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Mark Nelson's Current Projects

Mark Nelson

Contents

This article, a new breakthrough for egotism, contains a list of my many ongoing projects. I work on a great number of documents for the hobby and I'm sure you'll find something which sparks your interest below.

Diplomacy AtoZ

"I highly recommend that you read Mark Nelson's `Diplomacy from A to Z'.
It hooked me on Diplomacy and even more on postal Diplomacy.
It gives you a very good sense of the history of the hobby."
-- David Kovar, in a post to rec.games.diplomacy (3/10/93)

This is the definitive dictionary of Diplomacy terminology. Words found in this document fall into four main categories:
  1. Terms which describe the play of the game (names of openings, strategic concepts, tactical ploys)
  2. Terms that arise in its the games adaptation to postal and email play ("Press," "NMR," famous press bylines, GMing practice, scoring and rating systems)
  3. Terms which are associated with the hobbies that have grown up around the play of postal Diplomacy (organizations, special projects [mostly never implemented!]) or
  4. Terms uniquely used by hobby members (e.g., variant names).

Version 4.0 of the document is available by anonymous FTP as a compressed tar file (ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/Documents/AtoZ.tar.Z) and as a compressed text file (ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/Documents/diplomacy.A-Z.Z).

Alternatively, it can be obtained via e-mail by sending an appropriately worded request to fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk Each file in the AtoZ (currently 19) will be emailed as an ascii text file.

A 52 page double-column hardcopy of the AtoZ (Version 4.0) is available from Pete Gaughan (gaughan@netcom.com, 1236 Detroit Ave., #7, Concord, CA 94520-3651 USA) [USA and Canada] and Mark Nelson (fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk, 3 Kelso Road, Leeds, LS2 9PR England) [rest of the world]. The price is $2 (USA and Canada) and 2.50 pounds (UK). If ordering from elsewhere, please confirm the price before ordering.

Variants AtoZ

This document starts with an article ("The Chameleon Game" by Steve Doubleday) explaining what a variant is. The remainder of the package contains reviews of 201 Diplomacy variants. Some variants have multiple reviews.

Version 2.0 of the document is available via anonymous FTP as a compressed tar file (ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/Documents/variants.tar.Z).

Stalemates AtoY

"I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate the work and dedication required to tackle a project of such magnitude. Congratulations on a job well done.
[I wish our first software releases looked this good!]"
-- David Jorgensen (13th April 1994)

While "old hands" find stalemate lines, articles on stalemate lines, and discussion of stalemate lines to be exceedingly dull and dry, novices are usually very interested by the concept of a stalemate line. They are positively excited by question such as "What are stalemate lines?", "What is a dynamic stalemate line?", "How do I construct a stalemate line?", "Are there any stalemate lines holding these centers?" and "How do I break a stalemate line?"

The Stalemates AtoY file contains a collection of articles on stalemate lines. Reading this document should not only answer these questions on stalemate lines, but it should also cure anyone of an interest in them. Perhaps the most important question that you should ask is "How on earth did Mark retype all these articles without falling asleep in the process?" Perhaps he enjoyed the pain and agony.

Version 1.0 of the document contains 18 articles on stalemate lines and has been converted to become an entry in The Diplomatic Pouch Library. It is also available via anonymous FTP as a compressed tar file (ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/Documents/stalemates.tar.Z).

SerCon Central -- Austria

This document is intended to be the "definitive" package of articles answering the question "I'm playing Austria; what do I do?" There are articles on Austrian openings, middle-game strategies, and end-game tactics. You can read endgame statements from games which Austria won to see how to put it all into practice. There are miscellaneous articles examining such things as various Austrian two-way alliances and the importance of the Austrian Navy.

At present the package isn't completed. There are still one or two articles which must be added to produce the definitive product I'm aiming for. However you can obtain the provisional package via email by sending an appropriately worded request to me at fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk. Each file in the Package (currently 20) will be e-mailed to you as an ascii text file.

Opening Time!

The Judge code contains an area where the address of an "Openings Custodian" is kept. The "Openings Custodian" is sent a copy of every Spring 1901 adjudication (or the equivalent first season in the case of some variants). Since May 1995, I have been the Openings Custodian.

You may obtain details on the individual orders for each unit and on the particular openings used by each power in the standard e-mail Diplomacy games played since May 1995 by sending appropriately worded e-mail to me at fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk.

At the time of writing there have been sufficient games of any particular non-standard variant to justify a breakdown of their openings. You can obtain a list of how many gamestarts there have been for each variant-type by sending appropriately worded email to fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk

The UKVB and UKVB Catalogue

The UKVB (United Kingdom Variant Bank) is the main source for variant rules and articles on variants in the UK. In addition to acting as a source for variant rules, the UKVB Custodian also produces a variant-only 'zine (Variants & Uncles). Although this 'zine is primarily distributed by snail mail, some of the articles run in it are available by anonymous ftp.

The main source of variant rules, articles, and maps held electronically by the UKVB is the anonymous ftp site ftp://amsta.leeds.ac.uk (See more information in the Electronic Variant Bank section, below).

The UKVB also holds a small number of rules and maps in the directory ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/UKVB.

The UKVB Catalogue is a listing of variants held by the UKVB. It lists variants alphabetically and by ARDA number (the ARDA number is an attempt to classify variants by subject matter). For an ASCII copy of the alphabetical and ARDA catalogues, send an appropriately worded email to me at fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk.

A hardcopy of the catalog is also available at a cost of one pound. Remit to Mark Nelson: 3 Kelso Road, Leeds. LS2 9PR. UK.

If you live in the UK and want to subscribe to Variants & Uncles, send money to me at this same address. A typical issue costs 50 pence. If you live outside the UK please send e-mail to me for subscription details.

Electronic Variant Bank

The anonymous FTP site ftp://amsta.leeds.ac.uk/pub/amt5man contains a small selection of variant material (and an even smaller selection of standard Diplomacy material).

An index of the contents of this site (possibly up-to-date) is available from me via e-mail at fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk.

Interviews

Extensive interviews with three "snail-mail" personalities are available as compressed tar files by anonymous FTP. Larry Peery and Fred C. Davis, Jr. are Americans. Andrew England is an Australian. The files containing the interviews are ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/Documents/peery.tar.Z, ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/Documents/fred.davis.tar.Z, and ftp://ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu/pub/diplomacy/Documents/andrew.tar.Z.

Mark Nelson
University of Leeds, UK
(fuemin@sun.leeds.ac.uk)

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