THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #349

June 20, 2014


Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 USA, (401)351-0287, jfburgess of gmail.com


E-MAIL/WEB ONLY ISSUE! PDF will be available on the website. We also are being reproduced in Eternal Sunshine.


Web Page Address: /Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html


We continue with Kendo Nagasaki, join ANY time, just send me a guess!!!
This issue continues the szine/subszine inversion. As most of you know, this thing began as a ßubszine" to Terry Tallman's North Sealth, West George, then became its own szine with a host of subszines. The subszines remaining will appear as sub-subszines to our new flipflopped home in Doug Kent's Eternal Sunshine. Doug's incessant nagging is not keeping us on schedule, but will make it so we keep going. I'd like to keep writing and doing some game GMing (note that has been expanding). I'm set on the GMing, and I'm starting to write a bit, hope there might be more. Let's get the new Diplomacy game going.
For production, in addition to the HTML's of each separate product on the web page, I will also have a PDF that you can print of the entire subszine (including my famous handdrawn maps!). You can just print the maps if you like, but remember maps are for pikers anyway, you don't need no steenkin' maps, keep them up in your head where they belong.
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.


THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE FEATURES SECTION (CONS/LETTERS/MUSIC)
((For upcoming cons around the world: /Face/cons/index.php, but note that some of the Americans have stopped posting the tournaments there. Shame, shame, shame... The Chicago hobby continues on its active track: they had a great CODCon and Weasel Moot is coming up on July 26th and 27th. Although we know that Carnage in Vermont will end off the Nor'Easter sequence of events the first weekend in November, the rest of the year in the Northeast is clarifying slowly. Cheers to Christian Pedone and the Philly crowd for organizing a patriotic July 4-6 Philly Massacre again this year. The website is at www.philadelphiamassacre.com, check it out. Rob Premus hasn't said anything about his tournament though either. But expect updates in this space... Tempest will be coming up on Columbus Day weekend as usual too. I think most of you have seen it, but David Hill's article on being smoked at World DipCon (see: http://grantland.com/features/diplomacy-the-board-game-of-the-alpha-nerds/) has been generating lots of commentary: I agree with Adam Sigal and have for a long time (and this is nothing new) that some things could and should be done to work to invite more players into the fun of the FTF hobby. To think he as a rookie could walk into the World Championships and "instantly get it" would be silly. And of course Diplomacy is not for everyone, but as I have just lost perhaps my best friend in the entire hobby, I look out at all of you and know that I have more great friends than most people have a right to expect. David Hill should have seen that all around him, and didn't quite capture that. More on that from me in my next Diplomacy World article in a few days. It is NOT too late for you to write one, get one to Doug or me now!!!))


NEW FEATURE: ROCK AND ROLL BANDS AND MOMENTS THAT MATTER
I think today, as Richard Thompson is preparing for a soldout show in Newburyport tonight (June 20th) which is halfway between my two houses and I've just passed by on my way up here to Maine, that I regret the state of live music these days. As RT said about this: "Well, an advantage to longevity is that I don't have to build an audience on the back of hit records. My audience, over time, has come from word of mouth." I really don't think it's about getting older, but I don't really find that any new act/singer who manages to worm their way into my consciousness does anything as much for me as any of 100 musicians of the last half century. I'm trying to think who the last singers who really grabbed me were. Probably Erin McKeown or Melissa Ferrick.
((If anyone from TAP or ES has ideas for more things to talk about here let me know. I do have five or six ideas lined up here already that I just have to write. As a lookahead, the Ossipee Valley Music Festival, that is a couple of miles west of my Maine lake camp, is coming up even closer now at the end of July, http://www.ossipeevalley.com/ and the lineup is looking great for that.))


