``Feel so trapped and lonely; Nowhere left to go; We know we've
been kidnapped; Now this place must Burn!''
From ``Kidnapped'' a Mekons song that may be found on Honky Tonkin'.
This begins a series of Mekons song quotes that henceforth will be
found in the new Modern game.
I'm a bit late again as I get my equilibrium back after the big
anniversary issue.
Thanks for all of the kind comments.
The most common one was something along the lines of
``makes a good doorstop''.
Glad I could oblige.
I send my SPECIAL thanks to those who were moved to send me
monetary gratuities.
I and my wife thank you.
The deadline is pushed back one more time, but now I will
guarantee the schedule through World DipCon, by hook or crook.
I will make no promises for content and indeed am holding yet
more material even this time.
The postal sub price is a flat $1.00 per issue in the US and Canada, a bargain at twice the price.... but you can double that for other foreign subbers (or $2.00 per issue sent airmail). Players in current games and standbys will continue to get the issues for free, and new game starts (except for Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy, which is free) cost $15.00 ($10.00 for a life of the game subscription and $5 for the NMR Insurance). Remember that music comments and reviews are scattered through the game press at times.
By electronic mail, through the Internet, subs are free and can be obtained automatically by sending the message: subscribe tap
to majordomo of diplom.org and messages can be sent to the entire electronic mailing list by mailing them to tap of diplom.org which will forward your message to all of the people currently on the list. The message:
unsubscribe tap
sent to majordomo of diplom.org gets you off the list. Please make careful note of that as well since you generally can get yourself off the list a lot easier than I can, and NOBODY likes to see unsubscribe messages sent to the entire list. A big, big thank you for David Kovar for setting this all up!! The Cal Tech ftp site is being mirrored on the diplom.org machine as well. Issues of The Abyssinian Prince #131 to #186 are available via anonymous FTP from ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu in the pub/diplomacy/Zines/TAP directory in compressed postscript format. I will be putting all of these issues up in html format. We'll get all that straightened out soon. The gracious assistance of Kevin Roust is most appreciated in keeping up this site. The files begin ap131.ps.Z and go sequentially from there. The Caltech site is at:
ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/WWW/
or check out the connections in the Diplomatic Pouch at its brand new address with all of the information you would need to play Diplomacy on the Internet at: http://diplom.org/DipPouch
Through Jamie McQuinn's Postal portion of the Pouch:
http://diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html
the szine will now reside in html format. Only the last few issues are there now, but I will be updating the back issues gradually in the near future.
I had no time to dig up some Dan Stafford writings, but I will in the future. Look, look, win money!
This is now going to be a regular continuing feature of the szine and I will be introducing a new ``search for'' every five issues. Moreover, you can win a $25 prize for finding some previous target who went unfound in the original $50 period. That means that if Kevin Tighe or Garret Schenck or Jerry Lucas is ``found'' from now on it is worth $25. Plus, Steve Emmert will throw in another ten spot for Garret Schenck if you can get Garret to write to him.
Winners will receive credit for Dip hobby activities that I will pay out as requested by the winner. Bid on PDORA items, subscribe to szines here or abroad, run your own contests, publish a szine, or whatever. Spend it all right away or use me as a bank to cover hobby activities for years. What must you do to win? Get me a letter to the editor for TAP from the person we're searching for. This is very important, just finding them doesn't do it. They have to write me a letter. The final judge as to the winner of any contest will be the target himself and I reserve the right to investigate the winning entry. When you find someone I'm looking for, you should ask him to send me a letter for print that includes a verification of who ``found'' him.
The British representative is the editor of Mission From God, John Harrington. John may be contacted at 30 Poynter Road, Bush Hill Park, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 1DL, UK (johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk). The representives in Australia (John Cain, PO Box 4317, Melbourne University 3052, AUSTRALIA) or Belgium and some other European countries (Jef Bryant, Rue Jean Pauly, 121, B-4430 ANS, BELGIUM) also will forward your subscription on to the editor in either Australian dollars or continental European currencies respectively. Please include the full name and address of the foreign publisher with your order, if possible, as well as the szine title. Make your check in US dollars out to me personally. I will conduct business for Canadians as well, if I can, but prefer to deal in US dollars with them if possible, or Canadian dollars cash. To subscribe to American szines, the system works in reverse.
Obviously, I'm not anywhere close to getting back around to doing international szine reviews, but who knows, I might pick it up again at any time. I still actively am searching for more international traders.
Obscure and not-so-obscure ramblings on the state of the hobby and its publications, custodians, events, and individuals with no guarantee of relevance from the fertile keyboard of Jim-Bob, the E-Mail Dip world, and the rest of the postal hobby. My comments are in italics and ((double quotation marks)) like this. Bold face is used to set off each individual speaker. I should also make a note that I do edit for syntax and spelling on occasion.
John Schultz (3-23-98)
Hi Jim, I received TAP today. Took thirteen days to track me down. I now reside in hell.... its address is John T. Schultz, #19390, Marion County Jail II, 730 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Don't ask me what the move means. I don't know. It's definitely not the move I expected. Somewhere down the line, as I discover more information, I'll write a piece on privatized prisons, from an inmate's point of view, of course. I've been ``sold'' to a private company.
Great issue! T. Tallman looks like a fun kind of strange character. ((He and I always have been funny kinds of soulmates....)) Reminds me of somebody but I can't put my finger on who.
Andy York (Sun, 22 Mar 1998 20:02:37 -0500)
WOW!! is about the best reaction I can give for this momentous issue. I thoroughly enjoyed the excerpts from NSWG, very informative and interesting.
The reprints of old TAP selections were fine choices, I must say. ((Why, thank you, that was a very time consuming, but very enjoyable activity as you can imagine....)) The desert island disc bits will be particularly helpful as I start to build on the CDs I currently have (yes, I have a new job and should have some disposable income soon - see note below). I've heard good things about Portishead (though that is in your recent commentary). I think that'll be my first buy.
Thanks again for sending it to me. Here's to another 200 issues imagining sound of a body hitting the floor in a dead faint.
PS: Hi, Well, the computer went and did it. I lost the entire hard drive and it is irrecoverable. Unfortunately, it came just as I was cleaning up the old computer and just transferred everything to the new computer. Back-ups were going to be done in the next few days as I had just finished. Of course, of course....
What this means is, once I get the computer up and running, I'll need to retype all of the RW and flyer turn reports before I can adjudicate them. This may take some time (especially if I don't have a hardcopy of the turn and have to obtain one from someone else or reconstruct it from the order sheets). I apologize for this; but, at this point there is little I can do except the above.
Now to some good news. I have a job working for the State in Austin. I've accepted a position with the State Library as a Records Consultant (with State Agencies and Local Governments). However, the Texas WorkForce Commission is going to offer a job working with computer and web development next week (also in Austin). Everything's coming together - all at once.
However, I don't have a current address yet for Austin. At least for the month of April I'll be splitting time between San Antonio and Austin, staying on a friend's couch during the week and returning to San Antonio over the weekend. The PO Box in Universal City will still be valid at least until the end of April (and will forward thereafter). I hope to get a PO Box in Austin early in April.
Unfortunately, this may delay the rebuilding of the computer files as I will only be able to work on it over the weekends. However, during that time I will also need to be packing and answering a week's worth of mail/EMail. It may be a rough couple of months, but I WILL get everything out as soon as I reasonably can.
Again, my apologies for this delay. But, I hope it will be the end of the road for disruptions and delays when I get moved, settled and oriented into my new job (whichever it turns out to be).
Eric Brosius (Sat, 21 Mar 1998 13:36:36 -0500)
Jim-Bob, Wow! I wondered what was in that envelope-a complete collection of old TAPs? But it was just one issue. I found the excerpts from NSWG very interesting. For one thing, I felt transported back ten years to when I first joined the postal Diplomacy hobby (hey! I think I'm now eligible to stand by for your ZR Invitational game, since I signed up for my first (and only!) regular Dip game start in Rebel in March, 1988. Since then I have entered Eric Ozog's ``Maricopa'' as a standby, but I don't mind doing another in your zine; I prefer not to do two in the same zine, but no problem with different zines.) I don't know what exactly about NSWG gives me that ``out-of-time'' feeling, but it's something. ((Agreed. I get the same feeling. It gives me lots of hobby energy again. You really wanna standby for that game? You got it.))
For all these years I assumed the term ``nosewege'' was derived from the analogy ``Nwg means Norwegian, so NSWG means Nosewegian.'' Now I discover I was wrong. It's some sort of Navy lingo. Who'da guessed?
