The 2000 Vermont Group Full-Press TournamentThird-RoundGame titleist

Results Press Austria England France Germany Italy Russia Turkey
 
    Spring 1901 Movement    
    Fall 1901 Movement    
    Winter 1901 Adjustment    
    Spring 1902 Movement    
    Fall 1902 Movement    
    Fall 1902 Retreat    
    Winter 1902 Adjustment    
    Spring 1903 Movement    
    Spring 1903 Retreat    
    Fall 1903 Movement    
    Fall 1903 Retreat    
    Winter 1903 Adjustment    
    Spring 1904 Movement    
    Spring 1904 Retreat    
    Fall 1904 Movement    
    Fall 1904 Retreat    
    Winter 1904 Adjustment    
    Spring 1905 Movement    
    Spring 1905 Retreat    
    Fall 1905 Movement    
    Winter 1905 Adjustment    
    Spring 1906 Movement    
    Spring 1906 Retreat    
    Fall 1906 Movement    
    Fall 1906 Retreat    
    Winter 1906 Adjustment    
    Spring 1907 Movement    
    Spring 1907 Retreat    
    Fall 1907 Movement    
    Winter 1907 Adjustment    
    Spring 1908 Movement    
    Fall 1908 Movement    
    Winter 1908 Adjustment    
    Spring 1909 Movement    
    Spring 1909 Retreat    
    Fall 1909 Movement    
    Winter 1909 Adjustment    
    Spring 1910 Movement    
    Spring 1910 Retreat    
    Fall 1910 Movement    
    Winter 1910 Adjustment    
    Spring 1911 Movement    
Fall 1911 Movement
    Fall 1911 Retreat    
    Winter 1911 Adjustment    
    Spring 1912 Movement    
    Spring 1912 Retreat    
    Fall 1912 Movement    
    Winter 1912 Adjustment    
    Spring 1913 Movement    
    Fall 1913 Movement    
    Fall 1913 Retreat    
    Winter 1913 Adjustment    
    Spring 1914 Movement    
    Fall 1914 Movement    
    Winter 1914 Adjustment    
    Spring 1915 Movement    

Map Fall 1911 Movement



Message from Russia to France

> The following units were dislodged:
>
> The Russian Army in Munich with no valid retreats was destroyed.

No, no, no... We're supposed to be destroying ITALIAN Armies... 8-)

Nick.



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

>No, no, no... We're supposed to be destroying
>ITALIAN Armies... 8-)
I am sorry about your army. If we work closely together
we can avoid things like that happening. We agree on
objectives, like me not growing and positioning against
Italy, and then we agree on moves that accomplish that in
a not obvious manner. That is the way things worked last
year and they worked well.

--Xavier



Message from France to all

Headlines for the French Newspaper Le Monde read:
INSANE!
Has Le Dauphin gone insane?

Anonymous sources close to the royal family talk of in-
fighting between the two brothers. The Prince is disturb
at how much at risk the Dauphin put French soldiers and
territory, while the Dauphin states that the Prince's
total lack of diplomatic success has forced him to take
extreme measures.

The general sentiment in Paris is that the Dauphin took
unnecessary chances that only extreme good fortune
resulted in only near disastrous and not completely
catastrophic outcome in the spring. Unfortunately the
situation for the fall looks quite bleak. Some say that
he is trying to create an extreme crisis that will allow
him to declare a state of emergency and officially crown
himself King despite the fact that his father lingers in
poor health. One must wonder whether the people would
support him or his brother? A bleak military situation
might swing the pendulum to the Dauphin, which is perhaps
the reason for this craziness.

YGNACIO RAMANET



Message from Master to England and France

Ivy:
>>Farve. Ho-hum. Piece o' cake.

>Oops, make that "Favre"

Pronounced "Favvvv-ruh", ala "There's Something About Mary".

That scene slayed me.

Doug



Message from England to France

Prince Boar,

>So, from a hypothetical point of view. What would
>have to happen for us to begin working together again?

Oh, that's easy to answer. We need to be roughly comparable in size. I
can't tell yet if that's ever going to occur.

>I like Nick, but he can be frustrating to try and deal with.

