Anonymous Game 5877 has an alliance?

[VballMichael]

I hate to break the invisible anonymous thing, but we now have an ally declaration in an anonymous game of 5877. We do allow some subtle signals like not attacking a PC, or voting with someone on a HC issue, but we do not allow alliances, trades, or any actual communications. Please undeclare the alliance and please do not act as a team.
Thank you.

[Wynand]

I hate to break the invisible anonymous thing, but we now have an ally declaration in an anonymous game of 5877. We do allow some subtle signals like not attacking a PC, or voting with someone on a HC issue, but we do not allow alliances, trades, or any actual communications. Please undeclare the alliance and please do not act as a team.
Thank you.

Hmmm....there were several ally declarations on turn 1 of anon game 5878. I assumed it was a gesture of non-aggression.
What is actually allowed and not allowed? Would be great to see the rules on that. I don't think everyone understands them symmetrically!

W

[Zolzar]

Yeah I thought allying was allowed, so long as there wasn't any communication outside of the game. Not really clear with what is and isn't allowed in an Anon game.

[davekuyk]

I am confused a well. This came up in a recent game (5862):

In that thread VBall wrote: https://alamaze.net/forum/thread-17407.html

One can declare an ally in the hopes of getting a neighbor not to attack you.
Likewise, you can vote for someone else's issue in the hopes that they will vote for yours.
Neither of these require communication nor is there any guarantee that the kingdom you befriended is actually in favor of that.

[VballMichael]

Ok, now I am confused. I did write that. Weird. 
There are no perfect rules, and I am not the one to make them if there are some.
The whole point of anon was to not have people team up, so it is all about how much can one do without working together.
I guess one day I thought ally was ok, and today I don't. All the more reason to have actual rules for this lol.

[Zolzar]

I guess one day I thought ally was ok, and today I don't. All the more reason to have actual rules for this lol.

I concur, if there were more clear rules on what is and isn't allowed for Anon that would be helpful for everyone.

[Strongwill]

Yep, maybe Brek can put this on the to-do list too?

[Ruingurth]

Hiya,

I will make a note in all future anonymous games that I create that alliances cannot be declared. I suggest all do the same.

R

[Pine Needle]

I agree, these rules are really created by the community- not Brek or Rick. Be clear in the creation of the game what is allowed. If people join with those rules, good on them.

[Brekk]

I agree, these rules are really created by the community- not Brek or Rick. Be clear in the creation of the game what is allowed. If people join with those rules, good on them.

I echo this sentiment. If you’re creating a game, it might be helpful to create a post outlining the proposed rules for it. I’m happy to draft a template for you. For instance, you could have an anonymous game but allow trades or no trades, alliances or no alliances—these are just mechanics. The key is to set clear expectations for everyone before the game begins. Formal rules aren’t necessary, but consistency is essential.

For team games that are anonymous, signing up three people at a time works for the first one or two groups but can cause issues if the regions aren’t divided into contiguous units of three. This setup can prevent the game from filling. A better approach might be to create a post where people can draft teams openly. If you want the process to remain fully anonymous, you could ask me or another uninvolved party to assist with the draft.
Let me know if you’d like help with this!

John/Brek