Phases of play (adapted from "Diplomacy", avalon hill, 1954)

Diplomatic phase
During this phase players meet to discuss their plans for upcoming turns. Alliances are made and strategies set. These “diplomatic negotiations” take place before each turn. Negotiations last 4 days. Negotiations may end sooner if all players agree and turn in their orders. Conversations deals schemes and agreements among players will greatly effect the course of the game. During diplomatic negotiations, players may say anything they wish. Some players usually go to another room to organize private groups of two or three. They may try to keep their conversations secret. They may try to over hear the conversations of other. These conversations usually consist of bargaining or joint planning but they may also include exchanges of information, denouncements, threats, spreading of rumors and so on. Public announcement may be made and documents may be written, made public, or kept secret,, as the players see fit. These discussions written agreements, however, do NOT bind a player to anything he/she may say. Deciding whom to trust as situations arise is an important part of the game. It becomes very important to role-play with competing players to form alliances. In order to take any territory it is almost always necessary to obtain the help of a partner team to support your attack, or merely to attack another teams supporting territory to cut that support. This role-play can take the form of bribes threats negotiations black mail, sexual favors, almost anything a play can think up to influence trick or bargain with the other players in order to get them to turn in orders that help their objectives is legitimate role-play.

Order writing phase.
At the end of the diplomatic phase when players know how they want to move then comes the order writing phase. Orders are sent to the referee and All orders are revealed at the same time and worked outPlayers in Port Cos do not have to live in Port Cos, do not have to role-play in Port Cos, and can perform IC role-play negotiations in any RP environment including through “correspondence.” Players may tell other players one thing and do another. Spying for information becomes an actually valuable commodity.At the end of play when one team has taken the city (which can snowball since when one player begins to expand it becomes geometrically harder for other players to resist them,) that player becomes administrator or rule of Port Cos in the manner they see fit for a limited period of time. Defeated players need to offer or submit to some form of tribute or vengeance within reason be it payments favors, promises, the selling of slaves or the betrothal/surrender of daughters or sons. Players may set limits on what they are willing to do if they lose.