The term “NMR” has developed such a negative connotation that it has come to be almost synonymous with “I messed up really badly,” or “I’m a bad Diplomacy player,” or even “I’m a terrible person.” But what exactly is inherently wrong with NMRing? The acronym stands for “No Moves Received,” but doesn’t mention anything in regard to why no moves were received. Is it because the player simply forgot? Or because they’re such an idiot that they couldn’t figure out how to enter orders properly? Or was it an intentional device used as the player’s best course of action? Before I continue, it should be noted that the technique of the tactical NMR only applies to internet or postal games, and not face-to-face. Also, these tactics should only be used if — by holding all your pieces — you would experience no significant losses tactically or give up an opportunity to make serious gains. Finally, if you are playing a Forum Game or some other method of play that requires a Game Master, I would suggest privately telling the GM that this NMR is intentional, just so he knows. Now, the average GM — much like the average reader — would want to know why you would possibly choose to hold all your units and get a bad rep in the process. In brief, here’s why: There are two possible situations that I have witnessed in which players have purposefully held all units. The first is probably more useful: the simultaneous agreement. Often times, two players will agree to make a certain move during the same turn. This is usually diplomatic rather than tactical: England and Germany agree to simultaneously move against France; Turkey agrees to stab Russia as long as Germany moves against Austria; anything that requires a mutual leap of faith. Often times, it is difficult to judge whether or not the other player will follow through — and it is tempting not to yourself, as the diplomatic repercussions could be disastrous if you stab France and Germany does not. But by blatantly lying about a move, you can alienate potential allies. So you’re left with a dilemma, which can most easily be solved (in certain situations) by intentionally NMRing. This gives you an opportunity to see if they’ve followed through with the move — without committing yourself OR making them angry. (They will be mildly annoyed, yes, but very few players will view an NMR as a backstab.) The second scenario also involves making a diplomatic decision, but this time a slightly different one. The situation is as follows: basically, you have no enemies. I know you've all been there: it's the mid-game, your early adversary has been eliminated, you have only two neighbors, they're both close allies with you — and they’re fighting each other as well. You have secretly told both of them that you would attack the other, and you — honestly — don't know what the right decision is. Which one do you attack? The two options seemed of equal tactical advantage. So what do you do? You don’t enter any orders. This makes neither player angry and gives you a whole new season of information to process when making your decision. The example I saw of this second scenario was as follows: Turkey, Italy, and Russia had mauled Austria-Hungary in the beginning of the game, and Austria was now eliminated. Italy and Russia were fighting, while Turkey had no committed to either side. Turkey had, essentially, no enemies — and didn’t know who to attack. So, the Sultan NMRed in the fall turn, waiting to see what would happen elsewhere on the board. Well, that turn, France attacked Italy — and Turkey, in the spring, jumped on the bandwagon and moved against Italy as well, ultimately being a part of a three-way draw. These cases don’t occur all that often, admittedly — but they CAN happen, and have occured in my experience several times now. So before you jump to judge someone who just NMRed, think twice. They may just be a dipster*. *Diplomacy hipster. Dash Yeatts-Lonske (dashiell999@gmail.com) If you wish to e-mail feedback on this article to the author, and clicking on the envelope above does not work for you, feel free to use the "Dear DP..." mail interface.