| April 8, 2001 |
Web Page Address: /Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html
THE ARSENIC AND OLD FARTS FINAL STATEMENT IS AT THE END OF THE SZINE - CHECK IT OUT!
The szine is slightly late, but we should be alright.
If anyone has a serious problem, we can delay games on specific request.
I wanted to take the beginning of the szine for a George W. Bush editorial
from a perspective I haven't seen yet in the increasingly homogenous US
national media.
You know what ONE single event of the Bush presidency indicates to me
the mistaken initial direction of this administration more than any other?
I'll bet you'll be surprised and may even have forgotten entirely about
this issue yourselves.
OK, raise your hands, how many of you remember that there was an earthquake
in India - centered in Gujarat - a little over two months ago??
Brits don't count, since you have heard a lot about this, but this has
gotten NO coverage in the US.
How serious is this? On the BBC World Service a week ago or so, one of their correspondents visited a city in Gujarat that he previously had visited right after the earthquake. Two months later, NO cleanup had begun, and NO buildings in the city were habitable. The mayor and his granddaughter were living in the mayor's car (which was surrounded by debris and couldn't move) and most of the rest of the town was living in tents or in the open. Apparently there is both a lack of equipment and a lack of money. The Brits are somewhat organized in trying to do something about this.
On the BBC's web site, you can see evidence of concern from the British Indian community with music fundraisers:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/asiannetwork/appeals.shtml
and for more general news and a comprehensive list of websites collecting British funds see:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/asianlife/news/appeal1.shtml
OK, so you ask, what does all this have to do with Mr. Bush?? The US also has a significant Indian community and there have been isolated campus protests about the US turning a blind eye to this situation, but it gets NO coverage. Going back to the turn of the last century, is George W. Bush is no Teddy Roosevelt. Where is the bully pulpit?? I'm not even asking for direct US funds or commitments, just a statement of awareness - that would be all that is needed to help the situation. Compassionate conservatism, my foot.... and my foot is booting our dear President in the butt! Where is the so-called greatest nation in the world and just a tiny bit of help from the President on the awareness issue? I have no problem with many other elements of the conservative Republican message, but this is the one that just burns my butt. Sorry, but I'm really pissed at this one. Many of his other deficiencies have gotten at least some airing, but this one I see as the greatest harbinger of bad feeling against America around the world - and that we shall come to regret and pay for dearly. Rant ended......
THE DUE DATE FOR ALL TINAMOU GAMES IS APRIL 16TH, 2001
The postal sub price is now
$1.50 per issue in the US and Canada,
STILL a bargain at twice the price.... but
you can double that for other foreign subbers (or $3.00 per
issue sent airmail).
Players in current games and standbys will
continue to get the issues for free, and future game starts
(except for Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy, which is free) cost
$20.00 ($15.00 for a life of the
game subscription and $5 for the NMR Insurance).
NOTE: See the revised game start announcements below!
Plus, we are ``taking over the US hobby'' by adding significantly to my list of subszines. We have Michael Lowrey's Houdini Blues as a Southern branch office in TAP. Don Williams' sublime publication also will continue to appear here as Deny Everything's next issue appears below too.
Check out the connections in the Diplomatic Pouch with all of the information you need to play Diplomacy on the Internet at: /
I also have taken over the Postal portion of the Pouch: /Postal/
and TAP on the web is there at: /Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html
where the szine resides in html format. Presently, issues from #190 to the current issue are there, and I will be updating the back issues gradually someday. Also, check out Stephen Agar's more extensive efforts at: http://www.diplomacy-archive.com and http://www.meurglys.com
The most recent issue of TAP also can be accessed through Pete Sullivan's web page and very occasionally David Wang's:
1) David has grabbed and reserved the HIGHLY prized name: www.szine.com!! David Wang's site also allows you to follow (in a MUCH, MUCH improved way!) John Caruso's postal baseball league that I am in.
2) For the most recent issue of Pete Sullivan's subszine check out (this address will be changing shortly):
http://www.manorcon.demon.co.uk/octopus/index.html
Pete is looking for Railway Rivals standbys, but otherwise, he is full with games at the moment. I'm not sure what Pete is up to at the moment, but we'll hear soon.
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 SEARCH FOR MARK BERCH |
A number of people have tried to contact Mark, but none have hit paydirt yet. See Mark Larzelere's note below. I hope this one will be solved soon, just one more issue to go!!
Or feel free to spend the time looking for some of the backlog. Let's get Gregory, Kevin, Al, and Jerry found too!!! Note that Brenton Ver Ploeg would love to find Leslie Obata, the woman that Jerry Lucas used as his front too. This could be an easy way toward finding Jerry, though as Brenton notes, who is to say she has the same name now. This is 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 Gregory Stewart or Kevin Tighe or Jerry Lucas or Al Pearson is ``found'' from now on it is worth $25.
Winners will receive credit for Dip hobby activities that I will pay out as requested by the winner. Subscribe to szines here or abroad, run your own contests, publish a szine, finance a web page, 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.
Mark Larzelere (Fri, 16 Mar 2001 20:29:52 EST)
Anyone ``found" Berch yet? Someone once joked that you could just write ``The Dipi Master" on an envelope and drop it in the mail, and it would get to him. I bumped into Mark and Joshua at a chess tournament in Maryland five years ago. Joshua is now one of the stronger high school age chessplayers in Maryland (no, I haven't played him).
| Mark, Mlarz of aol.com |
| INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION EXCHANGE NEWS |
The British representative is the editor of Mission From God, John Harrington. John may be contacted at 1 Churchbury Close, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 3UW, UK.
E-Mail: fiendish of operamail.com or johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk
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 or in GBP to John if you're doing things from that end. 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. There has been some interest in finding a new Australian representative. Should someone Down Under have an interest, or from anywhere else in the world, please contact me. We have added a European continental representative, most of this traffic likely will occur between Ronald Camstra (in the Netherlands) and John Harrington, but if anyone here in the US wants to get money into guilders or then into other continental currencies, we'll try to help you out. Ronald Camstra can be contacted at siedler of zonnet.nl and his home address is: Wielingenplein 48, 3522 PE Utrecht, the Netherlands. But in Holland it is most common not to send checks but to transfer money by bank. Dutch people can pay directly to Postbankaccount 4652247 of Ronald Camstra in Utrecht. Since he can see the name and address of the sender in his bankreceipt, people only have to mention the name of the zine and the editorial address along with their bank order. Ronald is obviously a huge Settlers of Catan fan. If you're interested in playing that game internationally by mail, I think Ronald can help you out.
| WORLDMASTERS00 SECTION (with letters AND a game!!) |
Worldmasters 2000 Email Diplomacy Tournament Goes ON!!
The main WWW site for Worldmasters can be found at http://worldmasters00.diplomacy.org.uk
Sign up for the conference board at
http://webforum.cloud-nine.com/~ worldmasters2000
The Conference board is where day to day communications and discussions take place. Yes, and Jack McHugh is playing in there somewhere, go see if you can find him.
Watch the 1999 Finals game, and my impromptu commentary, at:
http://webforum.cloud-nine.com/~ worldmasters99
CURRENT LINEUP:
Lee Simpson (England)
David Malloch (Germany)
Dirk Fischbach (Italy)
Dave Partridge (Russia)
Egbert Ferreira (Turkey)
Note that France and Austria are out. Lee Simpson's England looks like it may have wrapped this one up. Despite Lee's sub role as Toby Harris resigned early on, we believe that Lee would be declared the Tournament Champion, but for awhile there I thought that Toby might win the Tournament if Lee won the Final Game. Go check out the web page for further discussion (I gotta leave you guys hanging so that some of you might actually go look!). The Boasters! game is starting up again too (see below). Remember that the Boasters! game is not actually part of the Worldmasters structure, it just is a game for fun amongst some of the prominent personalities in the Tournament.
| M2000 Boasters!, Worldmasters2000 Time Wasters Diplomacy |
Autumn and Winter 1903
AUSTRIA (O'Donnchu): has a GRE, a GAL, f AEG, a BUD, a SER.
ENGLAND (Setzer): bld a lvp; has a LVP, f ENG, f BEL, f SWE.
FRANCE (Pérez): R a bel-PIC; bld f bre, a mar; has f BRE, a MAR, f LON, a PIC,
f NAO, a MUN, a RUH.
GERMANY (Mehaffey): has a SIL, f KIE, f DEN, a HOL.
ITALY (Dennehy): has f ION, f TYH, a APU, a TUS.
RUSSIA (Harris): R f swe-BAL; rem a nwy; has a WAR, a MOS, f BAL, f BLA,
a UKR, a RUM.
TURKEY (Miszti): has f CON, a SMY, a BUL, f EAS.
Spring 1904
AUSTRIA (O'Donnchu): a gre-bul (d r:alb,otb), a GAL-rum, f aeg-con (d ann),
a BUD S a gal-rum, a SER S a gre-bul.
ENGLAND (Setzer): a LVP h, f eng-bre (d r:pic,wal,iri,otb), f bel-NTH,
f SWE S GERMAN f kie-bal (nso).
FRANCE (Pérez): f bre-ENG, a MAR-pie, f LON S f bre-eng, a pic-BEL,
f nao-MID, a MUN S RUSSIAN f bal-kie (nso), a RUH S a pic-bel.
GERMANY (Mehaffey): a sil-BER, f KIE S f den-bal, f den-BAL, a HOL S a kie.
ITALY (Dennehy): f ION C a apu-gre, f tyh-GOL, a apu-GRE, a TUS-pie.
RUSSIA (Harris): a WAR S a rum-gal, a mos-STP, f bal S ENGLISH f swe-den (d r:gob,lvn,pru,otb),
f BLA S TURKISH a bul, a UKR S a war, a RUM-gal.
TURKEY (Miszti): f con-AEG, a SMY h, a BUL S ITALIAN a apu-gre, f EAS S f con-aeg.
Supply Center Chart
| AUSTRIA (O'Donnchu): | BUD,TRI,VIE,ser,gre | (has 5, even) |
| ENGLAND (Setzer): | LVP,EDI,bel,swe | (has 3, bld 1) |
| FRANCE (Pérez): | BRE,PAR,MAR,spa,por,lon,mun | (has 4 or 5, bld 3(r:otb) or 2) |
| GERMANY (Mehaffey): | BER,KIE,hol,den | (has 4, even) |
| ITALY (Dennehy): | ROM,VEN,NAP,tun | (has 4, even) |
| RUSSIA (Harris): | MOS,STP,WAR,SEV,rum,nwy | (has 6 or 7, even(r:otb) or rem 1) |
| TURKEY (Miszti): | ANK,SMY,CON,bul | (has 4, even) |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=34) |
Addresses of the Players
AUSTRIA: Fearghal O'Donnchu, fearghal.odonnchu of life.friendsfirst.ie or twerg_85 of yahoo.com
ENGLAND: Ray Setzer, mczet of acronet.net
FRANCE: Niclas Pérez, perez of astrogator.se
GERMANY: Mike Mehaffey, mehaffey of ape-i.com
ITALY: Brian Dennehy, brian.dennehy of iol.ie
RUSSIA: Toby Harris, Toby.Harris of equifax.com
TURKEY: Emeric Miszti, emeric of cloud-nine.co.uk
Game Notes:
1)
Press:
| DIPDOM NEWS SECTION (with letters) |
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.
The game Diplomacy is a copyrighted product owned by Hasbro and all reproductions or other use of that material in this szine is intended to be personal use and not infringe on those rights in any way. All reproductions are done at a heavy financial loss to the editor and thus are without the remotest possibility of commercial intent, except to promote THE game, the Game of Diplomacy, which you all should purchase from Hasbro or other duly licensed distributors.
| Check out the new Diplomacy World - www.diplomacyworld.org |
The New Year issue HAS been released and features a doozy of an interview with Brandon Clarke of New Zealand. Also, the ``Ruffians'' demo game has a write up with an introduction to the full negotiation history on the Diplomatic Pouch's Showcase web site. You can see how our very own Paul Rauterberg was screwed over by former World Champion Chris Martin not once, not twice, but at least THREE times. But Chris didn't win.... not that time. There also are some summaries on all the different ways to play Diplomacy in the World at the present time and some writeups on last year's major British Diplomacy conventions. Kath Collman's write up I found particularly gripping and illuminating reading! If you want to subscribe in paper form at $3 per issue, North American subs should be sent to David Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033, USA. Stephen Agar is handling international postal subscriptions and you can write to him at: 47 Preston Drove, Brighton, BN1 6LA, UK. Issues from Stephen will cost you 2 GBP in the UK and 3 GBP for the rest of the world.
I will be continuing to resolve the question of the back issue subs. I have money from Doug Kent now. If you were a subber to Diplomacy World and explicitly are sure you DO NOT want your sub filled out or you are sure you DO want your sub filled out, then please contact me NOW. If you aren't sure, I will start contacting you shortly.
