The guys catch up for some drinks to discuss their games, with Kaner sharing his Diplomacy theory of crab shells and faultlines. Plus the Middle Earth variant. Intro & Around the grounds The guys kickoff and Kaner outlines why he dislikes playing England  (0 mins 10 secs) They discuss the venue and their drinks (3 mins 50 secs) They talk about the lockdown that never happened and a general Australian COVID update (6 mins 15 secs) Amby discusses an Australian MP who has wild theories about COVID. Amby shows his website domain that didn't get reregistered (8 mins 30 secs) Kaner shares a joke or two with Amby and chats about measuring systems (11 mins 30 secs) They grab some more drinks and Amby looks into abandoned games (17 mins 30 secs) Kaner wants to out Amby and himself when in anonymous games (23 mins) Kaner asks Amby about fleet builds on rivers in Divided States games & ideas for better gameplay (25 mins 45 secs) Amby talks about his Spice Islands game and rulebook press (32 mins 45 secs) He goes onto discuss his cloak and dagger game, Screaming Jugular Bloodaxe Gusher (36 mins) Kaner gives some advice around looking at why an ally made a certain set of moves (39 mins) They get into some of Kaner's anonymous Europa Renovatio games (40 mins 30 secs) Kaner talks about the gameplay of a player he's stabbed, only for them to double down fighting their original enemy and let Kaner get up to mischief (43 mins 45 secs) Amby pivots to talk about his classic game on Primacy where he was trying spitefully to create a stalemate line to force the draw as his goal (47 mins) After some more drinks, they discuss gameplay in another one of Kaner's games (52 mins 15 secs) Kaner shares his theory about Diplomacy faultlines, which act as a wedge into a region and how you approach your position as a crab shell (55 mins 30 secs) He then goes onto discuss a "boring game" and his current crab shell (1 hr 1 mins 15 secs) Amby discusses two Primacy games, Legends of Ferranor where he won (pretty much as everyone CDed) but has started playing a Middle Earth variant, inspired by JRR Tolkien (1 hr 9 mins) They discuss skills they learnt at 12 years of age and why Amby has never seen a Lord of the Rings film (1 hr 12 mins) Venues: Hellcat Maggie, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Fixation IPA Amby: St Hallett's Garden of Eden from South 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.

Diplomacy Games

Crab shells & faultlines

The guys interview Bryan Pravel and Zach Moore from DBN about Diplomacy at the Olympics and where the game is going. Intro The guys are in pre-lockdown. They expect the government will do a lockdown when they planned to record so catch up on Skype instead.   (0 mins 10 secs) Interview with Bryan Pravel & Zach Moore from DBN The guys welcome Bryan and Zach to the show, before jumping into the 2032 Olympics and DBN's plan to partner with 2032 Olympics broadcaster NBC (5 mins) Amby asks what steps DBN needs to take to be ready by 2032 (8 mins 20 secs) They discuss how people interested in interning at DBN can apply and what skills they need (10 mins) Amby asks what's going on in the background of a live broadcast game (13 mins) Amby discusses the professional broadcast feel of the show, and asks how that could improve in the future (16 mins 15 secs) Kaner asks Bryan and Zack on how an Olympic Diplomacy competition should be held and which nations are most likely to take gold, silver & bronze  (19 mins) They discuss the need for an International Diplomacy Federation to advocate for the game (24 mins) Amby asks what scoring system lends itself to better television (29 mins) Amby queries how a world record system would work for Diplomacy at the Olympics (33 mins 45 secs) He asks about following the conversations of players in a game and how that could work in a live environment (36 mins) They discuss Ed Sullivan's info about Olympic events not necessarily always being traditional sports. Amby discusses the Wikipedia page that needs updating to raise the awareness of Diplomacy as a potential new event (41 mins 45 secs) They start wrapping up the interview (45 mins) Kaner & Amby give their thoughts on the interview (47 mins) They flag the show has been going now for 5 years (52 mins) Around the grounds Amby asks Kaner about how his games are going - both are anonymous Europa Renovatio gunboat games (55 mins) Amby outlines his really stuff ups where he CD'ed in his Divided States game and in Spice Islands (1 hr 8 mins) They do a reminder about the upcoming 100th episode, before returning to the Spice Islands game and how surprisingly complex it is (1 hr 15 mins) Then its a brief overview of Amby's Mongolian game (1 hrs 22 mins) Amby goes into his Primacy app game and discusses his goal of creating a stalemate line for a 4 way draw (1 hr 24 mins 30 secs) Kaner shares a link from the Diplomatic Pouch and discusses position 7 (1 hr 28 mins 30 secs) Amby then discusses a Feraror map also on Primacy (1 hr 34 mins) Kaner gives a run through the Classic Chaos game at vDip (1 hr 40 mins) The guys wrap up the show (1 hr 47 mins) Venues: At home: Pre-lockdown, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Somersby cloudy cider Amby: Riparosso Italian red wine 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.    

