The 2024 Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship and Association

The guys talk about the 2024 Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship and the creation of the Asia Pacific Diplomacy Association. And of course have a few drinks!

Intro

• The guys introduce their drinks (0 mins 15 secs)

The 2024 Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship

• They begin talking about their attendance at the Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship and Ken winning the Shane Cubis Award (1 min 30 secs)
• Gavin corrects the audio levels and talks about their venue (3 mins 45 secs)
• They get back to talking about the tournament and their games (5 mins 30 secs)
• Gavin shares some Diplomacy advice he got earlier (15 mins 30 secs)
• They talk about the Australian scene currently and how it is growing in quality and quantity (17 mins 30 secs)

Catch up with Max Row Banks, Asia Pacific Diplomacy Champion

• The guys set the scene for the chat, recorded immediately after Max found out he was the 2024 Champion (18 mins 30 secs)
• The interview begins with Max talking through his game (19 mins)
• Max talks about playing as Russia, Germany and France (20 mins 15 secs)
• They talk about Max winning the championship by one SC (22 mins)
• Ken asks about Max's favourite moment in the event (22 mins 45 secs)
• They talk about the competiting players (23 mins 30 secs)
• Ken asks where to next (24 mins 20 secs)
• Max also won Best Strategist in the tournament (25 mins 10 secs)
• They begin wrapping up the chat (26 mins 30 secs)
• Gavin hadn't relistened to the interview when he and Ken caught up and incorrectly says he hasn't played against Max, even though Max touched on it at the Cane Toad Classic when Gavin had to make numbers for a board (27 mins 45 secs)

Round table discussion on the new Asia Pacific Diplomacy Association

• They move onto a post-championship discussion around the earlier agreement to establish the Asia Pacific Diplomacy Association, a regional equivalent to what North America and Europe already has (28 mins 30 secs)
• Andrew Goff gives a brief overview of what's happening (31 mins 15 secs)
• Jamal Blakkarly provides his input into the discussion (33 mins 15 secs)
• Dominick Stephens reflects on how the New Zealand hobby could build from the association's approach (35 mins 15 secs)
• Shane Armstrong talks about where the hobby is at in Sydney and how the association can help (36 mins 50 secs)
• Andrew gives a hat tip to Lei Saarlainin in setting an original vision (38 mins)
• Ken suggests moving to a quiter location (39 mins)

Diplomacy chat

• The guys have moved to Gather for a quieter atmosphere. Gavin reflects on regular feedback - positive and negative - from listeners about recording in a bar. And other related reflections (39 mins 30 secs)
• They discuss some of his thoughts on the association and some of the benefits from it (43 mins 20 secs)
• Ken talks about the new Renegade Studios variant, "Era of Empire" (49 mins 30 secs)
• Gavin reflects on his repeated efforts to reach out to Renegade's media team about an interview on how they're taking the game forward - but unfortunately with no response (56 min)
• The guys ask if anyone has a connection into the people from Renegade Studios, please get in touch as we'd love to know the strategy they're taking the game (58 mins 45 secs)
• FYI - don't message us on X, as we don't go there anymore (1 hr 1 mins)
• Gavin is now on a Tscharke Shiraz from the Barossa and Ken is on a Balter XPA. Gavin gives his limited insights of the Russian language (1 hr 2mins)

Around the grounds

• Gavin's joined an unranked Divided States game and has actively encouraged the one guy who didn't stab him to walk into his SC's (1 hr 3 mins 30 secs)
• Ken moves onto his Imperial Diplomacy game where he's doing pretty good as Prussia (1 hr 5mins)
• They move onto Gavin's anonymous World War IV game where he's still doing well (1 hr 7 mins)
• Gavin asks Ken on tactics when it comes to convoys and movements to keep it legal (1 hr 11 mins)
• They start wrapping up (1 hr 16 mins)

Venue: Little Miss Sunshine and Gather, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Ken - Young Henry's Cloudy Cider and Balter XPA Gavin - Little Miss Sunshine Breezy Pale Ale and Tscharke Shiraz

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Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.