Diplomacy Games

The guys talk what makes a good Diplomacy neighbor, a new upcoming variant, bonus stuff for our Patreons and their 2020 Presidential/VP bid to Make Diplomacy Great Again #MDGA.

• The guys introduce the show before Kaner taunts Amby on maths (0 mins 15 secs)

• The guys introduce their 3rd segment for newbie players, this time talking about what makes a good neighbor for each player on the Diplomacy board. But first there's some 80's Australian TV trivia (3 mins 45)

• Amby stumbles through explaining how he found the Diplomacy Podcast from Erik van Mechelen in Minnesota (37 mins 20 secs)

• After some rambling they declare their potential bid for President and VP for next year's American election (41 mins 30 secs)

• At the next match 3 out of the 7 confirmed players are female players, which is great to get that balance and participation in the game (48 mins)

• Kaner discusses the upcoming new variant which is a Europa Renovatio meets Modern map made by Kurt. Its not live yet and while Kaner can see it (with his vDip mod powers), Amby can't. So sorry you'll need to wait a little longer to see this 20 player map (53 mins 45 secs)

• They briefly chat Silent Europe (1 hr 6 mins 15 secs)

• Amby gives an update to his WW2 Global Boogaloo game (which is now up to spring 1972), with Thailand now eliminated and Japan on the ropes (1 hr 14 mins 40 secs)

• Amby has lost the fun in his Funboat game where one of his allies stabbed him for 2 SCs (1 hr 16 mins 45 secs)

• The guys give an update in the Top 100 at vDip covering active players in positions 45-75 (1 hr 20 mins 30 secs)

• You can support the show to donate to the alcohol tab and better audio equipment AND NOW YOU WILL GET BONUS EXTRA CONTENT! (1 hr 23  mins 45 secs)

Venue: Frankie and George, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - Mexican Hot Chocolate stout and later a Witching Hour raspberry sour, Ballistic Brewery IPA in Brisbane

Amby - Hacienda Lopez de Haro Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys start the show sober but by the end... oh dear. Part 2 of our newbie series, lots of post face-to-face game analysis and Amby learns about blocks up and blocks down.

• The guys introduce the show before their 3rd face to face game in Brisbane. Amby mentions he caught up with "The General" during the week for a Diplomacy crash course reminder (0 mins 5 secs)

• Kaner talks about trialing tactics if you're behind in the board. Amby brings up his War in the Americas game "Rivers of Bruhs: David's Conquest" at PlayDip once he got boxed in (4 mins)

• They digress onto Australian movies before Amby explains his off the wall tactic and how it worked out. Recommended Australian films are Bad Boy Bubby (Kaner) and The Castle (Amby) (8 mins)

• Amby asks Kaner about what bits of his strategy are working well and what's not (15 mins 25 secs)

• The guys discuss the five types of moves and the nature of cutting support, choosing which unit to move if you suspect support will be cut and convoy subtleties (23 mins 15 secs)

• Hold: A War (hold), A Sil -> War (attack) fails

• Move: A Con -> Bul, or F Ank -> BLA (both succeed)

• Move: resulting in a "bounce"/stand off.  A Par -> Bur A Mun -> Bur

• Support move: Par -> Bur, Mar support Par -> Bur. Mun -> Bur. Paris succeeds in taking Burgundy.

• Support move: failed due to a double bounce - Par -> Bur, Mar support Par -> Bur. Mun -> Bur, A Bel support Mun - >Bur

• Cutting support Par -> Bur, Mar support Par -> Bur. Mun -> Bur. Pied -> Mars (cuts support); Results in effectively Mun/Par bouncing again as Mar can't help now

• When deciding which unit to move and if you expect someone to break your support, look at alternatives

• More units are needed to dislodge a support held unit eg A Bur, Par support hold Bur; Germany would need to hammer Burgundy with Bel, Ruhr and Munich. Here we have A Ruhr -> Bur, A Bel support Ruhr -> Bur, A Mun support Ruhr -> Bur

• Convoy: A Edi -> Norway; NTS convoy Edi - > Norway; you need to put in both. If you just move the army but don't mention the NTS fleet it is an illegal move.

