Autumn 1902: Let's Get Dangerous

It's 1902 in old Europe, and the alliance structure is becoming a little clearer. Russia and France are scrambling to make up ground after their slow progress in 1901, and early leader Germany is trying to look unthreatening. It's that fun time around the board when things really begin to start happening.

ENGLAND (F Lvp - Wal, F Lon S F Lvp - Wal, A Yor S F Lon, F Nwy S A Fin - Swe)
After a safe build, King Maximillian continues on his defensive route, ensuring that the French are repelled and buying a Russian ally by offering support into Sweden. The English aren't getting a build this turn, but with the Germans all over France they can at least be reassured that they're not even close to doing the worst in the theatre, and while Germany continues building armies the English will be content to sit back and pick up a centre or two where they can.

FRANCE (F ENG C A Wal-Pic, A Wal - Pic, A Spa - Mar)
The French saw the writing on the wall and chose to save the army for the autumn at the cost of doing anything particularly useful with their fleet. With hostiles of the Germans in Gascony and Burgundy, and Italians in Piedmont, whatever the French try to do in the autumn will be taking a big chance of losing even more home centres. Just goes to show how important an early-game ally as one of your neighbours can be.

GERMANY (A Par - Gas, A Mun - Bur, A Hol - Bel, F Den - Ska, F Kie - Den, A Ber - Sil)
The problem with being so far in the lead after 1901 is trying to preserve that lead when all your neighbours suddenly get spooked. The Kaiser (Fuhrer?) has apparently decided to deal with this issue by moving quickly to eliminate the French while gearing up for a protracted war against potential Russian aggression. If the Austrians are friendly, it could work really well, but if that army in Bohemia has hostile intentions, we could be looking at a new game leader very soon.

AUSTRIA (A Vie - Boh, A Bud - Gal, A Tri - Bud, A Ser - Bul, F Gre S A Ser - Bul)
That's the wonderful thing about Austria. Often you'll see them sandwiched between the Turks, Russians and Italians and squished in a couple of years, but when they find an ally or two they have an incredible ability to explode and be suddenly everywhere. If the move to Bohemia is a feint, then Austro-German co-operation could assure Moscow and give the Austrians a chance at Rumania or Bulgaria too, and if it's not, a Russian alliance could result in quick expansion into Germany.

ITALY (A Pie - Mar, A Tun H, F ION H, F Nap - Tys)
Not quite sure what Italy is doing, but I guess that biding his time before deciding if his opponent is France or Turkey is a nice option for a cautious Italy. I worry that whatever booty might be gained from an alliance from Austria or Germany might be reduced by taking the extra time, but at least there's the advantage of still not really having any enemies. Except for France, of course, but one wonders if France is going to remain a factor for long.

TURKEY (A Bul H, F Con S A Bul H, F Smy - Aeg, A Syr - Smy)
Things might look kind of dismal, but they are going about as well as the Sultan could hope at the moment, as with the Russians barely involved in the theatre it was always going to be an uphill battle for Turkey. It will all come down to which way the Italians fall. Either way, the Turks are prepared for a long protracted battle and winkling the wicked witch of the East out of her home will be a difficult task.

RUSSIA (A Fin - Swe, F Bot - Lvn, A Lvn - War, F Sev - Rum)
These moves are pretty confusing to me, to be honest. Gaining Sweden is great, but with the fleet back in Livonia the Tsar is beholden to the English to allow him to hold it. Warsaw is in danger too if Germany and Austria are friends, and when the Russians are already in conflict with the Germans in Scandinavia and the Austrians in the Balkans, that's a disturbing possibility. Still, given how poorly things seemed to be starting out, I'm not discounting the Russian just yet.

And that was the week that was in Europe. By this time next week the powers will be shaping up for the Spring moves in 1903, and who knows what the board might look like. See you then.

EXTRA:

I've had a request to let everyone know what games were played each Thursday Board games night, so here we are. Apparently it was actually Thursday Card Games night, but I guess that happens. I sat out the first couple as is my custom when the lasagne is in the oven, and Stephen and Daniel swept the night.

Game 1:Samurai Sword
Loyals (Laura and Stephen [17]) defeated the Ronin (Rochelle [6]) and the Ninjas (Matthew, Callum and Daniel [4]).

