THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #314

February 20, 2008


Produced by Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 USA, (401)351-0287
Accessible through Internet at burgess of world.std.com (all E-Mail addresses are reported in this format, replace the " of " with "@"; if you bounce try sending to me from another account. Some of you have been getting bounced messages from my ISP's spam protection, if that happens to you, USE my backup E-Mail at jfburgess of gmail.com!!! Don't complain that my E-Mail keeps bouncing without forwarding the bounced message to that address. Then I can forward it to the ISP help to get it dealt with.
Web Page Address: /Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html


I expect ALL players to be signed up on the E-Mail notification list for the szine, see below. Some of you have been complaining about this, but it is up to you to get on this list, it's easy, come ask me if you have trouble. THIS IS A PROBLEM, sign up now if you're playing!!!
This is going to be a very short, get the adjustments out issue. And in fact, I'm mailing issues #313 and #314 together, so if you're seeing this first on the web and saying "gee, I've not seen #313 in the post yet" you are quite right, you haven't. This gets me all caught up and back on track though, and that's important for the games. Probably the next few issues are going to be a bit light on reading materials as I just try to crank some games out for awhile. Thanks for understanding. All that being said, we have lots of subszines, even with Octopus' Garden being back.
Also Jeff O'Donnell has to back out of all of his games, so I'm appointing standbys in each one who are taking over with these adjustment orders. In light of that (and my own difficulties in staying on schedule) I'm extending the deadlines a bit to the 22nd to compensate for Spring. We're all very concerned about Jeff. On the good side, he sounds good (cell phone is the best way to reach him), but he just cannot play at this time. I hope things get better for him and he can return later, but we need to keep the games going, so thanks to all the standbys.


The postal sub price is still $1.50 per issue in the US and Canada, with 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. Anyone may play in subszines for free and just jack up the issue page count. Since I have to get caught up this issue with all sorts of subszines, I'm going to be fairly limited with other items this issue. See the revised game start announcements below!
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 port/DipPouch/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.
Peter Sullivan's subszine is out of stasis, and all the back issues can be accessed via :
http://www.burdonvale.co.uk/octopus/index.html.
Peter is now back at least sometimes. Rip Gooch is probably permanently missing. Dave Partridge had been picking up the choo-choo game slack. Contact Dave at rebhuhn of rocketmail.com for more info on getting into choo-choo games and other sorts of different games. And Andy York and Doug Kent have been my most frequent subszine guests lately!!! Andy has been in every issue, thanks, Andy!!! And Doug Kent has been coming out faster than TAP lately, so many issues have been having multiple Eternal Sunshine's. And Michael Lowrey gets his in every few issues too! So, we have a full set of subszines at the moment.
The TAP mailing list has moved! It now is even BETTER protected than it was. I even have a bit of trouble posting to it. To post to this list, send your email to: tap of diplom.org. But this is completely moderated, it won't go out to the list unless I approve it. In general, I intend to keep traffic down to just the szine, as we've been doing and I'll put your LOCs in here. I EXPECT all players to be on this list, especially those of you who are from foreign countries!!! You need this to find out when the szine is up on the web to check in on results.
General information about the mailing list is at: /mailman/listinfo/tap
You can sign up from there, or send E-Mails to: Tap-request of diplom.org; with the word `help' in the subject or body (don't include the quotes), and you will get back a message with instructions. You must know your password to change your options (including changing the password, itself) or to unsubscribe. Normally, Mailman will remind you of your diplom.org mailing list passwords once every month, although you can disable this if you prefer. This reminder will also include instructions on how to unsubscribe or change your account options. There is also a button on your options page that will email your current password to you. A big, big thank you for Millis Miller for setting this all up!!


THE SEARCH FOR JERRY JONES
With the 100th issue of Diplomacy World upcoming, the ONLY former publisher who has not definitively been located is Jerry Jones. Doug Kent and I have some idea where he is, but we've not succeeded in getting him to respond to us. Find him and win a fifty dollar prize, only one more issue to do that before we move on to the next victim!!!
I am running out of people on MY list of who to search for, so I am looking for ideas, who would you like to find? Send me some names. I may go into Jim Meinel's Encyclopedia of North American Diplomacy szines and find some more szine editors to search for, that's what I usually do, but I'd like to find people that some of you will search for or want to find!!! Come on, help me out.


Feel free to spend the time looking for some of the backlog. Let's get Margaret, Derek, Sylvain, Steve, Ed, Tom, Gregory, and ESPECIALLY Kevin found too!!! 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 Margaret Gemignani or Steve Heinowski or Ed Henry or Tom Hurst or Gregory Stewart or Derek Nelson or Sylvain LaRose or John Smythe 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, GO TO A DIPLOMACY CONVENTION 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.




INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION EXCHANGE NEWS
John Harrington and I have agreed to close the ISE. In this age of PayPal, the traffic on the ISE had fallen almost to zero, and what was left almost entirely was me facilitating orders of Breaking Away and John's other Fiendish Games. So, I'm still going to help John out with that, but there will be no ISE. If anyone still needs assistance with this, though, since I'm helping John out, like if you're in a foreign country and need to send dollars for dipping things to someone in the US, I may be able to help you out.


