2-Season Dip
Introduction
2-Season Dip is a style of Email Diplomacy where the game is played in 2 seasons. Also referred to as UK-Style, 2-Season Dip involves only 2 seasons: Spring and Fall. Typically 2-Season Dip is played to a 1- or 2- week fixed schedule, with the deadlines set for the same day and time every (or every other) week.
The premise of 2-Season Dip is that Retreat and/or Adjustment phases are combined with the Spring and Fall turns for a consistent schedule of events. Players know that their orders will be due at the same time every week, and that they are expected to submit orders for the current turn, and subsequent minor turns:
Players submitting Spring orders are expected to submit their Spring orders, and any possible retreats that might need to be ordered.
Players submitting Fall orders are expected to submit their Fall orders, any possible retreats, and any possible adjustments (builds or removals) that might need to be ordered.
The GM runs the appropriate turns all at once - Spring and Spring retreats, or Fall, Fall retreats, and Fall adjustments. Any portion of orders missing are processed per the No-Moves-Received rules - That is, unordered retreats are disbanded, unordered builds are waived, and unordered removals are processed via the hierarchy set by the House Rules.
Examples
In 2-Season Dip, understanding how to write conditional orders is paramount to a successful game. Because the game flows sequentially, but 2 or 3 phases are played out at once, one needs to order based on what might happen:
A Fall 01 turn might involve Russia ordering F GoB-Swe. He doesn't know if this will succeed or bounce with a German fleet, so he should order his builds accordingly. Something like If I capture Sweden, build this: or if I don't, then build this: is appropriate.
Or perhaps a Russian player might order: If England convoys an army to Norway, then build F StP/nc. But if he doesn't, then build A Mos. This sort of building based on what another player orders can be infused into one's diploming, for you can tell other players what your conditions upon your builds will be, as a means of discussing strategy.
Particular attention should be paid to the wording of conditions... for example the order to... Build F StP/sc if England convoys to Belgium, or A Mos if England doesn't would be valid, but if France bounces England in Belgium, then the convoy would fail, and Russia's A Mos would be the effected build. This is because the condition was written as if England convoys meaning the convoy must succeed. If instead the wording was chosen as if England attempts to Convoy then the success of the move is irrelevant.
