Diplomacy Master Thread- Helping Your Opponents Beat Themselves

[Nicolae Carpathia]

If you're doing that, then do a PS. One of our teammates wants to practice his spanish. Here is his attempt: "XXXXX".

[scooter]

Sent to Spanish Apolyton:

Hey guys. We are a little confused by what you are trying to tell us in your message, did we miss something? We have several players who are very comfortable in Spanish, so if you would like to just explain in Spanish that would be fine too.

Thanks,
scooter - Team RB

THERE. It's done.

[NobleHelium]

Good.

[darrelljs]

I meant your other draft . My understanding of what's transpired:

Spanish: Tells a joke.
RB: We don't get it.
Spanish: We're disappointed you don't get, let's try to joke again.
RB: Nope, still don't get it.

Anyway it doesn't matter, diplo with the Spanish is just a mini-game that will have little to no impact on the outcome for us. We can play it however we want .

Darrell

[darrelljs]

A lot of people agree with you. Bigger was just spamming them down.

Plenty of people were with Bigger on this one, not really that cool to single him out like that .

Darrell

[Ceiliazul]

THERE. It's done.

Scooter the Dogged Dignitary!

[scooter]

I meant your other draft .

I know you did, it was pretty much split right down the middle on "ask for clarification draft" or "play along with the joke draft" so I just reverted to the safe route.

[Bigger]

I agree that the whole discussion with the Spanish is a mess, but that's not the message I would send. I still fail to see how sending a message (in English) stating that we didn't understand them last time would be offensive.

Or screw it, send the same message in English AND Spanish to them. We've certainly run around in enough circles over sending something to the weakest team on the map.

I still fail to see how sending a message (in English) stating that we didn't understand them last time would be offensive.

Me neither, but when I suggested that it was shouted down pretty emphatically.

Non-update update on CivPlayers front - no news still. Trying to connect with Decebal on chat, but he seems spotty in availability.

A lot of people agree with you. Bigger was just spamming them down.

A lot of people agree with you. Bigger was just spamming them down.

Plenty of people were with Bigger on this one, not really that cool to single him out like that .

Darrell

Sent to Spanish Apolyton:

Hey guys. We are a little confused by what you are trying to tell us in your message, did we miss something? We have several players who are very comfortable in Spanish, so if you would like to just explain in Spanish that would be fine too.

Thanks,
scooter - Team RB

THERE. It's done.

I don't really get what you are referring to Noble.

Anyway, I certainly never said that sending them a message in English would be offensive. I don't recall anyone saying that. I don't have a problem with the message Scooter sent, it certainly won't offend them. The problem is that they've shown they have trouble communicating and understanding English, and I don't get why we are dragging our feet on sending them a message in spanish as well when we have 2 fluent spanish speakers (as well as two more that can communicate in spanish better than their English) on our team. Lets just draft rego or Merovich into being the "spanish team only" diplomat and be done with it.

While our diplo with them so far has been amusing, its not going to get any more clear or start resembling effective diplomacy while we are communicating with them in English.

that said, I don't think the Spanish are all that important in the grand scheme and not too worried about it .

[NobleHelium]

Bigger insisted that there was no chance that we'd offend them by sending them an unsolicited Spanish message. Merovech, kjn and I all disagreed with that. Some people volunteered to send messages in Spanish, but I didn't see anyone actually voice support on the idea that there would be no chance of offense with a Spanish message. Avoiding use of names just wastes time.

[dazedroyalty]

I'm of the opinion that whatever we sent would have been fine. I think the direct, honest and clear approach we took was the one I favored. That said, I do not think that it would have been offensive to have sent a message in Spanish either. In the nine years that I lived overseas, I never interpreted someone speaking English to me as negative in any way nor did I ever observe someone being anything besides pleased at my efforts to speak the local language. In either instance, we would end up speaking in the language that were were mutually best at (i.e. was my Indonesian better or worse than their English).