Re: Imperial Diplomacy - Just under half-full

My favorite one was a game early on with GEnie's original Cat23 (low 
20s, maybe?) where Porter Wightman got into a game with me ... now, I 
was the only one who knew that Porter was NOT a beginner, but actually 
an old master from the postal hobby (myself the publisher of THE MODERN 
PATRIOT 'zine and Porter a contributer to HOOF N MOUTH Dip zine).  So, 
when someone tried to give Porter advice in Spring 1901 assuming he was 
a newbie playing Russia, he got the idea to align with the only person 
who knew better - me playing Italy - and fool the entire board.

He opened in Spring 1901 with Fleet St Pete (sc) to Finland.  Stupid 
move, right?  A newbie mistake for sure.  It locked into the other five 
players minds that Porter was a new player, and from then on the two of 
us played them like a fiddle.

It came down to the end with Porter and I trying to hustle the lesser 
powers into turning on the other, but Porter was a little more 
persuasive, and many still thought he was a newbie taking orders from 
me, so they turned on me while Porter screwed them royal for the win.

Porter and I have been friends now for roughly 27 years, and we still 
stay in touch even though he doesn't play Diplomacy any more ... I keep 
trying to get him online, but he's got so many other things to do, he 
just doesn't have the time to play (which is my situation currently)

Absolutely one of the more enjoyable games I've ever played, and all 
because ONE PLAYER (the German in this case) assumed that because a guy 
was new to us then he must be new to Diplomacy.   One of my little 
sayings at Diplomacy (which never made the official list, I might add) 
was "Always assume that each of your opponents is a Grand Master 
Strategist, and the best player you've ever met. "