Advice with diplomacy; form letters perhaps?

[moderation]

Hey, I'm taking as a sub for a MP game (this is almost my first serious MP game), where the previous players were asleep as the wheel and/or made some bad choices. Now that I'm the new commander, does anyone have suggestions on how I can go about removing myself from pointless wars started by the previous guy? Any advice on wheedling, haggling, finagling, huckerism, horse trading, moose trading, and veiled threats will be gladly accepted!

Also, what are points usually covered in peace negotiations? Is there a standard set of points that experienced players usually cover? If there was such a thing as a standard Dom 3 diplomatic boilerplate or form letter for negotiating NAP treaties, what would it look like? Basically I am interested in presenting terms that will be acceptable to both parties and are generally accepted as practical. Someone mentioned something like NAP-3 or NAP-5, but I'm not clear on what the specifics of these are. Thanks in advance.

[Falkor]

NAP-3(5) - non-aggression pact with 3(5) turns of cancelation (notification) period. Be careful. Not every player respects that.

To the first question, you have to convince your opponent that the war brings nothing to both of you. It won't be easy, though. The more beating he gets, the higher your chances for a peace are .
Good luck!

[Dedas]

First of all you should tell him that you are a new ruler with new objectives. Try to make a fresh start with him. It is probably not enough though. What to do?

It seems to me like you have to give something (provinces/magic item/gold/promises) to get something (peace) in this situation. Because you obviously can't threaten him as you are in a pointless war. Right? And by pointless I suppose you mean that it doesn't lead to any substitanial victories for either side. That fact however, should be used to show you have a common interest in peace.

If this isn't enough he probably feels that your nation has wronged him in greatly. He lost a lot of time and gold in fighting your nation and won nothing. The solution is of course to give him something, possible a province, if that isn't a too big price for you. Remember, you don't lose it, you invest it in peace.

Combine all this with nice manners and probably some more elements that are unique to the situation and all should hopefully solve itself.

[Baalz]

Yes, this is usually the best way to go, but the other way can work to if he feels he's got a bit of an edge on you and you don't get a response to being the nice guy. If you are fairly evenly matched make sure he knows that even if he manages to squeak out a victory it will be a very costly one. Depending on what you've got available and what he's using you can let him know the alternative to peace is you throwing all your effort into population killing/unrest causing spells, cursing/horror marking/diseasing any particularly good units of his - and of course killing as many as you can as well. Obviously this might backfire as few people respond well to threats, but it can sometimes be a good way to sour your opponents taste for the stalemate.

[Dedas]

Although that could work it is very risky, especially if you want to focus your energy on another foe. The opponent you threatened into peace could suddenly swing about and stab you in the back, or even ally with your enemy to coordinate the thing. Threats between equals almost always lead to a weak peace. Your are better of agreeing (at least in principle). Later on, when you are stronger than him, you declare war or stab him in the back if you feel deceitful.

Always hide your true intention (if you are not roleplaying a honest knight type or similar).

[Gregstrom]

If the opponent has allies, you could perhaps deal with them also. Get them to make overtures on your behalf.