About The Diplomatic Pouch

Manus Hand, Publisher

Is It Spring Yet?

Yes, Spring has finally sprung here at The Pouch. Just in time, too, because the Spring Retreat issue is already right around the corner. Want to know why this issue is so late? Or does it not matter to you? Either way, here's the long story made very short: I just plain didn't have or make the time.

"So what happened to your grand plan to get a lot of other suckers to do your work, then, Manus?" I hear you asking. Well, I am happy to report that I received a very respectable number of e-mails from people volunteering to help edit The Pouch. The reason this issue is so late has nothing to do with those people, whom I truly appreciate. Instead, it has to do with the fact that I was so busy that I never even got around to telling those guys what needed to be done and how to do it.

As a result, I decided to edit this issue myself, simply because it was already so late and I didn't want anyone else to share the blame for its excessive tardiness. So late it is, and the fault is entirely mine. Sorry everyone, but better late than never.

So Shall We Dispense With the Preliminaries?

I'll step out of the way real quick here and let you get to the articles. I only have three things I wanted to say here, and I'll get right to them.

A Bumper Crop

I believe that you'll find the articles in this issue are well worth the wait I put you through. I'm especially pleased that we have not one, not two, but three separate articles on the diplomatic (player interaction) aspects of the game. This is a topic to which I have always wanted to provide more space in these pages, and here all of a sudden come three excellent efforts to do so. I'm real happy with this, and I believe you, like me, will learn a lot about yourself and your fellow player from the articles in this issue.

And by saying this, I certainly don't mean to slight the other articles. By my estimation, you will find yourself well entertained, informed, and educated by everything in this issue. From top to bottom, it's a high-quality issue (in my opinion).

In the main, this is a good thing, but every silver lining has a cloud....

The Crops Need Rotating

To create this issue, I've harvested just about everything in the ground. I say "just about" because I did hold back a couple of articles for the next issue. [For example, you might notice that there's no Sherlock Holmes article this issue. Look at it as an extra month to solve Holmes's latest puzzle.]

But the sad fact is that it is only an extra month. Less than a month, in fact, because the Spring Retreat issue is slated to be published on the 31st of May. Less than three weeks from the date of this writing. We'll see how close to that date it actually makes it to your screen, but my point is that to make it a decent-sized issue will require a lot of you to take up pen and ink (well, finger and keyboard) and write an article for publication. Quickly. How about it?

Now, A Teaser

One of the articles scheduled for publication in the next issue is something I believe everyone in the hobby will be interested in reading. Our own Simon Szykman will hopefully be interviewing a key man at Hasbro Interactive. And by "key man," I mean a man responsible for the development of Diplomacy at its new home.

So with that to look forward to, I'll now turn you loose to....

Enjoy The Pouch!

Manus Hand
Publisher
(manus@manushand.com)

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