The Embassy House Rules

GM Discretion

Participation in Games

Rulebook

Order Writing, Generally

1. Interpretation of Orders
   
   
   1. Order sets and individual orders will be read with a presumption being made that each player wishes to submit a complete set of valid orders.
      
      
   2. Abbreviations and Typographical Errors: Spelling out province names and other words used in orders is preferred, but any abbreviations that are not ambiguous, in the sole opinion of the GM, are acceptable. A typographical error that is nonetheless unambiguously understandable by the GM shall not serve to invalidate an otherwise valid order.
      
      
2. Status of Orders
   
   
   1. Submission of preliminary orders is strongly encouraged, but not required.
      
      
   2. All orders will be considered preliminary unless marked "Final".
      
      
3. Identification of Order Sets
   
   
   1. All order sets submitted should contain the following information and/or adhere to the following format in the Subject line of the e-mail:- Name of Game, Power, Season, Orders preliminary or Final
      
      
   2. The GM may, but is not required to accept order sets that do not meet these requirements, nor shall the GM be required to search for nonconforming order sets.
      
      
4. A player may designate another party, who may with the consent of all players be a player in the game, to receive a proxy which would allow the receiving player to order one or more units of the player granting the proxy for the next turn only, whether it be a move turn, retreat turn, or adjustment turn. The units (or in the case of builds, the supply centers) for which the proxy is given must be specified exactly. The proxy will be effective upon acknowledgment by the GM. The granting player may revoke the proxy at any time. The revocation will be effective upon acknowledgement by the GM. Both the granting, and revocation of the proxy must be announced to all players by the GM.
   
   
5. Conditional Retreat or Adjustment Orders
   
   
   1. Retreat or adjustment turns shall be separate from movement turns. Conditional retreat orders are not required, and negotiations are allowed prior to a retreat or adjustment turn.
      
      
   2. Players are strongly encouraged to submit conditional 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.
      
      
6. Multiple sets of orders
   
   
   1. The last set of orders submitted before the adjudication takes place will be used. In the event a partial set of revised orders are submitted, previous order sets will be disregarded when the GM receives a revised order set. The GM shall not look to an earlier order set to fill in missing orders in a revised order set.
      
      
   2. In the event that a player sends two or more sets of orders, the last received set, rather than the last sent set will be used. It is not the responsibility of the GM to determine when orders were sent. They shall be taken in the order they arrive in the GM's inbox.
      
      
   3. The GM shall try and issue receipts of each order set, but is not obliged to do so.
      
      
   4. Should a player not receive receipt of orders, s/he should send again, assuming the orders to have been lost. Ascertaining this is the player's responsibility, not the GM's.
      
      
   5. It is assumed that orders sent close to deadline will not be receipted, and the GM is under no obligation to do so.
      
      

Interpretation of Specific Orders

1. Movement Orders
   
   
   1. Any unit adjudged by the GM to have been ordered illegally will be presumed to have been ordered to hold, and may receive support to hold. A unit will not be adjudged to have been ordered illegally, if, before the turn was adjudicated, such movement would have been possible with the aid of other units on the board, irrespective of nationality of such other units.
      
      
   2. 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. Multiple Orders for Units
   
   
   1. In the event that a unit is ordered more than once within the same set of orders, the first order reading from top to bottom of the order set will be used.
      
      
   2. Should one or more multiple orders for a unit be illegal, the legal order will be used.
      
      
   3. On no account should the GM be called upon to interpret the intentions of the player in deciding which set of orders to use.
      
      
3. Omitted or inaccurate Designations
   
   
   1. An omitted 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.
      
      
   2. An 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.
      
      
   3. An omitted designation of the nationality of a supported or convoyed foreign unit will not invalidate the order unless there is another order with the correct nationality of the unit in the same order set.
      
      
   4. An inaccurate designation of the nationality of a supported or convoyed foreign unit will not invalidate the order unless there is another order with the correct nationality of the unit in the same order set.
      
      
   5. An omitted specification of the coast of a province having two coasts in an order for movement or holding of a fleet will not invalidate the order if legal movement to only one coast of the province is possible for the fleet.
      
      
   6. An order for support of a fleet to, from or in a province having two coasts, in which there is no specification of the coast of the province will be a valid order for support of the fleet being supported, from or in either coast.
      
      
   7. An order for support of a fleet to, from or in a province having two coasts, in which the coastal specification does not correspond to the coastal specification of the order for the unit being supported will be a valid order for support of the fleet being supported to, from or in either coast.
      
      
4. Excess Builds or Disbands
   
   
   1. 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 top to bottom of the order set until the correct number of builds or disbands are reached.
      
      
   2. If a player attempts to build more than one unit in a single turn in the same supply center, the first build order, reading from top to bottom of the order set will be followed.
      
