Diplomacy Zine -- Chapter Eight EP #268 From: Eric_S_Klien@cup.portal.com Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1992 06:51:49 +0000 Issue #268 of ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL: ************************************************************************* CENTERFOLD ENTERTAINMENT *FEMALE ENTERTAINERS* *CONVENTION HOSTESS* *CALL 24 HOURS* *OPEN 7 DAYS* ************************************************************************* Chapter One contains: BAGHDAD, BLITZKRIEG II, KING'S GAMBIT, PASSCHENDAELE, DRAGONS, BLACK OCTOBER, OPERATION DESERT STORM, THE SOMME And is published by uunet!cti1!rlister or rlister@cti.com/Russ Lister Chapter Two contains: BATAAN, BOADICEA, CONAN, CROATIA, CUBIT, DAGGER, DIEN, DRAM, EMU, EYLAU, FONTENOY, GIGGLES, HASTINGS, IONA, KHAFJI, MARENGO, OSIJEK, PARIS, PORTNOY, QUEBEC, TIBERIUS, VEGA And is published by loeb@geocub.greco-prog.fr/Daniel E. Loeb Chapter Three contains: SQUALANE, BRUSILOV OFFENSIVE II, CULLODEN, GANDALF'S REVENGE, GOODBYE BLUE SKY, MASTERS OF DECEIT, PANDORA, NOW AND ZEN And is published by mad-2@kub.nl/Constantijn Wekx Chapter Four contains: DEADLY DAGGERS, MONTREUIL-SUR-MER, FIRE WHEN READY, THUNDERDOME, And needs a publisher. Chapter Five contains: YALTA And needs a publisher. Chapter Six contains: BERLIN WALL, HIROSHIMA, GENGHIS KHAN, SEA LION, GIBRALTAR And is published by barry@brahms.udel.edu/Barry Fausnaugh. Chapter Seven contains: RIYADH'S RECKONING And needs a publisher. Chapter Eight contains: TIBERIUS, BETELGEUSE, IRON CROSS, GUERNICA, TEUNISGEK, WOLF BLITZER, THE COMMANDERS, THE SUTHERLAND CONFLICT, NOW AND ZEN ------------- Chapter Eight ------------- Table of Contents: Comments on Diplomacy Programming Project Update by Jim Burgess Comments on BATTLE FLEETS AND ARMY CORPS by Paul Botts Discussion on Black Press by John O'Regan Diplomacy Dictionary by Mark Nelson ---- From: "BURGESS, JAMES" <burgessj@gar.union.edu> Eric, I am quite sure (as a Nash Equilibrium theorist myself) that they will never get the diplomat program to converge to a best move equilibrium with simultaneous movement. The sequential move problem is interesting, however, because you always know to some extent what the other players will do and the rest tends to default to a probabilistic guessing game. To make real progress (as opposed to beating your head against an intractable problem) I would suggest following the current project with a program to establish rough probabilities for opposing moves and then randomizing. This problem (the problem of an equilibrium with randomizing behavior as optimum) is common in the Nash Equilibrium literature and bothers many theorists. It has never bothered me especially much. Practically, when playing Diplomacy many situations call for a randomizing decision on the part of a player. I would argue that trying to fine tune the model to eliminate the randomizing solution is inappropriate and unrealistic (i.e. it's not what real Diplomacy players do), so neither should the program. And, perhaps more importantly, the presence of reasonable randomizing solutions to relatively simple noncooperative games should lead theorists to be less bothered by the presence of these mixed equilibria in their solutions. Anyhow, I watch the progress of the project with great interest and wish I had a number of interested students to do the down and dirty work for me. Please keep me updated and pass this note on to those working on the project... Jim Burgess, INTERNET: burgessj@gar.union.edu From: prb@chinet.chi.il.us (Paul Botts) Regarding the comments about my idea for the Army Corps/Battle Fleet variant: somebody noted that it should be Army Group/Battle Fleet, a corps being a *subset* of a true Army. I think he's right! If you deicde to try out the variant, I'd suggest renaming it and correcting the rules. -- "Don't take life too serious; it ain't nohow permanent." - Walt Kelly Paul R. Botts From: John O'Regan <J_OREGAN@csvax1.ucc.ie> Subject: Discussion on Black Press The following discussion was sparked off by the opening paragraph in my end- game report for Banditos. I expect there will be more broadcasts on the subject before long, but what I've put together so far may be of some interest. - John. Broadcast message from J_OREGAN@csvax1.ucc.ie as Master in banditos: I created Banditos as an experiment to see what would happen in a truly no- holds-barred (presswise) game. Faked partial press and broadcasts were allowed. Not only that, but the list of recipients could be faked as well! I thought that these would be ideal conditions for a skilled Diplomacy player to do some real mischief. Whether they did or not, I cannot say.... Reaction to above message from steveb@cs.utexas.edu as Germany in banditos: I'd have to say they didn't. I, at least, don't recall recieving any non-white press. It would have been much more no-holds-barred if there were a way to forge white press... Maybe I didn't word that right. I guess what I'm getting at was that I sent my press as white almost all the time 'cause grey press was annoying 'cause the reader's only hint as to who sent it is in the .sig, which is way down at the bottom of the message so he has to scan all the way down