Diplomacy zine -- EP #132 Chapter Four From: Eric_S_Klien@cup.portal.com Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1990 02:18:42 +0000 Issue #132 of ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL: Chapter One contains: NAVARONE, BLITZKRIEG, OPERATION OVERLORD, GETTYSBURG, and HMS HOOD And is published by daybell@aludra.usc.edu/Donald Daybell Chapter Two contains: DRAGONSLAYER, BISMARK, COLD WAR, JACAL, MANHATTAN, and VERSAILLES And is published by tedward@cs.cornell.edu/Ted Fischer Chapter Three contains: TANNENBURG, ENTENTE, MULHOUSE, and DAWN PATROL And is published by xcbe12a@ucrmath.ucr.edu/Wayne Wallace (I am working on publishing the chapters that dragon@agora.hf.intel.com /Bill Wheeler created. He has them but can't transmit.) ------------- Chapter Four ------------- Spring '05 of the game RATATOSK (BNC number 1989IJ) (GM is jall@diku.dk/Mogens Jallberg) Delayed due to Winter vacations. Looking into when the next deadline is. Spring '05 of the game BUSHIDO (BNC number 1989IN) (GM is ronin@cory.berkeley.edu/Sam Parazette) Due Jan 20 Spring '04 of the game HUGO (BNC number 1989IO) (GM is willis@trwind.ind.trw.com/Willis Marti) Due Jan 17 Summer '03 of the game JUGGERNAUGHT (BNC number 1989IR) (GM is rdesper@eagle.wesleyan.edu/Rick Desper) Due Jan 22. Fall '03 of the game TOKUGAWA (BNC number 1989IS) (GM is joseph_harold_thomas@cup.portal.com/Joseph Thomas) Not Received. Spring '03 of the game PETAIN (BNC number 1989IT) (GM is ssmith@ms.uky.edu/Scott Smith) Due Jan 7, Not Received. Looking into this. Spring '03 of the game DUNKIRK (BNC number 1989KN) (GM is sjzwange@phoenix.princeton.edu/Steven Jacob Zwanger) Due Jan 20 Spring '03 of the game VERDUN (MNC 1989AZrb32) (GM is eric_s_klien@cup.portal.com/Eric Klien) Not ready. Spring '01 of the game BIG WILLIE (MNC number not known) (Blind game, GM is okamoto@hp-ses.hp.com/Jeff Okamoto) Due Jan 19 Spring '01 of the game FIRE WHEN READY (BNC number 1990B) (GM is rlg@ai.mit.edu/Bob Givan) Not due yet. Spring '01 of the game DREADNOUGHT (BNC number not known) (GM is rbk@aiai.edinburgh.ac.uk/Richard Kirby) Due Jan 20 Publisher comments: The latest zine register has just been released and it is great! It lists, describes, and reviews all the zines in the U.S and Canada plus some in England, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand. It is a bargain at $1.50. Order it from Tom Nash, 5512 Pilgrim Rd., Baltimore, MD 21214. If you would like to get some samples of zines, send him $2.50 and he will cram as many zines as he can into a large manila envelope. On second thought, why don't I save everyone $1.50 and publish the latest zine register here! This way everyone will have lots of money to contribute to the full page ad that I want to run in Paper Mayhem to get more people into our great hobby. Send contributions to Eric Klien, 1 Sinai Circle B10, Chelmsford, MA 01824. Let me know if you want your contribution to by annonymous. Hey, even contributions of $1.50 would be great. ############################ # # # The Zine Register #15 # # # ############################ --> ** December 22, 1989 ** <-- Deadline for Issue #16: March 31, 1990! OK, so I'm late. OK, so it was my first ZR so I can't fall back on being a brown out as an excuse, as my august predecessor always did. OK, so I blew the perfect opportunity to "completely blow" Ken, in his own words, "out of the water," by coming out on time. OK, so it would be in bad taste to make any snide remarks about how late Brad is with his little zine listing. And irrelevant to discuss the VERY late issue the British zine listing collective got boggled down with this summer. OK, so you absolutely don't want to hear what a crazy wasteland my life has been since September. Nor about how much more work this is than I anticipated when I boldly predicted timeliness as late as mid- October. Nor, I am sure, about the snide little comments half of you have appended to your trade copies recently. So, sue me OK, and get out of my face! Whew, I feel so much better after getting that off my chest! Anyway, good evening and welcome to "The Zine Register - The Next Generation." Or something to that effect. We strive here to enlighten novices and amuse pubbers, the two audiences that make up 90% of the ZR's readership. The name of the game here is the listing and brief review of the zines that, loosely speaking, make up the gloried PBM/PBEM Diplomacy hobby. Some of which have never ran a game of Dip in their existence. But that's another story in itself. So sit back, relax, make yourself a nice, hot cup of coffee to get through the Winter's evening, put your feet up, and consider this the best, though slightly belated, Christmas/Hanukkah present you've gotten this year! Unless, of course, you got a CD player, or a copy of 1830, or some lawn seed, or a dishwasher, or new sneakers, or speakers for car stereo, or a tie, or a nice shirt, or sheets, or a record, or a Watchman, or a Nintendo, or slippers and a robe, or the new Mario Vargas Llosa novel, or a Laser printer, or Teen Age Ninja Mutant Turtles, or some socks, or a copy of "Batman,"... well, let's just say happy holidays anyway. Your next generational type editor/publisher, diving deeply into debt to bring you this production, is Tom Nash, who resides, at least for the immediate future, at 5512 Pilgrim Road, Baltimore MD, 21214. He can also be reached at (301) 254-2836, but DO NOT, under threat of dire circumstances, call between 8:30-9:30 PM, Eastern time, as we put two kids to bed during that