Why Brazil futbol?

Ok I possibly have some Portuguese/Brazilian blood, but I'm damned if I've ever mentioned in DCI. Just who/where have you bugged?


Pity my speciality is fast play not crowded, and this won't be a sprint, so my odds are way overstated - and Jorge at 12:1 - you have got to be kidding. Spot on with Dan though.


Nice (and not at all Nefarious) Nigel

From: fmartin(at)psomas.com
To: mike(at)fuzzylogicllc.net; ddz999cat(at)yahoo.com; kielmarch(at)hotmail.com; nephilli99(at)hotmail.com; m_don_j(at)hotmail.com; jmsaralegui(at)gmail.com; jhack16(at)gmail.com; matthew.kremer(at)yale.edu; smegdwarf(at)yahoo.com; drew3739o(at)yahoo.com; maxatrest(at)yahoo.co.uk; dci(at)diplomaticcorp.com
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 12:54:31 -0700
Subject: DCI 9: Las Vegas Odds to Win

AP Las Vegas:

Just posted are the odds to win the famous DCI 9 Diplomacy Invitational, a gathering of world-renowned gamers on one of the games biggest stages. The competition will be held over the next several months and will be watched by at least dozens of rabid (and probably slightly bored) net followers.

Austria: 3:1 - Until dethroned, Dan is the champ. To be the champ, you've got to beat the champ. Dan's odds would probably even be better if he had not drawn the typically difficult starting position of Austria. Even with that though, Dan's abilities (see Tiger Woods) are so dominating that odds makers still see him as the prohibitive favorite.

Russia: 7:2 - Nobody in the game has been hotter than Nefarious Nigel (see Brazil futbol), and he's drawn Russia as a base. Game experts are all wishing they could be flies on the wall when Dan and Nigel eventually start butting heads.

England: 9:2 - Far away from the favorites, 2009 WB Champion Garry is probably giggling about his projected path to victory (see Dr. Evil). "Get middle countries to fight, check. Get France and Spain on different sides of the fence, check. Hope everybody ignores my slow and steady growth, mate."

Balkans and Germany: 6:1 - Hey! They're moderator picks (see Ryder Cup Golf). They're here for a reason. Give Drew or Max a little breathing room, and you'll wish you were in England or Spain, where you can scream from a distance for those closer to fall on their swords for your behalf.

Spain and Turkey: 9:1 - Matt and Adam have top notch resumes, and they are both starting in the potentially awesome starting corner positions of Spain and Turkey. If either get an alliance from the outset with a neighbor and get rolling, look out (see the University of Florida and Oklahoma football teams). If they get stonewalled by their neighbors, it could be a long game at three centers.

Lowlands: 10:1 - So Frank plays one game in the past two years and wins. Is this an aberration, or is this guy so good that he can dust off his diplomacy hat and produce an epic win over an elite field (see Bobby Fischer). Time will tell, but from his past exploits, it certainly won't be boring.

France and Norway: 12:1 - France is typically a great starting position in standard diplomacy, but when you throw a player to your south, the position becomes much more difficult (see Belgium in conflicts of the 1900s). And Norway, sandwiched between Russia and England, can be a nightmare if the player doesn't get off to a good start (see Belgium in conflicts of the 1900s). Both countries offer a great location if they can get rolling, but both face potentially daunting opposition at the outset. Jorge and Joe will need to be very active on the diplomatic front early.

Italy: 15:1 - Mikael is an incredible player, but this is Italy we're talking about (see Italy in 99.9% of diplomacy games). Under the best of conditions, Italy sometimes has a hard time grabbing more than Tunis, and in this variant, there's already a Spanish fleet there. Mikael will need to work his miracles (see anything done by Michelangelo) to see Italy grow into a monster.

Hope you all enjoyed this. Please let it be known that this is all off the cuff, and all slights/exaggerations were not (wholly) intentional. haha

I better get back to work now. : )



Frank Martin , PE
PSOMAS | Balancing the Natural and Built Environment
Project Manager
Program/Construction Management
1075 Creekside Ridge Drive #200
Roseville, CA 95678 | Office 916.788.8122
Cell 916.871-4154
www.psomas.com





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