Welcome to Tinamou #37, produced by Dave Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline NH, 03033 (email: rebhuhn@rocketmail.com ). Tinamou now appears on the web in conjunction with TAP. The web page has everything you’ll find here including maps. Go to Jim’s index page /Postal/Zines/TAP and check it out, your comments and suggestions are welcome!

It’s rather annoying that Jim and I obviously have different versions of the same software. I spend lots of time lining things up nicely, then I send it to Jim and on his machine tables wrap across pages, etc. Arrrrghh-pphhhtttt.

March has come and gone, and with it the annual stirring of the democratic impulse in small town New England, at least in the small towns of Vermont and New Hampshire that I have lived in. Yes, in our small towns we still practice actual democracy, one citizen, one vote. I’m talking of course of the venerable institution of town meetings. I don’t know how it is done in other parts of the country, but here in northern New England, major issues are still decided in a yearly town meeting. Everyone on the town list may attend, and each attendee gets one vote and a chance to speak their piece. Between the annual School meeting, the annual Hollis/Brookline Coop School meeting ( a two nighter) and town meeting, I spent four nights in open forum meetings (at least 4 hours each night) debating the course that our schools and towns would take over the next year.

While we do have an agenda and a set of proposals that the selectman, school boards and various committees have spent long hours preparing, the final say rests with the voters in the meetings, and they are free to amend and proposal and make any new proposal that they wish.

For example, the renovation of the middle school was defeated so there will be no changes this year. On the other hand, a new track at the high school was approved, and the voters decided to increase the elementary school budget in order to expand the fifth grade from 4 to 5 classes in order to keep the class size down. The thing to note is that the extra class was not on the agenda, it was proposed by a voter at the meeting and adopted by those in attendance. Bonds for conservation were set aside, land purchases were approved or disapproved, and an attempt to increase the size of the school board failed.

To me these meetings are a wonderful opportunity to see how democracy really can work in a small enough setting. They also are a sad statement about the amount of participation among our populace. On the matter of an 8.5 million dollar middle school renovation, the bond measure failed to reach the needed 60% by 14 votes out of just over 800 cast. This out of over 6000 registered voters in the two towns! And in a secret ballot that was open for an entire day between the two nights of the meeting! Each and every voter has a chance to have their say and cast their vote, yet only a small percentage show up, although when something causes the taxes to go up you can be sure that there will be many vocal complainers.

An interesting change in recent years however has been how the new information age has affected all of this. All meetings are now carried live on the local cable channel. A fair number of voters who can’t or don’t want to attend the meeting watch it on the cable channel, and then dash in when a vote they are interested in is held. Since no one in town is more than 10 minutes from the centrally located school where the meeting is held, this has helped participation a lot. Another innovation that arrived just this year after the dismal turn out was that our town now has its very own Yahoo Group where out of a population of 4000, we have over 120 members and climbing. Given that Brookline is a town with many young families with many children, that actually represents an impressively large number of households.

Tinamou appears in every other TAP. The game deadlines are always the Monday before the appropriate TAP deadline, which is always a Saturday. See TAP for the dates.

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Regular Diplomacy Copernicus

Russia WINS! No wait, April Fool! Oh wait, I already used that one, sorry about that. Russia invades the German homeland, taking Ber, and completes his conquest of Turkey with Smy while his fleet is granted shore leave in London and he retakes Vie. All sounds good, but Italy swaps Tri for Vie and while Russia is invading Germany, Germany is invading Russia, holding onto War and walking into an undefended StP holding Russia to 17 centers once again.

Russian a war - mos

Italian f lon: wal, OTB

Italian a vie: Boh, otb

*Italy is even if retreats one unit off the board, builds one if retreats two units off the board.

**Russia builds one due to an annihilation

GIR draw Please vote with your orders

Russia - Germany/Italy: Ok, I've probably screwed it up and can't win. 3-way?