Interview with Bryan Pravel & Zach Moore about Diplomacy at the Olympics

The guys interview Osbert, a high school student on a younger player's perspective on the game Diplomacy. Plus podcast drinking game ideas, Diplomacy chat & Kaner's games. Intro The guys are at X-Cargo. They flag the first half of the show will be PG rated and discuss their drinks  (0 mins 10 secs) They set the stage for today's interview with Osbert, a younger person who plays Diplomacy (3 mins 30 secs) Interview with Osbert: a young player's perspective on Diplomacy Amby asks Osbert - a high school student - about how he got introduced to Diplomacy (4 mins 30 secs) They explore why Osbert returns to the game (7 mins 30 secs) Amby asks how Osbert have approached things where people don't know his age (9 mins 30 secs) Amby asks about Osbert's approach to communication in the game and what other skills he's got from the game (11 mins 30 secs) They explore what is an ideal game for Osbert (15 mins) They discuss using gunboat to improve tactics (17 mins 15 secs) Amby asks where Osbert learns about improving his gameplay and gives shout outs to DBN, Legendary Tactics and Brother Bored,  (18 mins 45 secs) They discuss getting friends together to play a face to face game (21 mins 30 secs) They talk about Osbert representing the British team for Diplomacy at the 2032 Olympics (26 mins 45 secs) Osbert's mum joins the interview to give a parent's perspective about her son playing the game (27 mins 45 secs) They wrap up the interview (33 mins) The guys give their thoughts on the interview (33 mins 45 secs) Diplomacy chat The PG bit of the show now ends, and returns to its usual swearing and drinking (37 mins 45 secs) They suggest a Diplomacy Games drinking game that listeners can also play (38 mins 15 secs) The discuss the ownership of the rights to the game (39 mins 15 secs) They discuss the board map. Apologies to Rob Schone - the drinks prevented Amby remembering his name, sorry Rob!  (40 mins 45 secs) Amby discusses the Calhammer estate auction and puts out there whether anyone bought a good amount of Calhammer swag, let us know as we'd be keen for a chat. They also discuss some upcoming interviews planned (44 mins 15 secs) Amby flags this is episode 95 and we're fast approaching ep 100. Let us know your thoughts on what you'd like us to do in our 100th show (48 mins 45 secs) After some more drinks, Amby suggests there may be some phrases or things we do, that if we do it, the listeners need to take a drink (50 mins 45 secs) Around the grounds Kaner talks about trying to join a Primacy game. Amby discusses his Primacy game (53 mins 50 secs) Kaner discusses his games - a Colonial 1885 game, a Classic Chaos game he's spectating and a new Europa Renovatio game (1 hr 8 mins)     Amby has some deja vu (1 hr 18 mins 30 secs) Amby is holding off on committing to new games until he has the time to play (1 hr 20 mins) They grab another drink before starting to wrap things up to record the Patreon episode (1 hr 21 mins) Venues: X-Cargo, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: 150 Lashes pale ale Amby: Sister's Run shiraz from 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.  

A young player's view of Diplomacy: an interview with Osbert

The guys interview Matt and David, creators of the Primacy app which is playable on Apple and Android platforms. Plus 2032 Olympics talk, around the grounds and Amby's Summer Classic experience. Intro and Diplomacy news The guys are at the Guilty Rogue and discuss Brisbane officially hosting the 2032 Olympics. So its time to make Diplomacy an Olympic sport (0 mins 10 secs) Amby asks if Diplomacy was an Olympic sport right now, who'd be representing their players and which countries would have a team (2 mins) They talk specialist players for each country and what would be the scoring system for Diplomacy at the Olympics (5 mins 30 secs) Amby talks about the need for an International Diplomacy Federation to advocate for the game to be in the Olympics (8 mins) Interview with Matt and David from the Primacy App Kaner & Amby start setting up the interview (10 mins 30 secs) The interview starts. NOTE for listeners, Amby had some recording troubles so his audio isn't as good as normal (11 mins 15 secs) Amby asks David about the Primacy App and why they created it (12 mins) They discuss how the App is available on Apple and Google Play stores (14 mins 45 secs) Kaner asks about variants and Realpolitik (17 mins 45 secs) Amby asks about copyright (19 mins 30 secs) Amby asks about the forward program of work for the app (22 mins 45 secs) They talk about what you get when you sign up and the premium version of the app (26 mins) They discuss rule sets, number of players and feedback (29 mins) Kaner asks about creating variants and the app (32 mins 15 secs) Amby asks about whether Matt and David have created apps before (37 mins) Amby asks what success would look like for the app (40 mins 15 secs) Kaner asks Matt and David about how they got into Diplomacy (43 mins) Amby asks about how to counter new players who NMR/civil disorder. They talk about mobile notifications (44 mins 30 secs) During the interview Kaner downloads the app and signs up for a game and discusses his experience (50 mins 30 secs) They talk about using their Discord server as a way for players to communicate in a forum style (52 mins 30 secs) Amby talks about the game he's currently in at Primacy (53 mins 45 secs) They discuss visual design of maps (55 mins 30 secs) The guys wrap up the interview before returning to give their thoughts on the discussion (57 mins 15 secs) Kaner talks about some of his Realpolitik experience. He gives an update on his variant creation work with David E Cohen (59 mins 30 secs) Amby discusses his observations on getting the word out about Primacy and suggestions for improvements (1 hr 3 mins 15 secs) Around the grounds Kaner starts talking about when he created a variant that simulated the Black Death during the time of the Mongolian Empire. He talks a little about this Mongolian Empire variant (1 hr 8 mins) After some more drinks, they talk about Amby in the Cloak and Dagger series game that has started using the Mongolian Empire. But Amby first gives a quick recap of his three way draw in the just competed Cloak and Dagger game using the Who Controls America map: Dystopian Post-Truth Knockdown-Dragout (1 hr 12 mins) The new game is called Screaming Jugular Bloodaxe Gusher. They give an overview of the variant. For more info about the variant have a listen to our chat about it back in Episode 63 (1 hr 14 mins) They have a chat about having a Bourse game. Kaner gives a quick rundown of what a bourse game is if you're not familiar with it (1 hr 22 mins 40 secs) They talk about a couple of other games including Amby's Undivided States game (1 hr 30 mins 30 secs) David E. Cohen has got in touch with some more info about pronunciation of the word "Arkansas" (1 hr 33 mins 20 secs) Amby gives an update of which states are still in the game (1 hr 36 mins) They start talking virtual games, turning to the Summer Classic. Kaner said he was going to play but didn't. Amby played in two rounds (although the first game he handed over midway to Jamal Blakkarly). Here's Amby's game 1 as England  and his second game as Germany (1 hr 38 mins) The guys then wrap up the show (1 hr 45 mins 40 secs) Venues: Guilty Rogue, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Green Beacon Windjammer IPA from Brisbane Amby: Green Beacon Windjammer IPA from 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.