I've started listening regularly to the Saturday morning ``Hillbilly at Harvard'' show on WHRB (95.3 FM) on Saturday mornings. It starts before I get up and it ends about 1 or 1:30. My wife has recently fallen for Irish music big-time, and I don't mind Irish music, but it reminds me how much I like more diversified folk/bluegrass/old-fashioned country. The WHRB show has a mix of all these styles and not too much that I don't enjoy listening to. It's always a mystery how modern country can be so bad when it's based on something that was so good. ((That's a great way of putting it, I completely agree.))
You and Ian Moore discuss the prospect of the President's possibly having to resign because of sex. The thing I think you're missing is this: if the president of a major U.S. corporation were faced with the same allegations and evidence (or lack thereof) that Clinton is facing, he would almost certainly have been forced to resign by now. ((It's the law of the Street combined with the laws. It is accepted that executives serve at the pleasure of the board and are at risk every single day. Presidential resignations, we hope, are a once in a century event. Executive tenure is dropping through the floor in general.)) Media pressure and current laws on sexual harassment and discrimination would make it almost impossible for him to keep his job. In almost any major company, a boss simply can't have sexual relations with someone who works for him or her, whether the relationship is agreeable to both parties or not. So the issue is not whether Clinton should (in a reasonable country) have to resign, but whether he is getting a break because he's the President. ((I think the question is whether he is getting a break because he is a political executive as opposed to a corporate executive and the answer surely is yes, but we don't subject our politicians to the same structures as everyone else. This works both for and against them, depending on the issue.))
You know, I think the last issue of Voice of Doom was about 270 pages, not 100. I seem to remember it being about an inch thick. ((Really? You're probably right, oh well....)) If so, TAP 200 might not be a record-breaker. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, though. ((Other comments on that? Also, the open page model gets more words on a page than digest or other reduced models.))
Dave Partridge (23 Mar 1998)
Hi Jim, Congratulations on reaching #200! A great issue, I just finished actually reading it from cover to cover (took me four days on and off).
Flad you made it to Diplomatic Incident IX. It's always fun to have you in a game and you did a great job rorming up that disparate group for a last stand. ((I would have done a better job of it if I hadn't had my eye on the clock, since I said I was going to leave at ``dinner time''. With extra time, I think I could have worked my way into contention.)) Unfortunately you had the harder task coordinating the tactics of that group while Pitt and I were clicking. ((Working with Jack Sinnott is always an adventure, but one I had decided from relatively early on I was going to try to cultivate. I kept John Q-V pretty much off balance too! I thought it was a good game for me, despite the outcome.)) It's an interesting facet of playing with (perhaps I should say against as it usually ends up that way and is the correct context) you that your actions and machinations with other players is usually what keeps me from making the moves that you are indicating you'd like to see from me. It was certainly that way in this game, you did more than anyone else to keep the N/G alliance going. ((In Loeb 9, I was Spain....)) I know that that was a balancing act on your part as you feared a Norwegian solo if I did stab, and of course the chance for that is the only reason I'd have tried the stab. ((I was trying very hard to find the knife edge where you would actually stab, but it would be the wrong move.... having you stab Pitt when it was the right move wouldn't have been much of a challenge. I could easily have done that, but I couldn't quite locate that grey zone. Then again, maybe you're too good ever to fall for that ;-) )) Anyway, I enjoyed the game.
Lots of interesting music reviews although I have to say I've never heard of most of the bands you discuss. Plug them a few more times though and I'll actually have to see if the local library has any Mekon CDs. ((Lots of people have mentioned that they are falling over that line lately. It'll be interesting what feedback I get from that. The Mekons have their own sort of musical language and they seldom are very ``pretty'', though they take a stab at that too when it suits their purpose. Anyway, I expect some people to fall in love and get hate mail from others. If you find it in the library, that will be the low risk method. There still is no doubt in my mind that they are the greatest rock and roll band still going for four main reasons: (1) They are poor and don't sell lots of records - though some relatively well off artists manage to maintain their roots, there is a fundamental disconnect that disqualifies bands like the Rolling Stones, REM, and U2 from the running; (2) They have a core liberal non-corporate philosophy that they actually live and believe in - let's face it, music is a business and many bands are corporations; (3) They are close to their fans and the people - when they come through for concerts you can actually talk to them, they hang around after the concerts, they bring people up on stage to dance with them during concerts, all those things that have made each Mekons concert I have attended a truly special event; and (4) They engage you with their songs in a way that simply grabs you and won't let go.))
Mike Barno had the honor/ignominy of writing the most stray stuff for the big issue and was the only writer who didn't get everything they sent printed. Here's one of the stray items. By the way, Mike is back at the homestead in Endwell at the moment if anyone is looking for him....
Mike Barno (1/1/98)
HAPPY NEWTYEER JIM!
- > to ``Recent Gamewinner'' (when eligible, i.e. very soon)
- > to sign me up for the 7x7 NYEED w.leap-the-black-holes game
Hope you're well as we ride around another iteration of a major cycle affecting Earthlife. Things have gotten much better for me lately.
I only heard about four live concerts in 1997, and not much new recorded music. Best show was Lick the Marmot, one of the last performances by these Yellowstone employees, at the rec hall at Lake Lodge in May. Hot Tomato and Dexter Grove were very good. I've described the first two bands in previous years. Dexter Grove is a creative, somewhat Phish-like band working imaginative guitar and keyboard stuff over polyrhythmic conga/bongo foundations. Good interaction among the musicians and great grooves. Worst was Sonic Rangers at Mammoth's Survivors' Party. Three kids out of some garage who played maybe one interesting song all night amid rather basic renderings of formulaic '80s pop-rock. The party actually picked up and people danced more after the band shut down and the stereo was turned on.
Since I attended no commercial concerts, I'll defer to my new housemate Craig Aldinger, whose comments are enclosed. Yay! The holiday-season noise is over!
Craig Aldinger (2:30 AM, 2 Jan. 98)
I suppose this comes under the heading of ``enclosed comments'' but at this hour of the morning with a dog whining in my face requiring exit it could just as easily be called canine slavery...
Whatdafux? Oh yeah - an overview of live music. Surprisingly, Bozeman, Montana plays host to quite the variety of acts. Probably the most memorable were back-to-back Widespread Panic (READ: widespread buttcheeks; thanks Willi Gallinac....) shows a study in contrasts, first night - tight and hot - all original tunes; second night - loose and groovin' - several cover tunes including `Dear Mr. Fantasy' and Van ``the Man'' Morrison's `Brown Eyed Girl'.
Also, fresh from a European tour, Wilco (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt - same crew) $30,000 worth of collectors item guitars on stage - hate to have their insurance bills!
Shows seen in the Emerson Cultural Center, an old redbrick school probably dating to the 1930's with an old-style auditorium/stage setup that holds 1,000 people max. We sat in the balcony for the W.P. shows and there was a tapehead who had a rubber chicken wedged in between his microphones a few seats down from us both nights..... got a half-assed live tape of the second show/second set out of it.
Ah, yes, ``When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...'' Raoul Duke
Drew James (Tue, 17 Mar 1998 19:08:37 -0700)
Jim, Wow! What a great issue #200. I thought a new magazine had shown up when it came in the mail. I'll have fun for some time reading the music lists. It must be time to buy a few new CDs - I'll give the Mekons a try.
Pete Duxon (Fri, 20 Mar 1998 01:00:48 PST)
Jim, ta for TAP 200, turned up yesterday. I've answered in my obligatory letter but I got the Jonatha Brooke off of a tribute album to Laura Nyro. I liked the song so much it got on my annual best of tape. ((As did I, wow!)) I'm sure it wasn't me who put you on to Melissa Ferrick but Mark Wightman. He would very much like that album. The Erin McKeown sounded interesting ............... hint. ((Mark it was, I think. Sorry about that. I should do something about Erin, shouldn't I. Something will happen on that.)) I had to smile at John Schultz ``Mr Duxon" thought it was the British who were stuffy and formal.
((What could I say on that? And John was just making fun. Glad you got the szine. The postmaster here in Providence gave me a runaround on wanting me to fill out customs forms on each issue! They are under a pound, which is the requirement, but the postmaster claimed that British postal customs agents can't judge weight.))