• Kaner explains how a double convoy works: Edi -> Norway, NTS convoy Edi - Nor NWS convoy Edi - Nor; if Den-NTS supported by Holland, convoy still succeeds

• Multiple convoy: A Nor -> Brest; F NTS convoy Nor -> Bre, F EC convoy NTS to Brest; Belgium taps NTS, convoy still succeeds
  

• The guys wrap up the first segment of the show before heading down to their face to face game (38 mins 30 secs)

• The guys report back in after playing 5 hours of face to face Diplomacy (38 mins 45 secs)

• They go through the players and which country they drew before the guys discuss their lack of poker faces (37 mins 20 secs)

Venue: The Croft House, Brisbane (pre-game) and Hornblower Bar (post-game)

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - James Squire Orchard Crush cider, Newstead Brewery IPA and Porter, James Squire 150 Lashes ale

Amby - Tempranillo Zinio, Newstead Brewery Pale ale and IPA and Chris Ringland CR Shiraz

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys go back to the 1970's with an old school guide to Diplomacy from Kaner while Amby channels his Stevie Wonder "Very Superstitious" habits. They start their Newbie Guide to Diplomacy and do an updated Around the Grounds for their games.

• The guys start with plastic glasses at the Wet Deck pool bar at the W Hotel overlooking the Brisbane River. Its already hot in mid-spring (0 mins 5 secs)

• The guys introduce this new segment to help new players to Diplomacy understand the game. If you're a non-newbie feel free to fast forward this bit (25 mins 15 secs)

• Amby starts discussing a recent habit that has now become a superstition (38 mins)

• The guys quickly discuss the 2020 tourney at Carnage but move onto the recently announced 2021 WDC in Thailand (49 mins)

• Kaner starts the segment by discussing some quality public press in a Europa Renovatio game he's been spectating (57 mins 40 secs) 

• The Europa Renovatio game Cry God for Harry! has kicked off. Its not a gunboat for once but its anon. The guys give their thoughts on their early moves without giving away who they are (1 hr 9 mins)  

• They discuss the anon Silent Europe game they're both in and how Amby's superstition isn't working in this game (1 hr 16 mins)

• Amby explains the main reason he joined this game is because its a "Stuff Happens" variant - and what type of crazy stuff happens (1 hr 25 mins)

• The guys return to the vDip Hall of Fame for the 20-somethings to position 50 (1 hr 28 mins)

• They talk about their 3rd face-to-face game coming up in Brisbane on 27 October (1 hr 30 mins)

Venue: Wet Bar, W Hotel, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - Somersby cider, pretty much mass produced everywhere

Amby - 28 Pale Ale, Gold Coast, Australia

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys meet Matt. He's selling Amby his Diplomacy board. Why? He doesn't play Dip anymore. The guys find out why and try to bring Matt back to the game. Plus a big Around the Grounds session.

• The guys welcome Matt, a lapsed Diplomacy player who is selling his board to Amby (0 mins 5 secs)

• Kaner and Amby discuss the interview and hopefully they’ll have a few more face-to-face players who’ll come along to the Brisbane games (19 mins 30 secs)

By the way, here's a photo of Amby's game that he bought (taken drunkenly on a Brisbane bus on the way home):

• Kaner and Amby bring back this older segment mispronouncing the top 25 players at vDip (25 mins 30 secs)

Note: this was recorded 11 September 2019 - so the games have all moved on from when the guys discussed them.

• Amby gives an update on his USA! War of the Americas game at PlayDip and his recent experience being half stabbed. They discuss the different messaging system and draw request approach at PlayDip (30 mins)

• They move onto their vDip games, starting with Amby’s anonymous Divided States game which is now down to just 5 players (from an original 50 players). They go through the positions of each player to not give away who Amby is (33 mins 50 secs)

For full size map with detail go to the game map

• Next up is the Silent Europe Renovatio Europa game they’re both in (48 mins 20 secs)

• Kaner starts talking about some games he’s involved in including a Fog of War 1898 game before starting to talk about the upcoming Cry God for Harry Europa Renovatio game (this has actually started since the podcast recording). He then talks about another new Europa game where some people have dropped out. Then it’s another Kaner Europa game which he describes as like stepping in dog shit. Amby has already been eliminated from this game (1 hr 2 mins)

Venue: Alba, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - 3 Bolt Pale Ale by Green Beacon Brewing, Brisbane, Australia

Amby - Juama Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre, Barossa Valley, Australia

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

What happens when a robot learns to play Diplomacy? Listen to jmo and peterwiggin (pw) from webDip on the most transformative online Dip development in many years. This is a game changer folks! Plus talk on WDC in Marseilles, DipCon in Seattle, the 2nd face-to-face game in Brisbane and panhandle closure. Phew... this is a packed episode!

