[Daanz-dip] GongCon 2006 - Diplomacy, Poker and Age of Renaissance ?

Tue Sep 12 20:22:04 EST 2006

I haven't expressed many opinions of late, but I am concerned with where this tournament is trying to head.

ADC2007
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First off, I think the Albury Diplomacy tournament as part of the greater games convention plus real prizes could be huge innovation.
Well done to the executive for trying something genuinely original.

GongCon
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Secondly, I think it is great that Greg has offered to maintain the GongCon tournament.
But is it really a Diplomacy Tournament ... or just a games weekend.
Two game tournaments have been slated by many in the past, and I am unsure whether it will draw the numbers, especially from interstate.

I appreciate that we have for a long time had 'assorted' games running in parallel for evicted players or those that have missed out, but to dedicate a period that could be used for a third round for a poker tournament seems a bit off-the-wall.  Certainly something for a limited crowd.

Dip-Kids
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In addition I am greatly concerned that any tournament should remove the ability for minors to compete, simply to allow a 'gambling type' evening.  In fact the proposed rules state "children under 16 will not be permitted on premises - at all.  Children aged 16-18 will need to be accompanied by an adult responsible".  
To what purpose?  Certainly NOT growing the hobby.
I remember last year's GongCon having a couple of adults 'lose it' over the kids involvement in the hobby, and this is an obvious result  - an attempt to keep 'em all out.

My stance on this is that the tournament under the proposed "under age" restriction should NOT be given DAANZ status, nor qualify points for the Bismarck Cup.  
Play the weekend as a social event, and keep it that way.

I also would remind the DAANZ executive that under the DAANZ Policy on Tournament Rules : 
"tournaments may use different rules, as long as the DAANZ Committee approves them as meeting the standard required for an affiliated tournament."
I suggest that the proposed rules are not in the spirit of DAANZ, and the committee should not approve them.

The DAANZ
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Those are just my thoughts, but I think a few of those pushing against the committee should stand back and see if they have something better to offer.  I haven't heard or seen much positive action outside of the committee, and I see a lot of people trying to split the hobby.

I also should point out that we elect the members of the DAANZ committee, and as such they represent us.  If you don't like the committee then put in members you WILL support.  But to be fair, I haven't seen too many hands going up for the positions.  In fact it would appear that most the committee members of previous years have left the hobby after struggling to manage the DAANZ.  If we lose too many more, there won't be a DAANZ to manage.

Yours sincerely,
Doug Stewart
(Canberra)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Greg Evans 
To: DAANZ-dip Email Discussion Group for Diplomacy in Australia & NewZealand 
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 5:14 PM
Subject: [Daanz-dip] GongCon 2006 - Diplomacy, Poker and Age of Renaissance ?

As many of you may know, after several consecutive years of success since 
its inception, there is no current plan for the DAANZ to run GongCon in 2006 
or beyond.

Rather than let this tournament fall into the abyss, and as the most active 
Wollongong player remaining in the hobby, I've been thinking about taking on 
the role of Tournament Director for this endangered event.  I have been 
hesitant and somewhat pre-occupied due to the current ANZAC Cup email 
Tournament experiment I'm involved with, but now that the ANZAC Cup seems to 
have been a success, has passed its peak in terms of effort required and is 
now entering its final months, I am ready to put forward a proposal to run 
GongCon in December 2006 - pending the appropriate approval (from the DAANZ 
committee) and support (from the DAANZ community).

In an effort to broaden its appeal, GongCon will not just be a Diplomacy 
Tournament.  GongCon 2006 is intended to be a real "Games Convention" with a 
"Party" atmosphere.  It will feature a Texas Hold'em Poker tournament on the 
Saturday night aswell as an Age of Renaissance tournament which will be 
played alongside the diplomacy on both days.  There will also (of course) be 
regular boardgames which will be played socially over the weekend.

The weekend in question is the Saturday/Sunday of 9-10th December.  A two 
day, two round tournament of diplomacy.  The "Game Scoring" system used will 
be "Squares+3", a blend of leader based and supply center based scoring, 
which has been used with success (ie, without too much controversy) in the 
ANZAC Cup to date.
The "Tournament Scoring" system used will be a players best game score 
doubled, plus the players 2nd best game score. ((A x 2) + B)

Diplomacy games will occur between the following times :-

Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm

Timedraws will occur only by dice roll after Fall 1910, or once the 
designated finish time for the day is reached so as to give games maximum 
opportunity to conclude naturally.

The Age of Renaissance tournament games will commence at 11am Saturday and 
10am on Sunday.

The Poker tournament will commence at 7pm on Saturday night and will consist 
of a number of "qualifying rounds" followed by a winner-takes-all final 
round.

The premises for the convention will be the house of 66 Princes Highway 
Figtree which has ample space inside and in the backyard for 20-30 
participants.
Weather permitting (this is early-Summer remember), we will put up a couple 
of gazebos in the backyard and play our Dip outside in the shade where 
liquid refreshments can be enjoyed at thier best.  There will be a BBQ for 
lunch and dinner on the Saturday aswell as lunch on Sunday.  BYO grog, meat 
and nibbles.

Due to the "Party" nature of the convention, children under 16 will not be 
permitted on premises - at all.  Children aged 16-18 will need to be 
accompanied by an adult responsible for them and from the commencement of 
the Poker tournament at 7pm on the Saturday, it will be a strictly 18+ event 
only.

Costs for GongCon will be as follows :-

* Diplomacy Tournament : $10 per round for players ranked Senior and above. 
All others free entry.

* Poker Tournament : $10 for tournament entry (this includes entry to 
multiple "qualifying" rounds)

* Age of Renaissance Tournament : Free entry

* Social Boardgames : No Cost or Prizes

As previously stated you will be required to bring your own drinks, meat and 
nibbles throughout the weekend.  You will also be required to organise your 
own accommodation at your own cost, though I may be able to assist with 
organising accommodation for those who may come from outside the area.

If this sounds good to you, then please contact me with your support and 
approval as soon as possible.

To confirm that GongCon 2006 will go ahead, I require 2 things before 
Tuesday the 26th of September (2 weeks time) :-

1.  Official DAANZ approval and endorsement of the Diplomacy Tournament for 
the purposes of both Bismark and Masterpoints.

2.  Atleast 7 people confirm thier intention to participate in the Diplomacy 
Tournament.

The future of GongCon lies in your hands.  Will you support this tournament 
or will it be consigned to the annals of DAANZ history ?

I hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Greg
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