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Austria: Army Galicia can retreat to Silesia or Ukraine or Vienna
Turkey: Army Smyrna can retreat to Ankara or Armenia or Constantinople or Syria
Message from Austria to Turkey
OK, you now own Greece (as we had earlier agreed you would :-). And you have
your build. Russia is down to 3 SCs.
Note that, had you used Rum to support Bla-Sev instead, you'd have two
builds instead of one, and be in excellent shape, instead of merely good
shape; if you had ordered Bla s Rum-Sev instead, you would still be in
better shape than you are now.
Tamara, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from France to all
Tour de France Stage 18&19 Results:
Due to technical difficulties with the communication
system, yesterday's stage update had to be delayed. This
report covers two stages.
Stage 18
Lance Armstrong not only protected his lead but extended
during Friday's time trial. Lance is headed to Paris in
style by winning another stage. This extend England's
lead and with the Yellow Jersey all but wrapped up, he is
sure to win the game.
Stage 19
Erik Zabel improved his bid to win a record
sixth-straight green jersey as the best sprinter of the
Tour de France. He won both the stage and the
intermediate sprint and cut O'Grady's lead to just two
points leading into the final stage. The final sprint
into Paris will surely decide the matter. Zabel should
be considered the favorite. This puts Germany in second
place in points and with the Green Jersey points to
follow, he is sure to take a strong second to England.
Is this a sign of things to come in the real game?
Also, the Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountain) will go
to Jalabert of CSC. This should place Turkey in third
place in the TdF game.
Official Tally:
Austria (Domo-Farm Frites): 0 points
England (USPS): 40 points
France (Festina): 10 points
Germany (Telekom): 30 points
Italy (Fassa Bortolo): 10 points
Russia (Robobank): 20 points
Turkey (CSC): 20 points
Doug (O.N.C.E.): 0 points
Selected Standings:
1. Lance Armstrong (USP) 82 hours, 20 minutes, 00 seconds
2. Jan Ullrich (TEL) @ 6 minutes, 44 seconds
3. Joseba Beloki (ONC) @ 9:05
Green Jersey:
1. Stuart O'Grady (C.A.) 212 points
2. Erik Zabel (TEL) 210
Polka Dot Jersey:
1. Laurent Jalabert (CSC) 257 points
2. Jan Ullrich (TEL) 211
-- Prince Boar
Message from Germany to Turkey
Ali:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you build one? Way to go.
And Austria doesn't get to build. While I'm sitting in BOH. Maybe we
have something to talk about.
And I figured that you are the last person I'd be in serious
negotiations with.
Maybe now Austria will talk to me. I haven't heard from him since the
opening.
Fredd
Message from France to Turkey
Ali Baba:
Congratulations on turning around your fortunes. An
excellent guess on your part, or rather a bad guess on
Austria's part. I think that you saved your life. Of
course that probably will cost me mine. Can you send
some magic or words of wisdom to me?
How about predicting what England might do?
-- Prince Boar
Message from Russia to Turkey
My Good Ali,
> Movement results for Fall of 1902. (titleist.005)
> Austria: Army Ukraine -> Warsaw.
> Austria: Army Galicia SUPPORT Army Ukraine -> Warsaw. (*dislodged*)
It figures that I gave Ferdie too much credit. Of his three possible
attacks,
this one was the worst for him, unless he expected us to dislodge Gal
> Germany: Army Munich -> Bohemia.
He claims this is pro-Russian, but we'll see, I guess.
> Italy: Army Tyrolia HOLD.
German Army in Boh, Italian Army in Tyl, Russian Army in Gal, Turkish
Armies in Rum and Gre, with Vie and Tri open and no Austrian builds...
I'm going to enjoy writing to Austria this turn. 8-)
> The following units were dislodged:
>
> The Austrian Army in Galicia can retreat to Ukraine or Vienna or Silesia.
Hmmm, my first reaction was, "Damn, he can retreat to Ukr, I'm doomed!",
but the situation in Austria just may force him to cover Vie.
> The Turkish Army in Smyrna can retreat to Constantinople or Ankara or
> Armenia.
Retreating to Ank and building in Con, seems obvious, but I'm probably
going to disband F Sev, so you might want to consider Arm. I haven't
thought
this through yet, though.
In Alliance,
Czar Nicholas II.
