# Doper Diplomacy - Fall and Winter 2002 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 28, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858 "2002-08-28T01:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/341 "2002-10-08T20:10:03Z")
Seems the current thinking is this: Is **Abe\_Babe** the inevitable winner? Probably not, although the odds would certainly be strongly in his favor at this point. Can he be challenged given the current “situation” in Western Europe? Probably not. Neither Russia or Turkey stands a real chance at this point, although Russia could survive for a while by feeding off of Germany. Germany, England, France and to a lesser extent Italy are helplessly intertwined, so resolving their differences to stand up to Austria as a unified front are very slight. So, if you could either (a) destroy your enemies so that you face Austria in strength, or (b) resolve your differences quickly and ally to face Austria. There is probably some room for a middle ground where some subset of powers in the West form an alliance and quickly turn against Austria, but it doesn’t look like it will happen any time soon. So says the mouse shrinking in fear in the Southeast corner. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/342 "2002-10-08T20:19:23Z")
Well, **I’m** not going to discuss this in front of Abe. Never discuss surgical prospects in front of the patient. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/343 "2002-10-08T20:46:30Z")
Well, if everyone can agree that **Abe Babe** isn’t an inevitable winner, then I vote we continue playing. Whats the leading prospect on Maeglin’s situation? Replacement? He continues with only marginal communication? I take over his units and play out the game? I know I would much prefer we replaced him with a person, even if they are a rookie, who can negotiate openly and frequently, no offense **WL**. Can we get an extension or pause the game until we sort this out? I don’t think I’ll be ready to make any moves tonite without Russian communication, and I think it’d be best that a new player get involved as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/344 "2002-10-08T21:02:42Z")
As a lawyer, I can tell you that if you _don’t_ discuss the surgical prospects in front of the patient, in many cases you will soon be making a call to your malpractice insurance carrier. I don’t think the rules are the same in Dip, though. It wouldn’t look to good to have the anesthesiologist, nurse and the doctor discussing stabbing the doctor in the back. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/345 "2002-10-08T21:13:19Z")
Abe, The Milan Varient? Interesting, I’ve wondered how that would play. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/346 "2002-10-08T21:25:14Z")
I had only ever heard of it as the Rome Fleet variant. And I think that you might be able to force a DIAS, you might not. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/347 "2002-10-08T21:28:43Z")
You should see some e-mail from me that my friend has accepted to play out Russia. He has a lot more Diplomacy experience than I do, although probably more from a purely tactical/strategic standpoint. Not that he’ll be a slouch at the Dip part, I’d expect. I’ve sent him info on how to get to this thread. Should I mention he was involved in the last snipe hunt in Iraq? Or that most of what he did there was get lost in the desert? Nah, that seems inappropriate. Best he be left to bring that up himself. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/348 "2002-10-08T22:36:43Z")
**1046** I just want to let everyone know that Abe has stabbed me in the back in 1046. As of now, a state of war exists between the peace-loving people of France and the Italian warmongers. However–more in sorrow than in anger–I’m willing to resume our truce but I will require a small payment to compensate for Italian agression. It seems that Tunisia would do nicely. Lemur the First ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/349 "2002-10-08T23:36:07Z")
Yeah, it’s called Fleet Rome. Probably the most popular variant there is. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/350 "2002-10-08T23:49:22Z")
My mistake. Milan changes the map just a tiny bit where Italy meets Piedmont and Austria. It looks like a good varient as well. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/351 "2002-10-08T23:59:46Z")
**Abe Babe** , just a note that I’d be interested in playing your next game when it finally ramps up. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/352 "2002-10-09T00:42:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > \*\*[Cat23 Diplomacy Game Free State 10(W-)40](http://www.wooleysark.com/dip/rtfirefly/) page. > > Rudimentary [Dip 1046](http://www.wooleysark.com/dip/rtfirefly/weirddave/index46.htm) page. > > [Cat23](http://www.cat23.com/cat23/) and [diplom.org](http://www.diplom.org/) pages, packed with goodies. > > And [the official Dip rules](http://www.hasbro.com/instruct/Diplomacy.PDF), in PDF format. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/353 "2002-10-09T00:44:52Z")
Yeah, the initial goal in the Milan variant is to make sure that Austria and Italy don’t have contiguous SCs. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/354 "2002-10-09T01:40:01Z")
My apologies, everyone. I wasn’t able to get into this thread late this afternoon, and I didn’t have the requisite number of emails in my box by the time voting closed. We’ve got a new Russian player, as I said in email, but I haven’t heard back from my email to him regarding deadlines. So we’re still in limbo, but a bit further along in it than we were earlier. At any rate, we do **not** have a deadline tomorrow morning. I’m thinking Tuesday morning would be good. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/355 "2002-10-09T02:21:53Z")
Do you seriously mean next Tuesday? Is that a typo? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/356 "2002-10-09T02:50:04Z")
Just got off the phone with the mysterious Russian. I was talking him through some of the “how does this work stuff”. He’s digging through the e-mails and probably figuring out how to sign up here. I expect him in to insult the lot of us shortly. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/357 "2002-10-09T02:58:06Z")
**lemur** , how 'bout I let you keep a nice villa in Portugal somewhere. Nothing personal, but you and Russia are the big dogs, and I can’t do much against Russia at this point. At least not overtly. [sub]heh heh\*\* Re: next game. To make it fair for all, I will, at some point, open up to players who are interested. First seven emails are in. I’m not sure how to divvy up the countries yet. Maybe **Wierddave’s** son can do it again. And don’t teach him to associate Dave with Russia, either. **Omni** the reason for the long delay is that the newbie has to start from scratch with negotiations and figure out who is less of a lying bastard than everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/358 "2002-10-09T05:41:55Z")
I’m in for the next game too, **Abe**. I should have volunteered for Russia, I don’t know why I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/359 "2002-10-09T07:41:33Z")
No biggie on the delay, it’s probably the best thing, especially with WL being somewhat out of touch relatively speaking. Was just curious since there was no date or explaination, figured there was a chance he meant to say Thursday or something. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858/360 "2002-10-09T10:15:02Z")
You guys are thinking along the right track. Between our new player needing to get acclimated, and **WL** ’s absence, and the holiday weekend, a longish period between moves here would be good. I’m not comfortable with a deadline in the middle of the weekend, so the choices were before and after. Before seemed too soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-diplomacy-fall-and-winter-2002/125858.md?page=19)