Interview with Peter McNamara

Diplomacy Games

The guys interview winner of the DBI Invitational, Peter McNamara about his gameplay. Plus Bronze Age Diplomacy, variant ideas from the guys and much more.

Intro and Diplomacy news

• The guys talk about their drinks and venue (0 mins 10 secs)

Interview with Peter McNamara

• Kaner & Amby begin to introduce the interview with Peter McNamara and what's coming up (2 mins 30 secs)
• The interview starts with setting the scene after Peter's win at the DBN Invitational. Amby asks how people were invited to attend the tournament (5 mins)
• Amby asks about the earlier rounds and seeding (8 mins 20 secs)
• They discuss why Peter went for Italy. You can read his article in the Diplomacy Briefing (10 mins 20 secs)
• Amby asks about where Peter planned to take things in the mid-game (13 mins)
• Kaner asks about the geography of the board (14 mins)
• Amby asks Peter about stabbing allies (15 mins 20 secs)
• They discuss reading the board (17 mins)
• Amby asks about how Peter got into the game, before asking about how tournaments extend you as a player (18 mins 15 secs)
• Amby asks what Peter has learnt recently in games, before discussing Peter's game play (20 mins)
• They discuss intuition vs computational approaches to the game, before discussing reputations (23 mins 20 secs)
• Kaner asks Peter how he finds the virtual environment (27 mins)
• They discuss tournaments of the future (28 mins 30 secs)
• Amby asks what Peter was looking for in an ally in the final DBN Invitational game. Peter discusses goals (32 mins 45 secs)
• They discuss the length of the games in the DBN Invitational (36 mins 45 secs)
• Amby asks if there was a tournament trophy before asking about whether Peter would play Italy again next time or whether he'd go for another country (40 mins 50 secs)
• Kaner asks about his thinking process during the game and scope for innovation in openings (52 mins 30 secs)
• Peter asks the guys when they'll have a face to face game in Brisbane again (44 mins 45 secs)
• Amby asks Peter if he thinks there's different Diplomacy scenes in Australia. They talk about the upcoming PoppyCon tournament (46 mins 30 secs)
• Peter discusses his plans for the upcoming WDC's (49 mins 30 secs)
• The guys wrap up the interview (51 mins)
• Kaner and Amby return, with Amby trying to advocate attacking Russia from the start (52 mins 15 secs)
• Amby asks Kaner what else he got out of the interview (55 mins 15 secs)
• Amby discusses Peter's strategy of picking Italy in the final game and patience (58 mins)

Around the grounds

• Amby brings up his Europa Renovatio team game as Austria and how he went from doing well to being stabbed all round (59 mins 45 secs)
• Amby discusses the concentric circles on the board (1 hr 6 mins 15 secs)
• The guys move bars to O'Skulligans and discuss drinks (1 hr 9 mins 30 secs)
• Amby starts discussing a new variant in development he's testing. He talks about the way variant developers are doing this while Oli is unavailable on vDip (1 hr 11 mins 15 secs)
• He talks about the work Fake Al has been doing on Bronze Age Diplomacy where Amby is playing as Syria (1 hr 13 mins 30 secs)

• Amby discusses his decision to stab Babylonia and discusses the dynamics of the map (1 hr 20 mins)
• He reads some info from Fake Al about how limited variant development can still happen at vDip (1 hr 25 mins)
• They discuss possible options for which variant to develop, with a particular focus around flooding/raised water levels (1 hr 29 mins)
• The disagree on what to do: a flooded planet, continent or city. Try FloodMap to have your own play with flooding maps (1 hr 33 mins)
• They move again to a new bar, Greaser, but have a recording dilemma with about 15 minutes talking about Fake Al and Bronze Age Diplomacy disappearing (1 hr 37 mins)
• Amby and Kaner discuss who from the podcast will be in the upcoming Media Wars 2 game and other players (1 hr 38 mins)
• Amby has won a ranked game with the 1066 variant (1 hr 43 mins 15 secs)
• But lost and was eliminated in his Imperial Diplomacy game where he played as Holland (1 hr 46 mins 45 secs)
• The guys do a What the Dr Recommended update for vDip (1 hr 48 mins)
• And then wrap up the show (1 hr 51 mins 30 secs)

Venues: Royal George Hotel, O'Skulligans and Greaser, Brisbane

Drinks of choice:

Kaner: Five Seeds cider, O'Skulligan's house lager

Amby: Little Creatures IPA, an unknown Barossa 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 improve the audio equipment... or get the guys more drunk, 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.