DipWorld Rules

	Club Rules
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A new club game begins with a call for players posting on the main clubhouse message board as soon as the previous one is started. Once filled, we move the game to it's own "Game Room" (such as an affiliated Yahoo Club, an eGroup, or some other website) to keep it organized. Press is posted right on the message board, along with adjudication reports, maps, deadlines, threats, and false promises. Wheeling and dealing between players, and orders to the GM are conducted through private email. The game room's photo album, link pages, and everything else belongs to you, the club member. To be a sanctioned DipWorld game, all participants should be a member of the main clubhouse.

Scoring System

Scoring for each official club game will be computed thusly:

a. Participation points (earned regardless of outcome): 1 point for each Fall and Spring move you make (2 points max per game year if you don't NMR). 2 points off for each Fall or Spring NMR (adjustment and retreat NMRs carry no penalty).

b. Solo Victory: 96 points for a solo victory, plus 1 point for each supply center owned by the winner. None of the other players receive any points other than participation points.

c. Draw Game: Draw Game Surviving players score as follows: 1 point for each SC you control. 48 points for topping the board, 24 points for finishing 2nd, 12 points for 3rd, 6 points for 4th, 3 points for 5th, 2 points for 6th, 1 point for 7th. If there is a tie for 1st, co-winners split the 1st and 2nd place points (48 + 24)/2= 36, etc.

War Council

The primary mission of the DipWorld War Council is to ensure the integrity and continuity of all game-related activities in the club. The council is elected by the club members. Feel free to contact any member of the War Council if you have any questions or problems that cannot be handled by your GM.

Current Voting Members

Chair: Steph Mabie (cluepid) dipknight@earthlink.net (to Jun 2004; Chair to Dec 2003)

Sam Austin (austin_samuel) austin_samuel@hotmail.com (to Jun 2004)

Eric Brown (presterjohn0) eric@betzoldberg.com (to Jun 2004)

Ian Cowburn (fraterl) iancowburn2@aol.com (to Jun 2004)

Lane Cross (codadewest) codadewest@aol.com (to Dec 2003)

Itamar Laserson (itamar_laserson) itlaserson@hotmail.com (to Dec 2003)

Michael Nielsen (jydesvinet) michael.nielsen@tdcadsl.dk (to Dec 2003)

Craig Reges (falsecut) falscuttr@worldnet.att.net (to Dec 2003)

Peter Richardson (pjrich_ntl or pjrich_uk) pjrich@ntlworld.com or pjrich@pjr1.freeserve.co.uk (to Dec 2003)

Troy Unruh (troyunruh) troyunruh@yahoo.com (to Jun 2004)

House Rules

I. Rulebook and Code of Ethics.

1. Rulebook: With the exception of the adjudication process, the 1982 Diplomacy rules as published by Avalon-Hill will be used. In the event of incompleteness, ambiguity, or conflict in these rules, the Diplomacy Player's Technical Guide (ftp://devel.diplom.org/pub/diplomacy/Documents/dptg.txt) will be followed.

2. Code of Ethics: All players and GMs are expected to adhere to the DipWorld Code of Ethics. Failure to do so may result in expulsion from the club.

3. Cheating: Cheating, to include forged email to the GM, hacking into someone's email/Yahoo account, playing more than one power, including GM, in the same game, GM-related offenses (i.e. revealing orders to other club members), and certain types of cross-gaming (such as allowing one player to win one game in exchange for him helping you win a second game) will result in all offending players involved being permanently deleted from this club. Note: You must also comply with Yahoo! Terms of Service to remain an eligible club member.

4. Player's Obligations: Players will provide the GM with clear, concise, and unambiguous orders. Email subject line should contain the game identifier, season, year, and power. Players should retain a copy of all orders sent in case there is problems with email between the player and GM. Any press submitted will not be overly personal, derogatory, or in any way slanderous towards other players, GMs or members of the club, or to other diplomacy clubs or players. Players are also obligated to comply with the DW Code of Ethics.

5. Gamemaster's Obligations: The GM shall provide accurate season adjudication within reasonable time to the players, and should assure the accuracy of all posted game maps. The GM shall try to send reminder messages to all players roughly 24 hours before the deadline. GMs should ensure that they are aware of any technical problems within their own mail systems, or a player's email system, that could cause players orders to be delayed beyond the deadline. Any orders that have been timestamped before the deadline should be accepted.