to the end before really being able to read it for contents.. What a bother. I don't wish to inflict that upon my peers. Anyway, for this game to have been what it was intended to be, it would have had to be gunboat-ish in the hiding of players' user-id's, and also there just ought to be some way to send grey press that tells the reader who sent the friggin' message or at least who the sender wants you to think was the sender. I'd be keen for another try it we could get some arrangement like that together... Hopefully that game wouldn't be plagued by the style- conflicts that caused England and Turkey to be blown out so quickly. Reply to Steve's message from ender2@husc.harvard.edu as Italy in banditos: There is. It's called black press. Reply to Matt's message from steveb@cs.utexas.edu as Germany in banditos: Yeah, but the Judge doesn't have that bit... At least I don't think it does.. Or rather, the latest files I have from the judge on how to do press don't seem to have any options for such pursuits. If somebody knows better, please give me the word -- preferably in the form of black press. (Well, of course, you'd want to tell me who it's really from -- I'm just wanting to make sure we're talking about the same effect.) Reply to Steve's message from ender2@husc.harvard.edu as Italy in banditos: Black press. Well, I'm not involved in any black press games (they are extremely rare on the Judge), but it is implemented. Perhaps, Steve, you'd like to moderate a new game, and throw in the dreaded Black Press for your players to worry about? Reply to Matt's message from 'Steve' in banditos: Well, not really. The closest thing you can get to black press is to send grey press and sign it as someone else. Interjection from gary@chem.UCSD.EDU as Austria in banditos: There were at least a couple of times in the game that I would have loved to use black press, but I was extremely wary based on reports that I've heard about bugs and such in the specifications for such press. Aparently there have been bugs in the sending, and that was exacerbated by some type of reversal in the specifications that have confused people. It just wasn't worth the risk. The possibility of jeoporadizing my position by a bug or misunderstanding was just too great. If black press sending could be perfected, it would be a lot of fun! I think that the challenge of impersonating someone's mannerisms is even more interesting than just impersonating their address! The following was submitted by Mark Nelson <amt5man@sun.leeds.ac.uk>" **************************************************************** * A DIPLOMACY A-Z <VERSION 1.1> A DIPLOMACY A-Z <VERSION 1.1>* **************************************************************** VERSION 1.1 compiled for distribution by Mark Nelson. ************************************************************************** *INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION * INTRODUCTION* ************************************************************************** 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. To that end, where possible, every hobby term/name that is 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. However the primary aim of this document is to define technical terms refering 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 be a "Who's Who" of diplomacy hobbyists, there are seperate files for these areas. (Or at least at some stage in the future there *will* be files, possible...) In the following `hobby' almost always means the snail-mail hobby, if we mean the email-hobby we say the `email-hobby'. ***************************************************************************** *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 pages 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 (Septembet 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), Entries for V-Z Reprinted from Vienna 66 (April 1990). Entries denoted by <RE:89-90> come from this series. 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 and a few copies were distributed to FTF hobbyists for comments. LAST UPDATED 25th January 1991 VERSION 2.0 Mark Nelson is currently adding Mark Berch's defintive `Lexicon of Diplomacy' to this Diplomacy AZ. This is expected to be ready for distribution in April 1992. Until that time he would appreciate any corrections/additions to be mailed to him. ************************************************************* * 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...As different people use some words to mean different things the aim is to as many alternatives as possible. Also some of these entries amplify earlier ones. AB is the person who wrote the entry (in this case it's either RE=RIchard Egan or MN=Mark Nelson) 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! **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ANSCHLUSS (1) <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 Match 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. BALKAN GAMBIT (1.0) <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. (2) <MN:Jan92> The Balkan Gambit is most commonly defined as *any* Austian 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 and was the Trieste variation was more commonly used (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 occassion, 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. BIRSAN, Edi (1) <MN:Jan92> American hobbyist who first came to promince 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 these period. These days takes a back seat, subbing to only a couple of zines and playing in the occassional game. CALHAMER, ALLAN B. (1) <RE:89-90> The man who invented DIPLOMACY, reputedly over a period of fourteen years before it was first published in 1959 (though there is some disagreement about this: an Avalon Hill publicasion suggests an early version of the game was commercially published in 1958. This version was re-printed in an early edition of Vienna, and has seen been played postally in this zine. It is held by the UKVB as a 'variant' under the name 1958 Diplomacy). An American with an academic background in several relevant disciplines including history and geography, he has since written countless articles on the game for the likes of _DIPLOMACY WORLD_ and was guest of honour at World Dip Con I in Birmingham last year, where he achieved greater fame as "the guy with the beard". CLARRIFICATION (from Vienna 59) Further research supports the suggestion that the first commerical version of DIPLOMACY appeared in 1958 - though the 1959 version was significantly closer (and indeed, almost identical) to the modeern game. The only real revisions since then appeared in 1966 and 1971, the latter changing the victory criterion from a majority of units on the board to 18 supply centres. Though there have been several new additions since then, there have been no rule adjustments. (2) <MN:Jan92> A latter American revision outlaws the `Unwanted Convoy', a rare tactical ploy whereby an army moving by land is convoyed and the convoy disrupted. For example: FRANCE: A(Bel)-Hol. GERMANY: F(NTH) CA(Bel)-Hol. RUSSIA: F(Nwy) SF(NWG)-NTH. Under the old rules (which are still distributed outside of North America) this adjutication caused much dispute. According to the rules the move fails, but did France have any intention of moving the army by sea? CORE ZINE (1) <MN:Jan92> A zine which is considered `essential' reading by active hobbyists, often due to its extensive hobby news coverage and discussion of *important* hobby matters. There are often only a couple of core zines at any one time and subbing to one of these is a good way to keep in touch with the what's happening in the hobby. CUDMORE, JOHN (1) <MN:Jan92> Active member of the VIENNAMOB who made several contributions to the Vienna version of Downfall. Shared a house with Richard Egan and several other members of the 'MOB. DIPLOMACY WORLD (1) <MN:Jan92> An American zine started in 1974 which runs quaterly and which has had anumber of editors. It contains articles on the play of the game, con reports and news of interest to diplomacy players. Often publicized as carrying the best writing on the game of the diplomacy and being an essential read for any North American hobbyist, it has rarely lived up to this publicity and in particular until recently most editors fealt that covergae of the diplomacy world was snyomous with covering North America. DUCK, ARMOURED (1) <RE:89-90> Once stabbed, an Armoured Duck never forgives. Never. His unrelenting hostility to the rogue who stabbed him will over-ride 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 preferring 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 share their attitude, and when they make a stab of their own, will be reluctant to "make peace" with their victim at a later date, for fear of the same, vengeful obsessiveness in return. EGAN, Richard (1) <MN:Jan92> Active in the British hobby from the mid 1980's to the early 1990's. Edited _Vienna_ and an active fan of diplomacy variants. One of the most active fans in this period, although sometimes a controversial one (especially amongst variant fans). Started one of the most complex postal American football games which is certainly on a par with any if the commercial games which is still running. ENGLISH ATTACK (1) <RE:89-90> A series of French openings involving the move F(Bre)-ENC. It is commonly acknowledged that England is the trickiest power to eliminate, courtesy of its island position and inevitable emphasis on building fleets. Consequently, some players believe that France must contain its northern neighbour early in the game, and at all costs prevent England putting a fleet into the Channel. F(Bre)-ENC may therefore be intended to stand off F(Lon)-ENC rather than actually threaten the English home centres. Alternatively, this can be a bid by France to take Belgium, perhaps coupled with the move A(Par)-Bur or A(Par)-Pic, in which case the name may be a misnomer. This is not the most popular opening for F(Bre): it is unlikely to result in a centre gain for France, unlike F(Bre)-MAO, and compromises an assault on England by most likely pinning down the Fleet in Breast, where the French player would rather be building a second fleet. FLYING DUTCHMAN (1) <RE:89-90> Essentialy a face-to-face phenomenon, this is an extra unit slipped onto the board, or exchaged for a piece of a different type (say, an Army for a fleet) or colour. If it