About The Diplomatic Pouch

It's been a long time since the Zine published features from authors like Paul Windsor, Theo Kermanidis, and JT Fest. Well, I'm proud to announce the wait is over. Find out who else contributed to this issue of The Zine.

Real Life:

I really wrestled with the notion of skipping this topic completely. Anything I wrote seemed overshadowed by one single event. After careful consideration, I decided ignoring something so significant was like ignoring a David Hood and Chris Martin juggernaut -- cruel and unusual.

As ironic as it appears to people who don't understand, many players find Diplomacy a stress relief; an escape from real life (RL). Unfortunately, one anniversary date finds us with no escape. September 11th, 2001, was and remains the cruelest stab anyone could imagine. The DP Council expresses heart felt thoughts and prayers to those who are reflecting, remembering and rebuilding in the aftermath of 9/11.

Announcements:

If you haven't noticed any Pouch change then the "move" was a huge success! That's right, the Fall phase has already been "adjudicated" and you may not have even noticed. Any technical move of this magnitude that remains transparent to the Pouch faithful is a good thing.

For those who are new to the Pouch, let it be known that Manus Hand plays for keeps. Call his order common sense, a calculated risk or a well planned stab, the DPJudge was moved from it's previous location to a new home at floc.net. (Editor's note: I was forbidden from naming the former location else risk torture and lifetime banishment.) Special thanks to Alain Tesio for the donation of space, bandwidth, CPU, et cetra. The normal /dpjudge still works. It's just that the man behind the curtain has changed. Trust us, this move was a very good thing.

In other news, voting for the 2002 Hobby Awards has ended. The Pouch's very own Jim Burgess (burgess@TheWorld.com) is hard at work counting and recounting (and recounting...) the votes. Regardless of who the individual winners are, please take a moment to thank the candidates for their time and devotion invested in nurturing and expanding the hobby beyond the local game stores.

Jim will have the 2002 Hobby Award results posted as soon as possible. Keep an eye open for an upcoming article.   (no pressure Jim)

What's New on The Zine?

It's been a busy season here at the Zine. After a blistering start, I looked to re-establish Manus' article submission schedule. All season long, I established communications with authors and perspective authors. Just one problem remained. I had less than half an issue's worth of articles after this issue's submission deadline. There was deep concern on the faces of the Pouch Publisher and it's editor. Was the Fall 2002 Movement issue going to NMR? Obviously not.

So what changed you ask? Since August 1st, the article submissions have been flowing into the Zine at a constant pace. I've received so many articles the past four weeks that some are being held over for the next issue. Speaking of next issue, I promise to have a special treat for the readers by the end of this year. You won't be disappointed.

F2002M Overview:

It's finally arrived! The reigning World Champion, Rob Stephenson, delivers his account of WDCXII. What could be better? Well, what if Rob shared his inner-secrets for success? Not only did he provide the Zine subscribers with a WDCXII report but more importantly how I ... I mean how you could be the next World Champion in Denver.

Although the Americans won't have to travel far, it's not too late for other countries to start a Travel Fund. If possible, bring a whole team of players to the tournament, because at Worlds you never know who your next ally will be. Just to be safe, be sure to study your German language skills on the German Diplomatic Pouch. If you have a problem understanding native German tactics, strategy and diplomacy, you can always turn to Sherlock Holmes for a (Blind) solution or simply write Niccolò Machiavelli for the answers?

Regardless of where you're coming from, you must remain calm, persuasive and logical. Don't forget to pack your Diplomacy flag, box scores and general mail, because you never know when you'll be asked, "What is this Diplomacy thing anyway?"

Thank goodness Rob shared all his secrets with me. See you in Denver!  
 

Enjoy The Pouch,
-Edward Hawthorne-
Zine Editor
(edward@diplom.org)