THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #355

December 24, 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 at least for awhile longer.


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


MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!


We continue with a NEW Kendo Nagasaki game, 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 "subszine" 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. Since Doug is winding down, I may have to flip that back around again and be the centerpiece for all the subszines, we'll see. My intent right now is to do that. Feel free to communicate with me about how you want to do that, or if anyone else wants TAP subszine status.
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.
The Diplom.org site has moved. Chris Babcock is now in charge. It all went pretty well, all things considered, and most of you probably didn't even notice it was happening. But if you find you cannot access the website with the PDFs and HTMLs of all the past issues... well, please let me know and we'll fix it.


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... with the move of the diplom.org site, I hope this will be reinvigorated. So, since I will be running TempleCon again, February 6-8, 2015, here in Providence, let's move on to that. It's featured at the top of the Tournament Convention site above. Please consider coming, I have two "pay-what-you-can" hotel rooms and the four round tournament is Friday 6PM, Saturday 9AM and 6PM, Sunday 11AM. I think this year I'm finally going to get a bit of a breakout, so please join us. Let me know NOW if you're planning to come!!!))




NEW FEATURE: ROCK AND ROLL BANDS AND MOMENTS THAT MATTER
((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. A bit of a less is more Christmas issue this time, that already is a bit late. Hope you all had a Merry Rock and Roll Christmas!!!))


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, the finals are starting now. The rules for the finals have been tweaked and the finals are now starting, everyone has been queried. But you also still can join the qualifiers, openings are there now!!! Word is we may cancel them, I think the finals should reignite interest. We also are picking up some discussion for a successor Diplomacy World Cup. I think we all realize that this interesting experiment has not been completely successful. I recently was elected to the Council for DWC IV, so if anyone has any ideas about where this idea should go to reinvigorate it, please let me know!


THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE LETTERS SECTION
Rick Desper (Wed, 10 Dec 2014 22:30:32)
Red Sox completely screwed this up by not extending Lester's contract in the Spring. The offer they made yesterday was worth more than twice what they were offering in March. So in 6 months they've gone from an all-pitching no-hitting team to an all-hitting no pitching team. It's maddening.
Rick, rick_desper of yahoo.com


Warren Goesle (Wednesday, December 10, 2014 6:34 AM)
Apparently a dollar goes farther on the north side of Chicago than in downtown Boston.
Goz, warrengoesle of wowway.com
((I have a slightly nuanced take on the "mistake". I think from the beginning their preference leaned more toward the acquisitions they've just made. But they liked Lester too and wanted to get him if they could get him below market at their terms. They didn't think they WOULD get him, and the speed that they executed the alternative strategy means they were probably thinking about it and laying the groundwork for it all season. I like all of the new players as possible strong members of a balanced rotation. They have said they need at least one more starting pitcher, and so they do. The general consensus, that I think is right, is that the Spring lowball offer came from Lucchino and they had a much higher spring number that they wanted to get to with compromise. They said 70 million, expected Lester to come back with 150 million or something and then they might agree to 110 million.... in the spring. Similarly, the 130 million offer in the fall, knowing it was way below Chicago's offer, was an attempt to see if Lester was willing to take it. Again, they didn't think he WOULD, but thought he might. They really didn't mind when he didn't take their number, since they had the alternative plan, that they slightly preferred, in place. You do make 130 million offers like that even if you think there's only a 2% chance they will be taken. I'm really fine with that.))
((If they really wanted Lester, they would have offered 150 (missing 5 million plus the extra year - which they also might have offered) and I think Lester then would have taken the Red Sox at that number. So, they aren't stupid, they didn't want him at that number.))
((I'm looking forward to the new pitchers, the new hitters, and next season. Of course Goz will call me Poilyanna.))
((PS: I think Theo's deal is about a 50-50 bet that in the long run we view the Lester deal as worth it. I'm with the crowd that thinks the Cubs are at best a .500 team this year. In 2-3 years they will be contending in a similar manner as KC did this year, except with a 1b ace at the top of the rotation.... maybe. If the Cubbies win the WS and Lester takes him there, it's definitely worth it, if he's part of that contention, it's probably worth it. But if he isn't there when the rest of the team is ready (50% or so chance) then it was just an expensive distraction.))
((Early returns say watch out for the Dodgers in the Giants' odd year, and what of the Yankees? They would have to get Scherzer at this point, wouldn't they???))


David Partridge (Sun, 14 Dec 2014 04:25:29)
Too small to be the bruisers they used to be. Too big and slow to be a speed team. Caught in the middle like a deer in the headlights....
PS: What the hell happened to the Bruins? They're just a bunch of goons now. I love watching Kane skate around Chara like he's a statue.
((Yeah, an unmitigated disaster right now, not fixable with "one more scoring forward"... expect them to land T.J. Oshie and for it not to matter...))


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 to 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?
SPY DIPLOMACY: Heath Gardner (not sure if that is still active), need at least six more.
REGULAR DIPLOMACY: need seven for another game start.


THE DON WILLIAMS 57 MEMORIAL: 2014A, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1901 IS JANUARY 17TH, 2015
Fall 1901
AUSTRIA (Ozog): a SER S f alb-gre, a BUD-vie, f alb-GRE.
ENGLAND (Wiedemeyer): f eng-MID, f NTH C a yor-nwy, a yor-NWY.
FRANCE (Ellinger): f mid-POR, a SPA h, a pic-BEL.
GERMANY (Abbott): f DEN h, a kie-HOL, a RUH S FRENCH a pic-bel.
ITALY (Holley): f ion-TUN, a TYO-vie, a VEN s AUSTRIAN a ser-tri (nso).
RUSSIA (Rauterberg): f gob-SWE, f bla-CON, a mos-WAR, a ukr-RUM.
TURKEY (Burgess): f con-AEG, a arm-SEV, a BUL-gre.


Supply Center Chart
AUSTRIA (Ozog): TRI,VIE,BUD,ser,gre (has 3, bld 2)
ENGLAND (Wiedemeyer): EDI,LVP,LON,nwy (has 3, bld 1)
FRANCE (Ellinger): PAR,BRE,MAR,spa,por,bel (has 3, bld 3)
GERMANY (Abbott): KIE,BER,MUN,den,hol (has 3, bld 2)
ITALY (Holley): ROM,NAP,VEN,tun (has 3, bld 1)
RUSSIA (Rauterberg): WAR,STP,MOS,rum,con,swe (has 4, bld 2)
TURKEY (Burgess): ANK,SMY,bul,sev (has 3, bld 1)
Neutral: none (Total=34)


E-Mail Addresses of the Participants
AUSTRIA: Eric Ozog, elferic of juno.com
ENGLAND: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net
FRANCE: Marc Ellinger, mellinger of blitzbardgett.com
GERMANY: Will Abbott, wjja9 of yahoo.com>
ITALY: Melinda Holley, genea5613 of aol.com
RUSSIA: Paul Rauterberg, paul.rauterberg of att.net
TURKEY: David Burgess, burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org


Game Notes:
1) The exciting fall results are here, Merry Christmas everyone!!


Press:
(JIM to GANG): "People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain."
(TURKEY to GERMANY): You've got a friend in me,
You've got a friend in me,
When the road looks rough ahead,
And you're miles and miles from you're nice warm bed,
You just remember what your old pal said,
You've got a friend in me.
(ARCHDUKE ORCZOG to "HER GRACE"): Here's hoping! (or...) Come and get me Baby!
(FRIEND to ALLY): Damn, I hope this works...
(ALLY to FRIEND): Sure, it will work...trust me!
(FRANCE): The French Premier calls a winter recess from all fighting. "After our victories in Spain and Portugal, we are thankful for the western friendships that we have," he noted. "Germany and England are our best friends and we want to wish them a wonderful Christmas season! To the infidels who do not celebrate... war is coming..."
(ROME): "General, your orders."
"Mama mia! Are you insane? Who gave these orders?"
"The Prince of the Realm."
"The Prince of the Realm doesn't even know what a Lego toy is!"
"Do you want to tell him that?"
*sigh* "I hear and obey."


THE PHIL REYNOLDS MEMORIAL: 2006B, Regular Diplomacy
THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1911 IS JANUARY 17TH, 2015
Fall 1911
AUSTRIA (Burgess): a vie-TRI, a BUD S a vie-tri, f CON S ENGLISH f aeg-smy, a GAL-rum,
a TYO S a vie-tri, a SER S a vie-tri.
ENGLAND (James): f nth-BEL, a LVN S a war-mos, f nwg-NAT, a BER h, a war-MOS,
a STP S a war-mos, f eng-BRE, f aeg-SMY, f GOB h, a KIE S a ber, f BAL S a ber.
FRANCE (Holley): f ION C a apu-alb, f TYH S f ion, a apu-ALB, a BUR-mun,
a tri s a apu-alb (d:ann), f ADR S a apu-alb, a SIL S a bur-mun, f tun-WES, a VEN S a tri.
ITALY (Crow): a GRE h.
RUSSIA (Kent): a mos-SEV, a MUN S f pru-ber, a UKR-rum, a BOH S a mun,
f EAS-smy, f PRU-ber.


Supply Center Chart
AUSTRIA (Burgess): VIE,BUD,TRI,ser,rum,bul,con (has 6, bld 1)
ENGLAND (James): EDI,LVP,LON,nwy,bel,swe,hol, (has 11, bld 3(PLAYS ONE SHORT))
den,kie,rom,stp,ber,mos,bre,smy
FRANCE (Holley): PAR,spa,por,MAR,ven,tun,nap (has 8, rem 1)
ITALY (Crow): gre (has 1, even)
RUSSIA (Kent): WAR,SEV,ank,mun (has 6, rem 2)
Neutral: none (Total=34)


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: Melinda Holley, genea5613 of aol.com
GERMANY: Marc Ellinger, mellinger of blitzbardgett.com
ITALY: John Crow, johnny.crow of hotmail.com
RUSSIA: Doug Kent, dougray30 of yahoo.com
TURKEY: Fred Wiedemeyer, wiedem of telus.net


Game Notes:
1) No proposals extant.
2) Merry Christmas and the action and press returns!!!


Press:
(GOOD GUYS to BAD GUYS): What no draw votes?
(BOOB to ALL GUYS... AND GALS): Nope, no draw votes, this baby is in full drive mode!
(ENGLAND to FRANCE): Nothing personal, but this board needed to be shaken up. We weren't going anywhere quickly.
(DR. JEKYLL to MR. HYDE): What the hell did you put in this drink?
(ENGLAND to ITALY): All is not lost. The world is changing. Stay strong!
(KINDERGARTEN TEACHER to CLASS): The wheels on the bus go round and round...
(BRITISH FLEET to BREST): Our sailors have been at sea too long and needed someplace to go on leave. We've heard that Brest is nice this time of year.
(VIENNA to AUSTRIA): Why the hell are you leaving me without my Army!!!! You bastard you!!!!
(ENGLAND to TURKEY): The British fleet has arrived! Sorry it took so long. You will be free of the Russian occupation soon!


FOR THE MEKONS ET AL.: Breaking Away, Designer's Rules
THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 13 IS JANUARY 17, 2015!!
Turn 12: The Pack slogs toward the 120 Finish Line
96 (replenish with a 3) Travis, Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen
95 (replenish with a 6) Haymitch Abernathy, Effie Trinket
94 (no replenishment) None
93 (no replenishment) None
92 (no replenishment) None
91 (replenish with a 3) Houston, Ernie Davis, Larry Csonka
90 (replenish with a 6) Sylvester Carmouche, Floyd Little
89 (replenish with a 8) Jean Van de Velde
88 (replenish with a 9) Ryan Leaf, Jim Brown
87 (replenish with a 11) Bowie, Roberto Rojas, Arciszewski
86 (replenish with a 14) Sam Vimes
85 (no replenishment) None
84 (replenish with a 3) Moist von Lipwig, CMOT Dibbler
83 (no replenishment) None
82 (no replenishment) None
81 (replenish with a 3) Dziewulski
-S-P-R-I-N-T- -F-I-N-I-S-H- -L-I-N-E-
80 (replenish with a 4) Mustrum Ridcully
79 (no replenishment) None
78 (no replenishment) None
77 (no replenishment) None
76 (no replenishment) None
75 (no replenishment) None
74 (no replenishment) None
73 (no replenishment) None
72 (no replenishment) None
71 (replenish with a 3) Cwierczakiewiczowa
70 (no replenishment) None
69 (no replenishment) None
68 (no replenishment) None
67 (no replenishment) None
66 (no replenishment) None
65 (no replenishment) None
64 (no replenishment) None
63 (no replenishment) None
62 (replenish with a 3) Crockett
61 (no replenishment) None
60 (no replenishment) None
59 (no replenishment) None
58 (no replenishment) None
57 (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 (3) 3, 3, 3
B: Mustrum Ridcully (3) 4, 11, 4
C: Sam Vimes (3) 6, 6, 14
D: CMOT Dibbler (3) 3, 3, 3
Total Replenishments: 47 + 32 + 30 + 42 + 16 + 19 + 12 + 17 + 28 + 16 + 23 + 24 = 306
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 (6) 14, 3, 8
B: Roberto Rojas (8) 14, 6, 11
C: Sylvester Carmouche (10) 7, 5, 6
D: Ryan Leaf (9) 12, 6, 9
Total Replenishments: 18 + 29 + 42 + 52 + 21 + 29 + 17 + 27 + 46 + 26 + 23 + 34 = 374
TEAM 3 (David Burgess): burgesscd of roadrunner.com or dburgess of glensfallshosp.org (25 points)
Team Name: Syracuse Orangemen
A: Ernie Davis (6) 3, 3, 3, 3
B: Jim Brown (4) 6, 7, 9
C: Floyd Little (3) 3, 8, 6
D: Larry Csonka (4) 4, 3, 3
Total Replenishments: 79 + 55 + 19 + 29 + 17 + 14 + 12 + 29 + 22 + 20 + 13 + 21 = 330
TEAM 4 (Rick Desper): rick_desper of yahoo.com (48 points)
Team Name: District 12
A: Katniss Everdeen (3) 7, 4, 4, 3
B: Haymitch Abernathy (3) 5, 4, 6
C: Peeta Mellark (4) 3, 4, 3
D: Effie Trinket (3) 3, 4, 6
Total Replenishments: 92 + 90 + 16 + 12 + 16 + 28 + 15 + 15 + 17 + 13 + 15 + 18 = 347
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) 3, 3, 4, 11
B: Barszczewski (3) 3, 3, 3
C: Cwierczakiewiczowa (3) 3, 3, 3
D: Dziewulski (3) 3, 9, 3
Total Replenishments: 50 + 46 + 14 + 14 + 15 + 17 + 17 + 21 + 14 + 12 + 19 + 20 = 259
TEAM 6 (Andy York): (4 points)
Team Name: Team Alamo
A: Travis (9) 3, 3, 3, 3
B: Crockett (3) 3, 3, 3
C: Bowie (9) 6, 4, 11
D: Houston (12) 3, 6, 3
Total Replenishments: 44 + 65 + 20 + 31 + 15 + 19 + 13 + 13 + 21 + 17 + 21 + 20 = 299


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) So, the pack continues to lurch very slowly toward the finish line. By my calculations, it still likely will be Turn 16 before someone wins.


Press:
(DISTRICT 12): Three tomatoes are walkin' down the street. Papa Tomato, Mama Tomato and Baby Tomato. Baby Tomato starts lagging behind, and Papa Tomato gets really angry.
Goes back and squishes him and says: "Ketchup."
Ketchup.
http://englishtv.narod.ru/dictionary/catchup.html


WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KENDO NAGASAKI
DEADLINE JANUARY 17, 2015 FOR THE NEW GAME, JOIN UP!!!
Last Game was: Jeremy Clarkson in Iquique, Chile
WE ARE DONE, CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO RICK AND MIKE!!!
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. I added the notes on who was closest (italics) and we move on to the next game. Send a guess!!!

TURN 10
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Jeremy Clarkson in Cuya, Chile John Cleese at Iquique, Chile

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess this Time Karl Pennington in Cuya, Chile

Rick Desper: CORRECT! Kevin Wilson:
Jeremy Clarkson in Iquique, Chile No Guess this Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger CORRECT!
John Cleese in Cuya, Chile Jeremy Clarkson in Iquique, Chile

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
John Oliver in Iquique, Chile No Guess this Time

Press (Some more comments...):
Tom Howell: Jim, I did send you a guess, but I hear an echo.... Not that it matters, whilst I had the right place, I picked the wrong guy. ((So you did, corrected above...)) Sorry, haven't been very focused on this. Too many Kendo games running. Don't have enough time to give all of them the attention they deserve. ((While true, and I also get confused, I'm going to start another one next time anyway.))
Doug Kent: Your clues are way too obscure and confusing. I generally start with either gender or approximate number of centuries between the guess and the secret's birth, death, etc. unless they have specific ties or share similar professions/reasons for fame. Home country etc. often follows. My clues must have been okay because I think in every game they find the person before the location. ((I think you're right, I will be more "standard" this time. Part of the problem last time was that people went WAY off track, and I couldn't figure out how to get them back without being too obvious. We'll see if I can do better.))
Rick Desper: I was one of many baffled by the clues. I'll admit that I'm a bit lazy when it comes to the early stages of the game. I don't quite know why I went to South America on Turn 3. But then everybody was going down there, which made it more and more likely that it was the correct continent. I was thrown off by the gender comment. Only did one politician before moving to political media figures. By Turn 8 there was enough information that I thought the right place was in Chile. Still had no clue about the person, so I went with another non-American TV personality, Craig Ferguson. When I nailed the location and we got the info that somebody else had guessed the person, it wasn't hard to figure out it had to be Clarkson.
BTW, the clue for Turn 4 is about as unhelpful as a clue can get. "OK, but I am part of a larger group than that." I figured it was aimed at Obama, and that's why I went for Boehner, in the House. Turn 6's clue wasn't much better: "My appearances on TV are still for entirely different reasons than yours have been, I have referred to something in which you appeared on my show though." The syntax is baffling. Is it "I have referred to (something in which you appeared on my show)" or "I have referred to (something in which you appeared) on my show." The former interpretation kept me away from Top Gear. ((Yeah, so I agree, my clues basically sucked, but I want to try again. I was trying to follow what I thought were the "standard" syntax conventions, but I think I will go for simpler clues that are much clearer.))
(WIKIPEDIA SAYS): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear:_Bolivia_Special

TURN 9
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Jeremy Clarkson in Copacobana, on the shores of Mario Falcone in Cuya, Chile
Lake Titicaca

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess this Time Karl Pennington in Oruro, Bolivia

Rick Desper: CLOSEST Kevin Wilson:
Craig Ferguson in Iquique, Chile No Guess this Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
John Cleese in Santiago de Machaca, Bolivia Piers Morgan in Plaza, Peru

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
John Oliver in Tacna, Peru No Guess this Time

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: You have nailed my location, but someone else has identified me.

TURN 8
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell: CLOSEST
Rush Limbaugh in Copacobana, on the shores of Rush Limbaugh in Pisagua, Chile
Lake Titicaca

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess this Time Alec Baldwin in Sajama, Bolivia

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Sean Hannity in Antofagasta, Chile No Guess this Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger
Glenn Beck in Tacna, Peru Keith Olbermann in Santiago de Machaca, Bolivia

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
Stephen Colbert in Oruro, Bolivia No Guess this Time

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: I am NOT an American, but most Americans will have access to the TV show me and my buds have, one way or the other, and I am nowhere near as obnoxious as you apparently think I am.




TURN 7
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Al Franken in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Rush Limbaugh in Salinas de Garci Mendoza, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess This Time Gene Simmons in Oruro, Bolivia

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Bill O'Reilly in Arequipa, Peru No Guess This Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger CLOSEST (Tacna Admin. Div.)
Glenn Beck in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia Sarah Lee née Gore in Tacna, Peru

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
Jon Stewart in Montero, Bolivia Michelle Obama in La Paz, Bolivia

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: You still have the wrong gender, while also being quite confused about the real name of the person you accuse me of being.




TURN 6
Brendan Whyte: Tom Howell:
Mrs. Bill Clinton in Sucre, Bolivia Sonny Bono in Jesus de Machaca Municipality, Bolivia

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent:
No Guess This Time George Will in Toledo, Bolivia

Rick Desper: Kevin Wilson:
Rush Limbaugh in Potosi, Bolivia No Guess This Time

Hank Alme: Mike Ruttinger CLOSEST
George Clooney in Sucre, Bolivia Jane Fonda in Arica, Chile

Steen Alme: Edi Birsan
No Guess This Time John Boehner in Honolulu, Hawaii

HINT to the Person with the Closest Geographic Guess: My appearances on TV are still for entirely different reasons than yours have been, I have referred to something in which you appeared on my show though.


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

Heath Gardner: Doug Kent: CLOSEST
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: CLOSEST
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: CLOSEST
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: CLOSEST
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: CLOSEST
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: Some end of the year state of the hobby ramblings from me this time. First off, I really hope that I can get some more attendees at this year's TempleCon, February 6-8, in Providence, RI. Pre-registration to the bigger event wraps up in a few days, so if you're coming register now.
templecon.org/15/index.php?option=com_eventbooking&view=category&id=0&Itemid=911
You also can register for each round, though that is not required, here's the link for the first round:
templecon.org/15/index.php?option=com_eventbooking&view=event&id=43&catid=8&Itemid=280
The big biennial Invitational that Chris Martin runs also is coming up in a few weeks, I can't make that, but this should get the FTF tournament schedule off with a bang. Go to an event near you soon, or work to re-invigorate a local hobby. Ask if you don't know who is around you, you might be surprised how many Diplomacy players I know everywhere. We're also still looking for someone to organize the New England hobby more. I'm really just too busy to do it reliably.
DiplomacyCast features Matt Shields this cast and talks about getting started on talking about how to be a NEW tournament player. They also had fun talking about the 2014 fantasy Tournament Diplomacy player game that they organized this year. The discussion about how to get started includes the "how do you deal with getting carved up" in your early tournament games, but you need to own your introduction to tournament play. Ask about the people, and it's good to be a first timer to get people to talk to you about the other players. This may be obvious, but Diplomacy as a game is ALL about the people. That's what makes it great and different. Tournaments can move fast, so you have to get used to thinking quickly and read players in person, which is completely different from reading them on line. DiplomacyCast is a lot of fun, so listen to those if you haven't:
http://diplomacycast.com/files/other/DiplomacyCastEp32.mp3
If you're interested in the wider stages, World DipCon is coming up in May in Milan, EuroDipCon is at ManorCon in July (and I have a possible chance of going this year again!), and there is all sorts of game action happening in Australia these days.
The other thing that's a trend is the web based Diplomacy players are trying to get together in person, including the local event that happened over Columbus Day weekend in Marlborough, MA from the webdiplomacy.net people.
https://sites.google.com/site/boroughsdiplomacy/home
And the Diplomacy World deadline is coming right up on January 1. Think about writing something for us!!!


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 3.85.
On 29 Dec 2014, 08:13.