Why didn't you list the other 14 reasons? Pity me; I've had to deal with
him the past two games (I think -- not quite certain).

>Roberto, I am happy to not have to deal with right now.

Right now, he is very easy for me to work with, but for a long time he
either didn't care or put on a great act.

>I do miss working with you, not that I would not be
>worried about that third betrayal? :-)

Hey, I am only one up on you. The last time our "betrayal" was mutual and
probably necessary.

>I would have been happy to have this thing end.
>But if it must go on, I would prefer it not be so
>excruciating boring.

I don't find it boring from a tactical point of view. Strategically, I see
no possibility of a solo for me. So my heart isn't into the effort
anymore. I do think my head is sufficiently engaged.

I'll be setting draw again.

Ivy



Message from France to Master

Don't be dissin' my man Favre! I did not see that movie
so I problem cannot appreciate your joke. I shall have
to make an effort to see it sometime :-)

Roger



Message from France to England

Ivy:

Thank you VERY much for the note.

>Uh, that's easy to answer. We need to be roughly
>comparable in size.
We seem to be heading that way

>>I like Nick, but he can be frustrating to try and
>>deal with.
>Why didn't you list the other 14 reasons?
Now, now. I can't begin to come up with 14 reasons!
Unless you are refering to my 14 units?

>>Roberto, I am happy to not have to deal with right now.
>Right now, he is very easy for me to work with, but
>for a long time he either didn't care or put on a
>great act.
He only communicates when he has a need to do so, even
then sometimes minimimally. I believe that he can do a
better job when he puts his mind to it. But he does not
always care or is too busy to take the time. You
mentioned that your head is not in this, and I really
wanted the game to end because life is too busy. But
someone else probably feels that they can still win this
tournament. More power to them I guess. But I did
agree with your comments that they could have just said
so. I do not know what is gained by lying about it? I
am not bothering to set draw again unless I hear
convincing statements from everyone. We play on to the
next potential draw point.

>Hey, I am only one up on you. The last time our
>"betrayal" was mutual and probably necessary.
Understood. But Prince Boar did make that promise to the
people of France that you would not betray us again!
Then again, all politicians make promises.

>I don't find it boring from a tactical point of view.
Understood again. There are myriads of paths that can be
taken. But I do not care for nopress and tactics are not
my most favorite part of the game. So all I am left with
is a strategy to take, since right now diplomacy is
useless.

--Prince Boar



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find a
way to eliminate an Italian unit. This can be
accomplished by surrounding it and forcing it to disband
or by having Italy retain only 5 centers at the end of
the year.

I would like to hold Munich and you are free to retain
Belgium. Alternatives can be negotiated. In the south I
am not concerned if you end up netting a center or two,
as long as Italy loses one. I will remove a unit in the
south as necessary.

This makes your task of attacking Italy easier and allows
you to keep it to yourself until next Spring.

--Xavier



Message from France to England

Ivy:

Our end of the world suddenly is a bit more interesting.
At least from my end there are more than just one
possibility. I was pretty nervous about your ordering
Pic to Bre, but figured that you were not willing to lose
the fleet in the spring. It is too bad that I messed up
the south.

I actually had fallen asleep and got up an hour before
the deadline. I verified that my mailbox was empty and
then sat down bleery-eyed to try and figure out what to
do. Being generally sick of things and a bit drousy, I
decide to go the major risk route hoping that you all
would be conservative. I should have went for Galicia as
well, I thought about it for a long time but figured it
would get bounced.

I also could have walked into Picardy from Paris and kept
Belgium. But all and all, things went OK so I will not
complain. I did get rid of one Russian unit near the
front for you. You should send the Dauphin a thank you
note. Who knows, the second may go as well?

--Prince Boar



Message from France to Italy

Roberto:

Having a die with enough sides, I should be able to
choose a plan of action this fall. Will it be the lucky
one or will it be the unlucky one? No matter what, I get
to choose where to focus my limited resources.

