Diplomacy Games

Diplomacy Games.com - Kaner and Amby
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The podcast about playing the strategy game Diplomacy face to face and online. Visit DiplomacyGames.com for more info and shownotes.

  1. 21/11/2025

    Interview with Alex Duffy: Diplomacy AI vs Diplomacy AI

    We chat with Alex Duffy who as Head of AI Training at Every Consulting run an amazing project where different AI models competed against each other in Diplomacy. Plus we discuss the upcoming Australian Open tournament. Intro The guys introduce the show and Gavin flags he'll be moving further away from Ken, so the show will become more online than face-to-face  (0 mins 15 secs) Interview with Alex Duffy They introduce the interview with Alex from Every Consulting and GoodStartLabs about different AI models playing against each other in Diplomacy (4 mins) The interview kicks off with Alex discussing the research project he ran at Every Consulting where various AI Large Language Models (LLMs) competed against each other in Diplomacy (6 mins 45 secs) Gavin asks Alex how he got into Diplomacy originally (9 mins 50 secs) They discuss the thinking behind the project. During his answer he mentions the Twitch stream of the AI models playing against each other - you can view this on their AI Diplomacy Twitch channel (11 mins 15 secs) They look at how data should be structured and presented to the LLMs (15 mins 45 secs) Alex talks about the different style of play adopted by each LLM - you can read their summary on the Every Consulting AI page (18 mins 45 secs) Gavin asks about how different models approached strategy nnd iterative training of the models so they learn from how they perform in games (24 mins) Gavin reflects on how he sometimes plays in cycles of play (32 mins) They discuss why the game Diplomacy keeps being used researched in the AI space (34 mins) Alex introduces his lates project: The Battle of Bots. You can find out more and register your interest on their Battle of the Bots web page (40 mins 30 secs) They reflect on the newer generations of players bringing their enhanced technology experience to the game (45 mins) Alex asks Gavin and Ken what they've learned from playing Diplomacy to apply to real life (48 mins 30 secs) Gavin asks Alex whether he plans to get more into playing Diplomacy face to face (53 mins 45 secs) Alex discusses other games he's interested in getting into more (57 mins) Just a reminder, you can find out more and register your interest on their Battle of the Bots web page (1 hr 0 mins) Ken suggests some games he feels would be appropriate to research. Alex provides his email address to hear listener's suggestions on other games ot look into (1 hr 2 mins) They begin wrapping up the interiew (1 hr 5 mins 30 secs) The guys reflect on the chat (1 hr 7 mins) Diplomacy Chat Gavin is off to compete in the Australian Open, being hosted the weekend of 21 to 23 November. Plus they talk about the Bismark Cup  (1 hr 23 mins) After some tangental talk, they return full circle to the Australian Open. Gavin mentions doing some recordings when not playing, however, with his house move he can't find the recorder which is packed somewhere (1 hr 33 mins) They discuss getting and staying in the right zone, and reflect on Mitchell and Webb's the Inebriati sketch (1 hr 37 mins 30 secs) Gavin incorrectly cites Mitchell and Webb again, but it is actually Stephen Fry and Hugh Lawrie's Treaty of Westphalia sketch (1 hr 39 mins 30 secs) The guys start wrapping up the show (1 hr 40 mins) Venue: At home Drinks for the interview: Gavin: Proximo tempranillo from Rioja, Spain Ken: Poet's Country Crisp lager from Yenda, NSW Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

    1h 43m

  2. 04/10/2025

    Interview with Adam Silverman: So you want to run a tournament?