spell. Acknowledgements: Assistant to the Editor in charge of font selection, laser printer magic, desktop publishing, and general layout guru is Ken Hill. This issue should look real spiffy, as you read it. That is thanks entirely to Ken and his pal at work who does Ventura. Editor Emiritus, Spritual Guide, and general all-round brown out case is Ken Peel (you know, I recently got some old Politesse's in the PDO auction, and you know what, Ken actually used to be funny! Sad that goes even before the legs.) Zine reviews submitted and gratefully accepted from Robert Greier and Pete Sullivan. Always willing to accept reviews. Thanks guys! To start with, while I was putting this here thing together, I was cleaning files off my hard disk and ran across this gem: January 10, 1988 Dear Ken Peel, I am writing to you to request copies of both The Zine Register, and Pontevedria. I have been told that the former costs $1.50, and the latter is free for an SASE. Therefore I am enclosing both a check and an SASE. I've heard about your publications through the Play By Electronic Mail Diplomacy crowd that plays the game by computer modem through Compuserve. This has been, actually, my only contact with the game. I am anxious to try both "regular" mail games, and even more so, face-to-face Diplomacy. As you can see, I live in Baltimore, so if you can put me in touch with players in the area, or if you have games in Silver Spring I could participate in at some time, I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks in advance. Tom Nash 6509 Copper Ridge Drive #201 Baltimore, MD 21209 (301) 486-3975 Gawd, if only the USPS had lost that letter instead of some of the ones it has lost! My marriage would actually have survived the past few weeks, my kids would know who I am, I'd have gotten a little sleep here and there, and life would, in general, be worth living. Well, on with the show. Here's how we do it here. Here's a typical zine listing: The Zine's Name: (Most recent issue I have seen or have been informed about. Not necessarily the most recent issue existent in this universe.) The publisher's name, address. Price/issue(s), format (open page or digest), method of printing (xerox, mimeo, etc.), average length of issue, frequency, circulation, month and year first issue published. Runs: games currently running in zine. Openings: games open for joining (with gamefee). This is followed by a brief description of the zine, and will typically be written either by me or the zine's publisher, or both. There are a few reviews submitted by third parties, or cribbed (translation: shamelessly stolen) from other zine's reviews. And so, without further ado, on with the show: Alpha and Omega: (#20 November) Randy Grigsby, 93 St. Vincent St., R.R.#3, Barrie, Ont. L4M 4S5, CANADA .50/issue, open page, xerox, 8 pages, quarterly. Alpha and Omega is the official zine of the Miller Number Custodian, who issues game numbers to all Dip variants being run postally or electronically. The zine lists variant game starts, finishes, some statistics, and a bit of chat on the general topic of variants. Did you know that in England they're far too civilized to feud over who gets to give out these numbers, like we do? Instead they feud, rather intensely, over what is and isn't a variant, and who gets to decide that. Aren't you glad you know that? TEN The Appalachian General: (#64 November) David McCrumb, Rt 1, Box 10, Shawesville, VA 24162 $10/15 issues, digest, xerox, 24 pages, monthly, circ. 45, est. Aug. 1983. Runs: Diplomacy (3), Gunboat (1), 7x7 Round Robin Gunboat Tourney (3), Colonia VI. Openings: None. TAG is a "games zine." Its main purpose is "the games," something I get intense pleasure from GMing. There have been a few articles in the past couple of issues, but not as many as in other zines, and no letter column. We're here to play. DMc This was one of the first two zines I ever subbed to. This one concentrates on both variant and regular Dip, and occasionally runs non-Dip stuff like Civilization. Dave is a first-class GM, so I recommend TAG as a good place to play. Reading material varies from issue to issue; sometimes he has a lot, sometimes there is virtually nothing but the games. DH TAG is a great place to play, especially variants. However, there's not much here for the non-playing subber, and no game openings for the foreseeable future. Only reason to sub now is to get on the standby list and wait for a game opening. TEN Ark: (#4 November) Eric Brosius, 41 Hayward Street, Milford, MA 01757. $4/10 issues, laser printed and xerox, monthly, est. Sept. 1989. Runs: Empire Builder. Is there a law that the Runestone Poll Custodian HAS to run a small EB zine? Right after taking over the poll from Bruce "TRAX" Linsey, Eric launched this, running an EB game originally started by Conrad von Metzke. Postal EB takes forever, but this may be a good place for Eric to start a new game or two using his ideas for speeding up play. TEN The Armchair Diplomat: (#357 December) Ken Hill, 6199 Rockland Dr., Dublin, OH 43017 Compuserve online costs (electronic mail publication), 8-10 pages, weekly, circ. 60+, est. Feb. 1983. Runs: Diplomacy (8), Gunboat (2), 7x7 Round Robin Gunboat, Intimate Dip, Northern Ireland, Perestroika Dip, Deviant Dip, Grand Tournament Dip. Openings: Diplomacy, Gunboat. TAD is the home of the Play-by-Electronic-Mail (PBEM) Diplomacy hobby on the CompuServe computer network. Turns are taken every two weeks and the average game lasts about six months. Correspondence between players