Drop me a line if you want to chat about anything in
particular. But at this point, I see no reason to send
each other lies that we will not believe anyway. I know
it is Diplomacy, so we have that obligation, but I do not
want to be on Santa's naughty list. :-) Maybe after the
holidays I will send you some lies in a neatly wrapped
package of paper and ribbons. :-)

Hope that things are going well outside the game. I will
check in once a season just to say hi.

--Prince Boar



Message from Italy to France

> I will check in once a season just to say hi.
>

No need. If you don't have anything of substance to say, I'd just assume
not waste the bandwidth or the time.

Idalia



Message from France to England

Ivy:

:-) This describes Italy to a tee! It was his reply
back to me.

> I will check in once a season just to say hi.
>

No need. If you don't have anything of substance to
say, I'd just assume
not waste the bandwidth or the time.

:-)
--Prince Boar



Message from Russia to England, France, and Italy

> Message from Italy to England and Russia in 'titleist':
>
> > It gets a little dicey around Rumania/Budapest/Vienna. I am
> > not sure what can be done there, but I will inquire.
> >
>
> I will give Russia one last chance to salvage this game.
>
> [Moves Deleted]
> [Moves Deleted]
>
> If I see any other moves for these two units in the fall results, game
over.
> Period.

I will, due to the importance of this game, bite my tongue, and not
fire off the response that leaps to mind, but do not threaten me
again.

Sincerely,

Czar Nicholas II.



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

I am slow to respond to this, as art takes time. Also, my sister was
busy with her official duties. She has composed a song that she will
sing to you. I will accompany her on the piano. Although I typically
play classical music, I do have a rebel side of me. This is a jazzy
tune. Josephine, my dear....

>But, I'm not saying no, I just want to wait until
>we're married. ;^}
Come out Nicholas, Don't let me wait
You Russia boys stab much too late
But sooner or later it comes down to fate
Now might as well be the time

They showed a statue and told you to be safe
The built you a temple and locked your guts away
But they never told you the price that you pay
For the things that you might have done....
Only the timid die young

Come on Nicholas show me a sign
Send up a signal I'll throw you the line
That stalemate line your hiding behind
never lets in the sun
Only the timid die young

Your friends,
Josephine and Xavier



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

Arrogant guy isn't he? :-) I am glad that my time of dealing with him
is over. Basically I am not allowed to write unless I have substance
:-) Like when is humor not considered substance?

By the way, I do not know what your response was going to be, but just
because it is an important game does not mean you should not speak your
mind. If was "then throw the game I don't care", yes then, you should
not have said that. But telling him "to go stick his ultimatum" is fair
game. He does not like to receive them, so where does he get off giving
them? :-)

I sure wish I could have been reading all the press for the last few
years. Doug must be enjoying himself. I know that I can read it later,
but by then it will be less poignant.

If you enjoyed reading my last message half as much as I enjoyed writing
it, then you will have had a good night, despite the arrogant one.

--Xavier aka B.J.



Message from Russia to France

Xavier,

>Your mission is to find a way to eliminate an Italian unit.

Ukr-Rum, Vie-Bud, Tyl-Tri, Alb S Bud-Ser, Bul-Gre,
Aeg-Bul will destroy Ser, I think. I'm assuming that
Ser-Bul will not happen but Rum, Bla, and Con will
attack Bul, so the "retreat" to Gre is better than
Aeg-Ger. I'm unlikely to get any reliable information
about Italian moves this turn, so reducing him to
five Centers might prove difficult.
EIR is nearly dead. We may well see how sincere
you are about not taking the Solo if Italy offers it.

Your Friend,

Nick.



Message from France to England

Ivy:

>> If I see any other moves for these two units in the fall
>>results, game over. Period.

>I will, due to the importance of this game, bite my tongue,
>and not fire off the response that leaps to mind, but do
>not threaten me again.
It seems like once again I am missing all the fun. You mentioned a
couple game years ago that I was missing some good press. (Any chance to
summarize it now that it is old?). I imagine that I am missing some.

--Prince Boar

PS: 9 and 2! Who would have thunk? But can you win with the Bus on the
sidelines? The Jets have this way of winning games that they do not
deserve. I do think that the Steelers will pull it out. In the
Superbowl, Packers and Steelers! We almost would have to meet half way
and watch the game, although I suspect that you would have plenty of
options right at home.