Interview with Primacy app creators Matt & David

The guys unpack Amby's draw in Media Wars 2 and get the take of the board topping Ed Sullivan/GoHornsGo and Village Idiot/Ewok in an interview. Plus much more. Intro and Diplomacy news The guys begin at Bar Brutus and do a mea culpa (0 mins 10 secs) With some clever editing we've removed all the fucking train noises. They talk about their recent holidays that have partly delayed episodes (2 mins 10 secs) Kaner talks about a board game he bought: Imperial Struggle (5 mins 50 secs) Amby asks how a Diplomacy game would work if you couldn't eliminate a player in the first 3 game years (7 mins 50 secs) Amby flags the upcoming decision on the hosting of the 2032 Olympics on 21 July 2021, where the guys are trying to make Diplomacy an Olympic sport (10 mins 50 secs) He then goes to talk about a new Diplomacy app - Primacy. It is on iPhone and Android, but Kaner couldn't find it in the Google Play store. You can find Primacy in GooglePlay and Primacy on iPhone (12 mins 20 secs) Media Wars 2 interview with Ed Sullivan/GoHornsGo and Village Idiot/Ewok They start introducing the interview with Ed Sullivan/GoHornsGo from The Diplomats and Village Idiot/Ewok who both topped the board in Media Wars 2 (13 mins 45 secs) The interview starts with some audio issues at the start for Amby, sorry folks we're aiming to upgrade some of our tech soon to improve things (16 mins) Village Idiot/Ewok discusses his subbing in (18 mins 50 secs) Amby asks about the coms when Village Idiot (Russia) started taking SCs from Ed (Germany)  (20 mins) Amby tries to understand how Ed worked with Ezio (France) in 1901 (22 mins 30 secs) Ed talks about player pressure points (25 mins) They discuss Amby's 1901 moves (26 mins) Amby asks about their gameplay, building trust and reputation (27 mins 50 secs) Ed reflects on Legendary Tactics approach (Austria) at the time (34 mins 15 secs) Amby discusses the transition from Lady Razor to Village Idiot before they discuss the north-south split (36 mins 30 secs) They discuss the Commowealth vs Non-Commonwealth (40 mins 50 secs) They discuss the fallout between Germany (Ed) and France (Ezio) over Belgium and France going quiet (43 mins 20 secs) Amby discusses the southern alliance's plans to encourage Ed's growth and why his spidey senses told him to draw (45 mins 40 secs) Amby asks them both about their positive takeaways from the game and what they'd like to do again in the future (51 mins) He then asks about what they learnt from the game (52 mins 20 secs) Amby gets greedy and asks for their advice about is gameplay (54 mins 55 secs) They discuss Media Wars 3 (57 mins 20 secs) They guys return and discuss their thoughts on the interview and Kaner playing for the podcast next time (58 mins 30 mins) Media Wars 2 wrap-up Following the interview Kaner asks Amby about his take on the game as Italy. Amby starts by discussing his spring 1901 move of Venice to Tyrolia (1 hr 2 mins) Amby discusses goals and Ed's goals at the start of the Diplomats (1 hr 4 mins) They discuss building relationships, putting yourselves in the shoes of others and knowing how people have previously played the game (1 hr 10 mins) Amby talks about rebuilding trust with players, particularly Legendary Tactics as Austria. Kaner asks about Amby's relationship with Oliver Lugg as Turkey (1 hr 15 mins 20 secs) Kaner asks why France (Ezio) kept attacking Amby (1 hr 18 mins) They talk the end game (1 hr 20 mins) They discuss Kaner's thoughts on playing in Media Wars 3 (1 hr 23 mins) Around the grounds Kaner talks about how he went in You Ratty Bastard where he was part of a three way draw in Italy. This was a 1898 game so you start with one unit only and its played under fog of war conditions (1 hr 24 mins 20 secs) They discuss the interfaces to view previous maps from earlier turns (1 hr 27 mins) Amby talks about his game as England, establishing his homeland in Scandinavia (1 hr 31 mins) They return to Kaner's game (1 hr 32 mins 30 secs) Kaner talks about being surprised when Austria starts sending fleets into the Med, after building fleets in Rumania! (1 hr 37 mins 30 secs) They do a points update (1 hr 41 mins) Amby discusses his Who Controls America variant that he's playing in G-Man's Cloak and Dagger series. The game is called Dystopian Post-Truth Knockdown-Dragout. Kaner talks about the players and the SC and territory names (1 hr 41 mins 50 secs) Amby touches on his anonymous Divided States game (1 hr 47 mins) Kaner discusses spectating other people's games (1 hr 48 mins 30 secs) Other stuff/wrapup They discuss the Summer Classic game (1 hr 51 mins 30 secs) Amby does a shout out to Mad Monarch for an Apple Podcast review. You can rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts (1 hr 52 mins) Amby does a quick correction about Primacy, which we have since found out was wrong too. You can find Primacy in GooglePlay and Primacy on iPhone (1 hr 53 mins 40 secs) The guys conclude the show (1 hr 56 mins 30 secs) Venues: Bar Brutus, Saccharomyces and Maeve Wine Bar, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Balter Lager Amby: Balter Lager 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.

