Everybody will be in as long as not *everybody* signs up.

Where do we sign up for this?

Um, those of us who moved up are in no matter how many sign up, right?

The way Ghost did it last year is he posted a list of where everyone would be if they come back this season based on last season's results. Then verified who would be coming back and opened up registration for new entrants for the D league. Those that don't come back allow others to move up that otherwise wouldn't have.

However, there are also some that may have skipped a season which drops them one level but they have to get inserted somehow. For example, if you were in the B league one season and did well enough to stay in the B league, but then didn't play the next season, you'd be in the C league this season. You drop a level per season you sit out.

Or something like that. gjdip or Ghost, please clarify if I'm giving out any misinformation.

All I care is I get my B-league spot. I worked hard for it. :-)

Sorry Draugnar you are now in League C.

I'll join if there's room for me. How do I join?

FU, hellalt :-P (just kidding my friend)

So, where does one sign up for these leagues?

@Alderian, that is dependent on a drop out. You get placed just below the lowest person in the level you were eligible for as soon as someone above you drops out, with preference given for taking these places to the person who came highest of those who didn't play again.

Are the leagues now anonymous - or have a clear policy on what is and isn't acceptable regards meta-gaming?

Hey so how would you join one of these leagues for the first time?

My head always hurts. Don't play in the delay on me!

My head always hurts. Don't *blame the delay on me!

I believe they are still not anonymous. That would be the one change I would drop out over. I like them the way they are.

I probably wouldn't drop out of them, but I agree with Draug. I think the League is a ton of fun the way it is. Why make it like every other tournament?

I think at least the Primier and A leagues should be anonymous... we all play too much with each other as it is, and without it being anon, way too much meta-gaming develops - even among top players.

do we have a full listing of who is invited to what level league this year?

yes, i like playing in the leagues because you get to know the same group of players over time, it would not be the same if they were anon.

@Maniac, As i understand it, that hard and fast rules for league meta-game are

- you may take league position into account when deciding who to work with (or who to stab)
- you may use knowledge of a player's previous behaviour when deciding who to ally with (ie if the jerk stabbed you in game 1 you're allowed take that into account in game 2/3)

for me this has meant (in the first season i played) agreeing with 2 others to a 3-way draw in game 1 (4 for each of us) agreeing with a different 2 players to a 3-way draw in game two - on the basis that i'd be on 8 , and they'd have moved up from 0 - (but i stabbed them and ended on 16 ) - losing every other game in the league because everyone was out to get me as i was on 16 ...

It was a meta-league strategy to aim for 16 and play my first two games out knowing that i would be screwed over by everyone in the last two games.

I specifically allied with different players in the second game so even if things went sour they would be strong and the players i was tied for first place with (after game 1) would be weaker...

i see this as playing the meta-game.
i think league positions should be something which every players can see clearly at each point in their game. (on irregular occasions i have posted league positions on global chat - mostly because i wanted to use the information as leverage in private negotiations...)

@Babak, I disagree - i think they should no be anon, specifically to allow for players to take into account the league position of the other players in each game.

@Babak

Yes, in A and Premier, I noticed I was playing with a lot of the same people. That's why I've made an effort to play with only new people since the last league ended.

For those wondering how you join, you wait until next weekend when gjdip will make a post telling you how to register. Then you follow those instructions. Simple as that.

If you want an anonymous tourney and haven't signed up for the Masters yet, then go sign up for that here:
http://webdiplomacy.net/forum.php?viewthread=663746#663746

I like the idea of the league being what it is and the masters being what it is. Different but both enjoyable for me at least. And for that matter, the GFDT being what it is. All slightly different ways of having fun games with a good group of people.

and for those of you wondering what the league rules are - see here: http://tournaments.webdiplomacy.net/

each league is 4 overlapping games against the same opponents - the second usually starts by the time the first has gotten to mid-game (ie ~1904/5) - the third starts when the first is almost at end game. And the fourth usually starts after the first has finished. (i'm not sure of any hard and fast rules on this one, it's usually about 2 weeks between that start of each game, and 25 hours/phase - excluding pauses this roughly how it breaks down)

the meta-gaming rules (as found on the league website) state:

"Meta-Gaming and Cross Gaming:

Players may not enter into agreements or alliances spanning more than one game, although they may consider different players’ league positions in their decision making within a game."

my interpretation as given above is just that, an interpretation.

I believe the A league has not finished the 4th game yet.

You mean they are *still* going? Wow!

well, just tell when i can sign up and i do...

I agree that the top leagues should be anonymous, given we are too familiar with each other. My only worry is that we are so familiar with each other's style of play and communication that we can guess who is who soon in the game anyway...

@Laoban, what about newly promoted players who don't yet know the top players, they would be disadvantaged by this and not have the same opportunity to get to know the top players...

Games should be as they are now, or anonymous where players only have knowledge in which game they would play and not who will they play with.

about the discussion anonymous or not: of course it matters or you know someone but i think it shouldn't be anonymous, than is it more fun because everybody lovelier ally up with the people that haven't won a game because they are no concurrence and that means a draw wouldn't be bad with them...

i've got a question too: is the start time between 2 games 2 weeks between start of both or 2 weeks between the end and the start of the next 1??
i forget a wuestion but i'll say it later...

2 weeks between start of each game. (so the run concurrently with different start times, unless you can solo in 2 weeks~1906)

I would not object to 'aliases' being used. So you know who 'Player A' is in each league game (while not knowing who they are outside of the leagues) if players who know each other from many games would prefer...

yeah, good idea from orathaic...