Don Greenwood (Tue, 27 Mar 01 10:46:13 -0500)
ROBERT SACKS WINS BPA SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR: In the wake of Hollywood's Oscars, the Boardgame Player's Association announces New York's Robert Sacks as the recipient of its most prestigious award. One of fifty individuals nominated by WBC GMs for their display of sportsmanship, Robert won the voting which was thrown open to the membership as a whole for the first time this year by narrowly defeating Jim Pyle of Colonial Heights, VA. In all, 37 of the 50 nominees received votes. Robert's cause was probably aided by those who viewed it as a sort of lifetime acknowledgement for his constant willingness to volunteer his time at WBC. Sadly, the award must be posthumous since Robert passed away two weeks after WBC 2000. More details are posted on our website.
Check out the BPA website at http://www.boardgamers.org
| Don Greenwood, doncon99 of toad.net |
| MUSIC SECTION (WITH COMMENTS ON OTHER ARTS AND SOCIETY) |
Comments on the 1999 year in music are now completed. I'm calling for 2000 comments now! Tell me anything you like about the year of 2000 in music. List a top two, a top ten, or a top 100, I don't care, just tell me something!! Mine will appear next issue, it's almost done.
((I've really been enjoying Steve Langley's movie reviewing style and he is about the only person I know who sees more movies quicker upon release than I do who isn't a professional critic. I hope all of you feel the same way....))
Steve Langley (Sat, 31 Mar 2001 21:22:38 EST)
``The Tailor of Panama" ... a movie
Forty years ago Alec Guiness made `Our Man in Havana' which was about a salesman who fouind himself in debt. He fell into the path of a spy apparatus which mistook him for a super spy. His money problems were solved so long as he could keep spinning convincing and intrigueing lies. Ultimately it all came undone, but it was funny, and nobody got hurt.
John LeCarre took the idea and developed it with a darker theme.
Picture James Bond gone over to the dark side. Pierce Brosnin plays Andy Osnard, a British Spy who is sent off to Panama because his womanizing caused him to blow his cover in Madrid. He needs a big break to get back into the good graces of the powers that be. Geoffrey Rush plays Harry Pendel, who is exactly what he pretends to be, but isn't at all what he says he is. Harry is a tailor. He's every bit as good as he claims to be. He has the talent, and the people skills to tailor to the rich and powerful. Andy sees Harry as his conduit to the inside. Andy knows Harry's secret, that he learned the tailor craft in prison, not in Saville Row. Andy threatens to break Harry's secret to Jamie Lee Curtis who plays Louisa, Harry's wife. Harry can't bear the thought of losing his wife and family but he doesn't know any secrets, so he starts spinning tales for Andy.
The more Harry tells him, the more power Andy develops in his own political infight. The more power Andy gains, the more pressure he puts on Harry. Things get out of control. Real events start reacting to the imaginary.
Unlike `Our Man in Havana' when it all comes undone, it isn't very funny and people do get hurt. This is a serious thriller with an unlikely hero, and a villain who would have been the good guy in any other story.
The movie was shot in Panama, which gives it extra points for exotic.
| Steve, Steflan of aol.com |
Steve Langley
``O Brother Where Art Thou? ... a movie
I was reluctant to go see this. George Clooney had never really delivered for me. He seemed to be one of those actors who always just plays himself. For some that works. Then I was told that it was a very good movie by someone who has never given me a bad tip. So, when the movie I chose to see this weekend turned out to be a disappointment I decided to search out `O Brother'. It was more than worth the effort.
Between some really wonderful cinematography and a whole movie full of strange and wonderful characters the Coen's have once again given a whole new cut at the meaning of weird.
Clooney was not playing himself for a change. He was playing the role of Ulysses, a fast talking if not too bright con in a long trek home, based loosely on Homer's epic. Turns out the man has a lot more talent that I was giving him credit. For that matter John Turturro showed a lot of different sides to himself as Pete, Ulysses not too bright friend. Tim Blake Nelson plays Delmar, the dimmest of the three. The three of them are escaped chain gang fugitives chasing after a fortune that is about to be flooded by the TVA. This makes it circa 1930s. The flavor of the time comes through via an extraordinary sound track of songs sung by members of the cast.
The three meet a blind poet who foretells that they will find their fortune, just not the one they seek.
Special note has to be given to John Goodman who plays the Cyclops who outwits Ulysses (I said based loosely).
Funny, touching, nice, delightful movie.
| Steve, Steflan of aol.com |
Steve Langley (Sun, 25 Mar 2001 10:58:33 EST)
``Heart Breakers" ... a movie
Not a great story. Not very likable characters. If it were not for Gene Hackman's wonderful interpretation of a chain smoking tobacco executive the alligator eating the duck would have been the high point of the movie.
Jennifer Love Hewitt got to dress to show off her talents.
Sigourney Weaver will probably try to forget that she made this one.
The audience was somewhat vocal, and much of what they had to say was funnier than the movie.
| Steve, Steflan of aol.com |
Steve Langley (Sun, 25 Mar 2001 10:50:59 EST)
``Exit Wounds" ... a movie
I'm starting to fall a bit behind.
First impressions. Steven Seagal might think about `Weight Watchers". DMX looks good in an `Action' role.
No surprises in the story line. The trailers pretty much gave the plot away. As always with Steven Seagal there is some great choreography in the fight sequences. I don't know if he does it himself or if he hires it out, but someone there is a genius.
Lots of car chases and explosions. Action movie stunt coordinaters have yet to figure out that today's cars come with airbags. I was noticing one of my pet gripes about car stunts, which is, the car does something impossible ending in a crash, the the driver crawls out and walks away. I consider this sort of thing bad training for young drivers.
But there was a face plant angainst a windshield ending up with a dead driver that took the wind out of those sails. Too bad she didn't have an airbag.
Seagal plays his full range of emotion from `Slightly irked' through `Pissed Off' to `Really Angry' again. But he does it so well. One great moment in the movie was his attempting to stand up to introduce himself to his `Anger Management Group'. He gets stuck in the grade school desk chair and ends up ripping it apart to get free while explaining to the open mouthed facilitator that he isn't an angry person, he's a happy person.
So, great action. Predictable story. Best watched by an action fan,
| Steve, Steflan of aol.com |
| THE NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEEDINGS - RECAP |
Rick Desper did MUCH better than I did, but we both nailed the prediction that Duke would win the tournament. I suppose this really wasn't that difficult, because Duke won every game by at least 10 points and never was pressed seriously until the Final Four, but they did fall behind in both Final Four games and then came back. It certainly was a deserved win, all whining aside. And as Duke teams go, it was one of the more likable ones we've seen in the past few decades. Player of the Year Shane Battier seems like a nice guy, Mike Dunleavy, Jr. had a game of his life so far in the finals with Dad watching, and Coach K seems more human after his illnesses of a few years ago. Some quick comments by region on my predictions:
The East: Boston College did NOT do well in the tournament, actually none of the Big East did. Then after the tournament was over, most of the top players have declared for the NBA. More rebuilding next year, except that Troy Bell and the Eagles should come back all the harder next year. We forget how much Tournament Experience means. Rick got Missouri and I was wrong about Georgia - perhaps those near .500 teams with difficult schedules DON'T belong - but Kareem Rush DID play. Duke prevailed in a regional that did end up going at least close to form.
The West: I thought that Arkansas was ready for a run, but it was Georgetown, and they didn't even have to play Iowa State. I did note that Georgetown was the best of the 10's. I also told you all to watch out for Jameer Nelson and Marvin O'Connor for St. Joe's and almost called one of the upsets of the tournament. St. Joe's just barely ran out of gas in what was arguably the best game of the whole tournament. I should have realized that Maryland was the true class of this regional. How could I not have picked them when I thought their opposition would be Indiana, St. Joe's, and Arkansas??? Beat head against wall....
The South: I picked lots of upsets, but then seeing Michigan State make the Final Four. That was right, but my upsets were very wrong. I went with heart over head on Penn State vs. Providence and I really wasn't surprised by Penn State's short run through North Carolina. Plus I predicted Temple's run too. But I thought Indiana State would play better and missed some other picks here.
The Midwest: How could I have picked Tennessee over Arizona. Duh..... Tennessee had great players, but no, they never could put it together. Other than getting Arizona to the Regional Final, I really screwed up this regional.
The Women's Tournament: Diana Taurasi - I think it was 1 for 15 from
three point range in the Semi-Final.
Yes, she has ice in her veins and probably having her keep shooting was the
best strategy, but I was wrong, they needed at least ONE of Shea Ralph or
Svet Abrosimova.
And I had Sue Bird winning MVP for the finals, I think she should have been
trying to score more in the loss to Notre Dame.
Very, very sad.
But I'm happy for Notre Dame.
They had the seniors, these UConn players who lost to them are mostly back
next year.
So watch out!!
Terry Tallman (Thu, 22 Mar 2001 15:18:05 -0800)
I finally got around to reading the szine today and got a lot of chuckles out of your hoop prognostications. I guess the biggie for me is why no one seems to want to give the Zags any respect. About the only gimmee you got was Duke and everyone is picking Duke to take the whole show. The question only seems to be who comes in second.
One writer in the Seattle Post Intelligencer made the comment that everyone picks the big football schools to do well even though Gonzaga had a far better record. Now of course by the time this gets published it will be all over but the shouting and we will know whether or not Duke needed to show up or not. But Michigan State???? Hah!!!!!!! Tomorrow, Friday the 23rd, Gonzaga plays again. Where is Michigan State?
| Terry, terryt of sinclair.net |
Terry Tallman (Sat, 24 Mar 2001 20:19:39 -0800)
I am sitting here listening to the radio broadcast on Yahoo. I couldn't get near a radio at game time yesterday so I missed it but I read the sports page (sigh). It is still first half but not looking good at this stage but still close.
| Terry, terryt of sinclair.net |
Rich Goranson (Fri, 16 Mar 2001 14:22:01 EST)
St. Joe's overcomes insult
The Tourney officials had a lot of damn nerve giving them a #9 seed after the season they had. I'm glad they won. The A10 has always been a much better league than people think. It was also fun to see the Big 10 crap out like they did.
Its really too bad that the Tourney bends over backwards to kiss up to the big conferences. St. Joe's getting such a low seed and Richmond being left out altogether was inexcusable.
WNY's only team in post season play died quietly in Pittsburgh last night in the NIT first round. Such is life at St. Bonaventure after Tim Winn.
| Rich Goranson, ForlornH of aol.com |
((I sent out the following beginning of a note to the E-Mail list: As you all sit waiting with bated breath for the Semifinal Game of the 2001 Women's Collegiate Basketball Championship Game to begin at 9:30PM US Eastern Time (TAP favorites UConn Lady Huskies featuring super frosh ``Ice" Taurasi vs. the Ruth Riley led Notre Dame Fighting Irish)....))
Dave Kleiman (Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:42:16 -0500)
Purdue over ND in the championship game - sorry! Gotta root for the Hoosier state teams!
((Hey Dave, not only did you get these two right, BUT you also got a brilliant Austin Croshere led comeback for the Pacers to beat the Celts.))
Beat me to the punch. Was planning on point ALL of that out to you! You just can't beat the state of Indiana when it comes to b-ball...
| -Dave, dave of thekleimans.com |
Rick Desper (Mon, 26 Mar 2001 23:04:05 -0500 (EST))
Diana Taurasi is all that was advertised and more. I haven't seen a frosh play like this since Nykesha Sales, and I think Taurasi is even better. What really makes me wonder is how good this team would have been, had Svet and Shea not gotten injured! Sue Bird is definitely coming into her own now, and Taurasi has the skills to be a future superstar. It's like watching Ray Allen.
One of the Survivor sites has a ``complete" spoiler list. I'm not looking. This site has been reliable with spoilers. They claim they got this list before the game started, and it's been accurate for the first eight ousters. Yikes! I am MUCH, MUCH less convinced about my ``spoiler" than ever before. I'm really waiting for the ``intrigue". Simply voting off Kucha is such a BORING strategy. You think Elisabeth could be a ``Kelly" but my big worry is that she'll turn into a ``Colleen" and that Amber will be the ``Kelly", while Jerri is the ``Richard".