Interview with Ed Sullivan/GoHornsGo and Village Idiot/Ewok on Media Wars 2

The guys interview Isabella Vladoiu from US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights about how the game relates to real life Diplomacy. Plus they discuss their games and a public service announcement from all Mods. Intro and Diplomacy news The guys are still at the Empire Hotel.  Amby disses Google.  They do a drinks update (0 mins 10 secs) They give a Diplomacy face to face update and ideas to get more people into the game (3 mins 30 secs) Interview with Isabelle Vladoiu from US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights The guys set the scene for their interview with Isabelle Vladoiu, founder of US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights, a not for profit organization (6 mins 30 secs) Kaner and Amby welcome Isabelle to the show. Kaner asks about the sort of work she does (7 mins 30 secs) Kaner reflects on reputation and asks how a diplomatic negotiation takes place (12 mins 30 secs) Amby asks about soft skills in breaking through an impasse and re-establishing trust (17 mins) Amby asks Isabelle about her understanding of the game Diplomacy (19 mins 30 secs) Kaner touches on Isabelle's point about linguistic barriers, and throws to Amby to discuss his previous experience with Google Translate Diplomacy (24 mins 45 secs) Kaner asks about backdoor diplomacy, they go onto discuss deliberate false statements (30 mins) They start wrapping up the interview reflecting on the role of etiquette and where listeners can learn more about US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights (38 mins) The guys reflect back on the interview and their thoughts on its application to the game Diplomacy (40 mins 45 secs) Ar-Kansas chat Amby gives Kaner an update on the pronunciation of Arkansas (45 mins 30 secs) Around the grounds Kaner asks Amby about how he's going in their joint game "Ratty Bastards 2" (49 mins 30 secs) Amby reflects on the fog of war nature of the game (52 mins 15 secs) Amby talks about his other anonymous game, "DSA" a Divided States game (56 mins 15 secs) Public service announcement As a Mod at vDip, Kaner gives an example of what NOT to do when dealing with mods at webDip, playDip, Backstabbr etc (1 hr 0 mins) The guys wrap up the show (1 hr 8 mins) Venues: Empire Hotel, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Mahogany American Brown Ale by Brendale Brewing Company Amby: Maxwell's Silver Hammer shiraz from the McLaren Vale 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.

Interview with Isabelle Vladoiu

Kaner takes on Brother Bored in a live France vs Austria game and learns a few lessons. Amby is also "learning lessons" in his Media Wars 2 game. Intro and Diplomacy news The guys discuss the venue, drinks and set the scene for today's episode (0 mins 10 secs) Kaner discusses the Summer Classic virtual tournament being held 23-25 July (2 mins 35 secs) They discuss work and life commitments have been getting in the way of their Diplomacy interests (5 mins 20 secs) Kaner vs Brother Bored live game: France vs Austria Amby sets the scene in the Kaner vs Brother Bored game of France vs Austria. Brother Bored also has the game on his Youtube channel (6 mins 30 secs) They discuss the Spring 1901 openings (8 mins 15 secs)   Amby goes through the Fall 1901 orders (11 mins) Brother Bored gives a fun fact about Trieste (11 mins 30 secs) Next up is the builds (12 mins 15 secs) Spring 1902 moves are then discussed (14 mins 30 secs) Brother Bored explains some of his thinking as they enter Fall 1902 moves (16 mins 20 secs) After builds they start on their spring 1903 moves (18 mins 20 secs) After reviewing spring 1903 moves they move on. Amby gives his thoughts on the likely outcome (21 mins 20 secs) They discuss the fall 1903 outcome. Brother Bored gives his views on Kaner's moves. The guys then do builds and prepare their spring 1904 moves (25 mins 30 secs) The orders are in for spring 1904. The guys dissect it all before clicking away for fall 1904 moves (31 mins 30 secs) The fall outcome is in! After builds and discussion they start preparing for spring 1905 (36 mins 15 secs) Spring 1905 blossoms throughout Brother Bored's side of the board with all those vacant neutrals. They dissect where the game is at and start clicking away for fall 1905's moves. Brother Bored gives some perspectives on playing as Austria compared to France (42 mins 30 secs) The game is done with Brother Bored proudly at the winner's podium! They discuss creating content in this format. They talk about doing this again in the future and decide on the highly balanced 843: Treaty of Verdun variant (48 mins) Kaner and Amby are back and discuss their thoughts on the game with Brother Bored. Don't forget you can also watch this in Brother Bored's Youtube channel (56 mins 40 secs) After discussing Treaty of Verdun again, they discuss deliberately balanced variants and find their not as balanced as you think (1 hr 2 min 45 secs) Media Wars 2 Kaner asks Amby how his Media Wars 2 game is going. The game is up to spring 1908 with only England (Floridaman) eliminated (1 hr 5 mins 30 secs) Amby gives an update on what's been happening with hat tips to Oliver Lugg and Ed Sullivan (GoHornsGo)  (1 hr 6 mins 50 secs) Venues: Empire Hotel, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Mahogany American Brown Ale by Brendale Brewing Company Amby: High Country Hops Hazy Harvest Fresh Hop IPA   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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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 wrapping up the show with a bit of a tease about the next episode (1 hr 15 mins) 

Kaner vs Brother Bored

The guys are back after a small break. But Amby is still playing catchup and the shownotes will be delayed about 24 hours. BTW, not really sure when we moved venues why the audio quality dropped so much. Still listenable, but got no idea how to fix that! 

Coming off a small break

No show due to real life stuff. Back in two weeks.

Podcast scheduling update

The guys interview Jamal Blakkarly, winner of PoppyCon 2021, the first face to face Diplomacy tournament since Covid (excluding that 7 player European championship.) Plus they chat about Media Wars 2 and much, much more. Lockdown intro and Diplomacy news The guys set the scene about the most recent lockdown in Brisbane and their drinks  (0 mins 10 secs) They're going to do their first live interview on the show. They set the scenes for the interview (4 mins 20 secs) Amby discusses briefly the guys' France v Austria 1 on 1 game on their Patreon feed and give a shout out to our latest Patreon supporter (7 mins) Amby flags that their $3 Patreon supporter level which used to get you a position in Kaner's presidential cabinet if he won (9 mins 15 secs) He goes onto discuss how Brisbane now has the sole negotiating rights with the International Olympics Committee for the 2032 summer olympics. Amby proposes that we need to get Diplomacy as an offcicial olympic sport and set up a lobbying campaign (10 mins 30 secs) Kaner outlines his decision to take a break from playing games at the moment (16 mins 40 secs) Interview with Jamal Blakkarly Kaner & Amby bring Jamal into the interview. He quickly grabs a beverage (20 mins 30 secs) The guys congratulate Jamal on his win, beating Shane Cubis by one-eighth of an SC. Kaner asks which was the best game/country he played (23 mins 45 secs) Amby asks Jamal what it was like to be at last playing face-to-face tournaments since Covid (23 mins 45 secs) They talk about the vibe of the tournament and the players. Kaner asks about how aware Jamal was about the points (28 mins) Jamal discuses the mistakes he learnt in the tournament (31 mins 30 secs) Amby asks if Jamal's brother Jarni played (34 mins 50 secs) They discuss Jamal's game style and how its developed over time (36 mins 20 secs) They talk stabbing (39 mins) Amby asks about the social aspect of the tournament outside the games (46 mins 45 secs) He asks about what interaction he had with Shane as they headed toward the end of the tournament (49 mins 45 secs) Kaner asks if Jamal has a favorite country to play (51 mins 30 secs) Amby does a couple of shout outs for the other main tournament players (54 mins 40 secs) They start wrapping up the interview (57 mins) Post interview Kaner discusses how he sucks as England (58 mins) Media Wars 2 Amby announces the Media Wars 2 game (a game of Diplomacy content creators) has now started. He gives an outline of the players and the moves at the end of 1901 (59 mins) Kaner asks Amby why he thinks Austria tried moving into Venice (1 hr 6 mins 20 secs) Amby reflects on the number of units in fall 1901 that just held (1 hr 10 mins 50 secs) Amby mentions his plans for why he moved to Tyrolia will be discussed in the Patreon episode before they wrap up (1 hr 15 mins 45 secs)   Venues: Locked down at home, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Somersby cloudy apple cider Amby: Wynns Coonwarra estate cabinet shiraz merlot   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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.

Face to Face is back! Interview with Jamal Blakkarly winner of PoppyCon 2021

The guys interview winner of the DBI Invitational, Peter McNamara about his gameplay. Plus Bronze Age Diplomacy, variant ideas from the guys and much more. Intro and Diplomacy news The guys talk about their drinks and venue (0 mins 10 secs) Interview with Peter McNamara Kaner & Amby begin to introduce the interview with Peter McNamara and what's coming up (2 mins 30 secs) The interview starts with setting the scene after Peter's win at the DBN Invitational.  Amby asks how people were invited to attend the tournament (5 mins) Amby asks about the earlier rounds and seeding (8 mins 20 secs) They discuss why Peter went for Italy. You can read his article in the Diplomacy Briefing (10 mins 20 secs) Amby asks about where Peter planned to take things in the mid-game (13 mins) Kaner asks about the geography of the board (14 mins) Amby asks Peter about stabbing allies (15 mins 20 secs) They discuss reading the board (17 mins) Amby asks about how Peter got into the game, before asking about how tournaments extend you as a player (18 mins 15 secs) Amby asks what Peter has learnt recently in games, before discussing Peter's game play (20 mins) They discuss intuition vs computational approaches to the game, before discussing reputations (23 mins 20 secs) Kaner asks Peter how he finds the virtual environment (27 mins) They discuss tournaments of the future (28 mins 30 secs) Amby asks what Peter was looking for in an ally in the final DBN Invitational game. Peter discusses goals (32 mins 45 secs) They discuss the length of the games in the DBN Invitational (36 mins 45 secs) Amby asks if there was a tournament trophy before asking about whether Peter would play Italy again next time or whether he'd go for another country (40 mins 50 secs) Kaner asks about his thinking process during the game and scope for innovation in openings (52 mins 30 secs) Peter asks the guys when they'll have a face to face game in Brisbane again (44 mins 45 secs) Amby asks Peter if he thinks there's different Diplomacy scenes in Australia. They talk about the upcoming PoppyCon tournament (46 mins 30 secs) Peter discusses his plans for the upcoming WDC's (49 mins 30 secs) The guys wrap up the interview (51 mins) Kaner and Amby return, with Amby trying to advocate attacking Russia from the start (52 mins 15 secs) Amby asks Kaner what else he got out of the interview (55 mins 15 secs) Amby discusses Peter's strategy of picking Italy in the final game and patience (58 mins) Around the grounds Amby brings up his Europa Renovatio team game as Austria and how he went from doing well to being stabbed all round (59 mins 45 secs) Amby discusses the concentric circles on the board (1 hr 6 mins 15 secs) The guys move bars to O'Skulligans and discuss drinks (1 hr 9 mins 30 secs) Amby starts discussing a new variant in development he's testing. He talks about the way variant developers are doing this while Oli is unavailable on vDip (1 hr 11 mins 15 secs) He talks about the work Fake Al has been doing on Bronze Age Diplomacy where Amby is playing as Syria (1 hr 13 mins 30 secs) Amby discusses his decision to stab Babylonia and discusses the dynamics of the map (1 hr 20 mins) He reads some info from Fake Al about how limited variant development can still happen at vDip (1 hr 25 mins) They discuss possible options for which variant to develop, with a particular focus around flooding/raised water levels (1 hr 29 mins) The disagree on what to do: a flooded planet, continent or city. Try FloodMap to have your own play with flooding maps (1 hr 33 mins) They move again to a new bar, Greaser, but have a recording dilemma with about 15 minutes talking about Fake Al and Bronze Age Diplomacy disappearing (1 hr 37 mins) Amby and Kaner discuss who from the podcast will be in the upcoming Media Wars 2 game and other players (1 hr 38 mins) Amby has won a ranked game with the 1066 variant  (1 hr 43 mins 15 secs) But lost and was eliminated in his Imperial Diplomacy game where he played as Holland (1 hr 46 mins 45 secs) The guys do a What the Dr Recommended update for vDip (1 hr 48 mins) And then wrap up the show (1 hr 51 mins 30 secs) Venues: Royal George Hotel, O'Skulligans and Greaser, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Five Seeds cider, O'Skulligan's house lager Amby: Little Creatures IPA, an unknown Barossa 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.