Game 2: Samurai Sword
Ninjas (Laura, Callum and Daniel [10]) defeated Loyals (Matthew and Stephen [8]) and the Ronin (Rochelle [0])

Game 3: San Juan
Stephen and Daniel [33] defeated Callum [31] and Matthew [27], and drew on cards as well.

Game 4: 500
Daniel [540] defeated Matthew [350], Stephen [210], Callum [100] and Thom [-20].

Game 5: 500
Stephen [180] defeated Daniel [60], Callum [-10], Matthew [-250] and Thom [-580].

Why is it that the first night that we record results I do so terribly?

Autumn 1901: Zeroth Coming of Hitler

Welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the current EVAC email diplomacy game. We've just finished up 1901, and there's a great power imbalance emerging between our great powers.

GERMANY:

A Burgundy > Paris

F Denmark > Sweden (*BOUNCE* with Russian A Livonia [1v1])

A Kiel > Holland

He went through with it! Paris falls to the Germans in 1901, cue the mocking press broadcasts: "Where is your Revanche now?". The Kaiser has opted to take Paris now and look to pick up Belgium next year; and also to bounce the Russians out of Sweden. He's made himself a couple of enemies this turn, but managed to arrange it that neither of them got control of any surplus centres, and is probably counting on his three builds to make some quick progress against them both before any of the other powers can leap to their defence.

RUSSIA:

F Gulf of Bothnia Convoy A Livonia > Sweden

A Livonia > Sweden (*BOUNCE* with German F Sweden [1v1])

F Sevastopol > Rumania (*BOUNCE* with Austrian A Budapest [1v1])

A St. Petersburg > Finland

Safe play from the Russian after an aggressive start, but the lack of builds might hurt him with the German boucning the convoy in Sweden and Rumania failing too. But, the Tsar has probably assured himself Sweden next year unless there's and Anglo-German alliance forming, but might have to scramble to defend Warsaw if the Germans come East in force. The south seems to be shaping up like a promising Russo-Turkish alliance, though you never can be sure of anything in this game.

ENGLAND:

A Edinburgh > Yorkshire

F North Sea > London

F Norwegian Sea > Norway

Good safe play by the English here, opting to ensure that the French will be repelled if they attempt a convoy, at the expense of the North Sea. Things might have gone poorly if Russia had chosen to bounce in Norway, but instead, England is looking pretty secure if limited for options for expansion in the near future.

FRANCE:

F English Channel Convoy A Picardy > Wales

A Marseilles > Spain

A Picardy > Wales

Opting for the convoy to Wales at the expense of the defence of his own homeland, the President won't have won himself any friends amongst the English here. Unfortunately for him, the Russian didn't bounce in Norway, allowing the English to build and ensuring that the French have no hope of making any gains in Britain.

AUSTRIA:

F Albania > Greece

A Budapest > Rumania (*BOUNCE* with Russian F Sevastopol [1v1])

A Serbia Support A Budapest > Rumania (*CUT* by Turkish A Bulgaria)

Austria seems to have found a probable alliance in her Eastern neighbours, but a faithful friend in the Italian. With the German focused on France with a possible front opening against Russia, and two builds on the way, Austria is sitting pretty, and can choose if she's going to go into a full-frontal assault on her Russian neighbour who has no builds coming, or turn on the Italian.

ITALY:

A Apulia > Tunis

F Ionian Sea Convoy A Apulia > Tunis

A Venice > Piedmont

Italy, ever the opportunist, has decided to go after France will he's down, which should spell the doom of the Republic unless the President can find an unlikely friend. A slow start for Italy as it so often is, but the build phase, and the choice of an army in Venice for defence or a fleet in Naples for offence.

TURKEY:

F Ankara > Constantinople

A Bulgaria > Serbia (*Bounce* by Austrian A Serbia)

A Smyrna > Syria

Turkey either has a Russian ally here, or is confident that she at least doesn't have an enemy in the Tsar, and is mobilising her forces to become a naval power in the Med. With the army in Syria (which looks odd, but is a sign of goodwill for Russia and a warning for opppents attempting a Lepanto), presumably there will be a fleet build in Smyrna, and the race will be to secure the Aegean and get the Syrian army into position to support Bulgaria to hold. 

I'd hoped to talk about the builds too, but I'm up against a deadline tonight, so we'll go in to them shortly.

1901: The Longest Year

This week saw the first move of the EVAC Diplomacy game I'm running by email, it's shaping up to be a lot of fun, with a lot of promising hi-jinks right out of the gate. This is part of the joy of playing a game with new players, you see them do weird and wonderful things instead of the more standard openings that more experienced players might employ, and the game is all the more unpredictable and fun for it.

 

It's too early to talk much about alliance structures, of course, as even if the players have some idea who their friends are (for now, at least), I certainly don't. This week I'd like to dwell a little bit on the opening moves, as there's plenty of fun stuff happening here. My conjectures are just that, having not been at all involved in the deliberations, but it's fun to speculate.

 

Spring 1901 Orders

 

Germany: F Kie > Den, A Ber > Kie, A Mun > Bur

As expected from the most experienced player at the board, Germany's moves are pretty standard. The fleet in Denmark means he can choose whether or not to curry favour with the Russian or bounce him out of Sweden, and the army in Kiel can be expected to snag Holland in the autumn, giving Germany a very good chance of at least two builds, especially if the English aren't interested in opposing him. The army in Burgundy makes a mean threat to two French home centres, and pretty much assures that the French will have their hands full in the autumn, but the lack of an obvious ally (as England has committed North and Italy have opened neutrally) means that even though he has the jump on France, any progress will be relatively slow-going.

 

France: F Bre > ENG, A Par > Pic, A Mar > Swi

Aggressively anti-English from the outset, the French have abandoned a sure build somewhere in the Iberian in exchange for an army in Picardy that could potentially be convoyed to somewhere in the British Isles. You'd normally only see this kind of opening from a France who had an alliance or at least a fairly reliable non-aggression pact with Germany, as the move to Burgundy might see him being forced to abandon another build in order to cover his home centres. The move to Switzerland is just to vex me, this Frenchman hates being told something is out of bounds.

 

England: F Edi > NWG, F Lon > NTH, A Lvp Edi

This is a pretty standard opening for an England that has an agreement for a demilitarised channel, all it's missing is the demilitarised channel: it's distinctly anti-Russian, as it assures the English of a supported convoy to Norway, and the army is then directly threatening St. Petersburg and Sweden, traditionally Russian territory. It's still pretty versatile, though, as it can be translated into a convoy to Belgium or Holland while Norway is secured by the more Northern fleet, and it can easily be made to point at the Germans instead of the Russians. However, French fleets in the channel may leave the King wishing that army was a bit more central so that it could help cover London instead of being left hanging out north.

 

Russia: F StP > BOT, A Mos > StP, A War > Swe, F Sev > BLA (Bounce)

This is an aggressively Northern strategy that declares the Russian's intention to claim a fair wodge of Scandinavia, at the cost of any claim on the Balkans, and I've never seen anything quite like it. It appears to be working as a bargaining tool in the South, with none of Austria, Germany or Turkey looking aggressive in the East, but it relies heavily on German not bouncing in Sweden, where the Russian fleet, or maybe even a convoy from Livonia if Russia, is going to get a build, but if it works one can only assume that a Russian/German Northern alliance will have a lot of force behind it.

 

Austria: A Vie > Bud, A Bud > Ser, F Tri > Alb

Unusally Southern moves for Austria suggest an Austria/Russian and or Austrian/German pact of some kind, which can't spell good news for Turkey, but that they stay a little bit watchful, but the placidity of this suggests that any Austrian/Italian alliance isn't a completely trusting one and there's room to move. Austria could go pretty much anywhere with this, and with no obvious threats all of her neighbours should be wary.

 

Italy: A Ven Holds, A Rom > Apu, F Nap > ION

Italy will be the real play-maker here, it's not often that I get to say that, and my fondness for playing Italy might be getting the better of me here. Plenty of choices ahead for the Pope. Either he convoys the army out to Tunis and looks for an Austrian anti-Turkish Lepanto alliance, or swings his attack West to Iberia and Marseilles in the light of the slow French expansion, or makes a stab for Trieste and makes friends with the Turks, because that is what Popes do best.

 

Turkey: F Ank > BLA (Bounce), A Con - Bul, A Smy H

Can't read much from the obligatory bounce in the Black Sea, but if there's a Russian/Turkish juggernaut, then this will most likely see the Turkish fleet on its way through Constantinople to the Mediterranean while the Russian makes a play for Rumania. If not, pretty much anything could happen from this point, and it just might. With Serbia and soon Greece in Austrian hands, and no aggressive move into France or Austria from the Pope, Turkey should be expecting a stern fight on his hands over the Balkans and the Aegean.

 

So, in summary. Germany wants to kill France, who wants to kill England, who wants to kill Russia, who wants to kill pretty much anyone north of Moscow. With no obvious alliances in play in the West at all, the next few turns are going to be hectic, and the Northern powers can probably expect only moderate growth while they cover their own backs. Italy, Austria and Turkey are gathering their neutrals without bothering anyone and waiting for the time to strike, the conspiracy nut in me is wishing for some kind of hideous Frankenstein's monster of an IAT alliance to sweep north and west and drive the other powers into the sea, but I can't imagine it actually happening.

 

Hopefully by next week we'll know a little more.

 

In other diplomacy news, another episode of Diplomacycast came out a couple of weeks back, and I missed it. Three Dip tragics talk about the recent World Championships, the Grantland article that was written about the championships, and show both an obvious love of the game as well as some useful advice for new and old players throughout. If you've got two spare hours while driving or gardening or something, and like hearing people really get into talking about games, check it out. Even if you've only got a little bit of time, the first half-an-hour is particularly good.

The Game that Ruins Friendships

There was movement in old Europe, for the word had passed around

that Diplomacy once more was up for play.

So they mustered up their forces, in for penny, in for pound,

'til all the hacks had gathered for the fray.

All the tried and noted stabbers from the nations near and far

had gathered round the game board for the fight.

For the rulers love hard talking, from the Archduke to the Tsar, 

and the Sultan snuffs the battle with delight.

There was Kaiser John, who wore with style his Pickelhaulbe hat.

King Max's knife was itching in the dark.

But few were nicer Archdukes than when Sam was titled that.

The Old Man was personified by Mark.

Then Hywel the newly-minted pope turned up to try his hand,

no sooner he than Nick the Frog, he came,

and numbers were completed by Kevin of Russian land.

As finer bunch as ever played the game.

...

Just when you thought that my horrible massacring of rhyme and meter over the year couldn't get any worse, I'm back at it, warming up for Raptember with a little take off of the Banjo to commemorate the new email Diplomacy game that I've just starting up with some fellow Blaugustines and other members of EVAC. If all goes to plan, I'll be running this game for the next three or four months, giving me lots of gaming content to fill up the always difficult Thursday slot and lots of opportunities to turn my hand to the making of ditties.

It should be a nice chance for me to share my love of diplomacy with others without feeling conflicted about wanting to destroy them in order to win the game for myself, so I'll greatly enjoy watching all the diplomacy take place from the safety of the sidelines. And of course, since this is Diplomacy we're talking about, I'll probably spend a lot of time trying to soften the blows to shattered egos and attempting to reduce the number of international conflicts being solved by assassination.

I don't have much more to say, so let me leave you with the opening lines of the textbook on the game, Richard Sharp's The Game of Diplomacy:

In a changing world, some things do not change. It may be fashionable to decry the simple Virtues, but we still like to find them in our friends. Loyalty, honesty, frankness, gratitude, chivalry, magnanimity - these are the hallmarks of the good friend, the good husband and father, the nice guy we all hope our daughters will marry.

In the amoral world of Diplomacy, however, they are the hallmarks of the born loser. If a fallen enemy reaches out a hand for assistance, the wise man lops it off. If a friend does you a good turn when you’re down, wait until he’s down, then beat him to death. If an ally asks for your help in planning the next season’s moves, give it freely and copiously, then do the reverse of what you agreed and let him take the counter-attack. Try to surround yourself with people who trust you, then let them down; find an ally who will gladly die for you and see that he does just that.

I love this game.

The Press War: Said Russian Dan

Of course, you can't get away with that sort of thing in the press releases before somebody responds, in this case my erstwhile Russian colleague with this little riff on an old favourite of mine, Said Hanrahan, by P.J. Hartigan.

"We'll all be rooned," said Italy
In accents of despair,
And turned from France most bitterly
with cunning plots to share.

The politicians stroked their maps
Of nations set for war,
And talked of fleets, and stabs, and traps,
Like every year before.

"If we're to last," came Turkey's call,
"Bedad, to hold our ground,
Sevastopol this year must fall - 
It's Russia we must hound."

"Don't turn on me," Russia bemoaned,
"My force is scant and spread.
For Trieste Rome has not atoned;
It's he whom we need dead."

"I had no choice! I needed lands!"
Came Italy's reply,
"We'll all be rooned if France expands,
To Paris turn your eye."

"Ah, 'méfiez-vous de tout le monde'"
Was all that France could quote,
"Wake up! The Germans have you conned!
Quick, seize the Kaiser's throat!"

"Fight me?" The Gothic leader's eyes,
were wide with great alarm,
"'Tis clearly Britain I despise.
When did I do you harm?"

"They would not dare to turn on me,"
The King of England laughed,
"And any Austrians I see
will soon in brine be bathed."

"My army's strong, and though you'll try
You'll never reach this far,"
The Archduke crowed, "The Turk strike I,
While Ank S Con to BLA"

Once friends and allies, now as stones:
their treaties left to rot.
With ears blocked to conspi'ring tones,
They each alone did plot.

Just then a ray of hope appeared,
"Lets play Ticket to Ride."
And so, just as the Germans feared,
we ruled their countryside.

The Press War

While we're ripping off better poets, let me also share with you a couple of snippets from my ongoing diplomacy game (now down to three players thanks to a debilitating move to Trieste last turn). The press in this game has been a lot of fun, as after our earlier rap efforts, we turned to other sources for inspiration. These verses followed my Spring 1901 move to Trieste, and was mainly (and somewhat unwisely) directed at taunting the Austrian.

"You are weak, Father Thomas," the young Archduke stressed,
"And your armies are looking quite green;
And yet you incessantly hold in Trieste-
Just what, by such moves, do you mean?"

"In my youth," Father Thomas replied "My dear son
I feared it might injure my chances;
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
It was either steal yours; or steal France's"

"You are weak," said the Duke "As I mentioned before,
And have grown uncommonly haughty;
And so you have marched your men up to my door-
Don't you think that's a little bit naughty?"

"In my youth," said the Pope, "I rented my corps
To nations in martial trouble;
The price of these legions, one centre,-or four-
Allow me to lend you a couple"

"You are weak, Father Ted, and I'd hardly suppose,
That your wit was as present as ever;
But your scheming is keeping my troops on their toes-
What made you so awfully clever?"

"In my youth," he replied "I studied the moon,
and I wrestled with bears in my prime.
Your neighbours and 'allies' all dance to my tune;
We'll take all your centres in time."

"You are weak," said the Duke, with a wry little smirk,
"If you hurt me you know that you'll rue it.
Yet you plot with the Tsar and you plot with the Turk-
Pray, how do you think that you'll do it?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough;"
Said the Pope "You're alone for the rest!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off! Or I'll take Budapest!"

1901: Disgrace Odyssey

In a currently ongoing game of Diplomacy, myself (as Pope) and my short-lived Russian ally, having exhausted our political and tactical options, set about a campaign of intimidation in the public press wires, designed to terrify our Austrian neighbour into folding before our combined military and ghetto credentials. And what better way than to rap our oppenent into submission?

Italy:
 On a rest in Trieste where the beaches are fine
 Rehearsin' ma sermons, revisin' my lines
 Don?t go messin' wit' me while I'm watching the surf
 Cause the papa is here, and I'm claimin' ma turf

Russia:
 When the hood's in the woods, well you better watch out
 When my homies are homin' ain't no room for doubt
 Ain't slackin': we packin', and we got a bad rep
 Watch out for the men from the thirty-nine steppes.

Italy:
 Thomassino's the name and Popin's the game
 And mountain assaultin' is my claim to fame
 Silver-tongued asp in a slick armoured car
 That's it from me -hit 'em, D-Tzar.

Russia:
Yo, the popey-posse say that Europe's at war
 Austria's nervous, an' Turkey is more
 Rolling with my armour down Ukrainian hills
 Sayin' 'Sultan/Duke, get out of my (Bear) Grillz!'

Pretty silly and not well executed, I know, but you get the point. As a diplomatic technique, as evidenced by his elimination and my continuing half-existence as a Turkish puppet-state, it leaves a little to be desired, but it set off a yearning to say "Yo" at inappropriate moments and spawned a monster called "Raptember", whose delectable fruit I will share with you in the coming days. It's not exactly high art, but please promise not to laugh at me.