is transmitted instantly (no more waiting on the mailman) and is absolutely confidential. Orders are transmitted directly to the GM and are posted in TAD within 72 hours of the adjudication. Many players feel, as I do, that PBEM is the ideal way to play Dip. TAD now has two subzines, The Blind Wars by Jeff McKee ((now Bob Aube - Ed.)) and Been There, Done That by Tom Nash. The latter is the first ever bridge between the electronic players and the mainstream hobby. Variants have been split off into the "co-zine" The Eccentric Diplomat, compiled by Jeff McKee. Inquiries to the editor are welcome! Or "Go PBMGAMES" at any CIS system prompt, and enter Sections 7 (regular Dip) and 8 (variants). KH The place I played my first Dip game, the all-PCjr novice game which I promptly won. For the last 7 years we've mostly dipped out in our own little corner, blissfully unaware of the hobby at large save for a few interlopers like Blau, Schlickbernd, and von Meztke. Then Nash and McKee broke out and started PBM zines. Next Martin, Peel, and Swider broke in, and CIA, MoD, and the ZR have joined BTDT and Meta as electronically posted subzines of sort in the data libraries. The debate rages now... is TAD a warehouse, or do the at times voluminous messages posted on the message board constitute the biggest, most fluid, and dynamic electronic lettercol going. You be the judge. GMing earns you CI$ usage credit. TEN The Assassin's Blade: (#10 December) John David Galt, 701 Welch Road, #1119, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1701 $4/12 issues, free to players, will trade. Open page, xerox, 4 pp, 4-6 weeks, circ. 15, est. 1/13/89. Runs: Dip. Openings: Dip. Will run one variant, either Character Dip or Woolworth IID, depending on response. Games $4 ($3 for Mensa members). I'm relatively new to publishing. The zine is long on clarity, short on chat (I'll print it if I get it...) and nonpolitical. JDG Been There, Done That: (#10 November) Tom Nash, 5512 Pilgrim Road, Baltimore MD 21214. .75/issue, or $6/10. Free to players and standbys. Sub credit for written contributions. Laser printed, then xeroxed. Usually digest, but open face as the mood hits. Every 5 weeks, 30 pages, circ. 126, est. late 1988. Runs: Diplomacy (3), Gunboat (2), Purest Dip, Colonia VI, Railway Rivals (2), and Kremlin. Openings: Dip ($5). The letter column is getting a bit bloated, the "BTDT Interview" is sporadic, but I'm excited about our next hot feature - the George Mann vs. David Orne debate on the merits or lack thereof of professional wrasslin'. Now carrying Jim Goode's "Tennessee Rails," (Railway Rivals) and Jeff McKee's "McKee Raves" as subzines. BTDT, the only zine that runs Jimmy Williams' letters completely uncut and unexpurgated! Still distributed electronically as a subzine to The Armchair Diplomat as well. BTDT, the zine that launched the Fugs renaissance! TEN A sort of pleasantly non-descript zeen now gone solo. ml Yes, you've heard the name - I'm telling you that this guy is hot. He also informed us that he's a "Brat Pack Publication." It's a good read. Tom was a subzine that practically took over The Scribblerist. Now he is on his own in the world and loving it. If you want to be hip, then you had better play here. CO Features chat on obscure 60s folk groups, general hobby chat, and links to PBEM. Issue 8 was a Choo Choo games special with a huge letter column. The zeen has a tremendous sense of fun and enthusiasm. PS benzene: (#62 December) Mark D. "Ig" Lew, 438 Vernon #103, Oakland, CA 94610 .80/issue, open page, xerox, 8-12 pages, biweekly to monthly, circ. 34, est. july 1985. Runs: Kibbitzer's Scrabble, Monopoly (2). Benzene is is an approximately monthly amateur newsletter, loosely associated with the postal Diplomacy hobby, which consists primarily of discussions of politics and whatever else interests the editor and the readership. ml This is not really a Dip zine at all; its focus is on political discussion between its editor, Mark Lew, and the rest of the known world. I find this to be an extremely thought-provoking zine, unlike many others which profess to have a political discussion section (including CCC). Lew and many of his contributors are very good writers--get this one if you are a serious political junkie like me! DH Although bz continues to garner wild praise and adoration among many of its readers, I personally have found it less interesting in the past few months than it was earlier in the year. I think the reason lies in Mark's much discussed huge backlog of letters (he's the kind of excellent writer who demands to be responded to), and his newly announced obsession with financial matters in the production of the zine (a disease he apparently has caught from Cuerrier) which leads him to strictly observe the 1 oz. limit. Therefore most issues consist of letters that are 3-4 months old, discussing topics he'd brought up 4-5 issues back. Doesn't do much for a sense of contiunity in reading the zine and following the discussion. In addition, as he cuts trades right and left, the "loose connection" to the Dip hobby becomes ever more tenuous. Finally, he, again like Cuerrier, prints far too many letters of a certain reader who's delight in hotly debating the foundations of awareness and philosophy are frankly tedious. Still in all, he is probably the best writer in the hobby, and appears incapable of writing unintelligently on virtually any topic. Caveat emptor: his explicit policy is to "confiscate" all sub money if and when he folds. Mark, get over your Francois craze already, OK? To coin a phrase from James Watt, let Ig Lew be Ig Lew. TEN The Big Bop (??) Dan Gavrilovic, 59 Deerfield Road, Scarborough, ONT. M1K 4X2, CANADA $5/10 issues. 