Interview with Peter McNamara

The guys catch up for some drinks and a chat around their current Diplomacy endeavors and games. Intro and Diplomacy news The guys talk about their drinks and venue (0 mins 10 secs) They were hoping to play a face to face game on Sunday but have failed to get the numbers again (3 mins 45 secs) They also provide an update about their now non-attendance at PoppyCon in Melbourne, the first post-Covid face to face tournament in the world (4 mins 40 secs) Amby discusses ideas on how to drum up more people to come along to a game (9 mins 50 secs) Kaner gives a shout out to Peter McNamara on his victory at the DBN Invitational (14 mins) He discusses some of the upcoming virtual tournaments (16 mins 50 secs) Around the grounds Amby gives an update about his online games - a Mate Against Mate game called Happy Australia Day and his Imperial Diplomacy II game Pointy Pointy Stabby Stabby. Kaner discusses unit icons (18 mins 30 secs) He discusses his Europa Renovation team game where he's playing as Austria (24 mins 30 secs) They move onto an anonymous Divided States game they're both in, avoiding discussing who is who, but doing a breakdown of everyone's openings. And in the process probably getting a few bits of geography wrong (29 mins 20 secs) Kaner moves onto his games, starting with his webDip World Cup gunboat game where he was part of a three way draw as Austria. You can follow their discussion around key phases by going to the map history page (53 mins) They grab some more drinks and its onto another win by Kaner as Turkey on a Classic 1897 map. They discusses the random fun bonkers of Italy in the game, paying attention to Fall 1905  (1 hr 7 mins 5 secs) Amby asks Kaner what he's getting out of playing gunboat at the moment (1 hr 18 mins 20 secs) The guys wrap up the show (1 hr 20 mins) Venue: Indooroopilly Hotel, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Orchrd Crush cider by James Squire Amby: Balter XPA and Ridoch 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.