DIPLOMACY WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT IS ONGOING - YOU CAN STILL JOIN!
This is the latest incarnation of this team based tournament. I am helping to lead the Nor'Easter team for people in the Northeast part of the United States. https://www.facebook.com/groups/123795024327261/ is the Facebook page for the event.
And you can sign up for the Tournament at: http://aqmn.asciiking.com/. Other US regional teams are the ones in the Pacific, Dixie, and Chicago. Its unique aspect, that continues to be distorting, but in interesting ways, is its "solo only" feature. You advance from the preliminaries to the finals only by soloing, and then need solos in the finals against the other soloists. Though this started last January, it probably will be going on for at least another year, and there is PLENTY of time to jump in. As usual, for those who know me well, I screwed up my first game and allowed a solo to someone from team US. And then I could have soloed the second game, but well, I can't exactly say how I did it, but the Canadian player soloed there, with help from me. I still don't have a solo in over three decades, and now I'm waiting for my next game to start, you can join and get more games going!!! You can easily throw games, and in this format you can do it. I wonder why people like to drop the levels of the game in this way. It fascinates me. But in the finals of this tournament, it shouldn't happen, should it? The rules for the finals have been tweaked and the finals SHOULD start in September. But you still can join the qualifiers, openings are there now!!!




THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE GAMES SECTION
I am continuing to note cut or failed support orders with a small "s" instead of a capital "S". This will make it easier on the E-Mailed version of the szine to see what happened, since the italics don't show there. The italics DO show on the web page just fine. Since I'm not postal mailing the szine any more, I've dropped back to just reporting the disguised E-Mail addresses. As someone notes, if you need some more contact information, go back to past issues or ask me.
Standby lists:
Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Steve Emmert, Vince Lutterbie, Paul Rauterberg, Doug Kent, Heath Gardner, Paul Kenny, and Hugh Polley stand by for regular Diplomacy. I've pared down the standby list according ot who I'm actually in touch with. If I removed you and you want to be added back, just say so. Otherwise, just let me know if you want on or off these lists, especially OFF given the new policies.


GAME OPENING INFORMATION
I'm going to start the game opening list over. Under the new regime, who wants to play what?
DIPLOMACY: I would love to run Spy Diplomacy again some time, any interest in that? Something else?? Another Regular Diplomacy game? I would like to start one that at least informally is a memorial to Don.
SPY DIPLOMACY: Heath Gardner, need six more.
REGULAR DIPLOMACY: need seven, I really want to restart from the game that we had to stop.


THE PHIL REYNOLDS MEMORIAL: 2006B, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1910 IS JULY 19TH, 2014
Pre-Fall 1910
AUSTRIA (Burgess): has a BUD, f BUL(SC), a VIE, a TRI, a SER.
ENGLAND (James): has f NWG, a DEN, f BAR, a FIN, a PRU, a STP, f NTH, f ION, f GOB, a KIE,
f APU, f BAL.
FRANCE (Holley): has f TYH, f GOL, a MAR, a MUN, a VEN,
f ADR, a BER, f TUN, a TYO.
ITALY (Crow): has a GRE.
RUSSIA (Gardner): has a MOS, a SIL, a WAR, a BOH, f EAS, f LVN.


E-Mail Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: David Burgess, burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org
ENGLAND: Drew James, kjames01 of twcny.rr.com or karelanddrew of gmail.com
FRANCE: New Player is Melinda Holley, genea5613 of aol.com
GERMANY: Marc Ellinger, mellinger of blitzbardgett.com
ITALY: John Crow, johnny.crow of hotmail.com
RUSSIA: Heath Gardner (aka Heath Davis-Gardner), heath.gardner of gmail.com
TURKEY: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net or wiedem of shaw.ca


Game Notes:
1) I'm not doing an NMR on this restart, so I've delayed the game. I also think there is SOME interest, but not codified to end the game. Let's be specific. Vote on a DIAS that includes all five of you, vote on an EF that includes two of you. I think you're going to have to talk to each other to get to consensus, as there are active votes against draws. There was confusion about DIAS vs. EF though. I don't announce draw votes and if you don't vote, you veto, so I can pretty much guarantee the game will NOT end in July unless there is effort made to get votes in to end it.


Press:


PRINCE OF DARKNESS: 2013D, Regular Diplomacy
GAME ENDS WITHOUT ENDING


E-Mail Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Scott Allen, scottdjallen of gmail.com
ENGLAND: Brad Wilson, fullfathomfive675 of gmail.com
FRANCE: Don Williams, the good reason for deciding not to continue
GERMANY: Doug Kent, dougray30 of yahoo.com
ITALY: Mike Ruttinger, mruttinger of gmail.com
RUSSIA: Bob Slossar, bobsloss of comcast.net
TURKEY: Heath Gardner (aka Heath Davis-Gardner), heath.gardner of gmail.com


Game Notes:
1) I'll leave this for one more issue to feel free to write something about the end of the game if you want for me to print.


FOR THE MEKONS ET AL.: Breaking Away, Designer's Rules
THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 7 IS JULY 19, 2014!!
Turn 6: Barszczewski and Crockett are dropped, but we'll keep them on the board
66 (replenish with a 3) Ernie Davis
65 (replenish with a 4) Larry Csonka
64 (no replenishment) None
63 (no replenishment) None
62 (no replenishment) None
61 (no replenishment) None
60 (no replenishment) None
59 (replenish with a 3) Dziewulski
58 (replenish with a 4) Bowie
57 (replenish with a 5) Katniss Everdeen
56 (no replenishment) None
55 (replenish with a 3) Mustrum Ridcully,
54 (replenish with a 4) Moist von Lipwig, Travis
53 (replenish with a 6) Sam Vimes, CMOT Dibbler
52 (replenish with a 8) Peeta Mellark, Haymitch Abernathy, Sylvester Carmouche, Houston
51 (no replenishment) None
50 (no replenishment) None
49 (replenish with a 3) Jim Brown
48 (replenish with a 4) Ryan Leaf, Cwierczakiewiczowa, Floyd Little
47 (replenish with a 7) Effie Trinket, Roberto Rojas, Arciszewski
46 (replenish with a 10) Jean Van de Velde
45 (no replenishment) None
44 (replenish with a 3) Crockett
43 (no replenishment) None
42 (no replenishment) None
41 (no replenishment) None
-S-P-R-I-N-T- -F-I-N-I-S-H- -L-I-N-E-
40 (no replenishment) None
39 (replenish with a 3) Barszczewski


Addresses of the Participants - Their Team and Their Cards
TEAM 1 (Hank Alme): cobblers of gmail.com (0 points)
Team Name: Vetinari's Terriers; TEAM CAPTAIN: Sam Vimes
A: Moist von Lipwig (12) 9, 7, 4
B: Mustrum Ridcully (11) 10, 3, 3
C: Sam Vimes (7) 5, 3, 6
D: CMOT Dibbler (7) 3, 3, 6
Total Replenishments: 47 + 32 + 30 + 42 + 16 + 19 = 186
TEAM 2 (Andy Bate): andydbate of gmail.com (0 points)
Team Name: Racing Froggy; TEAM CAPTAIN: Jean Van de Velde
A: Jean Van de Velde (12) 14, 6, 10
B: Roberto Rojas (12) 7, 5, 7
C: Sylvester Carmouche (16) 6, 3, 8
D: Ryan Leaf (15) 12, 7, 4
Total Replenishments: 18 + 29 + 42 + 52 + 21 + 29 = 191
TEAM 3 (David Burgess): burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org (19 points)
Team Name: Syracuse Orangemen
A: Ernie Davis (3) 3, 5, 3, 3
B: Jim Brown (3) 12, 6, 3
C: Floyd Little (15) 16, 7, 4
D: Larry Csonka (3) 6, 4, 4
Total Replenishments: 79 + 55 + 19 + 29 + 17 + 14 = 213
TEAM 4 (Rick Desper): rick_desper of yahoo.com (19 points)
Team Name: District 12
A: Katniss Everdeen (15) 18, 7, 7, 5
B: Haymitch Abernathy (3) 21, 3, 8
C: Peeta Mellark (3) 23, 3, 8
D: Effie Trinket (3) 24, 3, 7
Total Replenishments: 92 + 90 + 16 + 12 + 16 + 28 = 254
TEAM 5 (Brendan Whyte): BWHYTE of nla.gov.au (1 point)
Team Name: The Reverse Polish Notationists (a.k.a. The Unpronounceables)
A: Arciszewski (3) 9, 3, 3, 7
B: Barszczewski (3) 3, 3, 3
C: Cwierczakiewiczowa (5) 4, 6, 4
D: Dziewulski (3) 3, 3, 3
Total Replenishments: 50 + 46 + 14 + 14 + 15 + 17 = 156
TEAM 6 (Andy York): (0 points)
Team Name: Team Alamo
A: Travis (3) 12, 9, 10, 4
B: Crockett (4) 3, 3, 3
C: Bowie (10) 5, 6, 4
D: Houston (3) 3, 7, 8
Total Replenishments: 44 + 65 + 20 + 31 + 15 + 19 = 194


Game Notes:
1) The rules are on the TAP website in the Tinamou section. Ask if you have any questions. Rules at:
/Postal/Zines/TAP/Tinamou/rules/BreakingAway.htm
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 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 (40/80) and final (120) 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 based on doing this before, about half the players will get scores below 5% and getting better than a 10% score will be really tremendous for this measure.
2) We have TWO players getting dropped from the pack in the same turn. No one else seems in immediate risk, I keep all the riders on the board.


Press:
(BOOB to RIDERS): But no press...


WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KENDO NAGASAKI
THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 6 IS JULY 19, 2014!!
Kendo Nagasaki games in Eternal Sunshine continue to multiply like weeds... I'd like to get more people engaged here, not just the usual suspects from Doug's games. The full rules for Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki are in: http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/es58.pdf. The player who was closest for Turn 5 has been notified by E-Mail. There were numerous complaints that my TURN 4 hint was confusing, I was more adventurous with my TURN 5 hint, AND I revised and clarified the TURN 4 hint. Lots for you to absorb.

TURN 5
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
No Guess this Time Jimmy Carter in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess this Time Harry Reid in Oruro, Bolivia

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
John Boehner in Antofagasta, Chile Angela Merkel in Managua, Nicaragua

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
John McCain in La Paz, Bolivia Nancy Pelosi in La Paz, Bolivia

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
Michelle Obama in Trujillo, Peru No Guess this Time

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: Although I have discussed the possibility of running for some much, much lesser office someday, it's likely you have never heard of those statements of interest of mine; I much more famously have labeled as an "idiot" a person in a similar specific elected position as you have.

TURN 4
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Mrs. Al Gore in Ascención, Paraguay Michelle Obama's husband in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess this Time Bob Barker in Santiago, Chile

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Hillary Clinton in Lima, Peru No Guess this Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Katie Couric in Sao Paulo, Brazil Dennis Rodman in Bogotá, Colombia

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
Hillary Clinton in Bogotá, Colombia President Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: OK, but I am part of a larger group than that. ((CLARIFICATION: I am a member of a larger group than the group you imply by your guess.))

TURN 3
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Diana Rigg in Anchorage, Alaska Michelle Obama in Valparaiso, Chile

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
Gov. Chris Christie in Hamhung, North Korea Mark David Chapman in San Francisco, CA

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Stephen Colbert in Brasilia, Brazil Stephen Colbert in Santiago, Chile

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Landon Donovan in Quito, Ecuador Tom Brokaw in Caracas, Venezuela

Steen Alme:
Al Gore in Buenos Aires, Argentina

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: Oooh, I think you have the wrong gender, try again.

TURN 2
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Diana Rigg in Pyongyang, North Korea Jennifer Jones in New York, New York

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
Henry Kissinger in Sao Paulo, Brazil Harrison Ford in Mexico City, Mexico

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Zsa Zsa Gabor in Beverly Hills, CA Dennis Rodman in La Paz, Bolivia

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Stephen Ambrose in Seattle, WA Scarlett Johansson in Havana, Cuba

Steen Alme:
Kim Jong-Un in Sevastopol, Ukraine

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: While I also have appeared on television in some form, I have done so for different reasons than you.

TURN 1
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Diana Rigg in Anchorage, Alaska Rex Roberts in Alexandria, Egypt

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
Jimmy "the Greek" in Las Vegas, NV Charlton Heston in Rome, Italy

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards in Sochi, Russia Pierre Trudeau in Montevideo, Uruguay

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Ian Fleming in Tegucigalpa, Honduras George McArthur in Seoul, South Korea

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: Unfortunately, you are very much dead, while I am very much alive.


LAST WORD: I think I would like to write this month about why I am still here, on the eve of the 350th issue of this thing next month, and why you all are so very precious and special to me. Of course, Don Williams' passing put me into this kind of mood. I think there are three or four things that keep me welded into the Diplomacy hobby and even if you all left, I'd probably stay. First and foremost is the game itself. It's definitely not a game for everyone, you have to enjoy grabbing onto the essence of your being and twisting it for fun. And then you have to not hold grudges about it, so even after someone slaps you upside the head four or five times, you still sit down and laugh with him about it over a beer. But I still think it is the best game ever, I still think that it is THE game that will prove if Artificial Intelligence is really possible some day, I still think that it puts baseball to shame for its failure rate (it is the best answer to what other game do you fail 7 times out of ten and are still one of the top players in the world), and a host of other things that are special about it.
Second, is mostly about MY life. I have an insane life, no doubt about it, I should be committed for signing up to it. I have two ostensibly half time jobs, both of which feel like full time jobs most of the time. I also have three additional part time jobs that are somewhat lumpy in terms of the time they take, but when they demand time, they demand it. I'm also on about five non-profit boards, one professional one and the others mostly about social services of various kinds. And then there is this. Edi Birsan famously said about Diplomacy and vices that one should concentrate one's vices and that Diplomacy was the best single one going. You can spin that a bit this way and that, but I surely WOULD be insane if it wasn't for this and for all of you. Thanks!! But you can ask legitimately why I'm still here and how I keep up a family life, and how I can do what I do. I'm up at my Maine lake house as a type this, that's another essential to my sanity.
Third, is about all of you. I have a lot of friends from various parts of my life, but there are dozens of you that I would trust (as we have played this GAME of trust) with almost anything. The game lets me (whether you like it or not) know a whole lot about you, as you know a whole lot about me. You will note that I do NOT show up regularly at the FTF Diplomacy Tournaments, though I have found my way to lots of them over the years (the next Chicago World DipCon looks like the next one I'm pointing toward that I just can't miss). When I retire (probably from one of my half time jobs first), I surely will start winding my way to lots more of them. I find that I still enjoy them immensely, and I love trying to hone my ability to play multiple boards in a tournament at the same time, maybe more than I want to hone or find an ability to win a tournament outright. Most of you have no idea how much you mean to me severally and individually. I miss the people I don't interact much with any more, like John Caruso. I love that some people, like Heath Gardner, come back after not talking to them for a decade or more at a time. Some people are silent observers (yes, I do know you're out there!!!) while others seem like they're just always there around this szine, like Rick Desper, Doug Kent, Jack McHugh, and Melinda Holley. Then, what in a way is even weirder is that I bounce around all the parts of the Diplomacy hobby that I can find, and there are lots of other people who I am really, really close to in the Diplomacy hobby, but have no idea about TAP, maybe don't even know it exists, but certainly don't read it.
Anyway, thanks to you all, I really appreciate everything you are and will be.


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 3.85.
On 21 Jun 2014, 21:27.