7 pps. That's all I know. Est. this year. Openings: Dip ($4) I know this zine is running, I see it mentioned in other zines, and Cal White assures me it's a going concern, but I got no response to my letter to Dan requesting a trade, sample, or even pubber's info sheet returned. So Dan, if you're out there, and want better info, send me something! Or failing that, can someone send me a sample? Here's Ms. UnHip's review from CR: TEN Now I know I gave Dan a plug before, buty he's still going strong and he still wants players or even a letter - any letter - please. Do you know how hard it is to fill up these pages with mindless babble? Do you know how hard it is to fill up a zine without letters and without games? Dan's doing it. Last issue was 7 pages long. So - check it out. Two games almost ready to start - why I might even play!! An easy cahnce for someone to stab me! Another chance for me to misorder in '01! The tension is killing me. It's so cheap how can you say no? Support your local Canadian. CO Blade Wars!! (Pre-issue, November) Chuck Lietz, PO Box 221, Stevenson, WA 98648 $6/year (includes game fee), open page, xerox, monthly. Runs: Not yet. Openings: United Hockey. To all United players and anyone interested in hockey: I'm currently in the process of trying to revive the defunct Mist County Hockey Association with some degree of success. I will try in some fashion to finish the second season that was dropped.... if I am unable to do so, I will start a semi-new league rules which have already been created by myself. A copy of the rules can be obtained by writing to me. CL United soccer league rules applied to hockey. Unique, at least. Hope it goes. Chuck, you got a frnchise available with a Gretzy- type player on the roster? TEN Boardgame Challenger!: (Vol. I #3, November) Eddie Campisano, P.O. Box 724, Norwood, MA 02062. $6/12 issues, plus $2 game fee. Open page, werox, 5 pp, monthly, circ. 200, est. Sept, 1988. Runs: None at present. Openings: Down With the King. The Boardgame Challenger! is an expanding hobby newsletter with over 200 readers in North America and Europe. Originally the zine was published to support 2 FTF game programs: the North Shore Game Club and the Boardgame Challenge! game program., but has since added supoprt to the 94th Bombardment Group (H); a PBM B-17 club. There are no games being run in the zine at present. However, the editor hopes to attract a cadre of fanatical gamers to play muti-player, non-hex, diplomatic style games. All materials for DWTK will be provided by the GM. You need not own the game. If enough interest can be generated in DWTK, other game startds may include: B-17, Source of the Nile, TRailway Rivals, Nuclear Destruction, Bloode Royale, Metris Mile, Warrior Knights, or En Garde. A Free copy of this newsletter can be had upon request. EC Share with Eddie as he attempts to bring 200 rabid FtFers into the PBM fold. Cry with him as they respond indifferently. Exalt with him as he continues churning out a quality zine. Dream with him as he refuses to let go the dream of Ftfers playing PBM in his zine... The Boardgame Challenger! TEN Boast: (#296 December) Herb Barents, 17187 Wildmere, Detroit, MI 48221 $12/17 issues, open page, xerox, 10 pages, 3 weeks, est. Sept. 1971. Runs: Diplomacy (5). Openings: Diplomacy ($12, includes sub. $7.50 for subsequent games). It's old (second continuously running zine in North America). It's ugly. Herb won, deservedly, the Hobby Dyslexia Award for rampant misspelling in last year's Rusty Bolts. It's got far too many GMing mistakes. The only chat is news of the gaming world, mostly FRP and BattleTech type stuff. Ugh. The positives are that some fine players play here regularly, and you can set your watch by it's arrival every 3 weeks, 3 days after the deadline. If you want a fast paced game with no delays and generally good competition, and don't mind checking the adjudication carefully each time, you could do worse, I suppose. Otherwise, skip it. (And yes, I'm in 3 games here). TEN The Boob Report: (#79, December) Jim Burgess, 100 Holden Street, Providence RI 02908-5731 Free to players, standbys, traders, and regular contributors, not available otherwise. Open page, xerox, 10-16 pages including occasional subsuszine, The Abyssinian Prince, 3 weeks, so I have a good shot at having a recent issue available if my szinemaster Terry Tallman ever decides to publish his next issue. Circ. 50, est. 1983 or so, how the hell can I remember? Runs: Diplomacy (2), Spy Diplomacy. Openings: Diplomacy ($5 NMR fee). A boring warehouse subszine where the emphsis is on press and fun games. I'm sort of looking for new blood (but only if you write lettes or press!), so I've decided to let Mr. Nash list me for awhile. TBR is a subszine of the greatest publication in Dipdom ((more like the foldedest publication in Dipdom, and don't you ever get tired of that line? - ed.)) North Sealth, West George, occasionally published by the inestimable Hobby Marital Sex Ghod or Computer Nerd-Mutant (take your pick), Terry Tallman. The Abyssinian Prince features letters on all types of music, ranging from the recorder master Frans Bruggen, to Nektar to Cheryl Lane to Wynton Marsalis to Lindisfarne and back again. JB How Jim has been allowed to get away with calling TBR, which usually comes out quite regularly every three weeks, a