 3-4 days, as the control of minor powers can be an important matter of discussion.
   
6. Deadline extensions will be conceded upon request but I ask the players not to abuse of them. Conditional adjustments/retreats can be sent as alternative for short sub-turns extensions and I encourage them.
7. I also encourage to send preliminary orders as soon as you recieve the adjudication. You can send as many different sets of orders as you need. The last one arriving will erase the previous. Please send always full sets of orders: it doesn't matter what you sent in previous ones.
8. Orders will be interpretated benevolently but any order that is confuse enough will be declared invalid. Still I will notify the players if there is time for that, so this should not be a problem for novices.
   
9. Press: I will accept white press (signed) and grey press (anonymous). I won't accept black press (on other's name). The press should be written with the orders' set and will be published with the adjudication. The GM will try to write some press too and "the gallery" (observers) can also write press (white only). Alternatively you can post in the All Empires - General Gaming topic open for this game's purpose (this one).
   
10. I may add new rules in the future if necessary, always after consulting the players.

MAybe we could make it even more harder and you, Maju would not tell anyone except the players who got which minor powrer. That would make wars much easier for you would only be worried by your invasion army. In some ways this might be logical but if players want to tell who they got then they can tell it. Otherwise it is a secret.

Now, is the Polish Józef Pilsudski a Marshal?. Must check wikipedia.

I was thinking in the same (this would allow for obstructionist maneouvres without open implication of the leading power). But I would like everybody to agree with it before implementing it.

Originally posted by TheDiplomat But I am more handsome than Stalin

I'd rather be Stalin.  Look who I am.....

Thegeneral you shall thank God that you are not Aristide Briand,who had been France's PM for a few times

Wait!!!Look, Mr.Briand is coming...A disaster of nature, or shall I say wonder , what an image, what a charisma

Maju

ThedÝPLOMAT told me about this game and Ý read through some of the material.  Sounds interesting, much more complex and subtle than ours.

I wanted to throw out one thought;

don't you think that making the competition for minor powers Cumulative rather than re-computed every turn from zero more realistic?  In other words, the IP's given each turn would be added to the score already recieved in previous turns.  This would reward constancy, fidelity as well as longterm strategy.

In this sense, using IP's would be a long term investment, reflecting the economic, diplomatic, military, or technological assistance given over time.

So, Maju, if a great power passes through a country, does that also give the same result like invading a minor power?

What I mean is, for example Polish army in Krakow passing through Slovakia,which is not a SC.

We can do a formula like this for my latest question:

If a country gets alliance of a minor power, that means that he gets the right of passage. Isn't that a good solution?Otherwise, such a move would mean a decline in diplomatic power.

I really like this idea, this makes a lot of sense!

I vote for this as an option.

Good work Kilikya!

This is a very interesting rule. First it muddies the water, so it wont be obvious how many votes are needed to take control of a minor. Because no one has any idea what kinda influence it's going to take to sway one. I like it...

I don't think I want to join this waiting list Maju, but thanks for the offer.  I already bit off more than I can chew with the first game. 

Maybe the next one though.....

• Sweden signs alliance with the Soviet Union, despite rumors about its neutrality.
  
• Spain signs alliance with Italy
• Czechoslovakia signs alliance with Poland
• Yugoslavia signs alliance with Turkey
• Rumania signs alliance with the Soviet Union
• Greece remains unalligned
• Egypt signs alliance with Turkey

The map remains the same (Spring 1929):


Let's the rough verb of weapons talk now, alongside the sweet speech of ambassadors.

Btw, here there is a map showing the known alliances and the territory they control (updated!):

I could not really understand...So interesting IP results came out.

And of course, as nobody knows who had done what, there are some blamings,assumptions,but nothing is certain.

It is not Russia...It is The USSR

Hmm, hard to decipher just exactly what is going on.....

My guess is Russia, pardon, the USSR blackmailed Poland into giving him his IPs in exchange for not attacking.  My case is similar, but not through blackmail.  I simply handed one to help Turkey.  Now Italy is knocking.

I and hugoestr thank you greatly!!!

• UK, France and Germany would have 4 SCs. French would be Algeria and British would be Egypt.
• Poland, Turkey, Spain and Iran would be played powers with 2 SCs each. Special victory conditions would allow them to get victory in alliance with a major or something of the like.
  
• Most neutrals would be armed minors, including Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal and Iraq.
  
• The map would be a little more accurate geographically.

Yes, Livonia is total nonsense. There were different countries then: EStonia and Latvia and many other idiotic things that I hate.

Lets make that the deadline is on Wednesday? This week? If it isn't already, you haven't posted it in this topic.

Well, doesn't it. Kattegat and SKagerrak are it's tail, Bothnia is his upper jaw, Gulf of Finland is the lower jaw and central Baltic is his body. And he is about to eat Finland.

Oops, I gotta announce that I will be abroad next week due to religious feast holiday here in Turkey and I won't have internet access next week.

So, I will send orders for this turn, but for the next turn, after the retreat season, if you can stretch the deadline a little bit,I would be most happy

I will go on this Sunday and return the next Saturday...

I agree with Kaipkulu.

Next week is religious holiday and a break for final exams and we may be off the game.

I would like to ask for an extension lasting at least 1 week after this turn.

And how can that be? I believe that every single person who knows English even a little, can understand:

Next week is religious holiday and a break for final exams and we may be off the game.

___

You think otherwise?

France didn't help Russia get Sweden.

Oddly enough, I did not wright this.  Are we still sending in secret anonymous news letters who is this just a GM note?

