Diplomacy zine -- Another Quiz! From: Eric_S_Klien@cup.portal.com Date: Mon, 15 May 1989 23:46:21 +0000 Issue #62 of ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL: Fall '06 of the game PANZER (BNC number 1989H) GERMANY'S LEAD CONTINUES! ITALY DIES! TURKEY AND FRANCE BATTLE OVER THE ION... AND AUSTRIA CONTINUES TO SURVIVE! AUSTRIA: (A VEN-TRI) ENGLAND: A CLY-HOL, F NWS CA CLY-HOL, F NTS CA CLY-HOL, F MAO-ECH F NAO-H, A MOS-H, A STP SA MOS-MOS, (A LIV-PRU) FRANCE: F ION-H, F TUN SF ION-ION, F TYS SF ION-ION, F ROM-NAP, F WME-GOL A APU-ROM, (A MAR-BUR), (A TRI-VEN) GERMANY: A BUR-PAR, (A MUN-BUR), A DEN-SWE, (F BAL-PRU), A WAR-H A UKR SA WAR-WAR, (A SEV-MOS), A TYR SA TURKEY SER-TRI A VIE SA TURKEY SER-TRI ITALY: (F ALB-TRI) TURKEY: F BLA-CON, F EME SF AEG-ION, F GRE SF AEG-ION, (F AEG-ION) A ARM-H, A RUM-BUD, A SER-TRI GM Notes on PANZER: French unit in TRI was destroyed. Note that the report of 7 (7) means that French had 7 units before the Winter began and 7 units after it ends. I am getting lazy and am using the report directly from my computer program. AUS: VEN = 1( 1) ENG: BEL EDI HOL LON LVP MOS NOR STP = 8( 8) FRA: BRE MAR NAP POR ROM SPA TUN = 7( 7) GER: BER DEN KIE MUN PAR RUM SEV SWE VIE = 10( 9) + WAR TUR: ANK BUD BUL CON GRE SER SMY TRI = 8( 7) + Press: The French Republic wishes to express condolences to the German empire at the unfortunate demise of the late Kaiser Tilo who was so recently assasinated by the madman who now sits upon the illustrious Imperial throne. It is with deepest regret that, as a result of the unprovoked invasion of our lawful territory of Burgundy, we must declare war upon the government of Germany. We wish it declared amongst the Great Powers that the current German Ruler has managed to destroy the Noble experiment in Diplomacy that the game can be won by a team without a stab. Alas, 'tis a most unfortunate turn of events that brought the "departure" of Kaiser Tilo. We call upon the people of German to Depose the current Usurper and restore the rightful rulers. ----------------- The Daily Ottoman ----------------- Ed note: We have gone to vacation in Marseilles for a week to see if we can get some good quotes from French sailors returning from the front. To everyone in the game: I will be gone until Friday but will turn in conditional retreats and builds. Spring '03 of the game MAELSTROM (BNC number 1989AA) AUSTRIA TAKES A GAMBLE! AUSTRIA: Serb flings itself on the sword of the invading horde named Luigi! (A SER-TRI) ENGLAND: A NOR-H, A LON-BRE, F ECH CA LON-BRE, F BEL-NTS, F NWS-BAR FRANCE: A PIE-TUS, A SPA-GAS, F TYS-H, F WES SF TYS, F NAF-TUN GERMANY: F SWE SA ENGLISH NOR-NOR, (A WAR-MOS), A GAL-UKR, F BAL CA DEN-LIV A DEN-LIV, A MUN-BUR, A HOL-H ITALY: A VEN-PIE, F ROM SF ION-NAP, F ION-NAP, (A BUD SA AUSTRIAN SER-SER) (A TRI SA VIE-TYR), A VIE-TYR RUSSIA: A RUM-H, F SEV SA RUM-RUM, (A STP-MOS), (A FIN-STP) TURKEY: A GRE-SER, A BUL SA GRE-SER, F AEG-GRE, F SMY-AEG, F EME SF SMY-AEG GM Notes on MAELSTROM: Austria must disband or retreat SER. SER can retreat to ALB. Press: Aaah, but what if the circumstances keep changing? The Moscow Daily News: A revolution is brewing in Russia. The people are upset at the terrible military experiences suffered of late. The Czar is rummored to be looking for asylum in Turkey. Spring '03 of the game RED STORM (BNC number 1989AB) (GM is MaryFW@cup.portal.com) Red Storm Results Spring 1903 ------------------------- Orders: ----- England: A Liv-Wal, <F Lon S A Liv-Wal>, <F Cly-IRI>, A StP S *German* A Liv-Mos, F Bar-NWS Germany: F Swe-GOB, F Bal S F Swe-GOB, A Liv-Mos, <A Pru-War>, A Hol-Bel, A Mun-Ruh Russia: F Blk-Rum, A Bud S *Turkish* A Bul-Ser, A Rum-Ukr, <A Mos-War>, F GOB-Liv Turkey: F Aeg C A Con-Smy, A Gre S A Bul-Ser, A Bul-Ser, A Con-Smy, F Smy-Con Austria: A Ser-Holds tight and takes up religion Italy: F ION-H, F Apu-ADR, A Vie S A Ven-Tri, A Tyr-Mun, A Ven-Tri, A Rom-Ven France: F Spa(sc)-MAO, A Wal-Lon, F ENG S A Wal-Lon, F IRI-Liv, A Bre-H A Bel-H Orders in <> are failed orders. Positions: England: A Wales, <F London>, F Clyde, A St. Petersburg, F Norwegian Sea Germany: F Gulf of Bothnia, F Baltic Sea, A Moscow, A Prussia, A Holland A Ruhr Russia: F Rumania, A Budapest, A Ukraina, <A Moscow>, F Livonia Turkey: F Aegean