    We catch up with Adam Silverman and explore what to think about if you're running a tournament for the 1st time or the 21st time. Plus an overview of how the 2025 Asia Pacific Diplomacy Championship went at the Cane Toad Classic. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys introduce the venue and their drinks (0 mins 15 secs) Gavin gives a quick update on how the Cane Toad Classic went and introduce the topic of  what do you're thinking about if you want to host a tournament (4 mins) Interview with Adam Silverman on how to run a tournament They start the interview with Adam, host of World DipCon 2025 and begin discussing how his games have been going so far this year  (5 mins 45 secs) Gavin asks Adam about what the difference is like between running a small or regular size tournament - like a standard Whipping tournament - and something as big as World DipCon (8 mins 50 secs) Adam discusses the importance of having people helping tournament organisation and what to be mindful of (11 mins 15 secs) The key things to aim for in tournament attendence (15 mins 30 secs) They discuss space and what to look for in a venue (20 mins 45 secs) Gavin and Adam talk about social activities and how to manage and plan for that (25 mins 30 secs) They talk about covering tournament costs (32 mins 30 secs) Adam discusses responsibilities for those assisting him with the tournament (37 mins) He shares what he's changed over the years based on player feedback (43 mins 15 secs) They discuss the NADF Code of Conduct (46 mins) Ken suggests the idea of a tournament finance officer (47 mins 45 secs) Gavin asks if Adam's taken anything away from our tournaments he's attended and brought to his own (50 mins 40 secs) The interview starts wrapping up before Ken and Gavin give their thoughts on key takeaways for them (52 mins) Cane Toad Classic wrap up: how to improve a tournament Gavin and Ken discuss player feedback from the tournament to help with future Cane Toads, plus the guys' own learnings (1 hr 0 mins 15 secs) Gavin starts sharing his ideas for next year's Cane Toad Classic, including the prospect of it moving to the Gold Coast in 2026  (1 hr 9 mins 30 secs) The guys get another round of drinks - and we get an update on how their next drinks taste as a Diplomacy mid-game before discussing further options to consider for next year and a possible future year venue (1 hr 12 mins 30 secs) Diplomacy chat Gavin has played for the first time in 5 years a virtual game using Backstabbr and Discord in a round of Snake Pit (1 hr 30 mins 30 secs) He discusses how it all went and what his experience was like - Gavin played as Austria and developed a great AIR with Sigurd (Italy) and Rob Hillier (Russia). You can view the game on Backstabbr, including an Austrian army in Liverpool (1 hr 33 mins) Ken mentions the latest DBN Deadline news discussing a new AI Diplomacy model, and we give a big thanks to DBN for covering in Gameday Live the Cane Toad Classic (1 hr 41 mins 30 secs) They talk about upcoming Australian tournaments before wrapping up the show (1 hr 46 mins 15 secs) Venue: Lang's Lounge, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: Sally IPA by Your Mates Brewery, Queensland and a cheap and cheerful red Ken: Stone & Wood Hazey IPA, New South Wales followed by a Sally IPA Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

