There's a bunch of different options like this.
You can send only x number of messages per season.
You can send only x number of words per season.
etc

true, i just think that having to declare who you are talking to might be interesting, so if you are going to stab, you might need to keep talking to that person, so you could only communicate with one other.

Or have everyone be permitted to send one.- and only one - message, and everyone has to declare who they will message prior to agreeing to send thier messages...

i prefer a varient where you can still say whatever you want but you can only see parts of the map adjacent to your own units (it is like gunboat because he information is still limited, but completely different to gun boat because your tactical knowledge is limited and so diplomacy is more important...)

You're talking a "Fog of War" variant. There is also a variant where press can only be between nations who share a border between their units, so at game start there is no press. Then as nations expand and start meeting other nations, you start communicating.

ACtually, _Austria and Italy can talk at the begining in that variant (Touch Diplomacy).

That tips the scales on their favor quite a bit.

@Orathaic: Like a kind of 'fog of war'? Sounds interesting, but I think the way you describe it would be too limiting, especially early in the game. Also, what would happen if you moved all your units 2 spaces away from your home SCs, and then somone else captured one of your SCs. You would have to disband units, but you would not know which of your SCs had been captured. That's just too confusing.

How about a version like this, but in which you could see the whole map, and territories changed colour according to who controlled them, BUT you could only see UNITS in territories adjacent to (a) your units, or (b) your SC's? That would be cool.

(So in that variant, you would know that, for example, Russia was invading Turkey, but you would not be able to see exactly where the Russian or Turkish units were - in a game set in the early 20th century I think that's a more accurate level of 'fog'.

yeah, ok so it is already 'fog of war' i've never played, it would be fun, (and fairly easy to implement with phpdiplomacy i think)

and you're right you should be able to see your units and your supply centres...

And of course it that "fog of war" variant (you can see territory colours) you could be easily misleaded. If armenia was to become Russian you might think RT were at war, but they were actually arranging the Sev fleet destruction.