WDC IX at Namur, Belgium 1999:

A Peerispective

By Larry Peery

Introduction

Was it an ideal WDC?  No.  Was it the best WDC to date? Yes.  After the excellent WDC VII hosted by GOTHCON in Goteborg, Sweden in 1997 I really didn't expect the Belgian Diplomacy hobby and Namur, Belgium to outdo the Swedes in 1999, but they did.  And there is no doubt in my mind that the Namur event was superior to WDC VIII held in Chapel Hill, USA in 1998.  Namur has set a very high standard that the Hunt Valley, USA event in 2000 and the Paris, France event in 2001 will have a difficult time equaling, let alone surpassing.

Why?

Why was WDC IX so successful?  Here are just some of the reasons: a great venue; an inspiring site; a supportive local hobby and host organization; a dedicated and hardworking staff; and perhaps most important, a bossy tournament director and caring host, Jean-Louis Delattre! I could spend pages elaborating on those reasons, but I'll do that on my own web site.

From the pre-event publicity, to the actual running of the event, and through the post-event reports, Namur did an outstanding job.  Perhaps there were some grumbles about the tournament format and scoring system; but those are inevitable, especially among the losers.  I was particularly impressed with the way Namur managed to mobilize their national media to promote their event.  That will pay off in future benefits to future events.

Equally impressive was the speed with which the post-event reports were posted on the internet! By the time I returned home from my trip, the early results were waiting in my email box.

I think Jean-Louis himself identified the key reason for the success of this year's event.  It was the first WDC ever in which the host country did not dominate the play.  This is of great significance in the development of WDC.  Now, perhaps the Belgians would have preferred otherwise....

Why Not?

So why wasn't Namur an ideal WDC?  I'll discuss that at another time; when I'm not in such a good mood.

Thanx for the Namuries!

I hope you enjoy this photo essay from WDC IX. For photo impressions of my travels in Belgium and the Netherlands use the link below.


French may be the language of diplomats,
but the Belgians practice it ever so much better

Something no well travelled Dipper should be without.

Only the Belgians would elevate cartooning to their national art form.

And would you believe they almost didn't use this site?

Never underestimate the power of the press,
or a pretty lady with a microphone in her hand.

The registration area,
the lull before the storm.

Bruno-Andre Giraudon, Jean-Louis Delattre, Thibault Constans,
mugging for the cameras.

Our host, tournament director, and "cop on the beat,"
Jean-Louis Delattre, during the event.

Jean-Louis, after a "bad dot" day.

Tom, the computer whiz.
Is this a face Hollywood would die for?

Main registration and gaming room.
The day before.

Players from my first round game.
So nice. So nasty.

A quiet tet á tet.
(Note the Citadelle fortifications outside the window.)

Chris Martin, defending WDC Champ; some poor lamb; and Edi Birsan, Mr. Lepanto!

Dan Mathias dwarfs an opponent as Old Glory waves!

B-A Giraudon and Shawn Derrick, Mr. Britcons.

Xavier Blanchot, France's eminence griese of Dip, and B-A Giraudon

Team Denmark
preparing to strut their stuff!
"We Are Red, We Are White, We Are Danish Dynamite!"

A Study in Concentration

Yes, the walls are that thick.
After all, it is a fortress.

Players from my second round game.

Players from my third round game.
Can you tell which three were blitzed?

The WDC IX individual champion's cup,
The Rivasseau-Peery Cup,
The winning team cups,
The Swedish team champion's cup.

The mega-sized display Diplomacy game.

Close-up view.

The Top Board players.

Another view.

A different peerispective.

A golden arch of a different sort.

The waiting is the hardest part.

Awards presentation area.

The 1998 WDC Champion,
Chris Martin, USA

The 1999 WDC Champion,
Christian Dreyer, Sweden

The 1999 WDC Team Champions,
Toby Harris, Mr. X, and B-A Giraudon

Leif Bergman adds a second place finish to his trophy collection.

Edi Birsan dreams of what might have been.

Others await their turn at the cup.

Getting ready for 2000!
Team Nambia

For More Information about WDC IX, and past and future World DipCon's, visit The WDC Shrine.

Larry Peery
(peery@ix.netcom.com)

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