Astolaf.261
net.games
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!mhtsa!ihnss!ihps3!stolaf!knight
Sat Mar 27 02:07:04 1982
Diplomacy -- Mad As Hell, V1 #1
...partly due to the frustrations of getting this going
and partly due to the "Network" side of this game (with deference
to the late Paddy Chayefsky) I hereby christen this 'zine...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 1 Number 1 MAD AS HELL March 26, 1982
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, folks, it's been an uphill battle. After struggling
against failed uucp connections, a busy schedule, and a definite lack
of player enthusiasm after the initial avalanche (but that's another
story), it looks like this turkey might fly after all. Unless I start
getting complaints from irate readers of net.games, I plan on using that
news group to distribute this...digest?...for all of you people out
there who I just know are dying to keep up on the progress of this game
and sundry bits of related (i.e., totally irrelevant) information.
Without further ado, then, here are the participants in the game as it
stands, alphabetically by country:
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY:
Don Holt duke!dch
Don is a graduate student at Duke, hoping to get his degree by
this December. He cautions other players that direct lies to him
will most likely backfire. He doesn't mind the subterfuge that goes
on, he just has few qualms about repaying direct backstabbers in full.
ENGLAND:
Eric Anderson ihnss!ihps3!stolaf!anderej
Eric has been playing Diplomacy for about seven years and
enjoys fast-paced games with "lots of intrigue." His motto is, "Don't
trust 'em farther than you can through 'em." [sic] He adds that this
does not mean that he is incapable of allying with others, rather that
he tends to be somewhat cautious and may yield to the temptation of an
overly exposed backside.
FRANCE:
Brian Redman harpo!ber
Brian graduated in '77 in C.S. and immediately went to work
for Bell that Summer. He runs several UNIX machines in the Loop
Transmission Laboratory.
GERMANY:
Jim Grosch harpo!jtg
Jim is 24, married, and works as a a digital and analog
circuit designer for Bell. His hobbies include gaming, Apple
computers, darts, sports, etc., and he's originally from Baton Rouge.
ITALY:
Rich Soyack ihnss!houxn!3215rfs
Rich was born and now works for Bell Labs. In between he got
got married and now has three children.
RUSSIA:
Tim Tjarks ihnss!ihuxl!tjarks
Tim is a native of Iowa now living in Illinois while
developing debugging tools for BTL. He's married with a newborn (2.5
weeks!) daughter. Additionally, he's an avid comic book collector and
gamer, with AD&D a personal favorite.
TURKEY:
Eric Holtman harpo!whuxlb!eric
Eric has been gaming for about four years, and although he's
into fantasy games he enjoys Diplomacy because of the intrigue
involved. He's been hacking UNIX for about seven years now, and works
for Bell during the summer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first turn orders will be due at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April
24. This should allow plenty of time for everyone to get heavily
involved in pre-first game turn negotiating. Note that the deadline
is counted against the time of my receipt of a set of orders, not the
time that they are sent, so be sure to allow time for delivery. Orders
for the next turn(s) will then be due two weeks after the release of the
results for the previous turn. Additionally, retreats after turns,
when necessary, will be due a week after that turn's due date, and I
will not handle retreats through general release, but rather will
communicate individually with all players who need to retreat. Builds
will be handled in the week after retreats (if any) for the fall game
turns, and they will be handled through general release, since what
you want to build is often very dependent upon how the last turn went.
So, for example, this very first year will possibly have the following
schedule:
April 24 Spring turn orders are due. Since there will
most likely be no retreats, there will
be an immediate release of results,
with Fall orders due in two weeks.
May 8 Fall turn orders due. I will send letters to
anyone who must retreat, outlining
their options. They must respond in
one week.
May 15 Retreat orders due from appropriate players.
A general release of results will go
out on this date, and I will send
letters to all players outlining their
build/disbandment options, orders for
which will be due in one week.
May 22 Build/disbandment orders due from everyone.
General release of results again, and
the next year's Spring orders will be
due in two weeks, and the cycle
repeats.
Above all, this schedule is flexible; the outline above is only an
example intended to clear confusion. I will be very explicit about
when the various orders come due as the game progresses, so that there
will be a minimum of problems with scheduling. The main point right
now is, to reiterate, that the first turn orders, Spring 1901, will be
due at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 24.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In case it is necessary on your part, my USPS address and
telephone number are as follows
Steve Knight
St. Olaf College (507) 663-2733
Northfield, MN 55057
In light of the recent problems with ihps3, I want to make clear that
I don't necessarily *want* people to make use of these; rather, it's
there just in case, and you may find an occasion where you'll have to
use one or the other to get orders to me. I go by what I outlined in
the house rules more for your sake than for mine; I don't feel you
should have to pay the price of a missed turn because something beyond
your control happens. Now, for additional security on this end, there
is, as Brian pointed out over the net, a link between harpo and
stolaf, so you can also use that to reach me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you who are not playing, I still encourage your
participation. MAD AS HELL welcomes your comments, be they concerning
this game in particular or Diplomacy in general. I am also very
willing to answer questions that people have concerning the game.
Anyone desiring a copy of the house rules that I use to adjudicate
Play-By-Mail Diplomacy is encouraged to contact me. Additionally, I
welcome anyone who is interested in being an alternate player for this
game -- we need a few more. If this game progresses well, I am
considering gamemastering another, possibly starting in September; I
will start compiling a list of potential players for that, if there is
any interest. Feel free to get in touch with me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have, for the present, abandoned the idea of a separate
newsgroup (net.games.dip) for this 'zine and other Diplomacy things,
since the proposal got almost *no* reaction, and I'd just as soon not
clutter up the net more than necessary. If you readers of net.games
object to having this clog up your time, drop me a note and I will
revive the proposal.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's see, have I covered everything I wanted to... Oh, yeah,
if people have problems with net-mailing, don't hesitate to get in
touch with me -- particularly if I've screwed up on someone's net
address. If you know of any "unpublished" uucp links that your system
has to other machines that might speed things up, tell me so I can
pass on the news. Regardless, I'm more than willing to help people
try to figure out what the shortest routes are based on my knowledge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think that about covers it for now. If I've omitted
anything major, or you have comments, questions, or a bone to pick, or
you just want to chat, I'm willing to listen. Good luck to all; I
think we're in for some interesting (and enjoyable) times here...
Steve Knight
ihnss!ihps3!stolaf!knight
harpo!stolaf!knight
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