Re: Changes to the Modern FAQ

From: Benjamin Foy <bfoy@access1.digex.net>

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 00:00:00 +0000

On 16 Sep 1998, KMGraphiks wrote:

> >You might also want to mention Boardman and diplomatic PBM industry in
> >your history.  That is the first PBM industry and they have a huge net
> >presence.
>
> I'm familiar with Diplomacy as an early pbm game but what is "Boardman"?

Who is Boardman?  From an article in the diplomatic pouch by Stephen Agar:

"Although Conrad von Metzke attempted to start a postal Diplomacy game in
1962, he never got beyond mailing out a gamestart, so the accepted founder
of the postal Diplomacy hobby was Dr. John Boardman. John's interests were
primarily science fiction but in March 1963 in his sf fanzine Knowable he
announced a willingness to start a game of Diplomacy. The game got
underway in May (with only five players!) and Graustark the first ever
postal Diplomacy zine was born. The hobby initially spread through SF
fandom in the US, but was slow in the beginning with only nine more zines
being started in the following two years, and with only 12 games between
them (the usual practice being to have one game to each zine). Things took
off in the US around 1966 when wargamers discovered postal Diplomacy and
consequently 32 zines started in the 1966-67 period. The US hobby then
received an even bigger boost when Games Research Inc. started to include
a flyer in the Diplomacy box in 1970 (162 zines were launched in the US
during 1971-73!). Meanwhile, things were stirring in England too..."

- Ben

---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
 Removes the colours from our sight.
 Red is grey and yellow white,
 But we decide which one is right.
 And which is an illusion???."
      from Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues 1967

References

Re: Changes to the Modern FAQ
Benjamin Foy <bfoy@access1.digex.net>
Tue, 15 Sep 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: Changes to the Modern FAQ
kmgraphiks@aol.com (KMGraphiks)
Wed, 16 Sep 1998 00:00:00 +0000