“The Lone Star Statesman”

Hey, I won my first press tournament—the prestigious Season 7 of the Nexus Main Event. Here was my Champion’s Corner submission.

“My name’s Ed, Ed Sullivan. This year I turned 50. I wasn’t ready for it. I haven’t done anything yet in Diplomacy. So I made this deal with myself. This is the year I make my mark.”

—Ed Sullivan, appropriating Louden Swainfrom Vision Quest (1985)

Have you seen Vision Quest? It’s been semi-lost in the vault of 1980s movies, but trivia aficionados know it served as Madonna’s cinematic debut, in which she played *drum roll* a singer. Madonna aside, stream it if you want to watch a great coming-of-age story. It’s about a high-school wrestler, Louden Swain, who yearns to achieve glory, so he aims to drop two weight classes to take on an undefeated three-time state champion. I frequently turn to the film for inspiration because it reminds me not only to set high goals but to be ambitious, persistent, and focused on reaching them.

Three and a half years ago, I thought I would give Diplomacy a serious shot. After a few games on Backstabbr, I found the Nexus Diplomacy Discord Server, which turned into my gateway drug for all things Diplomacy (until the Briefing, of course).

Even though I was not ready to compete in high-level Diplomacy, I realized it was similar to poker. So long as you had the courage (and money) to play, you could sit at a table with the best. Side note: I did not have a fruitful poker career. On a lark, I signed up for the Season 1 Main Event. I got schooled in a couple of games and did well in others, finishing 18th out of about 100 players.

I took the Season 2 tournament seriously and made it to the Top Board as the second seed, drawing England. It was the most demanding game I have ever played and probably ever will play. Even though the game finished in 2019, I am still publishing my AAR, Positively England. If you don’t want to read the half a million words I’ve already written about the game, here’s the TL;DR version: Online legends Russ Dennis, Greg Matthews, and Jordan Connors outclassed me in every imaginable area, except for emotionalism and poor tactics. These greats failed to follow my ideas, no matter how much Ed charm I put on them, causing me anger, hurt feelings, and frustration. Coupled with my poor tactics and inconsistent play, it was remarkable I survived.

Despite the description above, I made it to the end, finishing second. Thankfully, I found a semi-silver lining in an otherwise sea of bad news during the finals, namely, making the acquaintance of Pablo from Argentina, known online as Powa, who played Austria. Over the ensuing weeks, Powa and I bonded on several levels as we exchanged press. We wrote to each other about our lives, our passions, and of course, the game at hand. He felt like my brother, ready to pick me up when I was down or kick me into gear when I needed it. When he sought my help, he relentlessly pleaded his case and pushed every one of my buttons to get the result he wanted.

In Fall 1909, he needed my help. I supported him into Warsaw—another player’s center, giving him the board top at the end of the season with one more year left in the game. He had promised me Warsaw back in 1910, but it never materialized. He won the tournament with the one center I gave him, causing me to finish second. Even though he cost me the victory, I still loved him despite the heartbreaking and brutal lie he told. I have lawyered up many public justifications for my play, but the truth is that I gave the game away because I believed Powa would never betray me.

Season 2 of the Nexus Main Event impacted many of the finalists. Russ ostensibly retired from online Diplomacy. Greg needed a break from Nexus for a couple of seasons to recover. As for me, I did not play Season 3, and I racked up mediocre results for my press games in Seasons 4 through 6 (placing 34th, 37th, and 39th). Powa had no such problems playing and followed up his Season 2 victory with a Season 3 win, becoming the undisputed greatest player in Nexus history.

Really, though, despite those poor results in online press, I began finding my Diplomacy footing. Russ and I started The Diplomats, and I dedicated some of my free time to improving my Diplomacy game, especially my board reading and tactics. I called every season of every Main Event from Season 3 through Season 6 with Russ (Umble), Cedric (Audacious Hand), and Keith (Superstition). I asked them every off-the-wall question that popped into my mind and listened to their very different theories of how to play. I soaked up their knowledge in hopes I could use it to improve myself. Shout out to Christopher Ward (Wardie) and Eric Grinnell (Lex Luthor) for taking over The Diplomats and doing a fantastic job.

I also found my real niche, virtual face-to-face Diplomacy. In this format, I exceeded my expectations and then some. Although I will never master Diplomacy, I have reached a point where I go into every virtual game with confidence that I have a good chance of topping the board.

Yet, something was lacking. I badly wanted that Nexus Main Event win. So, Season 7 was my Vision Quest moment.

Climbing the Pegboard During the Preliminary Rounds

Anyone examining my games will see that they all had a moment of imminent collapse. As Austria in one game, Russia and Italy simultaneously stabbed me. As England in another, I faced an immediate sea lion by England, France, and Russia. I relied on what I do best in both situations—my small-d diplomacy. I got out of those jams and made it to the semifinals. I made it to the top of the pegboard and was ready for the big game.

The Semifinal Game

There were seven semifinal games, and each one was “win or go home,” meaning only the winner of each match would advance to the Final. In my game, I was happy to draw France, and, after facing the early adversity of an EG, I turned England around and made an EF. Ultimately, I stabbed England—Tortelloni, a Season 3 Finalist—to make the Finals.

Nexus’ seeding system stacked every semifinal game with successful and experienced players. Each of the other six winners was a who’s who of Diplomacy stars:

• Matt Crill, relatively new to extended deadline Diplomacy but a DBNI Super 7 participant in 2021 and a perennial top finisher in major tournaments.

• Greg Matthews, a thorn in my side from Season 2, who returned to the finals in Season 5 and won it in Season 6. I recently compared him to the devil, writing, “He cares about one thing: Winning by slowly dotting you and then claiming his hands were tied. … It ain’t pretty Diplomacy, but it’s effective if you allow him to dot you without consequence.”

• Jordan Connors, a storied online superstar, and a four-time Main Event finalist.

• Karthik Konath, winner of Dixiecon in 2021 and a genius (just ask him).

• John Anderson, virtual player of the year in 2020 and winner of Weasel Moot XIV.

• Spencer (Tarsier), a legend from web dip, who I must regrettably admit was funnier, more charming, and more handsome than me.

I reviewed their games and interviews before the finals. Watching Karthik’s dominant play—effectively sewing up his game as Italy by Fall 1903, made me feel like Louden Swain scouting out his future opponent.

Every competitor was worried about Greg. You would be insane not to be. Somehow, he’s always in the mix. Four finals appearances, and he had credible chances in each, winning one. He certainly was the Brian Shute of the Finals, and he is every bit as intimidating as Brian Shute.

I just wanted to get on the mat against six other great players and prove that I could play with them.

Tragic News

Just before the Finals kicked off, the Nexus community received heartbreaking news. Pablo—Powa—winner of Seasons 2 and 3—suddenly passed away. I was saddened and shocked. I made an effort to write an immediate tribute, but eloquent words failed me. If you know me, I’m rarely in that position. I have won several Diplomacy Pulitzers, but I could not summon the right words for Powa.

I promised myself that the best tribute I could give Powa was to play like he would on the top board. I summoned his energy and enthusiasm for Diplomacy and vowed I would do my best to win this game for him and me. I never met him in person, but I knew him. I knew him. I knew he wanted this for me, and I wanted to make him proud.

Nothing other than cheating would be out of bounds. I vowed to lie and scramble up the greasy pole as far as possible. No one was going to say I did not try my hardest. If they said I tried too hard, I would accept it as fair criticism. Unlike almost every other game, where I set low expectations, I visualized winning. I was ready to prove it.

A Short History Of My Game

If you want a deep dive into this game, review the series on The Diplomats, including my soon-to-be-posted interview, where I will tell all. But here are the major takeaway points:

• The Early Game. Overall, I picked Germany because I believed, based on personal knowledge, that England and France were likely to fight and that I could leverage each to find the best deal possible without causing an EF reunification. I said as much in my pre-game interview (16:00-16:30). I believed this was my best path to avoid early elimination and head into the mid-game with a reasonable chance at victory. I also predicted the winner would own ten centers (17:27-17:33).

• The Mid-Game. I wanted to eliminate players I had wronged. A Top Board is typically a popularity contest, and eliminating the smaller powers, especially if I downsized them, became my top priority. I’m unlikely to win a tactical game. My only chance is to win the diplomatic game. I decided to take the tactics largely out of it by reducing the number of variables (read: other players) on the board. Then, I would just let my negotiating skills take over. I had to dance with the one who brought me, and my only Diplomacy superpowers are my quick wit and silver cigar-stained tongue. My biggest challenge in the mid-game was replacing the dots Greg kept insisting I give him.

• The End Game. I applied the lesson I learned from Powa in Season 2: In 1909 and 1910, cash in all relationship building for maximal short-term leverage and advantage. As explained below, I did this with Matt in Spring 1909 by convincing him to cede me Munich without a fight while helping him in the east. To repay him for his good deed, I immediately stabbed Matt, crippling his chance to win.

• Victory! After Matt attacked John in Spring 1909 with my help, John then committed himself to my success, and the two of us did what we had to do to place the units in the right places to secure my victory.

Takeaway Tips

• Your Nose Is Going To Bleed. In a game with so many great players, you will face adversity. Would you want to be Germany in Spring 1902?

What if I showed you Fall 1902?

• Stay Positive. After being cruelly tricked in Fall 1907, I lost it emotionally and lashed out at the other players. My Season 2 bad habits suddenly reemerged from a dark part of my soul. I want to thank Greg Matthews, who wrote me a direct message that snapped me out of it. He basically said I was acting out at him and others because of my poor play. As usual, he was right, and I pumped the brakes and chalked it up to temporary insanity. I thank him for centering me.

• Visualize Success. At the end of 1908, things were bleak, but I was ready for the last two years. I developed a plan for victory—one that had no margin for error. Red Ryder flowed through every vein of my body. I faced an ugly disband in the Winter of 1908. Instead of disbanding an eastern unit, which looked the best with my limited options, I picked Holland.

Why Holland?  Well, I wasn’t going to play for second.  Been there, done that.  I visualized a series of moves to win, and it started with disbanding Holland, allowing me to credibly argue to Italy that he had to give me Munich back—right now—or Holland and the North Sea, as well as the game, would be in Greg’s French hands.  It worked.  Italy voluntarily left Munich as I put him into Rumania, only to dislodge him in the fall.

• Don’t Lose Sight of the Goal. The goal was to win. When I was down in 1908, I did not accept defeat. I did not do everything I intended to do. I am very grateful to John, who joined in a common cause with me against Matt.

• Finish the Job. After Matt was functionally out of it, I only had to fade Greg, but that was a significant fade. Greg took Munich in Fall 1909 with Matt’s assistance. I knew I could take it back, but I needed John’s continued cooperation as I entered a series of orders to secure the victory.

This was it. So long as John had not moved to Moscow, and so long as John did not throw to Matt (spoiler: no throw), the game was over. I pinned Shute in Spring 1910 and secured the victory. Thank God Russ spared me another Second Fiddle assignment.

There are no Tomorrows on a Top Board

The last line of Vision Quest is: “I guess that’s why ya gotta love those who deserve it like there’s no tomorrow ... because when you get right down to it ... there isn’t.”

I played this game as if there were no tomorrows and knew consequences would emerge from my play style. I accept that I will take my medicine from those I wronged in future games. In the meantime, I hope Powa is pleased.