THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #351

August 20, 2014


Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 USA, (401)351-0287, jfburgess of gmail.com


E-MAIL/WEB ONLY ISSUE! PDF will be available on the website. We also are being reproduced in Eternal Sunshine.


Web Page Address: http://www.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html


We continue with Kendo Nagasaki, join ANY time, just send me a guess!!!
This issue continues the szine/subszine inversion. As most of you know, this thing began as a ßubszine" to Terry Tallman's North Sealth, West George, then became its own szine with a host of subszines. The subszines remaining will appear as sub-subszines to our new flipflopped home in Doug Kent's Eternal Sunshine. Doug's incessant nagging is not keeping us on schedule, but will make it so we keep going. I'd like to keep writing and doing some game GMing (note that has been expanding). I'm set on the GMing, and I'm starting to write a bit, hope there might be more. Let's get the new Diplomacy game going. Since Doug may be winding down, I may have to flip that back around again and be the centerpiece for all the subszines, we'll see.
For production, in addition to the HTML's of each separate product on the web page, I will also have a PDF that you can print of the entire subszine (including my famous handdrawn maps!). You can just print the maps if you like, but remember maps are for pikers anyway, you don't need no steenkin' maps, keep them up in your head where they belong.
General information about the mailing list is at: http://www.diplom.org/mailman/listinfo/tap You can sign up from there, or send E-Mails to: Tap-request of diplom.org; with the word `help' in the subject or body (don't include the quotes), and you will get back a message with instructions. You must know your password to change your options (including changing the password, itself) or to unsubscribe.


THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE FEATURES SECTION (CONS/LETTERS/MUSIC)
((For upcoming cons around the world: http://diplom.org/Face/cons/index.php, but note that some of the Americans have stopped posting the tournaments there. Shame, shame, shame... We know that Carnage in Vermont will end off the Nor'Easter sequence of events the first weekend in November, the rest of the year in the Northeast is clarifying slowly. Carnage talk is all about, if you're interested in going, now is the time to make arrangements. Rob Premus hasn't said anything about his tournament though. But expect updates in this space... Tempest will be coming up on Columbus Day weekend as usual too. I think most of you have seen it, but David Hill's article on being smoked at World DipCon (see: http://grantland.com/features/diplomacy-the-board-game-of-the-alpha-nerds/) has been generating lots of commentary, along with the appearance on This American Life, which you also can listen to on the web from the This American Life web site: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/531/got-your-back. Also, I will be running TempleCon again, February 6-8, 2015, here in Providence.))


NEW FEATURE: ROCK AND ROLL BANDS AND MOMENTS THAT MATTER
((If anyone from TAP or ES has ideas for more things to talk about here let me know. I do have five or six ideas lined up here already that I just have to write. The Ossipee Valley Music Festival back in July was lots of fun again, I don't think they make a lot of money, so I worry about their longevity, but I love their Maine small festival feel http://www.ossipeevalley.com/. I took my 6 year old grandson Noah to the Sunday festival this year, along with my brother-in-law. Noah has a ukulele and is learning piano already and had fun until he reached the end of his patience factor. There were predictions of thunderstorms as we sat down in front of the main stage to hear husband and wife team Carrie Elkin and Danny Schmidt sing and play. Danny played the song that he originally sung to Carrie to woo her, but she missed the point and didn't get what he was doing. Most of the time they apparently tour separately, but they were just brilliant together, Texas based singer songwriters who both speak from the heart. They finished up by singing "Amazing Grace" gorgeously as they celebrated that the rain had held off. They stopped singing and the skies opened up. We backed up under the tent at the back of the Maine Stage area just in time. They then moved the rest of the show into the Dance Barn. We all tromped in as the Maine Songwriter's Showcase was just finishing up and that songwriter (who also was really good!) got a boost in audience. It took a while to set up for The Stray Birds, a rootsy band from Pennsylvania. Noah was particularly interested in the standup bass and the standup bass player. And as we were admiring it, it so happened that we were standing next to the bass player's parents, so we struck up a conversation. They had traveled from Pennsylvania to see their son. Then they were ready to play so we sat back down, and as the rain poured down outside the open barn, The Stray Birds enticed us with brilliant harmonies featuring songs from their new album coming out in October. These singers and multi-instrumentalists were incredibly talented in their mix of folk and bluegrass influences. I'm definitely getting their new record and maybe the last one (that has some amazing reviews). Each of their songs was mesmerizing with really tight acoustic arrangements. And the rain beating down added to the atmosphere. Finally, the last band that day, I'm really sorry my wife Charlotte hadn't come along, she would have loved them. The Lonely Heartstring Band obviously had some great picking, some classically trained musicians, and a bit of Beatles mixed in. They really grabbed me, but finally, about half way through their set, Noah had had enough. He turns seven in a few weeks, but he was awfully young to hang with this entire event. I'm sure this is something he will remember. His sister Emily was practicing her pie baking, as she is entering the Fryeburg Fair competition at the end of September... ))


