Diplomacy Games

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.

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.

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 << (1 hr 19 mins 45 secs) 

Ken discusses why he thinks he tends to play well as Russia (1 hr 24 mins)

They grab another beer and reflect on how it is as a mid-game (1 hr 29 mins)

Gavin invites our listeners to >> 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.

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"

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.