Diplomacy Master Thread- Helping Your Opponents Beat Themselves

[antisocialmunky]

Its too bad you can't split the difference and add a note that tells the reader to mentally use Antonio Banderas's voice when reading this.

[Dantski]

I think we were holding out on that because we're nervous about sounding condescending.

I think the best policy is to be open and honest with them about which language they'd prefer to communicate in to avoid confusion in the future. Simply asking them as a small addendum isn't condescending and encourages them to think our diplomacy has meaning if we're willing to go that far.

[dazedroyalty]

Agree. "We have players proficient in Spanish and English so let us know which you prefer" or something like that is not condescending. IF it is interpreted negatively, we've got bigger problems than which language to use!

[scooter]

Thanks all, how about this:

Spanish Apolyton,

Greetings from Realms Beyond! It's nice to finally meet your team! We have had contact with CFC for a long time so we have known about your team, but our early scouting was slowed by barbarians so it has taken us until now to be able to meet you. We have now met your team, CFC, WPC, German Team, and CivPlayers. Have you been able to meet many teams?

If you would like to share a description of your surroundings, we would be happy to tell you about our neighbors too. Are you interested in this trade of information?

I'm looking forward to getting to know your team. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out! We do have players proficient in both Spanish and English, so let us know if you prefer that we use Spanish.

Thank you,
scooter - Team RB

Basically the same except with DaveV and Dazedroyalty's suggestions incorporated.

[kjn]

Heh. When I read your idiom-free English, scooter, I get the impression of a non-native English speaker with a very clear grasp of grammar but very little fluency. Some suggestions:

Spanish Apolyton,

Greetings from Realms Beyond! It's nice to finally meet your team you! We have had contact with CFC for a long time so we have known about your team, but our early scouting was slowed by barbarians so it has taken us until now to be able to meet you. We have now met your team, CFC, WPC, German Team, and CivPlayers. Have you been able to meet many teams met anyone else?

If you would like to share a description of your surroundings, we would be happy to tell you about our neighbors too. Are you interested in this trade of information?

I'm looking forward to getting to know your team. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out! We do have players proficient in both Spanish and English, so let us know if you prefer that we use Spanish.

Thank you,
scooter - Team RB

[scooter]

Yeah you're right, too much. Ok I'm going to send it with kjn's revisions pretty soon here.

[Old Harry]

No directions to Inca?

[Sian]

i think that might be a "no interest in getting directions to Inca" ... they're fighting Germans and WPC for last place, while those two a mirred into a war that appear to go nowhere fast

[kjn]

Any progress with CivPlayers, scooter? We need some sort of settling understanding (at least about the southwest shore on our sea), I'd like an EP spending agreement, OBs for trade, and maybe an agreement about scouting.

[scooter]

Nope, they haven't responded whatsoever. The last couple messages have come from me, so they're basically just not responding. It's been 5 days now that they have not replied to me. They did say they'd be busy, but this reeks of stalling. I'm thinking over how to handle this. At some point here we cross from the happy-friendly-nice routine to being a bit more direct. I'm apt to give them a little more time, but I don't like the delay.