WORLDMASTERS04 SECTION
See the Yahoo Group WM04-Results for more information and for details on progress on the WORLDMASTERS04, you can join the Yahoogroup too! Attention, attention, this just in.....
In the finals were Mike Tombu as Austria, Mike "Smacko" McMillie as England, Jerry "JT" Fest as France, Georg "Shef" Kotschy as Germany, Randolph Ruff as Italy, Michael Weinzimer as Russia, and Tim Sweeney as Turkey. The maneuvering is done, at the end of 1908 England "enveloped" France and achieved an 18 center victory, congratulations to WM World Champion "Smacko" McMillie.
The final standings according to the WM-rules are:
*1 and World Champion Email Diplomacy Mike "Smacko" McMillie - England - 18 centers*
2 Tim Sweeney - Turkey - 6 centers
3 JT "Jerry" Fest - France - 4 centers
4 Randolph Ruff - Italy - 2 centers
5 Mike Tombu - Austria - 2 centers
6 Michael Weinzimer - Russia - 2 centers
7 Georg "Schef" Kotschy - Germany - 0 centers
The game and history can be viewed at:
http://www20.brinkster.com/jeewoo/showadj.asp?game=wm04final

The new Tournament rankings for FTF also are out there that supercede the ones that were on 18centres. Go check out:
http://eurodip.nuxit.net/php/ranking/index.php?lang=Ang
There are all sorts of rankings there. Doug Moore leads the DipPouch rankings as done by Matt Shields, but Cyrille Sevin is still WAY ahead in the C-Diplo based rankings that Edi Birsan has been organizing with the French. And Cyrille also leads in Lei Saarlainen's World Performance Evaluation ratings. You can lose many hours poring through all these records and stats.


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.
Stephen Agar has matched the Hasbro rule lists and more with some of the even older rulebooks. Check these out if you like:
http://www.hasbro.com/default.asp?xcc_gameandtoyinstructions
http://www.hasbro.com/instruct/Diplomacy.PDF
http://www.hasbro.com/instruct/Diplomacy(OlderVers).PDF
Nice of them to make BOTH of these available. And all seven different US rulebooks for Diplomacy can now be found here courtesy of Stephen Agar (relatively new address for this):
http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/diplomacy_rules.htm


Check out current and back issues of Diplomacy World - Yahoogroup diplomacyworld
and at Doug Kent's new Diplomacy World web site at:
http://www.diplomacyworld.net/


Also, I need any Hobby Award Nominations NOW (!!!) for the :
The 2005 and 2006 and 2007 Don Miller Award for Meritorious Service;
The 2005 and 2006 and 2007 Rod Walker Award for Literature;
The 2005 and 2006 and 2007 John Koning Award for Player Performance;
The 2005 and 2006 and 2007 Fred Hyatt Award for GM Performance;
or
A 2005 and 2006 and 2007 Kathy Byrne Caruso Award for Lifetime Achievement (if warranted).
The Hobby Awards Committee is Jim Burgess (Chair and Treasurer), Fred Davis, Jr., Melinda Holley, Gary Behnen, Jamie Dreier, Paul Kenny, Mark Stretch, and Robert Lesco. I was going to publish the award ballot for this year in this issue, but I realized that I really just had to get this out first and then do that.... and then, well, REAL SOON NOW!!! And when I do, I'm going to give out three sets of awards and get caught up for the missed years, that seems to make the most sense. Committee.... you will be hearing from me soon! This also fell apart with my move, but I think I can get it together for next issue when all the games are in Winter.


Diplomacy World Issue Deadline is now:
Deadline Spring 2008, Issue #101: beginning of April
I'm really pleased that former editor Doug Kent has agreed to come back and get this back on track and get us to #100. Thanks, Doug! We're putting things together for the next issue and it looks good too, but if any of you want to write anything there's always more room, contact Doug! Most every old fart getting this szine sent something in for #100, so if you missed out, send something now for #101!!! We're looking for all sorts of kinds of articles, come talk to us if you want some ideas.
See http://www.diplomacyworld.net/ for some exciting back issue material being posted as well as the new Issues, including the monstrous Issue #100. Highlights of #100 include Walt Buchanan's ex-wife Carol showing us who REALLY was in charge of the hobby back in the Hoosier Archives days, Eric Ozog augmenting the oft-heard, but never get enough of, love story between Eric and Cathy, and the start of the new Diplomacy World Demo Game. In addition to the first two issues, we have every issue back to issue number 53 posted. Eventually they all will be up.
Editorial Board for Diplomacy World:
Doug Kent, NEW Lead Executive Editor!, 11111 Woodmeadow Pkwy #2327, Dallas, TX 75228, dougray30 of yahoo.com
Tim Haffey, 810 53rd Ave., Oakland, CA 94601 USA; trhaffey of aol.com - Ex-Lead Editor and Archives Editor
Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, USA; burgess of world.std.com - Co-Editor and Interview Editor
Rick Desper, 5440 Marinelli Road, #204, Rockville, MD 20852, USA; rick_desper of yahoo.com - Demo Games


OK, and then we have FTF tournaments. See the Pouch FTF tournament page at:
/Face/cons/index.php
and one that is not there yet is this year's DipCon. DipCon will be held on the campus of the University of Maine at Orono, just outside Bangor, Maine. It is set for the last weekend in July, starting Thursday, July 24th and running through Sunday, July 27th. We hope to have more details soon, but I am planning to go and hope many of you may be coming as well. Talk to me if you're thinking about it. I haven't been to DipCon in a few years now, so this year I'm planning it way in advance. I hope we get this going soon with the publicity so a lot of you come and make it. Jim O'Kelley also has been coordinating a number of Chicago events etc. that are on the web page, go to a FTF tournament near you soon.


