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Dipsters.org Forum » Forum: Comments - Recent Posts http://www.dipsters.org/forum/forum/comments First please read the post, "Welcome! Using the Forum". en-US Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:14:31 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.dipsters.org/forum/search.php MartinMoore on "Forming Dipsters Games" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/forming-dipsters-games#post-240 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:37:16 +0000 MartinMoore 240@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Hello everyone, We have several Dipsters games trying to form. Some of these have been waiting a long time and just need 1 or 2 more players. Why not sign up and have some fun? Here's the list: 1. “phan02” on USOS: 72-hour partial-press gunboat (anonymous) game with weekday deadlines, GM Alan Mennel. Needs only 1 more player to start! 2. “nooner” on USAK: 24-hour no-press, deadlines every day, GM Eric “the Mighty” Hunter. Needs only 1 more player to start! 3. “chimes” on USAK: 24-hour no-press Aberration Variant with weekday deadlines, GM Yves Grosdidier. Needs only 2 more players to start! 4. “quickie” on USAK: 24-hour no-press, deadlines every day, GM Ken Navarro. Needs 5 more players to start. 5. “kobiaji” on USAL: 24-hour no-press with weekday deadlines, GM Alan Mennel. Restricted to players with JDPR under 1300 or no JDPR. Needs 4 more players to start. 6. “monaco” on USAL: 72-hour partial-press gunboat (anonymous) game with weekday deadlines, GM Mark Gallagher. Needs 7 more players to start. 7. “Agrippina” on USDP: 48-hour no-press Imperial variant with weekday deadlines, GM Yves Grosdidier. See <a href="http://www.floc.net/dpjudge/?game=agrippina" rel="nofollow">http://www.floc.net/dpjudge/?game=agrippina</a> for more information. 8. “baiyun” on UDSP: 24-hour no-press Canton variant with deadlines every day, GM Graham Sherriff. See <a href="http://www.floc.net/dpjudge/?game=baiyun" rel="nofollow">http://www.floc.net/dpjudge/?game=baiyun</a> for more information. MartinMoore on "New Moderator for the Dipsters Group" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/new-moderator-for-the-dipsters-group#post-239 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:56:43 +0000 MartinMoore 239@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ I'll echo the thanks and good wishes to Alan. You deserve only the best, and leave some big shoes to fill. That's why there are three of us doing it. :) Jonathan, Ben, and I will try to keep the group running as smoothly as Alan has always done. With that in mind, let me remind everyone that even though things have been relatively quiet around here lately, there are several Dipsters games waiting to form. Some of these have been waiting for quite a while. How about checking them out and helping to get these games off the ground, as well as having some fun of your own? You can always see the current list of Dipsters games at: <a href="http://www.floc.net/observer.py?login=dipster&page=login" rel="nofollow">http://www.floc.net/observer.py?login=dipster&page=login</a> Martin Eric Hunter on "New Moderator for the Dipsters Group" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/new-moderator-for-the-dipsters-group#post-238 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:14:44 +0000 Eric Hunter 238@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Best of luck, Alan, Martin, and Ben. Jonathan, you're Australian, so struggle on as best you may. ;-) Eric. Alan Mennel on "New Moderator for the Dipsters Group" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/new-moderator-for-the-dipsters-group#post-237 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:09:15 +0000 Alan Mennel 237@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Hi Everyone: As some of you may know, I have been struggling with pulmonary sarcoidosis for six years. Pulmonary Sarcoidosis or 'Sarcoid' is a lung disease which in my case has recently developed complications that have affected my heart as well. The bottom line is that I no longer have the time nor the inclination at times to serve this group in the way that it should be served. On the bright side, there are three wonderful people who have volunteered to step up to fill this void: Martin Moore, Ben Harris, and Jonathan Powles. If you are the least bit familiar with this hobby, you know that these are three tremendous individuals who will do a tremendous job for our group. As I understand it, Martin will be the Chief Moderator while Ben and Jonathan will fill other necessary roles as they see fit. The exact division of labor will be decided by all three men as time unfolds. Please join with me in wishing Martin, Ben, and Jonathan the very best of luck. We could not have done better! All the Best, Alan Mennel Alan Mennel on "Dipsters Fall No-Press Tournament" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/dipsters-fall-no-press-tournament#post-236 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:10:59 +0000 Alan Mennel 236@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Hi Everyone: We are beginning registration for the Dipsters Group Fall No-Press Tournament which will start in September. To register, fill out the online form at: <a href="http://www.dipsters.org/dnp.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.dipsters.org/dnp.html</a> The Tournament Director is Jonathan Powles, whom you may write at <a href="mailto:jonathan.powles@gmail.com">jonathan.powles@gmail.com</a>. TOURNAMENT RULES: (NOTE: The TD may amend these rules as he sees fit prior to competition) To join this tournament, you must have an ontime record on the judges of 90% or better. In this tournament, each player plays seven games (one as each different power) and accumulates points from the outcome of each game. Points from each game are awarded on this basis: Win =3D 6.00 pt 2WD =3D 2.50 pt 3WD =3D 1.33 pt 4WD =3D 0.75 pt 5WD =3D 0.40 pt 6WD =3D 0.16 pt 7WD =3D 0.00 pt loss =3D -1.00 pt When all tournament games have been completed, the player with the most points is the tournament champion. HOUSE RULES AND SPECIAL RULES: This is also a fast-paced Dipsters Group game. This game is conducted under standard EP House Rules: <a href="http://www.diplom.org/DipPouch/Email/ep.house.rules.txt" rel="nofollow">http://www.diplom.org/DipPouch/Email/ep.house.rules.txt</a> The following special rules also govern this game: 1. Do not abandon this game. A willing abandonment or CD will result in being ejected from this tournament and from the Dipsters Group as well. 2. This game requires that you maintain a decent ontime ratio. Do not hold up the game by being late. In the interest of maintaining timely play for all players in this game, the GM must record a game ejection on the Dipsters Group record of any player who has been late more than 20% of the time in this game and has already been late 4 times or more. Chronic or excessive lateness by any player may result in his being ejected from this tournament and from the Dipsters Group as well. 3. This game has an automatic 6-year draw clock. If no SC has changed possession after 6 consecutive game years, the GM may end this game in a DIAS Draw without a prior announcement of his intention to set the draw clock. 4. If you need an absence during the game, you should do this on your own by submitting a 'set absence' command to the judge in the following format: 'Set Absence Jan 01 00:00 TO Jan 06 23:59' Just be sure that you have requested your absence well before you need it because the judge will not accept an absence request that falls within any current season. 5. Since this is a no-press gunboat tournament, you must keep your anonymity through the end of the tournament and you should not discuss this game until it has been completed. Chris Babcock on "TeachMe5 - Coaches Wanted" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/teachme5-coaches-wanted#post-235 Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:57:30 +0000 Chris Babcock 235@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Thanks for the bump. :) Chris Babcock on "Happy Birthday, Jonathan Powles" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/happy-birthday-jonathan-powles#post-234 Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:55:02 +0000 Chris Babcock 234@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ I could've left that on Facebook, but it was more fun here. Creepy, but fun. :) Chris Babcock on "PP Gunboat Game Forming" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/pp-gunboat-game-forming#post-233 Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:23:37 +0000 Chris Babcock 233@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Press games were hit harder by, and have recovered more slowly from, the MIME Wars. They are also more vulnerable to seasonal cycles. I wouldn't be discouraged by a slow initial response, especially during the northern summer. Alan Lange on "PP Gunboat Game Forming" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/pp-gunboat-game-forming#post-232 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:55:32 +0000 Alan Lange 232@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ No need to "clear space" on USAL. There is plenty of room. Chilmark is also available on USAL, and while it is not specifically a Dipsters game, if it fills with Dipsters players, then the play should be good. Mark Gallagher on "PP Gunboat Game Forming" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/pp-gunboat-game-forming#post-231 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:48:41 +0000 Mark Gallagher 231@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ seems that there isn't much interest towards partial press games. With phan02 only up to 5 players and monaco is blank. I'm thinking it might be good to delete monaco and clear space on USAL. Guess the rash of Comments group games are satisfying the masses' need for the partial press game? Thoughts? Mark Gallagher on "Testing my rss feeders" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/testing-my-rss-feeders#post-230 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:22:25 +0000 Mark Gallagher 230@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ FYI: Both myyahoo & feedmyinbox can be configured to deliver a free 'digest' version of any posts on this forum. Works well, with at least a few sentences displayed from each individual post in the subject line (nobody has posted anything of substance yet, so I haven't seen if there is a character max.) Also, hyperlinks to the actual thread are provided. Thought the digest format crowd would like this news. Okay, back to lurking. Jonathan Powles on ""Devil" observation game just started" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/devil-observation-game-just-started#post-229 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:24:41 +0000 Jonathan Powles 229@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ As you know, I've been running a re-staging of the famous "carebear" and "cut-throat" email games of 1993. See <a href="http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/new-very-old-games" rel="nofollow">http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/new-very-old-games</a> for more details. The carebear game, 'koala' on USAK, is at S1907 and, depending on who you listen to, is about to end in a solo (as did the original 'carebear') or, much more caringly, in a seven-way draw. If that seems like an odd sort of position for a Dip game, then I suggest you look at the history on floc.net at <a href="http://www.floc.net/observer.py?judge=USAK&game=koala&page=game" rel="nofollow">http://www.floc.net/observer.py?judge=USAK&game=koala&page=game</a> or, even better, sign up to the comments group at <a href="http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/koala_USAK/" rel="nofollow">http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/koala_USAK/</a> and look at the crucial press and EOG discussion as it unfolds. The partner game, played according to the 'cut-throat oath', is 'devil' on USAK. We're only in F1901, and a sea of intrigue awaits. Sign up now to follow all the press and commentary at <a href="http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/devilusak/" rel="nofollow">http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/devilusak/</a> Cheers Jonathan Jonathan Powles on "TeachMe5 - Coaches Wanted" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/teachme5-coaches-wanted#post-228 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:08:33 +0000 Jonathan Powles 228@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ In January I wrote: <Hi Chris; I'd be happy to coach. If rugby is anything to go by, I talk a much better game than I play. :-) "Bumping" this too, for the sheer 'I told you so' enjoyment ... some will know I broke my ankle in three places in March: two weeks in hospital, two operations, nine screws and a plate in my leg ...playing rugby. I should have listened to my own advice, and stuck to opinionating. Mark Gallagher on "Testing my rss feeders" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/testing-my-rss-feeders#post-227 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:14:26 +0000 Mark Gallagher 227@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Been playing with myyahoo and feedmyinbox.com in an attempt to find something to emulate the convenience of the yahoo group email alert and/or digest. Please disregard unless you are interested in having the best of both worlds (this forum and the yahoo group.) Ben Harris on "TeachMe5 - Coaches Wanted" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/teachme5-coaches-wanted#post-226 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:01:19 +0000 Ben Harris 226@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Hi guys. Bumping this to test current level of interest in (a) this subject & (b) this board. Not sure what to expect... Alan Mennel on "Help with Abandoned Dipsters Game" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/help-with-abandoned-dipsters-game#post-225 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:37:27 +0000 Alan Mennel 225@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ The position has been filled. Thank you all for your prompt response! Alan Alan Mennel on "Help with Abandoned Dipsters Game" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/help-with-abandoned-dipsters-game#post-224 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:22:35 +0000 Alan Mennel 224@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ I need a replacement Ukraine for the abandoned Dipsters game, flyboy01 on usak. It is a 24 hour (weekdays only) No Press game - Modern variant with Wings: <a href="http://www.floc.net/observer.py?judge=USAK&game=flyboy01&page=game" rel="nofollow">http://www.floc.net/observer.py?judge=USAK&game=flyboy01&page=game</a> <a href="mailto:usak@asciiking.com">usak@asciiking.com</a> signon Uflyboy01 <pw> gunboat modern signoff Thanks in advance for your help. Alan Mennel Alan Lange on "USDD Judge" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/usdd-judge#post-223 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:11:09 +0000 Alan Lange 223@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ USDD has been closed down. If anyone is looking for data from games on USDD that are not available from floc.net, please email me at the USAL JK address. Alan Lange on "Replacement (12 unit!) Russia needed F1910R" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/replacement-12-unit-russia-needed-f1910r#post-222 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:08:05 +0000 Alan Lange 222@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Novice queue game. Turkey just stabbed Russia after long cooperation. USAL:halifax. Thanks, Alan Eric Hunter on "24-hr No-Press, 7 days per week game forming" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/24-hr-no-press-7-days-per-week-game-forming#post-221 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:34:05 +0000 Eric Hunter 221@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ For a quick and dirty game, this is sure taking a long time to fill, but we have six. Anyone care to step up for a little afternoon delight? Thanks, Eric. Alan Mennel on "Dipsters Moderator" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/dipsters-moderator#post-220 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:39:05 +0000 Alan Mennel 220@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Hi Everyone: Time to get serious. If you are interested in replacing me as Moderator of this Group and in taking this Group to the next level, please email me privately as soon as possible at: <a href="mailto:alan.mennel@dipsters.org">alan.mennel@dipsters.org</a> If you would like to nominate someone to replace me as Moderator of this Group and to take this Group to the next level, please email me privately as soon as possible at: <a href="mailto:alan.mennel@dipsters.org">alan.mennel@dipsters.org</a> Let's move this along promptly! Thank you in advance for your help. Alan Mennel Chris Babcock on "Dipsters - Revisited" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/dipsters-revisited#post-219 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:53:07 +0000 Chris Babcock 219@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ I think that installing the Wordpress Email Notification Plugin could go a long way towards settling the issue about returning to Yahoogroups. I have some experience also with the negativity of which the "old guard" judge hobby is no less capable than any other community. I can't speak for other judgekeepers, but I can confirm that I would be a poor choice to follow Alan Mennel as Dipsters leader. I am thoroughly overcommitted and actively pruning activities outside my core. Practically speaking that would mean I would set up a dedicated judge for Dipsters with automated creation of club games and tight integration with Dipsters accounts on floc.net... and the less I did after that, the better. I just wouldn't have the time to be both innovative and sensitive to the existing culture if I take any more on. I do agree that the nomination of Alan's replacement should be soonest. Although it would be good if there could be a transitional period, if Alan has health concerns then that need to be respected. Mark Gallagher on "The dawn of dipsters" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/the-dawn-of-dipsters#post-218 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:39:29 +0000 Mark Gallagher 218@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Just clicking around the myYahoo page and I found that after setting it up to read the forum (via RSS) I could also set an alert. Now I haven't tested this out, however, it appears that it is possible to create a Digest email alert from there. 2 steps, and you basically have your yahoo group and MORE. Mark Gallagher on "The dawn of dipsters" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/the-dawn-of-dipsters#post-217 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:19:01 +0000 Mark Gallagher 217@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Is it possible to do both? What would be the effect of having the forum subscribe to the yahoo group and vice versa? Some forum programs will send mail on postings. ...or is it a matter of cash? Mark Gallagher on "PP Gunboat Game Forming" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/pp-gunboat-game-forming#post-216 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:09:17 +0000 Mark Gallagher 216@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ sorry...USAL. Happy gaming, folks. Alan Mennel on "Dipsters - Revisited" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/dipsters-revisited#post-215 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:35:06 +0000 Alan Mennel 215@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ When I think of the many great games and the past camaraderie within this group, I have to say that Dipsters is a great group. Although most of our members are skilled in this game, virtually all of our members (whether skilled or not) are respectful of other members and just fun to play with. Still we do not seem to be as vibrant a group as we were. Is it the fault of switching to dipsters.org from YAHOO! Groups? I am not so sure. If you look at the number of messages on all the Diplomacy Groups on YAHOO Groups, you will see that the number of messages in every group is down dramatically from one and two years ago. In addition, the total number of games on all combined Ken Lowe judges has decreased as well. If you are looking for a reason why Dipsters is less vibrant than before, look at me. Unfortunately, the biggest negative about Dipsters is that it has and apparently still does rely upon me to move it along. Checking the hundreds of completed Dipsters games and Dipsters tournament games, you can see that I was the GM for probably 95% of all games: <a href="http://www.floc.net/observer.py?login=DipComplete&password=&other_public=&page=login" rel="nofollow">http://www.floc.net/observer.py?login=DipComplete&password=&other_public=&page=login</a> That's a problem because I have not had a good year. My mother had to enter an assisted living facility in August; my sister-in-law, with whom I was very close, suddenly lost her battle with cancer in November; and I have seen my own health problems become considerably worse this year. The bottom line is that I have had neither the time nor the inclination to work on this group as I had in the past. Only a few members have tried to help us out. Only a few have created or offered to Gm new games. And the one person who had offered to run our variant tournament has basically disappeared now that it is time to get the tournament running (I am ill and don't have time to do it myself so this will probably be a tournament that will never start). I admit that there are problems with the dipsters.org site because I have not had the time to work on it, but it still has advantages over YAHOO! groups. YAHOO! Groups is not really conducive to setting up: <ul> <li>showcase games</li> <li>tournament sites</li> <li>local F2F message boards</li> <li>game and tournament listings</li> <li>and more</li> </ul> We can certainly go back to YAHOO! Groups for our message board but I think that would be a backwards step and not really the right step to take. But if the majority of members want to do it, we will. I have to tell you that I was thoroughly disheartened by the response from some members when we switched from YAHOO! Groups to the dipsters.org message board. I had hoped that everyone would work with me during the transition. Some members actually gave me ultimatums about the change. That really took the wind out of my sails after devoting so many years to dipsters. The bottom line is that I am not going to be around as I had been in the past to push this group. Just switching back to YAHOO! Groups is not going to be the answer. The bottom line is that all members need to finally step up and do what is necessary to keep this group going. Asking everyone to GM just one game a year is not too much to ask...yet hardly anyone is doing it. And that is sad. I also think that it is time to select a new moderator, the sooner the better. If I were to pick a successor, it would be someone who is devoted to this hobby but who does not have a personal agenda. A few names pop into my mind but I am sure that this is not the complete list. People like Russ Blau, Yves Grosdidier, Ben Harris, Eric Hunter, Adam Lang, Martin Moore, Ken Navarro, and Jonathan Powles would all do a great job as the new moderator for Dipsters. Although any of our JKs (Alan, Chris, Millis, Sam, Todd) would also be excellent, I think that it is very important that the Dipsters Group treats all judges equally. Having a JK as the Group's Moderator would make that goal almost impossible to attain. Anyway I would like to get your reaction to these issues. All the Best! Alan Andre "Nick" Gumiero on "The dawn of dipsters" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/the-dawn-of-dipsters#post-214 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:53:03 +0000 Andre "Nick" Gumiero 214@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ It´s sad to see that there are only 3 dipsters games running right now, and one of them was abandoned by one player recently. There are a lot of forming games that can´t get players to start. The forum is almost silent. . Since I entered this group I´ve only played here and I love the concept of this group. How can we save dipsters from a slow death ? . My suggetion: - Return to yahoo groups! (at least the forum!) Let´s face it! Since the group moved to it´s own site, it´s declining! There is a lot of benefits from having a site, but, let´s face it, it didn´t work! I think that returning to yahoo groups may bring this groupt to life again. And I really hope it survives. Nick Alan Mennel on "Replacement Needed for Abandoned Dipsters game" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/replacement-needed-for-abandoned-dipsters-game#post-213 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:51:25 +0000 Alan Mennel 213@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ Hi Everyone: The position is filled. Thanks for your help. Alan Alan Mennel on "Replacement Needed for Abandoned Dipsters game" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/replacement-needed-for-abandoned-dipsters-game#post-212 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:44:40 +0000 Alan Mennel 212@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ I need a replacement Germany for the abandoned Dipsters game, Bendover on usal. It is a Partial Press 1898 variant standard (not gunboat) game: <a href="http://www.floc.net/observer.py?judge=USAL&game=bendover&page=game" rel="nofollow">http://www.floc.net/observer.py?judge=USAL&game=bendover&page=game</a> <a href="mailto:usal@dip.game-host.org">usal@dip.game-host.org</a> signon GBendover <pw> 1898 signoff Thanks in advance for your help. Alan Mennel Chris Babcock on "How to Create and GM Dipsters games" http://www.dipsters.org/forum/topic/how-to-create-and-gm-dipsters-games#post-211 Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:48:28 +0000 Chris Babcock 211@http://www.dipsters.org/forum/ I really want to encourage GMs to use USAK.I know there's "How to GM" material out there still that tells people to contact Ken Lowe if the want to start a game, but that's not USAK. I will mentor, train, shadow... anything to get more GMs using the judge for their games as long as they fill and complete. The math is real simple. It costs just over $1000 a year to run the server. If there are 250 players, the average cost per user is $4 a year. If there were twice as many players the average cost per player would be half that. The only way to double the number of active players is to double the number of games. I run the USAK house games so that players can always find a forming game in the most popular configurations on USAK. That means USAK doesn't lose players because they can't find a game when they want to join one. Retaining players better and having a "go to" judge to find a forming game should make it easier for GMs to fill their games quickly. So the house games seed a positive spiral. It will work better for forming games once I have more game information on the listing page, but it's already been great for finding replacements. The average time to replace an opening in a novice game on USAK went from 10 days to 1 day when I placed the replacement positions on the USAK game list page. I think I can have a comparable improvement for forming games with the next improvement.