``I guess it doesn't matter any more - you're gonna go to the record store,

You're gonna give 'em all your money, radio plays what they want you to hear,

They tell me it's cool but I just don't believe it...'' Reel Big Fish from ``Sell Out'', their first single off of Turn the Radio Off.

Happy birthday, Don Williams!! The date on the masthead, and the date as I type this, is the Duckmeister's big four-oh birthday. He's just SOOOO old, much older than me and those of us safely in our thirties!! Thank you, Don, having such luminous pathbreakers makes it much easier for the rest of us to see where we're going.

A hale and hearty WELCOME BACK, to Peter Sullivan, who returns with that subszine name which shall not be named, since every time I do I start humming some silly song about being in the shade under the sea. Damned if I know why. Still, Peter is very welcome. Note that he also has a game opening! Please sign up if you like those sorts of games. Players in Peter's szine receive this szine by mail free as a perk.

And that's not all!! I finally have the pack together for our Colonial Dip game!! The house rules are published in this issue for your perusal as a result. Those of you who don't pay attention to such things might want to take a gander. I twisted an arm and we have added Rich Goranson to round out our seven player group. And he didn't get France! Not only that, but Andy York is on board to join Mike Barno as a standby!! See below, and Miller Number, please, Mr. Kendter!!!

The real news, which I've so deftly tried to distract you from, is that I am late again. I've pushed the deadlines back to compensate. I want to grossly and publicly apologize for the megascrewup with the deadline this time. On top of being late, the UPS strike put the USPS WAY behind on the mail. For some of you on the West Coast it took about ten days for the szine to get to you!!! Anyway, I wanted to get issue #194 in the post and go to Brad Wilson's Vertigo Games, because otherwise there would have had to have been a three week delay if I went while delaying the #194 deadline. Although many of you told me I should be at Vertigo Games, I am not. I shall call in tomorrow or Sunday to be chastised. Instead, the szine will be a week late anyway.... I guess everybody loses. The big thing for me is staying on schedule to a big blowout January, 1998 grand two-hundreth issue!!! We're gonna do it. Plan to send me your music stuff now.

The postal sub price is a flat $1.00 per issue in the US and Canada. You can double that for other foreign subbers (or $2.00 per issue sent airmail). Players in current games and standbys will continue to get the issues for free, and new game starts (except for Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy, which is free) cost $15.00 ($10.00 for a life of the game subscription and $5 for the NMR Insurance). The current game opening for Colonial Diplomacy will start as soon as I get money from seven players since Nekayah has now ended. For more on this, see below. Also note that more results for the demo game are included. Remember that music comments and reviews are scattered through the game press at times.

By electronic mail, through the Internet, subs are free and can be obtained automatically by sending the message: subscribe tap

to majordomo of diplom.org and messages can be sent to the entire electronic mailing list by mailing them to tap of diplom.org which will forward your message to all of the people currently on the list. The message:

unsubscribe tap

sent to majordomo of diplom.org gets you off the list. Please make careful note of that as well since you generally can get yourself off the list a lot easier than I can, and NOBODY likes to see unsubscribe messages sent to the entire list. A big, big thank you for David Kovar for setting this all up!! Note that everything has been moved to the diplom.org site. See David's letter below. The Cal Tech ftp site is being mirrored on the devel.diplom.org machine as well. Issues of The Abyssinian Prince #131 to the present are available via anonymous FTP from ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu in the pub/diplomacy/Zines/TAP directory in compressed postscript format. The gracious assistance of Kevin Roust is most appreciated in keeping up this site. The files begin ap131.ps.Z and go sequentially from there. Since it's UNIX based, all of those upper and lower cases are important. If anyone wants help from me on doing this, they only have to ask and I can help you determine if you have access to FTP which stands for File Transfer Protocol and can handle postscript files. The Caltech site is at:

ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/WWW/

or check out the connections in the Diplomatic Pouch at its brand new address with all of the information you would need to play Diplomacy on the Internet at: http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch

In addition, through Jamie McQuinn's portion of the Pouch, or directly through:

http://devel.diplom.org/pub/diplomacy/Zines/TAP/

you can access the mirror site to Caltech and get to the szine that way.

In a relatively NEW development, the szine also is available as a PDF file, readable with Adobe Acrobat's free reader. If you already have Adobe's reader on your computer, you can E-Mail me for a copy. I started the test last issue and am continuing to have some technical difficulties with it, so I'm still in test mode. Basically, the file is printing fine, but it is hard to read on the screen. I am working with the experts at Adobe to try to solve this problem. If it makes you feel any better, we are having the same problem on the professional Adobe electronic journal that I co-edit and solving that problem has ``real'' implications, so be sure that I am trying to do so. Any of you who have NOT E-Mailed me about this test can still do so. After I test this for a bit, I will have TWO E-Mail subscription lists so you can choose PDF file, TeX source file, or both at your leisure.

NOTE: PDF testers will have to wait for this issue until around September 10th or 11th, as I will not be back in my office until then and I have to produce the PDF there.

Last chance to find Jerry Lucas! If you don't find him by September 20th, he's only ``worth'' twenty-five bucks. I know he has a common name, but someone out there should be enterprising enough to track him down. See the ``Mark Stretch lament'' in the letter column for more.

This is now going to be a regular continuing feature of the szine and I will be introducing a new ``search for'' every five issues. Moreover, you can win a $25 prize for finding some previous target who went unfound in the original $50 period. That means that if Kevin Tighe or Mike Mills or Garret Schenck is ``found'' from now on it is worth $25. Plus, Steve Emmert will throw in another ten spot for Garret Schenck if you can get Garret to write to him. The next person will be announced in Issue #195 and will be an extra special person to lead up to my 200th issue. Watch for it. Heh, heh, heh, here's a riddling hint for those who might want to get started early on this one, since I have ``reason'' to believe he WILL be found. Mausoleum for a mouse, who found the mouse?? It's all just such a bother..... no, that's not quite the right word, it's just such a tedious bother, but he does have a VERY specific connection to the genesis of The Abyssinian Prince.

Winners will receive credit for Dip hobby activities that I will pay out as requested by the winner. Bid on PDORA items, subscribe to szines here or abroad, run your own contests, publish a szine, or whatever. Spend it all right away or use me as a bank to cover hobby activities for years. What must you do to win? Get me a letter to the editor for TAP from the person we're searching for. This is very important, just finding them doesn't do it. They have to write me a letter. The final judge as to the winner of any contest will be the target himself and I reserve the right to investigate the winning entry. When you find someone I'm looking for, you should ask him to send me a letter for print that includes a verification of who ``found'' him.

The British representative is the editor of Mission From God, John Harrington. John may be contacted at 30 Poynter Road, Bush Hill Park, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 1DL, UK (johnh of fiendishgames.demon.co.uk). The representives in Australia (John Cain, PO Box 4317, Melbourne University 3052, AUSTRALIA) or Belgium and some other European countries (Jef Bryant, Rue Jean Pauly, 121, B-4430 ANS, BELGIUM) also will forward your subscription on to the editor in either Australian dollars or continental European currencies respectively. Please include the full name and address of the foreign publisher with your order, if possible, as well as the szine title. Make your check in US dollars out to me personally. I will conduct business for Canadians as well, if I can, but prefer to deal in US dollars with them if possible, or Canadian dollars cash. To subscribe to American szines, the system works in reverse.

Obviously, I'm not anywhere close to getting back around to doing international szine reviews, but who knows, I might pick it up again at any time. I actively am searching for more international traders.