MUSIC AND MOVIES SECTION (WITH COMMENTS ON OTHER ARTS AND SOCIETY)
We were running a "23 tunes" contest here (stolen blatantly from Mark Wightman and the late lamented The Sprouts of Wrath. If anyone would like to send me a tape or CD of their 23 (which was the original point) that would be great, but I don't intend to require that. I will be playing in the sense that I'll be putting 23 tunes in, and you have to guess me, but I obviously won't score points. Send commentary with your choices, and we'll see if people can guess who you are!!! And already there is a LOT of diversity in defining tunes and styles, so BE CREATIVE!!! This kind of died, mostly because of me. I don't want to take this last issue getting it back together, but might next issue. Feel free to send along general music comments any time.


23 Tunes Game
Here are the rules for 23 TUNES. You send me three tunes for the first turn, and then two tunes in each of the last ten turns for a total of 23. If you missed the first turn, you can still catch up by sending five tunes next issue, and guess on submitters to this issue. I am also submitting my tunes. After we're done, I'd like to exchange CD's/Tapes for as many of the tunes players as possible, but this is not required. I'll be sending the winner both my LAST 23 tune list and my NEW 23 tune list. The winner is determined by having you guess each issue who submitted what list (I will tell you who the submitters are). For each list you get right, you get a point, you also can win bonus points from me for really cool tune selections.
WHAT I NEED: Quite a number of you SAID you would join but haven't yet, so we'll get started and put the pressure on you. This part is still a MESS and I'm getting this issue out and then will catch up next time. I think I'm going to simplify the rules to get it back on track.


