I for one was sent an Email from Edi when I started dropping out of games around Christmas. He then asked where I was and if I wanted to play face-to-face. I chose not to respond. It is the Internet and I have not known him for long enough to be able to trust him with that sort of information.

I don't see any problem with him politely asking. He is after all trying to promote the hobby. If you don't want to play face to face, then it doesn't take much to simply respond in the negative. It is good manners to decline, rather than just ignore someone.

Edi's a good guy. He never takes more than a pint at a time, not like some of those OTHER vampires. Don't talk about him like that.

Haha, nice find Ghost. Whilst I think it's a bit off anyone who tries to 'trick' others into following their ways, I don't see any reason why asking isn't fine.
Still, I have to disagree with some of the points in that article.
He says he found people who don't want to use their own names online, and are "seriously worried about face-to-face contacts".
Well, no I prefer to use Figlesquidge online, my figlesquidge 'identity' is known by people I've met on other sites and there's no harm in playing it safe.
Moreover, I'm not worried about face-to-face contact, I just really like it here. There's a friendly community, I can access my games when it suits me, and everyone recognises it's a game! I've played with friends, both face-to-face and most successfully in a combined f2f-phpdip mode, in which we talking in real life, but used this site as our board.
Oh, and there is a good reason lots of people are rather worried about meeting up with someone they've never met and only spoken to on the internet. Whilst unlikely, the possibilities for things that could go wrong as vast, and there is no way of knowing who you're against.
Also, whilst you could argue using your real name makes you seem more genuine, there is nothing to stop you taking someone else's name and playing under that - the others in game have no way of knowing.
(I hope my ramblings make sense!)

I did think Edi's request for the database's logon time and IP geolocation data was a bit strange. This article really makes me regret handing it all over :-s (j/k)

I hope people don't overreact on this. Edi just wants to get contacts to increase the number of FtF and enrollment at conventions, no harm in that at all. I mean its not like he is stalking people or anything. Some people on this site, only some mind you are paranoid and bonkers.

the Ip geolocation list, that would look cool if you could superimpose it (ip adress represented by a dot, somewhat similar to word city population maps)) on a world map so we could see where everyone was from.

I at first thought that this was going to be another joke thread.
Anyone who wants to talk to me about my article is welcome to write to me
EdiBirsan AT astound DOT net

Further, I can assure you that Diplomacy World run by Doug Kent who can be reached at
DiplomacyWorld AT yahoo DOT com
would love to have an article from anyone arguing against any other article there.

Furthermore. I challenge the readers of this forum and this site to come to Columbus Ohio on June 26-28 and play the game Face to Face with me and players from around the world. Dare to be brave: hang out with 150 other Diplomacy people in a convention of 15,000 and enjoy a game of Diplomacy.

EdiBirsan, you mean you don't use this site because you like us? :O

I am very sad. ;P

But seriously, were I to have less time commitents, and were I closer to most central Diplomacy-events, I would likely seriously consider your proposals.
The people of the web are not seriously crazy as a rule. A tpical group just tends to be younger, more secretive, and from a larger part of the globe than your average group.

Well, until he starts luring children with craigslist ads I think we'll be fine.

I would like to make two points on the article. The first is it goes further to dispelling the idea that Edi has any malicious intent with his offering to put you in contact with Face to Face groups, and the second is that I really do not see the harm in encouraging new players to join the hobby.

Good Article Edi. Anyone who thinks anyone's presense here is altruistic, is being misled. Most of us are just here to play Diplomacy online. Others are here because they are bored little kids who think it's funny that they can say whatever they want to people who they would not even make eye contact with in the real world. Still others are here because it's an important part of the hobby that they have been involved with for centuries (or so it seems) and they are trying to show they players in the first group that I mentioned, and aspect of the game that they might not have experienced - F2F.

I think most of us are in the first group - I for one, have no desire to go to a conference on Diplomacy, and seriously doubt that I ever will. Diplomacy is not my life, or even a significant hobby of mine. It's a fun game and I sit in front of a computer all day anyway, so it's convenient for me to check every so often if one of my games has moved phases.

Edi is just trying to pick out the few in that group that would be willing to give the bigger F2F community a try and I see nothing wrong with that. Although - The Diplomat thread was kind of curious, because I can't for the life of me imagine WANTING Diplomat at a F2F game. He is more in the 2nd group of people I mentioned. Not sure why Edi would have been so persistant trying to get that lameass's info.

But I do wonder - in those threads where Edi gives people someone's contact info for their artea, are these people that are involved in the hobby to the extent that they want to be contacted? Or are they just other people who Edi has gotten their contact info from casual contact (such as here) and is then just trying to hook up more people in a given area for a F2F game? That's why I would never give out my info - I would want to be on someone else's mailing list and I certainly wouldn't want to get random emails from people saying - "Edi Birsan put your contact info on a forum for people who want to play Diplomacy in the Phoenix area".

Anyway, keep up the good work Edi, just don't ask the same person twice is my advice. If someone says no, move on to the next one. That's the best way to avoid the accusations of "E-Stalking".

"I would want to be on someone else's mailing"

should have been

"I would NOT want to be on someone else's mailing"

Hey Edi, is that at Origins? If so, I might go... I was interested in the Catan world qualifier too.

Edi, I think you should make posters with yourself dressed up in an Uncle Sam costume or some WWI military uniform pointing at the audience, saying "I WANT YOU to play diplomacy."

You could also dress up as a vampire with the poster saying "I WANT YOUR BLOOD."

I think both would be really fun.

"Youngsters have been so
steeped in the idea of all these predators online,
lurking after their bodies in a sexual
context, that it makes it hard to get across that
all you really want is their blood."


hahahaha nice, I am on an "email list" as a LA lurker but the main LA guy I think had already confirmed with Edi that he would be glad to get emails of new LA folks and I let Edi know he could give out my email to the LA people.

Wait. Altruism? Since when is that word brought up here...

Well Edi, a good way to have some staying power with the people you recruit offline is to direct them to sites online. Both of your common problems are easily solved by online play where you have the time and the players to get some good games going. I know you are probably just recruiting for F2F, but phpDip has a similar mandate but for the Diplomacy hobby in general. Next time you have a random park game and recruit strangers you should try directing them to this site. That way they don't have to wait for the next random park game or they don't have to suddenly escalate to a full-scale DipCon. Playing online is non-threatening and an easy way to get people interested in the hobby.

a coup of points;

Origins is the Convention that is Hosting the World DipCon this year.
I would love to see some more of you all there. ((Yes some of you have said that you will be there)).

Actually I do recommend that people check out sites if they are interested in PBeM and this site is one of them.

I am willing to be sucked into Edi's vampiric scheme to make me attend Origins and play the World dipcon. However, I have a couple objections not covered by the article:

1)I do not have enough money to cover gas/hotel/conference badge

2)I would somehow have to convince my wife that attending Origins AND GenCon does not make me a freak/weird.

Edi, if you can spot me the money to cover #1 then I'll figure out a way to deal with #2 :P

OK Jacob... there is a Travel Fund in the Face to Face portion of the Hobby sponsored by the North American Diplomacy Federation. It is most geared towards first time event attendees and mostly young people/aged 18+ in college. However if you want to take a shot at it then OK.
Furthermore there is a group of players that are 'hosting; from the local area and you might get to stay with them... so that will cut most of your costs down.
As for GenCon vs Origins: the GenCon Diplomacy event is not recognized for Grand Prix or as a world class event, whereas the Origins event this year is not only a Grand Prix event, and world class it is the very definition of world class: it is the World Diplomacy Championship.
So dump Gencon and bring the wife and go to Columbus.

hmmmmm.....sheesh. ok, maybe I'll send you an email and get some more info.

"[...] grab the recruits by the throat and…well, I am
getting a little off the vein of the approach [...]"

Loving the pun.

Lol Edi Birsan who are you anyway this is nuts. As far as the Diplomacy community goes, who is more reputable than you are you like the no. 1 guy?