Obscure and not-so-obscure ramblings on the state of the hobby and its publications, custodians, events, and individuals with no guarantee of relevance from the fertile keyboard of Jim-Bob, the E-Mail Dip world, and the rest of the postal hobby. My comments are in italics and ((double quotation marks)) like this. Bold face is used to set off each individual speaker. I should also make a note that I do edit for syntax and spelling on occasion.

Terry Tallman (Fri, 15 Aug 1997 11:34:59 -0700 (PDT))

Chris Carrier was mentioned as having passed away. I think it was here last issue, maybe somewhere else. I also recalled that John Boardman was the one who announced it. I can only assume that Carrier was playing in Graustark.

I met Carrier in the early 80's at my second Daf con. I had come across him in Tribe's of Crane, a commercial role playing game. I met Eric Ozog there too and he dragged me into postal dip.

Carrier was a power gamer groupy. He was attracted to players and gm's with big egos and big phone bills. I suspect a part of this was because his own life was dysfunctional in the extreme and the fantasy worlds of power role playing games and the mega dip aspects of postal diplomacy gave him the opportunity to do what so many postal and e-mail gamers do.

They become who they would LIKE to be. No one can see them so there are no preconceptions. You are whoever you choose to portray. I have referred to postal gaming in the past as a super hero suit that a lot of players use to have a ``real life" or at least one with a little excitement or interaction with people.

Chris was very much a loner. This dated back to one of the strangest childhoods I have ever heard described.

He lacked a lot of social graces, hygiene was questionable (on the one occasion I met him, at least), and he had a face that wouldn't have been out of place on the cover of the Enquirer.

While it is unkind to speak ill of the dead these are the only thoughts I have on him. He wasn't a particularly good gamer. He loved the great fued(s). And I think he was a voyeur when it came to the interplay of monster egos in the hobby ((blush) including my own). I believe he was younger than me by a bit so probably he was in his late 30's or early 40's.

I guess what this is perhaps, is an effort to pull the rubber mask back a bit so that it isn't just a dipster gone, but a hobby character-warts and all that is recalled.

((Thanks, Terry, for those illuminating remarks. You do have the basic details correct and I agree with most of what you say. One of the things I strive for is being in the hobby and being real at the same time. Yet, within individual games, I choose to play out all sorts of ``scenarios'' that include personality quirks that aren't completely my own. To me, szines are a great way of keeping playing games and interacting with people separate and, to be honest, I wonder about some of the E-Mail players sometimes who seem to treat the Diplomacy hobby much more ``into'' the screen in front of their face, without a human interaction backbone. I found Chris to be one of the hobby's real odd ducks and while I certainly have no desire to be telling other people what to do, if the hobby really were dominated by those types of people, I'd be outta here. But it isn't and I'm not.))

Mark Kinney (Thu, 28 Aug 1997 23:27:15 -0400 (EDT))

Basically, I've come to the point where I'm folding League of Nations. Thus, you can remove me from your trade list. ((Do I have to.... you KNOW how I hate doing that....)) I am subscribed to the TAP list, though, so I won't be missing anything, and I'll do something postal-wise when I get my schedule straightened back out.

((Thank you for the opportunity to let the wider community to know of your plans. Is there any help you need with rehousing games, etc.? Paul Kenny is doing the Orphan Service, you know??))

Stan Johnson (undated note)

Jim, I enjoyed Doug Beyerlein's letter. I met Doug once at DipCon in Baltimore, 1976. I'd be interested in the story behind why he left the hobby, which he briefly mentioned.

((I thought I reprinted it, or some of it, a little bit ago. Basically, at the height of the Great Feud, Doug volunteered to mediate a ``settlement'' and when his gracious and sincere offer was rejected, he said that he'd had enough of it and left. I believe I have those facts substantially correct. His was one of the stellar voices in the hobby that we lost because of the mid-80's feuding. Quite frankly, it really wasn't any fun for any of us, but personally I'm glad I stuck it out while FULLY understanding Doug's position as well.))

Some good rumors and stuff from me at the top.... thank you for those of you who wrote ``nice music issue'' comments on #193. I didn't think it was my best work, which gives me more motivation to pull off a humdinger of a #200 with my 1997 music list and general retrospective.

Here's some more ``stuff'' that's going on. See my discussion with Tony Dickinson below on Chumbawamba. It's great to have them back and challenging the ``status quo'' and the copyright laws. Speaking of copyright laws, how can you talk about copyright infringement without mentioning the Gods of Infringement - Negativland?? Well, you can't, of course. Coincidentally, they have a new album out which is likely to get their asses sued off again. Order it now, I haven't seen it in stores, so I have direct ordered it from them, before they get thrown in jail and it becomes another of their ``unavailable'' discs. Order Seeland 017 for $13 from NEGATIVMAILORDERLAND, 1920 Monument Blvd., MF-1, Concord, CA 94520. Or, ask Pete Gaughan to bop across town and buy it for you in person, in what cannot be a coincidence. Hey, Pete, what does 1920 Monument Blvd. actually look like? Until I get it, I won't know for sure what or who it is that they have challenged this time, but I have a guess that Pepsi is one of their targets. Negativland's ``music'' is a wildly inventive mix of sampling, voiceovers, and general weirdness and they've been working on this for three years, so I expect it to show for the effort. You may ask what the name of the album is? Well, take the hint, Negativland is not revealing the name anywhere in print that I've seen. My guess is that it will be called Dis-Pepsi, thus, if correct, you saw it in print here first. Let's see, what of the Mekons? I don't even know that much about the latest Mekons' album, but that is due out in stores this week. Wow, when it shines, it pours sunshine!!!

The ska explosion continues unabated this year, with the infectious sense of fun making it possible to listen to the radio occasionally. It's been difficult to miss the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, but to see where that is going, witness the following comments on the radio today, regarding the Bosstones concert in a small club here in Providence tomorrow night (according to the masthead). Paraphrasing.... ``Get yourself down to the Strand tomorrow night, the Bosstones show is not sold out yet, if you missed the big show at Great Woods (the big, boring, suburban amphitheatre in which I wouldn't be caught dead unless.... well, suffice it to say if I ever go it will be because I have no choice....) you can still catch them here in town.'' What???!!! It should be the other way around. There is NO band that is not better in a small club than in one of those amphitheatres!! Turn the radio off!! Go to a club and stay out of the amphitheatres!! Make that Turn the Radio Off, and that's Reel Big Fish's latest ska album and the radio stations are being forced to make fun of themselves by playing the first single, ``Sell Out'', which is an infectious bit of ska fun. ``I don't think it'll be so bad''?? No, check out the masthead again! Now to YOUR letters....

Richard Weiss (Sat, 23 Aug 97 21:10:30 PDT)

Jim: Vanessa Mae - a violinist who loves techno. A work neighbor turned me on to her CD this weekend, simply entitled, The Violin Player. Hot stuff. Orchestral/classical but techno driven in places. Reminds me to miss my Strunz and Farah CDs that were stolen. Hope your summer was good.

Mark Stretch (25/8/97)

Dear Jim, OK, I can take the hint. Time for a letter, then. Why does nobody find these people we're after? ((I don't know, you'll really have to ask them. It's funny, for some of them I really sensed that there was a lot of effort going on, but for others, very little. For Jerry Lucas, I haven't sensed much effort at all. This next one will get people moving though. As one might guess from what I said above, I've done some preliminary searching from what I knew and I think I ``found'' my man. I didn't ``disturb'' the trail or warn him. This, of course, defeats some of the purpose; however, in return I am requiring a FULL blown music letter for print in my #200th issue. That may actually take some ``Diplomacy'' to convince my target to do it.)) Makes me wonder why I bother sometimes.