Mike Barno (Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:24:40 -0500)
One of my favorite local bands, the Parlor Cats from Binghamton, NY (known as "the Parlor City" a century ago) has their first CD out. It's called Help Me! with an exclamation point and with the band's frontman looking to weasel a way out of jail for the band.
They did well to select a theme and opening song that lots of people might know: "Help Me", which was written by Sonny Boy Williamson II (Aleck "Rice" Miller, the second "Sonny Boy Williamson"). The song was a hit for SBW2, for Junior Wells, for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and for Van Morrison. (I found this Horrid Example, category Pronouns, in the liner notes from the Rhino Records anthology Blues Masters Volume 4: Harmonica Classics: "A young disciple of Williamson's was Junior Wells, who recorded `Help Me' as a tribute to Williamson shortly after his death." Wells recorded postmortem? Maybe that's why it can sound so eerie.) I just listened to Williamson's version (with Matt Murphy on guitar) and the Parlor Cats' new one back-to-back. They sound plenty different but the crying harp gives the same feeling. That sets the tone for the whole album: authentic traditional postwar blues, led by HOT HOT HOT harmonica and (often slide) electric guitar. Even the originals (more than half the songs) sound like they could have been written in Chicago in the 1940s. The title song is also a tribute to Rod Piazza (of Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers), who turned Brian Potenziano onto this kind of music and helped him learn how to make a harp howl and wail: the song's intro and outro are an answering machine message from Piazza, who wrote the arrangement used here. Brian P plays through the Rod Piazza modification of the Harp King amp from Kinder Instruments, and this gives GREAT sound. You don't lose the most soulful sounds; they fill the room and they come through on the recording. The other covers are also familiar (and happy) for old-blues fans... Willie Dixon's "Back Door Man" was first released by Howlin' Wolf (1961), and was covered by the Doors (1967), the Grateful Dead, Shadows of Knight, Bob Weir, Harmonica Slim & Hosea Leavy, Sam Gopal, Frank Marino, and Quicksilver Messenger Service if the Wikipedia entry I'm seeing is correct. On this one, the 'Cats sound more like Howlin' Wolf than like the later versions. It feels raw, which is right for this song. There's another Willie Dixon song, "Dixon City", which was a multiple hit under the title "Bring It On Home": first for Sonny Boy Williamson (the second one again) in 1959, then by Led Zeppelin on the very influential Led Zeppelin II in 1969. There's Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson's "Alimony Blues", and Junior Wells' 1960 "Messin' With The Kid".
The originals are as hot as the covers, and being pretty much good ol' blues and a bit of swing, they're easy to pick up on; after a couple of listens, they can become almost as familiar as the oldies-but-goodies. Brian P's "Love My Baby" is just dirty enough that it could have been written by Eddie Vinson in the days when he couldn't record many of his best songs. "The Bounce" is credited to "Swan, Osterhout and Brown" because it's what Brian S, Jamie, and John play first after break, when Brian P is still drinking. Brian P's "Lazy Lovin' Woman" has a fun bounce and some nice sleazy lyrics. Jamie-O's Üptown Strut" and Brian P's "Be My Friend" and "Don't Tell Me" get it done in various ways. The last original on the album is "The Parlor Cat Boogie", which (as you might guess from the title) is a swing strut. It's lots of fun, especially at live shows when Brian P takes his harp and a wireless mic around the audience, playing wild licks while peeping over people's shoulders. This worked well at the last two years' Blues on the Bridge festival in Binghamton. All the Parlor Cats original songs that I hear, on this CD or at live shows, show both originality and understanding of where this music came from. They rock, in some of the ways that R&B rocked so people so hard that rock'n'roll overpowered conformist society. Some of them make me dance as readily as my favorites among their oldies.
So I recommend their CD (contact information is on www dot theparlorcats dot com), and I recommend their live shows, which so far have been in Binghamton (NY) and the surrounding counties. I've been hearing them various bars and restaurants for over a year, and every show is lively and colorful. Most songs are a bit different each time and it always sounds fresh and real.
Mike, mpbarno@lightlink.com
((Mega-cool, and thanks for the CD, let's get my own little review out here. Just so the band and the public don't think I'm a shill for them, let me start with the nits to pick. You could really see how "The Parlor Cat Boogie" is a huge hit at their live shows, but this one drags a bit as car or home listening. It doesn't help that Willie D.'s "Backdoor Man" then starts off a bit slow (only in comparison to the original, of course, in the vocals and intensity), though I did like that rhythm that I guess drummer John Brown is playing out on the sticks. Luckily for us it really builds though as we get "shot full of holes" and finishes the disc with you wanting and begging for more. For this one it is better once it leads with the instrumentals.))
((I thought front man Brian Potenziano was better singing his own songs. Mike, you and I did not quite agree, as perhaps my favorite song on the entire disk that really made my hips shake was "Be My Friend" that makes me really like their tricks!!! So it is the tongue that does it, eh? Well, let me be clear, I'm not looking for Brian's tricks, but if he gets the crowd moving, I'm all for it. This tune also reflects what I thought was the strength of the band, you emphasized the hot, hot heat, but I'd emphasize the restrained coolness. "Love My Baby", another Potenziano original pops up next keeping up the back door metaphors and the cool moving. I don't think I want to be ANYWHERE near any back door with these guys..... I liked this one much better at home than on the road where the subtleties of the smoldering feeling get lost a bit. It does remind me of Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson who I was lucky enough to see live in the early 1980's before his death in mid-decade or so. I think I've not heard "Alimony Blues", the song of his here, since then! I think they would be best in a dirty, grimy blues bar.))
((On the other hand, while you correctly identify that Brian Potenziano hits the harp with a West Coast soulful sound (tutored by Tom Townsley), my harp tastes lean a bit more toward the folk sounds of our Providence based pal Chris Turner (who hosts a MEAN.... New Year's Day party), you can find Chris, also protecting him from the spammers and crazies at www dot fiddleandharmonica dot com. Don't get me wrong, I thought Potenziano was great, it just some of it was not my favored style of harp playing.))
((What I really liked were Brian Swan's guitar solos, especially the ones on the Potenziano compositions "Love My Baby" and "Don't Tell Me", and especially on the lead song "Help Me!" I highly recommmend the Essential John Mayall, with the disk Exclusive Live Rarities for "Help Me!" featuring Mick Taylor. I'm more of a Mayall guy, I don't have any original SBW II recordings, but I thought they stood up to Mayall and Taylor, better praise isn't possible from me. As a whole a great starting disk, they probably need a touch more range to make a truly great album, but for the most part I liked their originals as much or more than the covers, so that suggests promise. Thanks much for turning me on to the Parlor Cats, Mike!!))
((Let's see, we have about half a page to fill. I'm looking for some testers to help Jérémie LeFrancois test his new playsystem for tournament Diplomacy at http://www.stabbeurfou.org, he is looking in particular for postal/non-Internet type players to see how easy the system is for those types of people to play. Contact jeremie.lefrancois of gmail.com for more information, questions, or to volunteer.))
Szine sports announcements are next
((Baseball: get your predictions and comments on the new season in to me for next issue. The local Red Sox will be off to Japan, that should be interesting. Will Barry Bonds play again? Do we care whether anyone talks about Roger Clemens again? I maintain my view that the "ignore the steroids because they don't matter" stance that baseball took in the 1990's and the "everything people did depended on steroids" stance are equally nonsensical. What needs to happen is light, some rules that can be monitored and enforced and a growing understanding that what was was. I find it immensely fascinating to watch how people react to this story. And yes, I still am a fan of Barry Bonds and I hope he eventually achieves the peace with his life that he's struggling for. I hope Barry plays and stays well ahead of A-Rod, who I am most definitely NOT a fan of.))
((College Basketball March Madness: Jamie McQuinn is probably going to run the group I'm going to join, if you're interested, E-Mail jamiemcquinn of yahoo.com and let him know so he can let you know when he starts up his group. I think we have some fascinating stories this year. What will Cinderellas like Cornell and Davidson from the "academic institutions" be able to do? Do teams like Tennessee, Memphis etc. have a chance? Will the Big Ten only get a handful of teams like they deserve? And will the Big East get the ten or so that THEY deserve??))
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.
I am continuing to note cut or failed support orders with a small "s" instead of a capital "S". This will make it easier on the E-Mailed version of the szine to see what happened, since the italics don't show there. The italics DO show on the web page just fine.
Standby lists:
Mike Barno, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Paul Rauterberg, Bob Osuch, Doug Kent, Sean O'Donnell, Vern Parker, Heath Gardner, Paul Kenny, and Jeff O'Donnell stand by for regular Diplomacy.
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
We've got lots of openings in the subszines, check them out!!! Contact Rip Gooch directly at xyropedes of canada.com and try to entice him to return. Rip has been a bit missing in action lately, but I am assured that he SHALL return. Can we get back to these game openings below? We just need a few more people for a couple of these.
I am willing to open another new game of REGULAR Diplomacy if there is enough interest!!! Doug Kent, Fred Wiedemeyer, Brad Wilson, and Shaun Thompson start the list, who would like to join them???
Also, is there any interest in another game of Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire 7x7 Dip? I know it may be getting tired, but I really like it. We have Karl Schmit on the list, let's get seven!! It's FREE!!! I may drop this one shortly if we still have no interest.
I also am starting a game of the variant I designed, Spy Diplomacy. Signups for that are now open. Bruce Edwards and Eric Ozog are signed up. The rules were published recently, ask to see them if you missed them!!!
And since Colonia is over, Harold Reynolds is looking to start something else. Harold has been updating the Diplomacy A to Z, go check it out at: http://www.badpets.net/Diplomacy/AtoZ/index.html
Also, I am going to design some postal rules for Devil Take the Hindmost, and we have an opening here: Bruce Edwards, Mike Barno, and Eoghan Barry are signed up. Postal rules from me will be forthcoming shortly, on my never ending to-do list. I will get them in SOON! I'm more likely to get these things started if I see some interest..... I've GOT to do this now, Eoghan is getting tired of waiting....
Right now, the other thing going is the Modern Diplomacy game with Wings. Sean O'Donnell, Jeff O'Donnell, Steve Koehler, Art Schleinkofer, Bob Holt, Rick Desper, Alexander Woo, and Dave Partridge are signed up for that. I will start it when I get a full complement of players, we only need TWO more! Only two, just TWO more...... come on.