II. Order Writing.

1. Movement Orders: A unit ordered to move will not be allowed to receive support to hold, irrespective of whether the unit is able to move in the manner stated. For example an army in Rome ordered to move to Vienna, or Fleet Barents Sea ordered to move to Tahiti, will not be permitted to receive support to hold. A misorder not implying movement, for example, Army Rome Eats Pasta or Fleet Barents Sea Goes Fishing, will be adjudicated as an order to hold. If an order set has been submitted, an unordered unit or units will be considered to have been ordered to hold, and may receive support to hold.

2. Convoy Orders: An order for an army to be convoyed ordinarily need not specifically say that the move is by convoy; if, however, the target is adjacent, then the order must indeed specifically so indicate, otherwise the direct move is assumed. That is, if Army Rumania wishes to move to Sevastopol by convoy, then it must say so: Army Rumania to Sevastopol by convoy.

3. Support Orders: Coastline indicators ("Spain North Coast", "BUL/EC", "STP(sc)") are neither significant nor required on support orders. The orders "F Marseilles Support Mid-Atlantic to Spain; F Mid-Atlantic to Spain North Coast" are legal and valid. In the orders "A GAS S MAO to SPA SC; F MAO to SPA NC", the coastal designation on the support order is extraneous information to be ignored by the GM, so the support order is valid.

4. Abbreviations: Spelling out province names and other words used in orders is preferred, but any abbreviations which are not ambiguous, in the sole opinion of the GM, are acceptable.

5. Multiple sets of orders: The last set of orders submitted before the adjudication takes place will be used. In the event a partial set of revised orders is submitted, previous order sets will be disregarded when a revised order set comes in. The GM shall not look to an earlier order set to fill in missing orders in a revised order set.

6. Multiple Orders for Units: In the event that a unit is ordered twice within the same set of orders, the last order reading from top to bottom of the order set will be used.

7. Omitted Designations: An omitted or inaccurate designation of the type of a unit (A or F) will not invalidate the order unless there is another order with the correct designation of the unit in the same order set.

8. Nationality of Units: An omitted or inaccurate designation of the nationality of a supported foreign unit will not invalidate the order unless there is another order with the correct designation of the unit in the same order set.

9. Excess Builds or Disbands: If a player attempts to build or disband more units than the position would allow, the builds or disbands will be followed in order, from bottom to top of the order set until the necessary number of builds or disbands are reached.

10. Multiple Builds in a Center: If a player attempts to build two different units in the same supply center, the first build order, reading from bottom to top of the order set will be followed.

11. Contingent Retreat or Adjustment Orders: Retreat or adjustment turns shall be separate from movement turns. Contingent retreat or adjustment orders are not required, and negotiations are allowed prior to a retreat or adjustment turn. Players are strongly encouraged, however, to submit contingent retreat, build or disband orders, when the situation of the game permits, as this will help speed the pace of the game and reduce the likelihood of NMRs occurring.

III. Submission and Acknowledgement of Orders.

1. Final Orders: All orders will be considered Preliminary unless marked "Final".

2. Order Submission: The GM will clearly publish the methods by which orders will be accepted. At a minimum, this will include email to a single, private address. The GM is encouraged (but not required) to also accept orders through alternative addresses or techniques such as Yahoo! Messenger.

3. Receipt Acknowledgement: The GM is *strongly* encouraged to acknowledge receipt of all orders and other communications in a timely manner. If the GM has any constraints on when (s)he will be able to acknowledge orders (for example, "only during the working day"), then players should be informed of those constraints. Should a player fail to receive an acknowledgment from the GM, the player should consider the orders to be *not* received, and take appropriate action.

IV. Deadlines.

It is the responsibility of each player to make sure that a set of orders is submitted as required before each turn. Individual and/or broadcast reminders may be given, but the lack of a reminder will not serve to excuse failure to submit orders.

1. Publication of Deadline: The deadline for the following season will be published by the GM with each set of results posted. If it is necessary for the deadline to be delayed, the revised deadline must be posted in a separate message within the Yahoo! club, with a subject that clearly indicates that the deadline is being changed. GMs are strongly encouraged (but not required) to publish the upcoming deadline as a "Founder's Message" and to record deadlines on the Yahoo! club's calendar.

2. Deadline Adjustments: A previously published deadline may never be moved to an earlier date or time without the explicit consent of all surviving players. As discussed in section V, deadlines may be extended to later dates for a number of reasons.