As a suggestion for zines to see, how about:

For Whom the Die Rolls, Keith Thomasson, 14 Stepnells, Marsworth, N Tring, HERTS, HP23 4NQ, UK

The Sprouts of Wrath, Mark Wightman, 52 Park Road West, Bedford, MK41 7SL, UK ((Sample copies of my last two issues are winging their way over there now.)) That'll give you something to review, if nothing else.

Thank you, Pete, for the mention. What did you want to ask me about universities? ((We were talking about ``watering down'' universities by letting too many people in who shouldn't be there. The question was on that, plus the general recent history of university education in Britain.)) Obviously, I've missed something somewhere. ((Obviously.))

You still have vinyl about? ((Yes, I'm not buying any new vinyl, but I still have my old vinyl. Charlotte keeps inquiring about moving it to the attic, but I won't let her.)) God only knows where mine got to. In my parents' attic probably. Mind you, as I have nothing to play it on these days, it doesn't matter. Where would we be without the CD? ((Oh, I don't know... I actually liked vinyl.))

Hope you enjoyed OMR 22.

Tony Dickinson (21 Aug 97 01:06:38)

Hi Jim, Well hello there. Thanks for `TAP#193' ... certainly a surprise when it came through the post box the other day! No probs re `stealing' my [already stolen!?] quote ... censorship really is a bad thing ...SHHH. ((Reading above, have you any doubt of that??)) Yes as my fannish [ta! I think!?] review indicates the `Chumbawamba's are still alive and well and living in ... well this beloved desolate northern wasteland [the one thats doin' a fine job of impersonating the Bahamas weather at the moment] somebody's got to I suppose :-) I was quite surprised that `Chumbawamba' are known in the states. ((I actually heard a rumor that Chumbawamba actually had released a new record over here (although it might well be a release of a record they made years ago), but haven't seen it yet. I'm a fan from way back..... I don't have it in front of me, but their best in my eyes was that retrospective of ``protest" songs from the ages.))

To things `Chumbawamba' ... last night I caught them on believe it or not `Top Of The Pops' [an ultra poppy chart- show thing, yughhh!] with YES a new release ... `Tubthumping' it's called! And an NEW ALBUM is due out on the 8th Sept. [here in England at any rate, so dunno when that'll be in the states!?] ... and that is to be called Tubthumper! ((I hear late September for the album release over here, but they are having (fancy this) copyright problems over ``graffiti'' and various quotes in the liner notes! I now have heard the single too on the American radio and sounds really great! What timing for our little exchange, eh?))

If this has all confused you [and forgive me if I sound condescending, I'm not honest] to tubthump(ing/er) means to bang on / go on about something over and over, though from what quaint little origin this came from I'm not too sure! Hope that's been of some help anyway.

As to their best album ... erm I think I'll have to go for Anarchy to be honest, hey ho we're all different. Oh the album you were on about is called English Rebel Songs , and yes it was/ is different, and quite powerful and evoking in its own way. ((Those are actually the only two Chumbawamba records I actually own, but to be honest they are on vinyl and I haven't played them in quite some time.))

Well I really must be goin' now, so until the next time, all the best and take care,

PS: Oops! Quick ammendment ... just had a thought and I decided that my fave `Chumbas' recording HAS to be Showbusiness ... Why?! Well I WAS THERE!!! What a crazy weekend that was ... the `Chumbas' are so special to me because they are so local ... they had alot to do with my very local area in the '82 miners strike [ my Dad was a miner ] ... they record in the town next door to me! [ Castleford ] ... they are simply put locals! ((Well, that's one of the things we really try to do around here. Let everyone share their local faves, so we can all find new great music.))

((Now, I was getting on Steve's case about puns....))

Steve Emmert (Fri, 22 Aug 1997 15:14:02 -0400)

Really? You dare usurp my throne? (Well, maybe you've got the yankee version.) Care to find out if there are any others of us out there? Like, maybe, inviting pun submissions? ((Especially in press, they are ALWAYS welcome.))

As a free sample, I offer the following:

The CIA once maintained a house somewhere in the South Pacific, where they kept Argentine ex-president Juan Peron after he had been deposed. When he died, they brought South Vietnamese ex-president Nguyen Van Thieu to the house. When the Congressional Budget Office inquired into the expense, the spooks replied by reasoning that Thieu could live as cheaply as Juan.

Any more, you have to pay the usual fee for. The ``usual fee" is a pun from your collection. ((Choose one from the press below, do you like the Wizard of Oz??))

No sweat on the delay - in fact, it may even give me the chance to slip this in under the wire:

I'm going to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning to go rafting on the Youghiougheny River. (This is part of my compensation package for seven weeks of solo kid duty while Sondra was teaching in the Adirondacks this summer.) It is a Class V river, with actual danger of injury or loss of life. Accordingly, it is probably prudent for me to publish my last Dip will, in case I am lost and presumed drowned. In that event, I bequeath my position in Suffren to Sherwood, with the request that Hoffman and James stab his sorry ass at the first opportunity.

Have a great weekend. Best wishes.

``And now," cried Max, ``let the wild rumpus start!"

If you want to submit orders, press, or letters by E-Mail, you can find me through the Internet system at ``burgess of world.std.com''. If anyone has an interest in having an E-Mail address listed so people can negotiate with you by computer, just let me know.

Standby lists: Mike Barno, John Breakwell, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Doug Kent, Paul Rauterberg, Doug Essinger-Hileman, Stan Johnson, Harry Andruschak, Dave Partridge, Andy York, Michael Pustilnik, and John Schultz stand by for regular Diplomacy. Mike Barno and Andy York stand by for the new Colonial Diplomacy game. Let me know if you want on or off the list. Standbies get the szine for free and receive my personal thanks. I'd really appreciate it if anyone wanted to be added to the list.

It's time to at least think about another game opening. What is really attractive to me is to run Vincent Mous' Modern Diplomacy ten player variant. There are about 50 supply centers and it is set across a map slightly more expansive than the original's European map. This game is very popular on the Judges and has just been written about by Chris Warren in the latest Diplomacy World. The map and rules are there as well. Subscribe and ask for Issue 83 to begin your subscription by writing to Editor and Publisher Grand Hobby Poobah Kent at 10214 Black Hickory Road, Dallas, TX 75243. Write your check for $10 for four issues made out to Douglas Kent, whomever he is, in the US. Indeed, my sub is up so my check will be going out to GHP Kent too. For Brits, Stephen Agar will take $7 for four issues at 79 Florence Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6DL. Canadians have to pay $15 for four issues. If I get any interest, I'll print the rules and officially announce a game opening. If not, I'll wait until another regular game or two ends before starting another regular Diplomacy game.

Conrad von Metzke recently finished GMing a black hole game where you can freely jump over black holes instead of having them render spaces impassible. I played in this game and like the tactics of jumping over the black holes a great deal. Now there the black holes were random, but what would happen if you could plan them? The next NYEED game will feature this rule change and will be a 7x7 tourney format unless I am convinced otherwise. I am itching to get this game started, so it will start as soon as it is filled! You get a life of game sub, and the game itself is FREE!! John Schultz, Harry Andruschak, and Dave Partridge are signed up. Just four more and we'll get started! Otherwise Conrad is now the new editor and publisher of Pontevedria, the game openings listing, if you're interested in other game openings. Send Conrad a SASE for the latest issue to: Conrad von Metzke, 4374 Donald Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117.

THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1900 IS OCTOBER 11TH, 1997

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1901 IS NOVEMBER 1ST, 1997

$10 gives you a life of the game sub, a bargain at twice the price and it holds EVEN after you are eliminated. The other $5 is for the NMR insurance calls, so please send along your phone number as well. I've got money from the following: Roland Sasseville ($15), Don Williams ($15), Rick Desper ($10 - E-Mail NMR insurance), Terry Tallman, Rich Goranson Luke Dwyer ($15), and Jonas Johnson ($15).

I've drawn countries as follows: Jonas Johnson (Britain), Rich Goranson (China), Roland Sasseville (France), Rick Desper (Holland), Luke Dwyer (Japan), Don Williams (Russia), Terry Tallman (Turkey). One last question, does anyone mind if we use all of the optional rules? I'll discuss all that in full next time. Could I also have people's full addresses, E-Mail, and phone numbers? Then I'll get everything fully set up next time. One thing I'm stealing from Jamie McQuinn (as is obvious from above), I hate the ``seasons'' in the official rules. The game will begin with Spring 1901 as the regular game does, which won't be due until November 1st.

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1906 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1997

AUSTRIA (J. Ellis): has f TRI, a BUD, a VIE; and 5 nukes.

ENGLAND (Schultz): has f LON, f EDI, a LVP; and 5 nukes.

FRANCE (Barno): has f BRE, a MAR, a PAR; and 5 nukes.

GERMANY (Dwyer): has f KIE, a BER, a MUN; and 5 nukes.

ITALY (Lancaster): has f NAP, a ROM, a VEN; and 5 nukes.

RUSSIA (Andruschak): has f STP(SC), f SEV, a MOS, a WAR; and 4 nukes.

TURKEY (R. Ellis): has f ANK, a CON, a SMY; and 5 nukes.

Addresses of the Participants Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309 Randy Ellis, General Delivery, Grant Village, Yellowstone Natl. Park, WY 82190

Jeff Ellis, 2120 Ramrod, #1517, Henderson, NV 89014, (702) 450-6361 ($2)

jeff6911 of aol.com

John Schultz, #19390, F-E88, Indiana State Prison, PO Box 41, Michigan City, IN 46361-0041.

Mike Barno, PO Box 509, Gardiner, MT 59030, (406) 848-2149

Luke Dwyer, 49 Middlesex Drive, Slingerlands, NY 12159

Stuart Lancaster, 4127 SW Webster, Seattle, WA 98136 ($4)

GM: VAPORIZED AGAIN!! Was at 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

TOTAL

HARRY ANDRUSCHAK

4

4

5

0

0

13

RANDY ELLIS

2

2

1

0

1

6

JEFF ELLIS

1

4

3

1

4

13

JOHN SCHULTZ

3

1

5

4

2

15

MIKE BARNO

0

4

1

5

5

15

LUKE DWYER

5

0

5

3

4

17

STUART LANCASTER

4

3

4

5

0

16

Black Holed

15

15

8

14

18

70

Neutral

0

1

2

2

0

5

Total

34

34

34

34

34

170

Times GM Nuked

1

5

2

3

1

12

Lee Kendter, Jr.

0

1

0

0

0

1

Clinton/Dole

0

1

0

0

0

1

Garret Schenck

0

0

1

0

0

1

Switzerland

0

0

1

0

0

1

Ireland

0

0

1

0

0

1

Nukes Withheld

4

0

5

4

0

13

Game Notes (firmly orbiting in the tropopause):

1) Thanks to Lee Kendter, Jr. for the Round #6 Miller Number. For Round #7 (our FINAL ROUND!!!) Austria is Randy Ellis, England is Jeff Ellis, France is John Schultz, Germany is Mike Barno, Italy is Luke Dwyer, Russia is Stu Lancaster, and Turkey is Harry Andruschak. Could we have a Round #7 Miller Number please??

2) For the rest of the game, if Jeff doesn't submit orders, his units will hold and his nukes will go unfired.

3) I'm delaying this game because of the mail delivery delay and from the request of one of the West Coast players. If you did send orders, I do have them on file, but could everyone else PLEASE get me orders for Spring by the 20th? Thanks. I have orders from nearly all of you; however, I don't have any press, except for John's lament and Randy's quick aside below, in addition to Harry's request. This game is supposed to be FUN, with lots of press. Let's do a break and see if we can reignite it. Although I am delaying it, please remember that there is NO reason to wait until fall is complete before negotiating for the next year. See the Round #7 line up ALREADY printed above.

Press:

(ELLIS-ANDRUSCHAK): Quite correct, sir; however, it's always nice to get a response one way or the other.

(JOHN BOY - GM): Hey, I got an extra whole day this time. By the way, I'll be printing for awhile as I see you're having a hard time with my press releases. ((At times... but better me squint than not to get anything at all.)) Still, my script can't possibly be as bad as yours! ((It better not be!! That's against the house rules - see above.)) I wanna play the Black Hole thingie. ((You're in, see above.))

(ANDRUSCHAK-GM): I respectfully request a one issue delay of this game, with Spring 1906 being adjudicated in TAP #195 of 13 September (or whenever). ((Indeed, now it's 20 September.)) It simply is not fair to the players to make deadlines so short. It ruins the flow of the games. Since we are into philosophers, I would remind you that Emerson felt that a foolish consistency was the hobgoblin of little minds. ((Yes, but I was playing bigger mind games on myself. See above... still, calling on that Emerson quote probably guaranteed that you got your delay.)) Would it not have been far better to put back TAP #194 3 weeks, to the deadline of 13 September, with TAP #195 re-scheduled for 4 October, and so on and so forth? Please consider this option in the future. ((I've pretty much decided that, without some personal emergency that was unforeseen, if I can't keep more or less on deadline with life as it is, then it's time to fold. I decided LONG ago, that I will never creak and moan my way into a fold. If I go, it'll be clean. I know VERY WELL that to all of you, you don't see it that way, but for me I do.))

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1907 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1997

Winter 1906

AUSTRIA (Ellis): has f ALB, a TYO, a GRE, a GAL,

a BUD, a TRI, f ION.

ENGLAND (Pollard): has f TUN.

FRANCE (Dwyer): bld f bre; has f BRE, a BEL, f TYH, f NAO, f NTH,

a EDI, f BAR, a BUR, a MAR.

GERMANY (Emmert): has f HOL, a VIE.

RUSSIA (Sherwood): R a gal-UKR, a gre-BUL; has a MOS, a SIL, a WAR, f SEV, a RUM,

f DEN, a MUN, a UKR, f NWY, f AEG, a KIE, f HEL, a BUL, a BER, f EAS.

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Randy Ellis, General Delivery, Grant Village, Yellowstone Natl. Park, WY 82190 ($10)

ENGLAND: Kent Pollard, Box 491, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, ($5)

FRANCE: Luke Dwyer, 49 Middlesex Drive, Slingerlands, NY 12159, (518) 439-5796 ($4)

GERMANY: Steve Emmert, 1752 Grey Friars Chase, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, (757) 471-1842

SEMMERT of city.virginia-beach.va.us ITALY: Mark Kinney, 3613 Coronado Drive, Louisville, KY 40241, (502) 426-8165

alberich of iglou.com

RUSSIA: Keith Sherwood, 8873 Pipestone Way, San Diego, CA 92129, (619) 484-8367 ($4)

ksher of cts.com or Keith_Sherwood of Intuit.com TURKEY: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 722-4029 ($3) GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287

Game Notes:

1) A number of draws are proposed: ARF, ARG, DIAS, FEAR, and concessions to Turkey, Russia, Italy, and Germany (TRIG!). Please see the press below and vote on these proposals with your Spring orders. Failure to vote will result in simultaneous passage of all proposals! Well, not really. But vote anyway. It'll be fun!