TAKING OVER ISHKIBIBBLE'S REGULAR DIPLOMACY GAMES ((NOT))
Last chance for anyone who was a subber to Ishkibibble to join any new game for free, but this is a ONE TIME only offer, get your request in now. It is going to expire VERY shortly. Marc Ellinger and Fred Wiedemeyer already have taken us up on this request. Come on, let me call by name who qualifies for this deal..... Karl Schmit, John Power, Tim Snyder, Dave Partridge, Graham Wilson, and Kevin Wilson. I especially would like to fill the Modern Diplomacy game that Dave Partridge already is in. As soon as one more game fills (I'm not counting the new Breaking Away game), I'm going to pull this offer.


THE PHIL REYNOLDS MEMORIAL: 2006B, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1903 IS MARCH 22ND, 2008
Autumn and Winter 1902
AUSTRIA (Burgess): bld a vie; has a VIE, a TRI, f GRE, a BUL, a SER, f AEG.
ENGLAND (James): has f ENG, f NAO, a BEL, f MID, f NTH.
FRANCE (Williams): R f mid-POR; bld f mar; has f MAR, a BRE, f POR, a PIC, a GAS.
GERMANY (Ellinger): has a KIE, a BER, f HOL, a DEN.
ITALY (Crow): has a TYO, f WES, a MUN, a VEN, f TYH.
RUSSIA (Gordon): has f BLA, a LVN, a UKR, f RUM, a SEV, f GOB.
TURKEY (Wiedemeyer): bld f con; has f CON, a ANK, a SMY.


Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: David Burgess, 101 Laurel Lane, Queensbury, NY 12804
(518) 761-6687, burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org
ENGLAND: Drew James, 3644 Whispering Woods Terrace, Baldwinsville, NY 13027
(315) 652-1956, kjames01 of twcny.rr.com
FRANCE: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (661) 297-3947,
wllmsfmly of earthlink.net or dwilliams of fontana.org ($5)
GERMANY: Marc Ellinger, 751 Turnberry Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109
ellingermc of aol.com
ITALY: John Crow, 824 Kinwest Parkway #101, Irving, TX 75063,
(214) 532-1418, johnny.crow of hotmail.com
RUSSIA: New Player is Heath Gordon, 741 E. John Street, Appleton, WI 54911, (757) 710-0808,
angrydogproductions of gmail.com
TURKEY: Fred Wiedemeyer, Box 92010-Meadowbrook RPO, Edmonton, ALBERTA
CANADA T6T 1N1, (780) 465-6432, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca


Game Notes:
1) Note Fred Wiedemeyer's two new E-Mail addresses.
2) As we will see in all of these games that Jeff O'Donnell has to resign. We wish him the best, of course. Our new player is Heath Gordon. This is Heath's first postal game and his debut in the szine. I trust that all of you will welcome him appropriately. Heath, some of this crowd send postal letters, some E-Mails, and some call people on the phone. You'll figure it out. We've played only two game years, let me know if you have any questions.
3) We also greet Heath Gordon with a proposal that he share in a two way draw with Austria. There is a proposal for an RA two way draw. Please vote with your Spring orders, failure to vote vetoes the proposal.