Pete Duxon (Tue, 24 Mar 1998 02:00:19 PST)
Jim, I'm puzzled as to why they reckon British authorities can't judge weight! No there were no problems. Couldn't see why there would be. Yeah I don't what's happened with Air mail, I got Off the Shelf even faster before many US subbers!! Nice to see Tom has his priorities right. I'm not certain who is going to be most insulted me or Mark over you confusing us. I'm the honest reliable one he's the stabbing git - even his friends agree on that. ((All right, I got the idea, I made a mistake, OK?)) Ah well if John was making fun of me then that's alright then. I'd like to make fun of some of Brad Martin's American subbers but I think they lack a sense of humour. I'm afraid I just don't understand this American fascination with guns and killing people. ((That's OK, I do in theory, but not in practice.)) Oh in your reply in TAP 200 (thank god that unlike Kent you didn't include your love letters!!) you say you feel you've discussed this subject any number of times. I'd ask you to bear in mind that your newer subbers know little of your age ((40)), profession ((health economist)), marital state ((married)), kids ((none, but two stepsons in their twenties)), family ((I'm not sure what you mean by this one, but my brother David is a subber and sometime contributor)), shoe size ((9 1/2)) etc other than we glean in the zine.
Pete Duxon (Wed, 25 Mar 1998 00:50:11 PST)
Jim, I get a magazine called folk roots and I know they don't regard women singer song writers as folk singers. Oh a contender for album of the year is Texas - White on Blonde. I look forward to your dissection of the tape. And confusing me and Wightman is unforgiveable. ((Point, game, set, and match!)) My comment about guns took on a new poignancy with the shootings in Arkansas. Now I know that such atrocities happen in the UK but I read somewhere (Bryson I think) that more people get killed on US school grounds than in London. I don't know about you but that kind of statistics scares the willies out of me. How on Earth do kids of that age get hold of that quantity of guns. ((Relatively easily. Essentially, the problem is this. In rural areas/small towns in this country the guns always have been left just lying around. This in houses that traditionally would not even be locked, so if ANYONE wanted to get guns they could. But then, the small town had everyone watching everyone and there was a small town culture that was isolated and ``wholesome''. Now, kids in these small towns hear the same music, see the same videos, wear the same clothes, use the same drugs as everyone else. This makes the guns really dangerous.)) Yeah I'll read the zine carefully. You'll probably set us a written test for next issue!! ((Not me, I don't do those sorts of things. If I have tests or quizzes they have to be REALLY obscure, like my favorite old 17th Century cultural quizzes.)) I just find the different styles between US and UK players so different Americans tend to be more adventurous.
((This is my general impression too, although at World DipCon in England that I attended a few years ago, I was very impressed with players like Steve Cox and Vick Hall.))
Rich Goranson (Sat, 7 Mar 1998 11:13:55 EST)
Boob: I'm writing as I'm reading so please excuse my disjointed thoughts...
Strong Vincent's memorial is on Route 97 in downtown Waterford, Pennsylvania, 12 miles south of Erie. Its one of those little historical plaques indicating his birthplace. I pass by it every time I go to my in-laws. My wife went to high school in Waterford. There is also a Strong Vincent High School in Erie. The 83rd Pennsylvania (Vincent's regiment before his promotion to brigade command after Fredricksburg) was recruited from Erie County, PA.
((Hey, time for a new pilgrimage!!))
Rich Goranson (Mon, 9 Mar 1998 02:01:14 EST)
Boob: I'm not sure that Waterford is worth making a pilgrimage to anymore. The only thing there of historical significance is the site of old Fort Le Beouf; where a young Lieutenant Colonel of Virginia Militia named George Washington was ordered to toss the French out in 1759. The fort is gone; nothing left but a plaque and a small museum.
((No problem, not worth a trip JUST for that, but next time I am by that way, it is a definite stop!))
Keith Sherwood (Mon, 16 Mar 1998 07:23:17 -0800)
How 'bout those Rams? We saw only the last minute of the game as they were showing us UCLA downing Michigan, but they were giving constant reports/scores from the game. I of course thought of you every time. I had no idea Harrick was there.
((Oh yes, we will see for how long, note that Providence's Pete Gillen is off to Virginia. Rhode Island is a little state and a tough recruiting sell to basketball players. As soon as Harrick resurrects his reputation, he'll be off somewhere too. We just have to live with it... Having two senior guards is the standard way to build upset potential in the NCAA's as history shows. I've been touting Tyson Wheeler's quickness since his freshman year in this szine - he's as quick as Allen Iverson! Now, we'll see if he can take his quickness to the NBA. Cuttino Mobley is pretty good too.))
Rich Goranson (Sun, 22 Mar 1998 14:10:07 EST)
Hiya, Boob: I ended up with the flu again, so I'm home. I just might even watch the URI-Stanford game. I'm a little ticked that Valpo got beat because UB (aka the State University of New York at Buffalo) plays in the Mid-Continent with Valpo and the conference gets money from the NCAA depending on how far you can go. The Mid-Continent hasn't gotten much money out of the dance. We won't even mention how little the A-10 or the MAAC is getting this year. The most irritating thing that I read was a comment by Valpo's coach after they beat Florida State. It went something like, ``We have 3500 students. They have 30,000. For a school like us to beat a school like them is quite an accomplishment." He must have forgotten that they have UB in their conference, which has pretty much the same numbers. They just don't have the athletic tradition. They actually TEACH their students. Imagine that!!!
((Yeah, imagine that. I know about UB, my brother went there. There is a basketball tradition in Buffalo, of course, it just historically is with Niagara and Canisius. URI beating Valpo was great for the locals, but we missed some of our ``Cinderella'' identification since the announcers and the media had dubbed Valpo the great story.))
Keith Sherwood (Fri, 20 Mar 1998 14:14:18 -0800)
So tonight's the big night. Since reading your comments about
senior guards winning the NCAA tournament, I've heard similar
comments from the announcers, and specifically that tonight's game
will be a great guard match up.
Too bad about Baron Davis and UCLA. I couldn't bring myself to
root for Maryland last night, not even for Dick Martin's sake. AZ
and UCLA, being the closest geographically, are my picks. And
I'll always root for a team west of the Mississippi over one from
the East. Unless URI keeps going.
((Alas, it was not to be. I, of course, saw the earlier games, but for the loss to Stanford, I only saw the very last minute, which was really depressing... still, it was a great tournament, the best in years. The balance of the szine didn't permit my usual (bad) predictions. I did predict that Kentucky would meet North Carolina in the final, which nearly happened. It would have been nice had URI joined them in San Antonio! I figured out what great teams would be upset, but not always who would upset them. My best predictions in years and they didn't make the szine!!))
``I have never learned ... to play the lyre, but I know how to make a small and obscure city rich and great." (Themistocles, in Plutarch's Lives.)
If you want to submit orders, press, or letters by E-Mail, you can find me through the Internet system at ``burgess of world.std.com''. If anyone has an interest in having an E-Mail address listed so people can negotiate with you by computer, just let me know. FAX orders to (401) 277-9904.
Standby lists: Mike Barno, John Breakwell, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Doug Kent, Paul Rauterberg, Doug Essinger-Hileman, Stan Johnson, Harry Andruschak, Dave Partridge, Andy York, Michael Pustilnik, and John Schultz stand by for regular Diplomacy. Mike Barno and Andy York stand by for the new Colonial Diplomacy game. Let me know if you want on or off the list. Standbies get the szine for free and receive my personal thanks. I'd really appreciate it if anyone wanted to be added to the list.
Vincent Mous' Modern Diplomacy ten player variant starts in this very issue. There are about 50 supply centers and it is set across a map slightly more expansive than the original's European map. The game is set to start in 1995 and I will go with that date. All rules are as in the original Diplomacy rules with the Suez Canal allowing passage of fleets and a weird canal running from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea through Rostov and Volga. See the map in the postal version of this issue. Internet types can look at the map through the Diplomatic Pouch's archive. Sorry about the quality of the map, it is the best one I can find (and I assure you I spent hours looking). I remind you again to look at Chris Warren's evaluation of the powers' starting positions in Diplomacy World #83. Ask Doug Kent for a back issue by writing him at the address listed with the Zine Register game - I'm sure he'd send you the issue for three bucks.
Conrad von Metzke recently finished GMing a black hole game where you can freely jump over black holes instead of having them render spaces impassible. I played in this game and like the tactics of jumping over the black holes a great deal. Now there the black holes were random, but what would happen if you could plan them? The next NYEED game will feature this rule change and will be a 7x7 tourney format unless I am convinced otherwise. I am itching to get this game started, so it will start as soon as it is filled! You get a life of game sub, and the game itself is FREE!! Sandy Kenny, Mike Barno, John Schultz, and Harry Andruschak are signed up. Off an offhanded suggestion in the NYEED press, we'll call it Nelson Mandela. Just three more and we'll get started! Come on, this one will be REALLY exciting!!