subszine to a szine (his spelling) which nobody has seen in two years, is beyond my ability to understand. So I did what any new ZR person would do: I badgered him mercilessly into letting me include him as the szine he truly is. Games, good press, neat folk hanging out, and the wonderful subszine (subsubszine, according to the Boob), The Abyssinian Prince, which contains Jim's musings on mostly modern music. As he wants to open some new games, and would prefer some "new blood," here's y'all's chance. TEN Bushwacker: (#214 December) Fred Davis, 3210-K Wheaton Way, Ellicott City, MD 21043. $6/12 issues for non-players, $9 flat fee for players, $5 flat fee for standbys, open page, xerox, 10 pages, monthly, circ. 84, est. March 1972. Runs: Character Dip, Atlantica III, Ancient Empires III, Five Italies. Openings: None currently. Bushwacker is devoted exclusively to variant Diplomacy games. I also include reports on hobby news, and fill the remaining space with items on astronomy, politics, science fiction, trips, and whatever else comes to mind. Rules and maps for new variants are printed from time to time, and readers get to vote on which ones they want to play. Players receive $1 discount on all subsequent games. While lack of room prevents me from printing maps every time, I will print a basic map with the first report of every game. (Or sell you one for .25 if you really want to be a kibbitzer). I've been at this now for 25 years. Some people never learn! FCDjr This is the grandaddy of all variant zines. Sometimes the zine has interesting reading material, but sometimes its frankly a little boring. But no matter. Fred publishes regularly, and is totally committed to variants, so his zine serves a useful function. DH Bush is like some eccentric old uncle... friendly, a bit weird, earnest; sometimes you take him for granted, sometimes he embarrasses you, while still others he surprises you with something fresh you would have never expected. Fred covers hobby news well. It's through Fred that I heard about this job (ZR) opening up and allowed myself to be shamelessly exploited, er... selected by the rigorous selection criteria Ken utilized ("You want it? OK, it's yours. Who are you again?"). TEN The Canadian Diplomat: (#29 October) Bob Acheson, P.O. Box 4622, Station SE, Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 2A0, CANADA $1 (Can. or U.S.)/issue, open page, xerox, 50-80 pages, 8 weeks, circ. 100, est. Dec. 1984. Runs: Diplomacy (11), Gunboat (10), Colonia VI, Anarchy (5), Stonehenge Dip (3), Econopolicy, Cline 9, Sea of Despair. Openings: Diplomacy ($2), Gunboat, Colonia VI, Anarchy, Stonehenge Dip, Youngstown IV. I know I'm late with the Zine Register when I actually have three issues of the Canadian Diplomat has piled up during the review period. As you can guess, TCD is not about speed. What it is about is running the widest variety of games anywhere north or south of the border (depending on which side you're looking at it from). It's slow (sometimes annoyingly so), but friendly; a bit out in the ozone, but comfortable. I know, it's sort of like Bob Acheson! KP The Pesky One is correct on all counts (for once!): TCD is very slow, but somehow due to Acheson's reputation, his readers almost seem to admire him for doing it his own way, rather than cast the usual vitriol saved for tardy Pubber/GMs on him. It's enormity of games is second in the entire hobby only to those halcyon days of yore when Melinda had continuous game openings, and Robert runs a far greater variety including the amusing Sea of Despair (I cast all my votes to chuck Mark Lilleleht overboard, but damn, it was hard ignoring Jack McHugh!). TCD finished in top 15 of all 3 of this year's zine polls, 12 in the Runestone, 2 in Xyns People Read, and 6 in the Marco, showing it's popularity among wide segments of the North American Hobby. TEN Carolina Command & Commentary: (#21 December) Michael Lowrey 1131-205 Parkridge Lane, Raleigh, NC 27605 $1.00/issue (as of #19), digest, xerox/laser, 16 + 4 (subzine) pages, monthly, circ. 75, est. Oct. 1987. Runs: Diplomacy (6), Gunboat. Openings: Diplomacy ($5) in Obfuscate, Gunboat ($5) in Obfuscate, Cline 9-Man ($5) in CCC. CCC is the official mouthpiece of the Carolina Amateur Diplomats, a subversive group of Southern Randist libertarians whose object is to make everyone in the hobby adopt and use the word "y'all." Seriously. We also have lots of Diplomacy and lots of chat on the hobby and international relations/foreign policy, not necessarily in that order. Now we have a subzine (Morgan Gurley's Obfuscate). So what more do you want for a buck? DH Shouldn't that be "so what more do y'all want for a buck?" I must issue three warnings here. Warning #1 - Jimmy Williams plays and writes press here! Warning #2 - Morgan Gurley, evil incarnate in FtF Dip play, does a subzine here (was going to sign up for a game then I remembered you can't stab the GM... Damn!). Warning #3 - David Hood is Enemy of the Hobby #1.84! Why? Because he is the leader of "the Supply Side." Forget the Dark Side, the Light Side, and all the other sides, it is the Supply Side, who will not rest until all Dipsters vote for Jack Kemp, who are the true evil and must be purged or left behind as we form an "alternative hobby" of commie pinko gamesters like, well... like me! Seriously, CCC, besides being quite attractive in its production, reliable, and with games that appear to be well run, is a must, along with benzene, for the Dipster with a serious interest in the political