UPCOMING FACE-TO-FACE DIPLOMACY EVENTS

by Peter McNamara


What you have to look forward to in the world of face to face diplomacy:

I've collected a list of all upcoming events that I know of — click here for details. It should include everything in the Pouch's listing plus a few more that haven't made it to that list. In this article I'm just going to focus on a select few major events. But first a quick word to all those readers who have never been to a face-to-face tournament. It's an experience and an adrenalin rush the likes of which you can't get online. You owe it to yourself to come along to a FtF event and see why the regular attendees rave so much about it. Without it, your diplomacy experience is incomplete.

The Big One. WDC in Milan, Italy, 1-3 May 2015.

WorldDipCon is, year after year, the most important event of the FtF calendar. Its existence serves multiple purposes. Obviously one purpose is to crown the winnner of the tournament with the title of world champion. It also serves as a focal point for geographically diverse set of players to meet over the game they love and get to play with others from all over the world. A WDC is not to be missed! The 2015 event will be run by the young and vibrant Italian hobby, fresh off their successful 2014 hosting of EuroDipCon.

Practical details: Starts Friday morning and finishes Sunday afternoon. Recommended to arrive no later than Thursday daytime and leave no earlier that Monday if possible. The quickest way to stay up to date is to follow this social media page.

North America

The NADF (North American Diplomacy Federation) Masters Invitational is a biannual event which sees its third incarnation this January in a beach house in Louisiana. As an invitational event it provides a unique tournament experience with all play of a high calibre and the location is chosen each year to be in an interesting part of the USA. So, how do I score an invitation I hear you asking? Well, players qualify by finishing in the top 7 at any NADF tournament in the previous two years. At the time of publication there is only one remaining qualifying tournament for the 2015 edition, namely Carnage in Vermont. Come 2015, don't forget to secure your qualification fo the 2017 edition as soon as possible!

Europe

As well as hosing WDC in 2015, there will also be an EDC (you can work out what that stands for, replace World by European) in Europe. In 2015, it will be held at ManorCon, in Lecister, UK. ManorCon is a convention with a long history. And this year one of the great (sadly lapsed in recent years) traditions of ManorCon will be making a special reappearance. This is the seven a side team tournament, which in days of yore was rated more highly than the individual classification and really was the raison d'etre for ManorCon's existence. It goes like this: Each player on your team takes a different country that they will play for one round (and the scores of each team memeber are added). The team captain has the extra power to go to each board to discuss strategy with his or her teammates, but not to negotiate on their behalf with players from the other teams. My wish for the 2015 EDC is to see a Team Internet appear, full of online players making it to their first FtF event.

Practical Details: July 17-20, 2015. website (will be updated, don't panic, these guys have been running ManorCon for a long time and know how to do it). Includes a special Indian dinner to celebrate the birthday of one of the greats of the UK hobby, to which all are invited.

Australasia

After some quiet years, the Australasian hobby will be rebirthing itself this November at a housecon/tournament in Melbourne. So do you live in Australia or New Zealand? Do you want to be part of a new era in FtF play down under? Of course you do. So if you possibly can, come down to Melbourne this November for a weekend of fun and frivolity, where our gracious host is not only holding the event at her house but is also offering it up as accommodation to all travellers.

Practical details: 21-23 November. look here!.



Peter McNamara
(peterjmcn@gmail.com)

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