Actually, I think I would get along with Jerri in real life. Well, maybe. Like, I think Elisabeth is more likable, but in rl I'd be much more likely to hang out with Jerri, or Jeff and Alicia. At the beginning of the show, I thought I would like Michael, but it's become increasingly clear that he's simply mad as a hatter.
| Rick, desper of ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |
((Thanks, Rick, we both lamented Diana Taurasi's 1/15 three point shooting against Notre Dame. And to the rest of you, this time I've been sparing you Survivor talk, but we do have a group on Yahoo that you can join if you like.... just ask.))
| LAWYERS: THE AMATEUR DIVISION - 2000G - GUEST GM: RUSS RUSNAK |
2000G, No Lawyers game, Fall 1903 (Gee Goz, it's like you weren't even here)
Mike Barno has gone back to the good old days of the US Postal Service till he tells you otherwise. I always knew deep down he was old fashioned
Austria Bob Osuch ROsuch4082 of aol.com F GREECE support F Aegean - Ionian, A RUMANIA hold, A TRIESTE - Tyrolia, F Aegean Sea-IONIAN, A Galicia - BOHEMIA, A SILISIA support A Galicia-Silisia
England Rick Davis redavis914 of aol.com F NORWEGIAN SEA - Nor, A Yorkshire - EDINBURGH
France Paul Rauterberg trauterberg of wi.rr.com F English Channel-WALES, F LONDON support Germ A Belgium-Yorkshire A Gascony-BURGUNDY, A Spain-MARSEILLES, F Gulf of Lyon-SPAIN
Germany Mike Barno mpbarno of lightlink.com A Belgium - YORKSHIRE, F NORTH convoy A Belgium - York, A MUNICH hold A BERLIN - Prussia, F BALTIC sup A Berlin - Prussia, F DENMARK sup F Baltic
Italy Jim Burgess burgess of world.std.com A Tunis - NAPLES, F Western Mediterranean - TUNIS, A PIEDMONT - tyrolia, F TYRRHENIAN SEA convoy A Tunis - Naples
Russia Randy Ellis Bukowski64 of yahoo.net A SMYRNA hold, A ukraine-SEVASTOPOL, F SWEDEN S F Bothnia-Baltic F BOTHNIA-baltic, A NORWAY Support F Sweden, F Constantinople -AEGEAN, A PRUSSIA Support Austrian A Silisia, A ST PETERSBURG support A norway, A WARSAW Support A Prussia
Turkey Warren Goesle gozcorp of iquest.net F Ionian sea (may retreat to any non supply center he wants)- Tyrrhenian Sea
Press
Jim-Bob to Kenty-poo: Bye, bye, Kent..... your E-Mail has gone dead and so have your chances in the game! We hardly knew ye!!
Standby Turkey to All: Hey, I wasn't going to get an SC anyway. Good luck to all!
Moscow to Berlin: I don't think you need to worry about me winning the game; not right away at this point. You seem to have stopped my momentum. On the other hand, sir, your momentum also seems, shall we say, all the way...
Moscow to Turkey: Speaking of All The Way...
ITALY to BIG POWERS: I won't just sit here bouncing back and forth forever. Someone had better offer me something that leads to some growth or I could do something stupid, you all know I'm capable of it!
Boob to GM: You da man. On time like clockwork, better than my other useless subszine editors, especially the Duck.... as of this writing, still no issue from him!
GM-Boob: You had doubts? I've always been dependable now I only need a personality.
2000G, Too honest for lawyers game, Winter 1903
Austria Bob Osuch ROsuch4082 of aol.com Build Army Vienna Has A Vienna, F Greece, A Rumania, A Trieste, F Ionian, A Bohemia, A Silisia
England Rick Davis redavis914 of aol.com Has F Norwegian, A Edinburgh
France Paul Rauterberg trauterberg of wi.rr.com Build F Brest Has F Brest, F Wales, F London, A Burgundy, A Marseilles, F Spain SC
Germany Mike Barno mpbarno of lightlink.com Has A Yorkshire, F North, A Munich, A Berlin, F Baltic, F Denmark
Italy Jim Burgess burgess of world.std.com Has A Naples, F Tunis, A Piedmont, F Tyrrhenian
Russia Randy Ellis Bukowski64 of yahoo.com Has A Smyrna, A Sevastopol, F Sweden, F Bothnia, A Norway, F Aegean, A Prussia, A St. Petersburg, A Warsaw
Spring 1904 due Wednesday, April 18, 2001
Winter 1903 Supply Center Chart
Austria Vienna, Trieste, Budapest, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Rumania 7
England Liverpool, Edinburgh 2
France Brest, Paris, Marseiles, Spain, Portugal, London 6
Germany Kiel, Munich, Berlin, Belgium, Denmark, Holland 6
Italy Rome, Naples, Venice, Tunis 4
Russia St. Pete, Moscow, Warsaw, Sevastopol, Sweden, Norway, Constantinople, Ankara, Smyrna 9
Russ Rusnak 1551 High Ridge Parkway Westchester, Il 60154
GM 708 409-0718 RRRRRUSNAK of AOL.com
Bob Osuch 19137 Midland Ave. Mokena, Il. 60448 AUSTRIA 708 478-3885 ROsuch4082 of aol.com
Rick Davis POB 1753 Santa Ynez, Ca. 93460 ENGLAND 831 678-4470 redavis914 of aol.com
Paul Rauterberg 3116 W. Amer. Dr. Greenfield, WI 53221 FRANCE 414-691-4264 trauterberg of wi.rr.com
Mike Barno 634 Dawson Hill Road Spencer, NY 14883 GERMANY 607 589-4906 mpbarno of lightlink.com
Jim Burgess 664 Smith Street Providence, RI 02908 ITALY 401 351-0287 burgess of world.std.com
Randy Ellis 3116 McGee, Apt 1N Kansas City, Mo. 64111 RUSSIA 816 931-8406 Bukowski64 of yahoo.com
| THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE GAMES SECTION |
``So I called up George and he called up Jim, I said let's make a deal.
He said he'd talk to him. Gonna start a church where you can save yourself,
You can make some noise, When you've got no choice...
You told me useful things, what people think of me, I guess I should thank you.
It's true, then I agree... I'm all alone, I've got no choice,
I'm all alone, I've got no choice."
From ``Got No Choice" by the incomparable Mark Cutler, from the CD Mark Cutler and Useful Things.
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:
Bruce Linsey, Mike Barno, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Paul Rauterberg, Stan Johnson, Randy Ellis, Bob Acheson, Heath Gardner, Phil Reynolds, Paul Kenny, Dan Gorham, and John Schultz stand by for regular Diplomacy.
Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Phil Reynolds, Jim Sayers, and Kurt Ozog stand by for the Modern Diplomacy game.
Harold Reynolds stands by for Colonia. Help, more are needed for this game, maps are provided for free by me.... or by Harold Reynolds just ask.
Let me know if you want on or off these lists, especially OFF. Standbies get the szine for free and receive my personal thanks.
| GAME OPENING INFORMATION |
LAWYERS GAME: Steve Koehler, Stephen Agar and Steve Emmert already have signed up. We're searching for lawyers, contact me if you have any leads! We've invited Thomas Libby and Edwin Turnage. Plus I'm still looking for a current address for Mark Franceschini. Official standby for the game is David Hood.
Eric Ozog will be running Air-Sea Diplomacy some time in the future. You can contact Eric at ElfEric of Juno.com if you are interested in the game. I'll publish the rules closer to a time when Eric wants it to start.
The primary Diplomacy oriented opening left that I am GMing in this szine is an opening for a game of Star Trek Diplomacy! See Stephen Agar's rules on his web page at (new location, and including that little typo on ``start trek''):
http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/resources/variants/rules/start_trek.htm
I decided how I will treat the Star systems and the ``revolving rings'' rule. I will keep the map as a ``code" and the real locations (which I will provide as names from Star Trek) will rotate through the coded spaces. This WILL make it easy to make up maps. The game start is open now, and since I want to STRONGLY encourage press, you can sign up and ``claim'' a race. Jack McHugh claims the Federation, Chris Trent claims the Ferengi, Stephen Agar claims the Borg, and Jody McCullough claims the Romulans. Buddy Tretick and Roland Sasseville, Jr., also are set to play. The other races in the game are the Klingons, Cardassians, Species 8472, and the Vulcans. We ONLY need two more, let's get this one going.
John Harrington is offering to guest GM a game of Office Politics. Any interest in that?? Let me or John know! Jody McCullough is now interested, anyone else?
Also, I am going to design some postal rules for Devil Take the Hindmost, and Chris Lockheardt is pulling out of that opening too, so I need three players. Eoghan Barry is signed up. Postal rules from me will be forthcoming shortly, on my never ending to-do list. I will get them in SOON!
I also am taking names for the new NYEED and Breaking Away games. I am going BACK to the designer rules for Breaking Away that allow cards of greater than 15 to be replenished. I printed the original postal rules in Issue #239, if you need a copy and don't have that issue, just ask. Breaking Away has Jim Tretick, John Harrington, Rick Desper, and Eric Brosius signed up thus far. We need six players.
Stephen Agar runs a British Diplomacy mailing list and has a new broader web postal gaming web site too at: http://www.postalgames.org.uk
and if you are interested, contact Stephen Agar at stephen of meurglys.com or join the Brit hobby mailing list at (aw, you guessed it, another new address): http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/about_this_site.htm
| SOMETHING TO BE SCARED OF: 2001D, Regular Diplomacy |
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1901 IS APRIL 21ST, 2001
Winter 1900
AUSTRIA (Kent): has a BUD, a VIE, f TRI.
ENGLAND (Sundstrom): has a LVP, f EDI, f LON.
FRANCE (Tretick): has a MAR, f BRE, a PAR.
GERMANY (Williams): has f KIE, a MUN, a BER.
ITALY (McCullough): has a VEN, a ROM, f NAP.
RUSSIA (Pollard): has f STP(SC), a WAR, a MOS, f SEV.
TURKEY (Goesle): has a SMY, f ANK, a CON.
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Doug Kent, PO Box 783, Palmer, TX 75152
dipworld of ix.netcom.com
ENGLAND: Matt Sundstrom, 1948 West Byron, Chicago, IL 60613 ($5)
Matt.Sundstrom of chicago.bbdo.com
FRANCE: James Alan (Jim) Tretick, 12925 Circle Drive, Rockville, MD 20850 ($5)
JTretickGames of aol.com
GERMANY: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (661) 297-3947 ($4)
wllmsfmly of earthlink.net
ITALY: Jody McCullough, 1071 Brown Avenue, Lafayette, CA 94549-3153
jodymc of telocity.com
RUSSIA: Kent Pollard, PO Box 5726, Fresno, CA 93755-5726
awargamer7 of hotmail.com
TURKEY: Warren Goesle, 3907 Cedar Ridge, #1B, Indianapolis, IN 46235
gozcorp of iquest.net
Game Notes:
1) Like all regular Dip games lately, this is named after a Mekons song, in particular from their latest and greatest, Journey to the End of the Night.
2) Open Channel D, Open Channel D..... Mr. von Metzke has assigned us a Boardman Number.
3) Check your addresses, phone numbers, and E-Mail addresses. If there is something missing or wrong, please let me know ASAP. Note Kent Pollard's new E-Mail address.
Press:
(TURKEY to RUSSIA): I believe that you exist. For now.
(BOOB to TURKEY): I think you will find him less opaque now....
(TURKEY to GERMANY): I thought that you existed. Is that still true?
(BOOB to TURKEY): No, I haven't seen that ``end game statement" for Arsenic yet, so I don't think he does exist anymore.
(GOZ to BOOB): If Nomar was a Yankee then George would just rent a new one for the next two months. The Sox' only chance was to pull too far away early on for the Yankee's August free agents to catch them. Not gonna happen now. Deal with it. Yankees over Cleveland in ALCS. Mets over Braves in NLCS. After that will you care? ((Yes, but that won't happen.... Red Sox pitch, Red Sox hit, Red Sox win.... I actually think it is possible, but not likely, that the Yankees won't even make the playoffs.))
| FANTASTIC VOYAGE: 1999K, Regular Diplomacy |
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1905 IS APRIL 21ST, 2001
Summer 1905
AUSTRIA (Rauterberg): has a GAL, a TYO, a BUD, a VEN, f ROM, a SIL, a NAP.
ENGLAND (Biehl): has f WES, f NAF, f TYH, a RUH.
FRANCE (Davis): has a MAR, f GOL, a GAS.
GERMANY (Shreve): has a KIE, a MUN, a PAR, a PRU, f MID, a BRE, a BUR.
ITALY (Tallman): has a TUS.
RUSSIA (Tretick): has a STP, a LVN, a MOS, f NAT, a WAR.
TURKEY (Ellis): has f AEG, a GRE, f ION, a SEV, a RUM, f BLA, a UKR.
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)
trauterberg of wi.rr.com
ENGLAND: John Biehl, 8809 Delwood Drive, Delta, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V4C 4A1 CANADA,
(604) 589-9124 ($10); jeen of telus.net
FRANCE: Rick Davis, 1130 Hevrin Cr., Soledad, CA 93960.
(831) 678-4470
redavis914 of aol.com
GERMANY: Dwayne Shreve, 739 Union Church Road, Elkton, MD 21921 ($5)
dwayneshreve of yahoo.com
ITALY: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0384 ($2)
terryt of sinclair.net
RUSSIA: Buddy Tretick, 9607 Conaty Circle, Spotsylvania, VA 22553, (540) 582-2356 (E-Mail)
bernietretick of earthlink.net
TURKEY: Randy Ellis, 3116 McGee, Apt. 1N, Kansas City, MO 64111, (816) 931-8406 ($10)
bukowski1964 of yahoo.com
Game Notes:
1) Not too much happening.
Press:
(DATELINE BERLIN): The kaiser wishes to report that a special messenger has been dispatched to bring succor and cheer to the Games Master during these trying times of a beer famine in Rhode Island.
(BOOB to BERLIN): St. Patrick's Day made an excellent opportunity to consume the contents of the special messenger package..... many thanks! Now, let's take a peek into your barroom.....
(DOWN AT THE BARROOM WITH SHREEVY): I hadn't been at the Doo Drop Inn for a few days and felt the need for a bit of refreshment and conviviality. Wandering in, I found Crazy Henry giving a less than enthralling discourse on his poverty as a child back in the 50s. There was some drivel about his family not having had a television until 1956. Even Bjarne Tretickson was yawning.
