THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE #260

June 27, 2002

Produced by Jim Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327 USA, (401)351-0287

Web Page Address: http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html

All of our subszines (Tinamou, Deny Everything, and Houdini Blues) are now accessible via the above web page. This issue we just have a subsubszine from Michael Lowrey of Houdini Blues restarting the game that Mark Kinney was GMing I mentioned a few issues back.

VERY late last second word that Bob Acheson has passed away. I'll say more about this next issue. Bob will be missed greatly and sincere condolences to his brother Doug Acheson and his entire family.

The last two or three issues have been plagued with errors as I sincerely keep hoping that my schedule becomes a bit more manageable. I apologize to all of my loyal players and I'm trying to get more organized real soon. The World Cup ends this weekend. My prediction of a nil-nil overtime shootout win for Germany still stands as a good one. Go ugly! More on that in various places below.

My other big ``time intensive'' news lately was the wedding of my stepson. He just returned from his honeymoon in Amsterdam and they had a great time. We also hosted a ``rehearsal dinner'' for everyone attending the wedding, so the pocketbook has been hit big time. And Charlotte of course designed the most amazing decoration scheme for a rehersal dinner ever. But it all was well worth it. Charlotte brought along a costume design friend who helped her set everything up (it took about four or five hours) and invited him to stay for the wedding. As Charlotte said, ``I have a feeling I might need him on the wedding day too''. Well, Charlotte had worked with the bride to design and build the wedding dress, but the bride managed to forget the headpiece back here in Providence (the wedding was up in Maine) which we only discovered an hour or so before the ceremony. As Charlotte again said, ``I helped, but I was too nervous to do what needed to be done'' and voila, a new headpiece was designed and built in minutes. Theatre people learn how to work this sort of magic, but I can't conceive of it. Since I never saw the original, I didn't even know what happened with this until the next day! As a non-family member, he also brilliantly defused a fight between the bride's mother and the bride (the bride's mother had worn black to a noon garden wedding and daughter was commenting) by kicking the bride's mother out of the room as the bride was getting dressed. Oh, yes, and it poured, so we did the whole thing under a tent (another feature that Charlotte had insisted on) and the wedding party processed across the lawn to the tent under five identical green golf umbrellas that Charlotte had thoughtfully purchased and brought. Oh, yes, and the procession music failed as the CD player refused to operate in the wet. But none of this matters. As I said they had a wonderful honeymoon and that transition is accomplished!

The postal sub price is now $1.50 per issue in the US and Canada, STILL a bargain at twice the price.... but you can double that for other foreign subbers (or $3.00 per issue sent airmail). Players in current games and standbys will continue to get the issues for free, and future game starts (except for Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy, which is free) cost $20.00 ($15.00 for a life of the game subscription and $5 for the NMR Insurance). NOTE: See the revised game start announcements below! When the Postal rate increase goes into effect next issue, I'm probably going to raise that to two bucks, so get renewals in now!

Check out the connections in the Diplomatic Pouch with all of the information you need to play Diplomacy on the Internet at: http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch/

I also have taken over the Postal portion of the Pouch: http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/

and TAP on the web is there at: http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/index.html

where the szine resides in html format. Presently, issues from #190 to the current issue are there, and I will be updating the back issues gradually someday. Also, check out Stephen Agar's more extensive efforts at: http://www.diplomacy-archive.com and http://www.diplomacy.co.uk

David has grabbed and reserved the HIGHLY prized name: www.szine.com!! David Wang's site used to be the best place to follow John Caruso's postal baseball league that I am in. BUT, the site has not been updated as well in recent times. THE place to follow the league now is DICKIE-POO Martin's website: http://www.phantomempire.com where in the ``files'' section, ``baseball'' sub-section, you can see all of the individual and team level stats. Use the Telnet button in the upper left corner, that's the easiest way to do it these days. You need to sign up as a ``member'' to see all of the files. You, too, can chat with John Caruso there, especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Peter Sullivan's subszine is currently ``in stasis", although all the back issues can be accessed via :

http://www.manorcon.demon.co.uk/octopus/index.html

Peter was saying that he would be unlikely to be starting any new games in the Octopus until ``at least the start of 2002." He is now hearby declared to be in official indeterminate stasis and that date is now a ``whenever''. In the meantime, Rip Gooch and Dave Partridge are picking up the choo-choo game slack in TAP. Contact Rip at xyropedes of canada.com or Dave at rebhuhn of rocketmail.com for more info.

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!!

THE SEARCH FOR BERRY RENKEN

Many of you remember Berry very well, he really hasn't been lost for very long, but I think it is time to find him again once and for all. His Bluesmobile E-Mail szine was possibly the best pure E-Mail Diplomacy szine that has ever existed. Philosophy of life, great games, interesting contests, insightful letters, it had it all. Berry disappeared a little over two years ago now. He'd always been talking about running away to the South Seas and he quite possibly has done that. But find him and win the fifty buck prize!!

Feel free to spend the time looking for some of the backlog. Let's get Tom, Bill, Gregory, Kevin, Al, and Jerry found too!!! Note that Brenton Ver Ploeg would love to find Leslie Obata, the woman that Jerry Lucas used as his front too. This could be an easy way toward finding Jerry, though as Brenton notes, who is to say she has the same name now. This is 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 Tom Hurst or Bill Quinn or Gregory Stewart or Kevin Tighe or Jerry Lucas or Al Pearson is ``found'' from now on it is worth $25.

Winners will receive credit for Dip hobby activities that I will pay out as requested by the winner. Subscribe to szines here or abroad, run your own contests, publish a szine, finance a web page, GO TO A DIPLOMACY CONVENTION 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.

Chris Dickson (Thu, 13 Jun 2002 16:35:46)

Hi, Jim!

Please might I suggest Berry Renken as a suitable ``search for" target? As he was a hobby member until relatively recently, theoretically it shouldn't be too hard to find him, but he's completely dropped off the Internet as far as I can tell, which is a shame. You'll probably miss his 'zine, The Bluesmobile, as much as I do. Not sure whether the same ``write to his last known address" tactic will work, but I've sent Christmas cards there from time to time and got no reply. Maybe he is running the transcontinental holiday business of which he dreamed and so somewhere between the Netherlands and China - in which case $50 will be scant reward for finding him. Or maybe he's still subscribed to TAP and just keeping his head down...

I look forward to seeing you at Manorcon in 2004! Just 26 months to go...

((PERFECT choice, Chris. Actually, I've been sending TAP to Berry for two years to his last known address. None have bounced, but neither have pleas for a ``hey, Berry, how are you?" gotten any answer.))

Fair enough. This might just be the easiest ``search for" you ever do, being just a case of ``Berry, write back and I'll send you fifty bucks..."

It's nice to think that Berry's travelling somewhere in the world and that next time he touches base he'll pick up two years' worth of hobby stuff. No idea whether this has any basis in reality, though.

((I thought Bluesmobile was the only really successful E-mail/internet Diplomacy szine to date (with apologies to some great efforts in psychozine and Tom Tweedy's group). It really brought people together and has not been replaced.))

I don't think the tech is a stumbling block. There's probably a very high correlation between ``people who would make great postal zine editors" and ``people who would make great e-zine editors". There are some decent RR zines out there - but none with the pace, the chat or the charm which made the Bluesmobile work so well. There's no reason why there couldn't be, though, it's just a matter of waiting for the right person with the right motivation to come along.

All the best, Chris, chris of dickson.demon.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION EXCHANGE NEWS

The British representative is the editor of Mission From God, John Harrington. John may be contacted at 1 Churchbury Close, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 3UW, UK.

E-Mail: fiendish of operamail.com, John.Harrington of tfeurope.com

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 or in GBP to John if you're doing things from that end. 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.

We have added a European continental representative, most of this traffic likely will occur between Ronald Camstra (in the Netherlands) and John Harrington, but if anyone here in the US wants to get money into Euros, we'll try to help you out. Ronald Camstra can be contacted at siedler of zonnet.nl and his home address is: Wielingenplein 48, 3522 PE Utrecht, the Netherlands. But in Holland it is most common not to send checks but to transfer money by bank. Dutch people can pay directly to Postbankaccount 4652247 of Ronald Camstra in Utrecht. Since he can see the name and address of the sender in his bankreceipt, people only have to mention the name of the zine and the editorial address along with their bank order. Ronald is obviously a huge Settlers of Catan fan. If you're interested in playing that game internationally by mail, I think Ronald can help you out.

We also have reopened a branch office of the International Subscription Exchange in Australia!! Brendan Whyte, the publisher of the excellent szine Damn the Consequences will be doing the honors, taking over in some sense from John Cain, who was the Australian rep for many years. You can contact Brendan to sub to Australian szines from the US or to sub to US szines from Australia, converting Australian dollars into American ones. We are now maneuvering deals to Europe from the other reps as well. You can find Brendan Whyte at b.whyte of pgrad.unimelb.edu.au (same university where John Cain works!) or by mail to send checks at: Geography Dept., University of Melbourne, Vic 3010, AUSTRALIA. This should help out my Australian subbers!!

WORLDMASTERS00 SECTION (with other Tournament Info)

Worldmasters 2000 Email Diplomacy Tournament Finals Underway!! The Norwegians ARE leading!!! This is popping out about how I might have predicted. The dark horses and the Eggs are suffering early.

This is possibly the most prestigious and hard fought E-Mail tournament around (only challenged by Doug Massey's Vermont Group Tournaments or the Australian E-Mail Tournament), now with FOUR full rounds. The final players (with current SC standing, which is what counts in a C-Diplo based tournament) are:

AUSTRIA: Jack Brawner - Find Jack at TrojanOwl of aol.com, and he has 5 centers at the end of 1903.

ENGLAND: Mike Weinzimer - Find Mike at mweinzimer of yahoo.com, and he has 5 centers at the end of 1903.

FRANCE: Erlend ``Joe'' Janbu - Find Joe at janbu of online.no, and he has 6 centers at the end of 1903.

GERMANY: Douglas Vaughan - Find Douglas at vaughan4 of mindspring.com, and he has 5 centers at the end of 1903.

ITALY: Egbert ``Egg'' Ferreira - You can find Egg at egbert of salavip.com.br, and he has 3 centers at the end of 1903.

RUSSIA: Darren Koch - You can find the Aussie Darren at koch_family of bigpond.com, and he has 4 centers at the end of 1903.

TURKEY: Frank Johansen - Find Frank at frank.johansen of diplomacy.no, and he has 6 centers at the end of 1903.

The wondrous Peter Richardson pjrich of ntlworld.com is the GM. If you want to follow the game, send an E-Mail to mailserver of cat23.com with the following message:

subscribe wm00-results

The play is starting to sharpen up now as France is attacking Italy and Turkey is attacking Russia. The history of the WorldMasters tournament is that it is not necessarily THE best player who wins, but the format and style seem to reward effort. The player who works the hardest likely will win. That's one thing you can say about Egg, he always works HARD on the game, yet he is presently ``losing''. I know lots of you can't stand C-Diplo, but that's the way it works....

DIPDOM NEWS SECTION (with letters)

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.

The game Diplomacy is a copyrighted product owned by Hasbro and all reproductions or other use of that material in this szine is intended to be personal use and not infringe on those rights in any way. All reproductions are done at a heavy financial loss to the editor and thus are without the remotest possibility of commercial intent, except to promote THE game, the Game of Diplomacy, which you all should purchase from Hasbro or other duly licensed distributors.

In what I believe is a RECENT change, Hasbro also has been putting the rules to Diplomacy up on their web page along with rules for most of their other games. Not only that, but they have the ``current'' as well as an older version of the rules there. Stephen Agar has matched that and more with some of the even older rulebooks. Check these out if you like:

http://www.hasbro.com/default.asp?x=cc_gameandtoyinstructions

http://www.hasbro.com/instruct/Diplomacy.PDF

http://www.hasbro.com/instruct/Diplomacy(OlderVers).PDF

Nice of them to make BOTH of these available. And all seven different US rulebooks for Diplomacy can now be found here courtesy of Stephen Agar:

http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/old_rulebooks.htm

Check out the new Diplomacy World - www.diplomacyworld.org

The new Spring issue is now out!!! For future issues, I'm also still looking for WRITERS!!! Please!!! You don't want me to turn into Larry Peery, do you?? But thanks to Larry for an article that appears in this latest issue.

If you want to subscribe in paper form at $3 per issue, North American subs should be sent to David Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033, USA. Stephen Agar is handling international postal subscriptions and you can write to him at: 47 Preston Drove, Brighton, BN1 6LA, UK. Issues from Stephen will cost you 2 GBP in the UK and 3 GBP for the rest of the world. Or subscribe electronically at diplomacyworld at Yahoo Groups!

The 2002 Hobby Awards Ballot is out. If you are reading this on the Internet, then go to the ballot at: http://devel.diplom.org/DipPouch/Postal/Zines/TAP/BALLOT02.html and if you're seeing it postally and missed it last issue, ask me for another one. Please send me your votes by the Sept. 1 deadline. This is a great ballot and take advantage of the web links to look at some of the nominees.

Mike Dean (Wed, 26 Jun 2002 22:54:34)

Jim, Could you do me a favour and give psychopath a plug in TAP next issue? ((PLUG!!!))

In particular I am trying my damndest to get players for two variants: Crowded Dip and Abstraction II. ((If you like these variants, contact Mike, see below!!))

I'd be very grateful if you could see if any of your readership is interested in playing - but it might be worth reminding them that the Crowded game is run to 2-seasons and Abstraction II will require retreats to be ordered each season (ie after each month).

Cheers, MIKE, mike.dean of psychozine.co.uk

psychopath webzine: http://www.psychozine.co.uk

((PS: In other words, Mike is obviously a Brit and plays to some Brit styles.... give it a go!))

MUSIC AND MOVIES SECTION (WITH COMMENTS ON OTHER ARTS AND SOCIETY)

Tell me anything you like about the year of 2000 or 2001 in music. List a top two, a top ten, or a top 100, I don't care, just tell me something!! Mine will continue soon!!! Really, it will. And it will continue to be a joint 2000 and 2001 issue. More recently, there is a new Cornershop CD out, and second listenings still say: stunning! More on that to come.

Steve Emmert (Thu, 27 Jun 2002 12:15:09)

You describe FIFA's worst nightmare (a shootout in the finals), but I think there's a very good chance you'll be right. Oliver Kahn has been playing lights-out in goal lately. Germany's offense will be hampered a bit by the absence of Ballack from the finals (SIX assists!), but with Klose and especially Jancker, I think they'll score. Brazil has the best attack Germany will have seen in this tournament; the Germans really have had a comparatively easy road to the finals, with Paraguay, the US, and Korea in their way. Jim, I do think someone will score, despite the natural tendency to play carefully in a big game like this.

The irony of this is that, as strong as these two sides look right now, you never would have picked them to make it this far if you'd wagered several months ago. Brazil struggled mightily just to get out of CONMEBOL qualifying, eventually finishing third, but for a while they were in real danger of finishing fifth and having to win a play-in round against Australia. (Uruguay got that task, and beat the Aussies.) As for Germany, they were still smarting from a September 1 massacre at the hands of the English, 5-1, when the groups were announced. This team isn't regarded as being as dominant as past German sides, but they unquestionably belong, as do the Brazilians.

I am a little disappointed that none of the dark-horse entries made it to the finals; I tire of seeing the same old superpowers play for the Cup (although Germany and Brazil, with I think seven Cups between them, have apparently never met in the finals before). I do agree with something Bruce Arena said before the quarterfinal match with Germany: "The gap is narrowing." The non-traditional powers are getting better, and while a finals matchup between, say, China and Ghana won't happen soon, I do think we will soon see some lesser-known soccer powers seriously contesting for the Cup. This year's tournament is a good indicator; I never dreamed that Korea would make it to the semifinals, or that France, Argentina, and Portugal would get early tickets home. (I HAD picked the Turks to go a long way, so I take some small credit for prescience there. But my finals picks, Argentina over Italy, are less laudable.)

Steve, lsemmert of sykesbourdon.com

((You are dead wrong about your World Cup prediction, but I recognize this is the prevailing ``expert view". It is my contrarian opinion that they desperately want the ``clean, pretty football" solution to the game, but they will get everything it its ugliness. It will be nil-nil going to that shootout. And, there Germany will win. Also, Brazil and Germany have NEVER met in the World Cup at any level of play. It is a bit classic, don't you think? The classic pretty boys vs. the classic clunkers?))

Steve Langley (Sun, 23 Jun 2002 20:51:40 EDT)

``Minority Report" = = = a movie

Stephen Spielberg and Tom Cruise have put together a solid piece of Science Fiction. I like the idea of Malls having a consumer database that allows them to target advertising to specific customers as they move through the shopping areas. That looks like a prediction that will come true. On the other hand the future cars that join together into mass transit seemed a bit of a stretch.

``John Anderton" (Tom Cruise) is the top enforcement officer in an experimental unit that has stopped homicide as a crime in Washington D.C.. Through precognitive science the cops are able to arrest the murderer before the crime has been committed. The experiment is such a success the Federal Government has decided to take it over and take it national.

A Federal Agent steps in to observe. Just as he does a crime is predicted. The prediction is that John Anderton is going to murder a man in two days. Anderton refuses to accept the prediction. But in his refusal he casts doubt, in his own mind at least, on everything he has done over the past six years.

The movie, with a lot of fascinating detail, shows how these doubts are resolved.

Great movie.

Steve, Steflan of aol.com

((I agree that the technology is cool, though I resent the invasion of privacy in the ``targeting of commercials'' as you walk through stores. I agree it might happen though. I thought the general themes of civil rights hit home hard in today's world, and in a United States with an Attorney General like Ashcroft. Lots to think and to debate about - you won't soon forget some of the searing images. Another thing to think about from the movie, the battle between ``suburban sprawl and the concentration needed to make mass transit systems work". Steve doesn't say if he believes the technology of the mass transit system shown to be unlikely, or whether he believes we are unlikely to slot ourselves into giant beehives. One notes that there seems to be LOTS of free open space outside of the cities, in beautiful settings. A question to ask is whether society is willing to accept something like that? Should it force it or desire it?))

John Harrington (Fri, 28 Jun 2002 18:24:24)

Jim,

Some general chit-chat.

A couple of issues back you had a letter from Bob Osuch detailing his favourite albums which were mostly from the seventies and early eighties. I am guessing that Bob, like me, was born in the fifties. I own quite a few of the albums he listed as his favourites, namely:

Spirit's ``12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus".

I cannot believe this album is currently unavailable on CD. It's definitely on my Desert Island Discs list. A tremendous blend of blues, pop, jazz and rock from a similar era and a similar locale as Love's ``Forever Changes" but for my money this album is considerably better, even if it does lack the one stand-out track which ``Forever Changes" has. I mentioned Dr. Sardonicus in a game report in my Fantasy Football zine and of the 13 managers in the game 3 wrote in to agree what a great album it is, so it is definitely not as obscure as Bob believes.

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

Practically de rigeur for any male born in the fifties to own this album, surely?

Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones

My favourite Stones album too, although even after all these years I still think of the Stones as a singles band.

Rock & Roll Animal - Lou Reed

Great band, shame about Lou Reed. I think the band went on to back Alice Cooper. I agree that the guitar work is very strong but disagree about Reed's vocals. This is essentially a hard rock album and I don't think that is Reed's forte; in fact, I wonder what the hell he was doing pandering to the stadium rock crowd? Perhaps album sales were down and he was feeling insecure? I would not go as far as Bob and claim it is the best live album ever. The Who ``Live At Leeds" is the album most often given that accolade in these parts (and I am not just saying that because the death of John Entwistle was announced today) whilst if one is purely going on the basis of dual guitar work then Thin Lizzy's ``Live and Dangerous" matches it in my view. My own personal favourite live album is ``Free Live" but there must be dozens and dozens of great live albums from Muddy Waters all the way up to the present day. ((Yes, and we are very sorry to see John Entwhistle gone. He was the gentleman of the band... not that he had much competition.))

Loaded - The Velvet Underground

Now this is the Lou Reed I know and love. A very clever album in which the band apes a different contemporary musical style on every track. As Bob mentioned, take away this album and half the punk bands in the world would probably never have got started (come to think of it, just take away ``Sweet Jane" and the same applies). Hard to believe that the Lou Reed sweetly singing ``Who Loves the Sun" in a pastiche of the Loving Spoonful/West Coast hippie-drippy sound is the same guy who wrote and sang ``Heroin".

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

I probably would have bought this back in the seventies except there was no need to. In Britain every person under the age of 30 (except me, obviously) owned it and it was played constantly on Radio Caroline (a pirate radio station that broadcast from a ship in the North Sea, outside territorial waters). It stayed in the UK charts for something like 134 weeks, a feat only surpassed at the time by the massively turgid Tubular Bells. I don't know if the band Coldplay is making any impression in the US but here in the UK they are doing quite well with their sub-Dark Side Floyd inspired wittering. I prefer the real thing myself. Maybe I will end up owning the album one day. ((Yeah, I own it, but almost never play it. I heard ``Tubular Bells" in a store the other day and it is amazing how poorly it has held up. I really did like it in its time.))

Harvest - Neil Young

The old whiner. What is it with harmonica sucking singer-songwriters? Young's voice is easily as idiosyncratic as Dylan's and both artists' early stuff is very stripped down as if to force you to concentrate on the songs. Whereas a lot of Dylan's songs get covered and covered well, no one seems to be able to do a Young song quite as well as Neil Young. Incidentally, Neil Young's back catalogue is not exactly understocked but if there are any Neil Young fans out there desperate for more of that sort of thing then Ian McNabb, former leading light of the Icicle Works, seems to be gradually metamorphosising into Young, even to the extent of touring with Crazy Horse 6 or 7 years ago. McNabb's ``Head Like A Rock" is the most Young-like of his albums, but that's hardly surprising as Crazy Horse play on it.

Perhaps of more interest are the albums Bob likes that I don't.

I am sure there are many fanatical Grateful Dead fans in the UK but as a national phenomenon they seem to have passed Britain by. Aside from the efforts of the aforementioned Radio Caroline (a radio station that had its heyday in the sixties and which sailed through the seventies as if it were still the sixties) I don't recall the Dead getting much airplay. I may be wrong but I get the impression the Dead's appeal went hand in hand with dope culture and that never took off to any great extent in Britain where ``pub culture" is more strongly rooted. I haven't heard much Dead stuff but I always imagine it to be full of long rambling guitar solos which is something I can do without. ((I remember when I was a college station radio DJ in the seventies the staff pretty much split evenly into those who NEVER played the Dead (I was in that camp) and those who ALWAYS played the Dead. Today I am less extreme on this point, but it really was a polarizer there for awhile.))

King Crimson were a band I lumped into the pomp-rock category, perhaps unfairly. I always regarded people who liked Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant, Moody Blues, Genesis, Greenslade, Soft Machine and Caravan as pretentious ponces back in my teens cos I was into hard rock. ((That would be me. Actually, I found most of what these bands produced to be relatively pedestrian and moved out another level of pomp to Nektar, Synergy, Klaus Schulze, and Stomu Yamashta (the record ``Go Live from Paris'' might be a touchstone here, featuring Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve, Klaus Schulze, Al DiMeola, Brother James, AND Karen Freidman on vocals!).)) To be honest, I have not changed my opinion of the bands a great deal but I am a lot less inclined to be snooty about other people's music tastes. In The Court of the Crimson King was another Radio Caroline favourite - or at least the title track was. Despite all the fiddly showing off with time changes and stop-start rhythms the title track is an impressive piece of music and maybe I should have given the rest of the album a chance but the presence of flute on just about any album was off-putting to me in those days! Again, I would not class this album as obscure but I am speaking from a British perspective.

Abbey Road may be Bob's favourite Beatles album but with the exception of Let It Be and the hideously over-rated Sgt. Pepper I'd grade it as my least favourite. Although I haven't listened to it in a long time and have never owned it I look at the track listing and think ``filler ... filler ... filler .... B side ... filler". To be sure the Fab Four's fillers are better than most band's staple fare, but for me Revolver and Rubber Soul are the two best Beatles' albums. It may be an unfashionable view to rate the early Merseybeat stuff such as ``With the Beatles" as better than Abbey Road but I personally really enjoy the naivety and energy of the band's early stuff.

In the same issue (TAP 256) someone was eulogising about Flo & Eddie. I don't have the Best of Flo & Eddie but I do have the best of the Turtles and what a stonkingly good album it is too! I would not, for one moment, suggest that the Turtles' contribution to popular music in any way approaches that of Brian Wilson but I do feel that the Beach Boys' back-catalogue has been recycled so many times that it has lost its freshness, so when I want to listen to summery vocal harmonies I reach for the Turtles every time. Unlike the Beach Boys' high-pitched harmonies I don't find the Turtles' harmonies as wearing so I never tire of their songs. Plus I seem to be going through a ``swing" phase (no, I have not forgotten my promise to review the Louis Jordan 6 CD set) and the Turtles really swing; I suspect they were jazz musicians at heart. ((And I won't let you forget. My favorite Louis Jordan is ``Rockin' and Jivin' 1956/57 Vol. 1'', music done at Mercury just before the time I was born. I have a 1986 German reissue version of this on vinyl.))

I can't comment on Paul Revere and the Raiders as so far as I know they made zero impact in the UK, which is perhaps not surprising given the origin of the band's name! Were they anything like the Young Rascals? ((Not really, my brother loved them, so I tried hard to hate them. I didn't quite succeed, they're OK - more general British Invasion knockoff. I can't see how there would be any call for it back in Britain.))

Ah well, time for me to go home. Perhaps I just have time to comment anon on the passing of John Entwistle, a rock solid bassist in the world's second best Mod band*. I can't say I am deeply saddened by his death; 57 is not a bad age and the band's best days were well behind them, but I shall remember him and the Who with a good deal of fondness. My brother, who is 5 years older than me, took me to see the Who when I was 18. Prior to that any contact my brother and I had usually entailed me annoying the hell out of him and him kicking the crap out of me, and that concert is representative of the start of a much more cordial brotherly relationship which I am happy to say has lasted ever since, so I would always have a soft spot for the band even if they had not written some of the best rock music ever written. What must it have been like to have written something so brilliant and significant as ``Won't Get Fooled Again?" by your late twenties? All downhill from here, chaps! No wonder Townshend always looked so miserable.

* Not that the Who were really a Mod band, that was just a publicity pose. Certainly real Mods would never listen to a white rock band - with one exception, that being the Small Faces - as their standard fare would have been r&b, bluebeat and ska.

Regards, John, John.Harrington of tfeurope.com

((Ah, so you ALSO liked P.P. Arnold.... ;-) tee, heh, heh. RIP John Entwhistle.))

LAWYERS: THE AMATEUR DIVISION - 2000G - GUEST GM: RUSS RUSNAK

2000G, No Lawyers Welcome, Fall 1911

Austria Bob Osuch ROsuch4082 of aol.com A SMYRNA Hold, A Bohemia - MUNICH, A TYROLIA Sup A Budapest -Trieste A Budapest - TRIESTE, A VIENNA Support Army Budapest - Trieste A Trieste - ALBANIA, A GREECE Support Army Trieste - Albania A SERBIA Support Army Greece, A BULGARIA Support Army Greece F CONSTANTINOPLE - Aegean Sea

France Paul Rauterberg trauterberg of wi.rr.com F WALES - London, F ENGLISH CHANNEL Support F Wales - London F BELGIUM - North Sea, F NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN - Liverpool A BURGUNDY - Munich, A PIEDMONT support Italian Army Venice

Italy Jim Burgess burgess of TheWorld.com F Albania - IONIAN SEA, F Ionian Sea-TYRRHENIAN SEA, F ADRIATIC SEA hold, F ADRIATIC SEA Support Army Venice, ordered twice A Spain - PORTUGAL, A VENICE Support FRENCH Army Piedmont F AEGEAN SEA unordered, hold

Russia Brendan Mooney bkmooney of comcast.net A HOLLAND - Belgium, A Munich -RUHR, A KIEL Support Army Munich - Ruhr A BERLIN Support Austrian Army Bohemia - Munich, F IRISH SEA - Liverpool A SILISIA Support Austrian Army Bohemia - Munich, F NORTH SEA - London F YORKSHIRE Support Fleet North Sea - London, F NORWAY - North Sea F EDINBURGH Support Fleet Norway - North Sea, A SYRIA Hold

PRESS

VIE-PAR & ROM: Having looked over your fine position a second time I reconsidered your generous offer, and ``NAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Winter 1911 adjustments due Thursday, June 20

Spring 1912 orders due on Wednesday, July 10

Winter 1911 supply center chart

Austria 11 + 1 Smyrna, Contantinople, Vienna, Budapest, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ankara, Trieste, Rumania, Munich

France 5 - 1, lost Holland Brest, Paris, London, Belgium, Marseilles

Italy 6 even Rome, Naples, Venice, Tunis, Spain, Portugal

Russia 12 + 1 took Holland Berlin, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol, Sweden, Denmark, Warsaw, Norway, Liverpool, Moscow, Edinburgh, Kiel, Holland

2000G, No Lawyers Welcome, Winter 1911

Austria Bob Osuch ROsuch4082 of aol.com Standby Marc Peters madpeters of earthlink.com NBR Has A Smyrna, A Munich, A Tyrolia, A Trieste, A Vienna, A Albania, A Greece, A Serbia, A Bulgaria, F Constantinople

France Paul Rauterberg trauterberg of wi.rr.com Remove A Piedmont Has F Wales, F Channel, F Belgium, F North Atlantic, A Burgundy

Italy Jim Burgess burgess of TheWorld.com Has F Ionian, F Tyrrhenian, F Adriatic, A Portugal, A Venice, F Aegean

Russia Brendan Mooney bkmooney of comcast.net Build A St Petersburg Has A Holland, A Ruhr, A Kiel, A Berlin, F Irish Sea, A Silisia, F North F Yorkshire, F Norway, F Edinburgh, A Syria, A St Petersburg

Spring 1912 orders due on Wednesday, July 10

Russ Rusnak 1551 High Ridge Parkway Westchester, Il 60154 GM 708 409-0718 RRRRRUSNAK of AOL.com

Bob Osuch 19137 Midland Ave. Mokena, Il. 60448 AUSTRIA 708 478-3885 ROsuch4082 of aol.com

Bruce Linsey PO Box 234 Kinderhook, NY 12106 ENGLAND GonzoHQ of aol.com

Paul Rauterberg 3116 W. Amer. Dr. Greenfield, WI 53221 FRANCE 414-691-4264 trauterberg of wi.rr.com

Mike Barno 634 Dawson Hill Road Spencer, NY 14883 GERMANY 607 589-4906 mpbarno of lightlink.com

Jim Burgess 664 Smith Street Providence, RI 02908 ITALY 401 351-0287 burgess of world.std.com

Brendan Mooney bkmooney of comcast.net RUSSIA

THE ABYSSINIAN PRINCE GAMES SECTION

``So I called up George and he called up Jim, I said let's make a deal.

He said he'd talk to him. Gonna start a church where you can save yourself,

You can make some noise, When you've got no choice...

You told me useful things, what people think of me, I guess I should thank you.

It's true, then I agree... I'm all alone, I've got no choice,

I'm all alone, I've got no choice."

From ``Got No Choice" by the incomparable Mark Cutler, from the CD Mark Cutler and Useful Things.

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. FAX orders to (401) 277-9904 if you let me know in advance to be sure the fax machine is set up.

I am continuing to note cut or failed support orders with a small ``s'' instead of a capital ``S''. This will make it easier on the E-Mailed version of the szine to see what happened, since the italics don't show there. The italics DO show on the web page just fine. I have been getting complaints and suggestions for doing underlines. Underlines are really hard to do and I've become attached to italics but I am considering this as carefully as I can. I tried an experiment but got no comments on it, so I'm going back to what I did before. In the experiment, you CAN'T tell on the html web page version or in the E-Mailed version what supports were cut and moves fail. I admit it looks a bit better in the printed version, but there you can see the italics pretty well too, can't you?

Standby lists:

Bruce Linsey, Mike Barno, Dick Martin, Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Glenn Petroski, Steve Emmert, Mark Kinney, Vince Lutterbie, Eric Brosius, Paul Rauterberg, Heath Gardner, Phil Reynolds, Paul Kenny, Dan Gorham, and John Schultz stand by for regular Diplomacy.

Brad Wilson, Jack McHugh, Jim Sayers, and Kurt Ozog stand by for the Modern Diplomacy game.

Harold Reynolds was my standby for Colonia and I have had to put him into the game. Help, more are needed for this game, maps are provided for free by me.... I really need another person here!!!

Let me know if you want on or off these lists, especially OFF. Standbies get the szine for free and receive my personal thanks.

GAME OPENING INFORMATION

We've got lots of openings in the subszines, check them out!!! I'll get serious about starting something else here as other games end. I plan to start a game of the variant I designed, Spy Diplomacy, as soon as the Colonia game ends. Early signups for that are allowed. I know Mike Barno was in the first one I ran here many, many years ago. Who else was in that game who is still around?? You also can sign up early for the next Breaking Away game, I'll start another of those as this one ends very soon.

John Harrington is offering to guest GM a game of Office Politics. Any interest in that?? Let me or John know! Jody McCullough is still interested, anyone else?

Also, I am going to design some postal rules for Devil Take the Hindmost, and Chris Lockheardt is pulling out of that opening too, so I need three players. Eoghan Barry is signed up. Postal rules from me will be forthcoming shortly, on my never ending to-do list. I will get them in SOON! I'm more likely to get these things started if I see some interest..... Eoghan is getting tired of waiting....

Right now, the other thing I am contemplating getting going is the Modern Diplomacy game with Wings. Rick Desper is the only one signed up for that.

Stephen Agar runs a British Diplomacy mailing list at: http://www.diplomacy.co.uk

and if you are interested, contact Stephen Agar at stephen of meurglys.com or join the Brit hobby mailing list at (aw, you guessed it, another new address): http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/

I CAN'T FIND MY MONEY!: 2001F, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1902 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1903 IS AUGUST 3RD, 2002

Autumn 1902

AUSTRIA (Lockheardt): has a RUM, a SER, a BUL, a WAR, f GRE.

ENGLAND (Heikkinen): has f IRI, f NTH, f ENG, f MID, a NWY.

FRANCE (Mitchell): R f POR; has a PIC, f BRE, f POR, a GAS, a BEL.

GERMANY (Sayers): R a bel-HOL, a ber-kie (imp, otb); has f DEN, a HOL, a BUR.

ITALY (Méhkeri): has a TYO, f ION, f EAS, a MUN, a TUN.

RUSSIA (Desper): has f BER, a MOS, a PRU.

TURKEY (Miller): has f AEG, f CON, a SEV.

Supply Center Chart

AUSTRIA (Lockheardt):

TRI,BUD,VIE,ser,gre,rum,bul,war

(has 5, bld 3)

ENGLAND (Heikkinen):

LON,LVP,EDI,nwy

(has 5, rem 1)

FRANCE (Mitchell):

BRE,PAR,MAR,spa,por,bel

(has 5, bld 1)

GERMANY (Sayers):

KIE,swe,hol,den

(has 3, bld 1)

ITALY (Méhkeri):

ROM,VEN,NAP,tun,mun

(has 5, even)

RUSSIA (Desper):

MOS,STP,ber

(has 3, even)

TURKEY (Miller):

ANK,SMY,CON,sev

(has 3, bld 1)

Neutral:

none

(Total=34)

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Chris Lockheardt, 54 Butler Avenue, Maynard, MA 01754, +1 978-897-1547

clockheardt of yahoo.com

ENGLAND: Allan Heikkinen, c/o S.HELEY, 7 / 77 Phillip Street, Waterloo, NSW 2017, AUSTRALIA

aheikkin of ram.net.au

FRANCE: Adam Mitchell, 19 Hollin Park Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 2NS, GREAT BRITAIN,

044 113 2650752 or + 01144 from US, heather.taylor of virgin.net (yes, that's really his)

GERMANY: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA

jimp of magna.com.au

ITALY: Dan Méhkeri, 26 DeQuincy Blvd, North York, Ontario, M3H 1Y5, CANADA, +1 416-631-0492

fool of kvack.org

RUSSIA: Rick Desper, 319 West Side Dr., #102 Gaithersburg, MD 20878

(301) 977-7691, rick_desper of yahoo.com

TURKEY: Tim Miller, 5454 South Shore Drive, Apt. 222, Chicago, IL 60615, +1 773-834-4597

btmiller of uchicago.edu

GM: Jim-Bob Burgess, 664 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908-4327, +1 401-351-0287

burgess of world.std.com

Game Notes:

1) I really, really screwed up. Let me give you all a time line here, not because it serves any real purpose, but because I feel guilty and so feel I should serve some penance through some self-flagellation. Both of the last two issues have been extremely rushed through some personal and professional issues going on. Some of those issues have been outlined here. Anyway, back in issue #258, I made the big mistake. You see, the text of the szine stores hundreds and hundreds of notes to myself all the time. Then I comment them out so that they aren't printed and you all can't see them. Moreover, rather than having ``E-Mail folders" this actually is where I store the E-Mails themselves when you all send in orders! This is immensely easier for me (just carrying around one giant file) and then it all is in the right place so I can work incrementally on the szine any time I have a chance. Well, the problem is: what if you forget to comment something out that isn't supposed to be printed? I do this about once every four or five years and then it ``scares me straight''. Another problem... my work computer blocks access to all non-work related web pages, including the Pouch and all of TAP. So, when I'm at work (and I'm here far more often than I should be) I can't go look at back TAP's. Even when I'm home, I frequently use a computer (especially very early in the morning or late at night when Charlotte is sleeping) whose modem is broken, but it's great for just typing. One more factor, I always adjudicate the games first and then work in and organize the press at the end. The press gets thrown into the middle of the file and then I clean it up. Well, so what happened? Working on Issue 258, I forgot to comment out Rick's early submitted orders and failed to notice it. You all can see that they were published. But NO one directly told me about this. Fool and Rick had a back and forth discussion that included me before the deadline for Issue 259 (I don't feel at liberty to disclose the details, but it left me ``knowing that Fool knew what Rick was doing, that Rick knew that Fool knew what he was doing, and Rick and Fool not seeming overly concerned about it". I had no idea (and Rick didn't either participating in the same discussion) at this point that I had made a mistake. After the deadline for Issue 259, I adjudicated the game as usual. Then I got up at about 4:30AM one day to try to finish plugging in the press. I wanted to print the szine that day at work and get to the copier right after work. There were statements in there that seemed to indicate that I might have made the error that I did make. But I wasn't sure and I had no way to check right then (working on the ``modemless computer". I made a mental note to think about this later, but didn't have a chance to log on or go to the main computer that has all the files on it before going off to work. Then at work, I looked at my E-Mail and went back to the conversation with Fool and got confused again the other way. I thought, ``hey, maybe I didn't make a mistake" but Fool somehow revealed Rick's orders to Austria and generated Austria's press. But I didn't have time to go back and change the press and from work I couldn't look at the TAP web page. Plus, work was really, really busy so I hardly was thinking about it all day. When the end of the day came (and by the way because of time away etc. if I didn't print the szine RIGHT then, it would have been delayed another full week), I just printed it. BIGGER mistake. I should have delayed the game then. Well, we can't go back, but we can take a break so that I can make this mea culpa to ALL the players, you all can reconsider the game on the board and what happened; and then Winter will be due in a few weeks. And if I am not a TOTAL and complete idiot, all of your advance Winter orders for next turn above are properly commented out. To move the game forward a LITTLE bit, we have run the Autumn retreats this issue. That leaves Winter builds and removals for next issue. Again, I'm sorry, I can't think of anything else I can do to make up for this. I hope everyone sticks with the game and plays it out as it lies. I'm sure I won't make that mistake again now for a few years, so for the life of this game you're all safe. ASIDE to AUSTRIA: You didn't technically do anything illegal, but I would have preferred it if you told me right away what I had done, but it was your call. Now, I'm SURE I will get at least as much press abuse as any other player!!! I'm just going to let this amazing sequence of press run uninterrupted by my inanity.

Press:

(BARON to MARY HART ON THE SIDEWALK OUTSIDE OF GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATER): Yes, Mary, it has been a very hectic couple of weeks. You spend your whole life working for something, but when you actually achieve it, no one is more surprised than yourself. But the support I've received from people on the street-the letters, the e-mails, the autograph requests-has been everything I've dreamed of and even the controversy can't spoil the dream.

(BARON to DAN RATHER VIA SATELLITE FEED FROM CANNES, FRANCE): I'm sorry, Dan, it is very hard to understand you over the link with that speech impediment of yours. Oh, that's not you, it's the other guy? Well, maybe it's the Canadian accent. Even Canadians without speech impediments are difficult to understand most of the time. What? That's the third guy? Well, maybe it's the frequency . . . hey, that's funny? Get it? What's the frequency, Dan? Get it?

(BARON to DAVID LETTERMAN IN FRONT OF A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE): The people in the game, Dave, are just ordinary people-not like that last guest you had on! The green room was feeling a little small to me by the time he was called to come on. Anyways, Dan, Tim, Heather, even Jim-Bob, you wouldn't even look at them twice-well, maybe Heather, she's quite the stunner-if you passed them on the street. We're not playing the game to make ourselves different from everyone else. We may end up that way, but that's not what we're in the game for. Maybe you should get your mom to play!

(BARON to KATIE COURIC AT 8:34AM OUTSIDE ON THE CORNER OF 49TH AND ROCKEFELLER CENTER): Katie, I call this recipe ``Turkey Stuffed with a Russian Dressing-down." The ingredients are simple, but if you cook it just right, you'll balloon in size! Now, if you could hand me that baster . . .

(BARON to DON IMUS FROM THE COURTESY LIMO PHONE): No, Don, the traffic is still at a dead stop. No, I've got plenty of time. No, the ranch sounds great, tell me more. No, I'm not on my way to Howard Stern's show.

(BARON to HOWARD STERN SITTING NEXT TO TWIN STRIPPERS SHAVING EACH OTHER'S UNDERARMS): I'm sorry, Howard, that's kind of private. I agree it's all perfectly natural but-no, my wife isn't a prude. No, that is not admitting that I have done that with my wife-No! I'm not admitting that I've done it with anyone else. Yes, they're beautiful girls. Well, I am married, so . . . You know, somehow I think my wife would find out. Maybe we should get back to the topic of-No, they're very beautiful girls. I just don't need that shaved at the moment.

(BARON to A CALLER TO THE LARRY KING SHOW FROM FUQUAY-VARINA, NORTH CAROLINA): Well, caller, it is true that there are some foreigners playing in I Can't Find My Money, but I am not sure I can attribute my success to ``good old American know-how." I mean, the guy I stabbed was American. Right, well yes, he's playing Turkey, but I'm an American playing Austria. The game powers don't really-yes, I think that's where Arnold Schwarnegger is from. It is, Larry? You're right, then, caller. How can I lose if Arnold is fighting with me. Well, that's a good point, I guess, but-Wrestling, no I don't-oh, Arnold should wrestle? The Rock? Larry, I think I'm losing the thread of the caller's point here.

(BARON'S COURT MUSICIANS): Once IstanBUL was CONstantinople, Now it's IstanBUL, not CONstantinople, Been a long time gone, CONstantinople. Why did CONstantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks!

Istanbul

Istanbul

IstanBUL!!

(BARON to BILL MOYERS AT THE NEW YORK CHESS AND CHECKERS CLUB IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN): Yes, I agree, I think the essence of the game is the construction of the myth, of painstakingly building of a narrative which allows your subject to envision himself in the role of primal world-maker while at the same time providing a framework for oneself to shape the diplomatic and strategic conduits towards a d�nouement of self-ascendancy.

(BARON to DAN RATHER VIA SATELLITE FEED FROM PARK CITY, UTAH): Hey, Dan, remember when you were covering the Soviet-Afghanistan war and you dressed up like a mujahedeen? Maybe you should wear some lederhose while you're interviewing me . . .

(BARON to HIS PUBLICIST WHILE EATING MUSSELS A LA RUSSE AT THE RUSSIAN TEA ROOM): Murray, I don't care what's on the goddamned itinerary, I don't care whose news van is parked on the sidewalk, I don't care who's miked and powdered with their cue cards all in order. I am finishing these goddamn mussels, I am going to my goddamn room, and I am sleeping for twenty straight goddamned hours with the shades drawn and the phone in the goddamned toilet! Pat O'Brien can kiss my eight-center ass and you can tell him I said so!

SOMETHING TO BE SCARED OF: 2001D, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR WINTER 1904 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1905 IS AUGUST 3RD, 2002

Pre-Winter 1904

ENGLAND (Sundstrom): bld 1; has f HOL, f ENG, f HEL, a BEL, f NWY, f MID.

FRANCE (Tretick): rem 1; has f GOL, a BUR, f SPA(SC), a PAR, a SIL.

GERMANY (Williams): rem 1; has a KIE, a BER, a MUN, a RUH.

ITALY (McCullough): bld 1; has a VIE, f TYH, f NAF, a TRI, f WES.

RUSSIA (McHugh): bld 2; has a FIN, a WAR, f DEN, a BUD, a BOH, f RUM.

TURKEY (Goesle): has a GRE, a BUL, f ION, a SER, f CON, a ALB.

Supply Center Chart - Revised

AUSTRIA (Kent):

none

(out)

ENGLAND (Sundstrom):

EDI,LVP,LON,nwy,bre,bel,hol

(has 6, bld 1)

FRANCE (Tretick):

PAR,MAR,spa,por

(has 5, rem 1)

GERMANY (Williams):

BER,KIE,MUN

(has 4, rem 1)

ITALY (McCullough):

ROM,VEN,NAP,tun,tri,vie

(has 5, bld 1)

RUSSIA (McHugh):

MOS,STP,SEV,WAR,rum,swe,bud,

(has 6, bld 2)

den

TURKEY (Goesle):

ANK,SMY,CON,bul,gre,ser

(has 6, even)

Neutral:

none

(Total=34)

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Doug Kent, 1404 E. Lamar Blvd #106, Arlington, TX 76011

dipworld of ix.netcom.com

ENGLAND: Matt Sundstrom, 1760 Robincrest Lane South, Glenview, IL 60025, (847) 729-1882 ($5)

Matt.Sundstrom of bbdoch.com or mattandzoe of directvinternet.com

FRANCE: James Alan (Jim) Tretick, 13267 Coppermill Drive, Herndon, VA 20171, (703) 713-1328 ($4)

JTretickGames of aol.com

GERMANY: Don Williams, 27505 Artine Drive, Saugus, CA 91350, (661) 297-3947 ($3)

wllmsfmly of earthlink.net

ITALY: Jody McCullough, 1071 Brown Avenue, Lafayette, CA 94549-3153

jodymc of telocity.com

RUSSIA: Jack McHugh, P.O. Box 427, Claymont, DE 19703, (302) 792-1998

flapjack of comcast.net

TURKEY: Warren Goesle, 3907 Cedar Ridge, #1B, Indianapolis, IN 46235

gozcorp of iquest.net

Game Notes:

1) I made a big boo-boo in the Supply Center Chart from last time. I sent the following note to Jack and Don: ``It was staring me right in the face, and I knew SOMETHING was wrong, but Jack's fleet is sitting squarely in Denmark. I kept looking to see if ENGLAND had taken it and he hadn't, so I blew it. Anyway, that means Don has ONLY his three home centers and has a removal and Jack has EIGHT units and thus builds two. If possible, I'd still like Winter orders for Sat. June 22nd, but if not possible, I'll delay the game over the error.'' I did get the request to delay the game over the error, so I'm going to print the press to allow people to keep the game moving a bit. I only printed press that didn't reveal Winter orders though. Apologies! If I have builds or removals on file for you, they are still on file.

Press:

(EDINBURGH-MOSCOW/WORLD): A north coast fleet in St. Pete's is war. Just so everyone knows in the event I can do something about it.

(EDINBURGH-BERLIN): We've never been big on the euro. but it may need saving.

(EDINBURGH CASTLE TRYING TO STIR UP THE (SOUTH)EAST): How do I look so big from there? Russia has gone from nothing to eight units, while four Turkish units held and another supported Russia. Develop issues with the tsar anyway. ((You must be mistaken, if you had really ever even BEEN to Edinburgh castle, you would realize that it offers no views whatsoever of the Southeast, primarily looking out to the Northwest. Where are you REALLY, sirrah!? I see a CON in place....))

(CHICAGO CALLING): Cubs lost yet another game I attended. 0-3 on the year. ((But I thought you ENJOYED watching the Cubs lose.... a new job in Chicago yet?? Good luck!!))

(PRESS FROM GOZ): You never know what you might find on ESPN.com. As I'm reading a column called ``Baseball losses that Bring Tears", where they've asked for reader's responses, I find this:

``Why even hold this poll?? Every two weeks you drag out some new way to talk about the 1986 Series and/or the so-called ``Curse." What's wrong with you people? You are sadists! Rick Desper, Gaithersburg, Md.''

Of COURSE they have to bring it out every two weeks (at least during the baseball season). It's a slow news night for those that don't like soccer. Good job! Goz

(BOOB to GOZ): Hee, hee, hee, great! And you meant a slow news MORNING about the soccer, right? My predicted team, Germany, will win the Cup, but I don't have to watch them since I've seen all the goals they've scored and the ONE goal they've let up on highlights.... ;-) Of course, see elsewhere for more, they will not actually score any goals in the final, so I've seen all of the important goals now... Of course, I'm not following the World Cup at all. As Don Williams says, ``but you know that France has been eliminated" and I say, ``yes, but I don't call that 'following' it".

(GOZ to BOOB): Based on the way my bracket looks, *I* haven't been following the WC at all either. Heck, I did better in that NCAA Basketball pool that Jamie ran.

(EMMERT to BURGESS): Be careful what you say about the Dodgers, Jim-Bob. Some of your loyal fans also bleed Dodger Blue. Now, of course, I'm not allowed to root for the Giants, even if they're playing Saddam's All-Stars.

(BOOB to JUDAS): I have rooted for the Giants as my FIRST favorite team since I was 7 years old (think Juan Marichal and Willie Mays), and cemented in the early 70's when I used to root for utility players like Ed Goodson who was one of my favorite players EVER while he played for the Giants from 1970-1975! He actually hit over .300 playing third base for them in 1973! We traded him to the Braves for the stretch run in '75, which was OK. Aaaagh, but then Goodson played for the hated Dodgers for the next two years - even playing in the '77 World Series. It was almost more than I could stand....

FANTASTIC VOYAGE: 1999K, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1909 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1909 IS AUGUST 3RD, 2002

Spring 1909

AUSTRIA (Rauterberg): a TRI S a bud, a VEN S a tri, a TUS-rom, a BUD S a tri.

ENGLAND (Biehl): f lon-NTH, f ENG S a hol-bel, f GOL S f tyh, f TUN S f tyh,

f TYH h, a hol-BEL.

GERMANY (Emmert): a sil-BOH, a MUN S a boh-tyo, a GAL S AUSTRIAN a bud, a boh-TYO,

a VIE S a boh-tyo, a ber-KIE, f mid-NAO, a por-SPA, a bur-MAR.

RUSSIA (Tretick): f stp(nc)-NWY, a nwy-SWE, a MOS S a ukr, a UKR S TURKISH a sev,

f spa(sc)-MID, a lvn-STP.

TURKEY (Lutterbie): f smy-EAS, f BLA S a arm-sev, a arm-SEV, f ION-tyh, a ROM s f nap,

f NAP S f ion-tyh, a sev-RUM, a rum-BUL, f GRE-adr (imp).

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)

trauterberg of wi.rr.com

ENGLAND: John Biehl, 8809 Delwood Drive, Delta, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V4C 4A1 CANADA,

(604) 589-9124 ($8); jeen of telus.net

FRANCE: Rick Davis, 2420 West Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95407, (707) 544-5201,

redavis914 of aol.com

GERMANY: Steve Emmert, 3317 Hershridge Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23452

steve.emmert of cox.net

ITALY: Terry Tallman, c/o PO Box 113, Clinton, WA 98367, cell (360) 710-9613 ($2)

terryt of sinclair.net

RUSSIA: Buddy Tretick, 9607 Conaty Circle, Spotsylvania, VA 22553, (540) 582-2356 (E-Mail)

bernietretick of earthlink.net

TURKEY: Vince Lutterbie, 1021 Stonehaven, Marshall, MO 65340-2837

melvin of cdsinet.net

Game Notes:

1) Dwayne Shreve wasn't happy about the way I described his resignation, but he did say summer was here to me. I asked him to give me a statement for publication and here it is: ``I greatly overestimated my post-retirement enthusiasm for a return to Diplomacy and the imagined vista of a lot of time to spend as well. One would think that by now, I would have outgrown my tendency to hyperactivity, but retirement at 52 freed me up to do a lot of things that I had to put off when I was working. I have also taken on new skills and interests, such as web site development, biking and hiking, so there are more things drawing my attention, in addition to the other hobbies I have had all along, such as gardening, fishing, reading and well-researched travel. I believe that I will return to Dip at some point in the future; if I ever wind up in a nursing home, you can even bank on it. I don't much care for the lying that one comes across, but I do enjoy strategies when I have time to plan them. As it was, I was not doing a good job as Germany, but I managed to leave the game while also leaving my allies in a better state than they might have been. I wish Buddy and John the best and the other players as well.'' Thanks Dwayne, and best of luck staying OUT of a nursing home. Clearly retirement and Diplomacy have a relationship in the right circumstances. Larry Peery has done wonders with Diplomacy on cruise ships (where one essentially is ``trapped on board'' (to make a bad pun!)). But I certainly agree with you, do what makes YOU happy now. As I said, you'll still get the szine until the game ends. Thanks.

2) A GRT draw is proposed. Please vote with your summer orders. Failure to vote vetoes the draw.

Press:

(BUDAPEST): Who wrote that line ``...to my busy dying day"? It sounds so pertinent here.

(NEW GERMANY to BOARD): Did I miss anything?

(Sometimes I Feel Like) FLETCHER CHRISTIAN: 1999Cgh013, Colonia VIIb Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1760 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

Autumn and Winter 1759

AUSTRIA (Prosnitz): R f western mediterranean sea-PAPAL STATES; bld f naples, f trieste,

a vienna, a budapest; has f NAPLES, f TRIESTE, a VIENNA, a BUDAPEST,

a BURGUNDY, f NEW ZEALAND, f PAPAL STATES, a PARIS, a BULGARIA, a ISTANBUL, f FIJI,

f IONIAN SEA, a PERU, a ANTWERP, a IZMIR, f SAMOA, a RHINE, f EASTERN

MEDITERRANEAN SEA, f TASMAN SEA, a TOULON, f LIGURIAN SEA, f TAHITI.

CHINA (Reynolds): bld a xian, a wuhan, a amoy; has a XIAN, a WUHAN, a AMOY,

f EAST CHINA SEA, f SEA OF JAPAN, f VLADIVOSTOK, f SUBIC BAY, a SINKIANG,

a AFGHANISTAN, f SOUTH CHINA SEA, f GULF OF SIAM, f MALAYA, a MAHRATTA,

a KASMIR, f SIBERIA, a BURMA, f IWO JIMA, a BENGAL, a WESTERN DESERT,

a CIRCARS, a OMSK, f JAPAN.

ENGLAND (Power): bld a surinam, f edinburgh; has a SURINAM, f EDINBURGH,

a MATTO GROSSO, f NORTH SEA, f NORWAY, a AMAZON, a SUMATRA, f GULF OF GUINEA,

a NIGERIA, f SE ATLANTIC OCEAN, f ANDAMAN SEA, f MID-ATLANTIC OCEAN,

f VENEZUELA, f ALASKA, a MOROCCO, a GABON, a BAHIA, f HUDSON BAY,

f BRAZIL, f NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, f SW ATLANTIC OCEAN, a UGANDA,

a ARGENTINA, a ANGOLA, f MALAY SEA, f HELGOLAND, f RICEFE.

OTTOMAN (Schleinkofer): R a baghdad otb, a persia otb; has f YEMEN, a JERUSALEM.

RUSSIA (Rauterberg): R a tanganyika-ZAMBIA, f alaska otb, f norway-FINLAND(NC); rem f vancouver,

f black sea; has f EAST INDIAN OCEAN, a MOZAMBIQUE, a KATANGA, f BAY OF BENGAL,

f MALAGASY, f BARENTS SEA, a URAL, f EAST PACIFIC OCEAN, f NIZAM, a BAGHDAD,

a WAKE, f PERSIAN GULF, f SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN, f NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN, a ARMENIA,

a ROMANIA, a DENMARK, f JAVA, f PUNJAB, f FINLAND(NC), a KAZAKSTAN,

a PERSIA, a HANOVER, a HAGUE, a ZAMBIA.

SPAIN (Partridge): R f toulon-ARAGON, f sea of japan-SEA OF OKHOTSK; bld f somalia, f manila;

has f SOMALIA, f MANILA, f PHILIPPINE SEA, f OREGON, f KENYA,

f GULF OF CALIFORNIA, f HAWAII, f WEST ATLANTIC OCEAN, f ARAGON, f NEW GUINEA,

a HUELVA, a MANITOBA, a ECUADOR, f GIBRALTAR, a TUNIS, f SEA OF OKHOTSK,

f CARIBBEAN SEA, f ARABIAN SEA, a BORDEAUX, a BRITTANY, f SOMALI SEA, f SOLOMON

SEA, a NUMIDIA, f GULF OF PANAMA, a SUEZ, f POLYNESIA, f SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN,

a LEON, f ALGERIA, f ARAFURA SEA, a TANGANYIKA, a COLOMBIA, a CONGO, a LIBYA,

a MISSOURI, a EGYPT, f WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA, f TARAWA.

Supply Center Chart

AUSTRIA (Prosnitz):

BUD,VIE,TRI,TAH,pps,sav,peru

(has 22)

gre,sam,bol,bul,par,MEL,NAP,ven,

fij,ist,bav,nwz,ant,izm,tou

CHINA (Reynolds):

PEK,WUH,XIA,AMO,tib,NAN,

(has 22)

sin,jap,manch,mon,nep,mah,sia,

bur,cam,ben,vla,MLA,bor,afg,iwo,

oms

ENGLAND (Power):

NIG,EDI,LON,kam,ire,gab,sum,

(has 27)

uga,arg,togo,SUR,QUE,gha,bel,vol,

bah,BRA,DAK,vza,ric,ont,ifn,azo,

mor,nwy,ALA,ANG

OTTOMAN (Schleinkofer):

jer,yem

(has 2)

RUSSIA (Rauterberg):

MOS,KIE,CAP,STP,CRI,pol,moz,

(has 25)

swe,mal,zam,den,rom,han,die,GOA,

nat,niz,hag,cey,kha,van,jav

bag,persia,wak

SPAIN (Partridge):

MAD,MEX,SOM,VAL,MANILA,

(has 38)

cal,tun,rab,eth,hon,tex,nwg,ken,

lis,lag,FLO,lou,num,tau,ohi,vir,

gua,tar,tim,cub,tai,bdx,sud,mas,

manit,fez,egy,kor,col,ore,HAW,ecu,con

Neutral:

none

(Total=136)

Addresses of the Participants

AUSTRIA: Gene Prosnitz, 2600 Netherland Ave., Apt. 1116, Riverdale, NY 10463, (718) 601-8131 ($5)

ProsnitzE of aol.com

CHINA: Harold Reynolds, 3025 Bridletowne Circle, Scarborough, Ontario, M1W 2C9, (416) 773-0943

hjreynolds1 of rogers.com

ENGLAND: John Power, 18 Tilton Court, Baltimore, MD 21236, (410) 933-8827 ($4)

natjohn2 of comcast.net or jrpower of bechtel.com

FRANCE: Hank Alme, 506 Paige Loop, Los Alamos, NM 87544

almehj of swcp.com

OTTOMAN: Art Schleinkofer, 3120 Holly Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1708

Krolart of aol.com

PORTUGAL: Robert Stimmel, unfortunately deceased, we're sorry to lose Robert!

RUSSIA: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)

trauterberg of wi.rr.com

SPAIN: Dave Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033

rebhuhn of rocketmail.com

Game Notes:

1) We'll have a slightly altered map next time.

2) I made a Supply Center mistake last time. Here's what I sent to the players: ``Someday I should look carefully at Harold's map and get all of the proper three letter abbreviations correct in the SC chart. But I don't. Mistakenly, since England was sitting in Venezuela (actually vza), I somehow thought that meant that he ALSO took Venice (ven). Venice is actually still safely behind Austrian lines in Austrian control. So please move ven back to Austria from England. This means that Austria has FOUR builds in his five open buildable centers: Bud, Vie, Tri, Nap, and Melbourne. England only has TWO builds. Please ask or note if anything else is wrong. The deadline for Autumn Retreats/Winter Builds is still Saturday. If this error causes too much confusion, I will entertain a proposal for delay of Winter, but STILL give me your Autumn Retreats in any case for Saturday.'' I do have everything, so we go ahead with Autumn retreats and Winter builds. Thanks, this can be a difficult game to adjudicate at times.

3) Note that John Power's home E-Mail address has changed.

4) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) draw is proposed along with a concession to Spain. A few issues ago I said: ``Michael Lowrey tells me that you need only 102 centers or 3/4 approval to get a draw to pass in this, and I believe 50 centers is required for a win. Forgive me if this sounds ``weird'' since anyone except Dave Partridge theoretically could be voted out of a draw. Clarifications or comments would be welcome.'' They still would be. I'll go by this rule unless I hear otherwise.

Press:

(SPAIN - RUSSIA): Nice convoy. I had to guess between Tar and Wak, obviously I guessed wrong! I'm sure you'll give me another chance though!

(RUSSIA to ENGLAND AND CHINA): If you guys want to throw this game to Spain, I may as well join in and get this over with. It is a shame.

SECRETS: 1999D, Regular Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SPRING 1911 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

Winter 1910

ENGLAND (Sayers): bld f lon; has f LON, a GAS, f NAO, a KIE, f MID,

f ENG, f HOL, f POR.

FRANCE (Sasseville): has f MAR, f SPA(SC), a MUN, a BUR.

GERMANY (Barno): has a VIE.

RUSSIA (Reynolds): has a MOS, a LVN, a BER, f BAL, a STP, a PRU.

TURKEY (Linsey): has f ION, a RUM, a WAR, f WES, a SEV, f TYH, a SIL, a TYO,

f NAF, f TUN, f TUS, a PIE, f GOL, a GAL, a BOH.

Addresses of the Participants

ENGLAND: Jim Sayers, 15 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra 2025, AUSTRALIA ($10)

jimp of magna.com.au

FRANCE: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($0)

roland6 of cox.net and ICQ: 40565030

GERMANY: Mike Barno, 634 Dawson Hill Road, Spencer, NY 14883

mpbarno of lightlink.com or mbarno of claritas.com

ITALY: John Schultz, 692 Crest Dr., Valparaiso, IN 46383, (219) 614-1406

probo of earthlink.net

RUSSIA: Phil Reynolds, 2896 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL 34237, (813) 953-6952

preyno of yahoo.com

TURKEY: Bruce Linsey, PO Box 234, Kinderhook, NY 12106

GonzoHQ of aol.com

Game Notes:

1) The FRET and FREGT draws are rejected and are reproposed. Please vote again with your Spring orders. Generally you need to vote again unless you insist to me that a vote you have made wants to be perpetual. Any failure to vote vetoes the draws.

Press:

EDWARD TELLER: 2002?rn42, Nuclear Yuppie Evil Empire Diplomacy - Black Hole Variant

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 1902 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 1902 IS AUGUST 3RD, 2002

Spring 1902

AUSTRIA (Kenny): f TRI h, a Vie h (ann), a Bud h (ann); and nukes AEG(2), WES, ION, BLA, MID.

ENGLAND (Schultz): f edi-NWG, f lon-Eng (ann), a lvp-Wal (ann); and nukes CON, SMY(2), ANK, AEG(2), BUL.

FRANCE (Rauterberg): f bre-PIC, a par-Bre (ann), a Mar h (ann); and nukes ENG, WAL, MUN(2), SIL, GAL(2).

GERMANY (Muller): f kie-HEL, a ber-PRU, a mun-BOH; and nukes MAR, SMY(2), LVN, TYO, GAL(2).

ITALY (Andruschak): f nap-TYH, a rom-TUS, a ven-PIE; and nukes BER, MUN(2), KIE, BRE, GM!.

RUSSIA (Kendter): f stp(sc)-FIN, a war-Sil (ann), a mos-UKR, f sev-Bla (ann);

and nukes PAR, VIE, SER, BUD.

TURKEY (McHugh): f Ank h (ann), a Con h (ann), a Smy h (ann);

and nukes withheld.

Current Standings

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

TOTAL

JOHN SCHULTZ

3

3

PAUL RAUTERBERG

6

6

KARL MULLER

2

2

HARRY ANDRUSCHAK

4

4

LEE KENDTER, JR.

1

1

JACK MCHUGH

5

5

SANDY KENNY

3

3

Black Holed

8

14

22

Neutral

2

2

Totals(eventually)

34

34

34

34

34

34

34

238

Times GM Nuked

0

1

1

Addresses of the Participants

John Schultz, 692 Crest Dr., Valparaiso, IN 46383, (219) 614-1406

probo of earthlink.net

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

trauterberg of wi.rr.com

Karl Muller, 75-17 60 Place, Glendale, NY 11385-6044, (718) 416-1103

karlmuller of alumni.lemoyne.edu or pegandkarl of mindspring.com

Harry Andruschak, 20805 Margaret, Carson, CA 90745-1224, (310) 835-9202

harryandruschak of aol.com

Lee Kendter, Jr., 1503 Pilgrim Lane, Quakertown, PA 18951

lkendter of speakeasy.net

Jack McHugh, P.O. Box 427, Claymont, DE 19703, (302) 792-1998

flapjack of comcast.net

Sandy Kenny, 23 East Coulter Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108-1208 (609) 869-3160

pdkenny of net-gate.com

Game Notes:

1) A couple of adjudication notes.... when you guys nuke the same province more than once, I put in parentheses the number of nukes that hit that spot. Also, if your move to a space succeeds and THEN you are annihilated, I capitalize the first letter of that space where you are annihilated. The reverse happens if your move bounces where I capitalize the first letter of the place you started.

2) This was a fascinating turn! Wow!! Some easy centers that can just be walked into, and some centers that every other unit left on the board can move to. Lots of units blown away too! And the German army Bohemia is living the charmed life, in the middle of all that destruction - but with lots of choices on how to get out! By the way, you can't NMR or be replaced in this game, you only fail to move units and withhold the firing of nukes, not that Jack could have gotten very far out of the way anyway.

Press:

(ITALY-WORLD): Well, Paul Rauterberg is now #1, and I suggest that we all nuke one of his SCs and potential SCs. I will be nuking Brest. I ask the rest of you to coordinate on picking other SCs and areas to nuke to cut him down. Thank you for your kind attention. I will also be nuking the GM, thus reviving a Grand Old Tradition of NYEED.

(BOOB to ITALY): Thank you, thank you, thank you, I am WELL NUKED!

(PARIS (if it still exists!)): We try to be even-handed in our degrees of meanness, but L'engleterre may not view us as being very fair.

(BOOB to FRANCE): Paris is quite well nuked too...

(JOHN - JACK): What can I say? Everyone else went after #1. I didn't want you to be lonely.

(GERMANY - ALL): OK, my last strategy didn't work so well. Let's try something different.

(KENDTER to SCHULTZ / KENNY): I flipped a coin to decide who pissed me of worse. Kenny lost. Maybe next round you can be bothered to write.

(BERLIN - ITALIAN POSTAL SERVICE, DISGRUNTLED DIVISION): Good idea that you had.

(SARA-GM): Are you trying to inform us that seven allegedly experienced players cannot keep track of what countries they are playing? We all know what Harry's excuse is, but what about the rest?

(KENDTER to GM): Gee, think I will even get to move a unit this time?

(BOOB to LEE): Read 'em and weep...

(KENDTER to WORLD): Will these moves be bizarre enough to let a unit survive this time? :MAD:

(FRANCE to ITALY): Remember that you are not allowed to be the Pope. The Pope requires a full set, a rule dating back to the one and only time they elected a female Pope.

EMBRACING THE CONSTRAINTS: Breaking Away, Designer's Rules

THE DUE DATE FOR TURN 13 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

Turn 12

122 (no replenishment):

Alice (20)

121 (no replenishment):

Christie (16)

-F-I-N-A-L- -F-I-N-I-S-H- -L-I-N-E-

120 (no replenishment):

None

119 (no replenishment):

None

118 (no replenishment):

None

117 (no replenishment):

None

116 (no replenishment):

None

115 (no replenishment):

None

114 (no replenishment):

None

113 (no replenishment):

None

112 (replenish with a 3):

Enfield

111 (no replenishment):

None

110 (no replenishment):

None

109 (no replenishment):

None

108 (replenish with a 3):

Dana

107 (replenish with a 4):

Halbert

106 (no replenishment):

None

105 (no replenishment):

None

104 (no replenishment):

None

103 (no replenishment):

None

102 (replenish with a 3):

Brandon the Kiwi, Charlie Brown

101 (replenish with a 5):

Alfred the Great

100 (no replenishment):

None

99 (no replenishment):

None

98 (replenish with a 3):

Rhombus

97 (replenish with a 4):

Prescott, Beaver, Square, Rectangle

96 (replenish with a 8):

Diamond, Greenwich

95 (replenish with a 10):

Alfalfa

94 (replenish with a 11):

Dennis the Menace

93 (no replenishment):

None

92 (replenish with a 3):

William Shakespeare

91 (replenish with a 4):

Peery the Peacock

90 (replenish with a 5):

Sir Isaac Newton, Boniface

89 (replenish with a 7):

I.K. Brunel

88 (no replenishment):

None

87 (replenish with a 3):

Edi the Emu, Dave the Tinamou

Addresses of the Participants - Their Team and Their Cards

TEAM 1 (The Quabbin Reservoirs): Eric Brosius, 53 Bird Street, Needham MA 02492

(5 points) 72060.1540 of CompuServe.COM

A: Dana

14 6 6 3 (16)

B: Enfield

7 3 3 (18)

C: Greenwich

10 9 8 (5)

D: Prescott

3 6 4 (4)

TEAM 2 (The Flightless Birds): Rick Desper, 319 West Side Dr., #102 Gaithersburg, MD 20878

(18 points) (301) 977-7691, rick_desper of yahoo.com

Coached by Petey the Penguin

A: Edi the Emu

3 3 3 3 (6)

B: Dave the Tinamou

3 3 3 (6)

C: Brandon the Kiwi

12 7 3 (19)

D: Peery the Peacock

6 3 4 (10)

TEAM 3 (The Brit Pack): John Harrington, 1 Churchbury Close, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 3UW UK

(19 points) fiendish of operamail.com, John.Harrington of tfeurope.com

A: Alfred the Great

8 10 10 5 (12)

B: William Shakespeare

4 15 3 (6)

C: Sir Isaac Newton

3 14 5 (3)

D: Isambard Kingdom Brunel

4 18 7 (5)

TEAM 4 (The Border Riders): Tom Howell, 365 Storm King Road, Port Angeles, WA 98363

(52 points) off-the-shelf of olympus.net

Manager: the White Maid

A: Alice of Avenel

Finished First! (4)

B: abbot Boniface

14 6 5 (10)

C: Christie of Clint-hill

Finished Second! (5)

D: Halbert Glendinning

10 16 4 (22)

TEAM 5 (The Quadrilaterals): David Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033

(17 points) rebhuhn of rocketmail.com

A: Rhombus

9 5 4 3 (5)

B: Square

6 9 4 (6)

C: Rectangle

3 11 4 (7)

D: Diamond

3 6 8 (4)

TEAM 6 (The Bad Boys): Jim Tretick, 13267 Coppermill Drive, Herndon, VA 20171, (703) 713-1328

(3 points) JTretickGames of aol.com

A: Alfalfa:

8 16 10 (10)

B: Beaver:

5 6 4 (5)

C: Charlie Brown:

3 3 3 (19)

D: Dennis the Menace:

3 13 11 (6)

Game Notes:

1) I am going BACK to the designer rules for Breaking Away that allow cards of greater than 15 to be replenished. The Breaking Away bonus is earned only on the FIRST turn that you break away from the pack. I printed the original postal rules in Issue #239, if you need a copy and don't have that issue, just ask.

2) The number in parentheses is what you played, the last card in your list is the one you replenished with.

3) I think I know how the points are going to be allocated now (so do many of you), but even I myself am not entirely sure how I am going to choose between the likely seventh and eighth place finishers. It will be very, very close. This choice also may decide the close battle in the overall standings between the Flightless Birds and the Brit Pack. Tune in next time as two more riders likely cross and everyone sets up for the final push. Two more turns should do it. Then we'll be starting a new game, not too early to sign up.

Press:

(ALICE to BOOB): Oh? We have to check in? Coasting across the line won't do it?

(BOOB to ALICE): Actually, you COULD have coasted and finished your guys (uh, I guess Alice is a girl...) in the same places next turn, but you didn't.

(TOM-JIM-BOB): What makes you think my memory is any better than yours? Don't you have a little file folder for next year that you can dump the things into as they are suggested so they'll all be in one place at the right time?

(ALICE to BOOB): Oh! Am I a bit whiff? I allus get that way when I been sweating!

(THE QUADRILATERALS): Damn, Tom is good at this, and I'm not!

(BRIT PACK): As designer of the game I am going to unilaterally extend the course distance to ...... ooooh .... about 640 squares should do it.

(BOOB to BRIT PACK): I think you took the right chance. You just needed Rectangle to play his three to get all of your riders some big cards. Then again, even that wouldn't have been enough, would it?

(HALBERT to BOOB): I gotta lotta best friends; and Dana and Diamond are two of 'em!

(ANONYMOUS STUFF): Having started the game with such high hopes I am now reduced to getting my jollies by stiffing my opponents. Last turn I was quite chuffed to have stranded three of the Flightless Birds on square 81. (I won't bother signing this Press as you can probably tell from the strange terminology who wrote it).

(TRIUMPH - > GREENWICH): I was really hoping last time that you would hang back and let my three slowpokes draft a bit. :(

(WHITE MAID to BOOB): Greenwich would have done better playing his 5, everything else remaining the same. It'd have made him a scorer...

(THE BAD BOYS): This `firmly stuck in the pack' is for the birds. How do I get out?

(ALICE to BRUNEL): Looks like you're doing just fine. Leaving three birds and an abbot featherless reads fine in my tactics book!

(BRIT PACK to GREENWICH): Ah yes, the old ``NMR" tactic. Shame you did not teach it to the Border Riders.

(THE WHITE MAID to BRIT PACK): How can you suggest such a thing? (With the possible exception of the abbot,) I can assure you that the Border Riders are as pure as ... well, ... the White Maid!

(TRIUMPH - > GM, DESIGNER, OTHER GM): I think I like it better when cards cannot get higher than 15. This game has been too fragmented to be interesting. When everybody plays the same big card, the pack sticks together a little better.

(BOOB to TRIUMPH): And who are YOU, isn't Petey the Penguin the coach of THIS team? ;-) More seriously, I really like the chances you take with the really high card possibilities, so the next Breaking Away here will use the same rules, but I won't stop anyone else from doing differently.

(WHITE MAID to BOOB): I though you would... Octopi have eight hands (or legs; with them I figue they're about the same). And, isn't economics supposed to be the miserable science? Hence: economisery.

(BOOB): No comment. Heh, heh, heh.

FEAR AND WHISKEY: 1998Ers31, Modern Diplomacy

THE DUE DATE FOR SUMMER 2009 IS JULY 13TH, 2002

THE DUE DATE FOR FALL 2009 IS AUGUST 3RD, 2002

Spring 2009

BRITAIN (Schultz): a swe-FIN, f NTH-eng, a MUR s a stp, f DEN-nth,

f BAL-lat, a stp h (d r:est,otb), f BRN S a mur, f GOB S a stp, f SKA-nth.

EGYPT (J. O'Donnell): f alg-MOR, f lbs-MAL, f ion h (d r:lbs,apu,aeg,eme,otb),

a SYR S a irk, a apu-NAP, a IRK h, f aeg-IZM.

GERMANY (Rauterberg): a SAX S a cze, a MUN S a aus, f PRU S f gda, f HAM h,

f GDA s BRITISH f bal-lit (nso), f bor-BRI, a AUS s a mil-ven, a lyo-PAR,

f BEL-eng, a CZE S a sil, a SIL S a cze, a MIL-ven, f HOL h, a PIE h.

SPAIN (S. O'Donnell): f sve-GIB, f por-SAO, a BAR S a mad-nav, a mad-NAV,

a AUV s a mar-lyo (nsu), f MAO-eng, f MAR-lyo (imp), a tus-ROM,

f GOL-mar, a MON-pie.

UKRAINE (Partridge): a kie-ODE, a ode-RUM, a kha-VOL, a GOR S a lat-stp, a MOS S a lat-stp,

a KRA-war, a POD S a slo-kra, f WBS h, f IST S f gre, a lat-STP,

a SLO-kra, a WAR-lit, f alb-ION, a VEN s SPANISH a tus-mil (nso),

a ADA S a irn, a URA-mur, a HUN-aus, a BIE S a lit-lat, f GRE S f alb-ion,

a LIT-lat, f ADR S a ven, a IRN S a ada, a CRO S a ven.

Addresses of the Participants

BRITAIN: John Schultz, 692 Crest Dr., Valparaiso, IN 46383, (219) 614-1406

probo of earthlink.net

EGYPT: Jeff O'Donnell, 402 Middle Ave., Elyria, OH 44035-5728, (440) 322-2920

or (440) 225-9203 (cell) ($2)

FRANCE: Harry Andruschak, PO Box 5309, Torrance, CA 90510-5309, (310) 835-9202 ($5)

Tapmdfrance of aol.com

GERMANY: Paul Rauterberg, 3116 W. American Dr., Greenfield, WI 53221, (414) 281-2339 (E-Mail)

trauterberg of wi.rr.com

ITALY: Eric Ozog, PO Box 1138, Granite Falls, WA 98252-1138, (360) 691-4264 ($3)

ElfEric of Juno.com

POLAND: Roland Sasseville, Jr., 38 Bucklin Street, Pawtucket, RI 02861, (401) 481-4280 ($5)

roland6 of home.com and ICQ: 40565030

RUSSIA: Randy Ellis

SPAIN: Sean O'Donnell, 1044 Wellfleet Drive, Grafton, OH 44044 ($5)

sean_o_donnell of hotmail.com, sfo25 of netscape.net

TURKEY: Kent Pollard, 1541 W. San Jose, Fresno, CA 93711, (209) 225-0957 ($10)

UKRAINE: Dave Partridge, 15 Woodland Drive, Brookline, NH 03033 ($8)

rebhuhn of rocketmail.com

Game Notes:

1) I'm going to start a quiet interest list down here in the next Modern game. I don't want to start it until this game is done or nearly done, but with ten players it may take awhile, so I'll start now. Rick Desper is in to be one of the players. Any more??? We are going to do it with ``wings''.

2) Note John Schultz's new postal address! I think his phone number is the same and that's his cell. This is his dream house, and we all congratulate him for it!!! Here's his description: ``I bought a house on a lake. Not bad for a guy who had no life just a couple of years ago. Now, I work, fish, ride my motorcycle, bounce grandbabies on my knee, and tinker around the house. Ain't life grand?"

Press:

(THE MEKONS QUOTE OF THE MONTH): ``Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum; and all that's old has turned to scum; for this world's begun to burn.'' Part of ``Into the Strange'', one of the more normal songs on Pussy, King of the Pirates, Kathy Acker with the Mekons.

(NOTE TO BLACKFIRE): Message received, too late to change.

(BOOB to NOTE): The logic of this... given that you did submit the press item... escapes me, but I'm just the GM. I wonder if Blackfire knows who he or she is. Hey, I wonder if you know who YOU are!

(RUSSIA-GERMANY AND BRITAIN): Thank you for liberating my lone Army, but most of all I'd like to thank the Gamemaster for making this possible.

(BRITAIN RODENT): I smell a rat.

(SPAIN-GERMANY): I wonder who will win this little skirmish in France??

(THE REICH to THE REST): Gotta lock things up tight, guys. Let Ukraine build all he likes behind the fronts, until he has no room to put his builds anymore (like Spain had no room to put his build tee hee).

(SPAIN-UKRAINE): Strange war is it not??

(JEFF to JIM): Is Rob Burket and idiot or what? ((May I presume that you mean JOHN BurketT, the Red Sox pitcher? I merely think he is someone who didn't think about the ramifications of his statement. I really, really hope there is not a strike....))

Personal Note to You: