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Message from Russia to Italy
> When did we start sharing a brain.
My friends and family have said for ages that I'm working with only half a
brain. It's good to know where the rest has been all this time. :)
--- Eric
Message from Germany to Russia
Well if TF are sounding pro Russian then it would be great if you could get
AEG - ION supported by TUN. Build on the anti english inclination of France
and on the possibility of supporting Turkey into GRE in the fall.
I am guessing that Ben will leave STP for next year. He will not want to
upset you this year as you could make life difficult around KIE/BER. Going
by his builds he is fully concentrated on France this year. No doubt a
convoy to PIC and HOL. I dont see him convoying to NWY and pushing NWY to
BAR and BAL - BOT this year. Next year yes but not this year.
TUN will no doubt be the 18th sc. I dont see Ben risking having to fight you
and France right now. He will pick his time.
Question is what do you do. Concentrate on VEN or GRE?
I am in two minds about this. On the one hand getting close or over the
stalemate line in PIE is interesting for later. On the other hand this is
always an option as there is little to stop you doing so.
You need to ensure your fleets are in TYS/ION or at least ION when the time
comes. It may even be worthwhile going for BUR and PIE and pushing SIL and
WAR into MUN and SIL.
This gives you a shot at PAR, MAR in the fall. A quick gain which also slows
Ben down eventually is good by any means. Its a gamble but may pay off. Any
build gained outside of the 18 sc's needed is always good.
The other option is go for PIE and push mun - tyr, sil - mun, war - sil.
The former is more agressive (which I always prefer) and may lead to
interesting results.
Your builds this year are certain, definitely two. You need to set yourself
up for the stab at a solo.
What are the chances of Italy pushing ION - ADR and just giving up on SMY?
Wether or not you manage to get aeg - ion supported by tun I would still
probably go for ;
con - smy supported by arm
bul - con
rum - ser
sev - rum
Or you could support aeg in place and move arm - smy supported by aeg with
promise of support into gre in the fall for aeg. In this case I would move ;
con s aeg
arm - smy supported by aeg
bul - bla
rum - ser
sev - rum
Then that leaves you with the choice around ven;
tyr - pie
mun - tyr supported by tri
sil - mun
war - sil
I really do like the move on bur & pie. The last choice is war - lvn to get
three on stp.
In that case i would then move stp - fin, mos - stp, war - lvn. This keeps
Ben wondering what to do. Defend NWY & SWE. Either way it ties down 3 of his
units at least. But as stated earlier I dont think he will look north this
turn. Which way are you leaning. Look forward tto hearing from you.
Message from England to Italy
Andy -
I worry the French removals are an invitation for Russia to enter BUR. I'm
glad I built the armies. . .
What do you make of (a) that, (b) the builds generally, and (c) the A SEV?
I was surprised it wasn't a fleet. . .
Ben
Message from Russia to Germany
Tony,
Great tactical summary. Turkey offered Aeg, so I expected that. I had already
suggested Aeg-Ion, but haven't heard from France yet whether he'd be willing
to support it.
France had sent me a note saying that if I could come up with a way to solo,
he'd consider helping me to spite Ben. I suggested he keep Mar, which would
allow Mun-Bur-Par/Mar, Tyl S Mar-Pie followed by Pie/Tri-Ven. He disbanded
both Mar and Bur, so I don't know if that's meant as an invitation or not. I
think in this case if I can get into Bur that's best: it allows me to either
take Ven or Mar in the Fall (Bur-Mar, Tyl S Tri-Ven, and one has to succeed).
Jason's fleet is in much better shape than any of mine, and I've offered that
if we can get him in position to take Gre, I'll support him there. If not,
then I'm willing to leave Ank unclaimed. So that means that I only have one
guaranteed build (from Smy).
In the north I was thinking of StP-Nwy in Spring just in case he convoys to
Scandinavia, then if I'm feeling gutsy I'll leave StP open (StP-Fin, Mos H or
Mos-StP if I think Nwy-StP is coming). This would allow a northern fleet
build (StP/sc), which should would allow me to pressure Nwy, Swe, and Ber
with lots of flexibility. I'm not going to actually gain a lot there, but as
you point out, any beyond the necessary 18 are nice.