Message from Russia to France

Message from France to Russia in 'titleist':

Arrogant guy isn't he? :-) I am glad that my time of dealing with him
is over. Basically I am not allowed to write unless I have substance
:-) Like when is humor not considered substance?

By the way, I do not know what your response was going to be, but just
because it is an important game does not mean you should not speak your
mind. If was "then throw the game I don't care", yes then, you should
not have said that. But telling him "to go stick his ultimatum" is fair
game. He does not like to receive them, so where does he get off giving
them? :-)
------------------------------------------------------------

Quickly because I'm late to read bedtime stories to Alexi,
my response was basically, "What make you think you have
the talent, influence, or Units to throw the game?" ;^}

Nick.



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

>EIR is nearly dead.
I will believe it when I see it. :-)

>We may well see how sincere
>you are about not taking the Solo if Italy offers it.
It is my plan if and when you step up and do your part (attack Italy).

We can talk about your orders after I study them, talking to the Mrs.
now. I do think that they must contain Vie -> Tri, not Bud. I need to
hold Munich from Sil -> Mun s by Kie&Ber

--Xavier



Message from France to Italy

Roberto:

I do not know what you believe to be substantial, but Nick's message
bears some note. Pretty powerful words on both sides. It is too bad
that I miss all the fun mail.

I guess that I can take a stab at diplomacy. As you and I battle one
will probably break even, the other will probably lose out. That leaves
Russia picking up the loose centers. That happened last year. I am
looking for a way to break even so we can at least avoid someone other
than ourselves gaining the advantage. Most moves require more trust
than we have. But how about a transfer of Smyrna and Con for Bul and
Bud? You may not like coming out of the corner, but you are closer to
home. Any alternatives?

--Prince Boar



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

I think that any attack on Italy starts with your agreeing to his
desired moves, unless there are some better ones that you need to
convince him to agree to. Given your agreed upon moves as a basis, we
could device the best plan of action. Let me guess at his required
moves: Ukr -> War, Vie -> Tyr?

Oh by the way, my offer to not accept any future Italy offer for help
does require that you attack him. If he attacks you first, then I have
not promise to keep. :-) Just want to make sure we are clear on that
one.

I am writing to Italy now. I will basically just annoy him, but maybe I
will glean some useful information.

--Xavier



Message from Italy to France

>
> I do not know what you believe to be substantial,
>

Substantial enough.

I simply meant there is no need to write to me just to say 'hi'. I won't
hold it against if there came a time where we needed to cooperate.

> But how about a transfer of Smyrna and Con for Bul and Bud?

Offer up some suggested moves so that I have something to chew on.

Idalia



Message from Russia to France

> This is a jazzy tune. Josephine, my dear....

> >But, I'm not saying no, I just want to wait until
> >we're married. ;^}

>Come out Nicholas, Don't let me wait
>You Russia boys stab much too late
>But sooner or later it comes down to fate
>Now might as well be the time
>[...]

*Nick laughs and applauds.* Thank you, my friend,
I needed that!

I had a girlfriend in college, whose Mother told her
daughters, 'No man will buy a cow, if he can get the
milk for free!'
To which I responded, 'But, I don't just want the
milk, I want to be a dairy farmer, and provide
everything the "cow" wants and needs to make sweet
milk, and lots of little baby cows! If I just
wanted milk, I could go down to the Quick-Mart,
and get some.' ;^}

Nick.



Message from Russia to France

Xavier, My Friend,

> >EIR is nearly dead.

>I will believe it when I see it. :-)

Have I ever lied to you? ;^}

>I do think that they must contain Vie -> Tri,
>not Bud. I need to hold Munich from
>Sil -> Mun s by Kie&Ber

The plan is for Ber-Mun, so if you hold Mun,
I lose Mun and Ber. (This isn't a deal-breaker,
though.) *Nick thinks.* Vie-Tri would bounce
Ser-Tri, but it risks Rum-Bud, as you move
Bud-Ser.

Nick.



Message from Russia to France

Xavier,

>I think that any attack on Italy starts with your
>agreeing to his desired moves,

Yes, I just have to let Ivy mediate for a while to
make my agreement semi-believable. ;^}


>Let me guess at his required moves: Ukr -> War, Vie -> Tyr?

No, Vie S Ser-Tri, Ukr-Gal.

>Oh by the way, my offer to not accept any future
>Italy offer for help does require that you attack
>him. If he attacks you first, then I have not
>promise to keep. :-) Just want to make sure we
>are clear on that one.

What if we attack simultaneously? I am attacking him,
but I half expect to see Sil-War this Fall.

>I am writing to Italy now. I will basically just annoy him, but maybe I
>will glean some useful
>information.

Let me know what you hear.

Nick.



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

1) I will give you the benefit of the tie when attacking
Italy.

2) I have no useful information from Italy, but have
opened up a dialogue. I am not sure what can be gained
from it. I asked if there was a way we can peacefully
exchange centers. He wants specifics.

3) Did that "open a dairy farm" story work? And isn't
it illegal to go buy milk on the street? ;-)

I know that you will lose Ber & Mun, but you will gain
Bel & StP? Even if Ivy does not agree to your taking StP
because he "is leaving" Ber, if you know he stays you can
argue that you knew so you took StP. If you also take
Sev, that gives you 7 centers and two builds. (I am
counting Holland.) England needs to be convinced that I
will go for Belgium so Nth s Bel.

The reason that I ask you to go to Tri is that we cannot
afford to let Italy get there, he would be too close to a
center that he could build from.

I am not certain if it makes sense to surround and
disband Serbia. It may be just as good to take an
Italian center and leave him with 5. We should study the
board and make the best plan.

To surround Serbia we need Bul or Aeg to Gre, something
in Bul and something in Rum.

To bring him down to 5, we need to deny him Tri, take
Ser, cover Bul or Gre (if Bul is dislodged, it could
retreat to Gre, thereby disbanding the retreating Ser)

So Italy could have: Con, Ank, Rum, Bud, Bul or Gre
that would only be 5!

What do you think of:
Ukr -> Sev
Vie -> Tri
Bud -> Ser s by Alb
Eme -> Smy s by Aeg
Bul -> Con

This requires your knowing that Ser -> Tri (s by Vie)
and Rum -> Bud. You need to encourage, carefully, that
he attack Bul (which would engage BlS).

--Xavier



Message from France to Italy

Roberto:

My original idea was for me to take Smy and Con, but I
now realize that would isolate your fleet in Smyrna. This
puts me at a loss for a suggestion. I will therefore
probably just focus on holding what I have and trying to
break even elsewhere. If you have any suggestions, let
me know. You are the better tactician.

--Prince Boar



Message from Russia to France

Xavier,

>1) I will give you the benefit of the tie when attacking Italy.

Thanks.

>3) Did that "open a dairy farm" story work? And isn't it illegal to go
>buy milk on the street? ;-)

Let's just say it's a good thing I'm not lactose
intolerant. ;^) It is illegal to buy milk on
the street, but in a college town, it's generally
possible to find a cow who's willing to be milked
in exchange for a bit of hay and some water, or so
I've heard. ("Hay, baby, can I buy you a drink?" 8-)


>If you also take Sev, that gives you 7 centers
>and two builds.

Rum is much more likely than Sev, I think. Even if
I humble myself and agree to Ukr-Gal, Vie S Ser-Tri,
I expect Italy to cover Sev, even if he doesn't
order Sil-War.

>England needs to be convinced that I
>will go for Belgium so Nth s Bel.

That seems likely.


>The reason that I ask you to go to Tri is that we cannot afford to let
>Italy get there,

Yes, that's why I suggested Tyl-Tri.

>I am not certain if it makes sense to surround and
>disband Serbia.

I'm not committed to destroying Ser, I just offered
it as the clearest way to meet your requirements.

To surround Serbia we need Bul or Aeg to Gre, something
in Bul and something in Rum.

>What do you think of:
>Ukr -> Sev
>Vie -> Tri
>Bud -> Ser s by Alb
>Eme -> Smy s by Aeg
>Bul -> Con


I suspect Ukr-Sev will bounce, but otherwise I have
no problem with it.

>This requires your knowing that Ser -> Tri (s by Vie)

That's the demand. ;^}

>and Rum -> Bud.

Probable, but by no means certain.

>You need to encourage, carefully, that
>he attack Bul (which would engage BlS).

Ivy has endorsed Con-Bul as a way to avoid having
Smy forced into Syr.

In Alliance,

Nick.



Message from England to France

Prince Boar,

>Now, now. I can't begin to come up with 14 reasons!
>Unless you are refering to my 14 units?

No, 14 was an arbitrary number. "Infinity" would have sufficed just as well.

> >> If I see any other moves for these two units in the fall
> >>results, game over. Period.
>
> >I will, due to the importance of this game, bite my tongue,
> >and not fire off the response that leaps to mind, but do
> >not threaten me again.

>It seems like once again I am missing all the fun. You mentioned a
>couple game years ago that I was missing some good press. (Any chance to
>summarize it now that it is old?). I imagine that I am missing some.

If you only knew what I have been living through. Doug knows, of
course. When I am dead and gone, perhaps someone will sprinkle a few
purple hearts over my grave. Or the Legion of Merit, or whatever you
French types give out to the honored dead.

I am so weary. Sorry I have not been much of a correspondent.

Ivy



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

>Ivy has endorsed Con-Bul as a way to avoid having
>Smy forced into Syr.
Italy cannot do all of the following:
*take Bulgaria
*take Budapest
*cover Sevastpol
Rum or BlS need to support Con to Bul.

Are you suggesting Bud to Rum? I do not see how else you
can get Rum, unless you are hoping for:
BlS -> Sev
Rum -> Bud
Ukr -> Rum
that is basically a 50-50 guess on what BlS does (cover
Rum or Sev), if it does not support con to Bul

Bud -> Rum s by Ukr
Vie -> Tri s by Alb
might be a very interesting option?
He would be left with:
Con, Ank, Ser, Sev and Bul (and not 100% at that)

It also exposes Italy (the supply centers) to you,
encouraging me to behave and giving you a hammer to make
sure that I do.

You would end up with Bel,Hol,StP,War,Mos,Vie,Tri,Swe (8
(I knew that I was missing a SC in my last message, I
have F(14), I(5), E(7), R(7) = 33. I wanted to make sure
that I was not growing. Then I remembered Swe. You are
even better off, which is important! Excellent!)

I am starting to like this one better (Bud -> Rum).
Please scour it for flaws!

--Xavier



Message from Russia to France

Xavier,

> >Ivy has endorsed Con-Bul as a way to avoid having
> >Smy forced into Syr.

>Italy cannot do all of the following:
>*take Bulgaria
>*take Budapest
>*cover Sevastopol
>Rum or BlS need to support Con to Bul.

I expect Bla S Con-Bul. I have no clear idea what
Rum will do.

>Bud -> Rum s by Ukr
>Vie -> Tri s by Alb
>might be a very interesting option?
>He would be left with:
>Con, Ank, Ser, Sev and Bul (and not 100% at that)

>It also exposes Italy (the supply centers) to you,
>encouraging me to behave and giving you a hammer to make sure that I do.
>I am starting to like this one better (Bud -> Rum).
>Please scour it for flaws!

Looks good to me. Ser wouldn't be dislodged, so you
wouldn't have to cover Gre, and Gre would be open
for a Bul retreat.

Nick.



Message from Russia to France

Xavier,

Sil & Kie S Ber-Mun, Ser-Tri are confirmed. (Or at
least Vie is supposed to support Ser-Tri.) I will
order Ukr S Bud-Rum, Vie-Tri with this letter. Ivy
is ordering Nth S Bel, Iri S ECh to hold "our" gains
in the West.

In Alliance,

Nick.



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

I too am confirming:
Alb s Vie -> Tri
Bud -> Rum

the rest are obvious.

I am also confirming my pledge to not go for the solo. I do expect that
you will in return not try to join with England and attack me.

Best of luck to you.

--Xavier



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

Any last minute issues or concerns? I may fall asleep before the
deadline.

Is there a lot of press going on between the three of you? I hope that
you are not getting cold feet about the attack on Italy. Wedding bells
you know :-) Actually I am pretty happy about your being in Trieste
(provided that you do support me to Rumania and Italy is being bounced
from Trieste :-) It means that there will be less worry about me and we
can end this thing as swiftly as possible.

I may move Bul to Gre just in case Italy was lying to you. If he is
moving Con to Bul, then breaking that support is not important.

I will support Bel, just in case England wanted to try something. But I
admit that and Army in Holland would be more likely than taking Belgium
from you. But it does not hurt

Send me a quick note just to assure me that everything is still on
target.

--Xavier



Message from Russia to France

Xavier,

>Any last minute issues or concerns?

Other than worrying that everyone is lying to me, no. 8-)

>Is there a lot of press going on between the three of you?

No, Italy and I have sniped at each other a bit, and
Ivy has acted as go-between trying to calm our ruffled
feathers. I think I have convinced them that I will
grudgingly go along with Italy's ultimatum, but we'll
have to see how they move to be sure.


>I hope that you are not getting cold feet about the
>attack on Italy.

No, I don't react well to, "Play the way I want to, or
I'll take my ball and go home!" ;^} Especially after
he's the one who stabbed me, first.

>I may move Bul to Gre just in case Italy was lying
>to you.

Italy said nothing about his moves, except Sil S Ber-Mun,
Ser-Tri makes sense, as does the attack on Bul, but when
I asked England about it, he said they had discussed
alternatives and it was up to Italy.

>Send me a quick note just to assure me that everything
>is still on target.

As far as I know, we're set.

Your Friend,

Nick.



Message from France to Russia

Nick:

Thanks for the note and the reassurances. You know that us brides like
to know that we are the only one ;-)

OK, time to retire that whole line of joking, although to be fair you
can have one last shot.

I have not set wait. I will probably check once more, so if you have
any last minute changes, best set wait yourself.

--Xavier



Message from France to all

My orders are in without wait,
do your worse

< maniacal laughter >
Le Dauphin

-------
PS: One things that has impressed me about this game
is how few late messages there have been. I compliment
each of us. If nothing else, that is a nice legacy for a
"showcase" game.
In appreciation,
France


Map Fall 1911 Movement

England: Army Berlin → Munich (*bounce*)
England: Fleet English Channel CONVOY Army London → Picardy
England: Fleet Irish Sea SUPPORT Fleet English Channel
England: Army Kiel SUPPORT Army Berlin → Munich
England: Army London → English Channel → Picardy (*bounce*)
England: Fleet North Atlantic Ocean HOLD
England: Fleet North Sea SUPPORT Russian Fleet Belgium

France: Fleet Aegean Sea SUPPORT Fleet Eastern Mediterranean → Smyrna
France: Army Albania SUPPORT Russian Army Vienna → Trieste
France: Fleet Brest → English Channel (*bounce*)
France: Army Budapest → Rumania
France: Fleet Bulgaria (south coast) → Constantinople (*bounce, dislodged*)
France: Army Burgundy SUPPORT Army Munich
France: Fleet Eastern Mediterranean → Smyrna
France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean SUPPORT Fleet Brest → English Channel
France: Army Munich SUPPORT Italian Army Silesia (*cut*)
France: Army Paris SUPPORT Army Picardy
France: Army Picardy HOLD
France: Fleet Spain (south coast) SUPPORT Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean
France: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Munich
France: Fleet Western Mediterranean SUPPORT Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean

Italy: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Army Constantinople → Bulgaria
Italy: Army Constantinople → Bulgaria
Italy: Army Rumania → Budapest (*bounce, dislodged*)
Italy: Army Serbia → Trieste (*bounce*)
Italy: Army Silesia SUPPORT English Army Berlin → Munich
Italy: Fleet Smyrna → Constantinople

Russia: Fleet Belgium SUPPORT English Army London → Picardy
Russia: Army Livonia → St Petersburg
Russia: Army Ukraine SUPPORT French Army Budapest → Rumania
Russia: Army Vienna → Trieste