Press:
(FROM TURKEY): Hello? Anyone out there? Aus/Russ are planning to have me out by Fall 04. Soon they will be concentrated on your doorsteps. I propose an Austria/Russian draw and will vote for it. It's up to you guys to stop it.
(RED KINGS 5 (DARK PRESS - NOT FOR ATTRIBUTION) THE LADY RATTA-TAT-TATTED LACE): So much for a shot in the dark. It's not so much that I knew less than I knew before, it's just that now I knew what I knew wasn't enough to know what to do. A little work and that could be a Doctor Seuss riff, of course it would mean working in a gnu, but I didn't have that kind of motivation. I was frustrated, broke and hadn't had a drink in six paragraphs.
I watched as night bled into early day, and the bandage that was the streetlights timed off, letting the wound seep through to a halting, fit starting diorama of activity.
A newsboy started bleating out headlines...
"Extra! Extra! Read all about it... England Retreats Picardy. Forced to Disband!"
My pique left me totally unappreciative of such a genius move. I was inert, despondent, devoid of perspective. I was a flatfoot with a mystery, which is better than a flatfoot without a mystery, but I had no clue what my next step was. Then again, this is when I do my best thinking.
"I think I'll have a beer." See, told ya so.
"Extra, Extra. Malice, heir to Centerland dynasty absconded into darkness!"
The important thing was to stay focused, stay alert. If things were unfolding, if it was as big as Flat said it was, there would be indications... signs... okay, clues. And when it comes to clues, well that is my business. I'm just saying I didn't get to where I was today without having a good nose for clues.
"Extra, Extra. Maltese Dipcon reported missing!"
Now the paperboy had my attention.
"Hey, you got a racing form?" I asked him.
"No sir, just the Daily..."
"Then what are you hollering for!" Sheesh, I could get this aggravation anywhere, no need to hang around here. Macgillicutty's then. It hit me that I had a hot blond and a cold bottle of Cheater's waiting for me at home. I sashayed the fifteen szines home while I mulled over what I knew of the case. Elephants, otters and something important was missing. The only thing I knew for sure was that I needed a gnu for a rhyme. Baby needs a gnu pair of shoes, are you gonna like it once the gnu wears off, gnu and improved... free association is the devil's playground, that's what I always say... actually I say a lot of other things, I don't always say that. In fact, I don't think I've ever said that before.
By then I was home and it was turning out to be an okay day. Burgess hadn't changed the locks and the lights were on. Life is measured in small victories.
I went back into the Abyssinian Prince and climbed the stairs to my office. I was expecting to find the blond from the Copasetic in full come hither mode, but naked with a machine gun was a little forward even for me.
"Baby, I'm not that hard a sell," I told her.
"Sweetface, keep your hands where I can see 'em," she smiled at me.
The lips were still the glossy red I remembered from issue #313. The eyes a deep blue that you could lose yourself in... okay, who am I kidding. She was naked, with a machine gun, but she was naked. Bazooms the size of Voice of Doom's old mailing list, a waist as thin as Ellinger's strategy, and her ass... well, what can I say; she was facing me holding a machine gun. I'll describe her ass when she turns around.
"So, how ya doing?" I am renowned for my repartee after all.
"I am holding a machine gun, y'know." She smacked her gum as she talked.
"Yeah, actually it makes you even hotter." Hard to believe she blushed at that, but since she was naked, the blush was definitely verifiable. Trust, but verify. Ronnie was right about that.
"I gotta ask you some questions." She waved the barrel of the tommy gun indicating I should sit in one of my chairs. So I just sorta made myself at home. Seemed appropriate.
"Shoot... well, no I mean... go ahead," I said.
"Where are you on this case?" She tossed her head a little at the interrogative, giving the hair a sort of flip.
"I've been following up leads, gathering information. I'm at my usual starting point... confused as hell."
She licked her lips, giving a fresh coat to the wetness of the redness with the pinkness of her tongue... ness. No, overkill. "So, do you know where the Hierophant is?"
"I do not know anything about any damn elephant. I don't even know why you're in my office naked."
"I'm in your office to find out what you know. I'm only naked because you're writing this," she said huskily. Her words breathed out in pants.
"In that case, turn around."
Yeah, an ass like... well you know that Final Conflict Diplomacy that took place on a global map? Two of those.
"Can we get back to business here," she twirled back to face me, the tommy gun dangling menacingly between her breasts.
"Sorry, hard to concentrate," I apologized, "you're the most beautiful woman I ever wrote."
She smiled at the flattery, again with the blush. Strong heart, good circulation.
"I modeled you after one of my exes. I can't remember if it was the one that left with the car, the dog or the house."
"Oh, I'm not like that," she whispered, "I would never leave you alone and lonely in the Hobby." She waved the gun. "I’d kill you first, but never alone and lonely."
"Gotta admire the honesty... and the jugs."
"So, you're seeking the Diplonomicon too?" She said, her breasts heaved with punctuation. (In punctuation? Every time I punctuate?!!, ,!!... ????!!... I need a cigarette... try a Red King)
"Babe, I love you, or would like to, but all I'm seeking is the rent and the next day's down payment on the trifecta," I fished out the Red Kings from my coat pocket and tapped out a fag, "I don’t have a notion what a Diplonomiwashmajig is."
"The Diplonomicon is an artifact of untold power. It can bend fate to its will, change the balance of power, accumulate vast wealth, and even polish Diplomacy press with its glamour..." she exclaimed, her face awash in the ecstasy of her feeling, her arms, with the tommy gun gesticulating wildly in accompaniment, and her areola fully distended in the excitement of the moment.
"Now that's impressive," I said. She looked at me quizzically, not sure if I was commenting on her narrative, or on her... or on her.
She stared at me intently, "the Diplonomicon is a weapon of immense and catastrophic power. The board and blocks are manifestations of the dark force of the Tarot. The 112 stones, 56 of each in two shapes represent the Minor Arcana. The 22 starting positions represent the 22 cards of the Major Arcana, and the Hierophant is one of those major Arcana who is seeking to reunite the board and stones. IT IS NOT A DAMN ELEPHANT!"
I just looked at her. A voluptuous, naked woman... in my home. I could overlook the tommy gun thing. I'm a guy. We compartmentalize. It's hard to get past naked. But the whole detective part of me was latching onto the clues, putting it altogether (even as she was in her all together) and I still came up zilch.
"I don't understand any of this Major Minor Arkansas crap," (steal the best lines you can find... that's what I always say), "what's this Hierophant got to do with me?"
"It's simple," she answered, the gun lowered to her side, "You are the Hierophant reversed."
She said it solemnly, with weight. Like it meant something. God bless her, because all I could think was; I thought Hierophant reversed was "Tnahporeih".


SPIRALS OF PARANOIA: 2005A, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1907 IS MARCH 22ND, 2008
Winter 1906
AUSTRIA (Rauterberg): rem a alb; has a SER, a NAP, f GOL.
ENGLAND (Wiedemeyer): has f POR.
FRANCE (Tretick): bld a par; has a PAR, f BRE, a GAS, f MAR,
f ENG, a BUR, f IRI.
GERMANY (Ozog for Tallman): has a BOH, a GAL, a VIE, a RUH, a TYO, f SKA,
a TUS, a PIC, f MID.
ITALY (Kent): bld a ven; has a VEN, a BUD, a TRI.
RUSSIA (Sundstrom): bld f sev; has f SEV, a UKR, a RUM, a ARM, a MOS.
TURKEY (Biehl): has a ANK, f SMY, f BLA, f TUN, f TYH, f WES.