goes undetected, the player controlling it will often endeavour to embroil it in the development of the game so thoroughly that, even if spotted, it becomes difficult to rectify the mistake. House rules may vary in such circumstances: under some houe rules, it is possible to swap F(Tus) for A(Tus), order it to Venice, then "spot" the mistake and have it changed back to a fleet. In others, the unit will be moved back to Tuscany and made a fleet once more, or have to remain an army for the rest of the game. Where there is not a GM, this sort of duplicity is thoroughly within the spirit of the game, for all that the more "sober" games-player may disapprove. However, in postal play, this sort of thing is only possible if the GM makes a mistake or is mislead by a player (perish the thought!), and since it is generally acknowledged that deception of the GM is unacceptable, the latter is likely to result in the player being ejected from the game, the zine, and perhaps worse. GAME OF DIPLOMACY, The (1) <MN:Jan92> One of onlt two books on diplomacy to be commerically published. Published (I believe) in 1978 it quickly wentout of print, it has been an item of desire eversince. Thesedays several hobbyists are offering photocopies of the book for sale. Whilst every diplomacy fan should certainly have their own copy of this book, it has dated and many would argue that the book is not very well balenced and presents a distorted picture of the game. GAMES & PUZZLES (1) <MN:Jan92> UK prozine which ran throughout the 1970's running many articles of diplomacy and postal gaming and giving the postal hobby mush needed publicity. Something of a collectors item these days. GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY (1) <RE:89-90> A variant of DIPLOMACY played without the intervals between seasons for discussion - hence DIPLOMACY without the diplomacy. An almost purely tactical exercise, it not only emphasis appreciation of the game mechanics as against the players' communication skills, but also allows a face-to-face game to be played to the finish within a relatively short time -perhaps a couple of hours. For this reason, Gunboat diplomacy once achieved some popularity in gaming clubs and, evidently, American conventions, but these days it's more widely known as a postal game in which the GM does not publish the identity of the players (though some GMs allow communication through the press between players, and in some cases go so far as to permit a pre-Spring 1901 season of press before the game starts). (2) <MN:Jan92> In postal play Gunboat is often run as a `Round Robin' Tournament in which the seven players play in seven games, one as each power, simultaneously. This ennables the players to be ranked in order as all-round tacticians, and overcomes the weakeness that some countries have in Gunboat. Face-to-face Gunboat takes 3-4 hours. HEDGEHOG (1) <RE:89-90> Named coined in 1975 by Richard Sharp for the Austrian opening, F(Tri)-Ven; A(Vie)-Gal; A(Bud)-Rum - perhaps the most famous of all DIPLOMACY openings. Through his subsequent book, "The Game Of Diplomacy", Sharp popularized the now classic A(Bud)-Ser variation, dubbed "The Southern Hedgehog", which has since become one of the two most common openings for Austria. The aim is to afford Austria, so often the first player eliminated from the game, complete protection against early attacks by Italy and Russia, whilst the Southern version also ensures a fourth supply centre, in Serbia, with the possibility of supporting A(Gal)-Rum in Autumn. The moves to Gal and Ven, through superficially speculative, are of largely defensive intent, standing off the likes of A(War)-Gal and A(Ven)-Tri (or, still worse, A(Rom)-Ven, following up A(Ven)-Tyr) - like the Hedgehog, says Sharp, this opening is "ferocious in appearance but cowardly at heart, hence the name". ITALIAN ATTACK (1) <RE:89-90> One example of the many fully committall attacks that can be launched in Spring 1901, in this case by Austria on Italy. As such it is a suitable contrast with the Hedgehog opening, involving F(Tri)-ADR, A(Bud)-Tri and A(Vie)-Tyr. If Italy opens with A(Rom)-Nap, he's lost Venice - though the Balkans is for Russia and Turkey to carve up. This opening is invariably popular with Turkey, Italy's perrenial rival in the Med, but is usually regarded as one of the more "bizarre" openings. Still more "bizarre" are the likes of the "Beaujolais Nouveau" mentioned in a very early Vienna but never used (it's a French opening: all three units are ordered to Gascony in Spring 1901), and Denis Jones' "Yorkshire Pudding" opening for England along similiar lines (F(Lon)-Yor, A(Lpl)-Yor, F(Edi)-Yor). I believe that Denis has excelled by actually using this opening once or twice. JUGGERNAUT (1) <RE:89-90> The notorious and widely-feared Russo-Turkish alliance, also nick-named the "Steamroller", which -if unmatched by an understanding between most of the other players - can be expected to prove almost unstoppable. In the classic juggernaut, Turkey throws himself whole-heartedly into expansion through the Med, whilst Russia, with no worries about his Southern Flank, rolls across the European mainland. However, the very strength of the alliance