The 1999 World Diplomacy Championship (WDC) will be held in Namur, Belgium,
during the Easter weekend (3 - 4 April) holiday, and perhaps a day or two
before or after that. The host event will be DIPLONAM, the Belgium Diplomacy
championship event. The host of the event will be Jean-Louis Delattre,
assisted by other members of the Belgian Diplomacy hobby.
The purpose of this site is to give you some background information
on the venue and host event, and provide you with sources for obtaining
other information. As more information becomes available it will be posted
on this site, so be sure to visit us often.
Bottom line: GO!
Belgium is, at the same time, one of Europe's smallest and yet most
interesting countries. In area it is no larger than some counties in the
United States. In population it is smaller than the metro areas of several
American cities. Belgium is a country divided in many ways: politically,
linguistically, religiously, culturally, economically, etc. Some have said
that if it were not for the bad example set by recent events in The Balkans,
Belgium too would have fragmented into several smaller states. And yet
Belgium is unified by one thing, its appreciation of The Good Life. That,
as much as anything, has made Belgium a magnet for others who would like
to share The Good Life Belgians enjoy. Thus, today Brussels is the headquarters
for the European Union, de facto capital of Europe, as well as headquarters
for NATO and many other important international and European organizations.
Belgium's neighbors: France, Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, and
Luxembourg have made it a crossroads for travelers in Europe. It's easy
to get to directly from anywhere in North America, or indirectly via train
or plane, from other major European cities. If you're going to WDC IX in
Namur, plan to spend some time in Belgium. Brussels is a world class city,
much like Paris, only tourist friendly! But in addition to Brussels there
are some other great places to visit in Belgium: Antwerp, Brugge, Liege
and Ghent are well known; but other smaller cities like Louvain are also
well worth a visit. And where else can you find so many famous sites that
only a gamer can appreciate: Waterloo, The Ardennes, and the rest? And,
if you're interested (and who isn't), you'll find that your dollar goes
further in Belgium and Namur than it does in most major European cities.
I guesstimate that an American attending WDC IX will spend from $600 -
$1,200, depending on where you go from, how long you stay, and what style
of living you desire. Foreign visitors to this event will pay no registration
or housing fees during the event.
Bottom line: This is a great place to begin your trip to Europe!
Namur is both a province (county to Americans) and a city. If you've been in Chapel Hill, you'll find that Namur is much like it in size, population, historical interest, and a focus on university level education. One of the nicer things among many is that Namur is relatively unknown to Europeans, so it actually likes and appreciates visitors. It's a very "doable" city, with lots of places to go and things to do. And, especially nice, they are all located in a relatively compact area. You don't need a car to enjoy Namur. Most everything you'll want to see can be reached by rail or boat!
If Belgium is the crossroads of Europe, then Namur has traditionally been at the center of that crossroads. Its importance is demonstrated by the presence of The Citadel, the huge "Gibraltar-like" fortress that dominates the town and the river junction below. If you're into forts and castles, you'll love this one! Today, of course, the Citadel is a huge tourist attraction invaded daily by hundreds of tourists who use an aerial tramway to scale the walls! Fortunately, at Easter time it should be relatively quiet. There's much more in Namur, of course, but you can explore this fascinating town for yourself using the Internet or, if you're old-fashioned, information sources in the United States or Belgium.
Bottom line: This is a great venue for a WDC event.
Jean-Louis Delattre, host WDC IX, and Don Del Grande, WDC veteran.
The Belgian Diplomacy hobby isn't large, but what it lacks in numbers
it makes up for in quality. Some Europeans think the Belgian Dippers are
mere adjuncts to the much bigger and noisier French Diplomacy hobby. They're
wrong. Just because they share a common language doesn't mean the Belgians
are French clones! And one reason the Belgian Dippers are so committed
to hosting a great WDC event is to prove just that. If you think of the
role of the Canadian Diplomacy hobby vis-a-vis the United States Diplomacy
hobby, you'll have an idea of what I mean.
Does this mean you have to speak French to take part in a Belgian Diplomacy event? NO! In fact, if you do speak or understand French, I strongly suggest you DON'T tell anyone during the event. :-) Trust me. :-) You'll find most Belgian and French Dippers understand the essential Diplomacy words in English! "Stab" seems to be universal in any language! And a shrug, smile, or frown go a long way in any language.
Jean-Louis Delattre, WDC IX host, and Bruno Berken, Infant Terrible.
DIPLONAM is the Belgian Diplomacy championship event, an event that
has, unfortunately, often been dominated by players from France. It will
be interesting to see what happens when enough foreigners arrive in Namur
to upset the traditional French domination of the field. I can see Xavier
Blanchot counting the house. Not to worry. If you take part in this event
you'll have a chance to meet some of the best Diplomacy players in Europe,
e.g. the world.
Bottom line: If you can beat Berken, you're definitely world class!
There is a huge amount of information out there about Belgium, Namur,
and Diplomacy; both on the Internet and in hard copy. Here are some links
to sites and individuals who should be able to answer any questions you
might have. Well, maybe except for how to beat Bruno! Better yet, just
do a search on Yahoo or Infoseek on the topic of your choice (Belgium,
Namur, Diplomacy, etc.) and you'll find lots of sites.
The Embassy of
Belgium can offer you lots of info and other links
The Belgian
Tourist Office is one of the best.
NAMUR
There are a lot of links to Namur,
but finding them in English isn't always easy. Still, they are there.
For info about the Diplonam present and past events check out these sites.
Here are some "movers and doers" who should be able to provide
you with the latest info about this event:
JEAN-LOUIS DELATTRE, Host WDC IX
BRUNO BERKEN, Infant Terrible, WDC IX
JEF BRYANT, Publisher of DIPLOMANIA
(British-born, Belgian-domicle)
LAURENT D'ARIES, DIPLONAM Official