I also would really like to open a game of Breaking Away. Is there any interest at all?? Well, John Schultz and the game's designer John Harrington are interested. Others?? You don't need to own the game to play, I'm going to use Keith Thomasson's house rules that include the ``how to play the game.'' I printed Keith's rules a few issues back, but some of the shaded parts didn't reproduce properly. I'll print the rules properly if I get a bit more interest in the game. I thank John Harrington for encouraging me in this.
Otherwise Conrad von Metzke is the editor and publisher of Pontevedria, the game openings listing, if you're interested in other game openings. Send Conrad a SASE for the latest issue to: Conrad von Metzke, 4374 Donald Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117.
(YOU ONLY NEED TO LEAD THE FINAL LAP TO WIN): Success often depends on timing. As Agesilaus, who lived from 444 to 400 B.C., pointed out: ``It is circumstance and proper timing that give an action its character and make it either good or bad.''
(THIS GAME OBSERVES THE ``ghodstoo'' GAME): ``Have you noticed that the most subtle shedders of blood have almost always been the most civilized gentlemen?'' (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from the Underground)
(BUDDY-CLINTON): Am I really the one who needs to be neutered?
(HARRY'S ENDGAME STATEMENT): Not much to say. My tit-for-tat strategy did not change for the entire game and still resulted in a respectable score. Which is the whole point of tit-for-tat.... not so much on getting the best score as not getting the worst score. Again, note how narrow the point spread actually was after 7 rounds. Indeed, the 7x7 format results in an entirely different game from the one-shot version. Perhaps the GM might consider offering both versions in the future. ((For now, 7x7 is it... I like it better in being different. I think I'll like the ``skipping over the holes'' version even better.))
Nothing to do with the game or the zine, but I need to brag about my vacation last month on the Windjammer MANDALAY. It was a superb 14 day cruise on a genuine 3 masted barquentine, and along the way we were able to view the total solar eclipse, lasting 3 minutes 18 seconds. I also celebrated 14 years of sobriety. Probably the best vacation I have ever been on.
THE DUE DATE FOR AUTUMN 1994 IS APRIL 18TH, 1998
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1994 IS MAY 9TH, 1998
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1995 IS MAY 30TH, 1998
Pre-Autumn 1994
BRITAIN (Johnson): starts with f EDI, f GIB, f LIV, f LON.
EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): starts with f ALE, a ASW, f CAI.
FRANCE (Andruschak): starts with f BOR, a LYO, a MAR, a PAR.
GERMANY (Rauterberg): starts with f BER, a FRA, f HAM, a MUN.
ITALY (Ozog): starts with a MIL, f NAP, a ROM, f VEN.
POLAND (Sasseville): starts with f GDA, a KRA, a WAR.
RUSSIA (Goranson): starts with a GOR, a MOS, a MUR, f ROS, f STP.
SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): starts with f BAR, a MAD, a SVE.
TURKEY (Pollard): starts with a ADA, f ANK, f IZM, a IST.
UKRAINE (Partridge): starts with a KHA, a KIE, a ODE, f SEV.
Addresses of the Participants
BRITAIN: Jonas Johnson, 3649 SE 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97202, (503) 238-4430 ($5)
EcidLor of aol.com
EGYPT: Jeff O'Donnell, 402 Middle Ave., Elyria, OH 44035-5728, (440) 322-2920 ($5)
FRANCE: Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202 ($5)
GERMANY: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)
prosit of execpc.com
ITALY: Eric Ozog, PO Box 1138, Granite Falls, WA 98252-1138, (206) 691-4264 ($5)
elferic of lycosmail.com
POLAND: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 722-4029 ($5)
Djrolandb of aol.com
RUSSIA: Rich Goranson, 10 Hertel Avenue #208, Buffalo, NY 14207-2532, (716) 876-9374 ($5)
ForlornH of aol.com
SPAIN: Sean O'Donnell, 126 S. Park, Oberlin, OH 44074, (E-Mail)
sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com
TURKEY: Kent Pollard, Box 491, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, ($5)
UKRAINE: Dave Partridge, 15 Elmer Drive, Nashua, NH 03062-1722, (603) 882-3523 ($5)
rebhuhn of rocketmail.com
Game Notes:
1) The game was set up by random draw according to player preference. I have named it (since it is a ``modern'' game) after the best album by that most modern of bands, the Mekons. For a ``quote'' of the game, we will get a selection from a Mekons song with the press for each season.
2) As is traditional in getting games started in this szine, you get three deadlines to get acquainted. Both of those Autumn and Winter deadlines will accept press. The first moves are due with Spring on Memorial Day weekend. Note that puts the deadline on World DipCon weekend. I will probably be there and not work on the szine until I return. I last printed the house rules a few issues ago when I started Show Me the Money. I can E-Mail or Mail them to anyone who needs to see them.
3) Standbys for this game are the three who didn't get into the game: Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, and Paul Kenny.
4) This game is very popular on the Judges and has been written about by Chris Warren in Diplomacy World #83. This map is the best one I can find. There is a bitmapped version in the zipped map archive that you can get through the Diplomatic Pouch and the Cal Tech archive. But that one isn't particularly attractive either. You get what follows as a key precisely ONCE. Copy it down however you need to on the maps so you get your orders right. Ask questions, if you have any, now. Consider yourself WARNED. I expect to have problems and it is your responsibility to get it right. I'm not trying to be difficult, just realistic. I will be using these space (three letter code) mappings, working roughly from the northwest corner of the map to the southeast: Arctic Ocean (ARC), Iceland (ICE), North Atlantic Ocean (NAO), Norwegian Sea (NWG), Clyde (CLY), Edinburgh (EDI), Yorkshire (YOR), London (LON), Wales (WAL), Liverpool (LIV), Irish Sea (IRI), Ireland (IRE), Mid-Atlantic Ocean (MAO), Bay of Biscay (BIS), English Channel (ENG), North Sea (NTH), Norway (NOR), Lapland (LAP), Sweden (SWE), Skaggerak (SKA), Denmark (DEN), Helgoland Bight (HEL), Bernholm Sea (BHM), Baltic Sea (BAL), Gulf of Bothnia (GOB), Finland (FIN), Murmansk (MUR), White Sea (WHI), Barents Sea (BRN), Urals (URA), Siberia (SIB), Gorky (GOR), St. Petersburg (STP), Estonia (EST), Latvia (LAT), Lithuania (LIT), Gdansk (GDA), Warsaw (WAR), Krakow (KRA), Slovakia (SLO), Prussia (PRU), Silesia (SIL), Czech (CZE), Austria (AUS), Berlin (BER), Saxony (SAX), Munich (MUN), Switzerland (SWI), Hamburg (HAM), Frankfort (FRA), Ruhr (RUH), Holland (HOL), Belgium (BEL), Alsacia (ALS), Picardy (PIC), Brittany (BRI), Paris (PAR), Lyon (LYO), Auvergne (AUV), Bordeaux (BOR), Navarra (NAV), Portugal (POR), South Atlantic Ocean (SAO), Seville (SVE), Madrid (MAD), Andalusia (AND), Gibraltar (GIB), Straits of Gibraltar (SOG), Western Mediterranean (WME), Barcelona (BAR), Gulf of Lyon (GOL), Marseilles (MAR), Monaco (MON), Ligurian Sea (LIG), Tyrrhenian Sea (TYS), Piedmont (PIE), Milan (MIL), Venice (VEN), Tuscany (TUS), Rome (ROM), Apulia (APU), Naples (NAP), Adriatic Sea (ADR), Croatia (CRO), Bosnia (BOS), Serbia (SER), Hungary (HUN), Rumania (RUM), Bielorussia (BIE), Podolia (POD), Moldavia (MOL), Odessa (ODE), Moscow (MOS), Central Russian Plateau (CRP), Kiev (KIE), Sevastopol (SEV), Donbas (DON), Kharkov (KHA), Volga (VOL), Kazakhstan (KAZ), Iran (IRN), Caspian Sea (CAS), Azerbaijan (AZE), Armenia (ARM), Georgia (GEO), Caucasus (CAU), Rostov (ROS), Eastern Black Sea (EBS), Western Black Sea (WBS), Adana (ADA), Anatolia (ANA), Ankara (ANK), Izmir (IZM), Istanbul (IST), Aegean Sea (AEG), Greece (GRE), Bulgaria (BUL), Macedonia (MAC), Albania (ALB), Ionian Sea (ION), Maltese Sea (MAL), Tunisia (TUN), Algeria (ALG), Morocco (MOR), Western Sahara (WSA), Libya (LIB), Libyan Sea (LBS), Eastern Mediterranean (EME), Eastern Sahara (ESA), Alexandria (ALE), Aswan (ASW), Cairo (CAI), Sinai (SIN), Israel (ISR), Jordan (JOR), Syria (SYR), Irak[sic] (IRK), Persian Gulf (PER), Saudi Arabia (SAU), Red Sea (RED), Arabian Sea (ARA). And there they are.
THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1902 IS APRIL 18TH, 1998
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1902 IS MAY 9TH, 1998
Spring 1902
BRITAIN (Johnson): a del-PUN, a bom-HYD, f mad-GOM, f HK S FRENCH a ton-can, f SIN S f mal,
a KAM S RUSSIAN a tas-kag, f KAR h, f wio-CEY, a BEN-u.bur, f can-SCS, f MAL S f sin.
CHINA (Goranson): a pek-SHA, f sha-NAN, a sik-TIB, a mon-URU, a MAY-u.bur,
a u.bur-ASS, a CHU-can, a MAC S RUSSIAN a omsk-vla (nso).
FRANCE (Sasseville): a ann-TON, a ton-CAN, a ban-RAN, f scs-FOR.
HOLLAND (Desper): f sum-SIO, f BOR S f js, a sar-SUM, f JS C a sar-sum, f new-CS.
JAPAN (Dwyer): a KYO-fus, f OS-vla, f kyu-YS, f SOJ C a kyo-fus, a VLA-irk.
RUSSIA (Williams): a ode-BAKU, a omsk-AKM, a mos-TSR-irk-KRA,
a per-AFG, a FUS h, f P.ART S CHINESE f sha-ys (nso), a tas-KAG, f rum-BS.
TURKEY (Tallman): f bag-PG, f ang-MED, a EGY S f med-rs, f med-RS, f SHI h.
Addresses of the Participants
BRITAIN: Jonas Johnson, 3649 SE 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97202, (503) 238-4430 ($5)
EcidLor of aol.com
CHINA: Rich Goranson, 10 Hertel Avenue #208, Buffalo, NY 14207-2532, (716) 876-9374 ($5)
ForlornH of aol.com
FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 722-4029 ($5)
Djrolandb of aol.com
HOLLAND: Rick Desper, 34 Woodbridge Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904, (908) 985-0654. (E-Mail)
desper of math.rutgers.edu
JAPAN: Luke Dwyer, 49 Middlesex Drive, Slingerlands, NY 12159, (518) 439-5796 ($4)
RUSSIA: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (805) 297-3947 ($4)
wllmsfmly of earthlink.net
TURKEY: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0386 ($0)
ttallman of linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
Game Notes:
1) Lots of movement, lots of failed supports, no dislodgements = = > quiet summer.
Press:
(TIM RICE QUOTE OF THE MONTH): ``I know I'm the best there is, but all they want is a show. Alright, I'll be glad to oblige..." - ``Merano" from Chess
(HOLLAND): The Dutch government would like to extend apologies for its silence of late. The good news is that the job search goes well. The bad news is that I'll continue to be busy for at least two months more. (TIM RICE QUOTE OF THE MONTH II): ``I'm not the kind to be vindictive, holding some childish grudge. How could I be? I'm in the spotlight, half of the world my judge." - ``Florence Quits'' from Chess
(BRITAIN-CHINA): You have reminded everyone on the board, including myself, that I am at eleven, but you must not have reminded yourself, as you have done everything you can to pick a fight with me. You are afraid of my eleven dots, but want nothing more than to fight them? Remember, once you start taking Lithium, you have to take it every day! Jim, get another straitjacket please.
(CHINA-BRITAIN): You should be playing in Tim Lurz' szine. I hope that you get everything that you deserve.
(TURKEY to BRITAIN AND CHINA): It's just amazing that you two dance at all!
(BRITAIN-HOLLAND): I must admit, the ``press" comments did confuse me. I thought you were telling me you were going to write insulting press, when you were only writing insulting letters. That's a big difference.
(H-B): My moves are precautionary. Why is it that I think they are necessary?
(CHINA-HOLLAND): It's better than it looks. Trust me...
(H-J): Yeah, I know I owe you a letter. I imagine at some point we'll discuss those islands.
(CHINA-FRANCE): Now we shall see who is right...and who is dead.
(FRENCH FOREIGN LEGIONNAIRE to CANTONESE WAITER AS HE IS HANDED A BOX OF BODY PARTS): ``Merci beaucoup for General TSO's chicken "
(CHEF - > KATHIE LEE GIFFORD): Oh, Kathie Lee, you are my sexual FAN-TA-SY! (CHINA-RUSSIA): He shall not get further inland.
(BOOB to CHINA): Oh, you are Kathie Lee's knight in shining armor?
(VERUKA SALTZ - > WILLY WONKA): I want an Oompa-Loompa NOW!
(F-H): delicious cheesey poofs in the Philippines... (CHINA-JAPAN): Next time you attack a home centre next to one of mine, I'd sure like to know about it first.
(WALLY - BEAV): Care to dance with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight? (CHINA-TURKEY): I don't know how you can handle all this stress with no opposing units anywhere near any of yours.
(GRASSHOPPER - > TOADFATHER): Master, where do all of those fleets go? The Colonial Office-London: The undersecretary was in a quandary. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free. Should he stab the French? Should he gut the Chinese? Should he eviscerate the Dutch? Should he swallow up the Russians? He possessed the mightiest forces in Asia but he had expanded too quickly, earning the enmity of all the great powers. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and "Jeopardy" comes on at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30. And while he plotted the domination of Asia the words of Charlemagne kept rolling through his head, like a song that had gotten stuck there and only a good bottle of Glenfiddich could remove, "But if the fates feel frivolous, and all our plans they smother. Well, suppose this war does shrivel us? There'll always be another..."
(PRESIDENT REAGAN - > RUSSIA): Your country has been declared an outlaw state. Bombing will begin in fifteen minutes. (SCULLY - MULDER WHO?): Who is going to control the growing British Invasion? Even I can't help being infected... Help it's starting again ``Love Love me do, I'll always be true, so pleeeease... stop them Brits. It is that mind control thing Mulder and I believe the French, and Russian leaders may be under this awful alien influence. But I think that Sultan has fought off the mind control for now.
(BOOB to SCULLY): I wouldn't be so sure...
(PRESS): from Robert Jordan series The Wheel of Time ``The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass leaving memories that become legend, then fade to myth, and are long forgot when ages come again. In one age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose"... from the South China Sea... ``The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning." Of what we may but speculate. Could it be the downfall of an Emperor? The start of a strong and lasting New World Order? Alas we poor mortals are not privy to this knowledge. Yet I do hear the sound of war throughout the world - Roland (RICK'S REMARKS): Just registered for my first World DipCon. Hope to see some of y'all there.
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1908 IS APRIL 18TH, 1998
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1909 IS MAY 9TH, 1998
Fall 1908
AUSTRIA (Ellis): a TYO S GERMAN a vie, a SER-bud, a BOH-gal,
a TRI S a ser-bud, f ION-gre.
ENGLAND (Pollard): f TUN S AUSTRIAN f ion (otm).
FRANCE (Dwyer): f NTH S a bel-hol, a bel-HOL, f TYH S AUSTRIAN f ion,
f NWG S a yor-edi, f LON S f nth, a yor-EDI, f BAR-stp(nc),
a RUH S a bel-hol, a BUR-mun.
GERMANY (Emmert): a VIE-gal.
RUSSIA (Sherwood): a MOS-stp, a fin-NWY, a SIL S a mun, a GAL S a bud, f con-SMY,
a BUD h, f SWE S a fin-nwy, a MUN h, a RUM S a bud, f edi h (d r:cly,otb), f GRE h, a KIE S f hol, f hol h (d r:hel,otb), a BUL-ser, a BER S a mun, f AEG S f gre.
