Retreats and builds

I was meaning to write this at some point this week, but seeing as Neil G asked specifically how retreats and builds will work, here we go...

The turn structure as set out in the rules is below.

Spring
1. Negotiation
2. Teams privately write down and submit orders for each unit
3. Moves are calculated—each player’s moves happen simultaneously.
4. Any units pushed out of territories retreat if possible or are disbanded.

Autumn
1. Negotiation
2. Teams privately write down and submit orders for each unit
3. Moves are calculated—each player’s moves happen simultaneously.
4. Any units pushed out of territories retreat if possible or are disbanded
5. Adjustments: gaining and losing military units

Basically, for e-mail Diplomacy (or how I've played it), turn phases 1. and 2. happen at the same time with you all talking and submitting orders up to the deadline. The deadline is when I kick in and work out phases 3. 4. and 5. if it's an Autumn turn.

This means you need to submit new builds and retreats along with your orders.

Retreats

If you think that a unit may be dislodged from the position that it is in then you can specify a territory for it to retreat to. This territory must be one it is able to move to during a normal movement phase - so no ordering fleets over the Alps and into central Europe :)

I'm happy to take different options for retreats, as long as you make it clear which order they are in -

eg, "if the fleet in Greece is forced to retreat then it will move to Albania, if Albania is occupied then it will retreat to the Ionian Sea".

Be clear when ordering retreats so that I'm certain what it's doing in different circumstances, if it's not clear what you want the unit to do then it'll retreat somewhere random - likewise if it doesn't have a retreat order it'll go somewhere random.

If there's nowhere for the unit to retreat to then it'll be disbanded.

Builds

Similarly, if you have occupied a new supply centre in Autumn, you will get to build a new army or fleet in one of your home supply centres (assuming you've not found yourself at the recieving end of a 6 way alliance and have some home supply centres left).

Again, specify what you want built, and in which supply centre. Again, I'm happy to take contingency plans -

eg, if I have captured one new supply centre then I will build a fleet in London, if I have captured two new supply centres then I will build a fleet in London and army in Edinburgh.

(Tim - if you build a fleet in Saint Petersburg then don't forget to say which coast!)

One final point, dont forget that supply centres are only captured during the Autumn/Fall phase of a turn. If you move a unit into a neutral supply centre this spring, and straight back out again in Autumn then you don't capture it and you don't get to build any new units.

Cool, hope that's cleared things up.

Edit - just realised, at some point you might find yourself with more units than supply centres. If this happens during the adjustment phase of Autumn then the relevent amount of units will be disbanded. I'll pick these at random unless you say what unit/s you'd prefer to be disbanded

Cool, hope that's cleared things up. More so.