      

Deadlines, Length of Turns, NMRs

1. Order Submission
   
   
   1. It is the responsibility of each player to make sure that a set of orders is submitted as required before the deadline for each turn. Time of submission of orders shall be considered to be when the GM receives the orders, not when the orders were sent.
      
      
   2. The GM shall have the discretion to accept late orders if it is proven to the satisfaction of the GM that the orders were sent prior to the deadline, but is under no obligation to do so.
      
      
   3. Individual and/or broadcast reminders may be given, but the lack of a reminder will not serve to excuse failure to submit orders.
      
      
2. Timing of Adjudication
   
   
   1. Adjudication of a turn may take place early if all players have submitted final orders.
      
      
   2. On the discretion of the GM, orders may be accepted up until the start of adjudication. The GM, however, should seek to act consistently in this regard.
      
      
3. Length of Turns
   
   
   1. At least fourteen days will normally be allowed for each movement turn.
      
      
   2. At least one day will normally be allowed for each retreat or adjustment turn.
      
      
   3. The GM may speed up or slow down the timing depending on the perceived complexity, to the GM, of the game situation, but will adhere to the original schedule if a faster pace is a hardship to any player.
      
      
4. 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, or repeated absences, in the sole opinion of the GM, would unduly or excessively disrupt the flow of the game.
   
   
5. NMRs and Replacement of Players
   
   
   1. No NMRs will be allowed for Spring 1901.Players must submit a set of preliminary orders for Spring 1901 when joining the game. As soon as all the preliminary orders are in, the GM will announce the first deadline.
      
      
   2. If Retreat moves are not submitted, the piece will be retreated according to the following priority rules:
      
      
      1. unit will retreat to only available space
      2. unit will retreat OTB
      
      
      
   3. If Disband orders are not submitted, disbands will be made according to the following priority principles:
      
      
      1. Remove unit on provinces which do not occupy SCs before ones on SCs
      2. Remove units furthest from an owned SC first
      3. Remove Fleet units before armies
      4. Remove units from neutral or foreign SCs before units in home SCs
      5. Remove unit from a province with the highest alphabetical designation.
      6. Remove unit from capital last
         
         
   4. If Build orders are not submitted, builds will be made according to the following priority principles:
      
      
      1. Build according to standing orders submitted by the player
      2. Build on a capital SC
      3. Build on highest alphabetical SC
      4. Italy and England build fleets
      5. Austria, Russia, France, Germany and Turkey build armies
      
      
      
   5. 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 24 hours of the deadline plus the grace period if applicable, 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, but the GM, in the sole discretion of the GM, reserves the right to immediately replace an NMRing player after one or more NMRs.
      
      

Adjudication Correction, Review

1. Players discovering errors in adjudication can bring them to the attention of the GM, who shall correct any errors. However, if another adjudication is published, without correction of an error, the error shall stand.
   
   
2. If a player feels that an adjudication error has not been corrected after having made a request for correction, the GM, in the sole discretion of the GM, may publicly or privately request advice from one or more persons of the GM's choice who are not involved with the game, but the GM shall not be bound by the opinions of the persons giving advice.
   
   

Press

1. Players may publish press by broadcasting messages to the other players at any stage.
   
   
2. Press sent to the GM to publish in the adjudication will be anonymous, and the GM is making no claims as to the authenticity of the message.
   
   

Votes, Draws and Concessions

1. Wins may be conceded only to a single player. All players remaining in the game must agree upon a concession unanimously. A single negative vote will defeat the proposal. All games are presumed to continue until a player wins by reaching eighteen supply centers, so an abstention or an uncast vote counts as a negative vote and defeats the proposal, however, a player for whom a conceded win is proposed shall be held to have voted for the proposal.
   
   
2. 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 survivors presumes the elimination of the players not included in the draw. All games are presumed to continue until a player wins by reaching eighteen supply centers, so an abstention or an uncast vote counts as a negative vote and defeats the proposal. If, after a period of three game years, no supply centers have changed ownership, the GM reserves the right, after a warning is given, to declare a draw including all survivors, but will only do so if no prospects exist for a player to win either by reaching eighteen supply centers or by concession of the other players.
   
   
3. Change to Win/Draw Proposal Voting Rules
   
   
   1. Proposals may be made to change any specific house rule or rules. All players remaining in the game must agree to any rule change unanimously. All house rules are presumed to remain unchanged, so an abstention or an uncast vote counts as a negative vote and defeats the proposal.
      
      
   2. 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 not 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 refuse to conduct votes on repetitive or humorous proposals.
      
      
   3. Players may vote for or against proposals that they submit.
      
      

Ownership of Communications, Integrity of Identity and E-mail Systems

1. Forwarding of e-mails will not be restricted by the GM.
   
   
2. 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 e-mail systems of others. Any attempt to deceive or impersonate the GM, or to subvert the integrity of the e-mail system of the GM, another player, or a third party will be grounds for immediate replacement.