Sea, A Greece, A Serbia, A Smyrna, F Constantinople Austria: <A Serbia> Italy: F Ionian Sea, F Adriatic Sea, A Vienna, A Munich, A Trieste, A Venice France: F Mid-Atlantic Ocean, A London, F English Channel, F Liverpool, A Brest, A Belgium Positions in <> must retreat. Press: The London Times ---------------- The New British Prime Minister, Maxwell Smartie, announce today a long-term peace accord with the people of Germany. The Anglo-Prussian alliance includes the joint partitioning of France, as well as continued mutual support of the troops invading Russia. Mr. Smartie, in an exclusive interview, had this to say, "We are on the edge of seccuring a lasting peace in Europe between the British and the Germans. Historically our countries have been very close, and we hope that the continued support of the Prussian Forces in the North will allow us to secure the Moscow and Warsaw regions under a democratic co-governing between Germany and England. Also, it is imperative that the Prussian Fleets begin the move Westward to help in neutralizing the invading French. England Prevails!" The German Kaizer was not available for an interview at this time. LONDON, Spring '03: Spokesman at Buckingham Palace announced today King Edward's appointment of Eric S. Raymond as England's new Admiral of the Fleet, vesting in him also plenipotentiary authority to negotiate with the Great Powe> "Napoleon was a better general than any the Frogs have now," the Admiral observed, "and we beat him. We'll make 'em wish they'd stuck to making cognac and guillotining each other, that I promise you!" British forces in South Wales are reported to have stalled the French advance. The troops newly raised at Liverpool will even the balance of power in the region, and it is rumored that France may soon face trouble on its home frontAll those with a commmon interest in containing the French menace are invited to call on Admiral Raymond or write at eric@snark.uu.net GM Notes: Well, to say the least I am not pleased. Everything I read in the postings said this turn was due last week. Yet we're a week late again. And some people still aren't happy. Just so everyone knows let me just go over the deadlines for orders once again. ALL orders are due by 10:00pm EASTERN time IN my mail box on Portal. Retreats/disbands/builds are due by Midnight Tuesday again, IN my mailbox! Anyone late will be subject to removal from the game with no warning! I'm tired of this game always being late. So if you aren't interested in getting your orders in I'll find someone who is! Fall '03 of the game PEARL HARBOR (BNC number not known) (GM is Adams@multiflow.com/Steve Adams) ============================================================================== AUSTRIA : A BUD SA VIE HOLD, A SER S *Russian* A BUL HOLD, A VIE SA BUD HOLD ENGLAND : A SWE->FIN, F NWY->SWE, F NAT->MAO, F ENG SF NAT->MAO, F STP->NWY, F NTH SF STP->NWY FRANCE : [F SPA(sc)->MAR], A BRE HOLD, A BUR HOLDS, A PAR S A BUR HOLD, A PIC SA BUR HOLD GERMANY : A RUH SA BEL HOLD, A BEL SA RUHR HOLD, [A MUN->BUR], A SIL->WAR, [A PIE->MAR], F DEN S *English* F NWY->SWE ITALY : F ION->ALB, [A TRI->VIE], A BOH SA TRI->VIE, [A VEN->TRI], F ADR SUP A VEN->TRI RUSSIA : [F SKA->SWE], A UKR->GAL, F ANK HOLD, F BLK SF ANK HOLD, [A BUl->GRE] TURKEY : A GRE->BUL, F AEG SA GRE->BUL, F ARM->SEV, A SMY HOLD moves in '[]' failed. NOTE : Since A BUL was moving, it could not be supported. Therefore Turkey captures Bulgaria, 2 to 1. ============================================================================== Retreats : RUSSIA : A BUL has been dislodged. (may disband or got to CON, RUM) Retreats are due by Tuesday, May 2, 1989, at 10PM EST. ============================================================================== Builds/Disbands : (number of total supply centers are in []) (+ = build, - = disband, 0 = no change) AUSTRIA : 0 [3] (Vienna, Serbia, Budapest) ENGLAND : 0 [6] (London, Liverpool, Edinburough, Norway, Sweden, St. Pete) FRANCE : 0 [5] (Paris, Brest, Marsailles, Spain, Portugal) GERMANY : +1 [7] (Kiel, Munich, Berlin, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Warsaw) ITALY : 0 [5] (Venice, Rome, Naples, Tunis, Trieste) RUSSIA : -2 [3] (Moscow, Rumania, Ankara) TURKEY : +1 [5] (Smyrna, Constantinople, Greece, Bulgaria, Sevastapol) NOTE : If Russia retreats BUL->CON, then Russia disbands 1 and Turkey builds none. Turkey should submit a conditional build. Builds/Disbands are due by Tuesday, May 2, 1989, at 10PM EST. ============================================================================== Unit Locations : (note - some units may be disbanded) AUSTRIA : A Vienna, A Budapest, A Serbia ENGLAND : A Finland, F Sweden, F Norway, F North Sea, F English Channel, F Mid-Atlantic FRANCE : A Picardy, A Brest, A Paris, A Burgandy, F Spain(sc) GERMANY : F Denmark, A Warsaw, A Munich, A Ruhr, A Belgium, A Piedmont ITALY : A Venice, A Bohemia, A Trieste, F Adriatic, F Albania RUSSIA : F Skagarak, A Galicia, F Black Sea, A Ankara, A ???? TURKEY : F Sevastapol, A Bulgaria, F Aegean, A Smyrna ============================================================================== (notes : Press should be interpreted as follows : ) ( Weekly World News : GM's notes ) ( European Gazette : "Grey Press" ) ( all others : "White or Black Press" ) ============================================================================== _The Weekly World News_ Fall 1903 Edition ENGLISH MANEUVERING PUTS FRANCE IN A TOUGH SPOT! TURKEY BLASTS RUSSIA, BUT LEAVES AN ESCAPE! AUSTRIA HOLDS OFF ITALY! France is in a tough spot. Only the best military skill and luck can stave off the combined German and English attack. With English fleets occupying the English Channel and the Mid-Atlantic, and German armies threatening from the north and the east, France will be hard put to remain at her current strength. Only a division in the alliance, or outside help could resuce her. Turkey managed to capture two Russian supply centers, but by leaving Constantinople uncovered, she allowes the Russians a reprieve. Russia has now lost three of her four home centers : St. Petersburg to the English, Warsaw to the Germans, and Sevastapol to the Turkish. She does control at least one Turkish center. Russia will have to disband at least one unit. Her fleet in the Skagarak has been harassing the English and Germans, requiring them to keep units back from the front lines. The English are manuevering to place an army in St. Petersburg, for further land actions against Russia. Austria holds off Italy one more season! Showing great skill , Austria predicted the logical Italian attack, and even lent support to the Russian army in Bulgaria. Unfortunately for the Russians, this unit was on the move, and therefor could not use the support. Right now, it looks as if England and Germany have an unbeatable alliance. There is much squabbling in the Balkans (as usual!) and no other alliances are obvious. Russia is in dire straits, retaining only one home supply center. Turkey is also suffering, having her supply centers occupied by Russia. This war has cost both Russia and Turkey a chance at further gain, and in fact has led to the Russian losses. England appears to be the strongest, though Germany has an extra unit. ============================================================================== -Steve (gm) Fall '02 of D-DAY (BNC number not known) (GM is MaryFW@Cup.portal.com) Game delayed one day to to player lateness, results will be directly e-mailed to players. Fall '01 of NAVARONE (BNC number not known) (GM is Pwoodruf@orion.cf.uci.edu) Game delayed one week due to serious illness in the family for one of the players. One of the players has requested two week turns, send your votes to the GM. Majority rules, if you don't vote we assume that you like one week turns. GM comments: I am also now using a mailing list to directly mail this zine to all players, let me know if you are not getting it directly! I would like some old copies of the rulebook. I only have the '82 edition. If anyone can send me xeroxes of old copies, I would be much obliged. Here's another QUIZ from kamins@rdlvax.rdl.com: E: F NtS -> Eng F Lon S F NtS -> Eng F: F Eng C GERMAN A Pic -> Bre A Bre H G: A Pic -> Bre A Par S A Pic -> Bre What happens? Taken from Europa Express #10: THE INVENTION OF DIPLOMACY by Allan B. Calhamer As the War drew to a close in 1945, I read an article on postwar planning in the magazine LIFE. This article reviewed the history of the Congress of Vienna and the subsequent period to 1914, arguing that a word containing