Press:

(STEVE to BOARD): Sorry for the absence of press last time; I sent some in, but Jim-Bob thought it was no good and decided to throw it away.

(BOOB to STEVE): Wrongo beef jerky breath, here it is, or was....

(RUSSIA - BOARD): Okay, I've taken a lot of abuse for the ``jerks" line, and I guess I went too far. But really guys. Count up the dots and vote sensibly.

(GERMANY to RUSSIA): Oh, come, now, old boy, isn't the word jerk somewhat lacking in creativity? I expected more from you in the way of invectives. Would it help if we took up a collection and got you a thesaurus?

(KEITH to THE VARIOUS POWERS): ...last time from this dateline was obviously black press. I would never be so polite.

(SKYWALKER-KEITH): I did want to work with you and prevent your win in a F/R draw, but you grew too fast, so I was forced to turn on you. ((With some success, perhaps?))

(VIRGINIA BEACH to PROVIDENCE): I think I might agree with you; we might just be pushing Russia back. As I see it, he has 15 and we have 19, so this game isn't such a foregone conclusion as I once thought it was. HEY, SHERWOOD! YOU FOLLOWING THIS, BUBBA? (ST PETE): The butler's footsteps echoed throughout the cold, empty palace. He walked slowly down the bleak hallway, by paintings and suits of arms, and cold, lifeless fireplaces. The butler's mind wandered as he made his way, none too quickly, to the Czar's room. He remembered how it used to be: gala balls with ambassadors from all of Europe's great powers, the intrigue of deals struck in back rooms thick with cigar smoke, dozens of servants scurrying around the palace. But the old butler was the only servant remaining in the palace now. The others had trickled away as the war ground on and the balls became smaller and the ambassadors stopped calling. Even that French fellow had stopped coming around lately. ``Pity," thought the shambling butler, ``he was a good tipper." No one ever visited now. The palace was empty but for the butler and his master, the Czar. The butler had stayed not out of loyalty, but only because he had known no other life for his 73 years. He entered the Czar's office. The Czar was in a fitful slumber, sleeping but getting no rest as he was tormented by his dreams. Dreams of European domination. Dreams that had turned into nightmares. The butler was surprised to realize that although the Czar was only 33 years old, he looked nearly as old as the butler himself. The butler cleared his throat differentially. The Czar awoke with a start. A hopeful look on the Czar's tormented face faded as he recognized his manservant. ``Ach, Ivan, it's only you." ``Yes, your majesty." As if to confirm that he the Czar had been having the same nostalgic thoughts as the butler, he continued, ``Ach, Ivan, where have all my friends gone? We had some good times, didn't we? I used to enjoy receiving ambassadors and exchanging missives. Now all I get is dreary news from the front. Why don't the ambassadors come to visit any more, Ivan?" ``Because you stabbed them in the back, your majesty," the butler replied matter of factly. The butler was surprised to see regret cloud the face of his master. ``If only I had one friend left. Just a single ally to stand with me in my time of need!" The butler was surprised by the seeming show of remorse. ``So you could defend the motherland, your majesty?" the butler ventured. ``No, you old geezer, so I could stab them for the win!"

(BOOB to KEITH): Ummm, how about this:

(STEVE to KEITH): I was terribly moved by your sad news that no one will talk to you anymore. They're probably scared off by all that blood on your knife, some of which I know to be A-positive.

(BOOB to KEITH): No, how about if we return to regularly scheduled programming:

(THE OFFICIAL SCHEDULED GERMAN RESPONSE TO THE RUSSIAN): I propose the following dispositions of this game: The Lil' Orphan Annie's Dog Draw (ARF); the Long John Silver Draw (ARG); the Wimbledon Draw (GRAF); the ``Buenos" (DIAS) Draw; the Stephen King Draw (FEAR) (note my nobility of character here, in proposing a draw that includes Pollard but not me); and the following concessions: The Ivan the Terrible Concession (to Russia); the Jacob Marley Concession (to Italy or Turkey, take your pick); and the Aladdin Concession (to Germany). I tried to work in the Hot Dog Concession, to get at least a tangential baseball reference in, but I just couldn't think of how to do it.

THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1907 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1997

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1908 IS OCTOBER 11TH, 1997

Fall 1907

AUSTRIA (Tallman): a rum h (d ann). ENGLAND (Lowrey): f nwg-BAR, f NTH h, f swe-GOB, a NWY-den (imp).

FRANCE (Rauterberg): f spa(sc)-GOL, f MID-naf, a gas-SPA, a TUS S f rom, f rom h (d ann).

GERMANY (Kent): a tyo-BOH, a PRU-lvn, a SIL S a war, a WAR S a ukr-mos, f DEN h,

a ukr-mos (d ann), a hol-RUH.

ITALY (Billenness): f nap-ROM, f WES-naf, a VEN-tus.

RUSSIA (Williams): a LVN-war, a SEV S a mos-ukr, a mos-UKR, f STP(NC)-nwy, a vie-GAL. TURKEY (Sherwood): a smy-BUL, f BLA S a ser-rum, a ser-RUM, f AEG C a smy-bul,

f TYH S ITALIAN f nap-rom, a BUD S a ser-rum, f TUN-naf, a TRI S ITALIAN a ven (otm),

f ION S f tyh.

Supply Center Chart

AUSTRIA (Tallman):

none

(out)

ENGLAND (Lowrey):

edi,lvp,lon,swe,nwy

(has 4, bld 1)

FRANCE (Rauterberg):

bre,par,mar,spa,por

(has 4, bld 1)

GERMANY (Kent):

mun,kie,ber,den,hol,bel,war

(has 6, bld 1)

ITALY (Billenness):

rom,nap,ven

(has 3, even)

RUSSIA (Williams):

mos,stp,vie,sev

(has 5, rem 1)

TURKEY (Sherwood):

ank,con,smy,gre,bul,tri,ser,

(has 9, bld 1)

bud,tun,rum

Neutral:

none

(Total=34)

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Terry Tallman, 3805 SW Lake Flora Road, Port Orchard, WA 98367, (360) 874-0386 ($8)

ttallman of linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us

ENGLAND: Michael Lowrey, 6503-D Fourwinds Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212-3749, (704) 563-9226

mlowrey of charlotte.infi.net

ENGLAND EMERITUS: Tom Nash, 202 Settlers Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522, (912) 634-1753 ($4)

75763.707 of CompuServe.COM

FRANCE: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 ($10)

Pprosit of execpc.com

GERMANY: Doug Kent, 10214 Black Hickory Rd., Dallas, TX 75243 (214) 234-8386 ($5)

73567.1414 of CompuServe.COM ITALY: Simon Billenness, 452 Park Drive, Apt. 7, Boston, MA 02215, (617) 423-6655 ($5)

sbillenness of frdc.com RUSSIA: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (805) 297-3947

dwilliams of csiway.com

RUSSIA EMERITUS: Ken Peel, 12041 Eaglewood Court, Silver Spring, MD 20902, (301) 949-4055 ($5)

KEN_PEEL of hagel.senate.gov

TURKEY: Keith Sherwood, 8873 Pipestone Way, San Diego, CA 92129, (619) 484-8367

ksher of cts.com or Keith_Sherwood of Intuit.com

TURKEY EMERITUS: Pete Gaughan, 1236 Detroit Av. #7, Concord, CA 94520-3651, (510) 825-2165 ($4)

gaughan of ix.netcom.com

GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287

Game Notes (back from the tropopause): 1) The game specific standby list for this game includes Garret Schenck, Cathy Cunning Ozog, Dick Martin, and Vince Lutterbie in reverse alphabetical order (note that Garret is presently missing, so I am running low on standbys here...). Someone find Mike Mills!! Guest press from potential standbys would be a ``good thing'' if they wanted to be chosen.