process. Besides, David's a real sweet guy.... for a right wing fascoid! TEN David Hood puts out one of the best zines in this hobby ((no more he don't - ed.)), and it is fast becoming a game player's dream. He's very timely, accurate, and of course very serious about his zine. He has articles about politics, written by himself or one of the CCC writers. He is also very much into scoring systems for FtF play, and runs the DixieCon tourney. My only probalem with CCC is the seriousness of the zine, but of course that's the quality that brings in most of David's subbers. So if you are into politics, foreign affairs, or just looking for a great place to play a game, David's got your zine, and one of the best at that. RWG Late breaking news... fellow CADster Michael Lowrey has taken over the editing and publishing of CCC as of the December issue, freeing David up for the anticipated move to the editorship of Diplomacy World. Dave will continue to GM his game's while Michael takes over the other executive functions. Or that's what they want us to believe. North Carolina's right there next to Central America ain't it (editor betrays himself as a native New Yorker with a New Yorker's distorted geographical awareness)? And those right wing southern type places always be having Palace Coups, right? I think this is just another CIA supported junta shakeup. Noriega last month, Hood this month. Good riddance! TEN Cheesecake: (#111 December) Andy Lischett, 2402 Ridgeland Ave., Berwyn, IL 60402 Free to players, standbys, generally unavailable otherwise. Open page, xerox, 8 pages, 5 weeks. Circ. 59, est. March 1979. Runs: Diplomacy (7). Openings: none. Free... and worth every penny. AL A great place to play Dip. Let's cover the minor points first: it's free to players. No sub fee, no game fee, no NMR deposit. That said, let's throw in the more important aspects: you can set your watch by it. Regular as anyone who starts the day with a big bowl of raisin bran. Furthermore, the GMing has won Andy high marks in all the recent Runestone Polls. Not a great read, but then again, if you don't play, you probably don't, and can't, see it anyway. If you hear Andy's got a game opening, and you're serious about the actual game of Dip, move quickly. It won't last long. TEN Cathy's Ramblings: (#44 November) Cathy Ozog, P.O. Box 17457, Munds Park, AZ 86017 $7/10 issues ($1.20/issue in Europe), open page, reduced, xerox, 10-12 issues, 6-8 weeks, est. Oct. 1983. Runs: Diplomacy, Downfall of the Lord of Rings, Gunboat. Openings: none. If your idea of a good time is watching a grown woman indulge herself in self-flagellation of the ugliest kind, this zine is for you. Cathy Ozog is, we all admit it, one extremely unhip chick. But Cathy dear, must we hear about page after page, issue after issue? It's not a pretty sight. Her idea of a hip guy is Glover Rogerson, the British pubber, so she does whatever he does. For awhile that meant GMing games of Downfall. Then Glover announced he was indulging himself in the very British custom of "running down to a fold." And so, our Cathy is doing likewise. Number 50 will be it, folks. Too bad, she was getting that self- deprecation stuff down GOOD. TEN Comrades In Arms (#31 November) Tom Swider, 75 Maple Ave, Apt A, Collingswood, NJ 08108 .75 an issue, open page and three hole punched, xerox, 28 pages, 4-5 weeks, circ. 66, est Aug 1986. Runs: Railway Rivals, Dune, Kremlin, Haggle, Runestone Poll Diplomacy, Final Conflict, VANDALS!, Pax Britannica, Gunboat Final Conflict, Northern Ireland, Vacation Diplomacy, Machiavelli, Colonia VI and Bud-Bop. Openings: Axis & Allies, Railway Rivals. Comrades In Arms is getting too big! There are plenty of games and chat. With Jack McHugh publishing "The Popular Front", how can you help but have enough chat? Kathy Caruso also runs Flap- Jack's counterpart, "Shut Up Jack!". Besides my letter column "One Small Voice", we receive contributions from Paul Kenny (Standard Deviation), Mark Strouthes (Reginald Maudlin's Elbow), and guest GMing from Brady Richter and Nick Dowling. Turnaround time gets slow sometimes due to CIA's size. Sometime around April 1990, I would like to try running Mike Mills' "SPQR". Anyone who is interested should contact me at that time. TS In many ways, CIA has gone in the direction of many British zines, becoming truly a "postal games zine," rather than a dipzine. Regular Dip is about the only game you won't find here, but the variety of variants, and other games adapted to postal gaming, more than makes up for it. CIA has also recently joined the growing number of PBM zines acting as bridges to the PBEM hobby by becoming available for downloading in Compuserve's Dip data library, joining Been There, Done That, Metadiplomat, Masters of Deceit, and ZR itself. Kathy Caruso should be supported in any way possible by all right minded Dippers in her valiant campaign to get FlapJack to shut up! TEN Clandestine Activities: (#5 May) Douglas W. Acheson, 95 Dundonald St., Barrie, Ont. L4M 3T4 Canada $10/12 issues (no trades or mutual subs!!!), open page, xerox, circ. 25, est. Nov. 1988. Runs: Diplomacy, Gunboat, Colonia VI, Gunboat Colonia VI (2), Stonehenge Diplomacy. Openings: Diplomacy, Gunboat Dip, Colonia VI, Gunboat Colonia VI (all $5). CA's purpose is to subjugate and integrate the American hobby to the word "eh" and the "Loonie." To sell the Canadian identity, or at least peddle the musings of a qualified straight-jacket nationalist. What is wrong with the idea of Canada taking over Maine, Alaska