Supply Center Chart
| AUSTRIA (Ellis): | tri,ven,rom,nap,ser | (has 5, even) |
| ENGLAND (Pollard): | tun | (has 1, even) |
| FRANCE (Dwyer): | bre,par,mar,por,spa,lon,edi,lvp, | (has 9, bld 1) |
| bel,hol |
| GERMANY (Emmert): | vie | (has 1, even) |
| RUSSIA (Sherwood): | stp,mos,war,sev,swe,ank,nwy,con, | (has 14 or 15 or 16, bld 3(2 r:otb) |
| smy,den,kie,mun,bul,rum,ber,gre,bud | or 2(1 r:otb) or 1) |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=34) |
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Randy Ellis, #1 Flamingo Lodge Highway, Flamingo, FL 33034-6798 ($10)
ENGLAND: Kent Pollard, Box 491, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, ($5)
FRANCE: Luke Dwyer, 49 Middlesex Drive, Slingerlands, NY 12159, (518) 439-5796 ($4)
GERMANY: Steve Emmert, 1752 Grey Friars Chase, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, (757) 471-1842
SEMMERT of city.virginia-beach.va.us ITALY: Mark Kinney, 3613 Coronado Drive, Louisville, KY 40241, (502) 426-8165
alberich of iglou.com
RUSSIA: Keith Sherwood, 8873 Pipestone Way, San Diego, CA 92129, (619) 484-8367 ($4)
ksher of cts.com or Keith_Sherwood of Intuit.com TURKEY: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 722-4029 ($3) GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
Game Notes:
1) In case anyone can't figure it out, the game goes on.
Press:
(AMBASSADOR POLLARD to THE ALLIES): I must congratulate the Empires of Germany, France, and yes, Austria. Fate has turned a most twisted tale upon us all. Germany now humbled as I know only too well. Austria fighting valiantly and then suddenly she falls while sleeping. Of France? What can I say? The future will surely tell.... Let us continue fighting to the bitter end.
(VOCABULARY TIME): The quiz for this month is the origin of the phrase, ``to the bitter end." (Hint: There's nothing bitter about it.)
(VIRGINIA BEACH to SAN DIEGO): I finally decided to knuckle under and buy some tax software. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to patronize your employer and get Turbotax. Almost like I'm perpetuating your income stream.
(THE LIVERPOOL UNDERGROUND to THE WORLD): It has been related to us from the Prime Minister of Britain that the infamous Mike Barno has been safely smuggled to the colony of New Carthage and at present is doing quite well....
(CALHAMER to PRESS GHOSTWRITER): Since when am I dead?
(FORMER BUTLER OF THE GREAT CZAR OF RUSSIA): It may be true that he is victorious battle after battle, but I know he is bitter about his loss of prestige among his contemporaries. If he had only continued to write. He no longer seems to be a diplomat.
(RUSSIA-GM): Okay, I pick France to NMR this turn. (BOOB to KEITHER): Dead wrong, everyone checked in. (RUSSIA-BOARD): In a change of pace, I go arch conservative and challenge you to steal two centers from me.
(AMBASSADOR POLLARD to THE WORLD): Since today is a Holiday I wish everyone a Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!! I do realize most of you are not of the British Commonwealth, but as you can see Britain is becoming quite the melting pot (I do hope the Army which is Russian treats Scotland with the utmost of respect). As for me, I intend to travel to the United States and vacation in Southern Utah for several weeks. Perhaps I can enlist the aid of the United States and bring freedom back to my homeland...
(VON STEUBEN to WELSHMAN): Not unawares, exactly; it was more like Luke's seeing an opportunity to pick up a dot, oblivious to the fact that he needs to focus on Sherwood's dots. I guess you could say they caught me undermanned. ((But you will admit that build will come in handy in defending against the ``lost unit'' if it wanders south.)) (ADMIRAL LANGWORTHY to BARON VON STEUBEN): OLE chap. I sent you a shipload of rum, not a shitload (Forgive the typo...). Since the ``Processor'' is no longer residing in Yellowstone I shall challenge you to the great game of ``Titan''. As Mike Barno put it, ``To death and the decomposition of their component particles!!!''
(RUSSIA-FRANCE): Did you catch the coded hint in last season's press that I was leaving Denmark open?
(EDINBURGH to THE RUSSIAN NAVY): Come in! Bring ye spirits! Vodka and haggis for all1 We will celebrate the buttkickin of the French! Our day will come agin!
(EMMERT to POLLARD): If I were you, I wouldn't take abuse from a nonplayer like Barno. I think you should insist on being abused only by players, like I do.
(P.S. TO JIM-BOB): And you, too. Wouldn't want to keep you from abusing me.
(BOOB to BEACHED LAWYER): Oh sure, I'll abuse you, but not here. Paris is burning in a parallel universe and there I shall respond. Some Marquis of Queensbury you turned out to be!
(POLLARD SPEAKS): That picture of Mike is great! Does he really look like that representation of him?
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1909 IS APRIL 18TH, 1998
Summer 1909
ENGLAND (Lowrey): has a HOL, f IRI, f BAR, f NTH, f SWE, a STP.
FRANCE (Rauterberg): has a BUR, a RUH, f SPA(SC), f WES, a TYO, a VEN.
GERMANY (Kent): has a BOH, a UKR, a LVN, a SIL, a WAR, f DEN, a MUN.
RUSSIA (Williams): has a SEV. TURKEY (Sherwood): has a BUL, a CON, a RUM, a GAL, f BLA, a BUD, f ADR, f ROM,
a VIE, f TUN, a TRI, f ION.
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0386 ($8)
ttallman of linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us
ENGLAND: Michael Lowrey, 4322 Water Oak Road, Charlotte, NC 28211
mlowrey of charlotte.infi.net
ENGLAND EMERITUS: Tom Nash, 202 Settlers Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522, (912) 634-1753 ($4)
75763.707 of CompuServe.COM
FRANCE: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 ($10)
prosit of execpc.com
GERMANY: Doug Kent, 10214 Black Hickory Rd., Dallas, TX 75243 (214) 234-8386 ($5)
73567.1414 of CompuServe.COM ITALY: Simon Billenness, 452 Park Drive, Apt. 7, Boston, MA 02215, (617) 423-6655 ($5)
sbillenness of frdc.com RUSSIA: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (805) 297-3947
wllmsfmly of earthlink.net
RUSSIA EMERITUS: Ken Peel, 12041 Eaglewood Court, Silver Spring, MD 20902, (301) 949-4055 ($5)
KEN_PEEL of hagel.senate.gov
TURKEY: Keith Sherwood, 8873 Pipestone Way, San Diego, CA 92129, (619) 484-8367
ksher of cts.com or Keith_Sherwood of Intuit.com
TURKEY EMERITUS: Pete Gaughan, 1236 Detroit Av. #7, Concord, CA 94520-3651, (510) 825-2165 ($4)
gaughan of ix.netcom.com
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
Game Notes (back from the tropopause):
1) The game specific standby list for this game includes
Garret Schenck, Cathy Cunning Ozog, Mike Mills, Dick Martin,
Vince Lutterbie, and Eric Brosius
in reverse alphabetical order (note that Garret is presently
missing...).
Guest press from potential standbys would be a ``good thing''
if they wanted to be chosen.
2) Anyone failing to submit press for two consecutive turns will be dropped from the game! Although press in this szine is generally black, I will make the exception here that I will say who has NPRed and is ``at risk'' for being dropped. This requirement is back this time and EVERYONE is on the bubble. Send press with your fall orders, or else! Whoops.... except for Paul and Doug!
3) The EFGT and EFT draws are rejected.
Press:
(GERMANY - ENGLAND): New job, new tenant, but same cats..all five say MEOW back.
(GERMANY - FRANCE): Since the company I worked for (3 1/2 years) just went out of business with no notice, maybe you'd see your way clear to moving back west and continuing with things as they were?
(PARIS to BERLIN): Have you fallen asleep here, or is it that you just don't give a shit?
(BOOB SCRATCHES HIS HEAD): Duh....
I'm holding my write-up on Ghods too until I have more space and time. The game history AND all of the negotiating letters may be found in the Diplomatic Pouch showcase:
http://diplom.org/DipPouch/Showcase/ghodstoo/
This is FASCINATING reading. I've not heard any comments on it yet, but I'm sure I will.
AUSTRIA: Edi Birsan (edi of mgames.com);
ENGLAND: Jamie Dreier (James_Dreier of brown.edu);
FRANCE: John Barkdull (uejon of ttacs1.ttu.edu);
GERMANY: Pitt Crandlemire (pittc of syncon.com);
ITALY: Cal White (diplomat of idirect.com);
RUSSIA: Mark Fassio (jm2365 of exmail.usma.army.mil, fazfam of juno.com);
TURKEY: Hohn Cho (hohncho of kaiwan.com).
GM: Jim Burgess (burgess of world.std.com)
USIN judge: judge of kleiman.indianapolis.in.us
((The main point of this game was to take some successful E-Mail players, some successful FTF tournament players, and some successful PBM players, put them in a game together using the Judge E-Mail technology and see what happens. The game has now ended in a France/England/Turkey DIAS draw.))