    1h 48m

  3. 02/08/2025

    Interview with Noam Brown, WDC Champion 2025

    We catch up again with Noam Brown about his World Diplomacy Championship win this year in San Francisco and get an update from him. Plus the guys talk more about the Cane Toad Classic being held at the end of August. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys introduce the venue and their drinks in this Athens inspired venue (0 mins 15 secs) Gavin outlines his plans for travelling on the cheap to Greece for WDC 2026 (3 mins) Interview with Noam Brown They set up the interview with Noam Brown  (6 mins 45 secs) Noam discusses how the WDC this year required a lot of attention and was pretty exhausted (8 mins) He talks about the four WDC's he's been to and what he's learned over the years (11 mins) They talk a little about Cicero and what Noam learnt from his involvment in the project and how he'd approach the issue of a broader reputation and AI  - if you don't want to listen to the technical stuff, fast forward to about 30 mins 20 secs (17 mins 15 secs) Noam discusses how much AI has improved since Cicero launched (23 mins 45 secs) Gavin asks how Noam would approach Cicero differently if he had his chance today and how general purpose models impact that (25 mins 45 secs) Gavin asks how did non-Diplomacy people respond to him winning the World Championship, the scoring structure for the tournament and his games (30 mins 20 secs) Noam is given some hypotheticals if he was on the top board for WDC 2026 in Greece (42 mins 15 secs) They discuss why no-one has ever won back to back WDC's (46 mins) Ken asks about Noam's "meta" approach to building up his skills and gameplay (47 mins 30 secs) Gavin asks how Noam feels about the change from working at Meta to OpenAI and where AI is at now and into the future (52 mins 30 secs) Noam discusses the advice he's given to non-Diplomacy people about what they can get out of the game (1 hr 0 mins 30 secs) The interview wraps up and the guys discuss their thoughts from the interview (1 hr 2 mins 45 secs) Diplomacy chat Ken asks Gavin about what how WDC in Athens is going to be run  (1 hr 6 mins) Gavin discusses his time at the Sydney Cup (1 hr 8 mins) Want to attend the Cane Toad Classic (30 and 31 August)? >> Register using our form > complete a survey about the podcast (1 hr 33 mins) Around the grounds Ken discusses a Europa Renovatio game he's in (1 hr 34 mins) Gavin talks about his two games. They discuss the way sea lanes are used in the WWIV sea lane variant. Ken discusses how you could remove stalemate lines having overseer zones on a Classic map (1 hr 39 mins) Ken talks about the Diplomacy Variant Club at Discord (1 hr 48 mins 30 secs)  The guys start wrapping up the show (1 hr 52 mins) Venue: Kafenio, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: Mythos lager from Greece Ken: Mythos lager from Greece Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

    1h 52m

  4. 12/07/2025

    Interview with Robert Hillier

    We interview English - now Australian player - Robert Hillier about his Diplomacy experiences and more. We also have some great Diplomacy chat about how the game compares to other board games and Gavin points out similarities between Diplomacy and the TV show "The Traitors"

    1h 34m

  5. 18/06/2025

    Interview with Zoe Cameron

    We're joined by relatively new but very experienced player Zoe Cameron as she shares great advice for new and existing players alike. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys introduce the venue and their drinks (0 mins 10 secs) They set up this episode's interview with Zoe Cameron (3 mins 30 secs) Interview with Zoe Cameron The interview with Zoe kicks off who has only been playing since early 2024 but has got massively into the game and some of her thoughts on the game (5 mins 5 secs) They get into a discussion around the Venn diagram between strategic play, tactical play and relationship play (10 mins) Lizard brain contemplations (15 mins) They talk about their drinks for the interview and DBN After Dark (18 mins 20 mins) Zoe has some great advice for new players (22 mins 45 secs) They discuss the connections created from the game and the "free jazz of social dynamics" (25 mins 30 secs) She discusses the importance of vulnerability whether you're a new or experienced player (31 mins 20 secs) Zoe and Ken share a story - you can also hear Ken's original discussion on our previous episode (37 mins 30 secs) Zoe says she's coming to the Cane Toad Classic, with Ken showing her the Toadiest Toad trophy (40 mins 45 secs) She talks about different  geographic playing styles (43 mins 30 secs) After Ken asks about Zoe's best game she discusses getting the best sense of flow in a game (51 mins 30 secs) She talks about an upcoming Melbourne tournament she's organising for 17-19 October 2025 (59 mins) Zoe gives a shout out to tournament organisers before they start wrapping up the interview (1 hr 5  mins) The guys chat about the interview (1 hr 7 mins) Gavin acknowledges he probably needs to try giving Discord a go again (1 hr 11 mins) Cane Toad Classic - it's happening! They talk about the tournament the weekend of 30-31 August at Meeple and Mug in Brisbane's West End, the social and formal structure for games (1 hr 13 mins) Ken talks about the trophies, including the infamous Toadiest Toad award (1 hr 18 mins) They talk about the upcoming Sydney Cup on 21-22 June (1 hr 21 mins) The guys wrap up the show (1 hr 23 mins) Venue: The Prince Consort, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: Pepperjack Malbec Ken: Young Henry's Newtowner Pale Ale Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

    1h 24m

  6. 15/04/2025

    Back in the bar

    After three episodes recorded online, the guys at last get the tech working offsite at the bar again. They discuss WDC 2025, their upcoming tournament plans and their latest online games. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys introduce the venue and their drinks (0 mins 10 secs) They talk about the 2025 World Diplomacy Championship and congratulate Noam Brown (who we interviewed about Cicero) (2 mins) We talk about the upcoming WDC's planned for 2026 (Athens) and 2027 (Chicago) and whether there will be another Asia-Pacific WDC in 2028 (7 mins) They get back to how their beers would be as Diplomacy openings (9 mins 30 secs) A little admin update on the podcast (15 mins) They talk about the challenge of getting 7 players for a local game (16 mins 30 secs) Gavin discusses trying to *maybe* get a family game of Diplomacy happening in Christmas-New Years (19 mins) Gavin gives an update on the Cane Toad Classic for 2025 - that said, since recording we have finalised details. The tournment will be run Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August, with social activities starting Friday night. Check out the details at the Cane Toad Classic web page  (21 mins) Ken talks about visiting webDiplomacy and saw they had a new forum. They talk about vDiplomacy being spam-bombed with Ken dropping the ball on his Mod responsibilities (32 mins) Around the grounds Gavin is in just one game, with Ken joining some new games (36 mins) Gavin goes on to talk about the Magic Hour at vDip and how he's smashing Ken in the Best vDip player rankings (38 mins) He discussed drawing in a 6 way Imperial game as Holland (42 mins) Ken is playing another Zeus game (43 mins) The guys then wrap up the show (46 mins) Venue: Caxton Street Brewing Company, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: Caxton Street Brewing IPA Ken: Caxton Street Brewing IPA Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

    46 min

  7. 10/03/2025

    The Bangkok New Year's Tournament champion

    The guys discuss one of them winning their first Diplomacy tournament and their latest games. Intro and Diplomacy chat The guys start rolling the show early before introducing the episode (after Ken encourages keeping in some pre-show discussion) (0 mins 10 secs) They talk about their drinks (4 mins) The Bangkok New Year's Tournament 2025 Ken won his first tournament! And also scored two best country trophies (6 mins 45 secs) He talks about his game that got him best Russia (12 mins) Ken discusses his final game playing as France (14 mins 30 secs) Ken talks about Kratom (17 mins 30 secs) Gavin talks about catching up with Stuart Barton and Max Roe Banks around his DBNI game (20 mins 10 secs) Gavin mentions he's going to the Melbourne Open {Post recording update - this didn't happen due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred closing Brisbane Airport and cancelling all flights}  (21 mins) He also talks about planning for the Cane Toad Classic in August this year (21 mins 30 secs) Ken asks Gavin around his favourite country preferences (26 mins) Around the grounds Gavin discusses a Colonial 1885 game he's in as France before they move onto the challenges of variants where sea territories get stalemated (27 mins 35 secs) Ken talks about taking advantage of a player's repeated orders (35 mins) They move onto a Europa Renovatio game where there's now only four players left (38 mins 20 secs) Ken discusses the Zeus variant he's playing (45 mins) The tech starts giving out with Gavin not hearing Ken (48 mins) Part 2 The guys are back about a week and a half later. We both went through a cyclone which cancelled Gavin's plans to get to the Melbourne Open - airport closed and flights all cancelled (50 mins) Ken provides an update on game he was hoping to solo in (52 mins 30 secs) Gavin points out in vDip a winner take all game results in vDip rankings all going backward except for being buying in (no change) with the winner getting all vDip points (58 mins) Because of the recording delay, Gavin runs through the Top 3 placed winners at the Melbourne Open - big congrats to Tianyu Sun! (1 hr 1 min) Gavin gives his next interstate tournament plans (1 hr 2 min 15 secs) They start wrapping up the show and flag they're about to record a Patreon episode Venue: At home, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin: D'Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre from the Barossa, South Australia Ken: Kaner's dark ale home brew Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

    1h 4m

  8. 08/02/2025

    The fastest Diplomacy solo possible with Peter McNamara and Bradley Grace

    Following on from last episode we discuss with Peter McNamara and Bradley Grace the fastest Diplomacy solo possible, all the math and all the reality of how to make it possible! Intro The guys introduce the episode and explain the latest comedy of errors plagueing the show. This includes recording at home again (another dumb reason why) and why Gavin is recording on his iPhone's speaker (0 mins 15 secs) Interview with Peter McNamara and Bradley Grace on soloing fast We begin setting the scenes for this episode's discussion with Peter McNamara and Bradley Grace about how to theoretically solo the board as quickly as possible and how to best practically achieve this (2 mins 25 secs) They discuss their drinks in the interview and the reason for the discussion (3 mins 30 secs) Peter talks about the theory behind how to solo as quickly as possible on the board in 1903 (7 mins 30 secs) Theoretically most players can get to 21 SCs in 1903 (9 mins 30 secs) Brad talks about the theory of reaching 21 SC in 1903 as England (11 mins 15 secs) Peter talks about a Backstabbr sandbox with Italy in 1903 with 21 SC (12 mins 30 secs) They discuss the mathematical equation to solo in 1903. Peter doesn't have it at hand, so Gavin finds it on ChatGPT with lots of other useful elements for this strategy (14 mins 30 secs) They all move onto the practical dynamics of being able to solo as quickly as possible, with Brad discussing soloing in 1904 (22 mins) Peter gives his perspective on why he could never solo that fast (26 mins) Ken asks about being able to make 18 with your own units, without other countries convoying (30 mins 45 secs) They talk about the practical aspects for how to convince players to allow you to solo so fast (37 mins 40 secs) Peter blows away the myth of The Return of the Mack (42 mins) Peter manages to find the sand box for the game at the 2020 Poppycon (45 mins) Ken and Gavin pay tribute to both Peter and Bradley as players and ask about their upcoming tournaments - apologies if they talk about tournaments that happened. Remember, things are pretty busy for the guys now so sometimes the podcast episodes come out much later then when they were recorded (50 mins 30 secs) The interview wraps up (55 mins) The guys give their perspectives on the interview and an update on the math sent post-interview by Peter - apologies for the bad audio from the breeze. They ask if anyone is aware of a solo by 1903 (56 mins) Ken talks about heading over to the Southeast Asian New Years Tournament, with Gavin asking if he's going to try a fastest solo ever effort (1 hr 2 mins) They also discuss busting (unfortunately) the Return of the Mack myth (1 hr 5 mins) Around the grounds Gavin discusses buying into a game he didn't remember buying in to (1 hr 6 mins 30 sec) The theory about dogs and their owners and picking up a great position that with some fast talk is doing very well (1 hr 8 mins) Ken discusses his Imperial game (1 hr 10 mins 45 secs) Despite talking about the vDip for podcast listeners, the game is no longer available - sorry folks with all the busy real life stuff tihs episode was recorded about a month before it came out (1 hr 15 mins 45 secs) They touch on the last time they were in Thailand when they came up the idea of Big Stick Diplomacy. They talk about whether to add to the variant the ability to move from one theatre to another, but allowing for a delay getting there eg using David E Cohen's ocean stacking or similar for naval travel (1 hr 19 mins) The guys start wrapping up the show (1 hr 25 mins) Venue: At home, Brisbane Drinks for the interview: Gavin:- Hempranillo Australian shiraz-tempranillo Ken: Kaner's dark ale home brew Bradley: Coors beer Peter: Penfolds shiraz Just a reminder you can support the show by giving it 5 stars on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget if you want to help pay off the audio equipment... or buy the guys a drink, you can also donate at Patreon, plus you get extra podcast episodes! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe so you get the latest Diplomacy Games episodes straight to your phone. Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.

    1h 26m
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About

The podcast about playing the strategy game Diplomacy face to face and online. Visit DiplomacyGames.com for more info and shownotes.

Information

  • Creator
    Diplomacy Games.com - Kaner and Amby
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2016-2022. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Diplomacy Games