Diplomacy Chat

The guys interview Australian Defense Force chaplain John Dansie on using Diplomacy in professional military education of officers. Plus they talk about upcoming face to face games, their online games and Kaner makes a helluva mess. Intro The guys restart talking about other podcasts and Amby gives a big thumbs up to Brother Bored's Diplomacy Dojo (0 mins 10 secs) They talk about their drinks (1 min 45 secs) Amby talks about Bin Chicken Paradise. More here. (2 mins 45 secs) Interview with John Dansie Amby starts setting the scene for our interview with Australian Defense Force chaplain John Dansie (5 mins 30 secs) The guys welcome John to the show (6 mins 30 secs) Amby asks John how got introduced to the game (7 mins) He asks about how John brought Diplomacy into the professional military education of Australian officers and want he wanted to get out of it. You can read his article on The Cove (8 mins 30 secs) Kaner asks about the feedback from players after the game (11 mins 45 secs) Amby asks about deception and lack of trust and how officers would apply that experience in a real world scenario (13 mins 30 secs) He goes onto ask about players who didn't do well and how they related to it (16 mins 40 secs) Kaner discusses the soft skills Diplomacy teaches when it comes to leadership (18 mins 45 secs) They discuss playing without deception (22 mins 45 secs) Amby asks about the format of the games. John talks about the creative strategies used by players (24 mins 30 secs) Amby asks what feedback John has received from the higher ups (26 mins 45 secs) They discuss the use of wargaming in the military (28 mins) Amby asks what feedback John got on the paper published in The Cove (29 mins 15 secs) They discuss what John hopes to get out of the experience (31 mins) They go onto ask what John would like to see in two years time (32 mins 30 secs) Amby asks about whether any players after the game maintained an interest in Diplomacy (34 mins 20 secs) Kaner discusses about  his father playing Diplomacy in the Australian Navy (39 mins) They wrap up the interview (41 mins 30 secs) Post interview the guys give their thoughts. Amby would like to know if other militaries use the game in a similar way (43 mins 30 secs) The guys talk about the use of Diplomacy as a teaching tool in schools and universities (47 mins 45 secs) Diplomacy chat Kaner and Amby have moved to Blute's Bar. They talk about their new drinks (49 mins 40 secs) The guys talk about the first post-Covid face to face tournament - PoppyCon in Melbourne at the end of March - and whether they'll attend. They discuss the positives and negatives (52 mins 10 secs) Amby says they have five players who can make a 7 March face to face game in Brisbane. So they just need to get another two folk for a game (58 mins 15 secs) Kaner flags how the virtual Diplomacy League has created a map of where players are so you can organise face to face games once Covid calms down a bit. Sign up on their Google form (1 hr 1 mins 40 secs) Kaner and Amby are hosting their own virtual game for Patreon supporters of the show. If you're interested why not sign up as a Patreon friend of the show (1 hr 3 mins 20 secs) Around the grounds Amby starts with the Winning is for Losers game which is now over. It ended in a draw (Amby as England on 2 SCs) with gopher pulling a strong Austrian position of 14 SC's (1 hr 4 mins 20 secs) His declaration of war game is now over in a draw, with Amby being the last knocked out (1 hr 9 mins) He's just alive in an Imperial II game (1 hr 11 mins 50 secs) They move onto their webDip World Cup games. Amby's game has just finished in a 4 way draw. Amby was England and ended on 9 SCs (1 hr 13 mins) Amby discusses the liberating feeling of having 100% control of the Baltic/Gulf of Bothnia (1 hr 15 mins) Kaner talks abut his games, but being gunboat he doesn't want to provide game links/maps (1 hr 19 mins) Amby returns to his webDip game and reflects on a recent episode of Brother Bored's Diplomacy Dojo on how to play England (1 hr 23 mins 20 secs) They grab some more drinks. Kaner starts talking about a Classic 1897 game and how it works as a variant (1 hr 28 mins) Kaner gets overly excited and starts gesticulating his arms around causing a helluva mess! (1 hr  33 mins 30 secs) They come back post beer incident (1 hr 34 mins) Amby touches briefly on his Europa Renovatio team game (1 hr 35 mins 30 secs) He's also started a Mate Against Mate Australian variant game, where Amby is playing as Indonesia (1 hr 37 mins 20 secs) Venue: Blute's Bar, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Coopers Pale Ale and Young Henry's Pale Ale Amby: Little Creatures IPA and Angove organic 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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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 then wrap up the show (1 hr 40 mins) 

Interview with John Dansie

The guys record a back-to-back rather drunk episode. They talk about their (at the time) current games and prove the slow but effective Juggernaut alliance, before starting on an Anschluss alliance game. Intro & Diplomacy chat The guys restart on their 3rd drink at Brisbane Brewing Co and talk about their planned Diplomacy Wives Club interview they planned that never happened (0 mins 10 secs) Amby presents Kaner with his belated Christmas present (5 mins 30 secs) Around the grounds They provide (by now) a belated Around the grounds update, starting with their anonymous Europa Renovatio team game where Kaner is effectively playing gunboat despite the game being full press. Amby gives his take on how he's been going. They discuss a gentlemanly stab. (7 mins 40 secs) Kaner briefly touches on being in gunboat games before Amby discusses some of his games (14 mins 20 secs) Amby discusses the Winning is for Losers game (16 mins) [This game has actually since ended in a draw] The guys chat about different pronunciations in Australia. Below is the video posted by gopher on the stupidity of the discussion (and a good synopsis of two drunk Aussies talking Diplomacy - while bitching about pronunciations) (18 mins 20 secs) After more beers, Amby talks about buying into a game (Enjoy Division) where a player CD'ed. He was eliminated and then the players drew. Amby talks about Dr Recommended's great game as Portugal (22 mins 30 secs) Finishing off the Juggernaut The guys return to their game against the bots in their final installment of testing the Juggernaut (32 mins) They update the situation on the board after fall 1909 (34 mins) Fall 1909   The guys start planning their moves for spring 1910 (39 mins 30 secs) They then finalise, do retreats and dissect the moves (46 mins 30 secs) Spring 1910 Next up, Fall 1910. The guys do their planning (49 mins 30 secs) Time for adjudicating moves for Fall 1910 (54 mins) The guys plan builds (55 mins 30 secs) Then its onto disbands and Spring 1911 (57 mins 20 secs) The guys finalise and discuss what happened with the Spring 1911 moves (1 hr 2 mins) Spring 1911 The guys then plan their fall 1911 moves (1 hr 2 mins 40 secs) We finalise orders and review what happened including Kaner's fuck up with Gulf of Lyon, before moving onto builds (1 hr 6 mins 20 secs) Fall 1911 Onto spring 1912 with Kaner taking special care to not screw up again (1 hr 8 mins) The guys then review what happened with orders and retreats (1 hr 10 mins) Spring 1912 They then plan fall 1912 with the start of some breakthrough moves  (1 hr 11 mins) They review the orders after adjudication (1 hr 16 mins) Fall 1912 And its onto spring 1913 and plan how to make the Jug unstoppable with some tricky forward retreat plans from Kaner (1 hr 20 mins) They finalise and dissect the board after getting some more beers and discuss Amby's fuck up (1 hr 25 mins) Spring 1913 Onto fall 1913 now with plans as they start heading toward the end game (1 hr 26 mins) The turn adjudicates and the guys explain what happened  (1 hr 30 mins 45 secs) Fall 1913 They decide to wrap up the game, especially after Kaner's treacherous build (1 hr 33 mins 50 secs) They acknowledge once more that while the Juggernaut is successful its a real slog. You can view the game at webDip (1 hr 35 mins) Kaner wants to play another game: the Anschluss They discuss the other bot games they paused and Kaner gives the go ahead for an unbreakable alliance between Austria and Germany. They plan their moves for spring 1901 (1 hr 37 mins) The game adjudicates and they discuss the moves (1 hr 40 mins) Spring 1901 They begin planning for Fall 1901 (1 hr 41 mins 30 secs) They ready orders up (1 hr 43 mins 10 secs) Fall 1901 At this point the SD card in the recorder fills up and stops recording. Amby apologies post-show about what happened and gives a tease about next week's Patreon episode (1 hr 44 mins 30 secs) Venue: Brisbane Brewing Co., Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Walker west coast IPA from Brisbane Brewing Co. Amby: Walker west coast IPA and the Session ale from Brisbane Brewing Co.   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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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 Juggernaut Victorious!

