Eternal Sunshine #160

September 2022

By Douglas Kent - 911 Irene Drive, Mesquite, TX 75149

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/270968112943024/ or on the web at http://www.whiningkentpigs.com/DW/. Follow on Twitter at @EternalSunshDip. Also be sure to visit the official Diplomacy World website at http://www.diplomacyworld.net.

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Quote of The Month – “Look at me, Sam. You worry me. You always think you know what you're doing, but you're too slick for your own good. Someday you're going to find it out.” - (Effie in “The Maltese Falcon”)

Welcome to Eternal Sunshine, the dying zine for people who own far too much physical media. Of course, we haven’t gotten the official countdown from the doctor just yet. The hospital is still running tests. But if you pick up a chart from the nurse’s station that says Eternal Sunshine on the tab, you’ll see a line dropping down at a steep angle. It happens to the best of us.

August is over, and September is well underway. Many of you asked how I withstood the heavy flooding that the Dallas area saw around August 22. I’m happy to report I got through it mostly unscathed and dry. I had to skip a day of work, as the highways near downtown were completely closed and flooded out. That was a first for me. I’ve experienced particular areas being underwater when we were hit with flash flooding (an overpass on Loop 12 comes to mind) but never anything of this severity. The one confirmed fatality from flooding was only a few miles from my house. A woman – I believe she was an Uber driver, although whether she was working at the time or doing something else is unclear – was driving on the I-635 service road. Talking to her husband on the phone, she said flood waters had suddenly surrounded the car and “it feels like something is pushing me.” That was the last thing she said as the call disconnected. A day later, rescuers found her vehicle as waters began to recede. A few hundred motorists were stranded during the floods and had to be rescued, but I believe she was the only fatality.

Just a reminder, folks: don’t mess with floods or fires. Both may, in their own way, seem like they might be slow-moving, problems you can consider and deal with. Don’t believe it. You might be fine one second, and in a world of hurt the next, and neither are forgiving. Don’t chance it. Never drive or walk into flood waters; the lack of depth can be deceiving, and the current strength has more power than you can imagine.

Most of you will recall my vertigo and anxiety issues at work when we relocated to the 38^th floor of a downtown building last summer. I am happy to report I have survived the ordeal. After a month or two, the repetition of being that high, looking out the windows, and riding up and down the elevators became much less of a problem. I still had occasional vertigo, and some stress or anxiety, but no more panic attacks. In the days after this issue is released, we’ll be moving the office back to the building where it used to be, safe on the 9^th floor in familiar surroundings. Granted, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be employed; that’s a different issue entirely. It may only be a month or two, and I don’t look forward to the prospect of trying to find a new job at my age and with my history. Or at least one that isn’t utterly dead-end.

In zine news, we’ve got Andy York and Conrad von Metzke again, plus an extra special added bonus: an article from Paul Milewski! So there’s plenty for you to read and enjoy without being infected with whatever diseases I may be trying to spread through my foolishness. I’m still not sure about whether I’ll be opening any more games when the current ones finish up, but rest assured I’ll keep publishing this thing for at least nine more issues. That’s because By Popular Demand won’t finish until then! Because we have nine more issues minimum, I may do one more round of Kendo depending on when the current one finishes, regardless of my decision about the life of the zine.

I guess that’s it from me for now. See you in October!

Game Openings

Diplomacy (Black Press): Signed up: Kevin Wilson, Gavin Begbie, Rick Davis, Graham Wilson, Paul Milewski, need two more to start. Still deciding if I’ll run this, should it fill soon.

By Popular Demand: Starting this issue! Ongoing. Join in and play NOW!

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?: Ongoing. Join in and play NOW!

Also in Andy York’s Subzine – You can find his ongoing “Hangman, By Definition” and Facts in Five, plus openings for Breaking Away and Gunboat.

Standby List: HELP! I need standby players! – Current standby list: Andy York, Andy Lischett, Paul Milewski, Harold Reynolds, Jack McHugh, Brad Wilson, Graham Wilson.

Meet Me in Montauk

The Eternal Sunshine Letter Column

Dane Maslen: After your previous issue I'd meant to comment that at the tender age of six I saw the very first episode of Doctor Who, so for me William Hartnell was my first Doctor. Nonetheless as a kid my favourite Doctor was Patrick Troughton, after whom I found Jon Pertwee very disappointing.

After Tom Baker I gradually lost interest, and it wasn't until the reboot with Christopher Eccleston that I felt there was a good Doctor again. By that time Jon Pertwee had become my favourite early Doctor, while I now dismissed Patrick Troughton as fairly silly. Subsequently Peter Capaldi has taken over as my favourite, though I suspect that has much to do with my liking for the style of stories that Steven Moffat wrote.

For some of the other Doctors I found the companions were the main plus point. For example, Bradley Walsh as Graham was the main saving grace of the first two series with Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor (following his departure from the series, I stopped watching), while the characters of Amy and Rory outshone Matt Smith's Doctor.

[[I’m a fan of Eccleston (and have been since Mara and I fell in love with the film Shallow Grave). I didn’t get a chance to see the UK version of Cracker, which he had been in previously to the film, until a few years later, so my exposure to him is backwards compared to UK folks. However, I simply have never had the desire to explore his Doctor period, or any other Doctor besides Baker. His episodes were enough for me, or have been so far. I find I am much less interested in committing to a fictional universe now than I was as a teenager or 20-something adult. Even tremendously popular things like Game of Thrones just couldn’t draw me in.]]

Richard Smith: You may have heard that Devolution and Variable Pig, two of the biggest Railway Rivals zines are running down, so ES will be joining that club if you decide to fold. Zines do seem to last longer these days with several reaching 200 issues, but there are many reasons for stopping, including old age!

[[It actually seems to me that (as a teasingly call them) "choo choo zines" have a better record in recent years of surviving. Those games seem to foster more of a community atmosphere than Diplomacy does now that so much of the hobby has shifted to online anonymous gaming.]]

Graham Wilson: Your lamentations about ES's shrinking subscriber list, and Conrad's comments that he couldn't scare up an in-person game if it meant his life initially made me sad. But then I got to thinking ... when it comes to being able to find people who share a particular interest, we live in a golden age.