2) Anyone failing to submit press for two consecutive turns will be dropped from the game! Although press in this szine is generally black, I will make the exception here that I will say who has NPRed and is ``at risk'' for being dropped. This time we have press from everyone except Michael, Keither, and the Duck. They are ``on the bubble'' for next time!

3) A DIAS and GE (brings good things to life) draw proposals are on the table. Please vote with your Winter orders. Failure to vote vetoes both draws.

Press:

(BOOB to CASABLANCA): You will be safe, I guarantee it. The letters of transit.... when will they be delivered? French, Italians, and Turks are closing in on your position, when will they attempt to arrive??

(ITALY): Fall 1907

(BOOB to SIMON): That was pretty wimpy press, but it did keep you in the game..... anyone else with inane press??

(GERMANY - ENGLAND): Beep beep, boop boop boop, beep beep.

(AUSTRIA to FRANCE): I wrote, I called, I e-mailed all my potential allies who dropped like they deadwood they really are. And of course the mouthy Italian...

(PARIS to ANKARA): Really, Keither...you insult the board with your plodding moves and strategems, and then have the BALLS to whine about how boring the game has gotten?

(TOAD to TRO): Okay, can you support me into Moscow yet? What??!! The German gets it???

(GERMANY - TURKEY): Nudge, nudge.

(AUSTRIA to ALL): The week after Dragonflight I have to go to Sacramento and see a man about a horse but I will be home the last couple of days before the con. But I think this comes out after the con so....

(THE IMPERIOUS ONES IN PARIS): ...and then there's the Russians. Much of this game's alliance structure has been formed in reaction to the Cossack ``threat". Now the only Russian ``threat" is that they are going DOWN too quickly!

(AUSTRIA to LONG SINCE DEAD RUSSIA AND TURKEY): Ok, so we are even for all my dropped games in the mid 80's ok???

AUSTRIA: Josh Smith; ENGLAND: Nick Fitzpatrick; FRANCE: Jim Burgess; GERMANY: John Sloan; ITALY: Danny Loeb; RUSSIA: Rich Shipley; TURKEY: David Kovar.

GM: Mark Nelson, 1st Flr Frt Flat, 3 Kelso Road, Leeds, W. Riding LS2, UK; amt5man of amsta.leeds.ac.uk

I've begun my write-up on Ghods too, but you won't see it for a long time since it won't appear until 1997 KT ends. Then again, 1997 KT could be sailing into the Endgame pretty soon. Anyone want to take odds on whether I will finish my article before Mark finishes his on 1994 KF? I'm still waiting to discover whether my key suppositions were correct that ultimately determined the outcome of the game.

AUSTRIA: Edi Birsan (edi of mgames.com);

ENGLAND: Jamie Dreier (James_Dreier of brown.edu);

FRANCE: John Barkdull (uejon of ttacs1.ttu.edu);

GERMANY: Pitt Crandlemire (pittc of syncon.com);

ITALY: Cal White (diplomat of idirect.com);

RUSSIA: Mark Fassio (jm2365 of exmail.usma.army.mil, fazfam of juno.com);

TURKEY: Hohn Cho (hohncho of kaiwan.com).

GM: Jim Burgess (burgess of world.std.com)

USIN judge: judge of kleiman.indianapolis.in.us

((The main point of this game is to take some successful E-Mail players, some successful FTF tournament players, and some successful PBM players, put them in a game together using the Judge E-Mail technology and see what happens. I will be reprinting all orders and selected broadcast press each issue. Other comments are welcome. If you want to observe the game, in real time, check out the USIN judge.))

Austria: Army Venice SUPPORT French Army Tyrolia - > Trieste. (*cut, dislodged*)

England: Fleet Denmark - > Baltic Sea.

England: Fleet Edinburgh - > Norwegian Sea.

England: Fleet London - > North Sea.

France: Army Marseilles SUPPORT Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean - > Spain (south coast).

France: Army Tyrolia - > Trieste. (*bounce*)

France: Fleet Helgoland Bight - > Holland.

France: Army Berlin - > Prussia.

France: Fleet North Africa - > Western Mediterranean. (*bounce, dislodged*)

France: Army Kiel - > Berlin.

France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean - > Spain (south coast).

France: Army Burgundy - > Munich.

France: Army Piedmont SUPPORT Austrian Army Venice. (*cut, dislodged*)

France: Fleet Brest - > Mid-Atlantic Ocean.

Germany: Army Sweden - > Finland. (*bounce*)

Germany: Fleet Norway - > St Petersburg (north coast). (*bounce*)

Germany: Army Silesia - > Warsaw. (*bounce*)

Italy: Army Rome - > Venice.

Italy: Fleet Tunis - > North Africa.

Italy: Fleet Trieste SUPPORT Army Rome - > Venice. (*cut*)

Italy: Fleet Tuscany - > Piedmont.

Turkey: Army Vienna - > Bohemia.

Turkey: Army Budapest - > Vienna.

Turkey: Fleet Gulf of Lyon SUPPORT Italian Fleet Tuscany - > Piedmont.

Turkey: Fleet Ionian Sea - > Apulia.

Turkey: Fleet Western Mediterranean SUPPORT Italian Fleet Tunis - > North Africa.

Turkey: Fleet Adriatic Sea SUPPORT Italian Army Rome - > Venice.

Turkey: Army Galicia SUPPORT Army Vienna - > Bohemia.

Turkey: Army Serbia SUPPORT Italian Fleet Trieste.

Turkey: Army Moscow - > Warsaw. (*bounce*)

Turkey: Army St Petersburg - > Finland. (*bounce*)

Turkey: Army Sevastopol - > Ukraine.

Turkey: Army Constantinople - > Bulgaria.

Turkey: Fleet Smyrna - > Aegean Sea.

The following units were dislodged:

The Austrian Army in Venice can retreat to Tuscany.

The French Fleet in North Africa with no valid retreats was destroyed.

The French Army in Piedmont with no valid retreats was destroyed.

Austria: Army Venice - > Tuscany.

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1910 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1997

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1910 IS OCTOBER 11TH, 1997

Spring 1910

AUSTRIA (Johnson): a SER h.

FRANCE (Pustilnik): f bre-ENG, a BUR S ITALIAN a mun, a PIE-tyo, f nwy-SKA,

a GAL-rum, f nwg-NWY, f BAR S f nwg-nwy, f bel-NTH, f HEL S a kie,

a KIE h, a RUH S ITALIAN a mun.

GERMANY (Alme): a BER-kie.

ITALY (Williams): a VEN-tri, a TRI-ser, a MUN S FRENCH a pie-tyo,

a GRE S f aeg-bul(sc), f ADR S a ven-tri, a ALB S a tri-ser, f ion-AEG, f aeg-BUL(SC). RUSSIA (Rothenheber): f swe-DEN, a SIL-mun, a stp-MOS, a VIE-gal,

a BUD S a bul-ser, a bul-ser (d ann), a den-PRU, a arm-SEV, a BOH-tyo, a SMY-con,

f BAL C a den-pru, a RUM S a bul-ser, f CON-bul.

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Jonas Johnson, 3649 SE 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97202, (503) 238-4430 ($3) EcidLor of aol.com ENGLAND: John Schultz, #19390, F-E88, Indiana State Prison, PO Box 41, Michigan City, IN 46361-0041.

