The Embassy Journal

You know, I have realised that I probably bang on too much. What can I say? I like the sound of my own writing (my voice, until laryngitis kicks in when I begin to sound like Barry White, is slightly too high pitched and squeaky).

This led me to realise that I should probably be looking at different ways to put out what I want to put that's longer-winded than the long-winded stuff I publish here.

And so The Embassy Journal was born.

This is my zine, written to accompany the blog, but with articles and a smattering of other stuff. You can get it from the link above, which will lead you to the first issue (March 2020). Let me know what you think.

All issues will be published on The Embassy Journal page on this blog, where you can also find subscription and contribution info.

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WHAT IS DIPLOMACY? - Part 5: Variants

A variant is a game of Diplomacy where the rules or context are different from the standard game as designed by Allan B Calhamer. There are three types of variants: context variants, map variants and rules variants. Context Variants Context variants are those games that are played with a wider context. They may be tournament games, other scored games, or remote format games. These aren't often recognised as variants as such, as variants tend to be within the other two types discussed below. But the context the game is being played in will have an impact on how some players will play the game, and so they are certainly a variation of Dip. Maybe they should be called "variations" rather than variants but does it really matter? Map Variants Diplomacy has been adapted to different maps, or boards. Not surprising as the general idea of the game, pitting competing powers against each other in a localised region and time in history, can be adapte...

Tournament Scoring - Part 3: Draw Size Scoring (DSS)

If we're looking to score Diplomacy games based on the rules of the game, there are just three outcomes: a win, a draw, and a loss. A scoring system based on these outcomes would therefore be based on whether the game was won, or whether it ended in a draw. These systems are called Draw Size Scoring systems (DSS). The basic model for DSS systems is: The result is based on how the game ends only. If you win the game outright (solo), you take all the points in the game. If you are part of the draw at the end of the game, you receive the points avaialble in the game divided by the number of players in the draw. If you lose the game, you receive 0 (zero) points. The most basic version of this is the Calhamer Point system, designed by the great and good ABC himself. If you soloed, you earned a point. If you drew the game, you scored a number of points based on how many people you drew with. So a 4-way draw would provide 0.25 points, a 5-way draw 0....

Tournament Scoring - Part 5: Other Scoring Systems

There are, perhaps, three other types of scoring system: Placement or Rank scoring, hybrid systems that seek to combine DSS and SCS, and Tier scoring systems. I want to have a look at each system. Placement or Rank systems Essentially, these are Supply Centre Scoring systems with the addition of bonus points. I'm going to have a look at some more regularly used systems. Again, here is the map I will use as an example: England - 12 SCs Russia - 9 SCs Turkey - 8 SCs Italy - 5 SCs France , Germany and Austria-Hungary were eliminated, with 0 SCs each. C-Diplo In a drawn game points are awarded for: Participating in the game: 1 (for an online tournament, I'd only award this for participating and not surrendering). Each SC held at the end of the game: 1 . The player that 'tops the board' (has the most SCs): 38 pts. The second placed player (second highest number of SCs): 14 pts. The third p...

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