People are gonna go AWOL anyway, and we're not gonna halt the game for that. Time progresses, and if someone isn't posting, their nation goes into auto-reaction until the player reappears. Auto-reaction means: defend if attacked, unavailable for emessaries, trade as usual. The in-game explanation could be rioting, bad harvest or too much internal politics at the moment. Other players will not seek to eliminate an auto-react nation until A) we get word from the inactive player or B) an IRL month has passed without word.