FRANCE: Michael Pustilnik, 140 Cadman Plaza West, #13J, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (718) 625-0651 ($9)

GERMANY: Hank Alme, 5157 Norma Way #217, Livermore, CA 94550, (510) 606-7265 ($3)

almehj of kristen.llnl.gov

ITALY: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (805) 297-3947 ($5)

dwilliams of csiway.com

RUSSIA: Ed Rothenheber, 11757 Lone Tree Court, Columbia, MD 21044, (410) 740-7269 ($2)

Rothenheber_Ed of bah.com

TURKEY: David Partridge, 15 Elmer Drive, Nashua, NH 03062-1722, (603) 882-3523 ($4)

rebhuhn of juno.com

GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287

Game Notes:

1) The infamous IF draw is still rejected. It is reproposed and if EVERYONE votes for it, it will pass in the Summer season. Recall, that No Vote Received = NO.

Press:

(OFFICIAL FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE QUOTE OF THE SEASON): ``The loss of the center of gravity, resistance to the natural instincts - in one word, `selflessness' - that is what was hitherto called morality. - With the Dawn I first took up the fight against the morality that would unself man.'' [coined by Nietzsche, ``unself'' is intended to echo Lady Macbeth's lament to ``unsex me''] and (in a twofer) ``Among the conditions for a Dionysian task are, in a decisive way, the hardness of the hammer, the joy even in destroying. The imperative, ``become hard!'' the most fundamental certainty that all creators are hard, is the distinctive mark of a Dionysian nature.'' Both quotes are from Ecce Homo, the book which partly describes the intent and background behind all his other books. Each quote is from the last words describing that book, the first in describing the intent of Dawn, of course, and the second of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

(DEAD ENGLAND): IF I'm Russia - no way do I let the IFfy IF pass into IFninity. [cool word - or - should be]

(AUSTRIA-GM): ``Mindnumbing conclusion"? I thought you enjoyed this game.

(BOOB-AUSTRIA): I do, but I'm trying to ``become hard'' ;-)

(JOHN BOY - NIETZSCHE): Once again, Emerson waits... lockdown - you could understand that.

(MR. PARTRIDGE to MR. ROGERS): That's wino you old sot!

(BOOB to AUSTRIA): No, the Wizard cannot be a wino....

(MR. PARTRIDGE to MR. ROGERS): Can you say bonehead? I knew you could.

(DAVY to MOMMY): Mommmeeeee, he called me a name! Waaaaaahh!

(GALLERY): Will the real Mr Partridge please SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!

(WICKED WITCH 1 to WICKED WITCH 2): Can you believe how little they have accomplished since we retired?

(WIZARD to WICKED WITCH): They're just following the ``Yellow'' Brick Road toward the ``Emerald'' City where all wishes will be granted. Hyork, hyork, hyork...

(BOOB to DAF): Speaking of wishes...

(JOHN BOY - DAF): Oh, God! The world has gone to hell in a handbasket!!! I'm a friggin' dinosaur!! Fake tattoos - Harley's as a hobby! $25,000 MOTORCYCLES! Now the lawyers WANT to look like me?!!! Well, at least he rode his bike. I hear tell of whole clubs that trailer their bikes to an event for Chrissakes!!! UNBELIEVABLE!! ((Yes, well, wouldn't want to get your bike scratched or hit by road dust on the highway, would you?)) Hope I can handle the culture shock. Look forward to meeting the guy. God, I'm a friggin' dinosaur! Bucket-o-beer sounds great. Shady spot too - guess that ain't went old fashioned yet. Write me first, o-wonderful-one. Your address is deep in a box at my sister's house. ((You always can get it from me too when you need it. Just let me know. I hope you're not planning to drop out of touch with us here.))

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1914 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1997

Autumn and Winter 1913

FRANCE (Rauterberg): bld f bre, a par, a mar; has f BRE, a PAR, a MAR, a RUH, f SWE, a HOL,

a TYO, a EDI, f ADR, a NAP, a TRI, a VEN, f ION, f APU, f NTH, f TYH.

GERMANY (Zarr): rem a mos, a ukr; has a MUN, a SIL, a BOH, a BER, a KIE,

a VIE, a NWY, f DEN, f HEL.

TURKEY (Johnson): R f ion-AEG; rem a bul; has a ALB, a ARM, f EAS, a BUD,

a SEV, a SER, a RUM, f GRE, f AEG.

Addresses of the Participants

FRANCE: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Drive, Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339

Pprosit of execpc.com

GERMANY: Harold Zarr, 215 Glen Drive, Iowa Falls, IA 50126-1957, (515) 648-2821

RUSSIA: Eric Brosius, 53 Bird Street, Needham MA 02192 ($5)

72060.1540 of CompuServe.COM

TURKEY: Stan Johnson, 1254 East Broadway Road #56, Mesa, AZ 85204, (602) 668-1105

GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287

Game Notes:

1) Nothing this time, but a single press statement from each of the combatants.

Press:

(TURKEY-FRANCE): Let it be War then!

(FRANCE to GERMANY): F Kie-Hel was a nice move, but it cost you vastly too much...or do you entertain a different system of values than mine?

(GER-FRA): We had a good thing going, and would have won. Now, I will do all that I can to help Turkey to win. Whether I survive or not, is of no interest to me now.

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1916 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1997

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1916 IS OCTOBER 11TH, 1997

Spring 1916

AUSTRIA (Davis): a bud-SER, a TRI S a bud-ser, a GAL S GERMAN a war-ukr.

FRANCE (Zarr): a PAR S a gas, a GAS S a mar, f BRE S f mid, a MAR S f spa(nc),

a POR S f spa(nc), f SPA(NC) S f mid, f MID h, f ENG S f mid.

GERMANY (Jones): a ber-SIL, a MOS S a war-ukr, a sil-BOH, a pru-WAR, a LVN S a mos,

a mun-TYO, a bur-BEL, a ruh-MUN, a war-UKR, f bal-DEN, f gob-SWE.

TURKEY (Weiss): f con-AEG, f ank-BLA, a BUL S a ukr-rum, a tus-VEN,

a ser-bud (d r:gre,alb,otb), a ukr-RUM, f GOL S f pie-mar, a SEV S a ukr-rum,

f WES-spa(sc), f NAF-mid, f PIE-mar, f ven-ADR.

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Rick Davis, 2009 Bodega Avenue, Petaluma, CA 94952, (707) 773-1044

redavis914 of aol.com FRANCE: Harold Zarr, 215 Glen Drive, Iowa Falls, IA 50126-1957, (515) 648-2821

GERMANY: Charles Jones, 1722 Quail Circle, Corona, CA 91720-4155, (909) 735-8981

charlesj of redfed.com

RUSSIA: Eric Schlegel, 314 Fords Lane, Aberdeen, MD 21001, (410) 272-3314

TURKEY: Richard Weiss, 231 Guerrero Drive, Tamuning, Guam 96911-3808, (671) 647-3478

rcw of pcinet.com

GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287

Game Notes:

1) The FGAT and a FGT draw are rejected.

2) Note that Charles has an E-Mail address, though he is pretty much an E-Mail rookie, so don't overwhelm him to start.

Press:

(GERMANY >> > WORLD): Seems that the UPS strike, struck my Abyssinian Prince #193. I got the issue on Friday the 22nd and didn't bother to look at it until Sunday the 24th. Only problem I was already late by then. I called Jim and it seems that mail into California sat somewhere. So I would have tried to coordinate my moves with you more, but it was move fast or don't move at all. If you are reading this press it means that my new E-Mail link at work, works. (TURKEY-GM AND PLAYERS): Speed up the game by combining seasons. What kind of crazy sacrilege is that? Dip is supposed to be a slow game. Besides, once this game ends, I either have to get in a new one or pay again or drop out? I know I am a fool, so I won't ask you ``what kind of a fool do you think I am?" but, what KIND of fool do you think I am?

