Head Chair: Nick Hassas Vice Chair: Josh Richter Moderator: Adam Medina
Position papers will be due on February 2nd 2019. The position paper format, and all other important conference documents, can be found on our conference website: (http://lhhsconference.weebly.com/). Email all position papers to our committee email: ([email protected]). Feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions or concerns!
Hi! My name is Nick Hassas. I am currently a Senior attending the number one high school in Orange County (aka Laguna Hills High School). I have pursued Model United Nations for four years, with two years of experience as a novice and advanced trainer. Apart from MUN, I do many other things. For instance, I play starting left-bench for our varsity soccer team. Other than playing soccer for four years, I have ran track (4 years) and played in our wind ensemble (three years). Hello delegates. My name is Josh Richter, and I will be your vice chair! I am a junior at Laguna Hills High School and in my third year of MUN, but this will be my first time being a vice chair. In addition to MUN, I enjoy playing water polo, swimming, and hanging out with my friends. I also like to tell jokes. I am very excited to be in the Edge of War committee and think that together, we really can make M-U-N F-U-N. Let’s make this the best conference yet! Hello; my name is Adam Medina, and I will be your moderator for this committee. I am in my sophomore year of high school and 15 years of age. I like to do things such as play video games, read, and make videos. I look forward to seeing you all at this year’s conference! Background: Edge of War is a committee based off of the board game Diplomacy, and the full rules can be found at https://www.wizards.com/avalonhill/rules/diplomacy.pdf The world is on the Edge of War, with all of the Great Powers struggling for power and dominance. This game begins in the year of 1901, prior to the outbreak of World War I. You will be one of the Great Powers of World War I—Austria-Hungary, England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. Each of the Great Powers begins the game with 3 supply houses, with the exception of Russia, who begins with 4. This number of supply houses is directly related to the number of armies and fleets. Turns will be played as a sixth-month period in pre-WWI history, called spring and fall (ex: Fall 1903). These turns will consist of speeches, caucusing, and strategizing with allies to gain the largest amount of territories on the map. The number of controlled supply centers of each Power will dictate their number of units. This will mean that some units will be removed and new units will be built each fall. Each nation will be able to assemble or relocate both naval and land units in their desired arrangement. Alliances may be formed during these rounds in accordance with diplomatic policy, however, this game does allow for alliances to be violated and broken.
Flow of Committee:
At the beginning of committee these rules will be reviewed and questions and concerns will be addressed.
14 minute moderated caucus: Each Power will give a 2 minute speech about their plan of action.
20 minute unmoderated caucus: Each Power will have the ability to form alliances or deals with other Powers.
5 minute Order Writing Session: Delegates must write their proposed troop movements and called orders on paper to be passed to the chair. During this session talking is prohibited.
Movement Session: Your committee chairs will read out the orders and move the pieces on the board accordingly.
These rounds (6 month periods titled Spring and Fall) will be repeated until one Power dominates the continent of Europe or until time runs out.
Another 14 minute moderated caucus will occur between each round after orders are turned in.
Goal: The object of the game is to gain control of 18 supply houses which is considered a significant amount of power and dominance over the continent of Europe. The winner of the game is not guaranteed the Best Delegate Award. Good luck! POSITION PAPER CHANGES Because position papers should be relevant to their respective committees, here are some changes to the position paper that you must follow. These questions should help you to possibly develop your strategy, but they will also require you to be somewhat familiar with the rules before the conference, although we will still begin with a summary of the rules and walkthrough of procedures at the beginning of committee. Full rules for the game can be found here: (https://www.wizards.com/avalonhill/rules/diplomacy.pdf)
For the Country Profile, please fill it out according to the modern-day version (or modern-day equivalent) of the country you are representing. Instead of Background, please answer the following in your position paper: What is your country’s greatest strength(s) in the game? Examples include: Land dominance, water dominance, proximity to many unclaimed supply centers, good position to attack other countries, many choke points, relative isolation and protection, etc. Please also explain why these are strengths to your country and explain how you plan to use them to your advantage. Instead of Country Policy and UN Involvement, please answer the following in your position paper: What control points are good places for your country to control by the 1st fall? How do you plan to move your troops during the first two turns to effectively maximize your strategic advantage? Try to utilize all your troops, and although controlling supply centers does grant more troops, some non-supply center countries may also provide a strategic advantage and give you leverage against your opponents in negotiations. Instead of Possible Solutions, please answer the following in your position paper: What countries would be the most important for your country to negotiate with? Describe any plans that you may have in caucusing with other countries. (Remember: Just because you say something in caucus does not mean you have to stay true to it. Backstabbing, lying, eavesdropping, and secrecy are all parts of the game.)