Interview with Adam Silverman: So you want to run a tournament?

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.