Those of you who are playing in or watching 'balance'will know the story:
Last Saturday, after six years playing online, I finally took the plunge and played my first game of face-to-face Diplomacy. I went to Sydney and entered the Australian Diplomacy Championships. I had lots of fun, lots of luck, quite a wrestle with the current Australian and [cough] World Champion, and ended up finishing second in the tournament.
Even better, even though I finished second, I won the first prize ... ?!? ... The tounament director, Thorin Munro, ended up winning with the only solo of the tournament, even though he was technically filling up the numbers. So, according to the rules that say the TD can't win the prizes, while he is new and deserved Australian Champion, I win the prize - a free trip to the World Diplomacy Championships in Den Haag, Holland, in August. How come we don't have these sort of prizes for Dipsters games, Alan? ;-)
So, now the question: are any of you going to the WDC in The Hague, August 19-22?
If the answer is yes, then here comes the invitation. As many of you who have played with me in Dipsters press games will know, I have often made rash promises to buy my opponents a beer in return for a favour - a good stab; support to Munich ... I have made these promises safe in the knowledge that we are a hemisphere apart. :-)
Well, August 22 is my birthday, and Dutch beer is the best, so anyone from Dipsters who is going to the WDC who wants to turn up to the pub in Holland and who can make a case that I owe them a beer, will get one. If not, I'll buy them one anyway for reading this far. :-)
And now the challenge. I have posted this on the dipsters.org forum and on the yahoo forum, with one crucial difference. The challange is to spot the difference. It's in your interest!
Proost!
Jonathan