A British Harrier VSTOL Fighter
Rulebook, Section I
Players and Positions
I. Players and Positions
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There are 16 Player Positions. Each Player can control only one Position at a time, except as noted below. There are 2 Moderators: a General Moderator, and a Technical Moderator. A third moderator, who will be in charge of record keeping, may be added if needed.
I. A. Player Requirements
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Each player must have access to their own personal E-Mail account, which they must be able to access on average at least once per day. Access to the World Wide Web is recommended, but not required. Each Player must be willing to have this email address and their REAL NAME supplied to all other players. Each Player must also supply their real street address and telephone number to the moderators to verify their identity and prevent "puppet players" (See Rule I. D. below). At any player's request, that player's address and phone number will NOT be released to the other players, although such release IS recommended. Players who communicate frequently with other players tend to have a natural advantage over players who only communicate via email. There is no age limit for Players, although Players must be able to communicate at an adult level and with a sense of maturity.
I. B. Position Selection
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There are 16 initial Positions. At least 10 of these must be filled before a game can begin. Players will be assigned to positions according to criteria listed below.
I. B. 1. Initial Selection
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Each prospective Player will be asked by the Moderators to list the 5 positions they would most like to play, in order of preference. If at all possible, these choices will be honored, but this is seldom possible. Some positions are more popular than others, and only one player can control each position. Also, players who have participated in previous Spectrum Wars games are prohibited from playing a position they have previously played, and the Moderators will make an effort to ensure that no player always gets to control the more powerful positions, or always gets stuck with the weaker positions. Performance in previous games is taken into consideration when assigning positions, and players who have done well with weaker positions are given first priority in assigning the more popular positions. Former moderators who are returning as players also get preferential treatment in assigning positions. Players who were particularly inactive, especially in the more powerful positions, get last choice on which position they will play. If not enough players are available to control all positions, the moderators will assume temporary control of those positions, so that the game can proceed until new players can be found.
I. B. 2. Mid-game Selection
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Players wishing to join a game in promise will be provided a list of those positions which are currently moderator-controlled. No player will be assigned to a moderator-controlled position with is currently involved in a war, or which the moderators know is about to be attacked. Players resigning their positions may designate new players to take over their vacated positions, but this is subject to moderator veto. A Moderator who resigns his post as moderator must wait 3 full turn cycles before taking over a vacant position, due to their insider knowledge of the actions of all players.
I. B. 3. Temporary Replacements
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A Player who will be unable to control their position for one or more turns due to travel, computer problems, or excessive workload at school or a job may assign another current player to take temporary control of their position. Such temporary control will not be allowed to last more than 2 complete turn cycles. If a player is unable to resume control after that point, their position will revert to moderator control. No player can have control of more than 3 positions at once under such terms. A Player giving temporary control to another current player is expected to leave some sort of instructions or advice for the player assuming control, and to forward a copy of such instructions to the moderators. The Player assuming control is not forced to strictly follow such instructions, but may use their best judgement. If the original player of that position objects afterward to the choices made by the temporary player, then they may notify the moderators, who will ban that player from taking temporary control of any more positions for the remainder of that game. However, all orders submitted by a player duly appointed to temporarily control a position ARE FINAL. In the event that a player resumes control and submits orders before the deadline for a turn's orders has passed, the orders of the original player take precedence over any orders submitted by the temporary player.
I. C. Moderator-controlled Positions
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Any positions not controlled by a Player are controlled by the Moderators. Normally, the Technical Moderator will write orders and conduct negotiations for such positions, but in certain circumstances the General Moderator may control certain positions. The Moderators will inform the players in each newsletter which Moderator to contact to conduct negotiations with the various moderator-controlled positions. The moderators will write full orders for each position, but are banned from taking any independent offensive action with those positions. However, they may conduct defensive operations, and even offensive operations as part of multinational forces, if and only if that multinational force is acting in a manner consistent with the defined goals and realistic interests of that position, and the action was initiated by one of the Player-controlled positions. Moderator-controlled positions can and will make trade agreements, but if a new Player takes control of that position before such agreements expire, the new player is not necessarily bound by such agreements.
I. D. Cheating
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No player is allowed to cheat. Cheating includes, but is not limited to: hacking into another player's computer or email account, knowingly falsifying movement orders, knowingly misrepresenting your diplomatic status with other players to the moderator, or impersonating another player in negotiations with other players or in communication with the moderators. Players may lie to other players in the conduct of negotiations, but are NOT allowed to lie in this manner to the moderators.
I. E. Moderators
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There are three moderators. The General Moderator processes peacetime orders, publishes the newsletters, and acts as overall Umpire of the game. The Technical Moderator processes combat, espionage, and reconnaissance orders, and controls Moderator-controlled positions. The Records Moderator keeps track of the status of each position's military after new units are constructed, or lost in combat. This division of duties is subject to change with the consent of all three moderators, and the players will be informed if such a change is made. In the case of a vacancy in any of these positions, the remaining moderators will ask for a volunteer from the players or advisory council members to take over their duties. In the case of more than one volunteer coming forward, an election will be held with all current players and moderators having one vote. In the case of a tie, the senior of the remaining moderators will cast the deciding vote. Moderators also can act as a sort of council of advisors or cabinet to players who are not knowledgeable or experiences in military or economic matters. If you want advice, help, or hints, please email any of the moderators and they will help you as much as they can. Even the most experienced players frequently discuss moves in advance with the moderators, and the advantage of knowing how the moderators would rule on a battle maneuver or a proposed new research technology or new unit can be the difference between success and failure.
I. F. Advisory Council
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There will also be an advisory council, which will resolve disputes that cannot be resolved by the Moderators alone, and will act to advise the Moderators on matters which are beyond the expertise of the Moderators. The Advisory Council will consist of a Rules Advisor, a Military Advisor, an Economic Advisor, and a Social Advisor. Each advisor will be a player who will be selected by the Moderators due to their expertise in their area of responsibility. The Rules Advisor will advise the Moderators on interpretation of the rules and the creation of new rules to cover unanticipated circumstances. The Military Advisor will advise the Moderators on matters pertaining to combat or military units, including the creation of new units. The Economic Advisor will advise the Moderators on how to change the income of the various positions due to investment, research, military conquest, or damage from warfare and the use of nuclear weapons. The Social Advisor will advise the Moderators on matters pertaining to propaganda, alliances, wars, and how all of these will affect the popular support of various players, including the decision of whether to penalize a player with riots or rebellions due to unpopular policies. All members of the Advisory Council will treat any information they receive from their duties on the council as privileged information and will, to the best of their ability, not use it to direct their decisions as players in the game. In the event of a vacancy on the Advisory Council due to the resignation of a member, the Moderators will ask for volunteers from the remaining players to fill the vacancy. If more than one volunteer comes forth, an election will be held in which all current players and moderators have one vote, with the General Moderator being the deciding vote in case of a tie.