We catchup with legend of the game, Edi Birsan, around so, so much about Diplomacy. Your head will spin! Plus the guys discuss their virtual WDC experience and webDip 2020 World Cup. Intro The guys introduce today's venue and location before discussing their drinks (0 mins 10 secs) Interview with Edi Birsan They start introducing the interview with Edi Birsan (3 mins 40 secs) Amby asks Edi how he got started in the game in the 1960's (4 mins 40 secs) Amby reflects on Edi's response about psychologists using the game to build resilience. Edi gives some further detail and touches on Kissinger playing Diplomacy and integration of schools in South Africa using Diplomacy (12 mins) Edi discusses the importance of younger people being open to the game during formative learning and intervening with a player about their behavior (16 mins) He discusses his mantra about Diplomacy (18 mins 15 secs) He talks about using the game as a tool for learning about trust (20 mins 30 secs) Note: around this point someone in Amby's neighborhood starts noisy gardening - takes about 20 mins for Amby to Google how to fix/mute it Amby asks about how Edi was able to find players for his first game and playing postal (23 mins) Edi discusses how Diplomacy helped him talk and negotiate in some of his first jobs (28 mins) Amby asks where the game sits in popularity/awareness now, compared to previous decades. Edi discusses how word about the game got out early on and goes onto discuss tournaments (28 mins 45 secs) He asks about how Diplomacy game style has changed over time (34 mins 30 secs) They talk about virtual games, introducing video but what you'd miss out (40 mins 40 secs) Kaner asks about Edi's advice for playing well. Edi discusses understanding player's motivations (44 mins 30 secs) Amby asks Edi about the first time he came up with Lepanto opening (48 mins 20 secs) Amby asks how the Lepanto opening got its name. You can read Edi's article on the Lepanto here (55 mins 45 secs) Edi talks about his interactions with Allan Calhamer (57 mins 45 secs) He discusses how Calhamer didn't design for stalemate lines, draws, game culture and balance of power (1 hr 2 mins 30 secs) Amby asks Edi about his personal experience with politics and how Diplomacy helped him (1 hr 8 mins 15 secs) He reflects on the current situation in American politics and brings it around to the game (1 hr 14 mins) They start wrapping the interview up, with Edi reflecting on his Diplomacy experience in Australia and when the pandemic is over, where are you going to go in the world for the game (1 hr 23 mins) The guys come back after the interview and reflect on it (1 hr 25 mins 20 secs) They talk about the Lepanto and Amby's ill-fated opening of Germany attacking Russia in spring 1901 (1 hr 29 mins) News and chat The guys discuss the current Covid restrictions and short lockdown in Brisbane (1 hr 38 mins 45 secs) Their efforts to get the numbers for a face to face game continue to be an issue with people still a little freaky about Covid locally (1 hr 41 mins) They talk about state border restrictions and Amby discusses the Australian Lamb Board's annual Australia Day video - which beautifully explains the current situation in Australia, fast forwarded to 2031 (1 hr 42 mins 15 secs) Kaner's Virtual World Diplomacy Classic experience We move onto the recent Virtual WDC and discuss how the guys went (1 hr 44 mins 15 secs) Kaner blames Amby on missing a game (1 hr 45 mins) Amby discusses his games, particularly his second game (1 hr 47 mins 30 secs) Kaner talks about his experience with technology and interface for his first virtual game (1 hr 54 mins 45 secs) Amby discusses his technical troubles and how to better use airpods when communicating on Discord (1 hr 58 mins 15 secs) Kaner talks a little more about his games (2 hrs 0 mins 30 secs) They talk about match ending times and how it impacts propensity to stab (2 hrs 2 mins 15 secs) WebDip 2020 World Cup The guys talk about their Democracy Sausages team and how they're going (2 hrs 3 mins 30 secs) Amby reflects on the high calibre of the players and talking about future gameplay (2 hrs 5 mins 30 secs) Kaner talks about how he's preferring gunboat now when he's playing online (2 hrs 8 mins) Wrapping it up The guys plan ending this recording, and next episodes to record (2 hrs 10 mins 30 secs) They finish the episode up (2 hrs 13 mins) Venue: Brisbane Brewing Co., Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner:  My Shout stout from Brisbane Brewing Co. Amby: Tropical XPA and Walker west coast IPA from Brisbane Brewing Co.   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, plus you get extra podcast episodes! 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.  

Interview with Edi Birsan

The podcast about playing the strategy game Diplomacy and its variants. Visit DiplomacyGames.com for more info.

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Diplomacy Games

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