Welcome to the second issue of The Gentle Art of Making Enemies. This issue came out in August with an annoucement that the zine is going monthly. A follow up article on Diplomacy 2000 was included, as well as some responses to the House Rules produced in Issue 1. One point in this discussion was the complaints over using the Convoy method used in the american email JUDGE system - that is, the convoyed unit has to state the full path it is travelling by. This conversation will continue next time as the "double convoy" dilema raises its head. That is, if there are two possible convoy routes, does disrupting any one stop it or do both have to go - readers are at odds!

Wayne Read, Ongar.

Thanks for the very quick response to my subscription and game request, most impressive! Playing the part of the keen new editor well I see.

NC: I would hope I always respond quick to people who send me money. I know how frustrating it is when I send off cheques and people take ages to reply (though cashing the cheque seems to happen very fast in those cases!)

I was also impressed with G.A.M.E. issue 1, very clearly laid out and clean looking. It has obviously caused quite a bit of interest already and no doubt will continue to do so. The article on Diplomacy 2000 was fascinating, its great that the game will be brought to the attention of so many potential players. You did leave out one important factor though, cost, do you yet know the expected price of the Super-VR Console and have you any idea when the PC version will be out?

NC: When I went to the ManorCon event I took about forty copies and they all went. I would place ten copies on the zine table, and walk past in half an hour to see that they had all gone! A good analogy is when you leave food in your back garden for the wild animals. I was tempted to retreat to a hidden view point after placing the zines down to wait for zine goers to cautiously approach the table and take up a copy in their paws.
On Diplomacy 2000 I did leave out a point, other than the price (see the update elsewhere in the zine).

I do have one niggling little criticism about the zine, (I'm never 100% happy with anything), when you get to the middle pages it can be difficult to read down the centre where the staples are. I know you're only a poor editor and need to use the paper efficiently to save money, but as the zine grows (with games, the treasure chest and of course more letters) this problem is going to get worse. It might be a good idea to leave slightly larger margins in the pertinent places now to save hassle later.

NC: True. When I initially printed out the master copy of the zine, I was intending to have just one corner staple, but the printer said he would put two down the side, and it was not until afterwards I noticed the problem. All should be okay now, I can always reduce the point size down to 8 (he jests, knowing that otherwise someone will complain that it would cause them eye strain).

One other point, where does "Abwehr" come from and how are you going to name your games in the future?

NC: This should be explained somewhere in the zine - the theme is spies, espionage, and the like.

Ian Lewis, Beddu.

Thanks very much for Issue One. I am very interested in your article on Diplomacy 2000. By the way, how much would the Super VR Console and game knock me back.

NC: It seems that many people are interested in the game. Most consoles tend to be on similar pricing structures (sell them cheap and reap profits on the games), so �300 seems about the right price. The game, well �80 probably!

Just to let you know I have sent you a cheque for �15 in the mail today and await a Gamestart with pen and backstabber drawn. You can also put me down for a game of Silent Running.
On the Highway Code article, I would like to point out that since all men are 'perfect drivers', you are only likely to get incorrect responses from women. You will note that I have not offered to participate.

NC: Of course, that's why insurance firms charge women less, penalising men for being so perfect. Have a look at the quiz, if I have remembered to do it!

Mark Stretch, Kidlington.

Thanks for GAME. It just missed the last issue of OMR. I will review it in OMR 13 instead.

NC: For those who don't know OMR is the name of Marks zine - One Mans Rubbish, and named by Marks mother after she came to help Mark move out after finishing at Oxford University (only kidding Mark, then again it is probably better than the truth.)

How did you manage to get such a cushy job? You seem to have the best of a student and jetset lifestyle.

NC: Don't forget the money part. Many postgraduates may be flying around to conferences, and so match your description, but they only get a grant. Any way it is not that much like a student lifestyle, I do have to work - you know some times I am actually in before 10am!!!

Put me down for the intimate dip tournament. Should be a laugh. (NC: will do).

Dave "I'm not Welsh" Horton, Swansea

Sorry this letter's not typed, but hey - if you're going to get snooty about my cheap bubblejet paper, what do you expect!?

NC: Cheap bubblejet paper. It was the OCR that complained - though that has now gone off and sulked because we upgraded to Windows 95(TM).

Sarcasm? Moi? I'm not sure that zine editors can afford to be so sensitive, old boy. Wait until the honeymoon is over and people start jibing 'cos you're 2 places higher in the zine Poll... There was I thinking I was being supportive. No wonder Sue's neurotic. Or is it psychotic?

NC: Was I sensitive? It was just a bit of wit. Sort of similar to all this male bonding malarkey by thumping each other on the arm!! Two places higher than what? Bottom!!

Okay I'll start a zine poll push - everyone vote for meeee. Don't be jammy, vote for GAME-ee. Tell me when it is, and I will do a "How to beat the Zine Poll" article - though not serious. That is not to say I would not like a high Poll position.

Like the new name ("Zealot"). Great article on Diplomacy 2000 - sounds amazing. Hefty telephone bill, presumably? Great start, pal.

NC: A pity then, since I have gone monthly. I have plans for Zealot to be a non-Dip supplement.

Well that ends another letter column - shorter than last time. We cannot be having this can we, so pick up those pens.

Diplomacy 2000 (An Update on events)

I actually got a few replies about Diplomacy 2000, some in letters, others that would surface during a conversation. As a result I have decided to do a follow up article. First of all, as far as I know Diplomacy 2000 does not yet exist - so to all of you who were taken in - I got you, and to all of you who then reply "I didn't think there would be such a game", then this article is for you.

All of the elements in the article in the first issue are all possible now and will exist in the near future, although whether that means Diplomacy 2000 will be produced is a different matter. First I will take a very short look at the hardware, and then a look at the game.

A SuperVR console is most definitely under development and several types of these machines will exist. If you take the consoles of today, their ability to process real time three dimensional images, such as the car racing games, is the same as the SuperVR console will do. Over the next few years the realism on these will increase dramatically. The only feature the SuperVR had extra, was the modem play. Many computer games players are hooked on modem games, since they prefer to challenge a real person than a poor computer opponent. There are game specific sites set up specifically for these people to dial up and to be connected to other players to challenge.

As far as the game goes, all it really needs is for a games company to decide to produce the game. In the UK postal hobby, we are told that numbers are decreasing, or more specifically not as many people are entering the hobby as they used to. This is because the board game is scarcer on the shelves of shops, and so people tend to come in through other means, maybe they played it when they were younger, or know someone else who plays it, or even came in through other board games. Most of the younger generation, like us under-30 year olds, tend to be more computer based, and likely to play computer games. The email JUDGE diplomacy hobby (world wide but mainly American) is different. A lot of players in the JUDGE system come in through the Internet newsgroups, because Diplomacy comes under "games". Hence the typical questions asked by someone new are "What is Diplomacy?", "Where can I get the game?", and "Can someone give me a copy of the rules, or tell me where I can copy them from?". This is completely different from the postal hobby - when was the last time you saw a "what is Diplomacy" letter in a zine? If college kids with access to the Internet are becoming attracted to Diplomacy, then who is to say the same would not happen for the console generation? If designed along the ideas of my article, it would contain the areas that are appealing

Real Opponents - this is a big incentive. When Civilisation II came out, a lot of people complained about the lack of multiple players.

VR graphics - This is practically standard, though reality is always increasing, and essential in anything new.

Meeting people - On the Internet there are "Multi User Dungeons" that attract thousands of people for text based adventures - many just like meeting new people.

An alternative future?

With Diplomacy 2000 possible today, maybe you should put it down on your Birthday list for the year 2000? Maybe Diplomacy 2000 on the console will not come, but a different version could well come over the World Wide Web. For those of you who do not know, the Internet or Web, is under going changes in how it is being used, with three dimensional interfaces and active programs. Just as how the "graphical" Web of today (eg words and pictures like you would get from a modern word processor) came about through changes five years ago, in five years time we may all use these new interfaces. Just as people gave up their time and resources to create and maintain the automatic adjudication computers (JUDGES) in the U.S. that we see today, in the future they could do the same with the new interfaces. So watch out Diplomacy 2000 will be a reality on a PC and modem near you soon......

It seems that my house rules published in the first issue have caused concerns to some people. Now I could well keep them unchanged, but they were not intended to be set in concrete, and I expected changes to happen. It is very hard in deciding what house rules to issue at the start of a zine, many people copy those of another zine, and there are not typically a standard set.

I welcome comments from people, though I fully expect that what ever I decide, there will be some people who are unhappy. It is strange that one argument that seems to be used often is "its against the rules", which is why house rules are issued where they supercede rules in the game. The reason this is strange is because all zines I have seen that play Diplomacy allow placed draws (eg 1st, 2nd, 3rd...), and this is against the rules of the game, which states that draws should include all survivors (DIAS), so the game ends in an equal draw or with a solo win! In fact when Spring Offensive aired the idea of going DIAS, there were many complaints!

My idea for the house rules is to be quite kind, since I hate it when caught out by the rules. Though obviously they have to be fair, so when something is wrong, I am not biased. In my first postal game I was supporting a foreign unit in Spring 1902, but forgot to include the foreign power, and so it was misorder. The reason for this is I was used to Internet Diplomacy where you do not include the powers. First I will print peoples comments and answer them, and then the rules revisions.

Pete Duxon.

Have just noticed houserule 7! Are you serious? I assume this is to get round unwanted convoys. I await the amending of the support order accordingly. Seriously this is the only place I've seen this gee thanks pal. If every GM did this I'd need to consult the bloody house rules for every game I play.

NC:This letter took me at least half an hour to decipher - are you sure its not Dr. Duxon? Yes this was initially used to get around unwanted convoys, and if people specify their orders like this, then they will avoid them, though I will accept the shortened version now. As far as consulting house rules, I would assume you do so for all games you are in anyway since, (a) that's why they are published, and (b) the various house rules in use in the hobby do vary quite a bit - for instance whilst some will misorder you if you forget to put a foreign power in, others will not. You are in two zines that fit into this category - lets hope you don't rely on a deliberate misorder then.

Mark Stretch.

House Rules: some of these seem a little strange.
3)This would allow negotiation before builds, which is illegal.

NC:This is an optional rule, in that I say may. In such a game the third season would be shorter, since it would be just for builds. Maybe players would try to negotiate, but the third season is for their benefit, and the game could revert to a two seasoned one, if abused.

5)Why under that system would you ever need to disband a unit in a supply centre?

NC: No. If an NMR happened on a Winter adjustment, wouldn't you be annoyed if the GM disbanded a unit on a foreign supply centre, especially since it means it could well cause an additional disband the next year. I think that units would be more likely to stay in a supply centre to defend it next year (whether the power is in a single NMR or in Anarchy) than disband in favour of one not in a supply centre just because of geography.

6,8)These are very tough on players. I'll warn you that a lot of players don't do this. Are you really going to misorder them all?

NC: No, probably not. I am relaxing rule 6 (even though I suspect this will cause another letter from Pete Duxon), but rule 8 is mainly because, knowing how bad some peoples writing is then MS, could easily look like S or Sup, and so I would not put in the implied order, and would then get complaints from the player if (s)he then had the unit displaced. Also I think it is better to order for each unit, since this ensures you do not forget any!

7)This is against the rules of the game (see last Dolchstross).

NC: This tradition of having ordered draws in the postal hobby is also against the rules of the game - that is why the Diplomacy House Rule 1 is there.

Dave Horton.

Just a couple of (non-sarcastic) queries about your House Rules. Is is possible, do you think to "insult" a machine? I would not want to get ejected because your answering machine got upset at my sarcasm...

NC: What was this about being non-sarcastic. The reason for this is perfectly clear, I am not the only one who has access to the answer phone. If someone hurled a string of abuse at the answer phone because I am never in, then whoever comes in first and listens to the messages will hear the abuse. When I then gave them a warning or ejected them, they would say "its a machine, not a person".

Rule 6: About the coast of multicoast provinces - do you expect F(StPnc) - Nwy as opposed to F(StP) - Nwy? Or F(AEG)-Bul sc instead of F(AEG)-Bul? Some consider these unambiguous...

NC: See the rule ammendments. I would prefer the coasts to be put in. If you omitted the coast in a face to face game at one of the Diplomacy Con's, it would be a misorder!

Rule 7: Presumably then if F(BLA) C A(Ank)-Rum one must write A(Ank)-BLA-Rum? What about the rule that if there are two valid convoy routes and one is disrupted then the convoy fails?

NC: I thought the rule was that if there was two possible convoy routes, both have to be distrupted before the convoy fails. There in lies the crux of the problem. Under your version, then if you have England against a French German alliance with English F(NTH), German F(Den) and F(Hol), and French A(Bel), F(ENC), and F(Wal), you have a problem. If England wants to convoy to London with support, then what does Germany do? If Germany decides to attack the North Sea with support, so being in position to take Edi or Nwy the next season then a problem can arise. In your version, if England orders F(NTH) C A(Bel)-Lon, then when it gets dislodged the convoy is prevented (where as F(NTH)-Lon would not stop A(Bel)-Lon). Under my version of the multi convoy rule, then it still succeeds. My version can also cause problems in different situations, say if we look at an England verses France scenario, where England can dislodge F(NTH) or F(ENC) but not both, under my version no matter what England did, France would still succeed.

This rule of yours contradicts that doesn't it? And would you disallow the move if someone wrote A(Ank)-Rum?

NC: No, my version of the Diplomacy game rules contradicts yours. My original House Rules state that in a real life situation an army would have to go by a specific convoy route, and so would not be diverted by what other units do. The whole unwanted convoy issue is probably something that needs further discussion (come on peeps are you a one disrupted convoy nullifies or an all convoys must be disrupted to nullify). There was a lot of discussion on this matter a while back on the Diplomacy Internet News Group, which is why the specific convoy rule is useful.

Rule 8: Call me pernickety, but A(Bel) MS A(Mun) wouldn't work under anybody's rules!!

NC: Hello pernickety...

House Rules changes

Diplomacy

6. Unambiguous orders may be corrected by the GM and so intentional misorders should be marked so. To avoid any possible confusion and misorder orders should include the unit type, the coast of multicoast provinces, the nationality of any foreign units supported or convoyed. 7. It is preferable for units being convoyed to have the full path to avoid unwanted convoys e.g. A(Lon)-ENC-MAO-Spa. Stating just the source and destination provinces will be accepted though.