off-the-shelf Houserules

  1. The Convention.  The following convention, agreed to between off-the-shelf subscribers and players and publisher with the intention of promoting harmonious play within and production of this games 'zine, is meant to explain off-the-shelf procedures under normal circumstances This convention is not 'cast in concrete' and is subject to change.
  2. Subscribers.  Readers wishing to receive off-the-shelf via post may subscribe by paying at rates posted on the off-the-shelf web site, and printed in the paper issues.
  3. Players.  All are welcome to play in games offered by off-the-shelf. Non-subscribers agree to recieve results via look-up on the web site. Non-subscribing players will be notified via e-mail when each issue is posted on the web-site.
  4. Make it easy for me to run these games!  Please turn off all encoding and html and send messages in plain text when sending e-mail to off-the-shelf. Here's how!
  5. Game Rules  I use a copy of Rules for Diplomacy that bears a 1976 copyright. Rules for all other games will be provided either via the off-the-shelf web site or via the post.
  6. Order Writing.  Be explicit in writing orders. Orders should include date, player's name, name (and possibly number) of game, game year and season or turn number, and power or position. Orders sent via the post shoud be signed. Please send separate e-mail messages for each game. Orders submitted on paper for several games may all be on a single sheet of paper unless and until the number of these rises to the point where I need to recommence keeping separate folders for all games. For Downfall games, write full name of personality units. "A", "2A", "C", "F", etc, are acceptable for army, double army, cavalry, fleet, etc. units. State all actions that you want to occur in the turn, including passing the Ring, if you are carrying it, and destroying any personality units with which you expect to share an area. For two-move units, the following form is acceptable: C Dun-Ano-Osg. If you give more than two orders for any unit, the last order for that unit will be used.
  7. Adjustments  'Prophetic' or 'predictive' retreats, builds, and removals will be used in some games, which will be marked as using "Predictive Adjustments." This means the GM will remove units per section XI, 2 of Rules for Diplomacy if retreat orders are not received with that season's orders for any unit that is dislodged; a position will play short (without earned units) if build orders are not received with fall orders for powers with a net gain of SCs; and the GM will remove units per section XIV, 4 Rules for Diplomacy if orders to disband are not received with fall orders for powers with a net loss of SCs. Predictive retreats, builds and removals may be conditioned on the results of the turn that they accompany. Adjustments for games marked as using "North American Adjustments" will be implemented at the beginning of the following turn. Adopted orphan games will play under the retreat system that was in use when abandoned by the former GM.
  8. Season separations will be granted upon the request of at least half of the players in a game run by North American adjustments.
  9. Standby List.  All new subscribers will be placed on the standby list, unless they specifically request otherwise. Volunteers for standby duty are also welcome. When needed, an appropriate player from the list will be called. (ie, players already in the game, or unwilling to play the specific variant would be inappropriate.) Subscribers actively participating in the fewest games have priority for standby calls. Called standbys will not neccessarily be removed from the list. Called standbys who decline the position will probably be removed from the list.
  10. Preliminary orders.  The one thing subscribers and players can do to make the publishing end of this deal painless is submit orders before the deadline. You are strongly encouraged to send orders upon receipt of your results. Subsequent orders received before the deadline will take precedence in all games.
  11. Messages and orders may be sent via post to 365 Storm King Road, Port Angeles, WA 98363, or via e-mail to off-the-shelf@olympus.net.
  12. Messages and orders may be left on the GM's answering machine (360-928-9698). Please call before 9pm, PST. Answering machine press will be used if clearly understandable.
  13. Deadlines.   Deadlines for Diplomacy or variants will be at 6 PM Pacific Time on a Tuesday, usually six weeks apart. Deadlines for non-negotiating games will usually be the same Tuesday. Orders will be accepted until the game has been adjudicated. Deadlines for guest GMs will be the Thursday prior to the Diplomacy deadlines.
  14. NMR (No Moves Received).   Approximately one week before the deadline, I may send an e-mail reminder to players for whom I have an e-mail address and have not received orders. Reminders are a courtesy, and the absence of one does not relieve players of the responsibility for getting their orders in on time. Due to the cost of long distance telephone calls, players without e-mail are on their own lookout for getting orders in on time.
  15. Standby Calls.  A standby will be called for any position for which orders have not been received as of the time when a game is adjudicated. The standby will become the player of record if the original player misses the subsequent deadline. Any player NMRing three times in a single game will be removed from that game and the last standby who was called for the position and submitted orders will become the player of record.
  16. Adjudication errors not brought to the GM's attention before the following deadline will stand. Maps are supplied as an aid. In case of differences between the text adjudication and map, the textual adjudication should be considered the authority, unless it is clearly in error.
  17. Press.  Black press is preferred in regular Diplomacy and encouraged in all games. White or Gray press may be agreed upon between the players and GM at the start of a game.
  18. Draws.   As per the Diplomacy rulebook, all games will be won outright or Drawn to Include All Survivors (DIAS). Exceptions are allowed in the case of variants which include other provisions in their rules, or Regular Dip games if the players and GM agree to other arrangements before the start of the game. Absent other arrangements, no non-unanimous, non-rulebook game-ending result will be accepted. Orphans will run per houserules of their originating 'zine.
  19. Players whose subscription expires will be allowed to continue in their games, but must get their results from the web-site.