3. Timing of Adjudication: Adjudication of a turn may take place early if all players have submitted final orders.

4. Orders After Deadline: Orders will be accepted until the start of adjudication.

5. Deadline Definition: All deadlines are considered to be for the receipt of orders by the GM, not the deadline for submission of orders by the players. Orders that arrive after a deadline because of email transmission problems and other related problems will not be accepted by the GM.

V. Length of Turns and Delay Requests.

1. Turns: At least 4 days will normally be allowed for each movement turn. At least 1 day will be allowed for each retreat or adjustment turn. The GM may speed up or slow down the timing depending on the perceived complexity (to the GM) of the game situation, or speed up the timing as players are eliminated, but will adhere to the original schedule if a faster pace is a hardship to any player.

2. Delay Requests: Requests for delay received before the deadline will generally be granted. The GM reserves the right, after a warning is given, not to grant further delay requests if the play, in the sole opinion of the GM is being unduly or excessively disrupted. The GM may replace any player whose extended absence, in the sole opinion of the GM, would unduly or excessively disrupt the flow of the game.

VI. NMRs.

1. No Movement Orders Received (NMR): The GM will adjudicate with orders missing from one or more powers, but will grant a one time grace period of 48 hours to each player to attempt to prevent what would otherwise be the first NMR for that particular player. The grace period shall begin at the deadline for submission of the relevant order set. The GM may, but is not required, to notify the non-submitting player that the grace period is in effect, and the GM shall not inform the other players as to the reason for any delay in adjudication. Players failing to submit orders must contact the GM within 48 hours, or the GM will arrange for a replacement. The GM will normally attempt to contact the NMRing player publicly and privately before arranging for a replacement, however, the GM, in the sole discretion of the GM, reserves the right to immediately replace an NMRing player after one or more NMRs.

2. Automatic Replacement: If a player fails to submit movement orders twice in a row, or 4 times in one game, without good cause (in the opinion of the GM), the game will be put on hold until a replacement is found.

VII. Adjudication and Publication of Results.

1. Adjudication Algorithm: The GM will adjudicate the orders using whatever technique the GM so chooses. However, in the event of a dispute regarding the outcome of the adjudication, the 20-step process outlined in the Diplomacy Player's Technical Guide (ftp://devel.diplom.org/pub/diplomacy/Documents/dptg.txt) will be considered the official adjudication process for the tournament. Please note that this provision specifically overrides the 1982 Avalon-Hill rulebook paragraphs on adjudication.

2. Errors in Adjudication: Players discovering errors in adjudication must bring them to the attention of the GM immediately. If another adjudication is published, without correction of an error, the error shall stand.

3. Publication of Results: The official source for publication of results for each game will be the Yahoo! club designated for that game. The GM shall publish adjudication results in a timely fashion, normally within the first 12 hours after the deadline has passed. The GM is encouraged to send a copy of the results to the players via email, but the failure of the GM to do so, or the failure of a player to receive the results via email, will not serve to excuse failure to submit orders for the following season.

4. Maps: The GM may choose to publish maps, graphically showing the results of a season and/or the position of units for the next season. These maps are considered to be an aid to players, but are not an official part of the tournament. Errors in the published map should be brought to the attention of the GM immediately, but errors in the published maps are not sufficient excuse for errors in submitted orders. The failure of a GM to publish a map will not excuse the failure of a player to submit orders prior to the published deadline.

VIII. Official Communications and Press.

1. Official Communications: Official game-related communications from the GM to the players must be posted as messages on the Yahoo! club message board designated for the game, and such posting is considered to be a sufficient method for distribution to the players. GMs are strongly encouraged (but not required) to distribute copies of those official communications via email directly to the players.

2. Publication of Press: Player may choose to publish "press": messages posted within the designated Yahoo! club for any purpose they choose. Any press submitted will not be overly personal, derogatory, or in any way slanderous towards other players, GMs or members of the club, or to other Diplomacy clubs or players. Violation of this policy may result in expulsion from the tournament and/or from the DipWorld Diplomacy club. Players may also submit articles to the GM to be published as a standalone communication or as part of the results for any season.

3. Acceptable Press: The GM, in the sole discretion of the GM, reserves the right to refuse to publish a piece or pieces of press for any reason. In general, press correctly identifying the author (white press), press to be published anonymously (gray press), and press unofficially attributed another person (dark gray press) will be accepted. Press officially attributed by the GM to another person (black press) will not be accepted. The GM shall publish all press not correctly or officially identifying the author (non-white press) in an "Anonymous or Unofficial Press" section of the adjudication separate from the orders of the individual players.

4. Disclosure of Authorship of Gray or Black Press: The GM will never reveal Authorship of gray or black press.

IX. Votes, Draws and Concessions:

1. Wins: Wins may be conceded only to a single player, and a concession must be agreed upon unanimously by all players remaining in the game with a single negative vote defeating the proposal. All games are presumed to continue until the deadline published prior the beginning of the game or until a player wins by reaching eighteen supply centers, so an abstention counts as a negative vote and defeats the proposal.

2. Draws: Draws may or may not include all survivors, but must be agreed to unanimously by all players remaining in the game. A draw that does not include all players presumes the elimination of the players not included in the draw. A single "No" vote defeats the Draw proposal, however if one or more players fail to submit votes, but a majority of the remaining players vote unanimously for the draw, the Draw proposal succeeds.

3. Confidentiality and Limitation of Proposals: Votes will be due simultaneously with the next due date for orders. All votes will be secret and the result will be published instead of the relevant adjudication if the proposal is approved, or together with the adjudication, if the proposal fails. All votes may be submitted confidentially, players may submit revised votes, and the GM shall never reveal any information regarding the specific votes of an individual power, or the total of votes for or against any proposal. The GM, in the sole discretion of the GM, may choose not to allow repetitive proposals or humorous proposals.

4. Voting Against Own Proposal: Players may vote for or against proposals that they submit.

X. Ownership and Integrity of Communications

1. Ownership of Communication: Emails and other communications are the intellectual property of the person transmitting them, but the GM and players, by virtue of agreeing to GM or play in the game, freely give permission for the use of those communications by other participants as part of the play of that particular game, with the restrictions stated in the next paragraph.

2. Forwarding Email: Forwarding of emails, or even attempted impersonation of one player by another will not be restricted by the GM, as long as this occurs between the players without the involvement of the GM, and does not involve subversion of the email systems of others.

3. Deception of GM: Any attempt to deceive or impersonate the GM, or to subvert the integrity of the email system of the GM or another player, will be grounds for immediate replacement.

XI. Disputes

It is recognized that disputes between players and/or the GM may arise during the course of the tournament. The GM is offered wide latitude for resolving these disputes within a game, within the constraints of non-partisan actions that are consistent with previously published policy. Players are encouraged to accept GM rulings on these matters. However, should a player believe that a GM has not acted in accordance with these rules, the DipWorld War Council may be asked to review the circumstances. A representative of the War Council will be assigned to each game, and players should contact this representative via email if they wish to escalate the resolution of the dispute. The DipWorld War Council's ruling shall be final.

Code of Ethics

The following Code of Ethics, adopted May 17, 2000, apply to all Diplomacy World players and GM's. Failure to live up to our code of ethics could result in removal from the club. Some are specific to how DipWorld is organized, but most are rules worth abiding by in all game forums.

I. Players Code of Ethics

1. Completion: Players should make every effort to finish games they start. A player who feels he or she cannot continue a game due to outside constraints should immediately notify the GM and start looking for a replacement. If possible, the player should continue playing until the replacement is found. It is understood that sometimes the real world will interfere with our gaming, but doing as much as possible to help ease the transition is the most courteous way to treat one’s fellow game players. A poor showing is not a good reason for abandoning a game.

2. Cross-gaming: Players must not make deals with each other that involve more than one game. This holds for simultaneous games as well as promises for actions in future games.

3. Automatic alliances/grudges: {With the possible exception of certain variants?}, alliances are not binding. Any attempts to enforce a game agreement with outside means, such as money, or promises that don’t involve the game are strictly forbidden. Players should not join any game without the intention of playing to the best of their ability, or without the goal of seeing the power they control do as well as possible.

4. Real-Life Acquaintances: It is understood that people will sometimes want to play with their friends and family in on-line games. While this is not forbidden in Diplomacy World, it should also be understood that players who can communicate in real life may have an advantage over players who are limited to email communication, even if they are not violating the automatic alliance rule. Therefore, players who know each other in real life should announce this to all members of the game before the game begins so that other players have a chance to opt out if they are uncomfortable with the situation. Players should not join a game together with the sole intention of having an automatic alliance.

5. Multiple Identities: With the multitude of free email services, this is by far the easiest way to cheat in PBEM. Using other email addresses in a game for the sake of player misdirection or anonymity is allowed in Diplomacy World, but using them to control more than one power is the vilest form of cheating. Players should expect to be banned from any PBEM forum where they are discovered cheating in this manner, and should not be surprised if their bad reputation follows them to other forums.

