Last night at Guthrie's Tavern, the Windy City Weasels set a new club record for games played in a season, as seven of us gathered to match wits over a Diplomacy board for the 36th time. The record will climb as we race down the stretch to the Weasel Pyle at Brown Manor on Aug. 13.
This Guthrie's game was a particularly rollicking affair, with shifting alliances and double-dealing in both theaters. Remarked a frustrated Peter Lokken at one point, "I hate games like this. There's no strategy. It's just a bunch of lying."
While the rest of the country celebrated America's independence from Britain, John Gramila was busy subjugating Europe as England in Game No. 143, played July 3 at Dan Burgess' home in Downers Grove. The solo was the third for England in club history and the eighth overall. The victory also punched Gramila's ticket to the Weasel Royale club championship game.
The Weasel Pyle, Chicago's longest running Diplomacy event, is back for a sixth installment, and here's your invitation to join the fun! Please join us at Brown Manor in beautiful, bucolic Wayne at 11 a.m. on August 13 for Weasel Pyle VI. Sign up by commenting below, emailing me, or responding to the Meetup invitation. You won't be sorry. Host Eric Brown is pulling out all the stops for the season-ending event.
Later this week, Christian MacDonald will relocate to Seattle to pursue a new opportunity with his employer. He leaves the Weasels better off than when he found us in June 2008, having helped to guide the organization as an officer on the first three Sneaks.
Christian also helped elevate our overall level of play in Chicago. He won the 2011 CODCon Open and the 2008 Buckeye Game Fest. He also finished seventh at the World Diplomacy Championship at Origins in 2009. He was a regular competitor at our CODCon and Weasel Moot tournaments, and he represented us well at the 2010 DipCon in San Francisco and the 2011 DixieCon.
Until recently, Christian was a prolific league player. He competed in our second Weasel Royale in 2009 and very nearly won the championship. He played in a total of 25 games with us, and he topped five of them, including his last game (for now), played yesterday at Dan Burgess' home in Downers Grove.
Peter Lokken continued his strong run in Season 6 with another board top in Game No. 141, played June 2 at Guthrie's Tavern in Wrigleyville. This one established a new club record for board tops in a season. The old record was set by Matt Sundstrom at five in Season 5 and tied by Lokken at Game No. 139 last month.
"One move can really make that big a difference?" asked developing player Nathan Kos during the postgame breakdown of Game No. 140, played today at John Gramila's home in Logan Square.
"Yes," chorused Gramila, Peter Lokken and I.
The one move was a retreat by new player Ben Dipaola, who was playing Germany. In Spring 1906, England (Gramila) dislodged him from the North Sea. Norway, which England owned, was open for a retreat. Sweden and Denmark, also British dots, were also vacant, the latter because the attack had come from there. Instead, Germany chose a more interesting retreat to the English Channel. ("I wanted to make more than one person uncomfortable," he would later explain.)
We're desperately seeking two people with nothing better to do this Saturday than play Diplomacy. We're currently stuck on five and are in danger of cancelling a second straight game. In more than 5 1/2 years of Windy City Weasels Diplomacy, that's never happened. Help us break our mini-slump by signing up for this game, which is set to start at 11 a.m. at John Gramila's home in Logan Square.
Who's ready to play some Diplomacy? Take a look at these game openings, consult your schedules, check with your loved ones, and then sign up by commenting below, emailing me, or responding to the Meetup event. Hope to see you at a game soon!
The club welcomed new recruit Dragon Graygol into the fold in the traditional Weasel fashion last night at Ballydolye Irish Pub in Downers Grove -- with multiple stabs to the back.
Peter Lokken (what's new?) topped Game No. 139 with a 14-center Turkey. The game ended by time limit after the Fall 1908 turn in the following center counts:
April showers bring a crapload of Dip games. Here's a bonus one over Memorial Day weekend.
Despite two last-minute cancellations, Game No. 138 went down as planned Saturday at Ted McClelland's home in Rogers Park. Peter Lokken topped the board with a 15-center Germany and moved into third place on the year. The game ended in Spring 1908 with the following center counts:
Who's ready to play some Diplomacy? Take a look at these game openings, consult your schedules, check with your loved ones, and then sign up by commenting below, emailing me, or responding to the Meetup event. Hope to see you at a game soon!
Back in January, Prime Weasel Chris Davis and Nate Cockerill conducted an instructional Diplomacy game for the Chicago Board Game club. Thursday night at Ballydoyle, their efforts started to pay off.
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