After three episodes recorded online, the guys at last get the tech working offsite at the bar again. They discuss WDC 2025, their upcoming tournament plans and their latest online games. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys introduce the venue and their drinks (0 mins 10 secs) They talk about the 2025 World Diplomacy Championship and congratulate Noam Brown (who we interviewed about Cicero) (2 mins) We talk about the upcoming WDC's planned for 2026 (Athens) and 2027 (Chicago) and whether there will be another Asia-Pacific WDC in 2028 (7 mins) They get back to how their beers would be as Diplomacy openings (9 mins 30 secs) A little admin update on the podcast (15 mins) They talk about the challenge of getting 7 players for a local game (16 mins 30 secs) Gavin discusses trying to *maybe* get a family game of Diplomacy happening in Christmas-New Years (19 mins) Gavin gives an update on the Cane Toad Classic for 2025 - that said, since recording we have finalised details. The tournment will be run Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August, with social activities starting Friday night. Check out the details at the Cane Toad Classic web page  (21 mins) Ken talks about visiting webDiplomacy and saw they had a new forum. They talk about vDiplomacy being spam-bombed with Ken dropping the ball on his Mod responsibilities (32 mins) Around the grounds Gavin is in just one game, with Ken joining some new games (36 mins) Gavin goes on to talk about the Magic Hour at vDip and how he's smashing Ken in the Best vDip player rankings (38 mins) He discussed drawing in a 6 way Imperial game as Holland (42 mins) Ken is playing another Zeus game (43 mins) The guys then wrap up the show (46 mins) Venue: Caxton Street Brewing Company, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: Caxton Street Brewing IPA Ken: Caxton Street Brewing IPA Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys discuss one of them winning their first Diplomacy tournament and their latest games. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys start rolling the show early before introducing the episode (after Ken encourages keeping in some pre-show discussion) (0 mins 10 secs) They talk about their drinks (4 mins) The Bangkok New Year's Tournament 2025 Ken won his first tournament! And also scored two best country trophies (6 mins 45 secs) He talks about his game that got him best Russia (12 mins) Ken discusses his final game playing as France (14 mins 30 secs) Ken talks about Kratom (17 mins 30 secs) Gavin talks about catching up with Stuart Barton and Max Roe Banks around his DBNI game (20 mins 10 secs) Gavin mentions he's going to the Melbourne Open {Post recording update - this didn't happen due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred closing Brisbane Airport and cancelling all flights}  (21 mins) He also talks about planning for the Cane Toad Classic in August this year (21 mins 30 secs) Ken asks Gavin around his favourite country preferences (26 mins) Around the grounds Gavin discusses a Colonial 1885 game he's in as France before they move onto the challenges of variants where sea territories get stalemated (27 mins 35 secs) Ken talks about taking advantage of a player's repeated orders (35 mins) They move onto a Europa Renovatio game where there's now only four players left (38 mins 20 secs) Ken discusses the Zeus variant he's playing (45 mins) The tech starts giving out with Gavin not hearing Ken (48 mins) Part 2 The guys are back about a week and a half later. We both went through a cyclone which cancelled Gavin's plans to get to the Melbourne Open - airport closed and flights all cancelled (50 mins) Ken provides an update on game he was hoping to solo in (52 mins 30 secs) Gavin points out in vDip a winner take all game results in vDip rankings all going backward except for being buying in (no change) with the winner getting all vDip points (58 mins) Because of the recording delay, Gavin runs through the Top 3 placed winners at the Melbourne Open - big congrats to Tianyu Sun! (1 hr 1 min) Gavin gives his next interstate tournament plans (1 hr 2 min 15 secs) They start wrapping up the show and flag they're about to record a Patreon episode Venue: At home, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: D'Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre from the Barossa, South Australia Ken: Kaner's dark ale home brew Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

Following on from last episode we discuss with Peter McNamara and Bradley Grace the fastest Diplomacy solo possible, all the math and all the reality of how to make it possible! Intro The guys introduce the episode and explain the latest comedy of errors plagueing the show. This includes recording at home again (another dumb reason why) and why Gavin is recording on his iPhone's speaker (0 mins 15 secs) Interview with Peter McNamara and Bradley Grace on soloing fast We begin setting the scenes for this episode's discussion with Peter McNamara and Bradley Grace about how to theoretically solo the board as quickly as possible and how to best practically achieve this (2 mins 25 secs) They discuss their drinks in the interview and the reason for the discussion (3 mins 30 secs) Peter talks about the theory behind how to solo as quickly as possible on the board in 1903 (7 mins 30 secs) Theoretically most players can get to 21 SCs in 1903 (9 mins 30 secs) Brad talks about the theory of reaching 21 SC in 1903 as England (11 mins 15 secs) Peter talks about a Backstabbr sandbox with Italy in 1903 with 21 SC (12 mins 30 secs) They discuss the mathematical equation to solo in 1903. Peter doesn't have it at hand, so Gavin finds it on ChatGPT with lots of other useful elements for this strategy (14 mins 30 secs) They all move onto the practical dynamics of being able to solo as quickly as possible, with Brad discussing soloing in 1904 (22 mins) Peter gives his perspective on why he could never solo that fast (26 mins) Ken asks about being able to make 18 with your own units, without other countries convoying (30 mins 45 secs) They talk about the practical aspects for how to convince players to allow you to solo so fast (37 mins 40 secs) Peter blows away the myth of The Return of the Mack (42 mins) Peter manages to find the sand box for the game at the 2020 Poppycon (45 mins) Ken and Gavin pay tribute to both Peter and Bradley as players and ask about their upcoming tournaments - apologies if they talk about tournaments that happened. Remember, things are pretty busy for the guys now so sometimes the podcast episodes come out much later then when they were recorded (50 mins 30 secs) The interview wraps up (55 mins) The guys give their perspectives on the interview and an update on the math sent post-interview by Peter - apologies for the bad audio from the breeze. They ask if anyone is aware of a solo by 1903 (56 mins) Ken talks about heading over to the Southeast Asian New Years Tournament, with Gavin asking if he's going to try a fastest solo ever effort (1 hr 2 mins) They also discuss busting (unfortunately) the Return of the Mack myth (1 hr 5 mins) Around the grounds Gavin discusses buying into a game he didn't remember buying in to (1 hr 6 mins 30 sec) The theory about dogs and their owners and picking up a great position that with some fast talk is doing very well (1 hr 8 mins) Ken discusses his Imperial game (1 hr 10 mins 45 secs) Despite talking about the vDip for podcast listeners, the game is no longer available - sorry folks with all the busy real life stuff tihs episode was recorded about a month before it came out (1 hr 15 mins 45 secs) They touch on the last time they were in Thailand when they came up the idea of Big Stick Diplomacy. They talk about whether to add to the variant the ability to move from one theatre to another, but allowing for a delay getting there eg using David E Cohen's ocean stacking or similar for naval travel (1 hr 19 mins) The guys start wrapping up the show (1 hr 25 mins) Venue: At home, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin:- Hempranillo Australian shiraz-tempranillo Ken: Kaner's dark ale home brew Bradley: Coors beer Peter: Penfolds shiraz Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episode

The guys suffer from user error while catching up for our Christmas episode. Seasons greetings everyone! Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys introduce the episode and why this is the second recording of it (0 mins 15 secs) Ken describes his own homebrewed ale before it gets their creative juices going on the most incredible Russian opening ever (2 mins 30 secs) The greatest Diplomacy solo challenge (8 mins 50  secs) Ken talks about the "Return of the Mac" game (15 mins 15 secs) He goes onto discuss the December 2024 God Save the Zine edition (apologies Ken accidentally says it was in Diplomacy World) on page 23 by Ian Bond - a Tetris like way of looking at the Classic board (16 mins 40 secs)   Ken discusses how Ian's design reminds him of what's achieved in the variant Alacavre, which looks like a fantasy map but has exactly the same connections as a Classic board. That said Ken then points out the stats for this variant are totally different to Classic statistics, which shows how habitual we are when we approach the Classic Diplomacy board (21 mins 20 secs) They go onto creating a new game of Alacavre for Diplomacy Games podcast listeners - just pop over to vDiplomacy, create an account if you haven't got one already and join the game at DiplomacyGames plays (password/invite code is just the word podcast) (33 mins 50 secs) They discuss geographic linguistic differences across Australia and Gavin's old casual job he had at the Regatta Hotel. He goes onto mention this was around the time he played Diplomacy for the very first time - through the variant Machiavelli. You can find out all about this in our Patreon feed in a week or so from now (38 mins 50 secs) The guys give a proper status update about the show and the likely release schedule/quality over the next 6-12 months (43 mins 30 secs) They advertise many "development opportunities" available for listeners who'd like to help the show. If you're able to help let us know on the podcast contact form (47 mins 20 secs) Ken also suggests if there are interview guests you'd like to hear on the show to let us know (50 mins 20 secs) Ken reflects back on Diplomacy and 2024  (51 mins 45 secs) He then discusses his upcoming attendence at the South East Asian New Years tournament being run by Sascha Heylmann on 24-26 January and their recording plans for early 2025 (53 mins 40 secs) Ken presents the "Better vDiplomacy player" plaque to Gavin for getting a higher score and ranking than Ken this year (56 mins 20 secs) The guys start wrapping up the show (1 hr 1 min) Venue: At home, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken - Kaner's own dark aleGavin - Casillero del Diablo shiraz from Chile Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys talk about the 2024 Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship and the creation of the Asia Pacific Diplomacy Association. And of course have a few drinks! Intro The guys introduce their drinks (0 mins 15 secs) The 2024 Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship They begin talking about their attendance at the Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship and Ken winning the Shane Cubis Award (1 min 30 secs) Gavin corrects the audio levels and talks about their venue (3 mins 45 secs) They get back to talking about the tournament and their games (5 mins 30 secs) Gavin shares some Diplomacy advice he got earlier (15 mins 30 secs) They talk about the Australian scene currently and how it is growing in quality and quantity (17 mins 30 secs) Catch up with Max Row Banks, Asia Pacific Diplomacy Champion The guys set the scene for the chat, recorded immediately after Max found out he was the 2024 Champion (18 mins 30 secs) The interview begins with Max talking through his game (19 mins) Max talks about playing as Russia, Germany and France (20 mins 15 secs) They talk about Max winning the championship by one SC (22 mins) Ken asks about Max's favourite moment in the event (22 mins 45 secs) They talk about the competiting players (23 mins 30 secs) Ken asks where to next (24 mins 20 secs) Max also won Best Strategist in the tournament (25 mins 10 secs) They begin wrapping up the chat (26 mins 30 secs) Gavin hadn't relistened to the interview when he and Ken caught up and incorrectly says he hasn't played against Max, even though Max touched on it at the Cane Toad Classic when Gavin had to make numbers for a board (27 mins 45 secs) Round table discussion on the new Asia Pacific Diplomacy Association They move onto a post-championship discussion around the earlier agreement to establish the Asia Pacific Diplomacy Association, a regional equivalent to what North America and Europe already has (28 mins 30 secs) Andrew Goff gives a brief overview of what's happening (31 mins 15 secs) Jamal Blakkarly provides his input into the discussion (33 mins 15 secs) Dominick Stephens reflects on how the New Zealand hobby could build from the association's approach (35 mins 15 secs) Shane Armstrong talks about where the hobby is at in Sydney and how the association can help (36 mins 50 secs) Andrew gives a hat tip to Lei Saarlainin in setting an original vision (38 mins) Ken suggests moving to a quiter location (39 mins) Diplomacy chat The guys have moved to Gather for a quieter atmosphere. Gavin reflects on regular feedback - positive and negative - from listeners about recording in a bar. And other related reflections (39 mins 30 secs) They discuss some of his thoughts on the association and some of the benefits from it (43 mins 20 secs) Ken talks about the new Renegade Studios variant, "Era of Empire" (49 mins 30 secs) Gavin reflects on his repeated efforts to reach out to Renegade's media team about an interview on how they're taking the game forward - but unfortunately with no response (56 min) The guys ask if anyone has a connection into the people from Renegade Studios, please get in touch as we'd love to know the strategy they're taking the game (58 mins 45 secs) FYI - don't message us on X, as we don't go there anymore (1 hr 1 mins) Gavin is now on a Tscharke Shiraz from the Barossa and Ken is on a Balter XPA. Gavin gives his limited insights of the Russian language (1 hr 2mins) Around the grounds Gavin's joined an unranked Divided States game and has actively encouraged the one guy who didn't stab him to walk into his SC's (1 hr 3 mins 30 secs) Ken moves onto his Imperial Diplomacy game where he's doing pretty good as Prussia (1 hr 5mins) They move onto Gavin's anonymous World War IV game where he's still doing well (1 hr 7 mins) Gavin asks Ken on tactics when it comes to convoys and movements to keep it legal (1 hr 11 mins) They start wrapping up (1 hr 16 mins) Venue: Little Miss Sunshine and Gather, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken - Young Henry's

The guys catch up after a busy few months IRL and talk about aspects of their favourite game Intro The guys introduce the venue and their drinks (0 mins 15 secs) They explain why the recording schedule hasn't been so great this year (2 mins 30 secs) Diplomacy chat Ken shows Gavin the prototype trophy for the January 2025 Diplomacy tournament planned for Bangkok (3 mins 15 secs) The guys get some more drinks and discuss their upcoming attendance at the Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship (13 mins) They talk about the "Toadiest Toad" award at the Cane Toad Classic (14 mins 30 secs) They come back to the Asia Pacific Championship and their aspirations for the tournament. Listeners - just so you know this episode is being released the day before the championship starts (16 mins 30 secs) They talk about the Canberra tournament being help 3 weeks later and the plan to have a top board (20 mins 20 secs) Gavin gives a couple of apologies due to the recording schedule being a bit lax (23 mins 20 secs) They discuss trying to get regular games going and what is the 'secret sauce' (25 mins) A small local football digression (27 mins 30 secs) Around the grounds Ken asks how Gavin's online games are going (31 mins 45 secs) They talk about what happens when someone blocks your growth corridor off on a large map (34 mins 15 secs) Ken talks about his gunboat Imperial game against the big boys (37 mins 30 secs) They talk about the value of holding a build back (42 mins 15 secs) The guys start wrapping things up and remind listeners around our Patreon feed (44 mins) Venue: Babblers, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken - Stone and Wood Pacific AleGavin - Paratheon Silver Shiraz from the Barossa Valley   Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview Jacob and Jamal from the A Christian and Buddhist Walk into a Bar podcast as a cross over episode. Plus Gavin discusses WDC in Milan and more. Intro The guys open the show and introduce their drinks and venue (0 mins 10 secs) Gavin has a cough but goes into his experience playing at the 2024 WDC in Milan (2 mins 40 secs) Interview with Jamal Blakkarly and Jacob Traeger from the podcast A Buddhist and a Christian Walk into a Bar about Diplomacy and faith The guys start introducing the interview with Jamal and Jacob, co-hosts of the podcast A Buddhist and a Christian Walk into a Bar for a cross-over episode about Diplomacy and faith (9 mins) The interview begins as the four of them set up the nature of the episode for each of the podcasts' audiences (11 mins) Ken explains the game for the other podcast's audience (16 mins) They discuss the link between each of their religious and spiritual perspectives and Diplomacy (17 mins 30 secs) Gavin discusses Jamal's double stab on him during the Melbourne Open (22 mins 45 secs) They discuss the evolving nature of Diplomacy, its connection with your life and learning moments (25 mins) Gavin talks about inadvertantly injecting Diplomacy into the game of Monopolyn (41 mins) Jamal asks whether God likes Diplomacy (43 mins) The nature of the discussion turns towards Buddism and Diplomacy, and Jamal reflects on Catholicism in Italy (49 mins) Jacob asks about whether there's any place in the game of Diplomacy for some of the key aspects of the major religions (57 mins) Gavin reflects on the face to face nature of the game as a way of meeting great people and traveling to amazing locations (1 hr 5 mins) Just search Christian Buddhist bar on Google to find Jamal and  Jacob's podcast if you want to hear more of A Christian and a Buddhist Walk into a Bar (1 hr 11 mins) The guys reflect on the discussion with Jamal and Jacob (1 hr 12 mins) Gavin talks about how he enjoyed spending time travelling and visiting Diplomacy players during his trip, including Jamal, Bradley Grace, Chris Brand and John Avena (1 hr 16 mins 45 secs) He goes onto talk about WDC 2025 in San Francisco and WDC 2026 in Athens, with a shout out to Spyros, podcast listener and TD for WDC in Athens (1 hr 22 mins) Gavin discusses officially holding the Cane Toad Classic tournament in Brisbane the weekend of 24-25 August 2024. Register your interest at the Australian Diplomacy tournament form (1 hr 26 mins) They talk about a pre-game for the first weekend in August but since recording we've fallen short and won't be happening (1 hr 30 mins) The guys begin wrapping up the show, and Gavin does an extra Bradely Grace shout out on 3 words (1 hr 35 mins 15 secs)   Venue: Longwang, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken: Balter XPA from the Gold Coast, XXXX Bitter from Brisbane (during the interview) Gavin: Balter XPA from the Gold Coast Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.  

  The guys interview Davide Cleopadre, the tournament organiser of the 2024 World Diplomacy Championship in Milan, Italy. Intro The guys open the show being recorded on Skype and introduce their drinks with a couple of stories along the way (0 mins 10 secs) Interview with Davide Cleopadre, TD for the 2024 WDC in Milan They start introducing the interview with Davide Cleopadre, the tournament organiser (11 mins 50 secs) The interview begins and Gavin asks Davide why he nominated Milan as the host for the 2024 WDC (14 mins) Gavin talks about the culture in Italy and Australia and how they've very similar (16 mins 15 secs) Davide talks a little around the venue and eating too much (19 mins) Gavin asks what will people walk away remembering about this particular WDC. Ken bowls a curve ball  (21 mins 20 secs) He goes onto ask about the structure of the tournament... with a little lasagne and gnocci talk... and not to put any sauce on anything in Australia (24 mins 15 secs) They talk about the rounds in the tournament, the scoring system and gameplay (29 mins) Davide goes into how the top board is determined and Gavin asks about the Lingua Franca in the tournament (41 mins 40 secs) Ken asks about using new technologies to improve communication in other languages in tournaments (45 mins 10 secs) Gavin draws on his previous visit to Milan many years ago and asks about Davide's expeditations on travelling before or after the tournament (49 mins) They talk about the WhatsApp group for the tournament (50 mins 50 secs) Davide talks about the idea of betting and bottles of wine before a brief discussion on Spaghetti Bolognese (55 mins 30 secs) The guys discuss the interview (59 mins 30 secs) Gavin mentions the Team game concept being considered for WDC Milan (1 hr 6 mins) Diplomacy chat Ken asks what Gavin's doing with his online games while he's away (1 hr 11 mins) They discuss some of Gavin's vDip games (1 hr 15 mins) Ken asks about buying into games (1 hr 20 mins) The guys wrap up the show (1 hr 28 mins) Venue: Skype because Ken has buggered up his hand, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken: XXXX Bitter from Brisbane Gavin: De Bortelli Sacred Hill Shiraz, "Wine of Australia" Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.  

The guys open the show and introduce the venue, Maniax, an axe throwing bar (0 mins 10 secs) Gavin mentions a Bizarre Map originally published on X, which explains what bits of Australia are like if they were American (6 mins 15 secs) They also discuss the old pronunciation issue for “Arkansas” (8 mins 20 secs) The guys flag there’s no interview this episode, and an update where they stuffed up an interview (9 mins 30 secs) Gavin talks about setting a regularly scheduled day each month so people can put it in their calendar eg second Sunday or the month (16 mins 45 secs) They get invited to throw axes and receive a safety briefing and before having a throw - apologies if it gets a little quieter at this point but there’s understandable a bit of space between the recorder and where we throw the axes (19 mins 45 secs) The guys give a wrap up of their axe throwing games (41 mins) They move onto a new bar and discuss the venue and their drinks (45 mins) Gavin talks about not acting his age. Read more about Australian school yard Hand Ball - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handball_(schoolyard_game) - he also discusses swearing (50 mins 30 secs) Ken delivers some big news from Sweden (55 mins 15 secs) He asks Gavin about his thoughts on networking the board vs the strategy of the board - you can hear about this for less than $2 a month in our Patreon feed (55 mins 50 secs) Gavin cracks some news about his plans for May and June this year (57 mins 50 secs) They discuss the What the Dr Recommended segment (1 hr 6 mins) The guys kick off an Around the Grounds segment and start talking about some of their online games (1 hr 7 mins 50 secs) They start wrapping up the show (1 hr 20 mins)  Venue: Maniax and then Brew, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken: Maniax Mead and Stone and Wood Pacific Ale Gavin: Two to the Valley pale ale by Newstead Brewery and a Don Ramon tempranillo Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.    

The guys discuss their latest face to face tournament, the Melbourne Open and have an around the card table discussion with many great players. Plus Ken's shoe story. Enjoy! Intro The guys open the show discussing their drinks, Gavin's incredible rustiness and a little about the tournament (0 mins 15 secs) They mention DBN is having a chat also coming up blow by blow about the tournament  (9 mins secs) Card table chat around Melbourne Open and player experiences The guys introduce the card table chat with various players from the Melbourne Open and Ken teases the tale of two shoes. Bear in mind that occassionally with so many people speaking it can be confusing briefly (9 mins 30 secs) The chat begins with Karthik Konath (USA), Craig Percell (New Zealand), Ken, Steve (Melboune), Peter (Melbourne), Jamal (Canberra), Goffy (Melbourne) and Robert (Melbourne via London), meanwhile Gavin discusses a skit in Aunty Donna and his poor consistent games at the end of day one (10 mins) They begin a debrief on their round 1 and 2 games and observations from the first day (14 mins) Sascha (Thailand via Germany) joins the chat and they discuss the international player's views on why they came to an Australian tournament and what they like about Australia from their visit so far (19 mins) They talk about the prospects of a WDC in Australia is a few years (26 mins 30 secs) Australian stereotypes (32 mins 35 secs) They eventually move on to each discuss their first day at the tournament (38 mins 45 secs) They move onto how things will change in their gameplay for day two and the additional role to the TD in supporting wellbeing (1 hr 23 mins 45 secs) The discussion wraps up (1 hr 53 mins) Airport Tournament wrap-up (BONUS shoe story) The guys give their recollections of the chat (1 hr 53 mins 30 secs) They discuss their trip back from Andrew Goff's to their apartment and Ken's Ned the "Shoe Man" Kelly story (1 hr 57 mins) Ken announces he came third in the tournament (2 hrs 3 mins) Ken flags to watch his second round Turkey game when it airs on DBN (2 hrs 7 mins 30 secs) Gavin talks about his first round Italy getting an Italian army in Sevastapol in fall 1902 (2 hrs 9 mins) They discuss upcoming tournaments including the Hung Parliament Handicap in Canberra, getting a Canetoad Classic in Brisbane happening in August and another Melbourne tournament in October (2 hrs 14 mins) Gavin flags that our scheduling has been thrown out a bit before wrapping up (2 hours 16 mins) Venue: The Taphouse (Melbourne Airport) and Andrew Goff's place, Melbourne Drinks of choice: Ken:  Stomping Ground red ale by the Taphouse and so, so many Gavin: Stomping Ground pale ale zero alcohol and many, many more Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.  

The guys interview Zach Moore about all things NADF. Plus we talk our online games. Intro The guys open the show talking about some recent off topic discussions (0 mins 15 secs) They discuss their drinks and initial venue  (1 mins 30 secs) Loser's round stuff (3 mins 30 secs) Interview with Zach Moore about NADF The guys start introducing their interview with Zach, current NADF President who gives us a tour of his car (6 mins 30 secs) Zach explains how he took over the presidency of NADF from Siobhan Nolen, and his purpose in the role and the Code of Conduct (9 mins) He discusses the more proactive measures he'd like to see to get ahead of behaviours that cause problems and how the NADF Board is assisting (13 mins) They discuss improving diversity in the game (16 mins) Zach talks about this year's DipCon in Vancouver and his experience, including his game with Jamal Blakkarly (20 mins 30 secs) Gavin asks about why non North Americans didn't perform as well at DipCon (28 mins) They discuss how play style changes in a tournament where there is no top board (34 mins 30 secs) Zach talks about how Covid killed the local Minnesota club (37 mins 30 secs) Zach asks about the Australian "Snake Pit" virtual league on Discord (39 mins 15 secs) They talk about the concept of an International Diplomacy Federation (41 mins) Zach puts on the record about him winning his DBNI first round and top board, and how it'll happen (46 mins) They wrap up the interview (48 mins 20 secs) Around the grounds They move bars to the Dark Red Wine Bar and discuss their new drinks as a mid-game (55 mins) The guys talk about a "Big Hitters" game staring to form at vDiplomacy, currently planned on a Haven map (1 hr 1 mins) They talk about heading off to the Melbourne Open this weekend (1 hr 5 mins) They wrap up the show (1 hr 9 mins) Venue: The Prince Regent & the Dark Red Wine Bar, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken:  Young Henry's XPA and Moretti Lager (from Italy) Gavin: Balter XPA and a Primitovo from Apulgia, Italy Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview Chris Brand about the upcoming 2024 DipCon/Cascadia Open in Vancouver. Plus we talk upcoming tournaments and our online games. Intro The guys open the show about Gavin's wife's recent interest in Ticket to Ride and talk about a number of other board games (0 mins 15 secs) They discuss their drinks and initial venue which they last visited in episode 2 (4 mins 20 secs) Ken's been brewing beer (6 mins 20 secs) Interview with Chris Brand The guys start introducing their interview with Chris Brand, WDC winner and tournament organiser for this year's DipCon/Cascadia Open in Vancouver (10 mins 15 secs) Gavin asks about the tournament from 3rd to 4th February 2024 and how it'll be different being run as a DipCon (12 mins 30 secs) They talk about the scoring system and player's from different locations' playing style versus the West Coast style (15 mins 30 secs) They go onto discuss responsibilities in organising the tournament (20 mins 40 secs) Chris talks about the rounds and the impact of online players increasingly attending face to face tournaments (23 mins) Gavin asks about Chris' drink (26 mins) Ken asks about how did the idea of combining DipCon and Cascadia come about (27 mins 40 secs) He then asks about the logistics of getting to the tournament (30 mins 30 secs) They talk about the social aspect of the tournament (32 mins 15 secs) Gavin asks Chris about whether he'll attend WDC in Milan (34 mins) Ken asks about how to register and get advice on getting to the tournament (35 mins 40 secs) They start wrapping up the interview before moving onto discussing the interview (38 mins) Ken gets up to some maple syrup smuggling (47 mins 30 secs) Diplomacy chat The guys discuss the two upcoming tournaments in Australia: the Melbourne Open hosted by Andrew Goff in the first weekend of March and the Hung Parliament Handicap in Canberra hosted by Jamal Blakkarly on 12-14 April (48 mins 30 secs) The guys give their take on Renaissance Italy (57 mins) They discuss having a tournament in Brisbane during August called the "Canetoad Classic" and get into the trophy (1 hr 1 min) The guys move onto a new venue, moving to Rothwells and discuss their mid-game drinks (1 hr 7 mins) Around the grounds Gavin talks about the last episode where the guys agreed to play the new South of Sahara variant, but Ken then CD'ed and left the game (1 hr 14 mins) They move onto Gavin's Europa Renovatio game as Portugal (1 hr 18 mins) Ken flags he hasn't got around to any Big Stick Diplomacy variant updates. They then talk about a few games broadly (1 hr 26 mins) Ken talks about how to flag in a gunboat how to flag to get on with it and draw (1 hr 29 mins 30 secs) The guys start wrapping up the episode (1 hr 32 mins 45 secs) Venue: The Gresham & Rothwell's, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken:  Cooper's Sparkling Ale from South Australia and Wilder gluten free pale ale Gavin: Capa Sigle Tempranillo from Castilla la Mancha in Spain and a 2018 Bordeaux Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

After almost 4 years the guys bring back creator and publisher of the Diplomacy Briefing, Umbletheheap, to see where the weekly email newsletter is at and where it's going. Plus we award the end of year Best Player award between each other, the new South of Sahara variant and progress on the Big Stick Diplomacy variant. Intro The guys open the show and discuss their drinks and initial venue which they last visited in episode 14. They discuss why Russia doesn't open Warsaw to Silesia more often. (0 mins 15 secs) Interview with Umbletheheap The guys start introducing their interview with Umbletheheap, creator and publisher of the Diplomacy Briefing (6 mins 15 secs) Umble gives a quick overview about what the Diplomacy Briefing is and its initial beginning (8 mins) He discusses the increasing role of many other great people contributing to the Briefing (10 mins 15 secs) Gavin asks about the professionalisation of the newsletter (14 mins 10 secs) Umble discusses his role in Ministry as a pastor yet being someone who loves the game Diplomacy which has a certain reputation (17 mins 45 secs) They discuss the role of AI when assisting the Briefing (26 mins) Gavin gives a shout out for anyone listening to the show who wants to step up, give back to the community and be recognised for their work re-using podcast conten in other areas eg Youtube (31 mins) Umble shares two secrets, one on starting the Briefing and getting Captainmeme back into the game (32 mins) He discusses winding things back a bit, while still ensuring the Briefing will keep on going (39 mins) Umble discusses old Diplomacy zines and how in the past it impacted on relationships (44 mins) He finishes up by discussing their Diplomacy awards coming up (47 mins) The guys return - this time in a new venue - and discuss the interview (52 mins) Diplomacy chat They discuss the new venue - an 80's rock bar called Alice - and their drinks (57 mins 30 secs) Some 80's pop culture banter (59 mins) Ken awards the trophy between the two of them on who is The Better vDip player, with Ken still beating Gavin (1 hr 0 mins 40 secs) New variant - South of Sahara The guys discuss the latest new variant on vDip "South of Sahara", created by David E Cohen and brought to vDip by Enriador and Tobias Florin (1 hr 3 mins 30 secs) They discuss this new 5 player variant. Gavin shares a conversation with David about the variant and some of his new upcoming variants (1 hr 5 mins) Ken shares a story about transforming units in Known World 901 and they agree to playing a South of Sahara game together (1 hr 12 mins 30 secs) Due to the very dark lighting they decide to switch drinking venues (1 hr 15 mins) Variant development update: Big Stick Diplomacy The guys have moved to Red Queen Gin and begin planning further their Big Stick Diplomacy variant (1 hr 15 mins 45 secs) Ken gives Gavin a geographic history lesson (1 hr 41 mins) Henry Kissinger update The freaky Henry Kissinger moment (1 hr 47 mins) Bronze Age Diplomacy play testing Gavin bought into this variant being play tested. You can view the game at vDiplomacy with the opening positions viewed on the variant page (1 hr 54 mins 30 secs) He goes on to discuss what he felt coming towards the end game and why as a variant creator he felt the need to stab his long term ally (1 hr 57 mins 15 secs) The guys start wrappin up the show, but have a mea culpa for our Patreon supporters. Gavin's slightly misplaced the recording from last episode and is looking for it. It'll come out soon (2 hrs 7 mins) Venue: Embassy Hotel, Alice and Red Queen Gin, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken:  Black Haze stout infused with egg nog, Sundance Surprise, Ritual and CeremoniesGavin: Black Hops Goat hazy IPA, Buffalo Trace on the rocks, barrel aged Negroni Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plu

The guys interview Sascha Heylmann who they met and played at WDC. Plus we address the myth of Diplomacy being the favorite game of Henry Kissinger... unfortunately surprisingly timely. Intro The guys open the show and discuss the venue and their drinks before they introduce their interview with Sascha Heylmann, one of the behind the scenes organisers at WDC in Bangkok (0 mins 15 secs Interview with Sascha Heylmann The interview with Sascha begins (2 mins 45 secs) How Sascha got into Diplomacy: both in Europe and in Bangkok. He discusses recent organising of games in Bangkok (4 mins 30 secs) They talk about the challenge of getting local players instead of ex-pats and more women involved into the game (9 mins) The guys talk about the challenge of playing a pre-dominantly a game communicating in English vs Thai, culture in the ex-pat and Thai communities and improving diversity in the game (15 mins) Sascha talks about upcoming steps in Diplomacy coming up for Bangkok and more broadly for southeast Asia (26 mins 45 secs) Ken asks about Sascha's takeaway thoughts on what went well and what could've been done differently for future tournaments (31 mins 30 secs) They talk about long term thinking for a tournament circuit concept. Sascha reflects on this in the southeast Asian context with the idea of it being somewhere like Denang in Vietnam in August 2024 (36 mins 30 secs) If you want to find out more and join Sascha's Whatsapp group for the New Years or Southeast Asian championship, use our contact us link and we'll hook you up! Or private message Vaultboy on vDiplomacy (45 mins 30 secs) The guys wrap up the interview (52 mins) The guys return and give their thoughts on the interview (52 mins 50 secs) Ken and Gavin move bars to the Press Club (54 mins 50 secs) Diplomacy news and chat Brother Bored’s Diplomacy Dojo podcast is back after a bit of a hiatus (56 mins) They discuss PlayDip recently being hacked and give their thoughts about the massive amount of gambling advertising on the site (58 mins) Ken announces that we’re going to be part of trying to get a face to face scene happening on the Gold Coast (about an hour south of Brisbane) (1 hr 2 mins) Gavin announces a small development in the urban legend about Diplomacy being the favourite game of Henry Kissinger. Note: this was recorded prior to the announcement of Henry Kissinger’s death (1 hr 6 mins 30 secs) The guys turn to their new proposed variant across multiple theaters of war at the end of the 19th Century and have an update for listeners (1 hr 20 mins 15 secs) Gavin resets expectations on a Christmas extravaganza for the next episode (1 hr 37 mins) He goes onto discuss a suggested title for this variant (1 hr 39 mins 15 secs) They talk about a name for the variant and coalesce on "Big Stick Diplomacy" (1 hr 47 mins 30 secs) The guys begin wrapping up the episode (1 hr 49 mins) Venue: Press Club, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken:  Valley Hops hazy IPAGavin: The house cabernet sauvignon. Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

The guys interview Bradley Grace about his love of Diplomacy. Plus they discuss a great new variant devised on a mini bus in rural Thailand and their online games. Intro The guys introduce themselves, the bar and their drinks for the evening (0 mins 10 secs) They discuss what life's like now back in Australia, instead of their super chill selves in Thailand. Ken talks about some of the places he visited in Thailand after Kanchanaburi (4 mins 30 secs) Interview with Bradley Grace They start introducting the interview for today's episode with Bradley Grace. Gavin flags they had tech issues recording the interview, so apologies there's a small break and then another 30 mins of the interview didn't record for some reason (8 mins 45 secs) Ken begins the interview and asks Bradley about how did he come to WDC. Bradley also discusses how he first got into Diplomacy (11 mins 30 secs) For some reason Zoom crapped itself so soon in the interview, but then we come back (14 mins 15 secs) Bradley talks about his virtual Diplomacy championship top board experience and his stories on gameplay (16 mins 45 secs) He talks about his main lesson: be 10% less aggressive (21 mins 30 secs) Bradley and Ken talk about their discussions from watching the WDC shadow top board. They discuss Diplomacy as a spectator sport (23 mins 30 secs) Bradley talks about the repechage round which determined whether he or Edi Birsan made the top board. He then gives his views on how he would've done on the top board as Germany (26 mins) He asks Gavin why he built an army as Turkey in winter 1901 rather than a fleet (29 mins) Ken asks if Bradley had a favorite game he played at WDC (30 mins) As flagged the 2nd part of the interview wasn't recorded (sorry - you just missed half an hour of gold). Gavin flags our next Patreon episode has a great WDC discussion recorded involving Chris Brand, Jamal and Bradley (37 mins) A great new variant? On the way back from Erawan Falls in Thailand on a mini bus, Gavin and Ken came up with the idea for a fantastic new variant, an alternate history variant set during the Spanish-American War, where a broader war occurs including Britain, France, Holland and Portugal. The variant involves conflict across 4 diffent theaters of war and different power dynamics across the quadrants to create balance across the board (43 mins 15 secs) Around the grounds Ken discusses a couple of the few games he's in at the moment (1 hr 4 mins) Gavin talks about two games he drew in - an Ancient Mediterranean game and an Imperial game (1 hr 6 mins) He then discusses an American Conflict game he was eliminated in (1 hr 12 mins 30 secs) They talk about trying to get a face to face game happening locally. Ken discusses the new 6 player Greek city states map he purchased at WDC (1 hr 13 mins 30 secs) They begin wrapping up the show (1 hr 15 mins) Venue: Antico, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Ken:  Stone & Wood pale aleGavin: A glass of Italian montepulciano (missed the name of the vineyard when ordering) Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

Ken interviews Jamal Blakkarly, 2023 World Diplomacy Champion and co-host Gavin who also played the top board in Bangkok about the game and their similar styles and perspectices on Diplomacy. Plus, the podcast takes a new direction. Intro The guys introduce themselves in an entirely different way to the previous 120 episodes, with the cat out of the bag (0 mins 10 secs) They set up the interview today with Jamal, World Diplomacy Champ and Gavin who was also on the top board (2 mins 20 secs) They discuss the region and where they’re recording and flag because they’re recording on the River Kwai there may be occassional boat noise (which they try to prevent by pausing). They also discuss their drinks (4 mins) Gavin talks about the WDC tournament and the top board. Ken won best Russia and Gavin also picked up the Most Fun to Play With award (8 mins) They discuss the players on the top board and the Paris Method being used to decide who played which country (12 mins 5 secs) Ken gives his thanks to the organiser Lei Saarlainen and tournament director Andrew Goff, before throwing to the interview (16 mins 45 secs) Interview with Jamal and Gavin on the 2023 World Diplomacy Championships The interview begins with WDC winner Jamal Blakkarly and Diplomacy Games co-host Gavin (17 mins 30 secs) Ken asks about country choice with Jamal selecting Austria and Gavin choosing Turkey (20 mins 15 secs) He asks how Jamal was feeling when Peter (France) was being attacked from the beginning by Brandon (England), Edi (Germany) and Chris (Italy) (30 mins 20 secs) Ken asks about what negotiations were going on following Gavin’s Turkish army move into Sevestapol (33 mins 15 secs) The game enters 1904 with discussions on the alliance structure - apologies again for the stop-start nature of the recording due to the boats going past  (39 mins 45 secs) Gavin discusses one of his misorders (47 mins 20 secs) They go onto discuss Jamal’s thoughts on where to take things with Peter’s demise (51 mins) They discuss the reason for the AT alliance moving out of Rome (54 mins) The discussion moves onto Spring 1907 and Jamal’s congo line (1 hr) Ken discusses the people in the room watching the build phase getting excited (1 hr 4 mins) The interview talks about Gavin’s strategy in the game as he was waiting for Jamal’s position to open up, which at last happened in spring 1908 (1 hr 7 mins) Jamal discusses what happened in spring 1908 and how the game radically changed. He discusses Edi (Germany) throwing SCs openly to Brandon (England) and how a different game began at that point. Gavin then discusses how he felt at that moment (1 hr 10 mins) Jamal discusses the last game year. Gavin touches on the intensity of the game at this stage (1 hr 21 mins 30 secs) He goes onto discuss his philosophy and how it relates to the game. They both discuss their spirituality and how it reflects how they view the game - listen to Jamal’s podcast he co-hosts at A Christian and Buddhist walk into a bar. (1 hr 24 mins) Jamal reflects on each player in the game (1 hr 30 secs 30 mins) He discusses Chris Brand’s final moves, which Jamal describes as beautiful poetry on the board (1 hr 34 mins 15 secs) Jamal still finds it hard to process hearing Andrew declare him the winner and what happened next in the room (1 hr 38 mins 30 secs) He touches on how he discovered Diplomacy and how the game continues to change him (1 hr 41 mins 45 secs) Ken begins wrapping up the interview. Gavin discusses how Diplomacy, Strategy and Tactics relate to each other. Jamal gives his final take (1 hr 43 mins 15 secs) Jamal mentioned in his interview how he learned about the game from his history teacher Andrew, he then goes onto calling him in Melbourne and discovers the Diplomacy Club established at the school by Jamal is still running (1 hr 47 mins) Sorry but due to new hosting character limits, for more show notes visit our website (DiplomacyGames.com)

With the guys about to head off to WDC in Bangkok, they play a face to face game & discuss their learnings to apply. Plus updates on their podcast listener game and new variants in development at vDip. Intro The guys introduce their drinks and tonight’s initial venue (0 mins 10 secs) They talk a little around their plans for Bangkok's WDC before a bit of an intro on their recent face to face game in Brisbane (3 mins) Chat with Reily Chapman on their face to face game in Brisbane The guys set up the context of their chat with Reily (previously on the show as Macca) about their recent face to face game in Brisbane (5 mins) The discussion starts as Kaner and Amby get into the Guiness  (6 mins)  Reily talks about his board topping game as Austria, and Amby’s poorly executed game as Italy (8 mins) Kaner discusses his game as Russia (12 mins) Amby’s psychological warfare against France (15 mins 20 secs) They discuss gameplay (19 mins) Kaner and Reily with different recollections of the same thing (22 mins 30 secs) Amby’s stab (24 mins 30 secs) Turkey starts threatening Turkey (27 mins) Amby discusses his misorder and how it all unraveled (31 mins) They discuss their top learnings from this game and the end game (38 mins) They start wrapping things up with some final thoughts to help for WDC (52 mins) Kaner & Amby return and give their thoughts on the discussion with Reily before moving onto a strategy talk (54 mins 30 secs) Diplomacy talk They talk about timings for next episodes following the guys going to Thailand (1 hr 2 mins) The guys have moved from their starter bar (Prince Consort) to the Gatsby Lounge in Fortitude Valley and their new drinks (1 hr 4 mins) Around the grounds They kick off their current games discussions with their podcast listener game based on Nine Dash Line (1 hr 6 mins 30 mins)  They discuss a proposed new variant at vDip set in New Zealand amongst Maori tribes by Porter Zach (1 hr 18 mins)  They review some of the other new maps in development (1 hr 23 mins 30 secs) They move onto a couple of Amby’s game including an American Conflict game and an Imperial Diplomacy game where he’s Britain (1 hr 30 mins) Amby gets block sizes mixed up before they discuss getting some variant maps printed for games without 7 players (1 hr 41 mins) The guys wrap up the show (1 hr 45 mins) Venue: Prince Consort, Finn McCools & the Gatsby Lounge, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Balter XPA, Guiness and 150 Lashes pale aleAmby: Torbruk Woodcutter's shiraz, Guiness and St Hallet’s Faith shiraz Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

With just a month until the first World Diplomacy Championship in Asia we catchup with organisers Andrew Goff and Lei Saarlainen about WDC Bangkok 2023, plus lots more. Intro The guys introduce their drinks and tonight’s venue (0 mins 10 secs) They discuss why Italy doesn’t open more often to the west and some crazy openings (5 mins 35 secs) Interview about WDC Bangkok with Andrew Goff and Lei Saarlainen They introduce the interview today with Lei Saarlainen and Andrew Goff about WDC 2023 in Bangkok (14 mins) We discuss what’s planned (16 mins 40 sec) They discuss how language is approached at the tournament (20 mins) Andrew and Lei discusses what makes this WDC different to previous tournaments (25 mins 10 secs) Kaner asks about what Bangkok is like for visitors flying in and what to do. Andrew gives some tricks to remember for visitors (29 mins 45 secs) Lei also mentions there is a side tournament being held a week later in Siem Reap in Cambodia including visits to the Angkor Wat temple complex. Andrew also gives context for scheduling during the tournament and a WhatsApp group (33 mins 50 secs) They discuss time limit plans for the games (38 mins 20 secs) Kaner asks about the tournament scoring system (41 mins 20 secs) Amby goes onto discuss which official version of the rules will be used - the new board or rules played for many years (44 mins 10 secs) Amby asks about the cultural style of the tournament gameplay (48 mins 20 secs) He goes onto ask about the local climate and how should people be packing (52 mins 30 secs) They discuss some of the challenges maintaining momentum for the tournament during the pandemic (56 mins) They begin wrapping up the interview (1 hr 1 min) They goes give their thoughts on the interview (1 hr 2 mins 30 secs) Amby incorrectly says the Siem Reap tournament will be in a temple - he misheard Lei - ignore this bit folks! (1 hr 7 mins) Diplomacy chat Kaner asks about getting a face to face game in Brisbane (1 hr 13 mins) Amby discusses the Curious Western Triple  (1 hr 14 mins) The guys talk houses and the Kaner & Amby Gardening Show (1 hr 28 mins)  Around the grounds The guys discuss their Nine Dash Line game (https://www.vdiplomacy.com/board.php?gameID=55953) which they’re playing with podcast listeners (1 hr 33 mins 40 secs) vDip has new variants again thanks to tobi1 and Enriador. Kaner talks about his anonymous East Indies game where he’s getting screwed over (https://www.vdiplomacy.com/board.php?gameID=55953) (1 hr 41 mins 50 secs) Amby touches on some of his games. First up is an email only game run by David E Cohen for the Mandate of Heaven variant. He discusses his interesting gameplay strategy - big shout out to his ally Rob (1 hr 46 mins 20 secs) Amby talks about his American Conflict game - a Civil War variant with the European powers joining in at the same time (https://www.vdiplomacy.com/board.php?gameID=56035#gamePanel) (1 hr 51 mins 15 secs) Next is his Imperial game as Britain (https://www.vdiplomacy.com/board.php?gameID=55996) (1 hr 54 mins 30 secs) The guys wrap up the show (2 hrs 2 mins 30 secs) Venue: Babylon, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: 150 Lashes pale aleAmby: Kaesler shiraz from the Barossa Valley Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

Kaner & Amby catch up to discuss the upcoming new official board game rules, their game with podcast listeners and much more. Intro The guys introduce their drinks and tonight’s venue (0 mins 5 secs) New board game rules & face to face They talk about the proposed board updates and rule changes from Renegade, the new publisher (7 mins) Amby discusses the beer taps before they move onto the last 2 rule changes (25 mins 40 secs) They discuss whether any of the upcoming tournaments from August on, including WDC, will be playing against the rules (33 mins) The guys talk about their plans for WDC in Bangkok (43 mins 40 secs) Amby discusses timing for their next face to face game in Brisbane (45 mins 10 secs) Around the grounds Kaner and Amby in the last episode talked about playing the Nine Dash variant with podcast listeners. This has now happened and can be found at vDip. The guys give a shout out to all listeners/players in the game  (47 mins 20 secs) They talk about the interesting aspects of this variant’s board before they talk about how the game is going for them and other players (49 mins 30 secs) Amby talks about the Aberration V anonymous game he’s in and then discusses his World War IV game (1 hr 3 mins 30 secs) The guys start wrapping up (1 hr 8 mins 40 secs) Venue: Miss Demeanor, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Black Hops pale aleAmby: Tscharke’s Shiraz, Shiraz, Shiraz from the Barossa Valley Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

Lots of stuff been happening in the guys' lives, so they catch up to discuss the game. Intro The guys give some context for the delay in podcast episodes (0 mins 10 secs) Kaner gives Amby his belated Christmas gift (1 mins 50 secs) They discuss their face to face game in January, their first game since Covid. They discuss having another game in mid-April (5 mins 20 secs) The guys move onto discussing ChatGPT and using it for a Diplomacy game. Kaner discusses the jail breaked version (10 mins 30 secs) They realise they'd forgette to introduce the bar and their drinks (13 mins 45 secs) Amby talks some more about ChatGPT and what it knows about our podcast (16 mins) Amby asks Kaner about circular movements in Diplomacy. Kaner uses as an example a Classic Britain game. They go onto discuss the dynamics of how England got off Great Britain (25 mins 30 secs) They discuss the two new variants at vDip: Cold War Redux (a 4 player version) and Nine-Dash Line. They discuss creating a password protected game for our listeners and give away the password when you listen (35 mins) Kaner discusses a northern California variant map, a New York City variant and David E Cohen's South of the Sahara variant (48 mins) In discussing the Russian civil war, Amby discusses the Czechoslovak legion creating havoc in central Russia (54 mins) The guys move to a new bar Black Hops session ale and Lato Wild West red blend. Kaner talks chilli vodka (56 mins) Kaner discusses his Mistletoe Grinding Shoepolish Mudcake game (1 hr 1 min) Kaner's games he stole from Amby and bottom feeders (1 hr 6 mins 30 secs) Why they can't play Bot games at the moment against each other (1 hr 14 mins) Amby talks a little about his games (1 hr 16 mins 40 secs) Amby goes back to the January face to face Brisbane game and how he did not lie to players (channeling his inner Cicero) (1 hr 18 mins 50 secs) The guys wrap the show up (1 hr 20 mins) Venue: Criterion Hotel and Before + After, Brisbane Drinks of choice: Kaner: Great Northern lager and Black Hops session aleAmby: Balter XPA, Pepperjack Shiraz from the Barossa Valley and Lato Wild West red blend   Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.