and Washington states. They're ours anyway or they were, or they should have been, or something like that (isn't Florida part of Canada now?). Anyway, CA will also fill a need for the Canadian Diplomacy Organization coordinator, for within the very pages of it will be found the straight 'n' narrow dictates of "From the Chair," the voice of the CDO. DWA Left Doug's description intact since the last ZR (with some editing) since I have never heard anything from Mr. Acheson. Now his brother, he's a decent enough chap. Trades with me, gives me all Brad Wilson's abandoned positions to standby for, even calls for missing Anarchy orders. But this one.... probably just jealous that I'm a bigger shooting star than even he! Or maybe just too busy hatching plans for a separate Canadian MNC/UC. He may have those dumb Canucks in his iron grip, but I will someday rule the Hobby so entirely he will rue the day he ignored my first ZR!!!! But seriously folks, this zine is coming out, isn't it? Eh? TEN The Continuing Crisis (continued): (#7 January) Tony Doussette, 530-A Bruton Bends, Richardson, TX 75081 $6/12 issues (or SASE + .10/issue), open page, xerox, 2 pages, circ. 7, est. June 1988. Runs: Diplomacy. Openings: none. CC(C) is more of a flyer for my own entertainment than anything else. TD Anyone know if this one is still going? Haven't heard anything. TEN Countermeasures (#10 July) Bill LaFosse, 65 Barbara Street, Trenton, ONT, K8V 1Z6 CANADA .50/issue, open page, xerox, 8 pp, monthly. Circ. 21. Runs: Dip (2) Openings: Dip ($5) Another zine I know is going strong on Cal White's say so, yet the game info is probably badly in need of updating. Your basic, solid Canadian Dipzine. Focus on the games, and a self-proclaimed "Feud Free Zone." TEN Dark Mirror: (#6 December) Audrey SF Jaxon, 405 Fair Dr #101, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 50$/issue, digest, xerox, 24 pages, monthly (?), est. Nov. 1988. Runs: Diplomacy (3), Gunboat. Openings: Diplomacy ($5), Gunboat ($5)? After exploding onto the scene last winter and establishing itself as the best new zine of '88, placing 10th in the Runestone, DM has fallen on hard times and it's future is uncertain. Following a 2 month plus disappearing act, an issue appeared in April. Then, silence for 4 months, when what should turn up but an issue of Moire, Tim Moore's subzine to DM (see it's listing) carrying Tim's adjudications of Audrey's missing games and an explanation that she was... uh... distracted by other things. Tim asked the players if they wished to continue the games in Moire if Audrey folded. Then, in late October, the next issue of Moire appeared again carrying the DM games, with a front page explanation that Audrey was still not ready to pick up and publish, so he'd carry on as an independent zine. Then a seperate and contradictory last page addendum stating that when she found out he'd done another issue of Moire, Audrey got mad and did an issue of DM. They had words and he agreed to leave her games alone. As I write this, that alleged issue of DM still is missing. I frankly doubt it will appear, or if it does, that it will represent anything more than a last shot. The signs of a messy fold are all there. Too bad, and I hope I'm wrong, DM had tremendous promise. TEN (Late breaking news... DM #6 just arrived after an almost 8 month absence. Lots of promises of regularity. She'll have to prove it.) TEN Dipadeedoodah!: (#9 December) Phil Reynolds, 2896 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL 34237 $12/12 issues ($1/issue), open page, xerox (laser), 12 pages, monthly, circ. 36, est. Jan. 1989. Runs: Diplomacy (5), Fog of War, Asian Dip, Gunboat, Illuminati. Openings: Minimalist Dip ($5), Dip ($5), African Dip ($5), Gunboat Fog of War II ($5), Illuminati ($5). So why should you subscribe to or play in Dipadeedoodah! when there are so many other zines the hooby has to offer? Well, for one thing, I run on a strict monthly schedule which allows (relatively) quick play of games. The typical game, then, shouldn't last more than 2 years. The emphasis of Dipadeedoodah! is on the games. Besides offering regular Dip, we feature several variants, including ones that I have designed. This gives the experienced player a chance to try his hand at a familiar but different game. Other features: columns on strategy, sports, music, sports, socioploitical issues, sports, and whatever else interests me. The zine looks good, reads well, and most impportently, plays host to some interesting and entertaining games. Gee, I wish I could be a player in Dipadeedoodah! PR A solid new effort. Nicely produced, attractive, nice variety of games. Some chat, mostly the musings of Br'er Phil on music, sports, etc. I like it. One recent issue was fairly seriously delayed, but it was due to moves from Florida to Alabama and back to Florida. Usually reliable, and has been steady since then. UNfortunately, I've had to retype his address 3 times, and I'm getting sick of it! TEN Diplomacy Digest: (#123 December) Mark Berch, 11713 Stonington Pl., Silver Spring, MD 20902 $5.50/10 issues, digest, offset, 12 pages, 6 issues (sometimes double issues, meaning actual publications on the average spaced more than two months apart) per year, circ. 74, est. July 1977. DD continues to chug along, however, as a unique publication reprinting play-of-the-game articles (as well as other topics) from older Diplomacy publications, many of them British, along with his own commentary. Each issue concentrates on a particular topic such as Italy, personalities, stabs, etc. Most issues also contain 2-3 pages of Mark's personal views on Diplomacy hobby happenings and controversies. Mark makes available, at very modest prices, nearly all past issues going back more than a decade to his subbers. That collection contains many issues containing a vast variety of play-of-the-game articles, plus materials giving background on the history of postal dipdom. KP DD was one of the first zines I subbed to on joining the hobby, and I'm certainly not unique in that regard. I bought the entire back run, and spent the next couple of months reading them during my Saturday morning baths. It appears to me that Mark is in the latter stages of a brown out, and DD has lost some of its old enthusiasm and verve. Still the best place to read vintage Dip writing. A good place to sub if you're even vaguely intersted in hobby history. TEN Diplomacy Today: (September) Darrel Plant, Reed College Box 1068, 3203 SE Woodstock, Portland, OR 97202 Digest, xerox, 3 pages, monthly, circ. 10, est. Oct. 1988. Runs: Diplomacy. Openings: none (possible opening in the future). Diplomacy Today is a blatant knock-off of USA Today all electronically produced and laser-printed. The map is beyond anything I have ever seen for a postal Diplomacy game. In fact, as a Macofile--I plan to write Darrel for a copy of his map files. DT started as a private PBM effort, that happened to trip across our humble little community. I wonder how many times postal Dip has been invented since or even before John Boardman originally got his own effort underway? All this said, and waxing endlessly at the graphically stunning presentation of DT, at present it is still essentially a one-game flyer. KP Although there is only one game going in DT, each issue is available by sending an SASE with an extra stamp inside. Because of the nature of the freindships between the players, and unforeseeable persoanl matters, issues have been known to come out somewhat sporadically. When I gewt the SASE, I'll hold it for the next issue., and after that issue reaches the subber, they are welcome to send another. I don't expect to have a lot of people intersted in my little one-game zine, but am willing to show off my format to anyone who cares. This fall I expect to have another one-game full-production zine that will be called something like: Diplomacy LIFE, Diplomacy TIME, Diplomacy Illustrated, or some such. Interested parties should contact me. DP It really is something to see... TEN The Diplomacy Tribune: (#9 December) Gerald Todd, 8047 High Point Rd., Baltimore, MD 21226-2020 $12/12 issues, open page, werox. 4-6 pp, 4 weeks. Circ 12, est. April, 1989. Runs: Diplomacy (2). Openings: Diplomacy ($3), A Variant to be named later. When Roy dropped PBM I wanted to pick it up, but didn't feel I had the resources to reliably turn out a dip zine. Even when I felt I could, I wasn't sure I wanted to. THen a little voice said "Do it stupid, before you drive me nuts!" I didn't appreciate my wife calling me stupid, but she did make up my mind, so here's the Trib. The Trib also has a cousin, Modem Ready. MR is a computer bulletin board system (BBS) supporting electronic dip. Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 300 and 1200 baud: (301) 360-8007. GT Gerald keeps promising to upgrade his DTP program, but so far no such luck! He's got a few games up and running, and seems to be keeping his enthusiasm high. Not a lot outside the game reports, and those Newsroom fonts are hideous, but so far a good record of timeliness and reliability. TEN Diplomacy World: (#56 Fall) Larry Peery, P.O. Box 8416, San Diego, CA 92102 $15/4 issues in North America (overseas $20 surface & $40 airmail), $4/single issue, digest, xerox, 55-65 pages, quarterly, circ. 300+, est 1974. This is the self-professed flagship zine for the PBM Diplomacy hobby, and is a primary way for novices to enter the activity. It features articles on strategy/tactics, Con reviews, variants, and a whole multitude of other subjects. Much of it is written by its publisher, Larry Peery, although half or more of any given issue will be articles by other writers. I think that DW is a must for the PBM player, to keep up on what is happening in the hobby. While I do there there are some articles that at times are intended for very limited audiences, the majority of the zine is focused on the basic run-of-the-mill PBMer or even novice. I know that this was the way I myself entered the hobby--having a flagship zine is particularly useful in that respect. DH Larry Peery brought DW back from the brink of bankruptcy, and made it financially viable again. In the past year he has received a lot of criticism for issues like the "ratings" and "DipCon" issues which focused too heavily on single topics for most people's taste. David Hood is slated to take over as editor of DW, although when exactly this is to happen is not yet clear. I think one can glean a bit of the philosphy he will bring to the zine from the above review. I also think he'll bring needed fresh ideas and a new personality to the job. Look how much this project (ZR) has improved with my usurping "Burnt Out Peel." Aren't you enjoying this far more then his tired Monty Python schticks? TEN ************************************************************************ I need more scribes! I need more scribes! I need more scribes! I need ************************************************************************ I am enjoying moderating this zine, keep that mail coming! Eric Klien Up