As I see it, I have 12, plus Gre, Ank and Smy is 15. To get to 18 I would
need just 3 more. The most likely are Ber, Mar, Ven, followed by Par (if Erik
is throwing), Rom (If Turkey threatens Nap), Spa, and maybe Swe if I'm lucky
(if I can get two fleets into StP that's possible). But I'd be feeling a lot
more confident about Mar and Ven if Erik had kept a unit in Mar as I
requested. I know he's upset with Ben, but I don't know what his thinking is
on how he's going to proceed.
If this fails, then the likely results seem to be: (1) Andy throws to Ben
(since I may not be able to get to Tun in time), (2) and REI 3way, or maybe
(3) an ER two way, with me holding Ber/Mun and Italy, but that's sketchy (an
E solo with Andy throwing to Ben is more likely).
I agree with you that aggressive is the way to go. We just have to see if I
have the nerve to go that "all out", given my naturally conservative style.
:)
--- Eric
Message from Italy to Turkey
Jason,
Do you want to be in BUL, I will support you in.
Let me know
Message from Italy to England
> I worry the French removals are an invitation for Russia to enter BUR. I'm
> glad I built the armies. . .
>
> What do you make of (a) that,
Its more of an invite to you....
(b) the builds generally,
I have no idea what Jason is doing but it sure doesnt lok good to me.
and (c) the A SEV?
I am too, but I guess he believed me when I told him *no hard feeligns*
Message from Russia to Italy
> Turkey: Removes the fleet in the Black Sea.
> Turkey: Removes the army in Ankara.
What did you do to this guy? :)
--- Eric
Message from Italy to Russia
>
> > Turkey: Removes the fleet in the Black Sea.
> > Turkey: Removes the army in Ankara.
>
> What did you do to this guy? :)
Not sure, but I have a plan for how to get rid of him.
I have offered to support him to BUL(SC)
If he accepts, I will support him there, and move to CON, supporting
myself to BUL(SC) in the fall
If he doesnt, it gets trickier, , but I know we can work out a plan for
keeping all our dots.
Andy
Message from Russia to France
Erik,
Is that an invitation to occupy Bur? I assume it would be helpful for you to
have me situated there whether or not you want me to take dots. I'm still not
clear whether you want an R-solo, have a plan to get into a draw or are
trying to stay around as long as possible.
Let me know what you're thinking.
--- Eric
Message from Russia to Italy
> I have offered to support him to BUL(SC)
>
> If he accepts, I will support him there, and move to CON, supporting
> myself to BUL(SC) in the fall
So are you thinking I move to Aeg and Bla then? There's not many places for
me to move to get out of the way of that moveset without significant
retrograde motion.
--- Eric
Message from Italy to Russia
>
> > I have offered to support him to BUL(SC)
> >
> > If he accepts, I will support him there, and move to CON, supporting
> > myself to BUL(SC) in the fall
>
> So are you thinking I move to Aeg and Bla then? There's not many places for
> me to move to get out of the way of that moveset without significant
> retrograde motion.
Move RUM north so you have a retreat path from BUL, move CON - ANK for the
dot.
Message from Turkey to Russia
Fair enough. Any preferences for spring? As you say, you have enough to
take Smy.
jason
Message from Turkey to Italy
Actually, I'd prefer Smy. :-)
Do you have enough supports for Bul? I'm not sure if Russia will cover
it or not.
jason
Message from Russia to Turkey
Well, Andy tells me he's trying to convince you to go to Bul(sc). That is a
way to ensure that you get a center if you want to go there, but I think he
really wants you there to ensure that Ion is safe (and to slow me down some).
He claims to me that he'll eliminate you in Fall if you go there, though I
don't know if that's the case. He may actually ask you to support him to Con.
I'd say if you want him to feel pain (those were your words, I believe) then
you should move Aeg-Ion -- and maybe even see if if you can convince France
to support you. I'm not at all clear what Erik's motivation is, so I don't
know if he'll actually help you, but the two of you could cause him a lot of
trouble if you get together. And if you are in Ion, then Andy can't support
Ben into Tun. So that seems like a win-win for the two of you.
What do you think?
--- Eric
Message from England to England
My question right now is, what should I write Erik, if anything. I've begun & decided not to send several letters already, plus the pointless one I *did* send.
I'd appreciate some input on this point, as it's been gnawing at me for awhile now.
Ben
Message from Italy to Turkey
> Actually, I'd prefer Smy. :-)
I understand that, but I dont have a support into Smy..:-)
> Do you have enough supports for Bul? I'm not sure if Russia will cover
> it or not.
Im pretty sure he wont be supporting it. Hence my offer.
Message from Russia to Italy
Andy,
Realistically, I believe that we are going to end in a 3way RIE draw, but I'd
like to keep the faint hope of a solo alive by keeping my units somewhere
within sight of the Med. My concern with the vacating of Con and Bul (going
north and east) is that it is going completely "turtle".
I was looking to get you builds, since the highest probability outcomes say
that I'll need your fleets around to defend the Med, but at the same time I'm
not trying to be 100% carebear in getting to the three way. That's why I was
looking to get you Bul(sc) without having you pass through Con. So frankly,
I'd rather not retreat from Con.
--- Eric
Message from Italy to Russia
Eric,
> Realistically, I believe that we are going to end in a 3way RIE draw, but I'd
> like to keep the faint hope of a solo alive by keeping my units somewhere
> within sight of the Med. My concern with the vacating of Con and Bul (going
> north and east) is that it is going completely "turtle".
Well...something has to take Ankara....
And I figured RUM (not Bul) would be going north anyway.
> I was looking to get you builds, since the highest probability outcomes say
> that I'll need your fleets around to defend the Med, but at the same time I'm
> not trying to be 100% carebear in getting to the three way. That's why I was
> looking to get you Bul(sc) without having you pass through Con. So frankly,
> I'd rather not retreat from Con.
Ok. Then please outline a plan to me that protects my existing dots.
If I kick him out of AEG, he retreats to the ION, where he touches 2 of my
dots as well. I could move the army in rome down to cover, but then I cant
build there.
But hell...I guess that is the plan, if you dont want to let me pass
through Con, we can standoff in SMY in the fall if he retreats to EAS
Andy
Message from Turkey to Italy
That's fine then, Bul will suffice. Hopefully I can hang in there
through the fall.
jason
Message from Turkey to Russia
Well, a move to Ion is an option, but it doesn't give me a center to
replace Ank. I understand you're talking about leaving it alone, but
that's a big risk for me.
I don't support you can get me into Gre in the fall with A Rum?
Obviously, I'd have to get Ion out of the way, first.
jason
Message from Turkey to France
Since I've now been kicked out of my home territory, I don't suppose you
could use an extra unit to occupy Italy's centers? If you could support
me into Ion from Tun, I'd be more than glad to help you out.
jason
Message from Italy to Russia
Eric,
Jason has accepted my offer of support to BUL.
Whose plan are we working with, yours or mine
Andy
Message from Italy to Russia
The primary reason I want to use my plan...is because it looks like we are
fighting.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times
to spit on his hands, hoist the skull and
crossbones, and begin slitting throats"
- H.L.Menken
Message from Russia to Turkey
> Well, a move to Ion is an option, but it doesn't give me a center to
> replace Ank. I understand you're talking about leaving it alone, but
> that's a big risk for me.
True, though if I wanted to eliminate you it would be easy, even if you
wanted to work with Andy. I'm more interested in having an extra fleet than
getting the center because it would take me three seasons to get a new fleet
as far advanced as yours is.
> I don't support you can get me into Gre in the fall with A Rum?
> Obviously, I'd have to get Ion out of the way, first.
I can help you get into Gre in Fall whether you are in Bul(sc), Aeg or Ion. I
really do mean it when I say it's okay for you to take Bul (sc) if that's
what you prefer -- let me know and I'll ensure that it succeeds for you. I
agree that it makes things easier overall, because then I can take Ank and
you are still assured a center. If you feel better with that plan, I'm happy
to go with it.
--- Eric
Message from Italy to Turkey
>
> That's fine then, Bul will suffice. Hopefully I can hang in there
> through the fall.
We are on then...I support you to BUL(SC)
Message from Russia to France
Hey Erik,
I'd really appreciate hearing what your thinking is, even if it's just to
tell me to bug off. I don't want to press forward (e.g., move to Bur) if it's
going to tick you off.
Please drop a line if you get a chance.
Thanks,
--- Eric
Message from France to Russia
Ack. Deadline already. I'm going to pay a price for having a stressful job,
and clearly it's going to be on the Dip board.
I would rather you *didn't* attack Burgundy, to be honest. England may not
be hitting me any more, so you would do well to prepare for another shift
in his direction.
I am debating what to do in the South -- turn and try to hit Andy or focus
on England. Last minute thoughts?
Erik
Message from France to England
Are you serious about backing off? Obviously, I take nothing you say at
face value, but I'm curious if I should be watching for that sort of move
next turn. If I see it, I may be convinced to stop hopelessly sending
everything I have in your direction.
Erik
Message from France to Turkey
Jason:
Certainly, the support would be appreciated. Might as well try to grab what
I can.
Erik
Message from England to France
Erik -
It is excellent to hear from you.
> Obviously, I take nothing you say at
> face value,
*Really*? Why's that? ;o)
> but I'm curious if I should
> be watching for that sort of move
> next turn.
Bounce me in POR, if you don't mind. I can't pull back from MAO right now.
You need to maintain your defensive position against Andy anyway - I think
the bounce serves us both.
I will be curious later to see why you disbanded as you did. Do send at
least one army at BUR, please. I will leave it up to you - don't tell me
your plan.
Ben
Message from France to England
> Bounce me in POR, if you don't mind. I can't pull back from MAO right
> now.
I can live with that, and you're right about Andy. It's on.
>
> You need to maintain your defensive position against Andy anyway - I
> think
> the bounce serves us both.
>
> I will be curious later to see why you disbanded as you did.
Let's chalk it up to posturing. Thanks for the tip about Bur. We'll talk
more next season.
Erik
Message from England to France
Erik -
I will order MAO - POR and BRE - PAR. That should work nicely, and
preserve the appearance of conflict.
Ben
Message from Observer to Observer
Wow it's been a long time since I last posted some power rankings.
That was S1903M on November 19th.
The power rankings back then:
S1903M
11/19/2003
1. Russia - 7
2. France - 6
--------------
3. Turkey - 4
4. Italy - 5
5. England - 3
6. Germany - 5
7. Austria - 4
Things have changed a bit since then.
The current power rankings:
S1909M
03/04/2004
1. England - 11
2. Russia - 12
----------------
3. Italy - 5
----------------
4. France - 5
5. Turkey - 1
----------------
6. Austria - 0
7. Germany - 0
1. England -
I ranked him first because I think his chances of soloing are slightly
higher than Russia's. Not by much, though. Most of his solo chances
are gone now since he didn't invade Russia.
He needs to take St Petersburg soon to keep Russia from soloing. Here
are the moves I suggest for the spring:
f nwy -> bar
a edi -> nth -> nwy
a lon -> eng -> pic sb bel
a kie -> mun
f mao h
Then in the fall he moves to Finland and his North Sea fleet to
Norway. He takes StP in 1910.
2. Russia -
If I were Russia, I wouldn't even consider not attacking Italy. He
does need to use that Turkish fleet. I'd also look to put some
pressure on England.
Here are my suggested moves:
a stp -> nwy (or maybe fin)
a sev -> rum
a rum -> ser
f bul -> con
f con -> smy sb a ank
a tri -> ven sb a tyr
a mun, a sil & a war either advance to ruh, bur or kie
These moves get his fleets out in the Med. and net him two centers
this year (one if Turkey gets stuck in Bul).
3. Italy -
Italy has the best shot to be the third power in a draw, but he
suffers from having widely disparate centers with units that cannot
support each other. Smyrna is a goner, Greece will soon follow.
Perhaps he should do this:
f gre -> ion
f ion -> tys
f smy -> aeg
If Turkey moves to Bul, then f smy covers Greece. The other two try to
retake Tunis. The problem is that without f gre's support, there's no
reason to expect Turkey to take Bul. Also, France will probably have
support for Tunis. But, with the loss of Smyrna and Greece just being
a matter of time, I'm not sure there's much downside to taking this
chance.
4. France -
I thought France started out pretty well, but then he went silent. If
it weren't for that silence, he might have been able to avert
England's stab.
5. Turkey -
He lives at Russia's discretion. He should try to find a way to take
Tunis. That's his only way to survive to a draw. With only one unit,
it's hard to see how he'd take it, but in his shoes, I'd give it a try.
Greg
Message from Turkey to Russia
Heading for Bul, sorry this is so late.
Message from England to all
Oops!
Orders in correctly now.
Ben
Message from Observer to Observer
Bit late to respond to this but there we go.
Ben wrote:
*****
My question right now is, what should I write Erik, if anything. I've begun
& decided not to send several letters already, plus the pointless one I
*did* send.
I'd appreciate some input on this point, as it's been gnawing at me for
awhile now.
*****
Well we have now seen that Ben is obtaining some response, and it appears
that there may be some tacit co-operation taking place. Haven't seen the
moves yet, though.
How to maintain communication with someone you have just stabbed is one of
the toughest parts of the game, in my view, and not something I consider
myself particularly good at. I guess we saw Eric do this a little previously
in his discussions with Philippe. One tactic I have tried (with very limited
success) is trying to enter into discussion about the game in general, or
life in general, or anything else you can click with the opponent on.
Actually, this is something that Ben is generally very good at, with little
gags or quips that prompt discussion without the opponent necessarily
realising it!
Alastair
(enjoying a break from the vtgroup arguments over the VGFP format)
Message from England to Italy
Andy -
So, I have the next week and a half or so off.
*yawn*
I wonder where Eric got to?
What the heck did you do to Jason that he is playing like this?
Ben
Message from Italy to England
Ben,
>
> I wonder where Eric got to?
I suspect something happened to his connectivity in the moves between
houses.
> What the heck did you do to Jason that he is playing like this?
Not a clue....
Message from Russia to all
Ack!
Sincere apologies for the long delay (esp. without getting an extension
request in): moving blah blah busy. I'll save you the excuses. :)
I'll try to get press out soon, but I'll wait until I see the results to
send anything. (Which means it may still be a day or so.)
--- Eric
England: Fleet Baltic Sea SUPPORT Fleet Berlin
England: Army Belgium → Ruhr
England: Fleet Berlin SUPPORT Fleet Baltic Sea (*cut*)
England: Army Brest → Paris (*bounce*)
England: Army Edinburgh → North Sea → Norway (*bounce*)
England: Fleet English Channel CONVOY Army London → Belgium
England: Army Kiel SUPPORT Army Belgium → Ruhr
England: Army London → English Channel → Belgium
England: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean → Portugal (*bounce*)
England: Fleet North Sea CONVOY Army Edinburgh → Norway
England: Fleet Norway → Barents Sea
France: Army Gascony → Burgundy
France: Army Picardy → Paris (*bounce*)
France: Fleet Spain (south coast) → Portugal (*bounce*)
France: Fleet Tunis HOLD
France: Fleet Western Mediterranean → Mid-Atlantic Ocean (*bounce*)
Italy: Fleet Greece → Aegean Sea
Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea SUPPORT French Fleet Tunis
Italy: Army Rome SUPPORT Army Venice
Italy: Fleet Smyrna SUPPORT Fleet Greece → Aegean Sea
Italy: Army Venice HOLD
Russia: Army Armenia → Ankara
Russia: Fleet Bulgaria (east coast) → Constantinople (*bounce*)
Russia: Fleet Constantinople → Aegean Sea (*bounce*)
Russia: Army Moscow → Livonia
Russia: Army Munich HOLD
Russia: Army Rumania → Serbia
Russia: Army Sevastopol → Moscow
Russia: Army Silesia → Berlin (*bounce*)
Russia: Army St Petersburg → Norway (*bounce*)
Russia: Army Trieste → Venice (*bounce*)
Russia: Army Tyrolia → Venice (*bounce*)
Russia: Army Warsaw → Silesia (*bounce*)
Turkey: Fleet Aegean Sea → Bulgaria (south coast) (*bounce, dislodged*)
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