(GERMANY >> > AUSTRIA): As I said above, I would have dropped you a postcard asking for both, support into the Ukraine and how one or the other of us can move the Turkish fleet out of Venice. I don't care who gets the center, just that the Turk loses it.

(TURKEY-AUSTRIA): And I do not want to vote for the 3-way and exclude you, dear old, ex buddy? GERMANY >> > FRANCE): I had to guess where you'd like me to move. I assumed that you may have a use for the fleets so they started heading west. If not let me know and I'll move them elsewhere. I also assumed that you'd like me to back out of Burgundy now. So I did. If not I'll move back, but I assumed that you'd want to use the new army there? Well, anyway let me know, write soon and let me know what your next five year plan is. Mine is to move south and put a push on the Turkish units there. Again, let me know.

(TURKEY-FRANCE): I think building an Army violates your press a few seasons ago when you promised to never build, move, attack, only to be in a defensive shell. Has that Hun got you thinking to do otherwise? And, when he gets bigger by eating me slowly, what do you think will happen to you? Are you prepared to go from a 4-way to a 3-way to a loss? I'm prepared to hope that you don't like that either. (GERMANY >> > TURKEY): I had some press for you. But, you butt, I couldn't maybe next time. (TURKEY-GERMANY): Why did you ever think that I preferred a 3-way draw to a 4-way draw? We're still in the interesting mid-game. Do you want to form an alliance? PS- Did you see the movie Love Jones? I've got them, and not for you.

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1909 IS SEPTEMBER 20TH, 1997

Winter 1909

AUSTRIA (Pustilnik): rem a alb; has a SER, a BUD.

ENGLAND (Hoffman): PLAYS ONE SHORT; has a STP, a LVN, f CLY, a MOS, f NWG, f GOB, f BAR.

FRANCE (James): bld f mar, f bre, a par; has f MAR, f BRE, a PAR, a VEN, f GRE, f EAS, f ADR,

a TRI, a SYR, a VIE, f AEG.

GERMANY (Emmert): bld f kie, f ber, a mun, PLAYS ONE SHORT; has f KIE, f BER, a MUN,

a WAR, a UKR, a BOH, a SEV, a RUM.

RUSSIA (Schultz): has a ANK, a SMY, f CON, a BUL.

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Michael Pustilnik, 140 Cadman Plaza West, #13J, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (718) 625-0651

ENGLAND: Karl Hoffman, 395 Imperial Way #220, Daly City, CA 94015, (415) 991-2394

KarlHoffmn of aol.com

FRANCE: Drew James, 8356 Radian Path, Baldwinsville, NY 13027-9357, (315) 652-1956

dkbn of msn.com

GERMANY: Steve Emmert, 1752 Grey Friars Chase, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, (757) 471-1842

SEMMERT of city.virginia-beach.va.us ITALY: Dan Gorham, PO Box 279, Belmopan, Belize, CENTRAL AMERICA

Danielg of btl.net RUSSIA: John Schultz, #19390, F-E88, Indiana State Prison, PO Box 41, Michigan City, IN 46361-0041 TURKEY: Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202

GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, (401) 351-0287

GM EMERITUS: Garret Schenck, now lost, HELP!

GSchenck39 of aol.com - CANCELLED!

Game Notes:

1) The Western Triple FEG has been reproposed. Please vote with your Spring orders.

Press:

(JOHN-HARRY): Thanks for hangin' in, guy!

(ANDRUSCHAK-EVIL WESTERN TRIPLE): Just because I have no units on the board does not silence me.

(RUSSIA IN EXHILE - THE WESTERN ``DRIVEL''): I'd a had me wiped out long ago with all that superiority. Boringly methodical, you guys!

(TURKEY-FRANCE): Je m'en branle!

(SCHULTZ-JAMES): Actually, I believe you can mark up two for my side. Didn't you predict the same thing for Italy? And I really would have liked to see Turkey survive me. It would have been a more interesting end. ((Don't talk ``end'' too soon....))

(ANDRUSCHAK-GM): Put me back on the standby list again for ``hopeless positions'' of three dots or less. I note that Austria is down to 2 dots in ``Suffren Succotash'' ((for which you are ineligible since you've already played here)) and 3 in ``Columbus Chill'', Austria and Germany have 1 dot each in ``Friedrich Nietzsche'', Germany 2 and England 1 in ``The Hermit''. ((OK, but in general, I don't see ANY position as hopeless. This particular position (the Turk here) was almost there because of the nature of the board position and lack of dynamics at that time. Actually, I find such situations pretty rare. And, if you had survived a little longer here, SOMETHING might have broken...))

(JOHN BOY-GM): I think they're really gonna do it. Still, there could be a double stab on Germany in the works. ((Germany? Care to take another stab at it??))

(ANDRUSCHAK-MUSIC LOVERS): Instead of recommending the best new CD of 1996 or 1997, how about a CD of a re-issue? ((More than OK by me!)) CBS MYK-37810 Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 364; the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell. In this day and age when ``period instruments'' seems to be a code word for sloppy playing, poor musicianship, and ho-hum results, this CD is a reminder of what Szell and the Clevelanders could do as a modern orchestra playing modern instruments when at their top of form. A point to remember when listening to this work is that Mozart wrote the viola part for himself, and played the viola in the initial performances of this work. By the way, this CD also contains one of the best performances of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto for those of you who care about that sort of thing. ((I have a recording of the Clarinet Concerto (which I dearly love) in the kind of performance that Szell probably does by the Vienna Philharmonic, though Szell's work on the Piano Concertos with Brendel and other various pianists is so fine that I might look for this recording just for that anyway. Most of the time, though, I prefer the Stoltzman version with the English Chamber Orchestra which is more ``fun''.))

(ANDRUSCHAK-BURGESS): Atheism is based on unknowable faith? Seems as if you are stretching the definition of ``faith'' there. Unknowable as in ``we do not know if Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, or The Tooth Fairy do not exist, so it takes FAITH to not believe in the existence of Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy''? Duh. Well, if that is your idea of what faith is about, I guess that explains why so many insist that atheism is a religion. ``NOT believing in Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy is a RELIGION!!'' To substitute the word ``God'' for SC, EB, or TF does not make more or less sense to me.

(GM to HARRY): I'm actually pleased David has so carefully described what could have been my argument. David has all of the essential elements of what I would have said back to you. Some of what you said suggests that you really might be a ``show me agnostic''; however, you might choose to disagree with that, so I wouldn't stand on it too strongly. Still, I am not leaping from faith to religion, and SC, EB, and TF, to use your shorthand, are ``fun'' things that belong in an entirely different conceptual place.

(DAVE P to HARRY: PMFJI, but as you say, the more press, the happier Jim is. It's always been my understanding that an atheist is someone who asserts that there is no God, and as such has a fairly rigid belief system. An agnostic is someone who does not believe in God, but does not actively assert that there is no God either. There are several classes of agnostics, the apathetic agnostic (don't know, don't care), the show me agnostic (I've seen no evidence, so I can't believe) and the occam's agnostic (it's simpler to postulate a Universe that has existed forever or just popped into being than it is to postulate a supreme being that has always existed or just popped into being, and then created the universe). Personally, I'm an Occam's Agnostic, although I do believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus because I've got the quarters, eggs and toys to prove they exist! ((And wonderful that you do and your son do!))

(STEVE to HARRY): I thought the only proper answer to the question, ``What do you wear under your kilt?" was ``Me socks, laddie."

Personal Note to You: