Diplomacy Magazine From: loeb@geocub.UUCP (Daniel LOEB) Date: Mon, 04 May 1992 11:19:42 +0000 Issue #284 of Chapter Two of the Electronic Protocol By Daniel Loeb (loeb@geocub.greco-prog.fr) May 3, 1992 Distributed via: rec.games.pbm rec.games.board dipl-l ------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic Protocol Games played on the Diplomacy Adjudicator ------------------------------------------------------------- **** TABLE OF CONTENTS **** PART ONE - Opinions, Letters, and Editorials: Call for Eurasian Gunboat Captains Diplomacy Article Archives Service Russian Openings Openings Contest PART TWO - Summary of all moderated games on the Judge: Monthly Summary For more info about the Judge For more info about the Electronic Protocol PART THREE - Report from the Battle Front Hide: End of Game PART FOUR - "Diplomacy A-Z" (Version 2.0) - Part 1 (A-B) ***** PART ONE ***** **** CALL FOR EURASIAN GUNBOAT CAPITAINS **** From: Anonymous I was interested in playing in a moderated gunboat Youngstown game, similar to sunda, or sumatra. Or the un-moderated bali, speed or iowa. Unfortunatly there are none in formation. Anybody want to moderate one? **** DIPLOMACY ARTICLE ARCHIVES SERVICE **** Mark Nelson <amt5man@ecusun.leeds.ac.uk> maintains a fairly large list of Diplomacy Articles. I would like to see as many of them in Electronic form as possible. Please write to Mark and request the articles that you are willing to type into your computer. Send the articles to me and I will print them in EP Chapter 2 and in that way they will be permanently archived in electronic form. ***People in North America can have material in return for subs ***to North American zines. (Mark's choice). Otherwise, send money or stamps or international postage coupons (self-adressed stamped envelope) to cover photocopying and postage. If you edit/write diplomacy material, Mark will take that in exchange. Otherwise, you can always try asking VERY NICELY! In the next several issues of EP Chapter 2, I will present parts of the DAAS catalog. Here is the list of articles dealing with RUSSIA. *** RUSSIA *** Code Title, Author (Date, Length in pages) ---- --------------------------------------- cR01 The Problems of the First Two Seasons, Danny Collman (1987,3) cR02 Russia, Richard Hucknall (1987) cR03 The Ice Queen Cometh, Melinda Holley (1987) cR04 Russia, Randolph Smyth cR05 Russian Opening Strategy: Time for a Rethink?, M. Close (1986) cR06 Opening Survey, Richard Sharp (1984) cR07 Does Silesia have a future?, Richard Sharp (1985) ***note:cR02-07 total 10 pages, and can be ordered together cR08-09 Russian Openings 1969-73, Mark Nelson (1988, 4) cR10 Russia's Northern Offensive, Rod Walker (2) cR11 Russian Wins, Steve Heinowski (1988, 1) cR12 Russia, Harry Drews (1975, 3) cR13 Russia: Tips that will lead to quick and painful defeat, Doug Ingram (EP103, 1) cR14 Quo Vadis!? A Look at Russia in 1901, Francois Cuerrier (1990, 4) **** RUSSIAN OPENINGS **** This 7 part series presents the Spring 1901 openings for each country. If you have any, please send me: data for any games that were NOT listed below, the final results for the games listed below, any corrections, commentaries on the openings, rebuttals to the player's guide's commentary SUMMARY OF OPENINGS FOR RUSSIA ------------------------------ Used in A Mos A War F Sev F StP/s 1986 Judge Judge Games (wins) ----- ----- ----- ------- ---- ----- ------------------ Ukr Gal Rum Bot 6.7% 13 (1) AUSTERLITZ, HASTINGS, (osijek) Player's Guide Opening 1 MANHATTAN, BACH, BOLT, Austrian Attack CROATIA, KOURSK, LOBO, nifty, Snorri, swift, topple Ukr Gal Bla Bot 37.3% 7 DPPA, BLIND, BOADICEA, CONAN, Southern Defense Khafji, Spam, Stanford Sev Ukr Rum Bot 3.8% 6 (1) Guadal, Dday, Marengo, Rumanian Opening Quartz, Rose, (Purple) Lvn* Ukr* Rum Bot 1.4% 4 Cannon, Xenon, Ludwig, Quebec Player's Guide Opening 4 HOLD* Ukr* Rum Bot 0.5% 4 Banditos, Under, Land, Sparrow Stp Ukr Rum Bot 4.3% 3 Jade, Yellow, Zounds Ukr Sil Rum Bot 1.4% 3 Dram, Fast, Squid Stp Gal Rum Bot 1.4% 3 King, Portnoy, Warp Player's Guide Openning 6 Stp Ukr Bla Bot 9.1% 2 Berezina, Gold Squid Sev Ukr Bla Bot 7.7% 2 Drewids, Vittle Player's Guide Opening 2, Turkish Attack Ukr Gal HOLD Bot 1.0% 2 Evolt, HOLD Ukraine System, Southern Hedgehog Variation Stp Lvn Rum Bot 0% 2 100andup, acre Player's Guide Opening 3 Lvn Pru Rum Bot 0% 2 Cubit, Mystery Stp Gal Bla Bot 11.0% 1 Leipzig Octopus Lvn Ukr Bla Bot 1.0% 1 Radar War Sil Rum Bot 0.5% 1 JutEland Sev HOLD Rum Fin 0.5% 1 Grossc Stp Ukr HOLD Bot 0% 1 Orange Stp Mos Rum Bot 0% 1 Paris Lvn Sil Rum Bot 0% 1 Turbo Sev Sil Rum Bot 0% 1 Hyperwar Sev Pru Bla Bot 0% 1 Asia War Pru Rum Bot 0% 1 1966AA Stp Pru Bla Bot 0% 1 DPPB Stp HOLD Bla Bot 0% 1 Sugar Sev Gal Bla Fin 0% 1 Jutland Wal Sil Bla Bot 0% 0 Player's Guide Opening 5 Notes ----- 1) In LAND, Mos actually moved S WAR-UKR 2) In SPARROW, Mos moved to UKR, and War HOLD 3) In CANNON and XENON, the moves of Mos and War were permuted 4) The 5th column indicates the frequency of opening among postal games in 1986. Excerpts from Diplomacy A-Z --------------------------- AUSTRIAN ATTACK (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Russia's second most popular opening: A(Mos)-Ukr, A(War)-Gal, F(Sev)-Rum, generally means that Russia is confident he has a Turkish ally against Austria. A drawback is that the fleet in Rum is poorly placed. Excerpts from the Player's Guide. --------------------------------- "(F StP(sc)-Bot) is the only reasonable opening for that unit. The alternatives, to Finland or Livonia accomplish nothing. Put the fleet in its proper place: on water." Opening 1: "Russia must usually choose between a northern or southern strategy. This means putting her eggs in the appropriate basket. Here she is allied with Turkey against Austria. If there is a stand-off in Galicia or Rumania, there will be support for the same order in the Fall." Opening 2: "This is the anti-Turkish opening. In the Fall, (A Sev-Arm) promises to give the Sultan apoplexy. It also leaves (Sev) open for the build of a second fleet. If the Turks order (F Ank-Bla) they will be stood off. The fleet can then move to Rumania with support from in the Fall again leaving Sev open for a second fleet. Some players prefer the alternative (F Sev-Rum) in the Spring. This is weaker, but does insure that (A Mos-Sev) succeeds so that Armenia may be threatened. However, this creates a guessing game around Rumania and Sevastopol if Turkey opens (F Ank-Bla, A Con-Bul). It's even worse if Turkey also opens (A Smy-Arm)." Opening 3: This is a Northern attack, against England. If Russia puts her eggs in that basket, she may as well tureky TUrkey and get into Rumania. Even if the Turks take Sevastopol, Russia may be able to amke peace and concentrate on a northern offensive. There is nothing wrong with a Russo-Turkish alliance even when the Turks are overly greedy in the South. This opening threatens to keep England out of Norway while convoying an army into Sweden. To be really diabolical, order (A Stp-Fin, A Lvn-Bot-Swe), and build (F StP/nc). Opening 4: This is a deliberately neutral opening and is more effective than it looks. Russia hopes for two new centers and positions her armies to cover her home centers in case of attack. At the same time, she will ahve a number of offensive options in Fall 1901. (A Lvn-Swe or -Pru; A Ukr-Gal). Opening 5: This is an anti-German opening. (A Wal-Sil) is preferable to (A War-Pru) because it threatens 2 supply centers. The other army can cover Warsaw, or attack Prussia, or move to Sweden. In the last instance, (F Bot-Bal) is a killer in 1902. On occasion, Russia just gives up Sweden and moves (F Bot-Bal) in Fall 1901. Watch the German player have fits when that happens. Opening 6: In this opening, Russia has simply not made up her mind. She is going after Austria and England at the same time. If she has alliances with France, Germany, Italy, and Turkey, these are not bad orders. They make the most of Russia's unique position on the board. **** CONTEST **** I have proposed the following contest related to the game opening series. People propose 3 openings for each country. The rules: You earn 3 points each time opening 1 was used, 2 points each time opening 2 was used, and 1 point each time opening 3 was used. Here are the results to date (maximum score possible so far is: 105(a) + 140(e) + 91(f) + 98(g) + 51(i) + 59(r) = 544 points): Contestant Totals A Mos A War F Sev F StP/s Freqncy Points ---------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------- ------- ------ Matt Ender A = 91 Sev Ukr Rum Bot 6 18 R = 46 E = 137 Ukr Gal Rum Bot 13 26 ------------- F = 60 Sev Ukr Bla Bot 2 2 TOTAL = 476 G = 93 I = 46 Dave Cebula A = 68 Ukr Gal Rum Bot 13 39 R = 52 E = 137 StP Ukr Rum Bot 3 6 ------------- F = 91 Ukr Gal Bla Bot 7 7 TOTAL = 465 G = 95 I = 22 Pete Jennings A = 75 Ukr Gal Bla Bot 7 21 R = 36 E = 140 Sev Ukr Rum Bot 6 12 ------------- F = 74 StP Ukr Rum Bot 3 3 TOTAL = 429 G = 61 I = 43 Chris Lopez A = 68 Ukr Gal Bla Bot 7 21 R = 28 E = 140 StP Ukr Bla Bot 2 4 ------------- F = 91 StP Ukr Rum Bot 3 3 TOTAL = 426 G = 62 I = 37 Jamie Dreier A = 36 StP Gal Rum Bot 3 9 R = 42 E = 137 Ukr Gal Rum Bot 13 26 F = 79 Ukr Gal Bla Bot 7 7 TOTAL = 401 G = 66 I = 41 Torben Mogensen A = 62 Lvn Ukr Rum Bot* 4 12 R = 16 E = 99 Sev Ukr Bla Bot* 2 4 ------------- F = 12 Sev Ukr Arm Bot* 0 0 TOTAL = 297 G = 98 (* = actually Bal) I = 10 Next week, Openings and contest results for TURKEY! ***** PART TWO ***** **** MONTHLY SUMMARY **** --- EXPLANATION --- Here is an update on games played on Judge. Each game is represented by a line of data (followed possibly by a line of comments --- please send me comments I can use if you are a GM!). The games are sorted according the the variant rules which are used. Column Explanation ------ ----------- (1) Name of game including a "#" if game is "private" or "unlisted" (2) Electronic Protocol number (and Chapter) if available. (3) Name of the GM (see list of GMs below). (4-10) Updates on game in chronological order (most recent on the right) The updates for a game in formation indicate the number of players needed to start. For example, -5. The updates for a game in progress indicate the season (F for Fall or S for Spring), the last 2 digits of the year, and the phase (M for movement, B for builds, and R for retreats). All this is possibly followed by the indication of the number of replacement players (-1), temporary replacements (T1) needed, or needed later on (*1). --- LIST --- Name EP# GM Dec5 Jan3 Feb4 Mar10 Apr3 Apr16 May3 ------- --- -- ---- ---- ---- ----- ---- ----- ---- STANDARD RULES cubit 158 jdr S01M S02M F03M S04M F04B dram 159 jdr S01M S02M F03M S04M-1 F05M-1 evolt 161 jdr -7 F01M F02M F03M F04M furlong 164 jdr S01M-1 F02M S03M F03M gallon 162 jdr F01M S03M F03M-1 F04M hector 165 jdr S01M F02M S03M-1 F04M infinite 166 jdr S01M F02M F03M F04M jugful jdr -1 F01B S03M S04M karat jdr S01M F01B-1 F02M lot jdr S01M F01M F02M meter jdr S01M S01M S02M newton jdr S01M S02M-1 F02B ounce jdr -2 S01M-1 F02M pint jdr S01M F01B quart jdr S01M F02M rad jdr -4 S01M-1 second jdr S01M ton jdr -4 marengo 129 scottb F06M F07M S09M F10M F11B F12M F13M Ita strong. Ger builds. Fra survives. Eng/Aus weaken. osijek 137 cebulad S04R S05M S06M F07M F08M S09M F09R-1 sparrow 133 casmacin F03B S05R S06M F07R F10M F11M S13M Austria and Turkey digging in to prevent English win. normandy loeb -3 -3 -3 S01M*1 F01B S02M S03M Jeu Francophone. All press is written in French grass karl -5 S01M S01M S02M Spiel in Deutsch, alle Verhandlungen werden auf Deutsch gefuehrt. R/T-Dampfhammer?, E/G-Allianz, I,F,A unentschieden kaiser karl -3 S01M S02M Normal game, negotiations in English. croatia 148 nick F02M F02R F03M F04B F06M S07M S08M Russia eliminated, Austria down to 1, Turkey & Eng in lead quebec 154 nick F02M F03M F04M S05M FG and R attack England, Invasion of Britain expected soon! STANDARD GUNBOAT - Identities of players unknown. All messages are public. conan 163 pl436000 -5 -2 F02B S05M S07M F08M F09B 24 hour deadlines dppa 167 loeb F01M S03R (F03M) S04R ddpb 168 loeb F01M F03M (S04M) F04R dppc loeb -5 F02M (F03M) S04M dppd loeb F01M (S02M) F02R dppe loeb S01M (S02M) S03M # dppf loeb -5 (-2) (-3) Play against a computer opponent (DPP version 1b). No press. Signup for new DPP games halted until Version 2 comes out. YOUNGSTOWN RULES (10 players) Extended map including Asia and Africa. dien 124 jdr F10B-1 S11M F11M F12M F13M*1 S14M F14M French replacement player (3 SC) needed soon. giggles dwiseman S06R S07R F08B S10M F10M S11M S11M Local ERIM game timor 160 nick -10 F01M F03M F03B S04M Russia and Japan co-operating, France and China too? # krauts karl -9 -9 Press to be written in German. Long signon period anticipated. Spiel in Deutsch, alle Verhandlungen werden auf Deutsch gefuehrt. YOUNGSTOWN GUNBOAT GAME sunda 171 nick S01M (F02B) F03M Warp speed Gunboat Youngstown games. 24h deadline, 72h grace. sumatra 182 nick -1 (S02M) F03M Warp speed Gunboat Youngstown games. 24h deadline, 72h grace. Russia retreats from all; major German expansion LOEB9 RULES (9 players) Spain and Scandinavia are added as extra players. eylau 153 loeb F01B-1 S03M F03M S05M F06M F07M F08B 5 units forced to retreat simultaneously. Russia eliminated. GREAT BRITAIN RULES (7 players) Britain starts with 6 SC's but all armies! hastings 139 loeb F03B F04M-1 S05R F07B S10M S11M F12M Can EFT stop Germany from winnning? CHAOS RULES (34 players) Regular map. Each SC is owned by a different player. fontenoy 114/4 jdr F07R F08M F09M F10M F11B F12M F13M Mun stabs StP. Lvp out. Bel builds fleet in South. iona 169 jdr -20 -13 S01M F02M F03M F03B S04R C-Ber controls Germany. Turkish and French alliances strong. 1898 RULES (7 players) Regular map. Each player starts with only his capital. bataan 152 dmb F99M F00B F01R S04M F05M S06M F07M 1898 RULES / GUNBOAT GAME sinai skiman -5 F00M S02M No partial press. 48 hour deadlines. CROWDED RULES (11 players) 4 more players added, leaving no neutrals. 7senuf jdr -6 -6 -6 -1 F01B F02B F03B MACHIAVELLI RULES - An economic variant of Diplomacy marketed by Avalon Hills vega cebula -4 -3 U54M U55M S56M U56M S57R Pope almost out. The price he paid for Florence was too high. poverty andre -6 -6 -5 U54M F55M F55M F56M First Machiavelli game without loans MACHIAVELLI RULES / GUNBOAT GAME sober andre F53A A gunboat Machiavelli game without loans and special units. **** FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE JUDGE**** For X: Send Y to JUDGE@U.WASHINGTON.EDU: ------ --------------------------------- (*QUESTIONS ABOUT A CERTAIN GAME*) More detailed information about a game: LIST <name-of-game> History of a game: SUMMARY <name-of-game> Regular updates for a certain game: OBSERVE <name-of-game> <password> Copy of variant rules: GET INFO.<name-of-variant> or GET PRESS or GET GUNBOAT (*GENERAL QUESTIONS*) General information HELP Update of the list of games above LIST More detailed list LIST FULL To be informed of all game changes OBSERVE CONTROL <password> Default house rules GET EP.HOUSE.RULES Other information: Contact me (loeb@geocub.greco-prog.fr) or Ken Lowe (jdr@u.washington.edu) or your game master (see list below) **** FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL **** To solve Email problems, contact one of the email wizards: swb@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu, andre@hern.stonemarche.org eisen@cs.jhu.edu, eisen@jhuvms.bitnet, or wcw27974@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu For back issues: Contact the archivists, jlitvin@swtec1.intel.com/John Litvin, or nick@sunburn.uwaterloo.ca (Nick Fitzpatrick) or Anonymous FTP from 137.248.151.12, directory: /pub/incoming/Ep-chapter Other information: Contact Eric Klien (eric_s_klien@cup.portal.com) **** LIST OF GAME MASTERS **** Brian Bacher bacherb@physics.orst.edu David M Bowen dmb@bigd.cray.com dmb@sequoia.cray.com Dave Cebula cebulad@physics.orst.edu Karl Dotzek karl@adler.philosophie.uni-stuttgart.de Jamie Dreier pl436000@brownvm.brown.edu, pl436000@brownvm.bitnet Bryant Durrell durrell@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu Nicholas Fitzpatrick nick@sunburn.waterloo.edu Nawwar Kasrawi skiman@leland.stanford.edu Edward J Koll koll02@snybufva.bitnet Koll02@snybscva.bitnet Danny Loeb loeb@nestor.greco-prog.fr Ken Lowe jdr@u.washington.edu ken@milton.u.washington.edu Michael Luft scottb@cs.utexas.edu Sean MacIntosh casmacin@atlas.cs.upei.ca John Aidan O'Regan J_ORegan%csvax1@iruccvax.UCC.IE Doug Van Belle ASDAV@ASUACAD.BITNET Andre Verweij andre@duteina.tudelft.nl andre@hlniob.uucp **** FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE JUDGE**** For X: Send Y to JUDGE@U.WASHINGTON.EDU: ------ --------------------------------- (*QUESTIONS ABOUT A CERTAIN GAME*) More detailed information about a game: LIST <name-of-game> History of a game: SUMMARY <name-of-game> Regular updates for a certain game: OBSERVE <name-of-game> <password> Copy of variant rules: GET INFO.<name-of-variant> or GET PRESS or GET GUNBOAT (*GENERAL QUESTIONS*) General information HELP Update of the list of games above LIST More detailed list LIST FULL To be informed of all game changes OBSERVE CONTROL <password> Default house rules GET EP.HOUSE.RULES Other information: Contact me (loeb@geocub.greco-prog.fr) or Ken Lowe (jdr@u.washington.edu) or your game master (see list below) **** FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL **** To solve Email problems, contact one of the email wizards: swb@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu, andre@hern.stonemarche.org eisen@cs.jhu.edu, eisen@jhuvms.bitnet, or wcw27974@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu For back issues: Contact the archivists, jlitvin@swtec1.intel.com/John Litvin, or nick@sunburn.uwaterloo.ca (Nick Fitzpatrick) or Anonymous FTP from 137.248.151.12, directory: /pub/incoming/Ep-chapter Other information: Contact Eric Klien (eric_s_klien@cup.portal.com) ***** PART THREE ***** **** HIDE END OF GAME **** The white press gunboat 1898 game 'hide' was recently completed. After a few swings in alliances, much arguing, and a lot of negotiating, an AEFT draw was reached. (With Russia surving, at Turkey's whim). It was generally agreed by everyone that the press in the game was quite good. A thank-you also goes out to our faithful observer; Jamie Dreier. The game started with England early (1899) invasion of Denmark, this set the tone for the next few years as England, France and Russia divided up the German empire. This was followed by England's invasion of Russia, and France's invasion of Italy. England and France enjoyed a shakey truce, until 1910, when France, fearful of large English gains, while France was stalemated, attacked Belgium. The English retaliation was swift, and total victory seemed inevitably when France finally made peace with his mortal foe (Turkey) and setup a stalemate line. (Though I believe that if the game had carried on, Turkey would have stabbed France again!) Here is the final summary of game hide: Austria: Matt Ender ender2@husc.harvard.edu England: Nicholas Fitzpatrick nick@sunburn.waterloo.edu France: Nawwar Kasrawi skiman@leland.stanford.edu Germany: James Codik Jim.Codik@EBay.Sun.COM Italy: Bob Koester rkoester@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu from S1904M: Brian Chojnowski chojnows@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu Russia: Rick Westerman westerm@bchm1.aclcb.purdue.edu Turkey: Jeff Sullivan jas@ISI.EDU Historical Supply Center Summary -------------------------------- Ven Nap Edi Lvp Par Por Bel Mun Ber Swe Stp Mos Con Smy Rum Ser Vie Year Rom Tun Lon Bre Mar Spa Hol Kie Den Nor War Sev Ank Bul Gre Bud Tri 1898 . . I . E . . F . . . . . . . G . . . . R . . . . . T . . . . . . A 1899 . I I . E . . F F . . . . . . G G E . . R . . R T . T . . . . A . A 1900 I I I I E E . F F F F . . . G G G G E R R R . R T T T . T A . A A A 1901 I I I I E E E F F F F F F . G E G G R R R R . R T T T T A A A A A A 1902 I I I I E E E F F F F F F E F E G E R R R R R R T T T A A T A A A A 1903 F I I I E E E F F F F F F E F E A E R R R R R R T T T T R I A A G A 1904 F F I I E E E F F F F F F E F E E E R R R R R R T T T T R T A A A A 1905 I F F F E E E F F F F F F E F E E E E R R R R R T T T T T T A A A A 1906 I F F F E E E F F F F F F E F E E E E R E R R R T T T T T T A A A A 1907 I F F F E E E F F F F F F E F E E E E E E R R R T T T T T T A A A A 1908 I F F F E E E F F F F F F E F E E E E E E R R R T T T T T T A A A A 1909 T F F F E E E F F F F F F E F E E E E E E R R R T T T T T T A A A A 1910 T F F F E E E F F F F F F F F E E E E E E E E R T T T T T T A A A A 1911 T F F F E E E F F F F F F E F E E E E E E E E R T T T T T T A A A A 1912 T F T F E E E F F F F F E E F E E E E E E E E R T T T T T T A A A A 1913 T F T F E E E E F F F F E E F E E E E E E E E R T T T T T T A A A A History of Supply Center Counts ------------------------------- Power 1898 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 Player Austria 1* 2 4 6 6 4 4 4 4 4 Matt Ender England 1* 2 3 4 6 6 7 8 9 10 Nicholas Fitzpatrick France 1* 2 4 6 7 8 9 10 10 10 Nawwar Kasrawi Germany 1* 2 4 3 1 1 James Codik Italy 1* 2 4 4 4 4 \ Bob Koester 2 1 1 1 Brian Chojnowski Russia 1* 2 4 5 6 7 7 5 4 3 Rick Westerman Turkey 1* 2 4 4 4 4 5 6 6 6 Jeff Sullivan Index: 1 4 15 22 27 28 32 34 35 37 Power 1908 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 Player Austria 4 4 4 4 4 4 Matt Ender England 10 10 11 12 13 14 Nicholas Fitzpatrick France 10 10 11 10 8 7 Nawwar Kasrawi Italy 1 Brian Chojnowski Russia 3 3 1 1 1 1 Rick Westerman Turkey 6 7 7 7 8 8 Jeff Sullivan Index: 37 39 44 44 44 46 * = 1 unused build. ***** PART FOUR ***** **************************************************************** * A DIPLOMACY A-Z <VERSION 2.0> A DIPLOMACY A-Z <VERSION 2.0>* **************************************************************** VERSION 1.1 compiled for distribution by Mark Nelson VERSION 2.0 compiled for distribution by Mark Nelson. Proof read by Harold Reynolds (University of Toronto) ************************************************************************** *INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION* ************************************************************************** Whenever a group of people are united by a common interest, it evolves its their own set of words and phrases. Sometimes these words make a transition into mainstream language, sometimes they remain understood only to a small number of like-minded people. Many people reading this document will know some computer jargon, words that people working with computers use to describe their own world. This document is intended to be a self-contained reference to the world of diplomacy, almost exclusively the world of the snail-mail diplomacy hobby. Words found in this document fall into four main categories. They may describe the play of the game (names of openings, strategic concepts, tactical ploys), they may describe terms that arise in its adaptation to postal play (Press, NMR!, famous press bylines, GMing practice, scoring and rating systems), they may be terms which are associated with the hobby that has grown up around the play of postal diplomacy (organizations, special projects -mostly never implemented!) or they may even just be words that hobby members use (variants and variant names). Although this document is large (and getting larger!) one should not get the impression that the world of diplomacy is jargon-ridden and that you can't get by without knowing most of this document. This is far from being the case. In actual fact very few of the terms in this document are in general use and most of them are very easy to pick up. Of the diplomacy openings, the only ones with wide currency are the Lepanto and Juggernaut. Most of the other ones have only been used by the person who invented them and quickly left common usage (if they were ever in it). If an unusual term is used it is almost always possible to work out its meaning from the context. As there is no universally accepted system of naming openings, the same opening may have more than one name; I've tried to cross-reference these. In the past, attempts to produce comprehensive lists of opening names have been prepared by Richard Sharp (for inclusion in his book "The Game of Diplomacy", used by him in his zine Dolchstoss and by several other British Publishers) and Adam Gruen (for a series of articles in DIPLOMACY WORLD on Openings that was never completed...). Richard based his names on a systematic method, modeled on that used by Chess players; this has been criticized as providing some dull names -- Mark Berch preferred to use `Crimean Crusher' rather than Richard's `Russian Attack'. Most named diplomacy opening refer only to S01 moves, there are very few that also consider F01 options. Oddly the two that are in wide-spread use are more `concept' openings whose ideas are for alliances lasting several years rather than one season, perhaps accounting for their continued usage. There are a few terms that arise from adaptation to postal play. However some of these can be obscure and not always clear when used, but then that's what this document is for! It took me a long time to work out what a double deadline was. The first time it happened, the GM also asked all players to send in moves for the current and subsequent seasons, so I got the impression that a double deadline involved sending in a double set of orders for the deadline! Probably the hardest set of words for any novice to come to terms with are those words that are to do with the hobby. These are often names of zines and people. When they are still active in the hobby it is usually possible to find more out about them, but if they are zines that are long folded or people that have long been absent from the hobby then this is a difficult thing to do. Fortunately there are very few people who refer to old zines and old people in a regular manner. Only one or two zines like to dwell on the Hobby's past and if you're not interested and don't read these zines then you can enjoy yourself without caring who they were and what they did. In a very real sense this document is not aimed at the diplomacy novice, you *DON'T* needs to know any of the material herein! This document is really aimed at those people who are interested in the structure of the diplomacy hobby (or maybe just diplomacy trivia) and want to know more about the history of our hobby. And who knows, in reading this you may find a really good idea that needs to be resurrected... Reading this document won't make you a Hobby History Wizard, but it's a good start... Where possible I have tried to ensure that every hobby term/name mentioned in one citation receives its own entry. For instance Version 1.0 was prepared by Richard Egan for publication in his zine _Vienna_: We try to tell you who Richard Egan was and what his zine was like. This is to ensure that you really don't need to know anything about diplomacy lore and trivia to use and understand this document. ****************************************************************************** * A WORD ABOUT THE WORDS * A WORD ABOUT THE WORDS * A WORD ABOUT THE WORDS * ****************************************************************************** Where do all these words come from? This is a collection of words that different diplomacy hobbyists have used at different times and in different countries. In order to make this document as complete as possible I've not restricted myself to only terms coming from one country, I've put everything in that I could find (sources are listed below in "HISTORY OF THIS PROJECT"). Depending upon which version of this document you are reading it may appear biased towards one country or another. I've also added some entries of my own which are not in wide spread use but which express my own views on what the diplomacy hobby is really about, what we've done and where we going. As the compiler of this project I figure that I have the right to add my own views. This document is also biased in that items can only be included if I know about them. If you think that I should have included something else then mail me some details and I'll consider putting it in for the next release. The primary aim of this document is to define technical terms referring to the play of the game and define terms that diplomacy hobbyists might use. It is not intended to provide reviews of diplomacy variants or to act as a "Who's Who" of diplomacy hobbyists: these are projects which deserve their own files. I am also working on a file called "An A-Z of Diplomacy Variants" which I expect to be ready for release in July 1992. Some diplomacy variants have capsule reviews, these are variants which are either mentioned elsewhere in the text (for example I have included variant jargon which often refers to diplomacy variants) or variants that I decided *had* to be included! Similarly I have included capsule reviews of a few diplomacy zines and a few hobby personalities (and some people who weren't particularly well known). Again these entries are for people/zines mentioned elsewhere in the text (and are included for completeness' sake) or because I decided that they deserved to be included in this publication. As for a "Who's Who" I have dreams about producing one but I wouldn't count on my producing one... In the following `hobby' almost always means the snail-mail hobby, if we mean the email-hobby we say the `email-hobby'. Occasionally an entry will refer to you an article that was published. I have tried to restrict these references to zines such as DIPLOMACY DIGEST & DIPLOMACY WORLD, zines which have a plentiful supply of back issues. If the back issues are not available there *will* always be someone who has access to them. In theory it should always be possible to track down articles published in these zines. (In many cases I can supply you with either a copy of the article or tell you who can supply it to you.) Finally, the first DIPLOMACY AZ was prepared by Mark Berch in 1980 and originally published in Diplomacy Digest #34-36 (April-June 1980). ***************************************************************************** *HISTORY OF THIS PROJECT * HISTORY OF THIS PROJECT * HISTORY OF THIS PROJECT* ***************************************************************************** VERSION 1.0 was written by Richard Egan and originally appeared across several issues of Richard's English snail-mail zine _VIENNA_. To be exact: Entries for A-C Reprinted from Vienna 58 (August 1989), entries for D-F reprinted from Vienna 59 (September 1989), entries for G-I reprinted from Vienna 60 (October 1989), entries for J-L reprinted from Vienna 61 (November 1989), entries for M-O reprinted from Vienna 62 (December 1989), entries for P-R reprinted from Vienna 63 (January 1990), entries for S-U reprinted from Vienna 65 (March 1990), and entries for V-Z reprinted from Vienna 66 (April 1990). Entries denoted by <RE:89-90> come from this series. This series has never been collected into one volume for general distribution before. VERSION 1.1 In January 1992 Mark Nelson <amt5man@sun.leeds.ac.uk> retyped Version 1.0 for distribution by the email hobby and added a few clarifications. This are denoted by <MN:Jan92> in the following. Version <1.1> was distributed through Danny Loeb's CHAPTER TWO, Eric Klien's ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL and a few copies were distributed to FTF hobbyists for comments. It went online at the University of Washington through `judge' on February 1st 1991. VERSION 2.0 This is based on Mark Berch's 1980 publication `The Lexicon Of Diplomacy'. These entries are denoted <MB:Jun80> It also contained various additions to Version 1.0., penned by a number of people. It was distributed through Danny Loeb's CHAPTER TWO and a few copies were sent to prominent UK hobbyists for their comments. It was produced by Mark Nelson <amt5man@sun.leeds.ac.uk> and finished at the end of April 1992. Before distribution it was proof read by Harold Reynolds of the University of Toronto; anyone who has ever read anything of mine will join in my thanks for `volunteering' for this heartless task. VERSION 3.0 Mark Nelson is currently taking a break from this project as *even* he has `proper' work. to do. He is currently working on "An A-Z of Diplomacy Variants Volume One" which is expected to be ready for email distribution in June 1992. (Hmm, make that July 1992-MN 11/4/92) Volume 3.0 will be based on Mark Berch's "Son of Lexicon" and is expected to be ready for email distribution in September 1992, although it's possible that a revised version of <2.0> will be produced before then. LAST UPDATED: 29th April 1992 ************************************************************* * ENTRY EXPLANATION * ENTRY EXPLANATION * ENTRY EXPLANATION * ************************************************************* An entry takes the form (**)NAME (n) <AB:time>. NAME is the name of the entry (!), (1) means that this is the first entry (2) the second etc. Where more than one definition exists I have listed them in decreasing age, so the oldest definition appears first. Some of these entries amplify earlier ones. An entry which starts **NAME is a diplomacy term that is mentioned elsewhere in this document but, at the time of distribution, has not yet had a definition written for it. It is therefore easy to (a) Compile a list of terms which need defining and (b) remove them from your copy of the source file should you so wish. If you are able to write a definition for any of these empty terms then the current administrator of this file (currently amt5man@sun.leeds.ac.uk) would like to hear from you! AB is the person who wrote the entry (DC=Dave Cebula, DL=Daniel Loeb, EK=Eric Klien, MB=Mark Berch, HR=Harold Reynolds, MN=Mark Nelson & RE=Richard Egan and time gives the date of the review. I've used two figure years, so when we reach the next century the custodian is either going to have change these dates or use four-figure dates for entries in the next century. But I kinda figure that that will his problem, not mine! Where I have revised my own entry I have either left the original date of entry (for a minor change) or scrubbed the old date and put the new date on instead (for a major change). Hence if you are given a particular version of this document there is no way you can work backwards and suss out what the earlier documents contained; but I can't see why you'd want to do this! **************************************************************************** * SOME USEFUL ADDRESSES * SOME USEFUL ADDRESSES * SOME USEFUL ADDRESSES* **************************************************************************** If you want to know more about diplomacy and the diplomacy here are some addresses, and a date giving the last time that they were valid. The administrator of the diplomacy AZ should be able to give you more up-to-date information. ERIC KLIEN: email Eric_S_Klien@cup.portal.com (Apr92) Contact point for people wishing to play diplomacy by email, via his fanzine ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL (qv). Currently editor on matters relating to email for DIPLOMACY WORLD (qv). DANEIL LOEB: LABRI, Universite de Bordeaux I, 33405 Talence Cedex, FRANCE. (Apr 1992) EMAIL loeb@geocub.greco-prog.fr (Apr92) Contact point for people interested in (1) email diplomacy and (2) Diplomats (qv). KEN LOWE: email jdr@u.washington.edu (Apr92) Contact point for people wishing to use/learn about the JUDGE Automatic Adjudicator (qv JUDGE). MARK NELSON: 112 Huntley Avenue, Spondon, DERBY. DE2 7DU ENGLAND <29.4.92> EMAIL (until September 1993) <amt5man@sun.leeds.ac.uk> Contact point for people interested in (1) Playing postal diplomacy (2) Diplomacy Variants (3) Hobby History (4) Diplomacy articles. **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ABANDONED GAMES (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Games which never come to a final conclusion. Causes include player disinterest (e.g.76ED), GM folding (73BE) (often these are connected) and games which never actually get started (77DS), or victims of infanticide. ABSTRACT VARIANT (1) <MB:Jun80> In these, geography is not supposed to represent any real area, or specific fantasy setting. Includes Space Station Ultra (Kendter), Ancient Empires (Boyer), Barebones, Jefferson Diplomacy (Mahler). Most are symmetric -- each player begins with an identical position. ALBION (1) <MN:Mar92> The first UK diplomacy zine, started in 1969 by Don Turnbull and published until issue 50 in 1974 (I think). Unfortunately the UK archives only hold copies 42-50 of Albion and we'd really like to track down 1-41... The games were soon moved into Courier and Albion was really a genzine covering wargames in general. Albion was the second zine to be published outside of North America (and the first by a non-American) and not surprisingly was the first `international' zine having strong links with the North American hobby and running a number of international dip games. ALL-WINE-AND-NO-VINEGAR (1) <MB:Jun80> The theory of rating standbys whereby the standby is rated for the game only if it helps his rating (e.g.Brobdingnag). ALIAS (1) <MB:Jun80> Players occasionally play under other names for fun or to disguise gender or identity. Generally acceptable if GM is informed. The most famous involved "Eric Blake" allowing John Boardman to play two positions and win 1964C, and at least eight names used by Michel Feron in Belgium. Zines have been published under pseudonyms (FLD, Anubis). ALPINE CHICKEN (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A(Ven)-Pie, A(Rom)-Ven is a somewhat temporizing opening, generally seen as pro-T and anti-F. Both east and west options are preserved. See Konigratz Freakout. AMAZON GAME (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A game with, at least initially, only women. Two were started in Midwestern Courier, 1972FK (won by Carol Buchanan) and 1973BH. ANARCHY (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A family of variants which, in the ultimate form, each of 34 players start with one unit in one home center. Can be cut to 17 players with 2 home centers, etc. ANNIVERSARY ISSUE (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A special issue which need not fall exactly on the anniversary of a zines start, often double in size. The editor usually tries to get original articles from others to fill it, and may advertise for them. A classic was Pouch #53 (75 pages). ANONYMITY (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Don Miller's 1966 variant in which players do not know each other's identity, communicating only via press. Occasionally GMs have tried to act as a remailing point for direct mail --- even in one case to retyping! Some have reverted to regular games when identities became known. ANSCHLUSS (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Sharp's strategic notion that Germany should, in the early game, strive to keep Austria strong. Tactically, it entails F(Kie)-Den, with threat of F(Den)-Swe if Russia moves on Austria. Also A(Mun)H or standoff in Bur or Tyr, or even enters Tyr, and Italy is told that this unit will aid Austria if Italy attacks. See Interior Alliance. (2.0) <RE:89-90> An alliance between Austria and Germany, usually started in 1901, in which the two powers agree to play as one to reduce their initial vulnerability as central (and surrounded) powers. Although they take their name from the annexation of Austria by Nazi-Germany in March 1938, Anschluss alliances are generally regarded as essentially pro-Austrian, with Germany using diplomatic leverage to discourage other powers - in particular Russia (with the threat of standing him out of Sweden in 1901) - from attacking his ally. The advantage for Germany is that it is statistically provable that the latter power is far less likely to win if Austria is eliminated early in the game. ARCHIVES PUBLISHERS SURVEY (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Walt Buchanan's survey of all present publishers, listed by order of when they started, plus addresses. Presently not being maintained. ARMORED DUCK (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Sharp's label for the player who, having been stabbed, will never again negotiate with the stabber. If he stabs, he will not negotiate with his victim, on the theory that the victim would never trust him again. (2.0) <RE:89-90> Once stabbed, an Armoured Duck never forgives. Never. His unrelenting hostility to the rogue who stabbed him will override all other considerations - even if it means letting another player win the game. He will carry the memory into every other game he plays, and will make no secret of his cross-game vendetta. Armoured ducks are also noted for prefering one, stable, enduring alliance that will last a game through (and perhaps longer). They will seek out a player they believe they can trust in, and - if the game develops that way - may prove happy to help him win. Armoured ducks always believe everyone else shares their attitude, and when they make a stab of their own, will be reluctant to "make piece" with their victim at a latter date, for fear of the same, vengeful obsessiveness in return. ARRANGED STANDOFF (1.0) <MB:Jun80> An agreement whereby two players attack a given space with equal force. This may be done to keep a third party from entering, and as an expensive but safe way to keep a buffer zone open, e.g. a standoff in BLA in S01. Generally done in the most sensitive area mutually adjacent to the two pieces. AUSTRIAN ATTACK (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Russia's second most popular opening: A(Mos)-Ukr, A(War)-Gal, F(Sev)-Rum, generally means that Russia is confident he has a Turkish ally against Austria. A drawback is that the fleet in Rum is poorly placed. AUTOMATION See DIPLOMAT BALKAN GAMBIT (1.0) <MB:Jun80> The family of openings F(Tri)-Alb, A(Bud)-Ser. This is a true gambit, since the player is giving up much of his ability to defend his home centres against Italy (and, to a lesser extent, giving up some Austrian influence in Rum) in exchange for the virtual assurance of gaining both Gre and Ser. (2.0) <RE:89-90> A name given, like most, by Richard Sharp, to a particular group of Austrian opening moves in Spring 1901, all of which share in common the order A(Bud)-Ser (and usually F(Tri)-Alb). The name explains it all: a `Gambit' is a move that risks loss in one area for a hopefully better chance of gain elsewhere, in this case the Balkans. It is a commitment by Austria to taking up two centres in the south (Serbia and Greece) and is thus generally regarded as anti-Turkish. There are several variations, mostly involving A(Vie), of which the Trieste, Budapest and Galicia versions traditionally account for a significant proportion of Austrian opening moves - indeed, Balkan Gambits are widely regarded as the only `sensible' alternative to the 'Southern Hedgehog' (qv). Notice should also be taken of the so called "Houseboat" variation of the Balkan Gambit, in which F(Tri) Holds instead of moving to Albania. (3) <MN:Jan92> The Balkan Gambit is most commonly defined as *any* Austrian opening which includes the moves A(Bud)-Ser & F(Tri)-Alb. In the 1960's it was common to see the Budapest variation (A(Vie)-Bud), an attempt to take three centres. In the early 1970's Italy often opened A(Ven)-Tri and accordingly the Budapest variation lost favour with the Trieste variation gaining in popularity (A(Vie)-Tri). The Balkan Gambit is a risky opening: if both Italy and Russia attack Austria in Spring 1901 it is unlikely that Austria will live to tell the tale. A commonly seen variation is the Galician (A(Vie)-Gal) which offers Austria some defense against most hostile openings. In the 1980's Italy has moved towards opening A(Ven)-Tyr, A(Rom)-Ven. Accordingly some Austrian players have used the rarely-seen Tyrolian variant A(Vie)-Tyr which, if Russia is friendly, gives Austria a strong position provided Italy has opened to Tyr and not Tri... Postal play has, on occasion, seen the Bohemian variant but this has nothing to commend it to Austrian players; even if England/France/Italy & Russia have all agreed to attack Germany... Finally in the early 1970's the A(Vie)H option attracted support from Don Turnbull, I presume as a result of FTF experience as this opening has not (to my knowledge) been played in a British postal game. BALKAN GAMBIT, BUDAPEST VARIATION (1.0) <MB:Jun80> The Balkan Gambit with A(Vie)-Bud. Austria thus takes no defensive measures against Italy or Russia. In return, he has two pieces adjacent to Rum. He can also accept Russian support into Bul and still have A(Bud)-Ser. See Ionian Gauntlet and Key Opening. BALKAN GAMBIT, GALICIAN VARIATION (1.0) <MB:Jun80> The Balkan Gambit with A(Vie)-Gal. When it succeeds, you have two units on Rum, plus the threat to War which may well distract A(Ukr) away from Rum ---but risks Tri. If it fails, you have shielded two home centres from attack, and are in a decent position to limit further mischief from any Italian A(Tri). BALKAN GAMBIT, TRIESTE VARIATION (1.0) <MB:Jun80> The Balkan Gambit with A(Vie)-Tri, designed to defend against Italy. The paradox is that an Italian attack is more likely to begin with A(Ven)-Tyr rather than A(Ven)-Tri. If there is a A(Tyr), A(Ven) you can still force Italy to guess (Vie or supported attack on Tri), being able to divert A(Ser) to defend Tri. This is the single most popular Austrian opening. BALTIC OPENING (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A German attack starting in Scandinavia rather than in the Polish corridor: F(Kie)-BAL-Swe, A(Ber)-Kie-Den, A(Mun)-Ruh-Hol/Bel. If Sweden is taken, BAL can be retaken via F(Swe) SF(Kie)-BAL, followed by F(BAL) CA(Den)-Lvn! If not, F(BAL) SA(Den)-Swe, plus, new armies enter Polish corridor. Requires solid knowledge of English, French (and Italian) intentions. BARBAROSSA (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A(Mun)-Sil, F(Kie)-Den, A(Ber)-Pru is Germany's most aggressive opening towards the east. Note that both Hol and Bel are ignored, virtually asking for A(Yor)-Hol. BARREN ZONE (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A line of provinces which lack supply centres and approximately divide the board into east and west: Pie-Tyr-Sil-Pru-Lvn. In games which begin with separate eastern and western wars, the first country or alliance to cross the Barren Zone in force is quite frequently the ultimate winner. BEDBUG ISLAND (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Richard Sharp's press byline in Dolchstoss. Generally used for game commentary --- even one that he's a player in! BELEAGUERED GARRISON RULE (1.0) <MB:Jun80> No dislodgement without entry. Thus, if two attacks of equal strength occur, neither succeeds, the attacked unit does not retreat. BELGIAN GAMBIT (1.0) <MB:Jun80> F(Bre)-MID, A(Par)-Pic, A(Mar)-Bur. Unless there is a standoff in Bur, France places two units on Bel (thus passing up two SCs in Iberia) without F(Lon)-ENC. BERCH ARCHIVES (1.0) <MB:Jun80> The second largest organized Archives in North America. Based primarily on material from Robert Correll and Doug Beyerlein and the Hossier Archives "Spares". BERCH, MARK (1.0) <MN:Feb92> Entered the American Hobby in the late 1970's and became established as one of the leading thinkers on the strategy and tactics of diplomacy. Publisher of DIPLOMACY DIGEST, heavily involved in hobby politics until circa 1988. His activity in the hobby has steadily dwindled throughout the late 1980's, although he remains a frequent contributor to DIPLOMACY WORLD. One of the leading postal players in the States. BERCH TOURNAMENT SCORING SYSTEM (1.0) <MB:Jun80> In its revised form, winners get 60 points, with drawers getting less. SC's count for tie-breaking purposes. A small bonus is given for being top dog in a draw. Reduced victory criterion depends on which year game is curtailed (e.g. 1908:13). Full details in Diplomacy Digest #13. BEYERLEIN PLAYER POLL (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Doug's rating system, not based directly on game performances, but by the votes of those in the hobby as to the player's ability. BEYERLEIN PLOY (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Making a set of orders contingent on the opponent retreating a unit off-the-board on the theory that that particular retreat implies an upcoming NMR. Thus, one has a probe for an upcoming NMR (see Diplomacy Digest #18). BIG BROTHER/PROTEGE ALLIANCE (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Francois Cuerrier's label for an unequal alliance in which the lesser power still has some significant options (thus, unlike a puppet) but is dominated by Big Brother, and probably will not be able to stop his victory. BIG BROTHER RATING LIST (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Created by Charles Reinsel, it was the Hobby's first, and rated games