                              Command : DECLARE

 SYNTAX:
   [##:##] Command: declare <POSITION> <CNUM/CNAME>

The declare command allows you to officially declare your diplomatic relations
with other countries.

<POSITION> may be alliance,  neutrality,  hostile,  or  war;  <CNUM/CNAME>  is
either the name or number of the other country in question.

Your  official  relations  with  other countries affect various aspects of the
game; for instance, if a country with whom you are at war spies on one of your
sectors and you catch the spy he/she will be shot!  If you had been neutral or
merely hostile to the spy's country she/he would merely  have  been  deported.
If  the  spy  was  from  an allied country he/she would never be caught in the
first place.

Similarly, a plane from an allied or neutral country will not be  shot  at  by
your sectors when it flies over them.

                              Command : DECLARE

GOING TO WAR

(Note:  the  following  stuff  is  only  in  effect  if the SLOW_WAR option is
selected) With the SLOW_WAR option in use, you cannot attack the land of some-
one  you  are  not at war with. When you declare war on someone, your relation
goes to mobilizing. You still can't attack them.  After the next update,  your
relation  goes  to  sitzkrieg, and you still can't attack them. After the NEXT
update, you're at war with them, and anything goes.

If someone is mobilizing or in sitzkrieg, or at war with you, and you  declare
war  against  them, your relation is set to be the same as theirs, so there is
no way to gain any advantage through this stuff. It just means that you  can't
sneak-attack people.

The first person who declares war pays $1000. Return declarations are free.

There  is one exception to the SLOW_WAR restrictions. If you are listed as the
old owner of a sector, you are still allowed to attack it. This is to  prevent
someone  from declaring war with you, taking some sectors, then declaring neu-
trality before you declare war. (Assuming you didn't notice their  declaration

                              Command : DECLARE

of war)

The  newspaper  is very interested in declarations of war or alliance -- don't
expect to keep such declarations secret.

Deities can will be prompted for a third parameter, the country  to  make  the
declaration for. The default is to make it for the deity's country.

See also : fly, nation, spy, relations