DIPLOMACY WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT IS ONGOING - YOU CAN STILL JOIN!
This is the latest incarnation of this team based tournament. I am helping to lead the Nor'Easter team for people in the Northeast part of the United States. https://www.facebook.com/groups/123795024327261/ is the Facebook page for the event.
And you can sign up for the Tournament at: http://aqmn.asciiking.com/. Other US regional teams are the ones in the Pacific, Dixie, and Chicago. Its unique aspect, that continues to be distorting, but in interesting ways, is its "solo only" feature. You advance from the preliminaries to the finals only by soloing, and then need solos in the finals against the other soloists. Though this started last January, it probably will be going on for at least another year, and there is PLENTY of time to jump in. As usual, for those who know me well, I screwed up my first game and allowed a solo to someone from team US. And then I could have soloed the second game, but well, I can't exactly say how I did it, but the Canadian player soloed there, with help from me. I still don't have a solo in over three decades, and now I'm waiting for my next game to start, you can join and get more games going!!! You can easily throw games, and in this format you can do it. I wonder why people like to drop the levels of the game in this way. It fascinates me. But in the finals of this tournament, it shouldn't happen, should it? The rules for the finals have been tweaked and the finals SHOULD start in September any day now. But you still can join the qualifiers, openings are there now!!!


THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE GAMES SECTION
I am continuing to note cut or failed support orders with a small "s" instead of a capital "S". This will make it easier on the E-Mailed version of the szine to see what happened, since the italics don't show there. The italics DO show on the web page just fine. Since I'm not postal mailing the szine any more, I've dropped back to just reporting the disguised E-Mail addresses. As someone notes, if you need some more contact information, go back to past issues or ask me.
Standby lists:
Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Steve Emmert, Vince Lutterbie, Paul Rauterberg, Doug Kent, Heath Gardner, Paul Kenny, and Hugh Polley stand by for regular Diplomacy. I've pared down the standby list according to who I'm actually in touch with. If I removed you and you want to be added back, just say so. Otherwise, just let me know if you want on or off these lists, especially OFF given the new policies.


GAME OPENING INFORMATION
I'm going to start the game opening list over. Under the new regime, who wants to play what?
DIPLOMACY: I would love to run Spy Diplomacy again some time, any interest in that? Something else?? Another Regular Diplomacy game? I would like to start one that at least informally is a memorial to Don.
SPY DIPLOMACY: Heath Gardner (not sure if that is still active), need at least six more.
REGULAR DIPLOMACY: need seven, I really want to restart from the game that we had to stop.


THE PHIL REYNOLDS MEMORIAL: 2006B, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1910 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2014
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1911 IS OCTOBER 18TH, 2014
Fall 1910
AUSTRIA (Burgess): a BUD S a tri, f bul(sc)-CON, a vie-GAL,
a TRI s a boh-tyo (nso), a SER S a tri.
ENGLAND (James): f NWG h, a den-LVN, f BAR S a stp, a FIN h,
a pru s FRENCH a ber-sil (nso; d r:sil,otb), a STP h, f NTH h,
f ION-aeg, f GOB S a den-lvn, a KIE-ber, f APU-ion, f BAL C a den-lvn.
FRANCE (Holley): f TYH C a mar-nap, f GOL C a mar-nap, a mar-NAP, a mun s a tyo (d r:ruh,bur,otb),
a VEN-tri, f ADR s ENGLISH a apu-alb (nsu), a BER s a mun,
f TUN h, a TYO S a ven-tri.
ITALY (Crow): a GRE h.
RUSSIA (Kent): a MOS-stp, a sil-MUN, a WAR S f lvn-pru, a BOH S a sil-mun,
f EAS-aeg, f lvn-PRU.