Italy to Russia: I will give you two more turns to propose a draw, then we will have to defeat you.

Italy to Germany: I'm curious to see how this works now that we have actually tried to coordinate things!

BOOB to CONQUEST: I'm slotted in nicely behind you. I beat you to the finish line for sure!!!

PEKUAH to CONQUEST: I gotcha too!

GM – PEKUAH: Sorry my lady, but by the time you finish the spectators will be in the bars having a beer.

BOOB to WAR: You win for sure, but get thee Famine and Death a movin' so I can score off of them!!

GM to BOOB: They moved, but it isn’t going to help you. And that win won’t be as big as some might think, those Late Night guys are showing some character!

BOOB to IMLAC: Some brilliant philosopher YOU are. You really screwed us up. Sacrifice yourself to your princess, NOW!

NEKAYAH to IMLAC: Thank you, dear philosopher. I can cross the finish line now!!

GM – NEKAYAH: Well, not now, but next turn, if there were going to be a next turn that is, so maybe not at all.

BOOB to GM: Yeah, SV Clinton might be second, but Rasselas should be fourth!! Why can't we destroy death!!!

GM – BOOB: Yeah, that’s a good idea. Kill him dead!

BOOB to GM: And I can do better than fourth in the whole game, can't I??? All should be clear when we see what Koala does... baby needs a four....

GM to BOOB: Yeah, I’m putting you at fourth, not that Koala helped at all.

Clinton to Carter: Go get 'em Jim! Pretend there's an African election you have to monitor!!!

Horsemen - GM: We're playing our biggest cards. The end is near!

GM – Horsemen: It’s Apocalypse time for the rest of them!

Conquest - GM: I went out and bought an "Ab-Buster" specially for this game...

GM – Conquest: I think what you wanted was a "Boob-Buster"

Conquest - Pekuah: That sychro-dude might be ahead of me next turn, but you sure won't be. Keep pedaling.

Famine - Elevenses: Let's put the pedal to the metal. There may still be hope.

GM – Famine: Oh yeah, 11 is going to be the magic number.

Death - Boob: Elvis is still in the building.

Triumph -> Boob: Can you read the writing on the wall? Perhaps you should move a bit slower. It says "YOU'RE TOO SLOW!"

Triumph -> Horsemen: Odd that my Clinton should finish between War and Death. Hmmm...

Moron -> Field: Hey, there's the Pacific Time Zone! The race

is almost done!

Stacy -> President Carter: Can I ride next to you the rest of the

way? I always loved your foreign policy and work with Habitat for Humanity.

Segue Sam -> Koala Bear and Pekuah: I hope you placed yourselves in 112 and 111 so I might be able to finish the race at the same time as the rest of my team.

GM – Segue Sam: No such luck, but your team did well and you’re right behind them.

Triumph -> President Ford: TWEET! You know how much that hurts my ears every time you blow that &#^%^& whistle? I'm a _DOG_ for Criminee's sake!

The second column (to the left of the rider’s name) contains the card played this round. New cards received are in bold.

(36) The Four Horsemen (Eric Brosius: 53 Bird Street, Needham MA 02492 72060.1540@compuserve.com)

(16) The Goz Transportation Co. (Warren Goesle: 3907 Cedar Ridge, #1B, Indianapolis, IN 46235 gozcorp@iquest.com)

Team Manager: Gerald Ford

Dead Rock Stars (Phil Reynolds, 2896 Oak St., Sarasota, FL 34237-7344 preyno@yahoo.com)

(19) Late Night Characters (Rick Desper rick_desper@yahoo.com)

Coached by Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog

(26) The Abyssinian Prince, (Jim Burgess: 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 burgess@world.std.com)

(1) The Warm Fuzzies ( Sara Reichert, 20805 Margaret St., Carson, CA 90745-1224)

Team Leader: Sweet Sara

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Woolworth II-D: Who's Your Buddy?

