Game of Thrones/Dip interview with RUFFHAUS8

Kaner and Amby talk about recent Dip changes across various sites, current games and Game of Thrones/Diplomacy interview with RUFFHAUS8.

Intro and recent changes across Dip sites

• The guys celebrate their 20th episode! (5 secs)
• Jason4747 suggested that Kaner and Amby provide more background info on their drinks, so the guys try (2 mins 30 secs)
• Kaner talks about the new webDip forum interface (4 mins)
• Oli is back at vDip! Kaner discusses how Oli worked on vDip's database of games as it was getting too large and needed resetting. This flowed through to player scores and reliability rankings (7 mins)
• Amby gives his thoughts on vDip using the same approach as PlayDip re: players who go away/return and how it impacts on rankings (14 mins)
• Kaner goes into a little more detail on Oli's return to vDip (17 mins)
• The guys talk a little about nopunin10did's ongoing plans to bring 1900 to vDip (19 mins)
• Nopunin10did is also organising a multi-variant Dip tournament called "Tournament through Time". The guys discuss their thoughts on how the team structure would work if players outside PlayDip wanted to participate (20 mins 30 secs)
• Amby goes on to discuss how he's been knocked out of his Dissolution game (28 mins)
• He then discusses how he did a Renley Baratheon and got kicked out of the Online Diplomacy Championship due to an inadvertent NMR/couldn't be bothered ruling (31 mins)

Interview with RUFFHAUS8: a Diplomacy player's interpretation of Game of Thrones

• The guys start introducing the interview with RUFFHAUS8 from vDip (34 mins)
• Amby admits he banned RUFFHAUS from playing with him in games for over a year. RUFFHAUS addresses his gameplay and reputation (37 mins)
• Kaner gives his perspective on RUFF's game style and asks how he got into the game, both offline and online (39 mins)
• RUFF turns the table and asks Amby and Kaner about how they got into the game (42 mins)
• Kaner asks how RUFF moved from the standard board to variants and how he got to vDiplomacy (44 mins)
• RUFF talks about his favorite variants: Imperial II, World War IV sealanes and Versailles (49 mins)
• Before coming to vDip RUFF used to play at Redscape (60 mins)
• Amby asks RUFF about the Bourse game and his thoughts on how its progressing towards the end game (1 hr 2 mins)
• RUFF suggests perhaps in hindsight the game should have been rated to create a more competitive environment before discussing ideas on the Bourse scoring system and how the nature of the game creates intriguing dynamics (1 hr 5 mins)
• Kaner asks RUFF on his variant preference for the next Bourse game (1 hr 15 mins)
• Amby discusses how he likes YouCantHandleTheTruth's suggestion of using supply and demand in the Bourse marketplace. RUFF gives his reservations (1 hr 19 mins)
• Then it's Game of Thrones time! RUFF gives his perspective as a Diplomacy player about the characters in the TV show and books - SPOILER ALERT (1 hr 22 mins)
• In doing so he touches on why Winner Take All is the only way of playing Diplomacy (1 hr 24 mins)
• RUFF discusses his virtual "dossier" on players and how that related to his original Game of Thrones post of vDip players (1 hr 25 mins)
• Then its onto the deeper analysis of show characters viewed with a Diplomacy lens (1 hr 26 mins)
• Kaner asks whether RUFF will be doing an updated character list of vDip players (1 hr 42 mins)

• The guys both realise they forgot to ask why RUFFHAUS has the number 8 in his player name (original 36 mins - add 2 mins on past this from interview) (1 hr 49 mins)
• To start wrapping up the guys received an email about a Youtube video about the Australian bird the ibis, and what the video is all about. Profanity wording for the video (1 hr 51 mins 30 secs)

• Amby realises they missed something on the run-sheet: what do you need to do to make a variant? They realise its a pretty chunky discussion topic and decide to park it to the next (1 hr 56 mins)

Ratings and reviews for Diplomacy Games

• The guys have some at last: both in Stitcher and iTunes! Jason4747 has posted one in Stitcher and Amby screws up and forgot to bring the iTunes review (1 hr 57 mins)

Venue: Eleven Rooftop Bar, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner - Mountain Goat pale ale from Victoria Amby - Teusner Bilmore shiraz from the Barossa Valley, South Australia

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Thanks to Dan Philip for his rockin' intro to the Diplomacy Games podcast.