Want to find people with whom to play face-to-face diplomacy? It has never been easier. Want to find people who like a certain musical artist to discuss the music? It has never been easier. Want to find others who think the earth is flat and that NASA is just a conspiracy?

Never been easier.

For anyone who wants to find fellow board gamers in your geographic area, there are numerous resources. The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:

Facebook - there are tens of thousands (millions?) of specialized groups on Facebook, and I'm sure there are board game groups. I'm not a regular Facebook user so this knowledge is only theoretical.

Reddit - there are an uncountable number of groups (called subreddits) dedicated to various topics and different regions. If I wanted to find diplomacy players in my area of Toronto, I could either post a question on the various boardgame related subreddits, or in the Toronto subreddits (e.g. AskTO for asking questions about Toronto).

Google - just search for "board game clubs <city>" and there are sure to be results. I just tried "board game club toronto" and was rewarded with links to Meetup.com, Facebook, Reddit, a site called TorontoBoardGamers.com, discussions on BoardGameGeek.com and numerous links to game stores to allocate some of their space for people to play games.

Once you find other diplomacy players, you can tell them about the play-by-mail hobby, and maybe win over some new subscribers.

Related, but somewhat off topic - there are a number of board-game cafes in Toronto. My favourite being "Snakes and Lattes". You go with a friend or a group, and spend the day or evening eating, drinking beer, and playing board games. They have a wide selection of games, most of which I've never played before. Every visit has always been a joy filled experience. They were closed during the pandemic, but are open again.

[[Finding players hasn’t really been an issue, as long as they aren’t local ones. I’ve had (and still have) Yahoo and Facebook groups for Diplomacy players in Texas; was never able to organize a full game. Volunteered to run Diplomacy at two local events; despite signups, not a single player every showed. Started a Meetup group and paid the fees for a year; never got a game. Local game clubs meet regularly, but the players there have said they have no interest in Diplomacy. Their tastes run mostly counter to mine, which is no fault of theirs…you like what you like. They also prefer games that finish in an hour or so.

But even with all the players I do come in contact with – and that includes the two thousand or so who seem to download the recent issues of Diplomacy World – finding someone who wants to play at postal speed is exceedingly difficult. Especially when websites offer an easy way to find a middle ground, with weekly deadlines. I sometimes play in such games, but I have no interest in publishing on such a schedule.

I’ve thought about opening a 7x7 Gunboat Round Robin again, possible after ES folds, with weekly deadlines. But that would be separate from this zine. It’s a different world, different hobby, and different players. I can enjoy many styles of play, and the modern player seems to prefer many of those but NOT this one. Just as they are much less interested in odd variants. Like baseball and other sports, analytics have become a big part of Diplomacy, and those are focused on the classic game itself. It’s a larger hobby overall, but a more narrow hobby in focus.]]

Mark Nelson: The supposed unsafe PDF links hits again, so this time I am reading the html version.

Continuing the discussion about the Dr. My favourite of the new Drs is Christopher Eccleston who was, of course, the first of the new run. Now, that might just because he was the first in the new run after a long time period..but at time the ways that he acts, his facial expressions... I think, "yes, this is an alien".

For some reason reading your Hypotheticals exchange with Andy reminded me of a Hypothetical that ran in Northern Flame... decades ago! There was a question along the lines of "you are a Doctor. You are driving home, you come across a car accident and one of the passengers is seriously injured and might not survive for the ambulance unless you act now... what do you do?"

I don't remember how many people answered the question, but I clearly remember that the most popular answer was something along the line of "assuming that is the USA, then I don't do anything because I don't want to be

sued by the family if I can't save the passenger..."

[[In certain locations in the U.S. inaction could ALSO result in a lawsuit if you are a licensed physician. Well, let me rephrase that, a lawsuit doesn’t require any fault; you can basically sue anyone for anything. What I mean is there may be some precedent for legal culpability if you fail to act, and potentially some if you do.]]

Whilst I have some interest in Zombie and Vampire movies... I don't have any interest in werewolf movies. Don't know why, it's just a genre that has never appealed to me.

[[As a general rule, I can’t think of many werewolf movies I’ve really enjoyed other than An American Werewolf in London. The Universal werewolf and mummy were of little interest to me growing up – aside from the camera work to gradually do the werewolf makeup. And Teen Wolf was amusing as a teen comedy.]]

Interesting... if I go to your web page (never done that before) and then go to the DIplomacy section and then go to the Eternal Sunshine page and then I click on the link... there are no problems downloading the PDF! There's only a problem if I click on the link in the email..

[[I believe Mailchimp inserts a tracking link which allows it to monitor the “effectiveness” of the email “campaign.” It’s a system designed for businesses promoting their goods.]]

Perhaps a slightly different question... are there any vegetables that you SHOULD buy in a can... quite possibly the food item that I buy the most often in a tin are tomatoes, but of course they are a fruit not a vegetable... can't think of any vegetable that I would buy in a tin... I did have an ex who liked to buy creamed mushrooms in a tin because she had a particular recipe where they worked particularly well.

[[Cream of Mushroom soup, and other condensed soups, are often used as recipe ingredients. Canned corn is fine to me; if I’m not eating it on the cob, canned and frozen seem almost identical. Tomatoes and pumpkin are both technically fruits, so they wouldn’t enter into this conversation. Artichoke hearts, asparagus out of season (especially when being used as an ingredient in a dish), and beets are three I’d say are fine canned.]]

Along the lines of something that isn't something, my `favourite' bone might be the funny bone but, of course, that is not a bone.

Andy York: How did I end up on top of the "By Almost Popular Demand? I demand a recount!

[[You promised me $20 for me to rig the game, remember? But, strangely, you haven’t PAID me the money yet. Please do so at your earliest convenience.]]

The Dining Dead – Eternal Sunshine Movie Reviews

Bodyguard (Netflix) – A 2018 British miniseries starring Richard Madden as PS David Budd. Budd is a veteran of Afghanistan and now a PPO (Principal Protection Officer), which means an officer assigned as the main personal guard for certain high-ranking government officials. On a train returning from a weekend with his children, he intervenes and stops a terrorist bombing. In part as a reward, he is assigned as PPO for Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), who is currently using her political power to try and get a strong anti-terrorism bill passed over the objections of those who see it as a threat to people’s privacy and rights (because of the level of surveillance that would be permitted). That’s the basic setting…and let the intrigue begin. Battling political factions, departments and ministers trying t preserve – or gain – power or political advantage, secrets, lies, alliances. In some ways, all the things that you’d find in a game of Diplomacy. The story is told over six episodes, each about an hour long. Despite the last episode-and-a-half getting a bit silly with convenient or unbelievable actions or situations, it’s a generally taut and interesting show. Madden doesn’t have the range to fully bring portions of his main character to life, but he manages to be adequate at the weakest times, and fully competent (and better) the rest of the way through. Pretty good, in total.

Bloody Oranges (Shudder) – A French film from either 2021 or 2022 (film sites vary on that detail). I’m not sure what to say about this one. It’s often referred to as a “dark comedy” and it certainly has dark comedy moments, but a lot of it tilts more towards dark drama. There’s no set delineation, so it isn’t exactly one or the other. Part of me wants to mention the Robert Rodriguez film From Dusk Till Dawn as a slight comparison, but only in that everything takes a complete left turn halfway through the film. But unlike Dusk, the general flavor and tone of Bloody Oranges remains constant throughout. I could also say it’s a calmer, French cousin to the Todd Solondz gem Happiness. It’s a difficult film to review because it is best experienced if you don’t know what you are getting into; if you want to enjoy it as much as possible, you want to go in blind. So I will simply say it is a sort of slice-of-life peek into a group of individuals whose lives either intersect or are one degree away from direct contact. There’s the older couple who are struggling with finances and competing in a dance contest. There’s the Finance Minister who is trying to protect his public image. There’s the 16-year-old girl who is worried about her plans to lose her virginity. And around them, secondary characters who learn either a little or a lot about. At first Bloody Oranges seems to hold no real narrative structure, similar to Richard Linklater’s Slacker, but there’s much more story holding this film together than you might think (again, similar to Happiness in that way). It’s just the threads are tied in unexpected ways, or bend around sharp corners. I’m not certain I will ever watch Bloody Oranges again; part of the joy is seeing how things develop. (Although I think I would enjoy it despite knowing all the answers now). But I’m glad I saw it once. If you do get a chance to see it, avoid trailers or anything else that might reveal plotlines. (And now I need to watch Happiness again).

Older Movies Watched (that I’ve seen many times) – North by Northwest, The Maltese Falcon, Happiness.

THOUGHTS ON THE SAMPLE GAME

By Paul Milewski

Consider, if you will, the so-called sample game that has appeared, with the same orders for the 7 players, from the 1^st edition 1976 rules to the 5^th edition (2008) rules. Here are the orders used in the sample game:

SPRING 1901

AUSTRIA: A Vie–TRI, A BUD–Gal, F Tri–ALB

ENGLAND: A Lvp–YOR, F Lon–NTH, F Edi–NRG

FRANCE: A Par–BUR, A Mar–SPA, F Bre–PIC

GERMANY: A Ber–KIE, A Mun–RUH, F Kie–DEN

ITALY: A Ven–PIE, A Rom–VEN, F Nap–ION

RUSSIA: A Mos–UKR, A WAR–Gal, F StP–BOT, F SEV–Bla

TURKEY: A Con–BUL, A Smy–CON, F ANK–Bla

FALL 1901

AUSTRIA: A TRI Holds, A BUD–Ser, F Alb–GRE

ENGLAND: A Yor–NWY, F NTH C A Yor–Nwy, F Nrg–BAR

FRANCE: A BUR–Mar, A Spa–POR, F PIC–Bel

GERMANY: A Kie–HOL, A RUH–Bel, F DEN Holds

ITALY: A VEN Holds, A PIE–Mar, F Ion–TUN

RUSSIA: A UKR S F Sev–Rum, A War–GAL, F Bot–SWE, F Sev–RUM

TURKEY: A BUL–Ser, A CON–Bul, F Ank–BLA

SUPPLY CENTERS: CHANGE BUILDS:

AUSTRIA: Home, GRE =4 +1 A VIE

ENGLAND: Home, NWY =4 +1 F EDI

FRANCE: Home, POR =4 +1 F MAR

GERMANY: Home, HOL, DEN =5 +2 A KIE, MUN

ITALY: Home, TUN =4 +1 F NAP

RUSSIA: Home, SWE, RUM =6 +2 A STP, A SEV

TURKEY: Home, BUL =4 +1 A SMY

NEUTRAL: Spa, Ser, Bel =3

SPRING 1902

AUSTRIA: A TRI–Bud, A VIE–Bud, A Bud–SER, F GRE Holds

ENGLAND: A NWY–StP, F NTH–Nwy, F BAR S A Nwy–StP, F EDI–Nth

France: A BUR S F Pic–Bel, A Por–SPA, F PIC–Bel, F MAR Holds

GERMANY: A Hol–BEL, A RUH S A Hol–Bel, A MUN–Bur, F DEN Holds, F Kie–HOL

ITALY: A VEN Holds, A PIE–Mar, F Tun–WES, F Nap–TYN

RUSSIA: A UKR S F Rum, A GAL–Bud, A STP–Nwy, A SEV S F Rum, F SWE S A StP–Nwy, F RUM Holds

TURKEY: A BUL–Rum, A CON–Bul, A Smy–ARM, F BLA S A Bul–Rum

FALL 1902

AUSTRIA: A VIE–Gal, A Tri–BUD, A SER S Turkish A Bul–Rum, F GRE Holds

ENGLAND: A Nwy–STP, F BAR S A Nwy–StP, F Nth–NWY, F Edi–NTH

FRANCE: A Bur–Bel (dislodged), F PIC S A Bur–Bel, A SPA S F Mar, F MAR S A Spa

GERMANY: A Ruh–BUR, A MUN S A Ruh–Bur, A BEL S A Ruh–Bur, F DEN–Swe, F HOL S A Bel

ITALY: A VEN–Pie, A PIE–Mar, F Wes–NAF, F Tyn–GOL

RUSSIA: A StP–Nwy (dislodged), F SWE S StP–Nwy, F Rum S A Sev (annihilated), A SEV S F Rum, A GAL S F Rum, A UKR S A Sev

TURKEY: A Bul–RUM, A Con–BUL, A ARM–Sev, F BLA S A Bul–Rum

RETREATS:

FRANCE: A Bur-GAS

RUSSIA: A Stp-MOS

SUPPLY CENTERS: CHANGE BUILDS:

AUSTRIA: Home, Gre, SER =5 +1 A TRI

ENGLAND: Home, Nwy, STP =5 +1 F LON

FRANCE: Home, Por, SPA =5 +1 A PAR

GERMANY: Home, Hol, Den, BEL =6 +1 F KIE

ITALY: Home, Tun =4 ±0

RUSSIA: Home, Swe, (Rum) =5 -1 (even, due to annihilation)

TURKEY: Home, Bul, Rum =4 +1 F SMY

NEUTRAL: =0

First, an obvious error: The authors of the 5th edition (2008) failed to underline England’s F Edi-Nth in spring 1902 as having failed, even though they mention in their commentary that it did, and this is not an error repeated from a prior editions (in the 3^rd edition (1992) rules, it is underlined and it’s underlined in the 4^th edition (2000))

The “sample game” is published as if it were a no-press gunboat game: it’s just intended to be a demonstration of the mechanics of adjudication. That leaves out the most important aspect of good play: forming alliances.

This copied and pasted out of the 5^th edition (2008) rules:

1. Diplomatic Phase

During this phase, players meet to discuss their plans for upcoming turns. Alliances are made and strategies are set. These “diplomatic negotiations” take place before each turn. Negotiations last 30 minutes before the first turn and 15 minutes before each turn thereafter. Negotiations may end sooner if all players agree.

Conversations, deals, schemes, and agreements among players will greatly affect the course of the game. During diplomatic negotiations, players may say anything they wish. Some players usually go to another room or organize private groups of two or three. They may try to keep their conversations secret. They may try to overhear the conversations of others. These conversations usually consist of bargaining or joint military planning, but they may include exchanges of information, denouncements, threats, spreading of rumors, and so on. Public announcements may be made and documents may be written, made public, or kept secret, as the players see fit. These discussions and written agreements, however, do not bind a player to anything he or she may say. Deciding whom to trust as situations arise is an important part of the game.

New to the 5^th edition (2008) rules are the sentences: “alliances are made and strategies are set” and “conversations, deals, schemes, and agreements among players will greatly affect the course of the game.”

What can we tell about alliances from the sample game? Austria and Italy scrupulously avoid any aggressive moves toward each other straight through to fall 1902, yet they do nothing to directly help each other, either, so it’s pure conjecture as to whether they think they’re allied with each other. However, this happy state of affairs allows Italy to go all out against France and allows Austria to deal with the problem of Russia and Turkey as possible allies or adversaries. Austria and Turkey start off on the wrong foot in fall 1901, but by fall 1902 they are coordinating their efforts against Russia. Also in fall 1902, Germany helps England against Russia by cutting F SWE S StP–Nwy with F DEN–Swe. Are Germany and England actively coordinating their efforts or, from England’s viewpoint, is Germany’s F DEN–Swe just an unexpected windfall? Noticing that Germany isn’t moving any units westward or even keeping a unit in Berlin, it appears Germany is focusing its efforts against France (with the exception of F DEN–Swe), if England and Germany think they’re allied with each other, it isn’t much of an alliance up to this point. As for identifying who is opposing whom, that’s obvious from the moves: England and Russia are going at it in a big way by fall 1902, so there’s no doubt at that point that they are each other’s enemy. Germany and France get off to a shaky start relative to each other but things steadily get worse between them.

If Hasbro were to ask me, and I doubt if they will, they need to add supply center tables (or “charts”), as I have, and at a bare minimum, add notation, in addition to underlining, to indicate that a unit is dislodged or annihilated in the reported orders (as I have done by inserting “dislodged” or “annihilated” in parentheses) and not leaving it to their “commentary” sections. Of course, the authors need to explicitly state how important it is to form alliances by at least hypothesizing that an alliance here or there has obviously been formed.

NOT TONIGHT, DEAR,

I HAVE A DEADLINE (9)

By Conrad von Metzke

WHY I LIKE TO PLAY AUSTRIA

Somehow, in this supposedly “sort-of-well-balanced-more-or-less” game design, poor old Austria got short-changed. If a PBM publisher charges a game fee, Austria should be 75^% of everyone else’s. Even at that, it’s likely money wasted. Might just as well save it for Christmastime and toss it in the Salvation Army kettles, because there ain’t no salvation army for you as Austria, believe, me.

I was reminded of this today by a reference I ran across, which triggered a memory I’d hope to have buried In 1914, when the actual war started, Austria was dubbed “the sick man of Europe.”

And the memory? Oh, nothing much; just that in those days I loved playing Austria. (Maybe because, in my in-person games, first one out got more chances at the snacks.)

“The sick man of Europe.” Yes indeed. The nominal “man in charge,” Kaiser Franz Josef, was a doddering, drooling old idiot. He’d never been sterling in the competence department, but by 1914 he was a standing (or mostly sitting, leaning way over) joke amongst anyone in the know. So really, it wasn’t Austria itself that was the “sick man,” it was ol’ Frankie Joe. I regret that I have not been allotted enough space to list his known ailments, much less the ones that weren’t being advertised. He actually died in about 1908, although the books insist it wasn’t until 1916, but nobody who wrote the books ever met him.

Worse luck, Franz Josef L - no, that’s not a misprint; the ‘L’ stands for “Last” – was still revered by some, and loyalty compounded by factional in-fighting compounded by rising nationalism in a huge country that is, today, half a dozen small and mostly insignificant countries, were not a good combination. (Neither are the disparate elements of that sentence.). The result in military terms was that nobody knew how to spell “cohesion,” much less what it meant. Czechs and Slovaks and Poles and Romanians and Germans and Albanians and Greeks and Hungarians and a few other things – it was hopeless as far as nationalistic fervor was concerned. And it showed on the battlefield: Austria never won a single battle of any importance in he whole damned war. (They did manage a couple of draws, however.)

Well. My point is that somehow I’d decided to collect Austrian postage stamps, and therefore I wanted to play my chosen philatelic specialization. Lotsa pretty stamps. But not a single one commemorating success or valor in – or even the fact of – World War One. Oh, ‘tis true, they did have a few “charity overprints” where you paid a mark-up on the regular stamp issues, the surcharge going to war relief. I figure the surcharge actually went to the purchase of track shoes so the soldiers could get the hell out of the way faster.

Whatever the case, by 1918 all was lost. Kaiser Franz Josef L – the ‘L’ stands for ‘Long Gone’ – was a distant memory and Kaiser Karl L – the ‘L’ here stands for ‘Loser’ – made a quick dash for the south of France, hauling half the Imperial Treasury with him. Austria was chopped in little bitty bits and the tiny shell of what remained of thereal Austria became a republic and the breeding ground of some silly joker named Adolf who posited that it was all the fault of the Jews and a just reward would be to incorporate Austria into Germany and then have the combined nation lose again in an even bigger war. It worked; they did.

Today, Austria is a serene, happy little country with no ambitions beyond selling wooden shoes and beautifully engraved postage stamps to tourists. They also play lots of yummy music. And keep the hell out of politics.

Hmm. Was there a point here somewhere? Oh yes – apparently I have a death wish. Either that or I like to do in-person games and hog all the refreshments because I was first eliminated. As usual. My friend the late sci-fi writer Jerry Pournelle, with whom I shared many lovely f-t-f games over many years, once took me aside and said, “Damn, Metzke, either you have a big fat death wish, or you want to hog all the refreshments.” And he had a point, since first out got first grab of the brownies, Bundt cake and cherry tarts. (Didn’t seem to work; to this day I’m 6’8” but only 160 pounds.) Oh how I do miss those games! (And Jerry.)

So. There you have it – basically, the reason I am such a magnificent publisher of the games in which I am a total doodle-head. I once thought of advertising thus: “Dip player seeking new f-t-f games to play. Please include menu.” Today, I’ve given up playing (I’m far too old) and only recently resumed GMing by mail. Which I must go do right now – let’s see here; orders, rule book, snacks….

Out of the WAY #48

by W. Andrew York

(wandrew88 of gmail.com)

Howdy!

In the subzine, pretty much the same content as the past few. We did have the Hangman word successfully guessed by several folks with only 1 letter being revealed. That’s quite a feat, those word sleuths deserve a tip of the hat for accomplishing it! The next round will start next issue.

The Grey-Press Gunboat game gains a third player, but no movement on the other game openings. In the No-Press Gunboat we did have two NMRs, but hopefully the players will return. Standbys will be called in case they are needed. If you’d like to be a standby, sign up as I’ve exhausted the available pool (presuming both replace the current players).

In Facts in Five, the current game (#5) ends with a tie! Doug Kent and Kevin Wilson share the honors this time around. A new game is starting next issue, if you are so inclined.

I made a surprising discovery a couple weeks ago. I’d finished the last Sharpe book this month and was a bit bummed. But, while picking up the next two Discworld books, happened to see a Large Print edition of a Sharpe book I hadn’t read. Checking, apparently Cornwell wrote a new novel that was released last December – had no inkling about it. So, this December I’ll pick it up when it comes out in paperback – bonus Sharpe! From the back cover blurb, it appears to be set between the Waterloo and Devil books, immediately after France’s surrender and takes place in Paris

The end of the AAA baseball season is nigh, only 6 more home games and 18 games overall. We are just 1 game behind the league leading Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers), having gained 2 games on them playing against them last series. If we take the division there will be a 1 game play-off in Las Vegas against the Western Division winner. The winner of that will play a 1 game against the top International League team for top honors for the AAA level. I’ve already renewed for next year, can’t wait for 2023!

To close out commentary about the record summer heat, in mid-August we had the end of the 100-degree days and some rain. This year ended up as #6 on the all-time 100-degree days list. We also didn’t end up being the hottest summer (average daily temperature), coming in #2 – about ½ a degree under the hottest (2011).

Also, the rain came giving us the first measurable precipitation in 51 days. The first day had a strong downpour for about 3 hours, giving us more rain in that time than the entire previous 3 months. It caused some local flooding, including an urban creek cresting 16’ above the banks (not unusual for that area). A couple days later we had a similar downpour and more since then. So, lakes are rising, but still below where they should be as we’re still 6” under the expected annual rainfall.

Be well, be safe and I’ll talk to you next month.

==================================

Letter Column

(always welcome, send them in!)

(if something shouldn’t be included here, clearly mark it as a personal comment)

[Mark Nelson] – When I read that the latest book from JMS was about a bus trip across the US, I assumed that he had taken a

bus trip across the US and this was his account. [WAY] – Easy misconception from just a high-level description, but if

he actually did write a book on his travels, I’m sure he has enough of a fan base to make it profitable. I’d certainly buy it

just to see his insight into the journey and places visited.

===================================

Mini-Book Reviews

(finished since last issue)

Sharpe’s Prey by Bernard Cornwell (2002; 262p).

Sharpe’s returned to England and has been with the Green Coats (Riflemen) for some time. Relegated to quartermaster duties for the regiment, he has also suffered the loss of his female companion (met in the last book) in childbirth (his). He starts the book morose and in bad shape emotionally.

After dealing with the source of some of his childhood trauma, he is picked for another undercover assignment – this time to Denmark. But, of course, it doesn’t go smoothly and he gets involved in his personal survival, revenge and, eventually, is reunited with the British army dealing with the aftermath of Trafalgar.

The campaign is one I don’t know if I really had heard of. Most folks reading this are probably aware of the British attack on Copenhagen lead by Nelson in 1801 (the one where he famously held up his telescope to his blind eye and declared he couldn’t see the signal to break off the battle). The Danish fleet was severely damaged.

This book is on the lesser-known battle in 1807 when, to keep the rebuilt Danish fleet from Napoleon who wanted it to replace the ships lost at Trafalgar, the British fleet again attacked Copenhagen. That is the background of the novel after the undercover assignment falls apart (not giving much away, in the first pages that it’ll happen is strongly hinted at). Extremely well written, it weaves Sharpe into the historical narrative and is a compelling read. Highly Recommended [September 2022]

Sharpe’s Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwell (2001; 293p).

Having been recommended and seconded to the Green Coats (Riflemen) in England, Sharpe’s first challenge is to find a way home from India (apparently it was a person’s responsibility to do that on their own). Of course, that didn’t turn out to be an easy thing for him. After booking passage on a merchant ship, it is beset by a French ship hunting lone British shipping in the Indian Ocean. After a series of events, he eventually ends up on a British naval vessel that is trying to catch the French merchant hunter.

As the French ship heads to the Atlantic, so do the Brits eventually getting caught up in the great naval battle of Trafalgar. Sharpe, as always, gets in the thick of things – and even on a naval vessel in the middle of the ocean, finds love. Very well-done descriptions, from an individual viewpoint, of naval battles in the Age of Sail. Highly Recommended [August 2022]

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (1992; 386p).

As hinted by the title, this book sends up religion by focusing on a small god trying for a reinvigorated base of faith so they can grow/gain power/do things. As they try to do this, they are working in a country lead by a very oppressive theocracy, expressed through the, with a Pratchett twist of our Inquisition, the Quisition. There are also plots twists, campaigns of conquest, deceit and just plain trying to survive.

Another pleasure to read, hilarious bit, sharp writing and a number of plot twists. Also, there’s a humorous thread that runs throughout the book involving an eagle and a turtle – worth reading just for that! Highly Recommend, even as a stand-alone read, but you’ll enjoy it a bit more if you read the series in order. [August 2022]

===================================

Babylon 5 Quote

In “A Race Through Dark Places” – Sheridan: “I’m not saying what I’m saying. I’m not saying what I’m thinking. As a

matter of fact, I’m not even thinking what I’m thinking.”

===================================

Game Section

Everyone Plays Games: Hangman, By Definition; Facts in Five

Game Openings: Breaking Away (Kent, Burgess, Smith; Firth - minimum 6 players needed)

Standard Choice (Smith, Maslen, Firth - minimum 4 players needed)

Grey-Press Gunboat – countries, and their capital cities, restricted to each player (no preference lists) (3 of 7)

Possible Game Openings: Breaking Away Variants; Suggestions accepted for other games to offer.

Standbys: Breaking Away (x1); Gunboat Diplomacy (x2)

Rules for Breaking Away. Breaking Away Variants and Choice available on the Variable Pig website (variablepig.org)

~~+++++++++++++++++++++~~

“Round Rock Express”

(No-Press Gunboat, Game #1)

MN: 2021Crb32

Note – England and Italy have NMR’d. Standby players will be requested to submit orders in the event the original players to not

return for next season.

Summer 1905

Austria: A tyl–TRI

Germany: A bel-HOL

Fall 1905

Austria: F GRE s a ser-BUL, a con s ita a smy-ank (nso) (ann), A TRI s a bud-vie, A BUD-vie, A RUM s a ser-bul, A boh-SIL,

A ser-BUL

England: NMR; F NTH hold, F SPA(NC) hold, F MAO hold, A NWY hold, F ENG hold, A bel hold (r-pic/ruh/otb)

France: A MAR holds, A BRE s a par, A PAR s a bre

Germany: F DEN-nth, A bur-BEL, A TYL-tri, A mos-STP, F SWE-nwy, A ukr-SEV, A HOL s a bur-bel,

A VIE s a tyl-tri, A mun-BOH

Italy: NMR; F EME hold, A SMY hold, A PIE hold, F AEG hold, F TYN hold

Russia: F BLA s a bul-con, A bul-CON

Turkey: F ANK-con

Supply Center Count

Austria: Bud, Tri, Ser, Gre, Bul, Rum, vie = 6 (even)

England: Edi, Lpl, Lon, Nwy, Por, Spa = 6 (even or +1 build if r-otb)

France: Mar, Par, Bre = 3 (even)

Germany: Ber, Kie, Mun, Den, Hol, Swe, War, Bel, Mos, STP, SEV, VIE = 12 (+3)

Italy: Nap, Rom, Ven, Tun , Smy = 5 (even)

Russia: CON, stp, sev = 1 (-1 removal)

Turkey: Ank, con = 1 (even)

Neutral: none

Next Due Autumn and Winter 1905 and Spring 1906

Note – Split seasons are granted when 2 or more requests are received if 4+ players; 3 or less requires only 1.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Hangman, By Definition

**See Rule Change in bold below**

This is a five-round game, with each round consisting of a variable number of turns. The winner will be the person who wins the most rounds, with a tie breaker being fewest total number of turns in those winning rounds. Second tie breaker will be the greatest number of letters guessed (by total count revealed, not by individual letter).

Each round will consist of identifying a word of at least six letters. Along with each word will be the first definition given. All words and definitions will be identified by blank spaces. Words and definitions are verified in a dictionary that was my high school graduation gift (slight hint to those who might want to find the edition).

The goal is to guess the word in as few turns as possible. Each turn, all players will submit up to three different letters to be revealed. The letter submitted by the most players will be the letter revealed in the next turn. Ties will be broken by a randomized method. Additionally, each player should submit a guess for the word. Once the word is correctly identified (spelling is important), that round will end and a new round will begin. All players who guess the word in the same turn will share in the win for the round. If the word is not guessed by the end of six turns with no letter being revealed, no one will win the round.

Along with revealing letters in the word, letters will be revealed in the definition. There are no bonus points for guessing any part of the definition, it is only there to help players figure out the word. No guesses about parts of the definition will be confirmed or displayed except by the letter revealed in that round. The letters “E” and “S” can never be chosen as the letter to be revealed.

Game 2, Round One, Turn 2:

Letter Votes: N/A as Word Guessed

Words Guessed: Metamorphosis (Firth); <> (Galt); Pneumocytosis (Kent); <> (Lischett);

Metamorphosis (Maslen); Metamorphosis (Smith); Metamorphosis (Wilson)

Solution:

Word: METAMORPHOSIS (13)

Definition: A (1) transformation (14), as (2) by (2) magic (5) or (2) sorcery (7)

Words Previously Guessed in this Game: Anachronistic; Contemplation; Dexamethasone; Facetiousness; Inconvenience;

Viticulturist

Game Words Correctly Guessed: Metamorphosis (Firth, Maslen, Smith, Wilson)

Player Comments:

[Kevin Wilson] – For your issue with the underlines, it appears to be OK in the PDF Doug sent. Whatever was causing them to

disappear seems to get fixed when converting to PDF. Or at least it did for my copy. [WAY] – Regarding the

underscores, the final file I sent Doug did have them all for some reason. But you could well be right that the

conversion to .pdf could well be a solution. We’ll see next issue. Thanks for the thoughts.

Redacted Comments from Previous Rounds -

Turn One

[Mark Firth] – Current def’n: “A representation, or an image of deities”

Turn Two

[John David Galt] – I just can’t come up with a guess with those Os in the right places. I wanted to write something beginning

with “fashion…” or ending “…ostomy” just based on the word length. Or a dinosaur species but the obvious ones don’t

fit. Ort something from organic chemistry.

[Kevin Wilson] – A transformation, (still working on the rest)

[Dane Maslen] – I suspect that someone will find the word very quickly. [WAY] – and you were one of them!

[Mark Firth] –A transformation, as by magic or sorcery. I was lucky that it sort of jumped out at me: “transformation” first and

then the def’n. [WAY] – Spot on!

+++++++++++++++++++++

FACTS IN FIVE

Rules: There will be five rounds, the cumulative high score at the end of the fifth round will be the winner. Anyone may join anytime with a starting score matching the lowest total from the previous round. Anyone missing a round will add the lowest score of that round.

Each round will consist of five categories and five letters. Each player submit may an entry for each category which has a key word that starts with each of the letters (twenty-five total entries). Key words are generally the first word; however, articles (the, a, etc.) and modifiers (“red” in red bicycle for “R” in “mode of transportation” or “general” in General Lee for “G” in “Military Leaders”) are not key words. A word in the category may not be the key word (“bank” in “Bank of America” for “B” in the category “Banks”). For given names, the last name is the key word, if married it will be their post-marriage last name. However, in the case of commonly used stage names, that name should be used (in a category of female singers, ”Q” could be “Queen Latifa” and “Cher” for “C”). An entry may only be used once per round. Please clearly identify which individual you are using as your answer if there are multiple potential people with a given name. For instance, if the category is American Presidents, answering Washington is fine as there is only one; however, if you decided to use Bush you need to indicate whether you are submitting the father or the son. Unclear answers will be matched to score the least points. Using the Bush example, if one person submitted “Bush” and three people submit “George W. Bush” the latter would score 2 points and the former 1.

One point will be scored for each entry that unarguably meets the letter and category. An additional point will be added if anyone else also uses the same valid entry for the same category. Maximum possible score in a round is 50 with a lowest possible score of 25, presuming an individual submits a valid entry for each category and letter in that round.

Research is allowed, collaboration between players is not.

Game Five, Round Five

Bolded - Scores 2 points for matching another entry; Crossed Out - scores 0 points; otherwise scores 1 point.

REMINDER - Last names are generally the key word, not first names.

Players G H I K R

Famous Painting Title

Mark Firth La Gioconda The Hay Wain Impress, Sun The Kiss Raft of Medusa

Doug Kent Girl w/Earring Harv Provence Impress, Sun The Kiss Royal Red and Blue

Andy Lischett Gare St-Lazare The Hay Wain Impress, Sun The Kiss Royal Red and Blue

Walt O’Hara Girl w/Earring The Harvesters Irises The Kiss Reaper

Kevin Wilson Girl w/Earring Hire Shepherd Irises The Kiss Raft of Medusa

Title of an Audio Book

Mark Firth Greenlights How Confident Ink Black Ht Keep of Story ~~Manifest~~

Doug Kent The Goldfinch Homegoing It Ends with Us Know My Name The Rose Code

Andy Lischett Great Expect The Haunting The Iliad Key to King Rosemary’s Baby

Walt O’Hara Grate Bless Have at it, Sister Indian Frontier Kentucky Derby Rebels at Rock Island

Kevin Wilson Girl on Train Potter & Sorcer I Know Caged The Kite Runner Red at the Bone

Active Professional Golfer

Mark Firth Sergio Garcia Lucas Herbert Sungjae Im Brooks Koepka ~~Rory McIlroy~~

Doug Kent Gooch Hovland Im Kim Jon Rahm

Andy Lischett Lanto Griffin Adam Hadwin Sungjae Im Brooks Koepka Jon Rahm

Walt O’Hara ~~Gary Groh~~ ~~Ben Hogan~~ ~~Don Iverson~~ ~~Gary Koch~~ ~~Bill Rogers~~

Kevin Wilson Gooch, Talor Hovland, Viktor Im, Sungjae Koepka, Brooks Rahm, Jon

Non-Metric Unit of Measure

Mark Firth Gallon Hand Inch Kilderkin ~~Mile~~

Doug Kent Gallon Hectare Inch Kelvin Rack Unit

Andy Lischett Gallon Hour Inch Katha Rod

Walt O’Hara Gill Hundredweight Inch Karat Rod

Kevin Wilson Gallon Hundredweight Inch Knot Rod

Non-North American Historical Monument or Site

Mark Firth GW China Hiroshima ~~IRI Bridge~~ Kremlin ~~Machu Picchu~~

Doug Kent GW China Hagia Sophia Iguazu Ntl Forst Kazan Kremlin Royal Palace of Madrid

Andy Lischett GW China Hadrian’s Wall India Gate Khajuraho Red Fort

Walt O’Hara Geghard Mon Hubei Shen Ilu Icefjord Khajuraho Rani-ki-Vav

Kevin Wilson GW China Hiroshima Mem India Gate Konark Sun Tem Rialto Bridge

Note – for allowed and disallowed answers, please feel free to correct me!

General Notes –

Notes on Mark’s Answers: La Gioconda by da Vinci; They Haywain by Constable; Impress, Sun is Impression, Sunrise by

Monet; The Kiss is by Klimt; Raft of Medusa is The Raft of the Medusa by Gericault; How Confident is How to be

Confident; Ink Black Ht is The Ink Black Heart; Keep of Story is The Keeper of Stories; Manifest is disqualified as it doesn’t start with an “R”; Rory McIlroy is disqualified as it doesn’t start with an “R”; Mile is disqualified as it doesn’t start with an “R”; GW China is Great Wall of China; IRI Bridge is disallowed as I can’t find a reference to it; Machu Picchu is disqualified as it doesn’t start with an “R”

Notes on Doug’s Answers: Girl w/Earring is Girl with the Pearl Earring; Harv Provence is Harvest in Provence; Impress, Sun is

Impression, Sunrise; GW China is Great Wall of China; Iguazu Ntl Forst is Iguazu National Park

Notes on Andy’s Answers: Gare St-Lazare is The Gare Saint-Lazare; Impress, Sun is Impression, Sunrise; Great Expect is Great

Expectations; Key to King is Keys to the Kingdom

Notes on Walt’s Answers: Girl w/Earring is Girl with the Pearl Earring is by Vermeer; The Harvesters is by Bruegel the Elder;

Irises is by Van Gogh; The Kiss is by Paolo Havez; Reaper is Reaper after Millet by Van Gogh; Grate Bless is Grateful

and Blessed by Smokey Robinson; Have at it, Sister is by Bill Griffeth; Indian Frontier is The Indian Frontier by R.

Douglas Hart; Kentucky Derby is The Kentucky Derby by James C. Nicholson; Revels at Rock Island is by Benton

McAdams; Gary Groh is disallowed as in appears he left the Senior PGA tour in the early 2000s; Ben Hogan is

disallowed as he is no longer an active professional golfer, having passed away; Don Iverson is disallowed as he retired

as a professional golfer in 1979; Gary Koch is disallowed as it appears he left the tour and is currently a broadcaster;

Bill Rogers is disallowed as it doesn’t appear he is still actively playing professionally; Walt notes a Gill is one fourth

of a standard pint, Karat measures purity of gold alloys, and Rod is traditional, equal to roughly 5.5 yards; Geghard

Mon is Geghard Monastery and upper Azat Valley (Armenia); Hubei Shen is Hubei Shennongia (China); Ilu Icefjord is

Ilulissat Icefjord (Greenland); Khajuraho is Khajuraho Group of Monuments (India) Rani-ki-Vav is noted as the

Queen’s Stepwell (Gujarat, India)

Notes on Kevin’s Answers: Girl w/Earring is Girl with the Pearl Earring; Hire Shepherd is The Hireling Shepherd; Raft of

Medusa is The Raft of the Medusa; Girl on Train is The Girl on the Train; Potter & Sorcer is Harry Potter and the

Sorcerer’s Stone; I Know Caged is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; GW China is Great Wall of China; Hiroshima Mem is Hiroshima Peace Memorial; Konark Sun Tem is Konark Sun Temple

General Player Comments:

[Andy Lischett] – Looking up paintings was fun. I was familiar with all but The Hay Wain, but didn’t know their titles. For G

my first choice was The Gleaners, but then I remembered The Gare Saint-Lazare, a poster of which used to hang over

my fireplace.

[Kevin Wilson] – I was uncertain if “The” would be considered an integral art of a painting name or not. I thought about

avoiding it but decided, as in most titles, it wouldn’t be an integral part of the name. [WAY] – you are correct as most

people would refer to it both with and without the “The”. An instance where “The” would be integral would be in a

category of singer’s nicknames. “The King” would belong under “T” not “K”.

[KW] – I’m more confident any “The” in the audiobook titles is OK. I thought about just limiting the audiobooks to my favorite

author’s series (David Weber) but figured that would be too likely to miss. But for anyone who takes the time to read

comments and like space opera, I recommend all of the following series from David Weber (and some that are offshoots

of his series):

Honor Harrington (several series, 20+ books and short-story collections)

Safehold

Multiverse

War Gods Own

[WAY] – I believe I’ve read a few of the Harrington short stories published in Analog or Asimov’s and, also, his

collaborations with Eric Flint in Flint’s “1632” series. Overall, I’ve heard good things about Weber, just not enough

time and too many books I want to read!

Game Six, Round One

Letters: A E F O W

Categories: Famous American Criminal; Deceased Non-American Nonfiction Writer; Documentary Film Title;

English Language Verb over 5 Letters; Private Liberal-Arts College/University

Current Standings

Scores by Category 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Now Previous Total

Doug Kent 9 5 9 7 6 36 + 140 = 176

Kevin Wilson 9 5 10 9 8 41 + 134 = 176

Andy Lischett 9 5 8 8 8 38 + 127 = 165

Mark Firth 9 4 6 6 5 30 + 126 = 156

Walt O’Hara 8 5 0 8 6 27 + 123 = 150

===================================

Deadline for the Next Issue of Out of the WAY:

October 5, 2022 at noon Central US Time Zone

See You Then!

Game entries, letters of comment and other material can be sent to:

wandrew88 at gmail.com; or by post to: W. Andrew York; POB 201117; Austin TX 78720-1117

Eternal Sunshine Game Section

Diplomacy, “More Than Ever”, 2021A, W 04

Seasons Separated By Player Request

Austria: Andy Lischett – andy@lischett.com – Build A Vienna, A Trieste, plays 1 short..Has F Adriatic Sea,

A Budapest, A Bulgaria, A Constantinople, F Ionian Sea, A Naples, A Piedmont, A Trieste, F Tunis, A Vienna.

England: Paul Milewski – paul.milewski@hotmail.com – Has F Irish Sea.

France: Brad Wilson - fullfathomfive675@gmail.com - Retreat A Burgundy - Gascony..Remove A Gascony..

Has F English Channel, A Paris, F Spain(sc), F Wales.

Germany: Heath Davis-Gardner – hdg83@protonmail.com - Retreat F English Channel - Mid-Atlantic Ocean..

Build A Munich..Has A Burgundy, A Kiel, A Marseilles, F Mid-Atlantic Ocean, A Munich, F North Sea, A Picardy,

A Ruhr.

Russia: Simon Langley-Evans - slangers1964@gmail.com - Has A Ankara, F Black Sea, A Clyde,

F North Atlantic Ocean, F Norwegian Sea, F Rumania, A Smyrna, A Ukraine, A Warsaw, F Yorkshire.

GM Notes – I listed Germany as 8 centers “build 2 or 3” but it should have said “build 1 or 2” (he had either 7 or 6 units, depending on if F English Channel retreated OTB). Nobody noticed this error until I saw it just before adjudication. Due to this, and a real-world issue one player was having, I chose to separate seasons on two requests instead of the usual three.

All Draw Proposals Fail

Now Proposed – A/F/G/R

Please vote. NVR=No

PRESS

Any Press submitted held for Spring.

Deadline for S 05 is October 8^th at 7am My Time

Where in the World is Kendo Nagasaki?

The Rules were in Eternal Sunshine #131, read them if you want a detailed explanation and examples. Basically, this is a guessing game, trying to guess the mystery person and their location (both chosen by me before the game started). Closest guess gets a public clue and notification they were the closest. Everyone else sees the clue but has to figure out on their own who was the closest that turn.

Turn 1