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Im in agreement with my colleagues on the full disclosure idea for similar reasons, but I’ll quite happily participate in a detailed AAR or any articles being put together. I’m nowhere near disciplined enough to keep notes going as I go but I can clumsily piece together my recollection after the conclusion with only minimal spin doctoring to make me look extra good for decisions made.

Who’s actually running this now?

You all know me well enough by now to know that I’ll write about my perspective on the match one way or the other—perhaps for years to come, if I find that hindsight continues to grant me insight into long-finished games.

I am more than happy to publish whatever the players write up (be that contemporaneous notes, or just a normal post-mortem AAR). My BrotherBored blog has enough of a following at this point that I think our collective thoughts would reach a large audience. I think it would be nice to have the writings in one place and promoted for what they are. I also think posterity would be grateful for whatever we can contribute to the hobby.

I wish I had enough time to keep a journal, but my life has changed so much since this tournament started 10 months ago. It feels almost like a lifetime ago—really I mean that. I have a different job, and more. I think I’m just barely going to have the time to spend that the match really deserves. I made sure I’m not involved in any other matches, or activities in general for that matter, so that I don’t disappoint.

I agree with other players that I think a lot of personal stuff may come out in the match. If we’re playing until 1930 or whatever, and some of us still have our pause time left, then this match will last 4-6 months. I am serious about that prediction. When games go on THAT long, you end up referring a lot to the comings and goings of your everyday life.

swordsman3003 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:52 am

If we’re playing until 1930 or whatever, and some of us still have our pause time left, then this match will last 4-6 months.

The game doesn't go that long if someone solos. Don't scoff--I've witnessed this happening on top boards before.

Also, re: your last post, how did your dad get those odds? Because my instinct (honed by a not-insignificant amount of time in the gambling industry and a long time in the Diplomacy hobby) is that any bookmaker offering those odds would lose money. (Side note, if we're talking about betting on Diplomacy, it seems designed for parimutuel, not fixed-odds.)

Fair enough. All the best in the finals!

jay65536 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 20, 2020 1:13 pm

The game doesn't go that long if someone solos. Don't scoff--I've witnessed this happening on top boards before.

They actually happen very very often on these toro boards, especially in these winner takes all situations. Emotions (and egos) can run high, top players are extremely capable kingmakers, and they have high risk tolerance for making very bold strategy choices.

The game is on!

It can be found here with a tentative start date of the 27th. All finalists should have received PMs with the password - good luck to you all!

VillageIdiot wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:56 am

Now all I have a to do is ensure I play well enough to not become a cautionary tale of “what not to do” on future articles on BrotherBored.

So, any indication as to when we may be looking to kick off these finals?

That nearly happened to the novice, yours truly. Good luck to all the finalists!!

Temasek22 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:17 pm

VillageIdiot wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:56 am

Now all I have a to do is ensure I play well enough to not become a cautionary tale of “what not to do” on future articles on BrotherBored.

So, any indication as to when we may be looking to kick off these finals?

That nearly happened to the novice, yours truly. Good luck to all the finalists!!

This did happen to yours truly in the first round of the tournament. I'm pleased to have a chance to redeem myself, but it will be doubly painful if I become a recurring "what not to do" character in the Swordsman extended universe.

Your Humble Narrator wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 21, 2020 3:14 am

This did happen to yours truly in the first round of the tournament. I'm pleased to have a chance to redeem myself, but it will be doubly painful if I become a recurring "what not to do" character in the Swordsman extended universe.

For my part, I'm still expecting I'll make an appearance in Top 5 Reasons You Got Backstabbed. Either in the article "You told your ally all your moves" or in "You thought swordsman had a loyal bone in his body".

The obvious solution is to counter the Swordsman blog threat by writing your own article for one of the various Diplomacy magazines that are out there.

For those who have never done this before, the formula is quite simple. Never write anything before you finish the game. Once the game is over craft a narrative in which everything remotely positive occurred because of some piece of diplomatic genius on your part, and blame everything that went wrong on a useful scapegoat, mentioning some key phrases about them failing to see the bigger picture or having poor communication styles. Some nonsense about them focusing on the tactical at the expense of the strategic, or vice versa, usually gives the impression that you know what you're talking about.

Make sure you identify something insignificant that you did wrong, and use a smattering of self depreciating language, and that should help disguise the fact that your article is ridiculously one sided in your favour.

If desperate copy and paste an old end of game statement and change some of the names, as they're all pretty much the same as each other. Sorted :)

That is some invaluable advice right there, for which I am already eternally grateful. I think it is also important to highlight here that this advice is coming from the winner of the last ODC back in 2015, so that it should not be taken lightly. In fact, how to apply these more abstract rules to a concrete example can be seen in Octavious' own EoG analysis of the Board 2 of the ODC 2015 Final

The Belgian Bulldog wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:12 am

That is some invaluable advice right there, for which I am already eternally grateful. I think it is also important to highlight here that this advice is coming from the winner of the last ODC back in 2015, so that it should not be taken lightly. In fact, how to apply these more abstract rules to a concrete example can be seen in Octavious' own EoG analysis of the Board 2 of the ODC 2015 Final

There was an ODC in 2017 too...

Wow, it's finally over! Been watching the final game for quite a while... can't wait to hear thoughts on the final game if the players are willing to share.

Congratulations Brumark!

Awesome job Brumark!

Thank you both, my goodness DougJoe - that is some commitment to follow, I think all of us in game gave up hope of seeing an end at one point or another so well done to you.

I am very willing to share/discuss the game will my fellow players and all and sundry. I would also be happy to do a full AAR if at least a couple of the others want to do that too.

Congratulations here as well Brumark!

I will definitely write up a decent length AAR at some point.

Congratulations Brumark! If anyone is interested in hearing the thoughts of a lowly substitute player who eased my nation into humiliation and defeat, I'll throw mine in. - New Austria (1906-1907)

Brumark wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 05, 2020 4:54 pm

Thank you both, my goodness DougJoe - that is some commitment to follow, I think all of us in game gave up hope of seeing an end at one point or another so well done to you.

Well, it's a lot easier to spectate than to play... all the players are to be commended for playing as long as they did!

I think I started really watching in Autumn 1903 when the first messages about the Austria virus came out in the global chat (I did go back and read all the cheese-related goodness before that!). I'm currently reading a web comic that releases a new page about once a month and the current issue/story has been going on for over 4 years now (PS238, in case anyone is familiar) so a nine month long game is nothing... I really looked forward to the turn deadlines just to see what kind of craziness had happened.

And, actually, this was the game that prompted me to ask what everybody thought about eliminated players still trying to influence others in the global chat... I just didn't think it was appropriate to say that at the time.

Looking forward to anyone's AAR!

Yes - congratulations to Brumark, and to each of the others who played this one! In advance of any detailed AARs, I will say it was easily the longest and most high press game I have been involved in, with the most switching of alliances, numerous beat down the board leader alliances, a few serious comebacks and a hostile public feud or two.

Yet, despite the very cut-throat nature there was also some very distinct trusting alliances for stretches of the game, where moves where coordinated with precision often to devastating impact. It was also a game where the tournament setting changed the outcome - I think in a non-tournament setting this would have been agreed as a 9/9/8/8 draw many years earlier when the traditional stalemate line was hit by a western (FG) and eastern (IR) alliance. I would definitely be willing to contribute to the AAR if we are trying to document some of what happened.

PS - also wanted to thank Durga for organising and Captainmeme for continuing to support the tournament subsequently. I appreciate large scale tournaments like this require a lot of time investment to organise.