As I sat down on a stool between Big John and Shreevy, the latter finished a long swig from his bottle and stated, ``That's nothin'. Wait till you hear about the time my brother and me was at summer camp."
There was dead silence, then laughter. Even I had to laugh and to question how impressed any of us would be with this so-called hardship.
``Well," Shreevy went on, ``there was this one year when my brother, Billy Bob, and me was hearin' about how great summer camp was and wanted to go. Our folks didn't have much money, but we kept on them. After a couple of fights and whippings, they said okay, git.
``Only it turned out that the camp we was sent out to was a lumber camp. This place was five miles outside of Ten Strike, Minnesota. This is the same hellhole where they started the fight to get the mosquito to be the official State Bird.
``Most all of what we made at camp went straight to the folks and we got $1.15 a day to spend and save for bus fare home. On Sundays we got the afternoon off to walk into town and have some fun. This wouldn't have been so bad, but the food was awful in camp.
``When we had our first meal, my brother and me was choking and wanting to throw up. We both said something about how terrible the food was. That's when we found out that anybody that complains there about the food gets to be cook as their extra job.
``Well," I said to Billy Bob, ``all we gotta do is be bad cooks. We tried and tried. Nothin' worked. Nobody said nothin' about the snail gravy one night and the way too much salt in a goulash that only brought a comment of ``a bit salty, but good.
``Finally, I had it. Billy Bob covered for me and I headed out into the woods. I found some meadow muffins. Some people call them prairie wafers. Anyways, I took them back to camp and got to bakin' some pies.
``These pies was coolin' when a big Swede come in, grabbed one and set himself down. He dug into it, ate a big bite and said, `That's moose turd pie!'
``My brother and me looked at each other and smiled, until he said, `Good, though.'
``Then we knowed we was stuck. Any way, we ended up the summer with enough money to pay our way home and we never, ever asked for summer camp again.
``This wouldn't have been so bad, but when I got back to school the teacher asked the class to write about what they did for the summer. She didn't believe what I did and I ended up with a month of detentions for lying."
| (Sometimes I Feel Like) FLETCHER CHRISTIAN: 1999Cgh013, Colonia VIIb Diplomacy |
THE DUE DATE FOR AUTUMN AND WINTER 1756 IS APRIL 21ST, 2001
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1757 IS MAY 12TH, 2001
Fall 1756
AUSTRIA (Prosnitz): f SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN-tahiti, f ADRIATIC SEA C a trieste-jerusalem,
a BAVARIA S a rhine, a BOSNIA S a bulgaria, a MATTO GROSSO S f ricefe, a trieste-JERUSALEM,
f CORAL SEA S f samoa-south pacific ocean, f RICEFE h, f IONIAN SEA C a trieste-jerusalem,
a BOLIVIA h, a TOULON S a burgundy-paris, a BULGARIA h, f SAMOA-south pacific, a RHINE h,
f EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN C a trieste-jerusalem, a AMAZON h, f tasman sea-MELBOURNE,
a savoy-PAPAL STATES, a burgundy-PARIS, a VENEZUELA h, f LIGURIAN SEA S a toulon,
f GULF OF PANAMA h.
CHINA (Acheson): f AMOY-east china sea, f EAST CHINA SEA-taiwan, f SOUTH
CHINA SEA-gulf of siam, a MAHRATTA S OTTOMAN a punjab-khandesh (nso), a tibet-BHUTAN,
f SEA OF JAPAN S f amoy-east china sea, a LAOS-burma, f JAPAN S f amoy-east china sea,
a SZECHUAN S a laos-burma, a cambodia-SIAM, a NEPAL S PORTUGUESE a bhutan-bengal,
a siberia-MONGOLIA, f SEA OF OKHOTSK S f japan.
ENGLAND (Power): a togo-ASHANTI, f north atlantic ocean-GRAND BANKS,
f malaya-ANDAMAN SEA, f MID-ATLANTIC OCEAN-ricefe, a BURMA S f bengal,
f east atlantic ocean-WEST ATLANTIC OCEAN, f HUDSON BAY S f grand banks-quebec,
f MALAY SEA-gulf of siam, a ghana-VOLTA, a flanders-ANTWERP, a FEZAN S a nubia-sudan,
a brazil-BAHIA, f bengal S a burma (d r:circars,otb), f grand banks-QUEBEC,
f CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN S f mid-atlantic ocean-ricefe, f english channel-EAST ATLANTIC
OCEAN, f SW ATLANTIC OCEAN S a argentina-brazil, a CONGO-angola, a argentina-BRAZIL,
a DAKAR S a ghana-volta, f BAY OF BENGAL S a burma, f helgoland-ENGLISH CHANNEL,
f surinam-BELEM.
FRANCE (Alme): a ONTARIO S a quebec, a volta S a sahara-timbuktu (d ann),
f BRITTANY S a paris-bordeaux, a quebec S ENGLISH f grand banks-massachusetts (d ann),
a SAHARA-timbuktu, a MANITOBA S a ontario, a paris-bordeaux (d r:flanders,otb).
NETHERLANDS (O'Donnell): f ANTARCTIC OCEAN-tahiti.
OTTOMAN (Johnson): RESIGNS WITH THESE ORDERS, REPLACED BY ART SCHLEINKOFER;
f yemen-GULF OF ADEN, a armenia-IZMIR, a EGYPT-libya,
f arabian sea S f yemen-gulf of aden (d r:yemen,somali sea,persian gulf,persia,otb),
f BLACK SEA S f istanbul-bulgaria, a PUNJAB S CHINESE a kashmir-mahratta (nsu),
a sudan-ethiopia (d ann), f RED SEA S a sudan-ethiopia, f ISTANBUL-bulgaria,
a KAZAKSTAN S a omsk, a OMSK h, f wake-south pacific ocean (d ann).
PORTUGAL (Stimmel): f CANARIES S f azores, f KHANDESH h, f SE ATLANTIC OCEAN-angola,
f AZORES S f canaries, a VANCOUVER S a oregon, a OREGON S a vancouver, a bhutan-BENGAL,
f IFNI S f canaries.
RUSSIA (Rauterberg): a MOSCOW S f st.petersburg(nc)-ural, f SOUTH INDIAN
OCEAN-se atlantic ocean, f natal-CAPE COLONY, f west pacific ocean-NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN,
a LITHUANIA-crimea, a crimea-ROMANIA, a HANOVER S a hague,
f WEST INDIAN OCEAN S f nizam, f north pacific ocean-GULF OF ALASKA,
f NIZAM S SPANISH f gulf of aden-arabian sea, f finland(nc)-ST.PETERSBURG(NC), a ural-KIEV,
a CAUCASUS-crimea, a romania-GALICIA, a HAGUE S ENGLISH a flanders-antwerp,
a mozambique-KALAHARI, f st.petersburg(nc)-URAL.
SPAIN (Partridge): a TEXAS-california, a louisiana-VIRGINIA, f GIBRALTAR C a hue-naples,
a hue-NAPLES, f SUBIC BAY S f taiwan, f CUBA h, f TAIWAN S f subic bay,
f gulf of aden-ARABIAN SEA, a LEON S a bordeaux, a BORDEAUX S FRENCH a par,
f SOMALIA S a ethiopia, f SOLOMON SEA-coral sea, a TAUREG S a timbuktu,
f CALIFORNIA-gulf of panama (imp), a nubia-SUDAN, f CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN S
f east pacific ocean-wake, f east pacific ocean-WAKE, a lisbon-LAGOS,
f MOROCCO S f western mediterranean, f philippine sea-NEW GUINEA,
a ETHIOPIA S a nubia-sudan, a OHIO-ontario,
a TIMBUKTU S ENGLISH a ghana-volta, a numidia-TUNIS,
a MASSACHUSETTS S a ohio-ontario, a LIBYA-egypt,
f WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN C a hue-naples, f TARAWA-south pacific ocean.
Supply Center Chart
| AUSTRIA (Prosnitz): | BUD,VIE,TRI,TAH,ven,bav, | (has 22, even) |
| vza,col,nwz,pps,fij,sav,ecu,peru,gre,sam, |
| bol,tou,bul,jer,ric,par |
| CHINA (Acheson): | PEK,WUH,XIA,AMO,tib,NAN, | (has 13, bld 1) |
| sin,jap,manch,mon,kor,nep,mah,sia |
| ENGLAND (Power): | NIG,MLA,EDI,LON,kam,ire, | (has 22 or 23, bld 4(r:otb) or 3) |
| jav,gab,sum,con,fez,ant,uga,arg,bur,cey,togo, |
| sur,que,gha,ang,bel,vol,bah,bra,dak |
| FRANCE (Alme): | ont,ala,manit | (has 4 or 5, rem 1(r:otb) or 2) |
| NETHERLANDS (O'Donnell): | none | (out) |
| OTTOMAN (Johnson): | IZM,BAG,IST,persia,egy, | (has 9 or 10, even(r:otb) or rem 1) |
| afg,yem,oms,vla |
| PORTUGAL (Stimmel): | azo,kha,ore,ifn,van,ben | (has 8, rem 2) |
| RUSSIA (Rauterberg): | MOS,KIE,CAP,STP,CRI,pol,moz, | (has 17, bld 3) |
| swe,mal,zam,den,rom,han,die,nwy,haw,goa,nat,niz,hag |
| SPAIN (Partridge): | MAD,MEX,SOM,VAL,MAN,cal, | (has 28, bld 7) |
| tun,rab,bor,eth,hon,tex,nwg,cam,ken,lis,lag,FLO, |
| lou,iwo,num,mor,tau,ohi,vir,gua,tar,tim,NAP,cub, |
| tai,bdx,sud,wak,mas |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=136) |
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Gene Prosnitz, 2600 Netherland Ave., Apt. 1116, Riverdale, NY 10463, (718) 601-8131 ($5)
ProsnitzE of aol.com
CHINA: Bob Acheson, 807-556 Laurier Ave., Ottawa, ONTARIO K1R 7X2, CANADA ($5)
racheson of magma.ca
ENGLAND: John Power, 18 Tilton Court, Baltimore, MD 21236, (410) 933-8827 ($4)
natjohn2 of home.com or jrpower of bechtel.com
FRANCE: Hank Alme, 506 Paige Loop, Los Alamos, NM 87544
almehj of swcp.com
NETHERLANDS: Sean O'Donnell, 2219 Grafton Road, Grafton, OH 44044
sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com, seanside of snap.com
OTTOMAN: Replacement is Art Schleinkofer, 3120 Holly Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1708
PORTUGAL: Robert Stimmel, Apt. #57, Casa de Sherry Apts., 2462 North Sycamore Blvd.,
Tucson, AZ 85712-2541, (520) 326-8369 ($5)
RUSSIA: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)
trauterberg of wi.rr.com
SPAIN: Dave Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033
rebhuhn of rocketmail.com
Game Notes:
1) Stan Johnson has resigned with these orders. Art Schleinkofer will replace him, I hope. Pretty please, Art??? Let me know if you need anything. Please remind me of your phone and E-Mail address too, thanks. More standbys for this thing are always appreciated.
2) We have our first elimination (Thanks for playing, Sean!!!) and a few other players who don't look too healthy. Dave goes past the ``34 center'' barrier on the other end. I am trying to place the centers where you can build in caps, but I'm not entirely sure I understand the rules on this point, so if someone could clarify I'd appreciate it. I know that Naples is a special center that is a home center for either Austria (who had it before) and for Spain (who has it now), but obviously Dave can't build there quite yet.
Press:
(NETHERLANDS-BOARD): Around the world I go herah! Herah! ((Well, that's it, thanks for playing, Sean.))
(SPAIN - AUSTRIA): Perhaps I do you an injustice, but looking at the map it seemed you must be coming my way very soon, if not now.
(SPAIN - CHINA): I'm happy with the trade, let's keep the truce.
(SPAIN - OTTO): We are back where we started, I've got better things to do, perhaps you do too?
(NETHERLANDS-MEKONS): Yah! It's not in the press in this game. Go GM, it's your birthday! ((Everyone knows when MY birthday is, one month after Don Williams'.))
| SECRETS: 1999D, Regular Diplomacy |
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1907 IS APRIL 21ST, 2001
Fall Correction, Autumn and Winter 1906
ENGLAND (Sayers): R f spa(sc) otb; bld f edi, a lon; has f EDI, a LON, f BEL, f NTH, f HEL, f BRE.
FRANCE (Sasseville): has f SPA(SC), a PAR, a MAR.
GERMANY (Johnson): RESIGNS, MIKE BARNO CALLED AS REPLACEMENT; rem a pic;
has a BER, a MUN, f KIE, a BUR.
ITALY (Schultz): R f nap-ROM; rem f mid, f tun; has f ROM, a PIE, a TYO.
RUSSIA (Reynolds): has a STP, f NWY, a PRU, a SIL, f SKA, a SWE, a MOS.
TURKEY (Linsey): FALL CORRECTION a bul-RUM; bld f smy, f con, a ank; has f SMY, f CON, a ANK,
a RUM, f APU, f ADR, f NAP, a ALB, f ION, a VIE, a TRI.