tends to be its undoing, as most DIPLOMACY players recognize it as a threat and are prepared to unite to stop it: alliances like the Anschluss (q.v) are often intended as a warning to Russia to steer clear of an aggressive alliance with Turkey. Consequently, Russo-Turkish alliances will often be disguised by an arranged stand-off in the Black Sea a now traditional feature of the partnership. Another failing of the alliance is the widespread believe that Russia tends to reap the greater profit, gaining access to supply centres from Scandinavia and England through Germany and Austria to the Low Countries, whereas Turkey is geographically restricted to Austria, Italy and Tunis - and perhaps, at a latter date, Marseilles, Spain and Portugal; this encourages Turkey to stab his ally at an early date, in turn undetmining Russian faith in the alliance. With other powers invariably fostering this distrust through their diplomacy, a successful Juggernaut has now become a rare thing. KEY, Jeff (1) <MN:Jan92> An American publisher, active in the 1960's. He devised the Key Lepanto and the Key Variant. KEY LEPANTO (1) <RE:89-90> A specific variation of the Lepanto series of Italian opening moves. Lepantos in general feature the Spring 1901 moves F(Nap)-ION and A(Rom)-Nap, followed by F(ION) CA(Nap)-Tun in autumn, to secure a build of F(Nap). The full Lepanto would then be pursued with the moves F(Nap)-ION, F(ION)-EMS and then F(EMS) CA(Tun)-Syr (or Smy), thus embodying a four season strategy directed against Turkey (Italy's traditional rival for naval supramacy in the Mediterranean). Indeed, the Lepanto takes its name from the Sixteenth Century Battle of Lepanto in which an Austro-Italian fleet defeated the Turks. In practice, however, the Lepanto is rarely pursued beyond Autumn 1901, after which Italian players usually prefer to develop a more flexible strategy. As an answer to the Juggernaut (q.v), the Lepanto may be the best Italian opening, assuming as it does no grave threat from Austria. With this in mind, an American player, Jeff Key, developed the "Key Lepanto", in which Austria agrees to give A(Ven) passage through Trieste to attack Serbia (or Greece, through ALbania). Unfortunately, for agreeable Austrian players, however most Italians allowed into Trieste refuse to move out in Autumn, with horrific consequences for beleagued Austria. Consequently, despite the overwhelming popularity of the Lepanto as an opening, the Key Lepanto itself is rarely seen. (2) <MN: Jan92> The Lepanto was divised by Edi Birsan The standard Lepanto involves A(Ven)H, A(Rom)-Apu and *not*, as stated, Nap. KRIEGSPIEL CHESS (1) <MN:Jan92> A variant of Chess which requires two players (at different ends of a room) and an Umpire (in the middle). You do not know where the other player moves. However if you attempt to make an illegal move you are told by the Umpire (who has the full position set up on his board) that that move would be illegal and you are allowed to choose another move. LIVONIAN SYSTEM (1) <RE:89-90> According to Richard Sharp, in his book "The Game of Diplomacy", this series of Russian openings gained some small popularity in Britain after Don Turnbull featured it in a series in the old "Games & Puzzles" magazine. The focus of the system is the move A(War)-Lvn, as part of an anti-English alliance with Germany. F(GOB) would then convoy A(Lvn)-Swe (which Germany is expected to concede to Russia), prior to a build of F(StP,nc). In the northern variation, Russia also opens with A(Mos)-StP and then A(StP)-Fin, giving up to three units bearing on Norway in Spring 1902 - but at the expense of serious exposure on the Southern Flank. This may be acceptable if Austria can be relied on to contain Turkey, but the lack of influence on Rumania deprives Russia of the near certainty of a build. In the more cautious southern version, therefore A(Mos) moves to Ukraine. (2) <MN:Jan92> At the time that Don recommended this opening the common opening move for German F(Kie) was to Hol, it was rather unusual for Germany to move to Den. It was even more unusal for Germany to stand Russia out of Swe. Hence, Russian players expected to take Swe in Autumn 1901 as a matter of course. It was common for Russia to have 6 centres at the end of 1901, having taken Rum and Swe, and not unusual for Russia to be on 7, taking an Austrian centre as a result of Austria opening with a Balkan Gambit and allowing Russia into Gal in Spring 1901. MAGINOT OPENING (1) <RE:89-90> A strong French opening featuring the Spring 1901 orders: F(Bre)-MAO, A(Mar) SA(Par)-Bur. It assumes an understanding with England over the English Channel, and though it must be regarded as anti-German, the opening still allows France the opportunity to take three neutral centres in Autumn (with A(Bur)-Bel, A(Mar)-Spa and F(MAO)-Por). Naming it after the Maginot Line has emphasised its defensive qualities, but there can be no doubt that the opening poses a direct threat to Munich, and may signal a frontal assualt on Germany by an Anglo-French alliance. This is both a strength and a failing, as it exposes France to a stab from England and is likely to cause maximum offense to a neighbour who is not usual an initial threat to