There is no need for e-mail...it does not make a difference.

because not only GM should be informed about the extension,but all players ..so the best way to make a request is to put it on the thread.

I dont like bureacracy on internet forums as well

It is no doubt that evryone saw the request of both Kapikulu and me.

On Tuesday a ''religious ''holiday is starting which will last till the beginning of the following week...

so I repeat the request of extention for 1 week here...I will not make a so-called ''official'' request again.It is up to you..You may even ignore.But what can I do ?

Oh come now, is it so hard to PM the GM?  Yes, it was posted, and what happens when that page is covered by three other pages of talks about the game.  PM the GM, it won't take more than 30 seconds to say please extend the game because there is a holiday!

He has already seen the request...so why the hell this IDEEFIXE for?(a question to u theGeneral)

I had already said the beginning of the the following week which means 16th January Monday...

well,if u get so annoyed about everything,(I did not show any personal disrespect,no insult)then I doubt your maturity.

Guys,this is just an internet forum...Relax..

we don't have to be too ''official'' as in the real life...

I hang out forums to relax,to have fun...thats why I play these games as well...But If I am also supposed to be bureauratic,where is the point of having fun for all of us.

For Christ sakes send a stinkin PM!  Is your pride so big?!

for Moses' sake what pride are u talking about ?what has pride to do with this.this is biassnes.I already made the request to be seen by everyone...

May I remind you the fact that the request made by KAPIKULU first,and secondly by me.

Same request was also made for the 1600 game,but we didn't see such tension there..plus I am not annoyed..if u read my messages,u will understand...But you always take it personal..as if I have matter with you.as if I wrote in anger. 

Thanks Hugo. Terrible conversation.

I would still recommend to do like it is officially done as it is BETTER that way. If you can't send your orders on deadline AND if you then go against the GM then you just have a problem. I think that this has been a public aggression.

Thank you, I was about to do it myself.  (but I'd prefere just to poke and Russia )

I as Józef Pi³sudski, marsza³ek Polski, Naczelnik Pañstwa, minister obrony, Generalny Inspektor Si³ Zbrojnych rename the city of Danzig as Gdanks and ask all others to forwardly call the province Vilnius instead of Lithuania. I thank every single person.

Now, where shall I built stuff? Dmaned, you can't build air divisions? I was hoping already. And I can't found new cities?

1. Do not send orders before the proper season has started, that is before the previous adjudication has been done. So don't send winter orders before the Fall retreats are in, unless there's a special reason for that (in which case you should explain).
2. Send ALWAYS full sets of orders. Please, do not send one set and then small modifications to this or that movement unless you want me to end wearing a straight jacket or to adjudicate only on your last partial set whichever. As I don't want to end in a mental hospital, from now on I will require all sets to be complete: each new set totally overrides the previous ones. If there are orders lacking, sorry: your fault (I will still try to tell you that you have comitted an error but it's your responsability anyhow).
3. Try not to send orders as reply mails but as brand new mails with a header like the following: "AEDip04: <country> orders <season - year>". I will accept other sets but I must ask you to do this way for the sake of my mental health and adjudication accuracy. If you send several sets in a short time, specify which order they have, so I don't have to check the time they have been sent in the mail properties.
   
4. All orders should be sent by email. I can't grant that I will check the forum before I adjudicate and PMed orders are plainly impossible to organize.
5. Extensions will be granted on request (unless someone is abusing of that, what I dont think will be the case) but the request should be made like any other oficial game correspondence: by email. It should also specify which date would be good to place the new deadline at, though GM discrection always has the last word.
   
6. To prevent avoidable distractions like this one, with an extension in a retreat subturn, I would ask you to send conditional retreats when you think that you may not be around near the adjudication date. Conditional retreats can be sent with the regular orders or (better) in a separate mail with the appropiate header.
   

Who was here??? I was in Paris for a whole week till Friday night and never had internet access there if that was for me...

Yes I was talking to you, if you look at the dates of the PMs, you will be able to see when they are sent or replied. Yes, I replied or sent THOSE FÝFTEEN PMs,but did all that after Friday evening(for Turkey), the time I returned and issued the retreat on Saturday, so I don't understand your point you are blaming me. I had never replied or sent any mails between the last Saturday evening and this Friday evening.

Hmm. it seems suspicious but I might have sent everyone else fifteen PM's... anyone had some???

Okay, are we continueing... and when is the date?

Just look at the dates instead of crossing out...All is after January 13.

Isn't the date Jan 18?

BERLINER POST:

Hindenburg's addressing to the folk:

German president Hindenburg adressed to his people in the central square of Berlin. Masses are now wowing for the Anschluss to be restored.

Italian atrocities in Salzburg and Graz:

The fascist administration of Italy is told to be taking action against our citizens in cities in Salzburg and Graz. 50.000 Germans in Austria,including the women and children, had been harshly murdered by Italian oppressors. Germany has taken action in the League of Nations and called the nations to intervene on Italy, who is disrupting the peace and harmony in Europe

International Jackalism:

Rumors had been going around the corridors of foreign ministry that allied nations of Germany has been filled by some aggressor countries to take action of Germany. German minister of foreign affairs had today declared that all his neighboring countries,France,Poland,England and including Czechoslovakia, whom Germany had several conflictive issues of soil,will not be touched as long as they stand honorable and trustworthy towards Germany.And he added: " The young German Republic will always be granting peace in Europe".

Originally posted by TheDiplomat Lol...what a diplomatic comment!

Wow. I think the same...

WORKERS OF EUROPE UNITE!

The Soviet call to the workers of Europe:''...Unite!Time to take action against Turkey,who has surrounded the common good of the workers!''