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: Fred Wiedemeyer, Box 92010-Meadowbrook RPO, Edmonton, ALBERTA CANADA T6T 1N1,
(780) 465-6432, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca
FRANCE: Buddy Tretick, 5023 Sewell's Pointe Way, Fredericksburg, VA 22407, (540) 898-3386
cell (540) 226-5571 (E-Mail) berniebuddy32 of aol.com
GERMANY: Terry Tallman, PO Box 782, Clinton, WA 98236, (360) 331-5698 ($2)
terryt of whidbey.net
GERMANY: Temporary Standby is Eric Ozog, PO Box 1138, Granite Falls, WA 98252-1138,
(360) 691-4264, ElfEric of Juno.com
ITALY: New Player is Doug Kent, 11111 Woodmeadow Pkwy #2327, Dallas, TX 75228
dougray30 of yahoo.com
RUSSIA: Matt Sundstrom, 1760 Robincrest Lane South, Glenview, IL 60025, (847) 729-1882,
Matt.Sundstrom of bbdoch.com or mattandzoe of earthlink.net
TURKEY: John Biehl, #8 - 11530 84th Avenue, Delta, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V4C 2M1 CANADA,
(604) 816-0460 (cell) ($7); jrb of dccnet.com


Game Notes:
1) Terry is still having some medical problems, Eric Ozog is continuing to negotiate and submit orders for Terry. Eric originally brought Terry into the Diplomacy hobby all those many years ago, and so I'm glad he's agreed to do this.
2) So, we had I) GIRF draw, II) GT draw, III) FAIRT draw, IV) Recalling Terry Tallman to play Germany. On the last one, I don't have a note from Terry volunteering to return, but since any one vote, or failure to vote, will veto the proposal, I will presume that at least one person will check with Terry before voting yes for this. If everyone (including Eric, obviously) votes to have Eric leave and Terry doesn't want to take back over, I will find another standby. I don't see how that will happen, but thought I should be explicit and complete. Again, votes were due with the Winter orders, but I think I got such little interest in any of these that I'll entertain more votes with the Spring orders (and of course Jeff O'Donnell and/or Doug Kent didn't get a chance to vote for the Italian position).


Press:


FLIP FLOP: 2003G, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1910 IS MARCH 22ND, 2008
Fall 1909
AUSTRIA (Wiedemeyer): rem a war; has a BUD, a GAL, a MOS, a VIE.
ENGLAND (Kent): has a DEN, a RUH, f NTH, f NWG, f HEL.
FRANCE (McHugh): bld f bre, f mar; has f BRE, f MAR, a HOL, a BEL,
f ENG, a SPA.
GERMANY (Sundstrom): has f BER, a KIE, f SWE,
a NWY, a MUN, f SKA.
TURKEY (Levinson): bld a con, a smy; has a CON, a SMY, f AEG, a SEV, f WES,
a BUL, f VEN, f GOL, a TRI, f ION, f BLA, a RUM, a SER.


Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Fred Wiedemeyer, Box 92010-Meadowbrook RPO, Edmonton, ALBERTA CANADA T6T 1N1,
(780) 465-6432, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca
ENGLAND: New Player is Doug Kent, 11111 Woodmeadow Pkwy #2327, Dallas, TX 75228
dougray30 of yahoo.com
FRANCE: New Player is Jack McHugh, 810 School Lane, Folcroft, PA 19032, (856) 456-5984,
jwmchughjr of gmail.com
GERMANY: Matt Sundstrom, 1760 Robincrest Lane South, Glenview, IL 60025, (847) 729-1882,
Matt.Sundstrom of bbdoch.com or mattandzoe of earthlink.net
ITALY: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (661) 297-3947,
wllmsfmly of earthlink.net or dwilliams of fontana.org
RUSSIA: Sean O'Donnell, 1044 Wellfleet Drive, Grafton, OH 44044, (440) 926-0230,
sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com
TURKEY: Alexandre Levinson, Beeklaan 504, 2562BP Den Haag THE NETHERLANDS, don't need phone,
levinson7 of hotmail.com ($5)


Game Notes:
1) Doug Kent takes over as the English player of record as I've not heard from Karl Schmit, I hope he's OK, probably just busy like we all are. Thanks, Doug, for your quick and expert standby orders. As called for under the house rules, I do have draft Spring orders from Doug that he can change if he wishes.
2) I also made an error in the Supply Center Chart last time and put 35 units on it, giving Budapest to both Italy and Russia, Italy is of course sitting there, so it does belong to Italy. As a result, Russia only gets ONE build. Thanks for the eagle eye who caught that.
3) We also have to replace Jeff O'Donnell as France. Jack McHugh will take over there.
4) And, there is a proposal for a concession to Turkey. Please vote with your Spring orders. If you fail to vote, that vetoes the proposal.


Press:
(FROM AUSTRIA): I propose a concession to Turkey and will vote for it. Now it's up to you guys to step up to the plate to stop Turkey.


I CAN'T FIND MY MONEY!: 2001F, Regular Diplomacy
TWO WAY DRAW BETWEEN AUSTRIA AND GERMANY WAS DECLARED!
This one is done now, except I need to do the endgame chart for Tom Howell, as he knows, I'm usually really slow with these, but I'll try to do it next issue.


