Interview with CaptainMeme

Amby visits Edinburgh and interviews two-time interviewee CaptainMeme. They discuss deceptive tactics, the Tournament of Time and how Nuclear Diplomacy could work.  Then there's a post interview analysis with Kaner and Amby.

Intro

• The guys introduce the show and have moved to The Terrace, a rooftop bar in Southbank, Brisbane  (0 mins 10 sec)
• Both guys admit to being a bit freaky with heights (1 min 10 secs)
• Kaner is now drinking a James Squire Orchard Crush cider and Amby has a really enjoyable glass of Rusden Good Shepherd Malbec from the Barossa Valley (2 mins 10 secs)

Interview with CaptainMeme

• • The guys introduce Amby’s interview with CaptainMeme recorded in Edinburgh. This is the second time Cap has been on the show (3 mins 45 secs)
  • They are The Conan Doyle pub where Cap is having a Coke as he has a Java coding exam the next day. Amby is drinking a Lia Fail amber ale from Inveralmond Brewery (5 mins)
  • Cap discusses his accent and the origin of his handle “CaptainMeme” and Amby explains how he got his (8 mins)
  • Cap mentions how one of the top PlayDip players is under a different handle at webDip (10 mins 30 secs) 
  • They also talk about Carebear and how he manages his online versus face-to-face personas (11 mins)
  • Cap mentions his WDC analysis video on Youtube he did with Ezio (12 mins 30 secs)
  • He goes onto say that apparently the organisers of the 2020 WDC are planning on a Bourse game for the top board (14 mins)
  • Amby asks how long phases normally go and how are they managed in face-to-face games (15 mins 30 secs)
  • Cap explains how solos are very rare in face-to-face games (18 mins)
  • He gives Amby some helpful hints on what to watch for with Australian players in face-to-face games, and relays a story about another player’s subterfuge (19 mins 45 secs)
  • Cap asks Amby about whether he’ll be going down to Melbourne for an Australian tournament (22 mins 20 secs)
  • He talks about playing Versailles face-to-face at a convention in the UK (24 mins)
  • Amby talks about his recent joining of PlayDip (26 mins 30 secs)
  • They talk about the forum based Tournament of Time where Cap and Amby played with BigJoe on team Baratheon (29 mins)
  • Cap talks about the Dissolution game he’s playing for the team as at the time of recording (this has since finished) and why he really likes this variant (31 mins)
  • Amby discusses how Dipsy at PlayDip thinks he can bring Dissolution to life online, beyond just forum games. Cap says he would definitely buy a PlayDip membership for that (43 mins 45 secs)
  • Amby asks Cap about how the game differs between face-to-face and online (47 mins 45 secs)
  • Cap gives face-to-face games a big wrap for online players, and where they can find face-to-face games (52 mins 30 secs)
  • Cap talks about changes in his Top 5 variants (1 hr 00 mins 40 secs)
  • They discuss France vs Austria, the major stalemate line in the Diplomacy board and the France vs Austria tournament (1 hr 2 mins)
  • They go onto discuss Divided States and why its not in Cap’s Top 5 (1 hr 5 mins 15 secs)
  • Cap asks Amby about how he’s going in his Divided States game and the importance of getting behind player’s lines (1 hr 9 mins)
  • Cap asks Amby about unobtainable victory conditions (1 hr 15 mins 10 secs)
  • The difficulties of living in an Asian timezone when most players communicate when you sleep (1 hr 19 mins)
  • Amby discusses his Imperial game (1 hr 22 mins 30 secs)
  • Cap talks about variant map design and creating an unrealistic impression of who’s doing well (1 hr 25 mins 45 secs)
  • They talk about magnified regions in a map as a possible solution. Amby talks about this in the context of his proposed variant Nuclear Diplomacy (1 hr 29 mins)
  • Cap and Amby discuss how Nuclear Diplomacy would work (1 hr 31 mins 30 secs)
  • Cap suggests being able to potentially shoot down a nuclear missile, and how to technically code them as neutral units once in the atmosphere. He also talks loss prevention (1 hr 34 mins 15 secs)
  • Amby asks about the Mod space at vDip (1 hr 37 mins)

Post interview analysis and banter

• Kaner and Amby return post interview (1 hr 37 mins 45 secs)
• They discuss Cap’s “heads-up” about Australian player tactics (1 hr 41 mins)
• Next they reflect the idea of a Bourse running on the top board of a WDC and the logistics of managing bourse orders in real-time (1 hr 43 mins)
• The guys provide an update on Amby’s anonymous Divided States game (1 hr 50 mins)
• Amby reflects that he’s become more ruthless in his tactics in recent games (1 hr 54 mins)
• Amby asks Kaner about transforming units and when they can and can’t transform (1 hr 55 mins)
• Amby has a follow up question on the process in php-style Diplomacy sites for destroying units if the player NMR’s or CD (1 hr 59 mins)
• Kaner explains his new/old variant idea - a standard Dip map, but every territory - land and sea - have the “sea lanes” functionality added to them (2 hours 8 mins)
• They discuss the conclusion of the Tournament of Time over at PlayDip. Amby takes his hat off to team mates BigJoe and CaptainMeme. He then discusses how nopunin10did has taken the role of online tournament director up to the next level in concluding the tournament  (2 hrs 10 mins 30 secs)
• Amby discusses his follow up thoughts for Nuclear Diplomacy and whether it could work in a forum based game at PlayDip. He goes onto discuss issues of balance and why the World War IV map isn’t a good one to use (2 hrs 15 mins)
• The guys wrap up (2 hrs 23 mins)

 

Venue: The Conan Doyle, Edinburgh & The Terrace, Brisbane.

Drinks of choice:

Edinburgh:

CaptainMeme - Coca-Cola

Amby - Lia Fail amber ale from Inveralmond Brewery, Scotland

Brisbane:

Kaner - James Squire Orchard Crush cider from Australia

Amby - Rusden Good Shepherd Malbec from the Barossa Valley

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