Message from France to all
Tour de France Stage 20 and Final Results:
Lance Armstrong rode into Paris, wearing the Yellow
Jersey on the final stage. This is his third Tour de
France victory in as many years. Jan Svorada of team
Lampre won today's stage. The Green Jersey goes to Erik
Zabel of Telekom and the Polka Dot Jersey to Laurent
Jalabert of CSC World something or other. At least each
Jersey was won by a team representing one of our great
powers in Europe. Of the 20 stages and the Prologue, 13
were won by our teams.
England wins the game the Grand Prize of having Ivy
Wingo's sister get a date with the Dauphin. Knowing that
the relations between England and France are a bit shaky
right now, we will allow Ivy to escort his sister
throughout the evening. Do not worry, you will be
perfectly safe in France. Our word is as good as yours.
Second Place goes to Germany. He wins the prize of
having the Dauphin call his sister and wish her well.
Turkey, in third place gets an autographed picture of the
Dauphin with Lance Armstrong. The autograph is the
Dauphin's not Lance's.
I truly thank everyone fror playing and putting up with
my game. I especially appreciate those who made
references to it during Titleist. Personally, I am
looking forward to the break from reporting on it. :-)
Final Tally:
England (USPS): 90 points
Germany (Telekom): 50 points
Turkey (CSC): 40 points
Russia (Robobank): 20 points
France (Festina): 10 points
Italy (Fassa Bortolo): 10 points
Austria (Domo-Farm Frites): 0 points
Doug (O.N.C.E.): 0 points
-- Prince Boar
Message from Russia to all
> Tour de France Stage 20 and Final Results:
> Final Tally:
> England (USPS): 90 points
> Germany (Telekom): 50 points
> Turkey (CSC): 40 points
> Russia (Robobank): 20 points
110 points for Union Riders! More than twice the total of any non-union
team. Go Union!
V.I. Lenin.
European Economic Union Steward for Russia.
Message [from Austria] to all
> Final Tally:
> England (USPS): 90 points
> Germany (Telekom): 50 points
> Turkey (CSC): 40 points
> Russia (Robobank): 20 points
110 points for Union Riders! More than twice the total of any non-union
team. Go Union!
And Russia is the least of the Union. C'est dommage.
Message from Russia to all
> > Final Tally:
> > England (USPS): 90 points
> > Russia (Robobank): 20 points
>
> > 110 points for Union Riders! More than twice the total of any
> > non-union team. Go Union!
>
> And Russia is the least of the Union. C'est dommage.
Russia merely leads the EEU from behind.
V. I. Lenin,
Hindmost (with thanks to Larry Niven)
Message from Master to all
I'd like to take a moment to encourage all the players to submit
"End of Year" statements by 'press to m', for use in the "Showcase"
of this game.
Doug
Message from England to Turkey
Ali,
That was some magic you pulled off there. Austria must be fuming.
I am reasonably confident that, now that he has Sweden, my German friend
will leave StP alone. At least as long as Russia can effectively help you
with Austria.
I am happy that the east will remain unresolved for a while, because it
will take two or three years just to win one supply center from
France. And that is assuming that everything goes my way.
Hang in there.
Ivy Wingo
Message from Italy to Russia and Turkey
Gentlemen,
I'm ready to abandon ship and change course. Austria has proven to be the
wrong choice in allies and I'm man enough to admit that I made a mistake.
If I can get a fair and reasonable offer from the two of you, I'll take it.
I hope our goal would be to slow down the growing EG alliance and to that
end I'm prepared to move my fleets to the Western Med. I'm sure we can gain
a partner in France and hopefully it's not too late for the four of us to
turn the tide in this game.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Russia to Turkey
My Good Ali,
***Please note that this is a private reply.***
Italy Wrote >
>Austria has proven to be the wrong choice in allies
>If I can get a fair and reasonable offer from the
>two of you, I'll take it.
We could offer him Trieste. *wink*
>I'm prepared to move my fleets to the Western Med.
This is good, except that it will get him there
the turn after England takes MAO.
>hopefully it's not too late for the four of us to
>turn the tide in this game.
Is Roberto sincere? It's hard to say, since he's
nearly as smooth as Ivy is. I suspect that he played
a large role in convincing you and Austria that bouncing
me out of Rum in '01 was a good idea, while he assuring
me that I could focus on the North. Is there any reason
for us to not go along with him, even if he's not sincere?
Not that I can see. You need to retreat to Con, and build
A Ank, anyway, and you can demand Smy-Alb, Tyl-Tri as the
price for your cooperation. If he does it, great, if he
doesn't, we haven't really lost anything that I can see.