LAST, LAST CHANCE FOR END GAME STATEMENTS - YOU HAVE BEEN A QUIET BUNCH!
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Jonas Johnson, 3649 SE 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97202, (503) 238-4430 ($3) EcidLor of aol.com ENGLAND: John Schultz, #19390, Marion County Jail II, 730 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
FRANCE: Michael Pustilnik, 140 Cadman Plaza West, #13J, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (718) 625-0651 ($8)
GERMANY: Hank Alme, 5157 Norma Way #217, Livermore, CA 94550, (510) 606-7265 ($3)
almehj of kristen.llnl.gov
ITALY: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (805) 297-3947 ($3)
dwilliams of csiway.com
RUSSIA: Ed Rothenheber, 11757 Lone Tree Court, Columbia, MD 21044, (410) 740-7269 ($1)
Rothenheber_Ed of bah.com
TURKEY: David Partridge, 15 Elmer Drive, Nashua, NH 03062-1722, (603) 882-3523 ($4)
rebhuhn of juno.com
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
Game Notes:
1) Time for everyone to tell me what to do with their leftover NMR insurance (see the balances up above). Hank and Ed are the only ones here not in other games. Those of you in other games will automatically have your balances transferred there. The default for Hank and Ed is that your balances go toward sub fees until they run out, starting with issue #202.
Endgame and Other Assorted Comments
The first thing I remember about this game was that in an idle moment I had come up with a wonderful blitzkrieg that could be implemented by an RAT alliance so I asked Jim to give me Turkey. He replied that the draw was random and I'd just have to play.... Turkey! With that good omen I was off and thought I might even get a chance to try the RAT. Ha! Not a very adventurous bunch, so it was back to the old standards. There were a fair number of letters exchanged before the opening moves and by the time they had ended I had formed definite opinions about my neighbors.
Ed was a solid player, going to be very good and I'd have to keep an eye on him but he was going to play it square at the beginning. Jonas had written some rather encouraging things, but I couldn't trust any of them. He was going to come south full steam and the only thing that would call him off was an Italian stab.
Don. Well, before I get to game impressions I have to make a general comment here. His opening letter was the single best opening Diplomacy letter I have ever received and the follow ups were equally exceptional. He didn't just propose a set of moves, he analyzed, theorized, explored different avenues, and all in a pleasant style. I'll skip ahead right now and say that somewhere down the line something went astray. Don alludes to this in his EOG, commenting on my thinking he had been unsportsmanlike. Not owning a computer, I don't have copies of my letters and I don't recall what could have sparked this. I do remember that his sudden broadside in the press months after the fact caught me completely by surprise. No need to hash it all out in public, but I want to state for the record that in no way do I consider Don to have been unsportmanlike. He's a fine player and a credit to the game and I'm glad to have played with him.
So, back to the game. Lengthy discussions with Don about an I/T certainly made it seem possible but he wasn't going to his Austria at the start and in the end my mistrust for Austrian intentions pushed me towards the R/T (I also have to admit that I had never played an R/T as Turkey before and still can't really say that I have!). The fleet move to Con had a much stronger effect on Don than I had hoped and it seemed that we were doomed to R/T vs. A/I, and not only that, but R/T vs. an aggressive and savvy I. There were a number of things that A/I might have tried in the fall. I actually expected TYO to move to BOH, but in any case there was nothing to be served by leaving the army in Smyrna and while the standard move would be to shuffle it to Con, the risk of the bounce was not worth the gain. With Russia coming into the Black to provide the extra support if needed the turn delay would not be a big deal anyway.
1901 ended with Russia having no builds and I was actually reasonably happy with the position. A smaller Russia with trouble in the north was less likely to stab. The Italian ``stab'' was obviously just a ploy (If only Ed had tried for Vie instead of Bud, or better yet, let Jonas into Rum!) but I still saw a real possibility of working with Don. I thought the unorthodoxness of an I/T appealed to him. I knew that I would have to make the first real move, committing against Russia to make it happen, but I was prepared to do that in a year or two. Then came my downfall. A single mistake that I could never recover from. Somehow I convinced myself in Spring 02 that Jonas would not attack Bul. Why or how is lost in the depths of my mind. If it was due to his efforts, then my hat is off to him, it was a masterful ploy. Turkish hopes died with my army in Bul, because it was coupled with the even worse news that the pressure was off Russia in the north. As an R/T alliance we still had a solid defensible line, but growth was going to be slow or non existent and I was now at the mercy of my Russian ally who not only was free to concentrate on the south but had spare units to play with.
Ed restrained himself for a while, but as expected, growth was stagnant and I just couldn't spare a unit for interior defense without collapsing my line against Don. When the stab came it was of course a blow, but it was also a release in a way. Now I had a new focus, revenge! It was a whole new ball game and I could exercise my Diplomatic skills again as I tried to convince Don of the benefits of keeping me alive. I concentrated all my efforts on Don as his units were the ones that could make or break me and as I felt he was the dominant partner in A/I and if I convinced him he'd pull Jonas along.
My efforts were successful as I was convincing (and honest at the time!) in selling Don on the idea that revenge against Russia was all I wanted and that my units were his for the asking. The strings of puppetdom did not last forever however and for two specific reasons.
I was always honest in my assertions to Don that I waas an ally for the game and that all I wanted was to be cut loose and aimed at Russia. I had no intention of doing anything else and would have followed that policy to the end, angling of course to be a part of an I/T draw if possible, but probably not turning on Don. However, I am not really suited to puppetdom. I need to play if I am in the game. Don on the other hand seemed to want a docile puppet. He seemed to be more concerned about the dangers of a resurgent Turkey than about bringing Russia down. An effective offensive against Russia required a Turkish build but this Don would not countenance.
It was a pity because I feel that we could have made great strides, but Don was leery of his creation and in keeping a tight rein he slowly turned the lust for revenge against Russia into a desire to break the strings. There were so many opportunities to strike back at Russia, yet at each turn it was Italy, my ally, who ended up between me and my goals.
This finally led to my shifting sides again. Both a desire to make something happen and a feeling that Don was going to give in to his misgivings soon and take my centers anyway. With quick dispatch, Don removed any possibility of a Turkish resurrection by allying with Ed and the decline that started in '02 was finally complete.
As to the rest of the board, I never really got a chance to interact with them. I exchanged some nice letters with John and had some fun with him in the press. I admit to some feelings of dissatisfaction with the ending as I thought France played a tad passively and could easily have had the win or at least a good shot at it a number of times, but then again my failing is usually that I play too aggressively and any game that you are happy with in the end is a good game, and while my derriere is sore from kicking myself over Spring 02, I'm more than happy with the game as it had a lot of great Diplomacy.
My apologies to Jim if we didn't keep up to standards with our press. There was so much going on behind the scenes that it was hard to remember to play for the audience as well. Thanks for your active and encouraging GMing though.
((You're quite welcome. You're also right that I strongly considered kicking your derrieres right out of the szine. This was easily the smallest press output of any game that I ever started in the szine itself, not counting the orphans. And if you subtract out my press, it was positively miniscule. You and John at times held things up, but it was pretty pathetic. One would think it was just another E-Mail game ;-) Seriously, though, I was following the deep machinations behind the scenes well enough to call this a pretty damned good little Diplomacy game. I welcome last end game statements from anyone else, but I expect next time to close this one out. Thanks!))
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1915 IS APRIL 18TH, 1998
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1916 IS MAY 9TH, 1998
Fall 1915
FRANCE (Rauterberg): f SPA(SC) h, f eng-NTH, f nth-DEN, a BEL-ruh, a BUR-mun,
a RUH-kie, f SWE S f nth-den, a HOL S a ruh-kie, a PIE S a ven,
a EDI scratches crotch (AYE, laddies), f ADR S f ion, a VEN S a pie,
f ION h, f APU S f ion, f NWY S f ion (imp), f TYH S f ion. GERMANY (Zarr): a MUN S a kie, a SIL S a mun, a TYO S TURKISH a tri-ven (nso),
a BER S a kie, a KIE S a mun, a VIE S a tyo, a STP h,
f den-nth (d r:hel,ska,bal,otb).
TURKEY (Johnson): f AEG S f alb-ion, a TRI S GERMAN a tyo-ven, a mos-LVN,
f EAS S f alb-ion, a BUD S a tri, a gal-BOH, a SER-alb, a bul-RUM,
f ALB-ion, f GRE S f alb-ion.
