Hello, readers! Please just let me take a moment to explain an exciting Diplomacy event happening in Vancouver just a few months. Introducing VanDipCon 2012!
A group of local players, including myself, are trying to organize a Diplomacy tournament in Vancouver during the fall, which would run from Friday, September 21 to Sunday, September 23. The exact structure of the event is not clear yet, but it would in all likelihood be a three or four round event (one round Friday night, one or two rounds on Saturday, and a final round Sunday morning). The scoring system is also up in the air for now. We have a tentative venue booked (the Holiday Inn at 1110 Howe Street in downtown Vancouver), and there would be a slight fee to cover the cost of renting the space, but we’ll try to keep it as negligible as possible.
We think that this would be a great way to further develop the Diplomacy hobby in Vancouver. Believe it or not, but the city hasn’t had a real Diplomacy event since the 2007 World Championship. Frankly, it’s high time Vancouver stepped up and enshrined its place on the Diplomacy landscape.
If you’re new to the game, please don’t feel intimidated by the idea of a Diplomacy “tournament”. Really it’s just a way for us to get together, meet, socialize, and have fun both on and off the board. It’s difficult enough putting together a seven player house game, so sometimes a tournament is the easiest way of making sure boards fill up and everyone gets to play. Learning Diplomacy is easy (only takes about ten minutes), and you’ll probably find that players of all levels are welcoming and eager to try and ensure that you walk away with a good experience. Players are free to commit to the entire tournament, or simply a round or two. The choice is yours!
We’re also happy to direct out-of-towners to potential lodgings in the area, and will try to provide crash space if renting a hotel room is outside of your budget. Vancouver’s a beautiful place in early fall, so in our time away from the board we’ll hopefully get the opportunity of sampling some local flavour. Downtown Vancouver is easily accessible from YVR Airport by the Canada Line Skytrain, and is a short drive from the American border.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me. You can also check out our Facebook event for more information. Right now we’re trying to gauge interest in the tournament, and assess whether or not it’s even a feasible idea, so if you’re committed to attending, please let us know as soon as possible. Otherwise this whole idea might suffer a sick, sad death. Let’s not let that happen, people!
See you in fall 2012, where I’ll be supporting YOU into Belgium.