Addresses of the Participants
ENGLAND: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA ($10)
jimp of magna.com.au
FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($2)
roland6 of home.com and ICQ: 40565030
GERMANY: Replacement is Mike Barno, 634 Dawson Hill Road, Spencer, NY 14883
mpbarno of lightlink.com
ITALY: John Schultz, PO Box 1322, Valparaiso, IN 46384, (219) 614-1406
probo of sprintpcs.com
RUSSIA: Phil Reynolds, 2896 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL 34237, (813) 953-6952
preyno of yahoo.com
TURKEY: Bruce Linsey, PO Box 234, Kinderhook, NY 12106
GonzoHQ of aol.com
Game Notes:
1) Chris Trent seems to have disappeared. He is replaced in this game by Phil Reynolds, but I would like to know what happened to Chris.
2) Plus, in more game mayhem, Stan Johnson has resigned as Germany. I am asking Mike Barno to replace him. Pretty please, Mike? This game is turning into quite a resignation fiasco. I am really hoping this is it for player turnover, but I am not totally confident.
3) In more of a fiasco, I made a GMing error last turn, missing an order change. Turkey moved his army from Bulgaria to Rumania, which doesn't change the SC chart. Apologies all around.
4) On a tamer note, Jim Sayers has changed his E-Mail address - see above.
Press:
(TURKEY to RUSSIA): Your silence is very worrisome. Do you still want an alliance with Turkey? If so, I need to hear from you!
(TURKEY to ITALY): Why nothing from you either? I have no choice but to continue on the present course if you won't write me!
(TURKEY to ENGLAND): Thank you, Jim, for letting me know that SOMEONE in this game is alive and well. I can work with you, because you take the time to negotiate!
| EDWARD TELLER: 2001?rn42, Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy - Black Hole Variant |
LOOKING FOR PLAYERS!!!
Game Notes:
1) I am taking reservations for the Edward Teller game, which will be the next NYEED 7x7 game in this series. Since it was asked, I'll remind everyone that we will again be playing the Black Hole Variant. Join THE most fun game in all Dipdom. Karl Muller, Harry Andruschak, and Sandy Kenny are on board. We need four more players? Let me know if you want to see the rules again, but I just printed them a few issues ago. Whoops, one last, late endgame statement from Harry.....
| Endgame Statement for NYEED |
So ends the second game of 7x7 NYEED, this time around with the skating rink variant. In theory, the maximum score could be 44. In this game (not counting Gardner, who dropped out) the final scores were from 16 to 20, a razor thin margin by any standards. This duplicates the result of the first NYEED which also had razor thin margins. This shows once again that the 7x7 version of NYEED is something quite different from the one-shot version. Will Jim use the skating rink version for the third game or revert to the impassable black holes variant? ((The ``skating rink'' version is lots more fun, isn't it? That's the version we'll play. You're playing in it, see above.))
Sorry this is again after the nominal deadline, but we have had a death in the family. On 17 March I sprained my shoulder from patting myself on the back for making it to 17 years sobriety in AA. The next day my 2nd cousin Megan died of a drug overdose from methadone and heroin. I have been trying to help the family to cope with this. I wrote about this for the Internet newsgroup alt.callahans, and Megan' sister Gabrielle also wrote a eulogy that I also published in alt.callahans. I can send you copies if you wish, and you would have our permission to reprint them if you so choose. ((Anyone interested can write to Harry, he and I decided that I won't print them. Sorry for your loss, I am familiar with the issues involved. It is too bad Megan couldn't have found a way to assist people in helping her out before that.))
| COME AND HAVE A GO (If You Think You're Hard Enough): 1998V, Diplomacy |
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1908 IS APRIL 21ST, 2001
Summer 1908
AUSTRIA (Pollard): R a ser-BUL; has a GAL, a MOS, a BUL, a SEV, a WAR.
ENGLAND (Tallman): has f GOB, f NWY.
FRANCE (Morris): has f MID, a BUR, a MAR, f NTH, a BOH, f DEN, a KIE, f HOL, a RUH, a LVP.
GERMANY (Sayers): has a MUN, a BER.
ITALY (Emmert): has a TRI, a APU, f ION, f AEG, a SER, a VEN, f ANK, f CON,
f EDI, f WES, a VIE, a BUD.
RUSSIA (Reynolds): has a STP.
TURKEY (Barno): has f BLA, a RUM.
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Kent Pollard, PO Box 5726, Fresno, CA 93755-5726 ($4)
awargamer7 of hotmail.com
ENGLAND: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0384 ($3)
terryt of sinclair.net
FRANCE: Scott Morris, 12110 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville, KY 40243, (502) 893-8260 ($5)
Scottm221 of aol.com
GERMANY: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA ($10)
jimp of magna.com.au
ITALY: Steve Emmert, 1752 Grey Friars Chase, Virginia Beach, VA 23456-5436,
(757) 471-1842; steve.emmert of home.com
RUSSIA: Phil Reynolds, 2896 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL 34237, (813) 953-6952
preyno of yahoo.com
TURKEY: Mike Barno, 634 Dawson Hill Road, Spencer, NY 14883 ($5)
mpbarno of lightlink.com
Game Notes:
1) Lots of blood coming up in the fall for this one, methinks! Also note that Jim Sayers and Kent Pollard have changed their E-Mail addresses, see above.
Press:
(MIKE to KENT): After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box. (Italian proverb)
(GENERAL MUNCHOUSEN to THE WORLD): It would seem that the 2nd army group has been saved(for the moment). I did not expect to retreat into another enemy held territory. Is it fate that my army is now in blood soaked Bulgaria?
(AMBASSADOR POLLARD): Zis Var is not over! Austrian armed forces are za most battle hardened units in za World!!! Our country has been taken over, but our people shall continue za struggle for independence... ((This Var, this Var.... what's that....))
| SO GOOD IT HURTS: 1998 P, Regular Diplomacy |
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1908 IS APRIL 21ST, 2001
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1909 IS MAY 12TH, 2001
Fall 1908
AUSTRIA (K. Ozog): a VIE S RUSSIAN a bud-gal, f NAP S f ion-tyh, a VEN S a rom,
a BOH-mun, f ion-TYH, a ROM h, a TYO S a boh-mun.
ENGLAND (James): f mid h (d r:iri,por,wes,naf,otb), f TUN S AUSTRIAN f ion-tyh, a SPA h.
FRANCE (Kinney): a BRE S GERMAN a par-gas.
GERMANY (Goesle): a BER S a bur-mun, f BAL S a sil-pru, a sil-PRU, f eng-MID,
f NWY-stp(nc), a gal-rum (d r:ukr,sil,otb), a par-GAS, a MAR-spa,
f nth-ENG, f NAO S f eng-mid, a BUR-mun,
a LVP looks for John, Paul, George and Ringo in an attempt to bring them to Germany (h).
ITALY (Rauterberg): a TUS-rom.
RUSSIA (Rusnak): a WAR S a bud-gal, f bla-CON, a bud-GAL, a STP-nwy,
a con-BUL, a MOS S a war, f aeg-ION, a RUM S a bud-gal.
TURKEY (Emmert): f tyh-rom (d r:gol,wes,otb).
Supply Center Chart
| AUSTRIA (K. Ozog): | vie,bud,tri,ser,gre,nap, | (has 7, bld 1) |
| ven,rom |
| ENGLAND (James): | por,spa,tun | (has 2 or 3, even) |
| FRANCE (Kinney): | bre | (has 1, even) |
| GERMANY (Goesle): | ber,kie,mun,den,hol,par,swe, | (has 11 or 12, bld 2(r:otb) or 1) |
| bel,lvp,lon,edi,nwy,mar |
| ITALY (Rauterberg): | none | (out) |
| RUSSIA (Rusnak): | mos,war,sev,ank,smy,bul,con,stp, | (has 8, bld 1) |
| rum |
| TURKEY (Emmert): | none | (out) |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=34) |
Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Kurt Ozog, 391 Wilmington Drive, Bartlett, IL 60103, (630) 837-2813
heyday6 of yahoo.com
ENGLAND: Drew James, 3644 Whispering Woods Terr., Baldwinsville, NY 13027, (315) 652-1956 ($5)
kjames01 of twcny.rr.com
FRANCE: Mark Kinney, 4820 Westmar Terrace #6, Louisville, KY 40222, (502) 412-3079
alberich of iglou.com
GERMANY: Warren Goesle, 3907 Cedar Ridge, #1B, Indianapolis, IN 46235 ($5)
gozcorp of iquest.net
ITALY: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 ($5)
trauterberg of wi.rr.com
RUSSIA: Russ Rusnak, 1551 Highridge Avenue, Westchester, IL 60154-3428 ($5)
RRRRRUSNAK of aol.com
TURKEY: Steve Emmert, 3317 Hershridge Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, (757) new? ($4)
steve.emmert of home.com
Game Notes:
1) The RAG draw is defeated and reproposed. Please vote on it with the next season's orders. Repetition does not change the NVR=No, so if you don't vote it cannot pass.
2) Note Steve Emmert's new address. I don't have a new phone for him yet (same E-Mail). And Drew James has a new address too, but phone and E-Mail stay the same.
3) I'm sorry, but there was a map mistake last time. The German army was in Berlin, not Munich. Always remember to check this since the orders, not the map, usually are right.
4) Thanks to Steve and Paul for playing out their positions!
Press:
(GOZ to EMMERT): Well, my Blackhawks aren't going to make the playoffs either. Maybe they should play the Canadiens in a best-of-six match. That way nobody would win it. I'll bring my own bag to wear. ((Gee, Goz, do you ever support teams that actually have a snowball's chance in hell of winning anything?? I think you're just a masochist!!))
(RUSSIA - TURKISH CORPSE): Rauterberg don't drink no more. I on the other hand would be happy to accept a beer (might even have two) in order to give you a chance to begin your apology for your foul treatment of me earlier in the game.
(BOOB to RUSNAK): Haven't you been following the China situation? Apologies, shmologies.... Americans never apologize!
(RUSS - GOZ): They wouldn't hold out if people weren't willing to pay out. The only part that should bother you is corporate tax deductions for big wigs in the rich people's seats. Try a little league game instead, they are far more entertaining.
(FRANCE to GERMANY): Now, if the win proposal passes, you are gonna give me props for pinning down the Brits, right? Assuming, of course, that Russia or Austria don't sink the thing, and assuming you let me live here...
(GERMANY to AUSTRIA AND RUSSIA): You guys both knew my time constraints on this turn, and neither of you took much time to discuss things with me. Let's do better this next turn, ok?
(JAMES to EMMERT): Come on - you are way over reacting. There is no way you can compare my move to Tunis with my stab last game. This was at worst a mercy killing of a terminally ill country with no chance to recover and you should be grateful. I'll be joining you in a couple of seasons in any case. It isn't even in the same league with that beautiful slicing and dicing I did for the solo win last time! Don't try to give me a reputation I don't deserve. I'm in my current position due to my tendency to trust too much!
(JAMES to EMMERT 2): Speaking of stabs, I like the stab in the back that your Spiders gave their conference by bolting to the Atlantic 10. It probably kept the Spiders out of the tournament. My Orangemen had an excellent season - given their talent level - but ran up against Kansas and were crushed easily. Beware - SU had an outstanding recruiting year and should be a high powered team again in a couple of years.
(DREW ON BASKETBALL): My Orangemen only did slightly better than your Friars last week. The Big East looked good in the first round and then did terrible in Round 2. It figures - G'town is the only team alive.
(GOZ to BOOB): So Randy Johnson throws a 98 mph fastball in Spring training, hits and kills a dove. And then they take the feathers and give them to Bjork to wear at the Oscars. Go figure.
(BOOB to GOZ): That got my biggest laugh of the week!!!
(GERMANY to ITALY/TURKEY): Guys we hardly knew ye. Please continue to flame the rest of us in the press.
(BOOB to GOZ): I don't think they need too much encouragement!
| RACE FOR MILLENNIAL APOCALYPSE: Breaking Away, V2.3 |
| TOM HOWELL'S ALICE TEAM WINS!!! |
Addresses of the Participants - Their Team
TEAM 1 (The Wrecking Crew): Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202
(1 point) sarareichert of aol.com
| Team Leader: Thanatos |
| A: War |
| B: Pollution |
| C: Pestilence |
| D: Famine |
TEAM 2 (The Evangelists): Eric Brosius, 53 Bird Street, Needham MA 02492
(32 points) 72060.1540 of CompuServe.COM
| A: Matthew |
| B: Mark |
| C: Luke |
| D: John |
TEAM 3 (Brit Pack): John Harrington, 1 Churchbury Close, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 3UW UK
(29 points) johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk, fiendish of operamail.com
| A: Alfred the Great |
| B: Sir Isaac Newton |
| C: Will Shakespeare |
| D: John Logie-Baird |
TEAM 4 (Amateur League Inciting Cycle Exchange): Tom Howell, 365 Storm King Road,
(70 points) Port Angeles, WA 98363; off-the-shelf of olympus.net
| A: White Rabbit |
| B: March Hare |
| C: Mad Hatter |
| D: Mock Turtle |
TEAM 5 (The Mainiacs): David Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033
(17 points) rebhuhn of rocketmail.com
| A: Darrell A |
| B: Darrell B |
| C: Darrell C |
| D: Buhrt 3 pints of lager |
TEAM 6 (The Flat Wheel Society): John Schultz, PO Box 1322, Valparaiso, IN 46384, (219) 462-0474
(5 points)
| A: Broke Leg Meg |
| B: Shane the Chain |
| C: Barkin' Larkin' |
| D: Chasin' Jason |
Game Notes:
1) Last chance for any more End Game Statements. Note that we need TWO more players for the new game!!! Please sign up.
