I suppose the idea is that since recent conflict had occurred there, it is unsafe for your weak, defeated, retreating army.

The idea is that you can only retreat to territories you could've entered with a move action without help from other units. Since there was a bounce in the SC, a move to the SC would have been blocked, and hence you cannot retreat there, either.

Amby's strategic depth grows - gives a new value to self bouncing a territory! I swear I've covered that scenario with you in at least one podcast - lol!

Yeah and I never drink on those podcasts. So no idea how I could’ve forgot

The logic behind this is that it is one Spring or Fall turn, which is separated into different phases, including a movement phase and if necessary a retreat phase. That is why, in the actual rule and in much of the FTF community, there are no negotiations prior to retreats.

This rule is countermanded by adjudication or house rule in much/most of the online community, since the retreat phase often has a deadline of hours or days, and regulating player communication for that length of time can be both difficult, and possibly deleterious to gameplay.

Oh I thought we are trying to look at the realistic basis behind these rules (strategy aside, units of equal strength are unlikely to overcome each other in a battle of brute force) instead of explaining these rules with other rules! Or at least this will be a fun thing to do?

I think there's a clear divide in each rule discussion between the people that care about rules being 'realistic' and the people that care about good game dynamics.

That is not always the case. Realism is not relevant in relation to a number of rules issues.

I find all the rules to be realistic and intuitive.

One thing that took me totally by surprise when I switched to webdip from playdip was you cannot support another nation's unit into a territory where you have a unit.

Playdip lets you self-dislodge/support others to dislodge your own units? That's blatantly against the written rules of Dip.

No, you cannot self dislodge but you can support another into your territory

I'm not sure I follow what you're saying the difference is. Can you use an example specifically laying out the difference and how it affects game play?

You can support another unit into your own territory on webDip as well. It can serve as a defense by bouncing a second attack by a third power. However, your support will not count towards dislodging your own unit. But as drano said, that's just the official rules.

I kinda wish you could support to dislodge your own units since it would allow for more flexibility with builds, but at the same time it wouldn't be realistic plus it's against the Dip rules.

Pretty sure a fleet in Gascony can support a fleet from Portugal into the south coast of Spain.

Correct.

Also moving from Spain nc to Portugal and Portugal to spain sc will cause a bounce

I think this thread is showing that we should all probably reread the rules very carefully, as it can offer important tidbits of knowledge that can give us the upper hand. It appears that all these things noted are mentioned in the official Wizards of the Coast Dip rules:

CYFI - the bounce between Spain and Portugal:

"A Fleet entering one of these provinces enters along one coast and can then move to a province adjacent to that coast only. The Fleet, nevertheless, is considered to be occupying the entire province" - Therefore Spain (nc) occupies the entire province of Spain, therefore Spain (nc) - Portugal and Portugal - Spain (sc) are a bounce, since Spain is occupied and Portugal cannot dislodge it.

Sky Hopper - Gascony fleet support to South Coast of Spain:

"A Fleet that can move to a province with two separate coasts (a Fleet in the Mid-Atlantic, for example) can support another Army or Fleet into that province (in this case Spain), without regard to separate coastlines" - Mid-Atlantic mentioned, but Gascony has the same situation. Gascony can move to a province with two separate coasts (Spain) therefore it can support another army or fleet into that province (Spain) without regard to separate coastlines.

Amby - Retreating to a territory where a bounce took place:

"A unit can’t retreat to:
• a province that is occupied;
• the province from which the attacker came; or
• a province that was left vacant by a standoff during
the same turn."

Thanks @drano