Here are the results, with very interesting press! Let's try to hang on and keep on moving, deadlines or not.
Build F Tri
Remove A Ukr
To Turkey:
Thanks, it looks we are off to a good start. Please let Albania to Ionian
Sea in spring, and please
support yourself to Ionian Sea in fall (if my F Ionian Sea bounce somewhere
with the English
fleet, I would like to retreat it forward, you know). About Sevastopol, I
will be making moves
against Russia so that you can have a good chance getting it in spring, and
if we don't succeed
in spring, we try again in fall. I assume it's the army you're moving in
unless you say otherwise in
your press.
As for future builds - I plan on having three fleets at most. Two in the
west, and one in Adriatic
for defensive purposes. I would of course appreciate it if you'd stay at one
army, but understand
if you feel you need another. I hope you can send at least three fleets
west, though - we need to
eject the English fleet from the Med, and after that if we could help France
hold Mid Atlantic (or
regain it, if he has lost it), that'd be good - and if France's position has
been weakened a lot by
the time we get in position, perhaps we'll have to take and hold it
ourselves.
austria -- ok. i'm glad you chose the way you did, sorry for the previous
rant. however, i would ask that, in addition to tunis for sevastapol, that
we dmz albania & serbia. my fleets will not be a threat to you; however, i
would prefer that your armies head northward; rumania's acceptable, of
course, i just would prefer not having to worry about any other of your
armies.
now, as for the coming spring: i suggest moving tyrrhenian sea to west
med, and albania to adriatic. i will move into ionian sea. in the east,
i'll support myself to sevastapol; you support yourself to ukraine, and
move serbia - rumania.
thus, in the fall, if i am definitely able to take tunis (which i should be
able to do, i believe, but is not definite), i will back out of sevastapol
and support you into it. and you will definitely be able to take warsaw,
as well.
is this agreeable?
Heidy-Ho, neighbors. I was beginning to think that some of you were going
to have to be replaced; kind of sad, for a "Top of the Dip Knights" game,
don't you think?
Anyway, where were we? Oh, yes. Winter, 1906.
Austria:
Finally chooses an ally. And starts to look like the top pick to win this
thing. I like that you finally chose someone; your back-and-forth was
getting to be a bit much. However, asking Turkey for Sevastapol in
exchange for Tunis? That's some cajones grande. Turkey's sitting at
5-will-be-6 (after taking Sevastapol or Tunis) you're at 9-will-be-11
centers (after taking Warsaw & Moscow, and however the Sevastapol thing
comes out). That's the entire 17 center eastern half, and you're at a 2:1
advantage over your "ally?" Hope Turkey doesn't wake up and realize he's
being shafted. (Oops, did I say that? :) Me, I'd offer Tunis and Naples
to Turkey without cost, period, in exchange for his building nothing but
fleets. 9 to 8 split, yes, which might not be to your favour, but he'll be
able to blockade England (or France? yeah, right) out of the Med, and
you'll be much more easy-minded, knowing that he won't be able to touch you
at all (and vice versa, I'm sure), nor will he be in the mind to, since
you're actually keeping things even, instead of lopsided. But that's your
funeral.
England:
Options are beginning to narrow. The whole Austria-Turkey thing limits you
greatly, because they'll have 16 of the 17 southeastern centers locked up
by the end of next year, no matter how much help you give Russia. So what
to do, what to do...
Make peace (if possible) with France; his moves last turn were rather
innocuous, and as long as your southern fleet is busy against the Med
Fleet, France shouldn't be too concerned. Help Germany to re-grow at
Russia's expense; nothing to be gained by keeping the gentle giant alive,
since he won't be able to keep himself alive anymore, and you need
Germany's central home centers to build. Get the stalemate lines enforced,
and maybe Austria and Turkey will turn on each other yet again; hell, look
at how often the two have been at war already this game, it's just a matter
of time.
Or you can go for the win. But France & Germany won't go down without a
fight, and Russia will -- except not in your favour -- and Austria will get
the jump.
France:
Where you go from here is up to you; you're the kingmaker in this equation.
Whoever you fight now -- Austria or England -- the other will gain as a
result. So the question isn't who should you fight, since either way
doesn't help you.... but who's willing to offer more to you, in exchange
for your assistance? How much are you worth to England, or Austria? They
need to pony up to the auction block, and let the highest bidder win.
Don't let yourself get walked on, just because you have to fight someone.
You don't; you can just sit and let them both fight it out elsewhere....
Germany:
You stay alive. Well done. Maybe you can convince England that you're
more valuable than Russia? I'd think so, if I were him.
Italy:
Good riddance.
Russia:
Once again you're silent. Once again you get attacked, primarily because
you're silent. Once again your tactics are ineffectual and entropic; you
can't win without action. And now you probably can't win.
So what do you do? Speak up! Act! Turkey and Austria are in an uneasy
alliance not because they need each other, so much as because they both
needed you and you failed them miserably. England can't save you forever;
and perhaps, he won't. After all, Germany's still around, and is much more
capable and vocal.
So either speak up, or go silent into that cold night.
Turkey:
I can only think of Fool's Gold. Or maybe Zirconium. Yes, it -- the
Austrian offer -- looks pretty, and sure its nice, but is it worth the
paper its written on? As pointed out previously, he has a 2:1 advantage
over you, with the split as it is now. If you agree to this, he wins. If
you don't, and he agrees to let you even up, then nobody wins, and it's a
3-way draw between England and Austria (or 4-way, if France gets a cut).
If you fight, it's an English win. Tough decision.
I guess its a matter of who deserves it. So, who deserves it? Austria, or
England? Or neither?
Overview:
Odds of winning:
2 to 1: Austria
4 to 1: AEFT Draw
17 to 3: AET Draw
17 to 3: England
19 to 1: AT Draw
19 to 1: AE Draw
49 to 1: Turkey
49 to 1: France
32 to 1: Other outcome
New contest:
Alright. We know who the players are, and we know who the countries are.
So, who am I? Which country, and which player?
Send your picks to the GM, with your reasonings for both. After the game's
over, the most accurate picks (tiebreaker: most accurate reasons) will
win... I don't know yet. I'll figure out something.