Press:
I would welcome some comments from Tom Howell on how he won this game. Was it just superior tactics, or did he use strategy? For my part, I have no idea at all how one would use strategy, so I'm looking for enlightenment. I tried to predict how the other players would move and take advantage of anything I could deduce. I also made agreements from time to time that I thought would help both me and the person I was agreeing with (maybe Tom found better ways to do this.)
At one point I made an agreement with John Schultz. He thought I did not keep my end of the bargain, but I think the problem was that my letter was delayed in the mail enough that we were off by one round in our coordination. I tried to keep every bargain I made during this game.
Thanks, Eric
| FEAR AND WHISKEY: 1998Ers31, Modern Diplomacy |
THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 2005 IS APRIL 21ST, 2001
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 2005 IS MAY 12TH, 2001
Spring 2005
BRITAIN (Schultz): f LON-nth, a liv-YOR, f nor-SKA, f nwg-NOR, a DEN-swe,
f EDI S f lon-nth, f SWE-bhm, f eng S f lon-nth (d r:bri,bis,mao,iri,wal,otb),
f NTH-hol.
EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): f ale-LBS, f ION C UKRAINIAN a izm-alb, a SYR h,
a tun-LIB, a irk-SAU, f EME C UKRAINIAN a izm-alb.
GERMANY (Rauterberg): f BAL-bhm, a sil-KRA, f hel-HAM, f fin-GOB,
f pic-ENG, a aus-SLO, a BOR-auv, f BEL S f pic-eng, a GDA-lit, a CZE S a aus-slo,
a war-bie (d r:pru,sil,otb), a swi-AUS, f HOL-nth, a LYO-auv.
ITALY (Ozog): f tys-NAP, f MAL S EGYPTIAN f ion, a hun-SER, a CRO S a hun-ser,
f LIG S a mar, a mil-VEN, a MAR h, a APU-alb (imp), f ist-IZM.
SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): f sve-POR, f GOL S a bar-auv, f alg-TUN, a lib-ALG,
f WME S f gol, a NAV S a bar-auv, a bar-AUV.
UKRAINE (Partridge): f sev-WBS, f ode-RUM, a kie-ODE, a kha-KIE, a POD S a slo-hun,
a BIE S a kra-war, f aeg-IST, a izm-ALB, a ana-ANK, a IRN S a ada, a kra-WAR, a slo-HUN,
a LAT S a lit, f rum-BUL, a mos-STP, a LIT S a kra-war, f GRE S f aeg-ist,
a ADA S a ana-ank, a ser S a slo-hun (d r:mac,bos,otb).
Supply Center Chart
| BRITAIN (Schultz): | EDI,LIV,LON,ire,nor,mur,stp, | (has 8 or 9) |
| swe,den |
| EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): | ALE,ASW,CAI,isr,sau,tun | (has 6) |
| GERMANY (Rauterberg): | BER,FRA,HAM,MUN,hol,cze | (has 13 or 14) |
| swi,par,lyo,gda,war,bel,bor,aus |
| ITALY (Ozog): | NAP,ROM,VEN,cro,mon,mil, | (has 9) |
| ist,mar,hun |
| SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): | SVE,MAD,BAR,gib,por,mor,lib | (has 7) |
| UKRAINE (Partridge): | KHA,KIE,ODE,SEV,ros,rum,bul, | (has 18 or 19) |
| geo,ank,mos,bie,gre,gor,ada,irn,izm,lit,kra,ser |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=64) |
Addresses of the Participants
BRITAIN: John Schultz, PO Box 1322, Valparaiso, IN 46384, (219) 614-1406
probo of sprintpcs.com
EGYPT: Jeff O'Donnell, 402 Middle Ave., Elyria, OH 44035-5728, (440) 322-2920 ($4)
FRANCE: Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202 ($5)
Tapmdfrance of aol.com
GERMANY: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)
trauterberg of wi.rr.com
ITALY: Eric Ozog, PO Box 1138, Granite Falls, WA 98252-1138, (360) 691-4264 ($4)
ElfEric of Juno.com
POLAND: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($5)
roland6 of home.com and ICQ: 40565030
RUSSIA: Randy Ellis, 3116 McGee, Apt. 1N, Kansas City, MO 64111, (816) 931-8406
surfeit of swbell.net
SPAIN: Sean O'Donnell, 2219 Grafton Road, Grafton, OH 44044 ($5)
sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com, sfo25 of netscape.net
TURKEY: Kent Pollard, 1541 W. San Jose, Fresno, CA 93711, (209) 225-0957 ($10)
UKRAINE: Dave Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033 ($8)
rebhuhn of rocketmail.com
Game Notes:
1) Check out the Modern Dip web page at: http://www.modernhof.webprovider.com/
2) I'm going to start a quiet interest list down here in the next Modern game. I don't want to start it until this game is done or nearly done, but with ten players it may take awhile, so I'll start now. Rick Desper is in to be one of the players.
3) Note the extra new E-Mail address for Sean. Also he reports moving shortly to: 1044 Wellfleet Dr., Grafton Ohio 44044 which will take effect next issue.
Press:
(THE MEKONS QUOTE OF THE MONTH): ``I am beautiful, like a dream, very authentic so it seems; I never cry, nor ever smile, faking orgasms all the while..... I obey, I am myself, Freedom, Power, Authority!'' Tom sings these stunning words on ``Authority'' off of Curse of the Mekons.
(SPANISH NATIONAL BUGLE): Earthquakes have struck for the first time in Madrid for the first time in 20 years on the once so pretty day of March.
The quake destroyed several buildings including the recruiting office on sirre and degreer. The death toll is currently at 13 wounded and 5 confirmed dead. There was also consideration of sending in the National Militia to keep rioters and looters at bay. ((Cool.... what press....))
(UPN EXECUTIVES CONVERSATIONS WITH GENE RODDENBERRY):
UPNE - We changed our mind, we want to run the show one more year!
Roddenberry - But I already wrote the finish. The Romulan/Ferengi alliances smash the Federation. I wrote a surprise ending and I've sent feelers out to other networks. Besides, the Federation is too far gone, how could I write them back in?
((By the way, you do know that Mr. Roddenberry is deceased, an ex-writer....))
UPNE - Have the Ferengi form an alliance with Cardassia and the Federation against the Romulans.
Roddenberry - The Ferengi would have to be crazy to attack the Romulans. Your scenario is not believable. What about my reputation?
((What do YOU care about your reputation, you're dead!!! He's dead, Jim-Bob..... oh, never mind....))
UPNE - Your reputation?! You died five years ago! ((Actually, it was more like ten.)) What do you care?
Roddenberry looking reflective - Good point! How about this. We have the Ferengi ally with Cardassia and Federation, while at the same time Captain Kirk makes a secret alliance with the Romulans. The initial Federation/Ferengi attack of Romulan forces near the neutral zone is flipped into a Federation/Romulan reversal. The whole Federation/Romulan/Klingon alliance would be a first and the conflict could be drawn out for the whole Hollywood season.
UPNE - Then it's a deal?
Roddenberry - Can I hire 7 of 9 as my personal secretary?
UPNE - Done!
(MADRID TRIBUNE BIZARRE MURDER CASE): Madrid has now suffered 3 brutal killings of unknown killers where the victims were apparently eaten. ((See my bad jokes in the issue of Deny Everything elsewhere in this issue.)) There is however one suspect that may have been involved with the murders or of the murders, but the Police and government has refused to give the individual's name. Only one thing is certain - there are 3 deaths, all three eaten, yet 1 out of the three is now confirmed to have been eaten by a canine. The other two were apparently human.
(CAPTAIN'S LOG - PAST REFLECTIONS FOR TODAY'S GAMBLE): The deception alliance with Ferengi is going well. They just decommissioned one of their starships in the Neutral Zone two light years from earth. This strategic withdrawal has given me time to reflect back on my predecessor, the evil Captain Kirk from the mirror universe by studying his personal logs. The war started badly for the Federation/Klingon alliance. The Borg had assimilated Bajor. Unable to assimilate the Dominion, they formed an atypical Borg/Dominion alliance and invaded the Klingon neutral zone. The Klingons were on the verge of sure assimilation and conquest when a Klingon scientist downloaded a nanoprobe computer virus into the Borg system net, killing the Borg Queen and severing each Borg drone from the Collective. This destroyed the Borg starcubes and liberated the Bajoran people. The new Bajoran government allied with the Klingons to exterminate all Dominion forces in the Gamma Quadrant and that alliance still stands today. Back on earth, the evil Captain Kirk had an alliance with an alien group called the Kragons. The Federation had tried to communicate with these strange beings for years but failed because their odd form of communication was unable to be sequenced by the universal translator. This mystery was solved by Captain Picard on a mission to Kragon where he discovered that the Kragons only talk by using metaphors instead of actual words. Captain Picard's mission led to the alliance that my counterpart chose to break. The Romulans and the Ferengi made war with the Kragons and they encouraged Kirk to attack them as well. The Kragons were a loyal ally but their odd form of communication frustrated the mirror captain. The war was going pretty badly when the Kragons suggested an offensive attack of the Ferengi forces at Sector 31489.
(UKRAINE-ITALY): Sorry, there is no help for you.
(KENT POLLARD-JEFF AND ERIC): My first assumption was Eric did in fact black press in the szine. Now I do see that the petty dictator of Egypt could have easily done it. Next time either of you. You'll be eliminated by me...
(BERLIN to MADRID): Panic about something that you own. I'll take easy care of Ham, okay? Even if I lose Hel (and that is not a given by any means) he'll only have two units on the joint.
(TO BLACK PRESS WRITER): Just because this arcane practice is legal doesn't mean that I have to like it. And I don't.
(BOOB ON BLACK PRESS): I am a big fan of Black Press, as we all know by now.
(ROME-WORLD): My flipping days are over. I am a mere shadow of my former Ferengi self. If you can't beat the O'Donnells, join 'em.
(SECTOR 31489 IS THE STAR TREK EQUIVALENT TO ``LET'S INVADE ALBANIA IN THE FALL EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A SUPPLY CENTER''): The evil Kirk agreed to the Kragon blitz that in the end almost cost the Federation its very existence. I just recently received a phony communication from the now deposed ``Sultan'' of Kragon calling me an idiot. Mr. Kile has determined that the message could not have originated from the ``Sultan'' because the message was in easily understandable English, when everyone knows that Kragons only speak in metaphors. I also have to disagree with the content of the message calling me, or more to the point the mirror Kirk, an idiot. He was a kleptomaniacal, two faced, predatory animal with delusions of grandeur, but he was no idiot. I'm guessing that the phony message was sent by one of our enemies for the purpose of enraging me into doing something stupid. I like to think I'm more than capable of achieving stupidity on my own, which brings me to my big gamble. I have decided that it is in the Federation's best interest to sign a treaty with the Romulans and assist them in the conquest of Ferengi and Cardassia. I hope I'm not making the same mistake that the mirror Kirk made when he attacked the Kragons. Only time will tell.
(ITALY-MORON): You're such a dick for.
(MORON): What's a dick for?
(BOOB to MORON): And if THAT's not a metaphor, I don't know what is.....
(ITALY-WORLD): I apologize for the crude high-schoolish humor, but I couldn't resist. Sean just continues to amaze me.
(UKRAINE - GERMANY): What's to explain? You aimed Italy at me, I attacked you. Simple.
(ITALY-SPAIN): You can either hold your fleets in the doldrums for the rest of the game or you can do something useful with them. So do something less moronic and go north, my lad!
(UKRAINE - BRITAIN): The move to STP was purely to keep Germany out as before. Be more than happy to help your marines land on the continent!
(PAUL to DAVE): You can take your geeky Ukrainian lawyers, with their trail of underpaid minions, and you can....
(ITALY-UKRAINE): What would it take for us to make peace?
(EGYPT-SPAIN): You still haven't said anything that I can understand.
(BOOB to EGYPT AND ALL): Just to show how dense I am.... I just had to be told ``who Q''.... uhh.... so I'm not sure you've said anything ***I*** can understand. I'll have to go back and check everything out again.
| SHOW ME THE MONEY: 1997Mea04, Colonial Diplomacy |
SHUT IT DOWN, A HOLLAND/JAPAN/RUSSIA DRAW IS DECLARED
BUT CAN JIM-BOB FIND TIME TO SUMMARIZE THE CHART???
Final Supply Center Chart - From Last Season
| BRITAIN (York): | DEL,HK,SIN,mal,cey,aden,ban,mad | (has 8) |
| FRANCE (Sasseville): | TON,may,u.bur,ass,bom, | (has 7, PLAYED ONE SHORT) |
| ben,can,ran |
| HOLLAND (Desper): | BOR,SUM,JAVA,SAR,new,dav, | (has 11) |
| mna,cebu,for,ann,coc |
| JAPAN (K. Ozog): | TOK,KYU,OTA,KYO,vla,fus,sak, | (has 12) |
| p.art,seo,sha,mac,pek |
| RUSSIA (Williams): | MOS,OMSK,ODE,rum,mon,ang,tab, | (has 17) |
| con,chu,shi,egy,per,tas,kag,sik,kar,kam |
| TURKEY (Tallman): | sud,bag | (has 2) |
| Neutral: | none | (Total=58) |
Addresses of the Participants
BRITAIN: Andy York, PO Box 201117, Austin, TX 78720-1117
wandrew of compuserve.com
CHINA: Rich Goranson, 4351 Chestnut Ridge Road, #7 Amherst, NY, 14228-3227 ($5)
ForlornH of aol.com
FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($5)
roland6 of home.com and ICQ: 40565030
HOLLAND: Rick Desper, 703 Monroe Street, Apt #302, Rockville, MD 20850, (301) 545-0143 (E-Mail)
rick_desper of yahoo.com or desper of math.rutgers.edu
JAPAN: Kurt Ozog, 391 Wilmington Drive, Bartlett, IL 60103, 630-837-2813
heyday6 of yahoo.com
RUSSIA: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (661) 297-3947 ($4)
wllmsfmly of earthlink.net
TURKEY: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0384 ($0)
terryt of sinclair.net
GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287
Game Notes:
1) Hey, we're already late.... SC chart forthcoming sometime. I'm waiting for Don Williams.... ;-)
Press and End Game Comments:
No more here yet..... they're probably waiting for that spellbinding SC chart. In the meantime, here is the end of Arsenic, only a year late.....
Pete Gaughan / technical editor & publisher / gaughan of ix.netcom.com
/ (925) 687-7987 / fax (509) 472-4209 / 1522 Rishell Drive #1, Concord CA 94521
| 1998A ``ARSENIC AND OLD FARTS" |
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | Player |
| Austria | 4 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | Kathy Caruso |
| England | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | Mark Fassio |
| France | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | Jim Burgess |
| Germany | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Steve Emmert |
| Italy | 5 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | Don Williams |
| Russia | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | Bob Slossar |
| Turkey | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Jim O’Kelley |
GM: Terry Tallman (to Sp’02); Pete Gaughan
((Details of the game and press are in Dead Poet's Society issues on the TAP web page.))
| ENDGAME STATEMENTS |
England (Mark Fassio):
Wow; can’t believe this is over, but sure glad it is. But let’s start at the beginning, and thank Don Williams for having both the initiative to start a game and the smarts to pick some of the best damn players in the Hobby right now to fill it! I wasn’t fibbing when I said earlier that this is probably the best (or tied for best) game I’ve played since I began Dipping. You were all hard, skillful opponents, and everyone contributed to the mayhem and skullduggery. It was a beaut, and we all owe Don for that, as well as Pete for enduring the GM pains, and our tried patiences.
I entered this game for a variety of small reasons. One was to see if I had ``the right stuff" against a field of ``known pros," i.e., to see if my solo Turk win in the Dip World ‘zine was a fluke, or if I indeed could compete with the big boys. Another reason for joining was that my ``quota" of games was one less than I usually kept ongoing, so the timing was right. But mainly I joined because I enjoy the hell out of Don Williams, and when a friend offers up a game with good competition, well...he made me ``an offer I couldn’t refuse."
My style of play was indefinable. The Old Faz entered a game with the intent of ``one ally, one enemy," and went for the two-way draw, or perhaps a stab if the situation really presented itself. The More Recent Faz has shied away from that style. Don was right when he told me on the phone that I’d ``changed" in outlook as of late; I have. If I acted in real life the way I’ve played Dip boards for the last 5 years, I’d be classified as a sociopath and be institutionalized. My intent this game was the same as numerous previous attempts: do not form anything long-term; stay allied for real until you feel otherwise; then make the cut. I acted every turn on impulse. I’m sure some of you were wondering how I could be so convincing and whatnot...well, truth is, for that turn or turns, I was sincere. But I found it easy to ‘turn on a dime’ and switch alliances-and that’s what I did here.
One ``constant" in my style remained: the idea of analyzing player personalities and skills, to enable me to ‘triage’ eventual friends and foes. I knew Don for almost 20 years, and he was the only one (besides Kathy) in this game that I’d played against. Don was to me like the old USSR was to the US: a danger, a rival, but a ``known entity" that I felt comfortable with, and vice versa. Steve, Chum, Boob and Bob were, unfortunately, players with good ‘reps’ that I knew little about. That made them suspect and dangerous.
My original intent was to ally with France or Germany, and take it from there. But Boob played a squirrelly opening strategy and had overly-secretive moves (I dislike that style among allies), so I threw in with the semi-secretive, but very communicative, Steve Emmert. Of all the players this game, Steve and I probably burned up the most e-mail (especially during my days at West Point) and I thoroughly enjoyed his style, wit and gaming skills. By mid-game, my evaluation of the players and my strategy (once Don and I began to discuss The Stab) was to eliminate potential threats to me from the ``unknowns" and take my chances with the ``known" Don.
I respected Boob and Bob, but genuinely feared Steve and Chum. I am in awe of their skills (and we bear witness to same in the World e-mail games, with Steve winning solo and Chum with a 16-center). As such, I began to encourage an attack on Russia, if only to divert an attack on me. We would have crushed Bob had I not been talked into the stab of Germany. Granted, it took little to persuade me, paranoid as I was getting over the eventual ``This board ain’t big enough for the both of us, Slim" confrontation I envisioned with Germany.... gadzooks, could you see a crushed Russia, a Germany at 8 or so, and me faced with that, a rogue Boob, and a scheming Don?
Anyway, I flitted from idea to idea until the summer of 1998, when The Four met at Gettysburg. Aside from having a bodaciously good time, I schemed what was perhaps the most detailed stab of my career: the stab/attack on G and T.
Chum and Steve had worked with me as part of the ``Crush Russia" plan, and as said before, Bob was on the ropes, Italian ``rescue" efforts or no. Don helped persuade me that a large Germany was not in my interests, and from there it was easy to work out a scheme. I don’t remember all the details (honest), because I don’t keep turn-by-turn diaries, and I throw away the previous issues of the ‘zine and old e-mails. But there was a season when Steve was to go for Gal(?) and Chum for Rum-and then they’d converge and create a linear front vs. Bob. Don and I began a double/triple cross of letters (coordinated with one another for ``joint story lines and plots") and then began to orchestrate the moves of all concerned. Once that happened, it pretty much set the rest of the game’s pace. I wish I had all the minutiae of details to relate how much time and effort we spent in planning for that-our phone bills must’ve been more than the entire GNP of Bangladesh at one point. From then on Don and I were teamed up, but he was always using Jim-Bob as his ‘flank check’ on me, never wanting to crush Boob at the same time I did. That was frustrating.
In the North I feared the inevitable R/I would never break up, and I began to feel I’d made the wrong move in stabbing Steve, potential threat or no. Luckily Chum’s skills were his usual legion self, and he kept Don engaged while I nibbled my way Eastward. (It didn’t hurt that I would occasionally pass Don’s intended plans to Chum, so his moves would be negated or stalemated ``just for a season," thus engaging Italy longer. Two can play that game.)
The stab on Don originally wasn’t meant to be permanent, just as the stab on Boob (once he joined E/I) wasn’t necessarily fatal. But in both cases the ``rolling stab" just sort of happened, and once you get forward in a spot, you guys know that it’s pretty hard to voluntarily leave...I tried to play Phony War with Don two or three times to spoof the board. In fact, the 2nd Great Lie (besides the Gettysburg Summer Stab) was when we snuck Don into the East as yet another ``Flash Burn Victim" and had him tear up the defense line. From there it was bump-and-grind for me. Even then, though, Chum’s analysis (and Bob’s urgings to a paranoid El-Donyo) made the game into an inevitable stalemate. I planned for a one-turn window, to either win or miss by a hair.
I won’t belabor the game. I got lucky. But the key question is why I got lucky. Why did Steve join me again and then torpedo your plans? Well, I’m not a mindreader. But I’ll venture it was for a couple reasons:
* He and I had a game-long rapport and writing friendship that was only approached (but not equaled) by Don. And because I felt guilty of all the stabs I did on him, that friendship showed itself in my offering him a survival and continued play.
* I used one of the stronger Dip fortes in my arsenal time and again, with telling effect: I always made someone else to be more of a Bad Guy than me. Don was always the evil twin in my family, lusting to crush Steve. Bob was always the Evil Tsar, out for revenge without conditions vs. Steve. Chum was always the gunslinger who pooh-poohed Don’s schemes in the Balkans. There was always truth in what I said; I just managed to word it in such a way that I made myself the ‘lesser evil’ in discussions. I think it worked decently.
* Having said all that, I used the best weapon a Dipper could have: I communicated. Now, that’s not to say that others didn’t. But when all was said and done, why did I win? IMO, because none of you took the time to write and ensure that Steve felt secure or involved in the ‘team.’ You smugly assumed he’d "logically" fight his first and most brutal stabber, and didn’t stay in close touch with him, if I guess right. No one other than me offered him survival when I had the power to crunch him. All of you had written him off. Even your offer of having him go to Mos was really ``our" offer, to keep his options open. Just my opinion, but had you all convinced him that you wouldn’t eventually jump his bones if I got pushed back (as I implied to him several times), he might’ve been more inclined to support you all. But look at his options: (a) hit Ukr and see the game end with him alive and in his third capital, or (b) be your stooge, then have me do something in a stalemate situation (such as back off), and then be without a friend-subject to whatever revanchist whimsy you guys would entertain. Given those options, what would you choose? Communication lost you this game after 1907; pure and simple.
Anyway, I’m hoping Don has a better memory than me when it comes to discussing the Gettysburg Stab. We will all have ``varying shades of gray" when discussing intent and results this game. But I moved as I did based on emotion, on spontaneity, and on personality. Steve deserved to live, and I’m glad he did-regardless of whether he would’ve supported me. I just felt bad to stab folks, and wanted him alive. If I could’ve been sure Boob would’ve stayed in the East, I would’ve almost let him live with PAR as well...but Jim-Bob’s wild moves made me skittish, and for that he had to go. (Sorry, Boob.)
Russia and Turkey played well. Bob is a master defensive specialist, and survived ``waves" of assaults without breaking. Bravo! Chum is a pro as well; I think you just had a bad game here, Jim, helped in part by the E/I Gettysburg schemings. I think the thing that turned me off the most from true R or T dealings was the lack of meaty letters on a consistent basis. I generally received three-or four-liners after 1902, and they did little to expand potential cooperation...or to override the more prolific and dashing G and I letters.
That’s really about it. I’m going to play a new game now, and we’ll see how my Germany deals with other barracudas. Regardless of how I fare, it’s irrelevant (at least for now). I loved this game and our interaction. I am ‘spent’ from two years of directed brain effort and scheming, and anything else for this year is probably moot. I owe you all thanks for giving me a great deal of enjoyment from Arsenic, and I hope I reciprocated in kind.
Germany (Steve Emmert):
My, my, hey, hey.
Ar-sen-ic has gone away.
It’s better to burn out
Than to fade away.
My, my, hey, hey.
Let me begin this where I absolutely must:
1. Thank you very much, Terry and Pete, for enabling us to play this game. I have never published a zine, and almost certainly never will; I cannot envision spending that much time laboring for the benefit of others in something as small (in the context of life) as a Diplomacy game. I am grateful to each of you.
2. Congratulations, Mark, on a solo in a singular game.
I will take many wonderful memories away from this experience, few of which are related to the actual play of the game. I plan to touch on those later, but will start my reminiscences with what’s really important to me: The friends I made.
I was surprised when I was reminded that this game was 1998A. I thought it had been going on for longer than that. But it is to that time frame that I date my acquaintance with Terry, Faz, O’K, and Bob. (I had met Kathy before, had played in Jim-Bob’s and Pete’s zines, and had actually played against Don back in the early Nineties.) Over that time, I can honestly say that I have acquired friends to last me a lifetime. I will treasure the memories of our version of Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg; of a hot, starlit July night in Veterans Stadium with Bob and the Phillies and Braves; of an impossibly late night at WDC ’98 in Chapel Hill, where we got thrown out of bar after bar; of a string of correspondence too enjoyable to describe accurately, on a variety of topics, only some of which were this game. Long after anyone has forgotten the outcome of this game (well, maybe long after everyone but Faz), I will recall that this was a fountain of friends for me.
I was disappointed that Kathy didn’t get more involved in the game. I attribute her poor showing in this game to the obvious fact that she was the only one of us not on-line, and that clearly hampered her ability to negotiate as quickly and effectively as she needed to. Perhaps there was a bit of ennui there, too; I suspect that of all the people that Don talked into joining this game, she was probably the least inclined to join. In any event, I think I got two letters from her, and that wasn’t in keeping with the legacy of the greatest player ever to draw a knife.