For the second time, the Russians pass through Munich, but fail to stay and settle in. With Denmark no one deciding to visit the empty Denmark, Germany once again has more builds than it knows what to do with, despite the loss of Galicia. Mindful that the French were on the far side of bored <sic>, the Russian’s bring them a little up close and personal participation as they storm into Switzerland to root out all vestiges of capitalism.

RUS f kie – bal

Ger a sil – boh, otb

*Germany only has room for one build

Proposals (Please vote with your orders)

France-Russia: Spain and I have Italy bottled up nicely. Looks like time for you to make your move. I'm sure my brethren in Madrid can be convinced to play to live if you'll take the solo.

GM – France: Seems your brethren in Zurich are playing along!

Germany - everybody who isn't Russia or Italy: This may be the most un-Diplomacy-like thing to say, but, please, Norse or anyone else who needs them, take some of my centers. I only need three, max, and you other front-line guys could use the units (especially in Scandinavia!). Let the nobility of the German people be remembered.

Kraut - Norse: I don't think any instructions could be clearer than that. Take Sweden, Holland, or Denmark and go, man, go! If we were still heathens we would wait for you in Valhalla...

Germany - Russia: Ha! I have sowed the seeds of your downfall. Of course, I planted them in a cave in a desert (so they'll get no sun or water, you see)...

GM – Germany: Ah, but years from now when the bombers attack the caves and split them open and the rays of sun reach these parched seeds….

Austria - Germany: Shut up. You have been nothing if not useless this game. Sell out France like you sold me out. Shut up and die already so we can all move on.

GM – Austria: And just where are you going to move on to? Don’t tell me you’ve been sitting in Purgatory all this time?

Spain - France. Well, if we didn't get it right this time, I will support YOU into WES next turn.

Vikings to all: I cant be believink dat I be helpin de fool krautmunchers. By Thor's teeth, it be his treacherous nature wot got us all inna dis mess. No hard feelinks. We go down swinging. See you in Valhalla!

GM – Vikings: Sorry, the German says he already has another booking.

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A few more players have joined the lists, but we are still woefully short of a new game. Only 7 game starts last year that Conrad registered. Come on now, prove that this hobby isn’t dying!!

Fog of War Phil Reynolds variant where you only see what your units can see. Best not leave that back door open, someone might slip in.

Dead of Night: Forget what your units can see, you only know where your units are. Everything else is a mystery. Only for the truly perverse! Makes Fog of War look like Light of Day.

Perestroika Diplomacy: Add an economic twist to the classic game. Centers generate revenue, armies and fleets must be maintained, and treasuries can be sacked! Rules are available on request.

Signed up: Art Schleinkofer, Phil Reynolds, Jack McHugh

Standard Diplomacy: Nothing new, nothing novel. The only twist to this game is that I strongly encourage players without email to join up. The long deadlines make it easier to get those negotiations in. That is not to say that I do not want people with email joining, but please do not do so unless you are prepared to negotiate fully with those people who don’t have email and rely on the Postal Service.

Signed up: Phil Reynolds, Chris Lockheardt, Bob Dowrey, Hank Alme

Black Hole Diplomacy: Watch the spaces disappear and the trips to the other side of the board get shorter and shorter. No stalemate lines in this variant. Great for those who like a free-for-all.

Signed up: Jack McHugh

Just the results please: Don’t really know what to call this one as I just came up with it. Perhaps it’s been tried before. The twist for this variant is that each season only the ending unit positions are published, not the orders. You’ll know who went where, but not who helped whom, or want may have been tried unsuccessfully.

Signed up: Phil Reynolds

Colonia: A world spanning variant with colonies. Lots of room for interesting convoys and plenty of interactions. A great game for practicing your tactics.

Railway Rivals: Anyone interested in a railroad game? Send me your favorite map and I’ll be happy to run it.

Signed up: Conrad von Metzke, Eric Brosius, Hank Alme

Breaking Away: Tour de Farce is wrapping up, time to start a new one. Pump up your tires and join in the fun.

Signed up: Eric Brosius, Tom Howell

Industrial Waste: A new game for 3-4 players. Manager your factory and build your products, but beware, increased production means more waste, and if you aren’t careful you’ll find that working in a sludge pit affects your productivity and the bottom line.

Signed up: Eric Brosius

Reader’s Choice: I’m open to anything, just send me the rules and if I think I can run it, I’ll offer it.

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RDC has a powerful thirst and buys a water factory (Or3, Or4, Wa5, Wa8) and a population factor to man it (Wa10).

Swiftsure opens the bidding on a Nodule and wins it for 25 (Wa8, Wa8, Or4, Or3, Or2).

HDBC VI opens the bidding on Heavy Equipement, but is outbid by Bartertown who wins it for 36 (Or5, Or1, Wa7, Wa9, Wa6, Wa8)

HDBC VI then opens the bidding on the second HE and wins it for 35 (Wa8, Or3, Or2, Wa6, Wa9, Wa7)

MMC slakes his own thirst with another water factory (Wa9, Wa7, Wa6) and imports population to man it (Wa10).

Bartertown, Mark III now passes.

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Shrek joins the party again. The Boob tries to welcome him back with a dirigible, but just scares a tree a little instead. Meanwhile the snowman doesn’t do Boob much good as the Hare pastes him with a couple of Rattlesnakes.

Shrek -> field: Sorry I had to duck out for a sec. Had to collect an Oscar you know.

(singing)

SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME THE WORLD WAS GOING TO ROLL ME,

I AIN'T THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED...

Shrek -> Boob: it's no fun playing with you so I'm not going to anymore. See if _you_ like it!

SH to Shrek: Is that weed rat stew ready yet? Everyone out here is gettin' hungry!

Shrek -> Field: don't bother conifer showering this tree. It's not like I'm going to stay here. Or will I? Mu-ha-ha-ha-hah.

Shrek -> Snowman, Rabbit, and Brothers: let's all rush Boob! He can't hit all of us! Dirigible city!

BOOB to SHREK: And...... GOTCHA!

GM – Boob: Well, it was a good idea anyway. A Conifer Storm would have been neat.

Shrek -> Colonel Walter Kurtz: the horror, the horror. The SNOW!

little bald one to bigger boob: I don't like natural. I like doggy style. I turn around and scoop yellow snow at you from between my legs.

little bald one to snowshoe hare: fix me like a cat? When i like it doggy style? It is you who needs a good spading my friend. Preferably with a snow shovel.

SH to SB: Thank ye kindly. But I'm not runnin' indoors 'till I absolutely have to. I'm not a yellow rabbit.

Bald one to Boob: stop talking to the Dalton's fly... or my fly for that matter. I don't stare at YOUR chest when talking to YOU. But I’ve got quite a hairy spider behind my fly. No wonder you have arachnophobia.

Bald one to Shrek: here green thing, I've got two large round white things in my hand, all ready to shove in your face. Come away from the kitchen door, and let me present you with them, up close and personal.

BOOB to SOFTSNOWSHOE: You may be smaaaat, but you ain't too good at predicting the Dalton's movements!!!

GM – BOOB: No, but he seems to know just where you are!

SH to Aboobable: Hide behind that snowbody as long as you like--you're not getting any prettier, and we're going to deface you!

BOOB to PJGIV: If you can't play in the yard where we can whomp you, stop bragging!

ABOOBABLE SNOWMAN DEFENDS: Yes, I will defend my brother snowman. Some BOOB pulled off his head and chucked it, but I will defend his body against all comers. I call upon the powers from above to strengthen my hand and keep me out of the kitchen!!

BOOB to OSAMA WHO'S BEEN LADEN: Naw, you're powerless before the snow. Maybe when Spring comes, we'll unfreeze you, but maybe not.

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