What do you think?
In Alliance,
Nick.
Message from Turkey to Italy
Roberto,
Very good to hear from you. I am delighted at the content of your press; of
course I now look forward to the coming moves with great eagerness but also
trepidation. If you're on the level, then I'm ready to take up where we
left off. Naturally I'm a little gun-shy, and I'm sure you'll understand
that I have to see action before I can really commit. But if you attack
Austria in earnest in the spring, then I'll be solidly on board for a strong
IT.
> I'm ready to abandon ship and change course. Austria has proven to be the
> wrong choice in allies and I'm man enough to admit that I made a mistake.
> If I can get a fair and reasonable offer from the two of you, I'll take
it.
Naturally, my first concern is to regain Smyrna. I propose Smy-Alb, with
support from Gre, in the spring. If you can agree to this, then we can
arrange for the transfer of Greece to Italian authority. We had always said
Gre would go to you, and I'm still willing to abide by that if you'll return
control of Smy to me.
After that, I certainly see you in Trieste and Vienna at the least. Beyond
that, it will depend on how the battles turn out. Whatever happens, my
commitment is to see us both grow at an even rate, and for both of us to
keep as closely as possible to the same size.
> I hope our goal would be to slow down the growing EG alliance and to that
> end I'm prepared to move my fleets to the Western Med. I'm sure we can
gain
> a partner in France and hopefully it's not too late for the four of us to
> turn the tide in this game.
If you're serious about switching sides, then I've no doubt that we will
prevail against the center. You'll have your choice of either shoring up
France or attacking him. In the long run, a strong England would work well
for our IT, if England can be turned against Germany. If you want Russia
kept alive to work against EG, then I can be content to focus on Austria and
the Balkans for the near term. My point is, I'm very flexible on how to
work it, if in fact you're sincere.
My plan has been, naturally, to retreat Smy-Ank and build F Con. You had
said earlier that you could live with a Turkish fleet for defensive
purposes, and under the circumstances nothing else really makes sense.
However, I again give my commitment to henceforth build armies and attack
onland if you agree to join with me in alliance.
I eagerly await your reply,
Ali Baba
Message from Turkey to Italy
Roberto,
I've been looking at the board, and I have to admit that there are some
tactical advantages to my building another army instead of a fleet. I would
strongly consider it if you'll agree to build A Ven. That would give us an
early leg up on re-establishing trust even before the spring move.
Let me know what you think.
Ali Baba
Message from Turkey to Russia
Nick,
Sorry for the delay in my reply. I'm at work, so I must be brief. First, I
will be retreating to Ank, and I have no intention of attacking Sev.
Second, I agree we've nothing to lose by encouraging Roberto. I'm hesitant
to trust him, since I've already been fooled by him once. I'm encouraging
him to build A Ven and move Smy-Alb in the spring to prove his goodwill. I
think the best approach may be to promise him the moon with a fence around
it, combined with hints that we'll be at each other's throats as soon as
Austria's toast. Or, we can present a united front and invite him to join a
stable alliance. What do you think?
Ali
Message from Turkey to Russia
Nick,
One more thing. Due to obvious circumstances, I've been planning to build a
fleet in Con. Looking at the board, there may be some tactical advantages
to an army instead. If Italy really does switch sides, it would be far more
effective in attacking the Balkans and Austria, specifically by moving into
Bulgaria. Also, it may be a way to convince Italy to build A Ven, thereby
improving the chances he'll attack Austria in the spring.
Thoughts? Comments? I look forward to your reply.
Ali
Message from Turkey to Austria
Tamara,
> OK, you now own Greece (as we had earlier agreed you would :-). And you
have
> your build. Russia is down to 3 SCs.
Ah, so I take it then that you'll agree not to contest me in Greece, as per
our agreement? :-)
> Note that, had you used Rum to support Bla-Sev instead, you'd have two
> builds instead of one, and be in excellent shape, instead of merely good
> shape; if you had ordered Bla s Rum-Sev instead, you would still be in
> better shape than you are now.
Well, in the face of serious AI aggression, I didn't feel it was prudent to
attack my only neighbor who wasn't attacking me. If you want me to move
anti-Russian, I will in a heartbeat; all you have to do is support me back
to Smyrna, and you can name your terms.
Ali Baba
Message from Turkey to England
Ivy,
Thanks for your words of encouragement. I hope Germany does back off of
Russia, for the time being at least. Otherwise, AI are going to have their
way with me and Russia. I got in a lucky guess, but I don't have any way to
support it and I'm still on very shaky ground. Still, I have to say things
turned out for me as well as they could have, under the circumstances.
It looks to me as if you and Germany are about to tear France a new one. I
hope you can get through it quickly so Italy doesn't just have a cakewalk in
the Med. In any case, best of luck to you and let's stay in touch.
Ali
Message from Turkey to France
Prince Boar,
Thanks for your words of encouragement. I got in a lucky guess indeed.
Unfortunately I've no way to support my advances, and my only ally is
hard-hit; but all in all things went about as well as could be expected
under the circumstances.
Unfortunately I have no words of wisdom to offer regarding the west.
England is cordial, but he's spurned my suggestions that Germany might be a
better target for him. He's given me no indication of his intentions, other
than that he'll continue against France. However, he does seem a bit
discouraged about how long it might take to make gains against you. I'm
sure you've been illustrating to him the greater potential for English
growth in Scandinavia and Germany.
What is your relationship with the Italian? Perhaps if you put the fear of
EG into him, he'll realize his associations with Austria are not in his best
interest. Unfortunately my overtures to that effect seem to have fallen on
deaf ears, but it's worth trying.
In any case, best of luck to you and let's stay in touch.
Ali Baba
Message from Italy to Turkey
I've got to rush off to a meeting right now. I will respond later this
afternoon when I return.
Roberto
Message from Turkey to Germany
Freddy,
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you build one? Way to go.
> And Austria doesn't get to build. While I'm sitting in BOH. Maybe we
> have something to talk about.
Heheh thanks. I'm all ears!! I got lucky this time, but unless *somebody*
puts some pressure on Austria or Italy, I won't last long. If you can hit
the Austrian, then I should be able to stay alive, and we can combine our
efforts against both Austria and Russia, to our mutual benefit.
> And I figured that you are the last person I'd be in serious
> negotiations with.
Well, it's not so far-fetched really. If you can expand your influence to
the south, then there's a chance we could meet in the middle before too
long. Are you interested in such a campaign?
> Maybe now Austria will talk to me. I haven't heard from him since the
> opening.
Surprising. I'd have expected that he would be in close contact with you,
especially given his plans to move Italy's army through Tyr/Boh, clearly in
Germany's sphere of influence.
How is your relationship with Italy? Any chance he can be turned?
Regards,
Ali
Message from Russia to Italy and Turkey
Gentlemen,
If we're going to go with FIT vs. A(G(E)), and
I think we should, I would reccomend that Turkey
build an Army, and Italy build F Nap. While A Ven
is tempting, it would panic Austria, and since I
imagine that Ali will insist on Smy-EMed-Ion-Alb,
Italy needs to build a Fleet in Nap to send to TyS
while the Convoy is being made. The Fleet will
also reassure Austria that Italy is loyal, allowing
a Spring surprise.
In Haste,
Nick.
Message from Austria to Turkey
> Well, in the face of serious AI aggression, I didn't feel it was prudent
> to attack my only neighbor who wasn't attacking me. If you want me to
> move anti-Russian, I will in a heartbeat; all you have to do is support me
> back to Smyrna, and you can name your terms.
You were/are facing Italian aggression, not AI aggression.
Smyrna is of course your home center, and would be yours in any AT alliance.
But the eternal question of who stabs their ally first, who walks the
tightrope without a net, is not easy to answer. The Archduke believes it
should be you, because you have both the most to gain and the least to lose.
Your grab of Sev will gain you a build, and Russia is neither vital to your
defense nor able to greatly harm you. Your defensive lines are
well-constructed, and will not fall to a simple assault, and in fact as part
of an AT alliance, would be impervious once the Russian fleet is destroyed.
Austria, on the other hand, is incapable of taking an Italian center and
vulnerable to not only Italy and Russia but also Germany.
Is there any hope available that we can resume our stillborn cooperation?
Tamara, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Russia to Turkey
>Message from Turkey to Russia in 'titleist':
>
>I'm hesitant to trust him, since I've already been
>fooled by him once. I'm encouraging him to build A Ven and move Smy-Alb in
>the spring
As I said in my previous note, if our intention
is to stop England from breaking into the Med, he
needs to build a Fleet if he's going to also convoy
Smy-Alb. Another Fleet does him no real good if he's
going to attack you, building A Nap and convoying to
Syr would be much more effective, so I think it will
be ok. Given F EMed, F Aeg, F Ion, I'm not sure that
a second Fleet would do you that much good if AI
continue their attack, anyway.
