Hot off the Scanner!

The Diplomatic Pouch Team at the Con Standing (from left to right): Jamie McQuinn, Simon Szykman, Pitt Crandlemire. Seated: Manus Hand. Larry Peery took this picture of us before the tournament got underway. As the patriarch (according to Larry) of this motley crew, he had me sit. I am relieved (and surprised) to find that this picture doesn't show me with three pairs of rabbit ears. It was truly great to finally meet all the other people who work with me on The Pouch. If I thought (as I did) the friendships I had with them were strong before, I had no idea of the bonds we would form.

The International Contingent Clockwise from top-left: Roland Isaksson, Bjørn von Knorring, Leif Bergman, Pascal Mantegna (bearded), Mark Borer (lower-right), Brendan Whyte, Steve Cox, Bruno-André Giraudon Larry snapped this photo of the eight participants who came from out of the country. The three Swedes are standing, the two Frenchmen are bearded, Steve Cox is an Englishman, Brendan Whyte is from New Zealand, and Mark Borer travelled from Canada. I myself only had the great pleasure of playing against Leif, but I witnessed enough games to know that the diplomatic skill in the photo here is quite impressive indeed.

The World DipCon Awards The Rivasseau-Peery Trophy (also known as The World Dip Cup) is the centerpiece of the awards table. Best Country Awards (three of which went to members of the Pouch Team, my own being a Colonial Diplomacy award [top right]) surround the Cup. At top left is a special award given to Pitt, whose dedication to the game found him at the table for 23 hours in a 26 hour timespan. Also shown are the "Golden Blade" and "Death with Dignity" awards, and other prizes given out.

The Two Immediate Past WDC Champions The 1994 Champion Pascal Mantegna and his successor, the 1995 Champion Bruno-André Giraudon are shown here with the World Dip Cup. World DipCon VI was honored to have both immediate past World Champions in attendance to very ably attempt to inscribe their names yet again on the Cup.

A Typical Scene Here you see Diplomats in their natural environment. With other games going on in the background, this lucky group is seen gathered around the "Brase Board," the wood-mounted Diplomacy board expertly created by Pouch-lover Ry4an Brase (standing, in black shirt). Brase was convinced to attend by none other than yours truly. He and the friends he brought with him (who formed a team for the Team Competition and named it "Those Damn Irresponsible Teenagers") are spoken of in other articles about the Con as the young group who shunned the hotel route and actually slept on rollups beneath the tables in the game room!

Recreation Before the Final Round Seated (clockwise from lower-left): Bruce Reiff, (unknown), Manus Hand, Simon Szykman, Don Del Grande, Leif Bergman. Standing: Dan Mathias. Early on the final day of the tournament, after the Hobby Meeting, a group gathered to revel in a card game where the intention is to loudly cry "Moo...!" when bad things happen to other people. I heard a lot of mooing, as I was the overwhelming loser!

The New World Champion! The Pouch's very own Pitt Crandlemire, the 1996 World Diplomacy Champion, holding the Rivasseau-Peery Trophy (the World Dip Cup). While my own performance was nothing to be ashamed of, I was entranced watching Pitt. Given the length of Pitt's games, I had the good fortune to be able to watch him in all three rounds. Pitt is a very deserving champion, and I am happy to egotistically claim part of the credit for inviting him to the event (and for ruining Leif Bergman's second round chances to take the tournament lead).

The Awards "Banquet" Travel plans kept me (and Simon) from partaking in the sumptuous post-awards banquet, where Pitt and the international contingent are found enjoying the classic American celebration cuisine.