several Great Powers all roughly equal in strength would offer the best guarantee of peace, because, whenever one or two of these powers acted aggressive, the remainder could unite against them, causing them to back down by overwhelming threate before a war could break out. Regardless of whether such a plan would have worked or could have been brought about in the real world as suggested, the condition of multiple and flexible checks and balances obviously offered itself as a possible basis for a parlour strategic game of some depth and color. In the course of debating in high school, I then encountered an argument against world government--a hot topic of the late forties-- which was that governments now are checked both by internal and external factors, but that a world government would have no external checks upon it, hence might be more likely to become tyrannical. Another debater and I attempted a game simulating the grand alliance of European history of the Eighteenth Century; but as we used only two players and did not find any way to simulate an independent third or fourth part, the effort ended in failure. Meanwhile, several of us were playing Hearts, a card game in which several players participate, each independent of all the others. We observed that the game was best if all the other players played against the current leader. Thus the current lead would tend to change hands, giving more players a chance to lead and a chance to be the leader at the end of the predetermined number of hands. Competition was further enhanced by ruling that if two players tied for the lead at the end, all players shared equally in the tie. Thus all players who were hopelessly far behind still had incentive to try to bring about a tie between the leaders, thus increasing the competition instead of detracting from it. I noticed that players who did not understand all of this would tend to play for second place, or simply to protect their own score, and would thus detract from the competition, while usually also detracting from their own chances of finishing first. It occured to me that if negotiation were permitted, other players whose chances were diminished by this suboptimal play would have a chance to inform the suboptimal party and make out a case for more nearly optimal play. If this effort failed, then they could say that their opportunities were foreclosed, not merely by the aberrant play of another, but also by thier own failure to persuade, which would be an integral part of the contest. From chess I borrowed the number of spaces, about 80 as against 64 squares, and the number of pieces, 34 as against 32 chesspieces. My pieces move only as chess Kings; but the King is about an average chessman in mobility; thus the board is about equally saturated with force. Diplomacy is thus much simpler than most war games in its small number of spaces. I think that the game should be as simple as possible, so long as the game is indeterminate and reasonable rich in strategic choices. In 1952, I studied Nineteenth Century European history at Harvard under Professor Sidney B. Fay, of the Harvard Class of 1895(!), whose book, ORIGINS OF THE WORLD WAR, detailed the specific diplomatic developments leading to the World War. These consisted primarily of two-or three-party arrangements, wholly or partly secret in nature, as well as similiar contacts and projects which did not mature into arrangements. The arrangements were frequently almost as brief and pointed as those made verbally during Diplomacy games. At this time I also studied political geography under Professor Derwent Whittlesley. There I became reacquainted with the concept of Geopolitics devised by Sir Halford MacKinder about 1904, which I had already encountered in an article, again in LIFE. The principle element of Geopolitics seems to be the consideration of the effect upon the international power struggle of the particular geometric nature of the division of the surface of this Earth, altogether specifically considered, into land and sea. Thus Diplomacy emerged as a game in which land power and sea power are almost equally significant; whereas nearlly all other war games are either land games primarily or sea games primarily. The decision whether to raise an army or a fleet is one of the most important decisions the player can make, and is one of the most important indicators of the direction of future activity. Diplomacy is perhaps the first or only war game on the continental scale, in which entire campaigns are only elements of the whole. In designing the tactics, reference was made to the Napoleonic principle, "unit to fight, seperate to live." Seperation is achieved first of all by requiring that there be only one piece in a space. Concentration is then arrived at by the use of "support" orders from different pieces which bear on the attacked province. Pieces farther from the crucial point are less likely to affect the struggle for it, but some of them may do so by cutting supports. The use of supply centers causes further dispersion of forces and emphasizes the economic nature of objectives. It also makes the game primarily one of manoeuvre rather than annihilation. This aspect of the game is reminiscent of the "indirect apporach" of Liddell-Hart, though I had not read Liddell-Hart at the time. Finally the problem of organizing a seven-person game was not solved unitl I entered the study of law in 1953. Then I became aware that players who failed to meet their responsibilities toward the game should be made to suffer light penalities, such as loss of a single move, so that they are encouraged to comply but are not usually wiped out be minor lapses. The game should be designed so taht it can charge right on in spite of poorly written orders and the like. The notion that a person may tell all the lies he wants and cross people up as he pleases, and so on, which makes some players almost euphoric, and causes others to "shake like a leaf", as one new player put it, came up almost incidentally, because it was the most realistic in international affairs and also far and away the most workable approach. To require players to adhere to alliances would result in a chivving kind of negotiation, followed by the incorporation of the whole of contract law, as some erstwhile inventors of variants have found out. The game was completed in 1954 and has undergone relatively little change. The major changes have concerned adjusting the map to make the countries more nearly equal and to give them a wider range of strategic choices. Convoying was made simpler, and minor complications eliminated. These revisions occurred during 1958 when a good group of game players and Operations Research people played many games and offered many suggestions for improvement. In 1959 I had 500 sets manufactured on my own capital after major companies rejected the game. Manufacture of the game was transferred to Games Research Incorporated in 1960. Sales have increased in every single year since the game has been on the market. Postal Diplomacy was begun in 1963 by Dr. John Boardman. The games are conducted through amateur magazines, of which a few dozen are always in existence. Annual conventions have been held in the United States for some years; conventions have also been held in Belgium and Italy. Taken from MAD #263: YOU'D BE RICH IF YOU HAD A NICKEL... By Charlie Kadau For every "celebrity" exercise book now available. For every journalist who has referred to Mary Lou Retton as "perky." For everyone who still can't tell which one is Siskel and which one is Ebert. For every video tape rental store that's opened in any neighborhood in the last year. For every nuclear reactor spokesman who says that the latest radiation leak poses "absolutely no danger to anyone." "For every person who thinks he does a great impersonation of Carl Sagan by repeating "billions and billions" in a nasal voice. For every sequel that's not as good as the original. For every unsolved Rubik's Cube in the back of someone's bureau drawer. For every Betamax owner who wishes he'd bought a VHS instead. For every time you hear a helicopter report about a massive traffic jam...after you're already in it. For every time Madonna shows her naval in a music video. For every disc jocker who says he's going to play 10 songs in a row without interruption, and then interupts between every song to remind you you're listening to 10 songs in a row without interruption. I am enjoying moderating this zine, keep that mail coming! Eric Klien Up