Supply Center Chart
AUSTRIA (Burgess): VIE,BUD,TRI,ser,rum,bul,con (has 5, bld 1 (PLAYS ONE SHORT))
ENGLAND (James): EDI,LVP,LON,nwy,bel,swe,hol, (has 11 or 12, even(r:otb) or rem 1)
den,kie,rom,stp
FRANCE (Holley): PAR,BRE,spa,por,MAR, (has 8 or 9, bld 1(r:otb) or even)
ven,tun,ber,nap
ITALY (Crow): gre (has 1, even)
RUSSIA (Kent): WAR,SEV,MOS,ank,smy,mun (has 6, even)
Neutral: none (Total=34)


E-Mail Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: David Burgess, burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org
ENGLAND: Drew James, kjames01 of twcny.rr.com or karelanddrew of gmail.com
FRANCE: Melinda Holley, genea5613 of aol.com
GERMANY: Marc Ellinger, mellinger of blitzbardgett.com
ITALY: John Crow, johnny.crow of hotmail.com
RUSSIA: Doug Kent, dougray30 of yahoo.com
TURKEY: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca


Game Notes:
1) The DIAS game ending proposal failed. New draw proposals, to vote with your Winter orders are: DIAS, EF, EFR, and concession to E. If more than one proposal passes, the SMALLEST one that passes goes. If you fail to vote, you veto any proposal you do not vote on. Methinks there are changes afoot, but that's up to you all.
2) Send all good thoughts to Heath Gardner, who still has just been having a terrible time on all fronts. I think he thinks he is beginning to see a way out, though. So let's hope that is a way out. Thanks to Doug Kent for stepping in for the game position.


Press:
(DREW to DON): You are missed!
(RUSSIA -– WORLD): When nobody contacts me or responds to me don't expect my moves to fit whatever had been going on in the game.
(BOOB to RUSSIA and THE WORLD): I really, really hope that is about to change. Come on, boys and girls, let's play, or let's not.


FOR THE MEKONS ET AL.: Breaking Away, Designer's Rules
THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 9 IS SEPTEMBER 20, 2014!!
Turn 8: District 12 takes all the big Sprint Line 2 points
83 (replenish with a 3) Peeta Mellark (8)
82 (replenish with a 4) Katniss Everdeen (10)
81 (replenish with a 5) Haymitch Abernathy (6)
-S-P-R-I-N-T- -F-I-N-I-S-H- -L-I-N-E-
80 (no replenishment) None
79 (no replenishment) None
78 (replenish with a 3) Effie Trinket
77 (no replenishment) None
76 (replenish with a 3) Travis
75 (replenish with a 4) Larry Csonka
74 (replenish with a 5) Ernie Davis
73 (no replenishment) None
72 (no replenishment) None
71 (no replenishment) None
70 (no replenishment) None
69 (no replenishment) None
68 (replenish with a 3) Mustrum Ridcully
67 (replenish with a 4) Moist von Lipwig, Bowie
66 (no replenishment) None
65 (replenish with a 3) Dziewulski
64 (no replenishment) None
63 (replenish with a 3) Houston
62 (replenish with a 4) CMOT Dibbler, Jean Van de Velde
61 (replenish with a 6) Sam Vimes, Sylvester Carmouche
60 (replenish with a 8) Roberto Rojas
59 (replenish with a 9) Ryan Leaf, Floyd Little
58 (replenish with a 11) Jim Brown
57 (replenish with a 12) Arciszewski
56 (no replenishment) None
55 (replenish with a 3) Cwierczakiewiczowa
54 (no replenishment) None
53 (no replenishment) None
52 (no replenishment) None
51 (no replenishment) None
50 (replenish with a 3) Crockett
49 (no replenishment) None
48 (no replenishment) None
47 (no replenishment) None
46 (no replenishment) None
45 (replenish with a 3) Barszczewski


Addresses of the Participants - Their Team and Their Cards
TEAM 1 (Hank Alme): cobblers of gmail.com (0 points)
Team Name: Vetinari's Terriers; TEAM CAPTAIN: Sam Vimes
A: Moist von Lipwig (9) 7, 3, 4
B: Mustrum Ridcully (10) 3, 3, 3
C: Sam Vimes (5) 6, 3, 6
D: CMOT Dibbler (6) 3, 3, 4
Total Replenishments: 47 + 32 + 30 + 42 + 16 + 19 + 12 + 17 = 215
TEAM 2 (Andy Bate): andydbate of gmail.com (0 points)
Team Name: Racing Froggy; TEAM CAPTAIN: Jean Van de Velde
A: Jean Van de Velde (10) 14, 3, 4
B: Roberto Rojas (6) 7, 5, 8
C: Sylvester Carmouche (6) 8, 5, 6
D: Ryan Leaf (7) 12, 3, 9
Total Replenishments: 18 + 29 + 42 + 52 + 21 + 29 + 17 + 27 = 235
TEAM 3 (David Burgess): burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org (19 points)
Team Name: Syracuse Orangemen
A: Ernie Davis (5) 3, 3, 3, 5
B: Jim Brown (6) 12, 3, 11
C: Floyd Little (7) 16, 3, 9
D: Larry Csonka (6) 4, 3, 4
Total Replenishments: 79 + 55 + 19 + 29 + 17 + 14 + 12 + 29 = 254
TEAM 4 (Rick Desper): rick_desper of yahoo.com (43 points)
Team Name: District 12
A: Katniss Everdeen (7) 7, 5, 3, 4
B: Haymitch Abernathy (8) 3, 3, 5
C: Peeta Mellark (8) 3, 3, 3
D: Effie Trinket (24) 3, 6, 3
Total Replenishments: 92 + 90 + 16 + 12 + 16 + 28 + 15 + 15 = 284
TEAM 5 (Brendan Whyte): BWHYTE of nla.gov.au (1 point)
Team Name: The Reverse Polish Notationists (a.k.a. The Unpronounceables)
A: Arciszewski (3) 9, 3, 6, 12
B: Barszczewski (3) 3, 3, 3
C: Cwierczakiewiczowa (3) 4, 6, 3
D: Dziewulski (3) 3, 5, 3
Total Replenishments: 50 + 46 + 14 + 14 + 15 + 17 + 17 + 21 = 194
TEAM 6 (Andy York): (0 points)
Team Name: Team Alamo
A: Travis (12) 9, 4, 3, 3
B: Crockett (3) 3, 3, 3
C: Bowie (4) 6, 4, 4
D: Houston (3) 3, 7, 3
Total Replenishments: 44 + 65 + 20 + 31 + 15 + 19 + 13 + 13 = 220


Game Notes:
1) The rules are on the TAP website in the Tinamou section. Ask if you have any questions. Rules at:
http://diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/Tinamou/rules/BreakingAway.htm
Up above in parentheses is the card you played to get to where you are in the field. The replenishment card is the last card in your list. Be careful to note that the card you played (the one in parentheses) is not available for you, for next turn. Just for fun, I keep track of total replenishment, by turn, which is a rough measure of how the teams are doing. Of course, it is lining up to get across the sprint (40/80) and final (120) lines in the right places that really counts. We can calculate an "efficiency score" later, which will be the ratio of scoring points per replenishment. If I'm predicting how the future of this will come out based on doing this before, about half the players will get scores below 5% and getting better than a 10% score will be really tremendous for this measure.
2) Wow, no one replenished above a total of 17, and two of you had the minimum replenishment of 12. When will the pack reform, or will it? Remember that the next Sprint Line is at 80 (getting to 81 to score).


Press:
(BOOB to RIDERS): You CAN write press, you know, even if it is to yell at Rick as he pedals out of sight.


WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KENDO NAGASAKI
THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 8 IS SEPTEMBER 20, 2014!!
Kendo Nagasaki games in Eternal Sunshine continue to multiply like weeds... I'd like to get more people engaged here, not just the usual suspects from Doug's games. The full rules for Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki are in: http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/es58.pdf. The player who was closest for Turn 6 has been notified by E-Mail. Note that the official rules say you're supposed to get this by TURN 10, time to get a bit closer on WHO Kendo is.

TURN 7
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Al Franken in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Rush Limbaugh in Salinas de Garci Mendoza, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess This Time Gene Simmons in Oruro, Bolivia

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Bill O'Reilly in Arequipa, Peru No Guess This Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Glenn Beck in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia Sarah Lee née Gore in Tacna, Peru

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
Jon Stewart in Montero, Bolivia Michelle Obama in La Paz, Bolivia

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: You still have the wrong gender, while also being quite confused about the real name of the person you accuse me of being.

TURN 6
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Mrs. Bill Clinton in Sucre, Bolivia Sonny Bono in Jesus de Machaca Municipality, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess This Time George Will in Toledo, Bolivia

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Rush Limbaugh in Potosi, Bolivia No Guess This Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
George Clooney in Sucre, Bolivia Jane Fonda in Arica, Chile

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
No Guess This Time John Boehner in Honolulu, Hawaii

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: My appearances on TV are still for entirely different reasons than yours have been, I have referred to something in which you appeared on my show though.

TURN 5
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
No Guess this Time Jimmy Carter in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess this Time Harry Reid in Oruro, Bolivia

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
John Boehner in Antofagasta, Chile Angela Merkel in Managua, Nicaragua

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
John McCain in La Paz, Bolivia Nancy Pelosi in La Paz, Bolivia

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
Michelle Obama in Trujillo, Peru No Guess this Time

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: Although I have discussed the possibility of running for some much, much lesser office someday, it's likely you have never heard of those statements of interest of mine; I much more famously have labeled as an "idiot" a person in a similar specific elected position as you have.

TURN 4
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Mrs. Al Gore in Ascención, Paraguay Michelle Obama's husband in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess this Time Bob Barker in Santiago, Chile

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Hillary Clinton in Lima, Peru No Guess this Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Katie Couric in Sao Paulo, Brazil Dennis Rodman in Bogotá, Colombia

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
Hillary Clinton in Bogotá, Colombia President Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: OK, but I am part of a larger group than that. ((CLARIFICATION: I am a member of a larger group than the group you imply by your guess.))

TURN 3
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Diana Rigg in Anchorage, Alaska Michelle Obama in Valparaiso, Chile

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
Gov. Chris Christie in Hamhung, North Korea Mark David Chapman in San Francisco, CA

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Stephen Colbert in Brasilia, Brazil Stephen Colbert in Santiago, Chile

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Landon Donovan in Quito, Ecuador Tom Brokaw in Caracas, Venezuela

Steen Alme:
Al Gore in Buenos Aires, Argentina

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: Oooh, I think you have the wrong gender, try again.

TURN 2
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Diana Rigg in Pyongyang, North Korea Jennifer Jones in New York, New York

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
Henry Kissinger in Sao Paulo, Brazil Harrison Ford in Mexico City, Mexico

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Zsa Zsa Gabor in Beverly Hills, CA Dennis Rodman in La Paz, Bolivia

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Stephen Ambrose in Seattle, WA Scarlett Johansson in Havana, Cuba

Steen Alme:
Kim Jong-Un in Sevastopol, Ukraine

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: While I also have appeared on television in some form, I have done so for different reasons than you.

TURN 1
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Diana Rigg in Anchorage, Alaska Rex Roberts in Alexandria, Egypt

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
Jimmy "the Greek" in Las Vegas, NV Charlton Heston in Rome, Italy

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards in Sochi, Russia Pierre Trudeau in Montevideo, Uruguay

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Ian Fleming in Tegucigalpa, Honduras George McArthur in Seoul, South Korea

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: Unfortunately, you are very much dead, while I am very much alive.


LAST WORD: A short last word this time since I have to postal mail some orders to John Boardman for that game that I'm in, and E-Mail orders to Doug for his szine. We still are hoping that Doug finds some motivation, I think it's about him wanting to get his book published, so anyone who can help him or offer advice on that should talk to him.
And also, on August 29th, I'll be lamenting that Don never reached his 57th birthday, join me in doing so.


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 3.85.
On 19 Sep 2014, 21:59.