• The guys channel Guns’n’Roses before discussing their drinks and venue (0 mins 10 secs)

• They discuss their previous recording with jmo and his post-interview discussion with the guys about bringing artificial intelligence (AI) to webDip. They give the context about the academic paper and the interview with jmo and peterwiggin (pw) - the techincal brains trust supporting the implementation before diving in (2 mins 30 secs)

• Amby apologises up front as the interview they recorded with jmo and pw a week ago didn’t get recorded (4 mins 40 secs)

Kaner (France) & Amby’s (England) bot test game where it was up to in the interview

• Amby asks about how the bots draw from previous game data sets to make its decisions (32 mins 30 secs)

Amby’s solo game (Russia) which he stalemated before taking up Kaner’s suggestion

• Kaner asks whether things would change if Amby used his Silesia unit to do something different (57 mins 15 secs)

• The guys come back from the interview and discuss how badly they did (1 hr 12 mins 10 secs)

By the way, here’s the end of Kaner’s solo bot game as Russia where he got smashed!

• Kaner talks about how he expected to go in against the bots for them to act like newbies but was shocked how hard they played. Amby discusses his plans to stab Kaner in the game but never got the chance (1 hr 15 mins 20 secs)

• The guys get some more drinks, with Amby describing his wine (1 hr 28 mins)

• The guys talk about their upcoming second face-to-face game in Brisbane for Sunday 15 September (1 hr 34 mins 20 secs)

Venue: Alba, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - 3 Bolt Pale Ale by Green Beacon Brewing, Brisbane, Australia

Amby - Juama Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre, Barossa Valley, Australia

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview Nathan Barnes about DipCon 2019 in Seattle before shooting the breeze on diplomatic uniforms, face-to-face games, current online games and what exactly is the Florida Panhandle.

• The guys introduce the show and flag today’s episode has an interview with Nathan Barnes who is coordinating the 50 year anniversary of DipCon at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle (0 mins 10 secs)

• The guys welcome Nathan back to the show (4 mins 30 secs)

• Amby asks about the timing closeness of DipCon compared to WDC this year (19 mins)

• The guys come back from the interview and discuss their thoughts. Kaner confuses Amby before they talk snakes (49 mins 30 secs)

• Amby talks about Australian diplomat Sir Les Patterson (56 mins 20 secs)

• They talk about DipCon’s scoring system (60 mins)

• Kaner asks how Amby’s Google Translate game is going. Kaner quotes one of Amby’s Ron Burgundy posts. Amby actually shares what the real message was. He talks about his approach for this game after drawing Burgundy (1 hr 22 mins)

• They move onto the next Europa Renovatio game that they are both in, before Kaner talks about his other Europa game (1 hr 49 mins 45 secs)

• Amby suggests a few tweaks to the Europa Renovatio map to create a new variant set in the 13th century with a major Mongol player (1 hr 53 mins)

• Kaner and Amby argue about what the Florida Panhandle is (2 hrs 3 mins 45 secs)

• They get back to the map (2 hrs 8 mins)

• Amby then turns to his USA!! Game, a War in the Americas game at PlayDip. This is a non-anon game where Amby is playing as Spain (pink) (2 hrs 16 mins)

• Kaner gets onto a panhandle rant again (apologies there’s some audio distortion in the background - couldn’t work out how it happened/how to get rid of it) (2 hrs 17 mins 20 secs)

Venue: Death and Taxes, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - Windjammer IPA by Green Beacon Brewing, Brisbane, Australia

Amby - Sh Sh Shiraz by Tscharke Wines, Barossa Valley, Australia

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview Zack Twamley, the host of the history podcast When Diplomacy Fails. They talk about parallels between the game and real life events. Plus Google Translate chat and their first Face to Face game in Brisbane.