even as they proceeded. BIRSAN, Edi (1) <MN:Jan92> American hobbyist who first came to prominence in the late 1960's. Inventor of the Lepanto, Edi was one of the top American players throughout the 60's and 70's, winning several invitational games. Also active in hobby politics for much of this period. These days takes a back seat, subbing to only a couple of zines and playing in the occasional game. BIRSAURON (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A nickname given affectionately to Edi Birsan. BLACK HOLE (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A variant in which, at preset intervals, provinces drawn at random or in some pattern become impassable, with the unit there destroyed. Stalemate lines become even easier to construct. See Bomb variant. BLACK AND BLUE TRIANGLE (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Germany, England and France, emphasizing the fact that these usually resolve themselves 2 on 1. The centre of the triangle is Belgium. BLACK PRESS (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Press that is labeled as coming from a province that the writer does not have, thus making it appear to come from another player. Players can avoid their press being blackened by including a joke (or real) order in their press, which other players could not predict. BLIND GAME (1.0) <MB:Jun80> See Hidden Movement Variants. BLITZ (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A sudden all-out attack on one country, generally by two or more. The purpose is to cripple or destroy the target country in as short a time as possible, ideally 3/2 years or less. Surprise and speed are essential to avoid the blitzers' other neighbours from taking advantage of the lightly defended borders. Common targets of early game blitzes are Germany, Austria and Russia. BLITZKRIEG OPENING, DENMARK VARIATION (1.0) <MB:Jun80> F(Kie)-Den, A(Ber)-Kie, A(Mun)-Ruh is the most popular opening of any country. It guarantees two neutrals against any offense, and gives Germany leverage in Swe and Bel, and usually will offend no-one. If no-one has moved adjacent to him, he will have great F01 flexibility, and all home centres open for builds. BLITZKRIEG OPENING, HOLLAND VARIATION (1.0) <MB:Jun80> F(Kie)-Hol, A(Ber)-Kie, A(Mun)-Ruh. The second most popular German opening. Compared to the Den form, this trades German influence in Scandinavia for a stronger hand in Belgium, plus a slightly stronger defensive position. BNC (1.0) <MB:Jun80> See Boardman Number Custodian. BOARDMAN NUMBER (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A unique descriptor consisting of the year in which the game starts, plus one or two letters designating the game itself. Thus, 1980AB might be the 27th game of 1980. These are given to all non-variant games, regardless of whether the GM wants them or whether the game is irregular. Their use avoids confusion in labeling games and facilitates the keeping of records. Named after their inventor, John Boardman. BOARDMAN NUMBER CUSTODIAN (BNC) (1) <MB:Jun80> Person who assigns Boardman Numbers (often giving blocks to overseas associates to assign) ,publishes game reports in Everything, publishes the list of game starts, labels irregular and local games as such, and appoints his successor. BOHAS (1.0) <MB:Jun80> English opening of F(NWG) CA(Edi)-Nwy, F(NTH)-SKA. At the risk of leaving NTH open, England gains the ability to start quickly on Russia's Scandinavian holdings, beginning in the south, or for a surprise attack on Den. BOMB VARIANT (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A type of variant in which a player is given a bomb which will render a select province impassable, destroy whoever is there, etc. Variations are in how long the bombing's effect's last, whether the bombed zone can be moved, how many bombs a player gets, how they can be used or countered, whether they are transferable, etc. See Black Hole. These have been popular with the New York City crowd. BOURSE (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A currency speculation game which is played alongside a regular or variant dippy game. Competitors buy and sell the 7 countries' currencies, trying to gain large positions in the countries that are doing well. The dippy game's players may not be allowed to enter. First widely populariszd by Don Miller. BRITISH DIPLOMACY CLUB (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Founded in 1972 by Graham Levin, it was Britain's first dippy organization. It assigned BDC numbers to games, centralized gamestarts, provided a forum for discussion of diplomacy affairs and popularised the game. See National Games Club. BRITISH DIPLOMACY RATINGS (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A ratings system kept by Jonathan Palfrey and printed in Dolchstoss. It uses Calhamer points, modified by the strength of the opposition, and something called Bayes' Theorem. BROBDINGNAG RATING SYSTEM (1.0) <MB:Jun80> This gives +1 point for every person you do better than using this criterion: Win, draw, survival (by number of units), elimination (by year) and -1 point for each person who bettered you. This score is averaged over all your games. Standbys were rated if it helped their rating. This gives S, accumulated over N games. So % Rating = 50 +50(S/6N)(1- 1/2^N). BRUX TOURNAMENT SCORING SYSTEM (1.0) <MB:Jun80> Gives 60 points for a win, with lesser amounts for draws, plus 1 point for each SC held at games end. Players must have at least 3 centres to participate in draws. Victory is 18, or 13 held in 1908. Details in DW #24. BULGARIAN GAMBIT (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A swindle of Turkey, who is offered support into Rum (or access to Gre). However A(Ser)SRF(Rum)-Bul (or vice versa) will annihilate A(Bul) provided that Turkey did not enter BLA in S01 --- the key is to get A(Bul) to be ordered to move in F01. (2.0) <HR:25/4/92> A(Bul) will only be destroyed if it cannot retreat to either Gre or Con. Although having the army retreat to Con is almost as good as destroying it. BURGUNDY OPENING (1.0) <MB:Jun80> The very common F(Bre)-MID, A(Mar)-Spa, A(Par)-Bur. There may be an arranged standoff in Bur. This guards Bur, permits both Iberian centres to be taken, and still gives France some say in Bel, though if A(Par)-Bur goes, Bre is less protected. BURGUNDY ATTACK, DEN VARIATION (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A(Ber)-Kie, A(Mun)-Bur, F(Kie)-Den is Germany's 4th most common opening. Unless a standoff in Bur occurs, this bespeaks an aggressive German player almost certainly allied with England. A standoff is more ambiguous, but may be Germany's attempt to head off a France-England-Russian blitz. BURGUNDY ATTACK, HOL VARIATION (1.0) <MB:Jun80> A(Ber)-Kie, A(Mun)-Bur, F(Kie)-Hol is Germany's third most common opening, and a standoff in Bur may well be arranged. This is Germany's most westerly oriented opening, and its success is usually dependent on who, if anyone, has entered the English Channel. Up