SECRETS: 1999D, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1924 IS MARCH 22ND, 2008
Winter 1923
ENGLAND (Kent): rem a pic, f eng; has a GAS, f MID, f POR.
FRANCE (Sasseville): has f MAR, f SPA(SC), a BUR.
GERMANY (Barno): has a BUL.
RUSSIA (Parker): bld withheld; has f NWG, a NWY, f EDI, f LVP, a WAR,
a DEN, a KIE, f NTH, a HOL, a BER.
TURKEY (Linsey): bld f con; has f CON, a SEV, a RUM, f TYH, a SER, a MUN,
a SIL, f WES, a BOH, f GOL, a BEL, a TYO, f NAF, a VEN, f PIE, a RUH.


Addresses of the Participants
ENGLAND: Doug Kent, 11111 Woodmeadow Pkwy #2327, Dallas, TX 75228
dougray30 of yahoo.com
FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($0)
roland6 of cox.net
GERMANY: Mike Barno, 634 Dawson Hill Road, Spencer, NY 14883, (607) 589-4906
mpbarno of lightlink.com
RUSSIA: Vern Parker, 337 Winter Hill Place, Powell, OH 43065, (614) 402-5139
VernDip of aol.com is preferred
TURKEY: Bruce Linsey, PO Box 234, Kinderhook, NY 12106
GonzoHQ of aol.com


Game Notes:
1) There are no current proposals.


Press:


CAST NO SHADOWS: Breaking Away, Designer's Rules
Rules are at:
/Postal/Zines/TAP/Tinamou/rules/BreakingAway.htm
DUE DATE FOR TURN 5 IS MARCH 22ND, 2008
Turn 4
22 (replenish with a 3) Sanctus
21 (replenish with a 4) Agnus
20 (no replenishment) Empty
19 (replenish with a 3) Granny, Gloria, Drugs, Bonham
18 (replenish with a 7) Vidic, Krstajic, Gavrancic, Dragutinovic, Zorro, Water,
Xavier, Yorick, Wally, Kyrie
17 (replenish with a 17) Kyoto, Mideast
16 (replenish with a 19) Bowie, Travis, Crockett
15 (no replenishment) Empty
14 (no replenishment) Empty
13 (replenish with a 3) Death
12 (replenish with a 4) Rincewind
11 (replenish with a 5) Carrot


Addresses of the Participants - Their Team and Their Cards
TEAM 1 (Rick Desper): rick_desper of yahoo.com (0 points)
Team Name: The Turtle Moves; Captained by Cut-My-Own-Throat Dibbler
A: Rincewind the Wizzard 14 12 16 4 (5)
B: Granny Weatherwax 12 11 3 (3)
C: Captain Carrot 15 11 5 (3)
D: Death 13 20 3 (7)
(note, Rincewind is accompanied by the Luggage, Granny is on Her Broom, Carrot is of the City Watch, and Death is just DEATH!)
Total Replenishments: 12+58+18+15 = 103
TEAM 2 (Tom Howell): off-the-shelf of olympus.net (0 points)
Team Name: Never Ending Worry Source; Manager: Rumour; Team Captain: Ye Olde Manager
A: Water 15 16 5 7 (3)
B: Kyoto 14 13 17 (7)
C: Mideast 11 6 17 (5)
D: Drugs 11 13 3 (9)
Total Replenishments: 12+35+37+44 = 128
TEAM 3 ((David Partridge): rebhuhn of rocketmail.com (0 points)
Team Name: Famous Four
A: Krstajic 15 16 13 7 (8)
B: Vidic 13 13 7 (8)
C: Gavrancic 8 9 7 (7)
D: Dragutinovic 8 11 7 (7)
Total Replenishments: 12+35+40+28 = 115
TEAM 4 (Brendan Whyte): obiwonfive of hotmail.com (0 points)
Team Name: The Reverse Alphabeticists
A: Zorro 15 11 3 7 (10)
B: Yorick 10 12 7 (7)
C: Xavier 7 10 7 (7)
D: Wally 10 3 7 (7)
Total Replenishments: 12+26+24+28 = 90
TEAM 5 (Alexander Woo): aswoo of yahoo.com (0 points)
Team Name: Just Ordinary; Manager: Credo
A: Agnus 12 20 7 4 (15)
B: Sanctus 8 4 3 (3)
C: Kyrie 10 7 7 (7)
D: Gloria 16 5 3 (12)
Total Replenishments: 12+44+22+17 = 105
TEAM 6 (Andy York): wandrew of compuserve.com (0 points)
Team Name: Alamo
A: Crockett 15 5 3 19 (3)
B: Travis 15 3 19 (3)
C: Bowie 10 3 19 (3)
D: Bonham 3 3 3 (3)
Total Replenishments: 12+12+12+60 = 96


Game Notes:
1) The rules are on the TAP website in the Tinamou section. Ask if you have any questions. Up above in parentheses is the card you played to get to where you are in the field. The replenishment card is the last card in your list. Be careful to note that the card you played (the one in parentheses) is not available for you, for next turn. Just for fun, I'm going to keep track of total replenishment, by turn, which is a rough measure of how the teams are doing. Of course, it is lining up to get across the sprint and final lines in the right places that really counts. We can calculate an "efficiency score" later, which will be the ratio of scoring points per replenishment. If I'm predicting how the future of this will come out, a 10% score will be really tremendous for this measure.
2) I have to comment on this one!!! I've never seen ten riders on a single space before. And rookie Biker Andy York looks like a genius now, while Rick Desper's riders missed the pack. Remember that the Sprint Finish Line is after line 40, for the first time this turn, that can be reached. That's a whole host of 7's awarded.


Press:
(ANONYMOUS to GM): Wally is my hero!


Personal Note to You:


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 3.35.
On 01 Mar 2008, 19:17.