• Kaner and Amby start by forgetting to introduce themselves before celebrating their 50th episode at Gilhooley’s Irish Pub and running through their drinks  (0 mins 5 secs)

• Kaner and Amby welcome Zack to the show (4 mins 15 secs)

• Kaner and Amby return post-interview and give a few apologies (1 hr 5 mins 15 secs)

• The guys start talking about their current online games. Kaner begins by discussing his three Renovatio Europa games (1 hr 9 mins)

• The guys introduce Tony the Butcher (a PlayDip player) who attended the face to face game in Brisbane. He played as Austria and got the equal highest number of SCs at the end of the game. Incidentally Amby drew Turkey and Kaner got France (1 hr 28 mins)

• Kaner and Amby discuss the Google Translate game going on at vDip using the Aberration V map. Players need to push their message through at least seven languages. All are published on full press (1 hr 39 mins 30 secs)

Venue: Gilhooleys, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - Kilkenny, Ireland

Amby - Guinness, Ireland

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk,  you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview jmo from webDip about all the great recent - and future - developments over there and how it relates to vDip. Chat also about Minecraft Diplomacy, playing Diplomacy in the navy and much more.

• Show introduction and discussion about Kaner and Amby’s drinks (0 mins 5 secs) 

• The guys welcome jmo from webDip to the show and asks about his role there (8 mins 5 secs)

• Kaner and Amby talk about a post-interview discussion about possible future developments at webDip  (1 hr 8 mins)

• They move onto a forum post at webDip about playing Diplomacy on Minecraft (1 hr 9 mins 30 secs)

• The guys return to the jmo interview and discuss the sharing and code between webDip and vDip (1 hr 15 mins)

Venue: Claude and Corbett, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Amby and Kaner - Claude and Corbett Lager, Brisbane

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk,  you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview Baron von Powell, legendary Diplomacy variant developer of 1900, Ambition and Empire and the College of Cardinals. Plus an Around the Grounds and more. Enjoy!

• The guys are still at Felon’s Brewery in a back-to-back session. Kaner talks beer yoga (0 mins 30 secs)

• Amby explores the nature of Baron von Powell’s name (3 mins 30 secs)

• Baron talks about postal Diplomacy (7 mins)

• He discusses the nature of the role of the Pope and the process of electing the Pope. He talks about the difference in complexity between a Classic game and highly detailed variants like College of Cardinals (44 mins 30 secs)

• Kaner discusses his experience in previous Crusade variants and how difficult it is to get armies to the Holy Land. Baron talks about how the College of Cardinals tries to address this with the option of a Crusade being called and how it works (47 mins)

Note: There are two articles about College of Cardinals in Diplomacy World from 2013 and 2014 (http://www.diplomacyworld.net/pdf/dw124.pdf page 36 and http://www.diplomacyworld.net/pdf/dw126.pdf page 39)

• The guys are back in the brewery and reflect on the interview (1 hr 12 mins)

• The guys talk about a new variant “Saga of the Nine” a Norse mythology variant developed by Alex Ronke with Chris Helwig that is being playtested (1 hr 18 mins

• The guys have organised a local face-to-face game for Sunday 28 July at Vault Games. If you’re interested in this game or future games, please register (1 hr 25 mins 45 secs)

• Amby touches on a Versailles game he’s playing at PlayDip - note since recording Amby has already been eliminated (1 hr 27 mins 45 secs)

Venue: Felon's Brewery, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Amby - Felon's IPA by Felon's, Brisbane

Kaner - Treehouse Cider by the Granite Belt Cider Company, Warwick

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk,  you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more!

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview Emmanuel du Pontavice about WDC 2019 in Marseilles, before talking about new variants including Technostar's latest massive map, Europa Renovatio, War in the Americas and 1898. Plus a bit of chatter about their current games.

• The guys are at Felon’s Brewery and start the show talking about Amby’s clumsiness and glasses (0 mins 10 secs)

• The guys start introducing their interview guest: Emmanuel du Pontavice, who is one of the tournament coordinators for the 2019 World Diplomacy Championship (WDC) in Marseilles, France from 30 August to 1 September (3 mins 30 secs)

• Amby reminds listeners if they are part of a face-to-face community, or are trying to start a community, pop by our Google Map to register their community (36 mins 30 secs)

• The guys grab some new drinks. Amby has moved onto the Natural Ale. Kaner is still on the Treehouse Cider (47 mins 10 secs)

• Amby reflects on probably the longest game he’s played, now onto its second year. This is Amby’s Divided States game (48 mins 15 secs)

Venue: Felon's Brewery, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Amby - Australian Pale Ale, Natural Ale and Raspberry Sour by Felon's, Brisbane

Kaner - Treehouse Cider by the Granite Belt Cider Company, Warwick

Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk,  you can also donate at Patreon or you can also shop at Amazon using our affiliate link. It costs exactly the same to you, but Amazon give us a small cut and it doesn't cost you a cent more! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone.

Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.