6. Hacking: Breaking into someone’s email account or yahoo account is probably illegal in real life, and is certainly forbidden for any purposes related to the game. Breaking into an account includes any attempted use of an account without permission of the account’s owner. Examples include serious hacking like packet sniffing, simply trying to guess somebody’s password, or taking advantage of someone who has left him or herself logged in on a local terminal.

7. Misdirection: Misdirection of other players is part of the game, but any attempt to mislead the GM as to another player’s moves, messages or identity are strictly forbidden.

8. Personal Attacks: Negative press is part of the fun for many players, and not to be discouraged, but players should take care not to cross the line into personal insults. Everyone is here to have fun and should respect the rights of others to do the same.

9. Player – GM disputes: Players should understand that GMs are volunteering their time and effort to run the games as they see fit. GMs are human, and prone to mistakes. When calling the GM’s attention to a possible error, the player should treat the GM with respect and assume the mistake was honest before accusing the GM of maliciousness, favoritism or stupidity. Players should understand that War Council appeals will take time away from the game, and are only to be used as a last resort.

10. House vs. GM Rules: The GM is allowed to deviate from the house rules if he or she announces it ahead of time. It is the players’ responsibility to read these announcements. If a player does not realize the GM changed a rule because the player didn’t read everything the GM posted, the player is 100% at fault.

11. Extensions: Players should understand that the other players wish to see their game continue in a timely fashion. Players should not request indefinite extensions. If a player is unsure of how much time he or she will need, he or she should estimate conservatively. If a player needs too much time, they should consider looking for a replacement or a substitute. What constitutes too much time should be discussed with the GM and the other players.

II. Gamemaster Code of Ethics

1. Completing Games: This is similar to the player’s obligation. The GMs should try to complete all games they start, and if they know they must drop out, should try to continue GMing while a replacement is sought.

2. House Rules: Part of the War Council’s job is to determine what the house rules are with regards to the various interpretations and rules versions that exist. Examples include how to deal with multiple convoy routes, and what kinds of illegal orders still allow a unit to be supported to hold. GMs are not bound to follow these rules, but should make it clear to all the players as soon as possible which different rules they wish to use. If GMs use an adjudication program (like Diplo 2.8) they should be aware what rules the program uses that are different from the house rules, and announce whether they will override and hand-adjudicate in those situations. Before the game begins is the best time to announce this. Before orders are submitted is also acceptable, but GMs should be wary of implicitly suggesting orders for a player by pointing out how they will adjudicate if a certain set of orders is turned in. Deciding which rules to use during an adjudication where the decision is relevant is the worst possibility. If the GM hasn’t already said something when it comes time to adjudicate, he or she should defer to the house rules. GMs may assume players know the basic rules of the game, but should understand that even experienced players will have different backgrounds (judges vs. FTF vs. PBEM etc) and may be assuming a different set of rules.

3. Mid-Game Rules Changes: GMs may change the rules they are using during the game, but like rules that differ from the House Rules, the earlier a rules change is announced before it is invoked, the better. If a GM is motivated to change the rules because of the results of an adjudication, the GM should adjudicate under the old rules, and then announce the change and that it will only take effect for the remainder of the game. Players should be able to reasonably expect they know how the GM will deal with a situation when they are writing their orders.

4. Deadlines: GMs must give at least 24 hours notice before a deadline if they haven’t already set the deadline. Ideally, the GM should always announce the next deadline with the previous turns adjudications, as well as send out 24 hour reminders. Keeping the game room calendar up to date is also a good way to keep players informed. GMs should refrain from moving deadlines earlier than previously stated.

5. Extensions: GMs should be prepared to grant all reasonable extension requests. It is the GM’s discretion what requests he or she considers reasonable, but the request should be made before the deadline, and shouldn’t be too long a time period. Extensions should never apply to only one player; they should be granted to all players or none.

6. Adjudication Time: GMs should make an effort to adjudicate within 24 hours of the deadline. If that can’t be done, it’s a minimum courtesy for the GM to at least offer an explanation and an estimate for when the players can expect the results. If the GM delays an adjudication, they should be prepared to give the players more time for the next move.

7. Revealing Orders: The GM should never reveal any orders to other players in the game, except the orders used in the adjudication, and these should only be revealed with the adjudicated results. Orders that should not be revealed include those that were subsequently changed before the deadline, and orders that weren’t used because they arrived after the deadline. The GM should also be careful not to inadvertently let slip knowledge of another player’s orders. Players will sometimes ask questions like "What will happen if I do this and he does that?" These specific questions are fair and should be answered, but the GM should be careful not to respond with ", but if he does this other thing, this is what will happen…"

8. NMR Warnings: Along the same lines as revealing orders early, GMs should not warn players that he or she has not received any orders from a player, until the deadline is past and the player in question is given an NMR. Even a warning of a possibly impending NMR without any suggestion of the player’s identity should be avoided. Other players may be able to deduce who is likely to NMR and change their orders to benefit unfairly.

9. Replying to Orders: A better way to make sure players don’t think they’ve turned in orders when they haven’t is to reply to every email sent containing orders. Even if nothing is written, the fact that the players’ orders are returned from the GM is enough for the players to know the GM has received their orders.

10. Mistakes: GMs should understand that mistakes happen, both on their own part and on the players’. GMs should seek to correct their own mistakes as soon as possible. If the next move is adjudicated before a mistake is discovered, it should stand. It is far worse to ask players to resend orders after they’ve all been revealed than to let stand a transcription or adjudication error. As a last resort, a turn should only be re-done if all the players agree to it. GMs should also expect players to disagree with their decisions from time to time, and not be offended by players who do so. Sometimes new players just don’t know the rules, and sometimes players won’t think the GM is being fair with NMRs or deadlines. A player who does not understand why a certain result occurred and asks about it in a non-insulting manner deserves a non-patronizing, non-insulting explanation. GMs should refrain from curt, "Why don’t you just read the rules" and "if you have to ask me that, it’s no wonder you’re losing" type answers. If a player thinks the GM is being inconsistent with a previous, similar situation, the GM should point out the differences.

11. Appeals: As a last resort for a disagreement, a player can appeal a GM decision to the War Council. The GM should respect this club machinery, and put the game on hold until the issue is resolved. The GM should agree to abide by the decision of the War Council, and understand that if the War Council votes against the GM, it is not a statement against the GM’s ability, honesty or effort. The War Council will do its best to resolve the issue in a timely manner so that the game can continue with as little interruption as possible.

Appeal Process

Upon receipt of a notice of appeal or other complaint, any member of the War Council may instruct the GM of the game in question to suspend the processing of orders and any current deadlines until the War Council instructs the GM that play may be resumed in the game. The War Council will strive to resolve all matters brought before it in a timely manner. GM decisions shall not be overruled unless the War Council determines the GM complained of is either abusing his discretion in matters of game play or the GM has clearly misinterpreted the applicable rules of play.

I. Adjudication Errors

1. If a player in a game believes the GM has made an adjudication error, he or she must notify the GM of the suspected error prior the GM posting the results of the next ordering phase of the game. (Example: If an error is suspected in a Spring adjudication, the player must lodge a complaint with the GM prior to the posting retreats. If no retreats are required then the complaint must be lodged prior to the posting of the Fall adjudication.)

2. Upon receiving a timely complaint of an adjudication error, the GM shall review the adjudication in question and postpone the posting of the next ordering phase.

3. If the GM agrees that an error occurred in the questioned adjudication, he or she shall correct the adjudication and advise all players of the revised adjudication as soon as possible. If deemed necessary, the GM may extend the deadline for the next ordering phase in order to allow players to review and negotiate in light of the revised adjudication.

4. If the GM does not believe there was an error in the questioned adjudication, he or she must notify the complainant and explain why the adjudication is, in the GM’s opinion, correct. The GM must then allow the complainant to respond before resuming the game.

5. If the complainant upon consultation with the GM determines the complaint was in error, he or she shall timely notify the GM that he or she is withdrawing the complaint, at which time the GM shall resume play.

6. If the GM and the complainant cannot resolve the complaint and agree upon the proper adjudication, the GM shall either notice the War Council of the impasse or notify the player that play will be resumed without resolution of the complaint and allow the complaining player at least 24 hours to appeal to the War Council.

II. Cheating

1. If any member of the club discovers evidence of impermissible cheating within any game the matter should be referred to the War Council. Play of an affected game may or may not be suspended pending an investigation at the discretion of the War Council.

2. Any person lodging a complaint of cheating must submit tangible evidence of the offense to the War Council at the time of notifying the War Council or as soon thereafter as is possible.

3. The War Council will review all allegations of impermissible cheating and will fix punishment in the event it finds the allegations substantiated by reasonable evidence.

4. Intentionally false accusations of impermissible cheating or repeated unsubstantiated allegations of impermissible cheating shall be deemed a violation of the Diplomacy World Code of Ethics and dealt with accordingly by the War Council.

III. Conflicts of Interest

1. If the GM or a player in a game appealed to the War Council is a member of the War Council, the War Council member(s) in the game shall not be allowed to deliberate or rule upon the appeal.

2. In matters of alleged impermissible cheating all War Council members shall be involved in the investigation and deliberation, except for those members who are players (not GMs) participating in allegedly affected games. If a War Council member is the accused cheater he or she shall be temporarily suspended from the War Council pending the investigation and deliberation of the charge.

3. If the War Council cannot reach a majority opinion on any matter pending its review due to an even split of opinion on the matter under review, then a Founder shall be included in the deliberations and shall render an opinion as if a regular member of the War Council.

DipWorld Club Charter

ARTICLE I. CHARTER AND NAME

Section 1. CHARTER

1.1.1 Portions of this club exist by reason of the charter granted to it by Yahoo! and are therefore subject to the "terms of use" of Yahoo.Com and Yahoo! Clubs (hereafter "Yahoo");  said charter may be suspended or terminated by Yahoo in accordance with its "terms of use" and regulations.  Other portions of this club may exist pursuant to the charter granted the club by other internet service providers and are subject to the rules and regulations of the host entity for any DipWorld content contained on any host servers.

1.1.2 This Charter may be amended by approval from two-thirds of the WC.  Before being put to a vote, any amendment should be posted for discussion to the DipWorld membership for no less than seven days.

Section 2. NAME

1.2.1 The name of this Club shall be:  Yahoo! Clubs Dip World, hereafter referred to as DipWorld, or DW.

ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES AND LIMITATIONS

Section 1. OBJECTIVES

The mission of this Club shall be to:

2.1.1 Promote and encourage the hobby and play of the board game of Diplomacy.

2.1.2 Provide a forum for the play of Diplomacy and its variants and to encourage sound, proper and ethical play of the game.

2.1.3 Provide cooperation with Hasbro/Avalon Hill in the further development of technical and educational material for the hobby of Diplomacy.

2.1.4 Organize and conduct the tournament play of Diplomacy for the benefit of the hobby.

2.1.5 Promote awareness of the hobby of Diplomacy to the general public.

Section 2. LIMITATIONS

2.2.1 All actions of this Club shall be in accordance with the "terms of use" and regulations of the club's service provider(s), and shall be conducted in a manner so as not to impermissibly encroach upon Avalon Hill's copyright on the game of Diplomacy.

2.2.2 This Club shall not obligate or otherwise make its members and DW War Council (DWWC) liable for any expenditures or commitments, unless such expenditures or commitments shall first have been approved by the DWWC.

2.2.3 The bylaws of this Club shall not be official and effective until approved by the DWWC and posted within the Club.

ARTICLE 3. MEMBERS AND LEADERSHIP

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP

3.1.1 Membership to DipWorld is based solely on the interest to participate in the board game Diplomacy and being a member of the DipWorld main clubroom.

3.1.2 All Members will be considered in good standing unless removed, barred from play, or otherwise limited in their participation by the War Council.  Only by the determination of fault after proper review of the War Council will members be expelled from, suspended from play or otherwise limited in participation within DipWorld.

3.1.3 It is expected of all DipWorld members to play the game of Diplomacy honorably, as defined by the club Code of Ethics for Players and GMs, to increase their own and others knowledge and enjoyment of the game.

Section 2. LEADERSHIP

3.2.1 Founder

3.2.1.1 Club members shall retain ultimate responsibility for DipWorld, however, the club shall elect a "Founder" to perform administrative duties and other services for DipWorld.  The election process and duties of office are listed below.  Current Founders are listed in the main clubhouse "Contacts" Link.

3.2.1.2 The Founder is elected by a vote of the community. There is no restriction as to how many terms a member may serve as Founder. The Founder shall serve a 2-year term to commence at the time of election. The Founder will be a non-voting member of the War Council, except that the Founder will have the casting vote in the event that a War Council vote is tied. The Founder shall not be permitted to hold the offices of Chair of the War Council or Vice-Chair of the War Council, and shall not be permitted to have founder/owner/moderator rights within the War Council sub-club/sub-group.

3.2.1.3 The requirements for election as Founder are as follows:

- Have one year membership in DipWorld.

- Have served on War Council.

- Have shown dedication to the club.

3.2.1.4 The duties of the Founder are as follows:

- To oversee WC elections.

- To appoint members to the WC or Vice-Chair should people resign during their term.

- To vote only in cases where a tiebreak is needed.

- To remove members after due process.

- To be official contact for DipWorld to outside enterprises.

- To maintain the Club's main room in good standing according to Yahoo's Terms of Service,

  deleting excessively gross or profane posts where needed.

- To give Founder rights to Vice-Founder.

3.2.1.5 The Founder may be removed from office by a 2/3 vote of the War Council.  Only after a proper review by the War Council can a founder be expelled from office.  This review will include a presentation of the reasons for removal, as well as an opportunity for the Founder to present his/her case.  The review process should take no less than 7 days.

3.2.1.6 If a Founder fails to complete his term, due to removal or resignation, the Vice-Founder (or

WC Chair) will assume the duties of Founder until a new Founder is elected. This election process should not take any longer than 30 days. Unless he is the successful candidate, the Vice-Founder will go back to his/her original position once a new founder is elected.

3.2.2 War Council

3.2.2.1 One of the ways club members retain ultimate responsibility for DipWorld, is by electing a body of representatives called the War Council to perform various duties for DipWorld.  The election process and duties of the War Council are listed below.  Current War Council members are listed in the main clubhouse "Contacts" Link.

3.2.2.2 The War Council, consisting of 10 members, is elected by a vote of the community.  There is no restriction as to how many terms a member may serve on the War Council.  The War Council member shall serve a 1-year term to commence at the time of election.  The election process of the War Council will be staggered so that 1/2 of the body is elected at one time.

3.2.2.3 The only requirement for election to the War Council is to be a member in good standing of DipWorld.

3.2.2.4 The duties of the War Council are as follows:

- Represent and promote the DipWorld community.

- Work on various committees to accomplish DipWorld tasks.

- Resolve disputes and appeals.

- Determine punishment for a violation of club rules on a case by case basis.

- Monitor DW games and gamerooms.

- Maintain club by-laws.

- Oversee the election of the Founder.

- Elect the Chairman of the WC (Vice-founder).

- Assist in running the club tourneys.

3.2.2.5 A War Council member may be removed from office by a 2/3 vote of the War Council. Only after a proper review by the War Council can a WC member be expelled from office. This review will include a presentation of the reasons for removal, as well as an opportunity for the WC member to present his/her case. The review process should take no less than 7 days.  The WC member being considered for removal shall be allowed to vote on this decision.

3.2.2.6 If a WC member fails to finish his/her term, or is removed from office, the Founder shall appoint a replacment to finish out the term.

Current War Council members are listed on the War Council web page

3.2.3 WC CHAIR:

3.2.3.1 The War Council will select a member of the War Council to be the Chairman.

3.2.3.2 The duties of the WC Chair shall be:

- Set agenda for WC during his term and to assure tasks are being worked on.

- Oversee election of Founder.

- Oversee removal of Founder.

- Fill the duties of the Founder during his/her absence.

3.2.4 WC VICE-CHAIR:

3.2.4.1 The War Council will select a member of the War Council to be the Vice-Chairman.

3.2.4.2 The duties of the WC Vice-Chair shall be:

- Fill the duties of the Chair during his/her absence.

3.2.5 GAMING CZAR:

3.2.5.1 The War Council will select a member of the War Council to be the Gaming Czar.

3.2.5.2 The duties of the Gaming Czar shall be:

- Monitor DipWorld games and gamerooms by maintaining a list of DW members who are acting as contacts for each room.

- Assign game rooms to new DW games.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICIAL CLUB DOCUMENTS

It is the War Council’s duty to maintain the following documents that outline the club’s official policies towards various issues. The contents of these documents may be amended by the War Council by majority vote.

4.1 Code of Ethics shall contain all guidelines and rules that pertain to player and GM conduct that the War Council sees fit to include

4.2 The House Rules shall contain all rules specific to game results that are changed from or expanded upon the official rules as published by Avalon Hill, as deemed necessary by the War Council for fair and consistent play, or to resolve issues that are specific to Play-by-Email and are insufficiently dealt with by the Avalon Hill rules due to the implied assumption of Face-to-Face play in those rules.

4.3 The Rules of Appellate Procedure shall contain detailed instructions for the War Council to deal with GM / player disputes, accusations of cheating, and any other personal conflicts that may occur between club members.