Well, I apologize if I have the wrong beerslug. Send your email address to RUFFHAUS 8 for replacement positions, you are conditioned for that kind of gamesmanship, like football, baseball or hockey(getting the gatorade bottles for the starters). At least you didn't participate in that lawn fairy sport, soccer. We in football always liked those lawn fairies, when we were in practice, clobbering each other in the August heat and humidity those guys were laughing and giggling, bouncing the ball on their knees.

Go ahead and put me on the list, too, Ruffhaus. It will be interesting to get back to email-based Dip.
George

Hey peeps! Been way off the Dip/Redscape map for a loooong time and am easing back in. To the admin staff- put me down on replacement standby if needed...

Well, I think it is partly a matter of getting used to it. I started out FTF like many of you did, years ago. I migrated to PBM and thought that was pretty cool. You could forge actual letters (have friends mail them from a player's home town), indulge in fictional treaties, and take time to consider options. But that was the problem: Time. PBM games could take years, assuming the GM kept things going with those 3-week deadlines. When PBEM came about, I originally was hesitant, as they seemed like they would be superficial, "quick-and-dirty" affairs with little time or thought to "deep strategy". And deadlines were usually only one week!!!

I reckon I got over that pretty quickly, though I will admit that the level of participation with regard to writing and plotting is not always as developed as we used to get in PBM. But I will tip my hat to REDSCAPE, which more than any other site I've been on, helped me through the transition from paper to bits. A few other notes: We seem to have pretty well gotten out of the habit of writing those nonsensical postings of "public press" that used to be a mainstay in the hardcopy 'zines of years ago. Oh, they are still found in the forums, though less and less often. So it seems to me.

Now we have OTTO, one of those automated judge sites. Not a new idea at all, of course. But it is a big deal to us long-time Redscapers used to the pampering of GM-hosted games. I am in two games now on OTTO and I have my likes and dislikes about the judge. Some of them may get resolved in time if there is any development that can be done. Yes, the narrow data entry window does tend to discourage a lot of discussion, which could result in a dilution of negotiations. Perhaps in that way, it takes us back to FTF games, where deep thoughts also have no time or place. Yet, we still have a PUBLIC window for general postings, insults, etc. It would be nice if OTTO could be set up to allow anonymous posts in the Public window. That would add an additional element of humor, strategy, and tomfoolery. Somebody thought that OTTO was best used for Gunboat. Maybe that was a cynical bit of sarcasm (Well, I consider Gunboat to be a cynical bit of sarcasm, and not real Diplomacy. I understand the unspoken language of orders, but you might as well be playing Risk. But that's an aside.).
Still, I am glad to have BOTH options and I hope we can promote them both, especially outside of the Redscape arena; perhaps to members of other sites.
And it would be great to have a mass emailing go out to the Redscape mailing list again, reminding them of this new updated site, how to easily get back online, and how to find the games. We can set up several PBEM games ahead of time for NEW (or Returning) players so they can get back into the warm, fuzzy comfort of Redscape diplomacy. I'd certainly be willing to GM one of them.

Home leave is over, my move is completed (although there are still boxes all over my house waiting to get unpacked), and I think I am now ready to wade back into the turbulent waters of Diplomacy.

I had to beg off on RG Rd.II when the start date got delayed so much, but please add my name to the list of available replacement players.

-Rudewalrus

I apollogize to be sooo tardy, I have only been checking emails (doh! but that's how I heard, so I thought it was already in the know). If you haven't started yet I am wecanworkthisout (a) yahoo

I demand to be placed on the waiting list. Immediately. There I shall wait. These are my demands.