France. However, it does assure the French player of a say in Belgium's future (a useful bargaining chip even if France cannot take the centre himself) without leaving Burgundy unguarded - and still allows him to take both the Iberian centres in 1901. METZKE, Conrad von (1) <MN:Jan92> American hobbyist active in the postal hobby on and off since the mid 1960's. Part of an active San Deigo crowd that discovered FTF diplomacy at the beginning of the decade, many of whom would publish zines before the decade was out. Conrad's COSTAGUANNA was one of the first diplomacy zines and has been published (with many interruptions and folds) since the mid 1960's. Conrad is a renowned writer, an excellent press-writer and responsible for importing RAILWAY RIVALS to the American hobby. Rumoured to be the tallest member of the hobby. NAVB (1) <MN:Jan92> Common abbreviation for the NORTH AMERICAN VARIANT BANK, the world's largest collection of diplomacy variants and recognized by most variant fans as being the decider of most matters relating to variant classification. Set up in the 1970's it has a had a succession of custodians. O'NEIL, BILL (1) <MN:Jan92> Long serving member of the VIENNAMOB who was the first such to launch a zine after the fold of VIENNA. DE EXCIDIO runs a number of games (including the hobby in-game EMPIRES OF THE MIDDLE AGES) in a low-key manner. NELSON, Mark Ian (1) <MN:Jan92> Active in the British Hobby since 1984, active in the international hobby since the Summer of 1987 and involved in the email world since the Summer of 1990. A diplomacy phreak who has published over 200 fanzines and has had many, many, plans for really useful diplomacy projects; this is one of the few ones that got past the `this is a really good idea' stage... NORTHERN DASH (1) <RE:89-90> Another French opening, but one that contrasts markedly with the above. I believe the name was originally coined by Nicky Palmer, and involves the moves F(Bre)-ENC, A(Par)-Pic, A(Mar)-Bur. It is debatable whether this is an aggressive defense or defensively aggressive: it could be seen as a French version of the Austrian Hedgehog openings, standing off attacks from England (F(Lon)-ENC) and Germany (A(Mun)-Bur); alternatively, it could be regarded as an all-out bid for Belgium or attack on England. As a defensive posture, it can only be regarded as a sign of failed diplomacy, since if France can trust neither of his neighbours in 1901, he is surely doomed. Moreover, it doesn't even offer complete protection, as an Italian opening to Piedmont would expose Marseilles; as an offensive, it may be applauded for making such a distinct commitment against England (a power that many DIPLOMACY players regard as France's greatest threat in the early years, and which needs to be eliminated early if it's to be eliminated at all). However, the opening will deprive France of two certain builds in 1901 (Spain and Portugal) unless A(Mar) is stood off by Germany, and this will weaken France in 1902. Less severe is the "Belgian Gambit", which uses F(Bre)-MAO instead. OCTOPUS (1) <RE:89-90> A Russian opening named by Richard Sharp which combines a strong defense in the south with an uncommonly powerful assault on Scandinavia. The name presumably derives from the way the opening exploits Russias interests in so many spheres, spreading tentacles into several areas: the moves are A(Mos)-StP, A(War)-Gal, F(Sev)-BLA and F(StP,sc)-GOB. The Russian player who opens with this can expect to upset England, who usually looks to Norway as his only guaranteed build - in a game with an Octopus, only a full blown Northern Opening (F(Lon)-NTH, F(Edi)-NWG, A(Lon)-Yor) from England will do. A variation of this opening, also named by Richard Sharp, is the Squid, which takes on both the corner powers with A(War)-Ukr. PALMER, Nicky. (1) Active in the UK postal hobby in the 1970s, these days he takes a more passive role not playing in any games and writing the occassional letter. Became involved in the PBM scene and launched FLAGSHIP. A magazine that was intended to be, well, the flagship of the PBM world. In it's early days this gave the postal hobby some publicity but those days seem to be gone for ever... PRESS (1) <RE:89-90> A phenomenon of the postal game (though not entirely unknown in face-to-face play, courtesy of blackboards and the like), press consists of "open letter" statements, usually no more than a line or two from one player to another, which are included in the game report. The limits and style of press permitted may depend on the Games Master (GM), who has to type it up, but there are traditionally four types of press, of which only one is universally banned. The first, "White Press", is the sort to be seen on almost any game report. The second, "Grey Press" involves one player issuing fake press supposedly originating from someone else (for example, Turkey issues this item: "Germany-England: Attack Rusia next turn as planned".). Some house rules do not permit fake press using the suffix "(Govt)", short for "Goverment", such that press labelled "France(Govt)-England" _must_ have been sent in by France. "Black Press", which is never printed, involves impersonation of the GM, including fake deadlines, and (usually) fake changes of address for other players. Finally, there is the "Press Saga", which may have little or nothing to do with the game or its players,may consist of very, very long submissions, and usually tells a story (of sorts) in episodes with each game report. Whether or not the GM publishes the entire saga unedited will invariably depend on his house rules...and how much time he has. (2) <MN:Jan92> The more common definition of Black Press is that includes all fake press releases. Thus Richard's `Grey Press' would be considered to be Black press. QUICK RETREAT (1) <RE:89-90> Also known as a "Rapid Retreat", this is a DIPLOMACY tactic for responding to an unexpected invasion of a player's home centres, or perhaps a realignment of his alliances and/or strategy. A unit not occupying a supply centre, and too far from a home centre to reach it speedily, is dislodged - usually by an ally- in an autumn season, and the player disbands it rather than order a retreat. He is then entitled to build a replacement in a home centre, thus effectively swapping a distant unit for one at home, and pehaps an army for a fleet (or vice verse). RUSSIAN ATTACK/RUSSIAN DEFENCE (1) <RE:89-90> The two main Turkish openings. Both involve F(Ank)-BLA and A(Con)-Bul, widely regarded as the only sensible options for these units in Spring 1901 - with the possible exception of the Western Opening F(Ank)-Con which invariable prompts cries of "Juggernaut". The signiture of the "Attack" is A(Smy)-Arm, which obliges Russia to give serious thought to protecting Sevastapol in the Autumn. He _may_ opt to use F(Sev), assuming a stand-off in BLA in the Spring, but this means surrendering the Black Sea to Turkey; alternatively he can order F(Sev)-BLA again, and hope for a second stand-off with F(Ank)-BLA, but this is a gamble. One of the main benefits of the Russian Attack is that it keeps Con free in Autumn for a powereful F(Con) build. By contrast, the "Defence" often involves an *arranged* stnd-off in BLA, and uses the move A(Smy)-Con, perhaps with a view to following through with A(Bul)-Gre and A(Con)-Bul for two builds. SELF-STANDOFF (1) <MN:Jan92> A tactical maneouver whereby two units (of the same nationality) are used to cover three provinces. Most commonly at least one of these centres will be a supply centre which the player wishes to build in. For example Austria might order: A(Vie)-Bud, A(Rum)-Bud. Unless an UNWANTED SUPPORT is offered this will guarantee the presence of Austrian units in Vie & Rum whilst keeping Bud open for a build. (Assuming that no-one is in a position to dislodge either of these units, and even in this case Bud is still protected.) SHARP, Richard (1) <MN:Jan92> Active in the British hobby between 1972 and 1979 during which time he *ran* most of it, published a widely acclaimed zine (_Dolchstoss_) and wrote one of only two books to be commercially published on the game. circa 1984 he entered the Hobby again, publishing a zine called _Dochstoss_ (curiously familiar in title) which may not have received the wide critical accliam that the first incarnation did but remains one of the best reads in the hobby. STALEMATE LINES (1) <RE:89-90> There are a number of positions on the board where it is possible to maintain a line of units indefinitely against any opponent. These are called stalemate lines, and are achieved by exploiting the way in which provinces border each other (for example, Switzerland and the Mid-Atlantic bottleneck feature in a number of stalemate lines) and a system of units supporting each other supporting each other ("mutual supports"). An early example is the one discover in 1965 by Conrad von Metzke, which uses ten units to hold fifteen supply centres: A(Sev) & A(Gal) SA(Ukr), A's(Ukr, Boh & Bud) SA(Gal), A(Tyr)SA(Boh), F(WMS) & F(Pie) SF(GoL), F(NAf) & F(GoL) SF(WMS). This amply furfills the primary requirement of a successful stalemate line: that it should contain at least as many supply centres as it requires unit to maintain it. In this case, the player coudl afford several `roving' units beyond the line. However, this remains a `minority' stalemate line, rather than a 17-centre position from which it is possible to force a draw: there are countless variations of minority stalemate lines. Note than many will depend on which countries are still active - a line established by England to stop Turkey at the mouth of the Mediterranean would only be secure if France (or Russia or Germany) were not likely or able to raise a fleet in Brest (or St Petersburg, Kiel or Berlin). Stalemates can, of course, be achieved by alliances as well as single powers. TURNBULL, Don (1) <MN:Jan92> Ran the first British diplomacy zine (Albion) which started in 1969 and ran for fifty issues. Albion was a wargames cum diplomacy zine and games were run in a supplement called COURIER which lasted until the end of the 1980's as a fringe zine well outside the mainstream of the British Hobby. Wrote a number of diplomacy articles for the prozine GAMES & PUZZLES which did much to publicize the early diplomacy hobby in the UK. Achieved greater fame (?) as the man who brought Dungeons & Dragons to the UK, for many years he was head of TSR (UK). TYROLIA ATTACK (1) <RE:89-90> A classic Italian opening featuring the moves: A(Ven)-Tyr, A(Rom)-Ven, F(Nap)-ION. One of the most enduring and popular combination of moves for Italy in Spring 1901, it is traditionally regarded as an attack on Austria, although it can also be turned against Germany if, perhaps with French support or encouragement, A(Tyr) attacks Munich in the Autumn. Indeed, this is very ofen an option, since most Austrian players have better things to do with A(Vie) than order to Tyrolia and A(Mun)-Tyr is hardly a common opening for Germany. But if the A(Ven) move can usually be expected to work, the popularity of F(Tri)-Ven with Austria has risen so dramatically with the Hedgehog Opening that A(Rom) will usually be stood off in the Tyrolia Attack. No matter: it protects Venice, and if by chance the move succeeds, Triests or Vienna could be there for the taking. Providing as it does an option on up to three centres, this opening is clearly Italy's best chance of securing five centres in the first year. UKVB (1) <MN:Jan92> Common abbreviation for `The United Kingdom Variant Bank', a collection of diplomacy variants which (supposedly) are available to hobby members for the price of copying and postage. In practice, a good custodian is hard to find. UNWANTED SUPPORT (1) <RE:89-90> The entry really covers two points, since the `Unwanted Support' happens to be a deft response to the `Self-Standoff'. The latter allows a player to, say, cover three provinces with two units - without moving either. Austria, for example, facing a Russian A(Gal) and an Italian A(Ven) in an Autumn turn with only A(Bud) and A(Vie) could orderA(Bud)-Tri; A(Vie)-Tri and be reasonably confident that, if no other units interfered, he would survive without the loss of any home centre irregardless of his opponents' moves. This is called a `Self-standoff', and is also useful in protecting an unoccupied centre or vital province when a player wants to keep his units un-moved. However, it can be thwarted by an `unwanted support', in which the opponent anticipates a self-standoff and, to suit his purposes, orders a unit to support one or other of the `self-standoff' units. In the example above, Italy might order A(Ven) SAA(Vie)-Tri: because A(Vie) was supported, it would succeed in its move, and Russia could capture a centre with the order A(Gal)-Vie. VARIANTS (1) <RE:1989-1990> Any game of DIPLOMACY using rules other than those issued by the publisher, but which is based on them in some way, may be considered a `variant' (thus arguably postal DIPLOMACY is itself a `variant'). However, the term `variant' is usually applied only to one of the vast numbers of games designed by enthusiasts in which a new mapboard is used to replace the standard one, or in which the rules are changed, ammended or exteneded. Variants exist which transfer the game from a European milieu to the world of Tolkien's Middle Earth, to a worldwide setting or to medieval Italy. Others add new units like submarines and air forces, increase the number of players or provide for hidden movement, like Kreigspiel chess. So many variants have appeared over the years that a number of "Variant Banks" have been established within the postal hobby to collect them into archives. Most prominent among these are the United Kingdom VariantBank (U.K.V.B) and the North American Variant Bank (N.A.V.B). VIENNA (1) <MN:Jan92) A UK zine edited by Richard Egan which ran from circa 1986 to 1990. For much of this time it ran to three weekly deadlines, a considerable achievment given the huge number of games it ran (the zine often stretched over 60 pages). Attracted to it a large loyal core of readers (known as the VIENNAMOB) most of whom lived near Bristol. A core-zine for the period. WDC (1) <MN:Jan92> A common abbreviation for `World Dip Con', a diplomacy convention that wonders around the globe and provides a meeting place for those diplomacy fans that are active on the international scene. WDC (1) was held in conjunction with ManorCon in 1988, WDC II was run in conjunction with DipCon in North Carolina in 1990 and WDC III is being in Australia in January 1992. The future of WDC is being discussed by a number of fans in a number of fanzines, The end of this dictionary will be published in the next issue. Publisher comments: Quote is from one of the over forty pages of advertisements in the "Entertainment" section of The Las Vegas Telephone Directory. To give you an example of how Las Vegas is overbuilt, the road outside my development is a seven lane highway. In Boston, the same road would have been a two lane highway. It's a lot easier to get around when all the roads are too wide, unlike Los Angeles which has roads about as big as Las Vegas's but with 15 times the population. Although I will admit that the traffic nearly came to a halt when my buddy George Bush stopped by and closed a few roads and one main highway. ****************************************************************************** To join in the fun, send your name, home address, home and work phone numbers, and country preferences to Eric_S_Klien@cup.portal.com. ****************************************************************************** Referenced By Up