Supply Center Chart
| FRANCE (Rauterberg): | bre,par,mar,bel,por,spa,lvp, | (has 16, bld 1) |
| lon,tun,rom,nap,ven,hol,swe,edi,nwy,den |
| GERMANY (Zarr): | mun,kie,ber,stp,war,mos,vie | (has 7 or 8, even(r:otb) or rem 1) |
| TURKEY (Johnson): | ank,con,smy,bul,sev,rum,bud, | (has 10, even) |
| ser,gre,tri |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=34) |
Addresses of the Participants
FRANCE: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Drive, Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339
prosit of execpc.com
GERMANY: Harold Zarr, 215 Glen Drive, Iowa Falls, IA 50126-1957, (515) 648-2821
RUSSIA: Eric Brosius, 53 Bird Street, Needham MA 02192 ($5)
72060.1540 of CompuServe.COM
TURKEY: Stan Johnson, 1254 East Broadway Road #56, Mesa, AZ 85204, (602) 668-1105
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
Game Notes:
1) The three way DIAS draw is rejected. There are no new proposals.
Press:
(PARIS to WORLD): Guess who vetoed the DIAS foolishness....
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1918 IS APRIL 18TH, 1998
Winter 1917
AUSTRIA (Davis): has a BUD.
FRANCE (Zarr): has a BUR, a GAS, f BRE, a MAR,
a POR, f SPA(NC), f MID, f ENG.
GERMANY (Jones): bld a ber; has a BER, a GAL, a MOS, a VIE, a WAR, a SIL,
a TYO, a BEL, a MUN, a UKR, f NTH, f NWY.
TURKEY (Weiss): has a BUL, f ALB, f BLA, a RUM, a VEN, a TRI, a SER, f GOL,
a SEV, f WES, f NAF, f PIE, f ADR.
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Rick Davis, 2009 Bodega Avenue, Petaluma, CA 94952, (707) 773-1044
redavis914 of aol.com FRANCE: Harold Zarr, 215 Glen Drive, Iowa Falls, IA 50126-1957, (515) 648-2821
GERMANY: Charles Jones, 1722 Quail Circle, Corona, CA 91720-4155, (909) 735-8981
RUSSIA: Eric Schlegel, 314 Fords Lane, Aberdeen, MD 21001, (410) 272-3314
TURKEY: Richard Weiss, 195A Estralita Street, Tumon Heights, Guam 96911, (671) 647-3478
rcw of netpci.com
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
Game Notes:
1) The FG, FGT, and the DIAS FGAT all are rejected. All three are reproposed along with a GT and you may vote with your Spring orders.
Press:
(GERMANY >> > TURKEY): Is there anything I can do to get you to vote for a two way or three way draw? Is there anyway I can get you to kill or allow me to kill, Austria?
(GERMANY >> > FRANCE): I have tried to get Turkey to do things, but to date I cannot get him to do anything at all.
(GERMANY >> > MIKE): I give up, why will you be in a remote desert canyon with only a P.O. Box for an address? ((Because it is there.... and there is where he was.)) The only thing that comes to mind involves some kind of secret meeting.
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1911 IS APRIL 18TH, 1998
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1912 IS MAY 9TH, 1998
Fall 1911
AUSTRIA (Pustilnik): a SER-bud.
ENGLAND (Hoffman): a STP S a lvn, a LVN S a stp, f LON h, f SWE-den, f NAO-lvp.
FRANCE (James): f ENG h, a bur-RUH, f MID S f eng, f IRI S a wal-lvp, a wal-LVP,
a TRI-ser, f BUL(SC) h, f SMY S f con, f tyh-ROM, a BUD S a sev-rum,
a sev-rum (d ann), a VIE S a bud, f CON S f smy. GERMANY (Emmert): f kie-HOL, a ruh-MUN, f nth-BEL, f BAL-den, a bel-PIC,
a WAR h, a UKR S a mos-sev, a GAL S AUSTRIAN a ser-bud, a mos-SEV,
a RUM S AUSTRIAN a ser-bud.
RUSSIA (Schultz): a ANK-smy, a ARM S a ank-smy.
Supply Center Chart
| AUSTRIA (Pustilnik): | ser | (has 1, even) |
| ENGLAND (Hoffman): | edi,lon,nwy,swe,stp | (has 5, even) |
| FRANCE (James): | bre,par,mar,por,spa,ven,tun, | (has 12, bld 3(PLAYS TWO SHORT)) |
| nap,tri,gre,vie,bul,smy,lvp,con,rom,bud |
| GERMANY (Emmert): | mun,kie,ber,den,hol,war,sev, | (has 10, even) |
| rum,bel,mos |
| RUSSIA (Schultz): | ank | (has 2, rem 1) |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=34) |
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Michael Pustilnik, 140 Cadman Plaza West, #13J, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (718) 625-0651
ENGLAND: Karl Hoffman, 395 Imperial Way #220, Daly City, CA 94015, (415) 991-2394
KarlHoffmn of aol.com
FRANCE: Drew James, 8356 Radian Path, Baldwinsville, NY 13027-9357, (315) 652-1956
dkbn of msn.com
GERMANY: Steve Emmert, 1752 Grey Friars Chase, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, (757) 471-1842
SEMMERT of city.virginia-beach.va.us ITALY: Dan Gorham, PO Box 279, Belmopan, Belize, CENTRAL AMERICA
Danielg of btl.net RUSSIA: John Schultz, #19390, Marion County Jail II, 730 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202 TURKEY: Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
GM EMERITUS: Garret Schenck, now lost, HELP!
GSchenck39 of aol.com - CANCELLED!
Game Notes:
1) The FG draw has been rejected. Hmmm, there is no repeat of the proposal.
Press:
(GERMANY to FRANCE): Have at thee, villain.
(PARIS to BERLIN): If I had wanted you for an enemy, you would have
been crushed long ago. My friends come in ``second".
(VIRGINIA BEACH to PROVIDENCE): There is a cause of action for
definition of character, or something like that.
Have to go look that one up, but I don't think you can recover much.
Go ahead; sue me if you can.
((I'm getting an engineer....))
(JAMES (THE ENGINEER) to EMMERT (THE LAWYER): An engineer died and showed up at the pearly gates, but St. Peter said ``your name isn't on the list - you have to go to hell". The engineer did as he was told and went down to hell. He immediately started fixing all the problems with hell and within a month had installed air conditioning, ice cream makers, and other items to make life bearable. Before too long life was getting good in hell and St. Peter heard about it. St Peter called up the devil and said ``I made a mistake, that engineer was supposed to be in heaven." The devil responded that he didn't care and there was no way he was going to let the engineer go up to heaven. St. Peter replied ``if you don't let the engineer go to heaven, then I will have no choice but to sue you". To which the devil replied ``oh, and just where do you think you will find a lawyer!?" (EMMERT to BOARD): You'll like this one. I'm now defending a suit for an injunction by a high school senior who wants his English comp grade raised from F to D so he can compete on the baseball team this spring. Says the teacher calculated his grade wrong. (He turned in two papers 16 and 27 days late, but says he should have received the highest possible ``F" score, a 59, instead of the zeroes the teacher gave him.) This is the extent of the advance of our civilization: Students are now suing the school boards over grades. Is this a great country, or what? ((Unfortunately, that is my story of the month....))
(FRANCE to AUSTRIA): How much to rent your army for a few turns? Russia is correct, I really could use just one more army in the East.
(G to AER): Well, are we in this thing together, or do we fight in a burning house?
(JAMES to SCHULTZ): Why are you rooting for Germany? I made the game interesting again. I gave you the breath of life again! After all of you complaining about the triple, I rip it apart and then you root for the other guy? (GERMANY to FRANCE): Why propose draw after draw, but not vote for them? Showmanship?
(FRANCE to GERMANY): Who guessed right in the Ruhr? My only goal was to not leave Munich open for a build. How did I do?
(BOOB to FRANCE): Pretty good, pretty good, but Germany didn't get any builds.... (STEVE to DREW): I half expect you'll move to swap Sevastopol for Rumania. I can deal with that, if that's what comes to pass. (FRANCE to BOOB): I should have 17 within my grasp. Could you give me a little help on the 18th and let me keep Sev? ((Nope.)) It will be one less game for you to worry about every month. ((I can handle it.))
(GERMANY to BOOB): ``Knaves all" . . . ``Knaves all" . . . Hmmm. Is this a trick question? Or something from one of those games I've never played, like Titan? Cribbage?
(VIRGINIA BEACH): Somehow, I missed out on the desert island music list. Is it too late to submit my own? ((Not at all, I didn't update mine yet.)) (And would you prefer that I do so next time, to ease your burdens somewhat?) ((Well, that's where it is now, but it is up to you.))
Personal Note to You: