THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #360

May 18, 2015


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/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html


We continue with the NEW Kendo Nagasaki game, join ANY time, just send me a guess!!!
So, as I write this I'm waiting for what pretty much has to be a good test of where I am on this cancer. I feel great, even though chemotherapy isn't the most fun thing in the world to go through. But we know we're headed toward some positive news. Ham is not my stomach's food of choice, and I'm not trying red meat like steak and hamburger, but I seem to be able to eat just about everything else, and even with volume (which wasn't possible before). So, next issue expect the big update, but I'm feeling positive. You're going to have to put up with me for quite awhile longer!!!
This issue continues the szine/subszine inversion. As most of you know, this thing began as a "subszine" 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 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. Doug may or may not be winding down, I may have to flip that back around again and be the centerpiece for all the subszines, we'll see. My intent right now is to do that. Feel free to communicate with me about how you want to do that, or if anyone else wants TAP subszine status.
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.
The Diplom.org site has moved. Chris Babcock and Mario Huys are now in charge. It all went pretty well, all things considered, and most of you probably didn't even notice it was happening. But if you find you cannot access the website with the PDFs and HTMLs of all the past issues... well, please let me know and we'll fix it. If you looked before, I was having some problems with updating, but I've corrected them, so you should be able to see everything there. The address is still: http://diplom.org/.
There are currently 75 members of the official TAP subscriber list, but that's down because in the move, there were some addresses dropped. http://lists.asciiking.com/mailman/listinfo/tap is the new list website. YOU need to make sure you're on this list. There you can check your subscribing options and whether you're registered. Register if you want to get TAP E-Mailed regularly.


THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE FEATURES SECTION (CONS/LETTERS/MUSIC)
((For upcoming cons around the world: http://www.diplom.org/Face/cons/index.php, but note that some of the Americans have stopped posting the tournaments there. Shame, shame, shame... with the move of the diplom.org site, I hope this will be reinvigorated. With a little nudging from me, that is changing, the Philly Massacre North American DipCon is now posted, remember it has moved from its traditional Fourth of July time to August 7-9th. As we print this, DixieCon is coming up THIS weekend, it may not be too late to make a last minute decision to go. Also, Weasel Moot IX in Chicago is coming up in a little bit less than a month, the web page for registration can be found at: http://windycityweasels.org/wm9.))


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 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:
Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Paul Rauterberg, Doug Kent, Paul Kenny, and Hugh Polley stand by for regular Diplomacy. I've pared down the standby list again. 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? Anything else people want me to offer? I'd love to do another game of Spy Diplomacy, but it requires commitment that seems in short supply these days, but let me know if you want me to reprint the rules.
REGULAR DIPLOMACY: need seven for another game start.
BREAKING AWAY: New game, want six! Andy York, Rick Desper, and Hank Alme are in.


THE DON WILLIAMS 57 MEMORIAL: 2014A, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1903 IS JUNE 20TH, 2015
Autumn and Winter 1902
AUSTRIA (Ozog): has a VIE, a TRI, a SER, a BUD, f GRE.
ENGLAND (Wiedemeyer): R f nth otb; has f ENG, f IRI, a YOR.
FRANCE (Ellinger): bld f mar; has f MAR, f BRE, a PIC, f NAO, a SPA, a BEL.
GERMANY (Abbott): has f DEN, f HEL, f NTH, a HOL, a KIE.
ITALY (Holley): has f NAP, f ION, a BOH, a VEN.
RUSSIA (Rauterberg): bld f stp(nc), a mos; has f STP(NC), a MOS, f NWY, f SWE, f AEG,
a GAL, a RUM.
TURKEY (Burgess): bld f smy; has f SMY, f EAS, a UKR, a BUL.


Supply Center Chart
AUSTRIA (Ozog): TRI,VIE,BUD,ser,gre (has 5, even)
ENGLAND (Wiedemeyer): EDI,LVP,LON (has 3 or 4, even(r:otb) or rem 1)
FRANCE (Ellinger): PAR,BRE,MAR,spa,por,bel (has 5, bld 1)
GERMANY (Abbott): KIE,BER,MUN,den,hol (has 5, even)
ITALY (Holley): ROM,NAP,VEN,tun (has 4, even)
RUSSIA (Rauterberg): WAR,STP,MOS,rum,con,swe,nwy (has 5, bld 2)
TURKEY (Burgess): ANK,SMY,bul,sev (has 3, bld 1)
Neutral: none (Total=34)


E-Mail Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Eric Ozog, elferic of juno.com
ENGLAND: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net
FRANCE: Marc Ellinger, mellinger of blitzbardgett.com
GERMANY: Will Abbott, wjja9 of yahoo.com
ITALY: Melinda Holley, genea5613 of aol.com
RUSSIA: Paul Rauterberg, paul.rauterberg of att.net
TURKEY: David Burgess, burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org


Game Notes:
1) I pushed it to get this issue out so you guys would have more time to negotiate, now use it!!!


Press:
(ENGLAND to GM): I think the phone lines in the North Sea and English Channel have been cut. Have not heard from anybody - not even an offer of a toady position!
(BOOB to ENGLAND): You're not making this much of a Duck Memorial if you guys won't talk... it looks like some action picked up in the East last time, what about the West??
(FOUND ON SCRAPS OF PAPER INSIDE AN OLD DESK FOUND INSIDE A PARSONAGE IN POMERANIA, DATE(S) UNKNOWN):
...it is not enough merely to belong to a religious body, whether the state's own church or another organization. Do you live the life of...
...love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all...
...questions aren't dangerous. Answers are dangerous, because they produce finality. Only answers can be wrong. Our word for decide is related to the word for sorrow. But the English word is more definite. It is related to the Latin word for killing. Deciding on answers...
...we often are only asked for obedience. But the best way to obey is to understand. Some tasks may be done without thinking. But how much more pleased...
...God is our ultimate Herr...
...England...France...we should never...the recent...Austr....
(remaining seven lines illegible)


THE PHIL REYNOLDS MEMORIAL: 2006B, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1913 IS JUNE 20TH, 2015
Autumn and Winter 1912
AUSTRIA (Burgess): bld a bud; has a BUD, a VIE, a TRI, a RUM, f ANK, a GAL, a TYO, a SER.
ENGLAND (James): bld a lon, a lvp, f edi; has a LON, a LVP, f EDI, f ENG, f IRI, a PIC, f BEL, a LVN,
f MID, a BER, a WAR, a MOS, f BRE, f AEG, f BAL, a MUN, f DEN.
FRANCE (Holley): has f EAS, f TYH, a SPA, a GAS, f ADR, f WES, a VEN.
ITALY (Crow): has a ALB.
RUSSIA (Kent): R a mun otb, rem a ukr, a boh; has a SEV.


Supply Center Chart
AUSTRIA (Burgess): VIE,BUD,TRI,ser,rum,bul,con,ank (has 7, bld 1)
ENGLAND (James): EDI,LVP,LON,nwy,bel,swe,hol, (has 14, bld 3)
den,kie,rom,stp,ber,mos,bre,smy,mun,war
FRANCE (Holley): PAR,spa,por,MAR,ven,tun,nap (has 7, even)
ITALY (Crow): gre (has 1, even)
RUSSIA (Kent): SEV (has 3 or 4, rem 2(r:otb) or 3)
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


Game Notes:
1) And we go on...
2) There is a proposal for an EFA draw, no vote vetoes it. Please vote with your Spring orders.


Press:
(ENGLAND to WORLD): Let's all vote on the E/F/A draw. I'll be voting a public "Yes".


FOR THE MEKONS ET AL.: Breaking Away, Designer's Rules
LOOKING FOR SIX PLAYERS INTERESTED IN A NEW GAME!!


Game Notes:
1) The rules are on the TAP website in the Tinamou section. Ask if you have any questions. Rules at:
http://www.diplom.org/Postal/Zines/TAP/Tinamou/rules/BreakingAway.htm
2) Is there interest in another game?? End game comments from this game below...
Hank Alme: An interesting game, I am going to have to play a few more games before I can develop any thoughts on strategy.
Rick Desper: Don't remember much about the early stages of this game. It seems that I've got a knack for getting points in the early sprints, but I still haven't figured out the knack for getting points at the finish line. This time was particularly skewed in that direction, but FWIW, had anybody snoozed on the last turn, Effie was going to be at 120 and finishing next. I figure that it's worth grabbing the points when they are there to be had. The alternative would be to hang back thinking that there's some way to get them at a later sprint line.
Brendan Whyte: I so suck at this game... and what a game when the guy who wins the race doesn't even win the race!?!
Andy York: Not really a lot to say about the Breaking Away game. I had a poor showing, but that happens at times. Thanks for running it and I'll sign up if you run it again (hoping for a better outcome!).


WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KENDO NAGASAKI
DEADLINE FOR TURN 6 IS JUNE 20, 2015, JOIN UP!!!
Kendo Nagasaki for me comes from the series in Eternal Sunshine... The full rules for Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki are in: http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/es58.pdf. Send a guess!!!


TURN 1
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
No Guess This Time Julius Gaius Caesar in Lugdunum, Gallia (Lyon, France)

Hank Alme: Marc Ellinger:
Ho Chi Minh in Dallas, TX Benjamin Franklin in Istanbul, Turkey

Conrad von Metzke:
Sultan Sir Muda Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, in the Castro district of San Francisco

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: You died about two centuries before I did.




TURN 2
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
No Guess This Time Ray Atkeson in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Hank Alme: Marc Ellinger:
Pearl Bailey in Sofia, Bulgaria Suetonius in Trieste, Italy

Conrad von Metzke:
Richard Nixon in Jerusalem

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: I was born less than a decade after you.




TURN 3
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Trayvon Martin in Tyrone, Missouri Janet Hill Gordon in Canton, China

Hank Alme: Marc Ellinger:
Bob Ross in London, England Henry Mancini in Nicosia, Cyprus

Conrad von Metzke: Rick Desper:
No Guess This Time Gronk in Foxboro, Massachusetts

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: Sorry, wrong gender, and no transgenders here...




TURN 4
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Francis Wallace Cope in New Delhi, India Francis Wallace Cope in Shanghai, China

Hank Alme: Marc Ellinger:
Xi Jinping in Kabul, Afghanistan Jackie Gleason in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Conrad von Metzke: Rick Desper:
Archie Moore in Indianapolis, Indiana Henry Mancini in Singapore

Andy York:
Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv, Israel

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: While you have my lifespan close to right, my profession may or may not be judged as similar.




TURN 5
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
David "Stringbean" Akeman in Kathmandu's rubble Francis Wallace Cope in Imphal, India

Hank Alme: Marc Ellinger:
Glenn Roberts in Chonqing, China Van Johnson in Jakarta, Indonesia

Conrad von Metzke: Rick Desper:
No Guess This Time John Wayne in Sofia, Bulgaria

Andy York:
Mahatma Gandhi in Islamabad, Pakistan

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: I was born just over a year before you, but lived more than a decade longer than you.




LAST WORD: OK, so the hobby really is taking off this year. There are more games, more subhobbies, more interest in the FTF tournaments, and just plain energy around than I've seen in many a year. The one thing being re-energized that you might not have heard about yet is the Diplomacy World Cup. I'm still on the Council and we're just starting to talk about which of the proposals will shine through. I think there is a less is more aspect to these things, I think the goal will be to dial DOWN the incentives and make them as low powered as possible, so there isn't much to manipulate. Anyone with ideas that they want to run by me would be appreciated. There also is some action on the "Diplomacy Artificial Intelligence" front, as there is a Challenge coming up in Leiden, the Netherlands at the beginning of July (entries due a month from now). I think they didn't give enough time to make this Challenge actually work, but I hope it increases the energy. Find out more at: https://icga.leidenuniv.nl/?page_id=987. Luckily, they did allow the DAIDE format in addition to their own DIPGAME format, since most of the work that has gone on has used DAIDE. Write something for Diplomacy World, deadline coming up July 1.


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 3.85.
On 18 May 2015, 21:31.