The Zine

Notes on a Napkin is a zine about the game of Diplomacy.

Principally, it will be about the online game. However, as I will be posting items on the Dip Hobby - such as news and upcoming events - it will be about the wider Dip scene as well. Don't feel limited if you're looking to contribute!

I have decided to publish the zine online, via this site - which won't be a shock to any of you, I guess, as you're here. The zine itself will be published via Google Docs - anyone with the link will be able to read separate articles or a copy of the full zine.

I'll also include a page for past issues, where you'll be able to find every issue published.

The Articles section will separate each article into categories:

Discussion articles are about general Dip-related things
Strategy articles are about playing the game
Series articles are any articles that are part of a series, such as a series of articles on openings, for example
From the Archives are reviews and thoughts about articles previously published
Variant articles are about different games based on Diplomacy
General articles are those that, try as I might, don't really fit in anywhere!

I won't be providing separate articles for Editorials, Letters, Hobby News, etc. These are specific to each issue of the zine, after all, so it really doesn't make sense to separate them out!

Why "Notes on a Napkin"?

I spent a lot of time thinking about what to call the zine.

If you've read anything by me before (see the Diplomaticon menu item) you'll know that, sometimes, I get a lot cryptic. Well, a lot of the time if I'm being honest! So here's the thought process:

First, can I think of a pithy title that was something to do with Diplomacy?

There have been some fantastically named zines in the past:

The Cunning Plan

Cut and Thrust

Dolshstoss

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

Small Furry Creatures Press

Smodnoc [work it out!]

Spring Offensive

Watch Your Back

Could I match those? Well, no, frankly... so I had to try something different.

Can I think of some interesting characters, historical or from literacy,

that might be linked to Diplomacy?

Well, obviously, Machiavelli. If there were anyone who is more closely linked to Dip play, he fits in.

Bismarck, of course. Realpolitik was the original name for Diplomacy... but there's been a zine called "Realpolitik" before!

Vidkun Quisling was an infamous Norwegian who collaborated with the Nazis.

Rasputin?

What about women? Well, as it turned out, quite a few - and not just from the Bible!

Arsinoe but her name is a little near the mark!

Mata Hari, of course

Tokyo Rose (if only Tokyo was on the Dip board..!)

Ethel Rosenberg

Madame Butterfly (Shi Pei Pu)

Now, Butterfly had potential! After all, it has links to chaos theory... but would that suggest more to do with the 'Chaos' variant of Dip?

In the end, Iago came to mind as a manipulative, traitorous, sod.

Can I use Iago in some way?

Well, frankly, I was struggling to come up with something clever(ish) to do with Iago as a name. Could I perhaps come up with something Dip-related using IAGO as an acronym? No, I was stretching things there. It was becoming very SHIELD-ish.

I had it in my mind that Iago was from Florence. That fitted in well with Machiavelli, who was also a Fiorentino (or Florentine, people from Firenze). But I was mistaken (a rare event indeed, despite what you might hear): Iago was from Venice (Othello from Florence). Grrr.

However, in the story of Othello, in which (as I'm sure you know) Iago was the antagonist, part of the plot circles around a 'napkin' that was the prop behind much of Iago's machinations. It was probably a handkerchief rather than a napkin but napkin sounded better.

That got me thinking about nights out. How many times had I or someone I was with used the paper napkins in restaurants to scribble notes on? Quite a few.

Which got me thinking about FTF Diplomacy - I've often used a small pad or book to scribble ideas down simply because things buzz through my head and I change my mind so often! This explains why I'm better at online Dip!