I recall Don’s telling me early on that he felt that Bob had nothing to prove by joining this game, and I think I agree with that. He certainly didn’t need to enhance his reputation in the hobby; it looked as if he was just joining for the pure fun of getting in a game with some names from the glory days of the hobby. And to think, I treated him so treacherously... Of all the players in the game, I think Bob wrote the least other than Kathy, but he did get right to the point, so I guess he needed fewer words. This made me consider my own negotiation technique, which is generally much more verbose, and wonder which is the more effective style. There are probably times in which his style is better, though I believe in his case it was just a matter of having comparatively little time to write.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Our Champion, Col. Fassio. This was (and, I will add hopefully, ``is") one of the most enjoyable correspondences I have ever maintained, as our notes to each other were almost always long, rambling, and filled with the stuff of life rather than just this game. In many ways, Mark and I are complete opposites: He’s got a military background, and I’ve never tossed a serious salute in my life. He’s Catholic, and I’m... well, I’m not. He’s a profane man from the coal fields of western Pennsylvania; I’m a genteel southern gentleman from-well, I’m actually from a small town in northern Indiana, but who’s counting? At least I have taken steps to civilize him, introducing him to the important concept of the most valuable use of good bourbon and mint leaves. And I think he was in earnest in stating the he liked it; I don’t get the impression that he was just faking it in order to get my support into Warsaw.
I have said many times, probably to most of you, that Don is the finest strategist I have ever seen over a Dip board, and I do not mean that as idle flattery. It’s true. Of the three skills necessary to Dip success, I flatter myself that I’m fairly good at tactics, among the best at communicating, but woefully inadequate as a strategist. In conversations with Don, I could muse about one possibility for a move, and Don cold reply instantly that the long-term repercussions would be adverse. Then he would demonstrate why, and he was always right. How on earth can you see that far ahead, I would wonder. He put it down to just playing a lot of Dip, but I don’t buy that. I wish I had that degree of strategic vision.
As many of you may know, Don tried in W ’00 to sell me on a surprise attack on Jim-Bob, whereby his initial move would be A Ven-Tyl-Mun, and thence into Burgundy. I said not just no, but hell no; I certainly did not want an Italian army wintering in Munich. (In retrospect, this is exactly the degree of trust required by an Austrian playing the latest rage, the Key Lepanto.) Something inside me will always wonder what would have happened if I had gone along with that suggestion, but I wasn’t ready to be nearly that, shall I say, forward-thinking. Perhaps this had something to do with Don’s hand in the English stab that was my eventual undoing, but I doubt it; he probably just saw that, down the line, I would be an unmanageable threat to him unless he got a knife into my back. C’est la guerre; I’ll wait ‘til the next opportunity, Don.
Jim-Bob Burgess will go down in Dip history as the first victim of the Emmert Opening. Okay, it will be a footnote, and a small one at that. Two hundred thirty issues of TAP give him a far better claim to Dip fame than I ever will have. But the fact that he was still willing to talk to me while I occupied his capital shows that he knows how to play. I believe J-B made only one mistake in this game, but that was a whopper: Showing his undefended rear to E/I after I left. Of course, the idea of sending a band of gypsy soldiers into Austria was audacious; I’m not willing to call that a mistake just yet, and it sure as hell made for intriguing tactics.
I greatly enjoyed my correspondence with our wunderkind, O’K. He displays a mastery of tactics I can’t emulate; I can just admire it. And anyone who hasn’t seen the O’Kelley sense of humor just hasn’t been paying attention. This is the guy who spoke out at WDC in ’98 during the presentation by the Belgian hosts of WDC ’99, asking, ``What security measures have you taken to protect us from Diplomacy hooligans?"
When Arsenic began, everyone marvelled at Jim’s 4-for-8 win record, and wondered what kind of wizard this guy must be. Was he playing those games against kindergartners? Well, nope. The kid can play. And in a day when Dip openings are analyzed like chess openings, with articles on tactics, strategy, and negotiation, Jim ignores the pundits and just goes out and plays a great game of Dip. He and I never butted heads in this game, but if we had, I think I would have feared trusting him more than anyone else; I sense a ruthlessness beneath his eloquent, analytical exterior that must be terrible to confront. Jim, I’m glad I never had you behind me.
Despite all this ability in a game that rewards treachery and deception, each and every player in this game is someone I have come to regard as a true friend, in a way that will transcend the end of the game. Of all the games I have played in my Dip career, this is the first game I can say that about.
This game also produced two colossal misunderstandings, for which I am to blame. Mark and Pete, I have apologized to each of you privately, and now I’ll do so publicly. Thank you both for forgiving me.
I have gotten this far without mentioning what motivated me to make my last, fateful move of A War-Ukr. If I don’t discuss it here, I know I’ll be beset by direct inquiries.
There were several reasons for my move, upon which I did not decide until very near the last deadline. The most compelling was this analysis: I knew I would not win, and for all practical purposes, I knew I would not share in a draw, either. (Mark said, quite believably, that he wouldn’t vote for a five-way draw, and I sensed that others would be disillusioned with such a result, too.) The alternatives became survival or elimination.
Now, I don’t like losing any more than Jim O’Kelley (``Win if you can; draw if you must; but never lose."), but there were no other realistic options. I knew that there were two ways I could be eliminated. Either someone could make a mistake, or a group of you could decide, somewhere down the line, that I was no longer needed, and paring the board down to four powers wouldn’t be such a bad idea... On the other hand, there was one way I could abso-damn-lutely guarantee that I would survive.
There was a peculiar sort of satisfaction I derived from the knowledge that my one, tiny army held the entire balance of the game. That army was, in the end, more powerful than Mark’s sixteen units, or I/R/T’s seventeen. Plus, I took home the prestige of being the Lord of the Three Capitals.
In truth, there were more reasons. Mark played a splendid game, and certainly deserved to win. I noted from a look at the supply center chart that he grew in each and every year, which is a remarkable achievement. He was always on top of the tactical and strategic situation. In consideration of all of the skills one brings to Dip, he was, at least in this game, the best of us all.
Plus, of course, I wanted to punish Don Williams for having treacherously inspired the fatal stab of me, but that’s another story.
I thank everyone involved for making this the greatest Dip game I’ve ever participated in.
Russia (Bob Slossar):
I’ve never understood the importance most Dip players place on endgame statements. After all who’s been in a game and hasn’t figured out what happened by the time the game was over? Who wasn’t in a game but figured out what really happened by reading the endgame statements? I’d have to answer ``Not me" to both questions. That and the fact that I’ve got to leave for work in a few minutes will keep this short.
Thank you to Don Williams for organizing this game. It was my 1st Dip game in about five years and I had a good time. Congratulations to Mark Fassio on his victory, he played a superior game and deserved the win. I still believe that Mark could have been stopped if Don had realized one season sooner (as the rest of the board did) that Mark was going for the win. Also, Mark could have been stopped by Germany had Steve decided not to hand him the win. But it speaks volumes about Mark’s ability that he was able to get Don and Steve to do his bidding at critical points of the game.
As for me, my play was indecisive. The years of not playing robbed me of my confidence in my own judgement. It wasn’t until late in the game that I trusted my own judgement. Too often I listened/believed what others were telling me even when my own opinion was different. I was punished on the board (as I should of been) for the above.
Turkey (Jim O’Kelley):
Is it too late to change my vote on Faz’s resignation?
What a disappointing ending to a great game, and one that started out so promisingly for my Turks. In Fall 1901, I took Ser with Austria’s permission and stole into the Black Sea. The last time I had pulled this feat off, I rolled to an 18-center win by 1906.
I must admit I had thoughts of gobbling centers just as quickly in this game. Alas, Arsenic and Old Farts did not pit me against the usual stooges. I had Don Williams in Italy and Bob Slossar in Russia and the great Kathy Caruso in Austria. Not to mention the pack of first-rate rats on the other side of the board.
My first mistake was my choice of builds. Kathy wanted me to build F Con and A Smy and send the army to Arm for an attack on Sev. That would get me two Rum and Sev, she argued. I could then turn Ser over to her and still build.
But I wanted two builds and a shot at three-Rum, Bud and Gre-so I built A Con and F Smy. In 1902, I planned to support A Bul-Rum from Ser, cut support from Sev with F Bla, and move A Con-Bul and F Smy-Aeg. In the Fall, Bul and Aeg would hit Gre, Ser would support Rum-Bud, and Bla would move to Rum in hopes of buying it cheaply. I hoped to reduce Austria to a single center (with Italy’s help) while cutting Russia out of the spoils and gaining the initiative for the war against him.
Unfortunately, Kathy took one look at my A Con and decided that she was better off without friends like me. She bumped Ser, cutting my support into Rum, which bounced my moves from Bul and Con. Russia, meanwhile, order Sev-Arm, which caused my move to Sev to succeed.
My second mistake was choosing not to defend Ank. Instead, I moved Con-Bul as Bul attacked Gre. I took Gre but lost Ser. Meanwhile, Russia retook Sev and waltzed into Ank. I was down one, and my chances of winning the game disappeared. From that moment on, my goal was simply to stop anyone else from winning.
I spent 1903 and 1904 heroically fending off Russia, Italy and France’s rogue Balkan army. My favorite turn of the game was Fall 1904, when I managed to stymie a Russo-Italian attack on Gre and Bul, and seize Sev. If it hadn’t been for France supporting the Russians into Rum, I would have picked up a center that turn.
As 1905 dawned, Germany, played by Judas Emmert, stepped up his efforts to broker an R/T peace in hopes of forging an alliance of the free peoples aimed at stopping an E/I two-way. Bob and I were ready for peace. Three years of warfare had accomplished little for either of us, so we worked out a two-turn swap of Sev for Smy. Bob even offered to support my attack on Ser, now an Italian center.
We were both on pins and needles as we awaited the Spring 1905 adjudication, each wondering if the other had lied to him yet again. And as surprised as we both were to learn that the other had kept his word, I think Don Williams was even more surprised to see Russia and Turkey, mortal enemies since 1902, working together. Often to Don’s chagrin, we continued working together right up to the moment we were betrayed.
With the R/T war behind me, I concentrated my energies on defending against Don.
Don had me outgunned, at nine units to my five, but to destroy me, he would need most of those units, leaving him with scant resources with which to guard his rear against England. What he needed was two quick centers, which would allow him to erect the units necessary to deter attack by his scheming weasel of an ally, while the bulk of his forces pressed on against me. My goal, then, was to avoid a two-center knockout punch.
I could not succeed with a passive defense, so I chose to employ an aggressive, dynamic defense. I played turn to turn, and concentrated on attacking his centers, hoping to replace my losses, thus minimizing his builds. The weaker he looked, the more likely an English attack.
My defense proved remarkably effective. In 1905, I actually captured Ser and Tri while losing only Gre.
I continued my stubborn resistance through Spring 1907, when Faz finally stabbed Don. At that point, I accepted Don’s peace terms, and started helping Bob and Don coordinate a defense against a British solo.
When Judas took StP with British support in the Fall, all appeared lost. He could deliver England’s 18th center if he so chose. Bob was ready to throw in the towel, but I convinced him that we could stop England at 17 if we invited Germany to take Mos and join our line. I backed up the argument with a fairly complex set of moves that would have locked the board from Pie to Mos.
Bob accepted my plan, and I took the offer to Judas, who also agreed. In Spring 1908, Germany took Mos while Russia and Italy made the necessary shifts in their lines. All that remained was for Italy to support himself into Tyo and Gal, and voila, the stalemate line was ours.
When I received the Fall 1908 adjudication and read that the game had ended, my first reaction was shock. Why would Faz agree to the draw? Then I saw that the draw votes had failed, and I immediately assumed that Pete had erred in declaring the game finished.
Only when my eyes fell to the map and I spied the letter E in Warsaw did I realize that Judas had fucked us. What a disappointing (and premature) end to an otherwise great game.
Faz, congratulations on a fine win. I’ve wanted to play with you ever since I read about your exploits in the General. I’m glad I got the opportunity here, and I’m even happier that I got the chance to meet you. We’ll always have Chapel Hill.
Bob, you were a better ally than an enemy. I hope the experience here was enough to convince you to remain unretired.
Jim-Bob, it took awhile, but I’m happy we finally managed to connect. I look forward to meeting you at a future con.
Judas, I love you like a brother, but it’s going to take some time for this wound to heal.
Don, what can I say? This game has taken me from Santa Monica to Chapel Hill, from Cemetery Ridge to the Little Round Top. I don’t know how to thank you for the experience. I wish every hobbyist could have the opportunity you gave me, the chance to play in a game where every other player actually plays the game. I received more mail from some of the players in this game than I have received from all the players in other games I’ve played. The volume of correspondence and the level of play were just staggering.
I had a wonderful time, not just playing the game, but also chatting with you during our many lengthy phone conversations; meeting you in LA; drinking Juleps with you, Emmert and Fassio; and re-creating Pickett’s Charge. Thank you for inviting me to play.
Fellas, when this game opened some two and half years ago, you guys were a bunch of old farts in the eyes of this young Turk. Today, I consider you old friends. I’ll miss this game.
((I had sent my End Game Statement to Pete too, but I guess he misplaced it. I will keep looking for it on my end and might publish it next time. I also think this will light the proverbial fire on the Duck's butt and we shall see something other than Socrates' tailfeathers soon too. Thanks to all of you for a GREAT game!!!))
Personal Note to You: