Convoy Paradoxes
Treatment of Convoy Paradoxes
There are several possible paradoxes that could potentially occur during the course of a Diplomacy game. These paradoxes occur when the results of a set of orders depend on the resolution of other moves during the same turn. While paradox occurrences are highly infrequent, it is important to be aware of the possibility and the possible resolutions.
Convoy paradoxes are the most common during game-play. Consider the following example listed by Akchizar at everything2.com:
The Scenario
England
- Fleet Wales - English Channel
- Fleet London supports Wales - English Channel
France
- Army Brest - London
- Fleet English Channel convoys Brest - London
- Army Yorkshire supports Brest - London
Germany
- Fleet Belgium - English Channel
- Fleet North Sea supports Belgium - English Channel
The Paradox
The big question is - is the army convoyed? At first glance, the English and German fleets bounce, and the French fleet can still convoy thanks to the beleaguered garrison rule. However this would mean that the French attack on Wales succeeds, cutting support to the move on the English Channel. Thus the German fleet (with one support) can move in unopposed, dislodging the French fleet and preventing the convoy. The English fleet in Wales can still support London, causing a bounce, which means the army gets convoyed...and so on.
This paradox was reviewed by Simon Szykman and Manus Hand in the Winter 1999 Retreats publication of The Diplomatic Pouch's e-zine1, and it was decided that one of two rules had to be introduced in order to solve this problem:
Manus' Ruling
If a convoyed army attacks a fleet that is supporting an action in or into a body of water that contains a convoying fleet, that support is not cut by the convoyed army under any circumstance (but a convoying army does cut all other supports normally) This basically means that the French army does not cut support, the English fleet in London still supports Wales, and the English and Germans butt heads in the Channel with no resolution. However the attack does dislodge the English fleet in London, which is disbanded as it has nowhere to retreat to.
The big argument against this is that it breaks one of the sacred rules of Diplomacy - that support offered by a dislodged unit is always cut. The big argument for this is that this is the only rule to be broken - once we've resolved this issue, we just apply all rules as normal.
Simon's Ruling
If a situation arises in which an army's convoy order results in a paradoxical adjudication, the turn is adjudicated as if the convoying army had been ordered to hold. This basically means that the French army doesn't get convoyed, the French fleet holds in the English Channel, the English fleet in London continues to support as normal, and nothing much changes.
The argument for this ruling is that if it takes effect, a destroyed unit does not offer support as happens in the first ruling. However, the ruling still breaks one of the rules of Diplomacy by assuming that the army will refuse to convoy despite being given orders to do so.
The Hold-Bomb House Rule (The Simplest Resolution)
To cover paradoxes in the event that they arise, many GMs have notation in their house rules that in such circumstances all affected units will hold in place.