>I think the best approach may be to [...] hint that
>we'll be at each other's throats as soon as Austria's
>toast. Or, we can present a united front and invite
>him to join a stable alliance. What do you think?
Considering how smooth he is, I think we would
be much better off working out any minor differences
we have privately, and presenting an absolutely unified
front to Roberto. I'm concerned that he will use the
smallest crack to drive a wedge between us.
In Alliance,
Nick.
Message from Russia to Italy and Turkey
Gentlemen,
I tried sending this from the web, but it seems to
have gotten lost in the ether. So, if you get a similar
letter, I apologize.
Let's go with FIRT vs. AGE. I'd recommend that Ali
build an Army, while Roberto builds F Nap. Then this Spring,
Roberto will move Nap-TyS, Tyl-Tri, Smy-EMed-Ion-Alb. The
Italian Fleet won't tip off Austria, and is needed to defend
against an English incursion into the Med. Working together
we ought to be able to take four Austrian Centers this year,
if we set him up properly.
In Haste, and Alliance,
Nick.
Message from Italy to Turkey
>
> I've been looking at the board, and I have to admit that
> there are some tactical advantages to my building another
> army instead of a fleet. I would strongly consider it if
> you'll agree to build A Ven. That would give us an
> early leg up on re-establishing trust even before the
> spring move.
>
I was actually seriously considering building a fleet in Rome and heading
for the West Med. Would that help re-establish trust? I can ill afford
England free access to the Western Med or else whatever happens out east
would be a moot point.
Roberto
Message from Italy to Turkey
>
> Very good to hear from you. I am delighted at the content of
> your press; of course I now look forward to the coming moves
> with great eagerness but also trepidation. If you're on the
> level, then I'm ready to take up where we left off. Naturally
> I'm a little gun-shy, and I'm sure you'll understand that I
> have to see action before I can really commit. But if you
> attack Austria in earnest in the spring, then I'll be solidly
> on board for a strong IT.
>
I completely understand your trepidation. I would have the same feelings
were I in your shoes. My actions this coming year will speak much louder
than any words could right now.
>
> Naturally, my first concern is to regain Smyrna.
>
As I expected.
> I propose Smy-Alb, with support from Gre, in the spring.
This looks acceptable at the moment. Not even sure I'd need Greece to
support depending on what Austria wants. I'm expecting him to ask me to
support him to Greece in return for the support into Smyrna.
> If you can agree to this, then we can
> arrange for the transfer of Greece to Italian authority.
>
Yes, I can ill-afford to pull a unit at this point so I would need something
to replace the Smyrna center.
> Whatever happens, my commitment is to see us both grow at
> an even rate, and for both of us to
> keep as closely as possible to the same size.
>
I find it somewhat ironic that, even though I took Smyrna from you, the
above sentence still holds true - we grew at an even rate and are the same
size.
>
> If you want Russia kept alive to work against EG, then I can
> be content to focus on Austria and
> the Balkans for the near term.
At first glance, I would tend to think Russia might be of some use to us in
the short-term against Germany. Depends on what unit he pulls this winter
(I'm hoping for SEV as I'm sure you are as well). If he gets in your way,
by all mean take him out.
>
> My plan has been, naturally, to retreat Smy-Ank and build F
> Con. You had said earlier that you could live with a Turkish
> fleet for defensive purposes, and under the circumstances
> nothing else really makes sense.
> However, I again give my commitment to henceforth build
> armies and attack
> onland if you agree to join with me in alliance.
>
I would prefer the army build but I won't quibble if you build a fleet.
We're going to need as many of your armies and my fleets as possible if
we're going to pull this off. I'm anticipating rapid EG growth in the next
few years and it could very well take the majority of our resources just to
stop them let alone try to make advances.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Turkey to Master
Turkey's "EOY" for 1902
Well, this has been an interesting ride so far. I began the game as I
always do, by searching among my neighbors for an ally. Austria made
encouraging noises about AT alliance, but it seemed patently insincere.
Russia and I had some discussions, mostly surrounding my suggestion of the
Slingshot, and his proposals for an alternate way to destroy his southern
fleet, but the talks didn't really go anywhere. Italy seemed the most
promising; he appeard to be genuinely considering IT, and in the end
personality won out (as is so often does for me), and I banked on Italian
friendship.
I had heard rumors that Russia and Austria were cozy, and while I don't pay
too much attention to such rumors early in the game, it became apparent that
they had a DMZ arrangement in Galicia. I began to get the feeling that
Russia didn't really care to lose his southern fleet, and that he may be
playing both sides against the middle in hopes of an IAR vs. T. I had
already proposed to Austria that I might open anti-Russian, and indeed
Austria proposed that he support me to Rum in the fall. I figured that
going along with it would improve chances of alliance with either Austria or
Italy, so I went with it. I also made sure lots of other people knew about
Austria's promises (including Italy), so that if Austria didn't come through
then his reputation would be tarnished.
But Austria came through, and Germany contested Sweden. I had had some
last-minute talks with Germany regarding anti-Russian intentions; I don't
know if that influenced the German decision or not, but at any rate Russia
was left buildless in the first year. After seeing Russia's attempt of
Sev-Rum, I was more convinced than ever that Russia was plotting a 3-way
against me, and that he intended to build in Sev to offset his northern
opening.
This is when I made my first mistake. I was working toward an IT alliance,
and Italy had agreed in no uncertain terms that he would not attack the
eastern Med if I built an army. I wrote to Austria, who surprisingly made
no objection about the army, so I built A Ank and planned to attack Russia.
I thought I could squeak out another move or two of Austrian cooperation
before joining Italy against him.
Unfortunately it didn't work out that way, and Italy ordered the Leponto.
Fortunately he had warned me of Gre-Aeg, so I abandoned my plan of Ank-Arm.
Meanwhile, Russia was eager for a friend, and he agreed to support me to
Rumania. Given that Austria also promised to support me to Rumania, I
thought I had a good chance of gaining Rum while supporting Italy to Greece.
Had Italy moved as promised, this would have left me with some opportunity
in Sevastopol, and in good shape overall.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten the lesson that every newbie learns early in
his career: to leave yourself vulnerable is to invite the knife. Apparently
my vulnerability to the Leponto was too much for the Italian to resist.
Spring '02 was a disaster, with Italy set up to convoy to Smyrna and nothing
I could do about it. I had already written Austria off as insincere, but my
support for Tun-Gre pretty well ensured that any cooperation with Austria
was over.
Naturally, this resulted in the first serious discussions between me and
Russia. Austria had sent a press to me, intended for Italy. The press
seemed quite genuine, and I never seriously considered that it might be a
ploy. Russia and I had some good discussion about it, though in the end we
still didn't have anything solid to go by. But Austria's promise to support
Italy's convoy meant that Serbia was overburdened; I took the shot at
Greece, and got lucky. Unfortunately for Russia, Austria did the unexpected
in putting two units on Warsaw. So Russia took the hit, and Austria stayed
even. It would have been nice if Austria had had to disband, and even
better if he had backed out of the support for Tun-Smy; but all in all the
year ended much better than I had expected.
At the time of this writing, Italy has written to discuss his switching
sides. I have conflicting feelings about this. On the one hand, nothing
would make me happier than to see Italy attack Austria. If he does, then I
think I've got a good chance of surviving this game. On the other hand...
well, once bitten, twice shy. I can only hope he sees that on his present
course, he'll be tied up in the east too long to have any influence on what
happens to France. Certainly, France cannot survive EG by himself. It's
still painfully clear to me that Turkey cannot survive against AI,
especially with Russia down to 3 units, but perhaps my unexpected build
makes me look like not so easy a mark as he may first have thought. If
Italy really did attack me because I looked like an easy target, as he
himself suggested, then perhaps my build will help turn things around.
I'll also be keeping a very careful eye on EG. Germany has hinted that he
might go anti-Austrian. A dead Russia looks good to Germany, but a Russia
that dies too fast, and to the wrong power, is a bad thing for him in the
long run. EG seems to have a strong alliance, but if the game comes down to
EG vs. AI, then Germany could end up in a tough spot. At any rate, the
current position seems to favor an EG/AI end game, with probably Austria or
England coming out on top. There may be some hope that Italy has recognized
this, and will decide it's not in his best interests. 1903 should be an
interesting year; I think I could possibly come out in good shape, or could
possibly get stomped on. Italy either thinks I'm a natural-born sucker, or
else he's on the level. I can only hope for the latter, while doing my best
not to prove the former.
- Jeff
Austria: Army Galicia → Vienna
Turkey: Army Smyrna → Ankara
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