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Message from Master to all
A player said:
>In games that I Master, I urge the players to write an EoY (End of
>Year) statement, or statements, during the Adjustment Phase each year.
> Some players Broadcast in-character "State of the Union" speeches,
>which would be fun for the Observers, but if we each send Doug a note
>each year revealing why we made the choices we did, it will make the
>Showcase much more instructive for people to read later.
.
.
.
>Some of these questions might be addressed in EoGs, but
>others will be overlooked, and the answers may reveal the differences
>between victory and defeat.
I wholeheartedly support this notion. This will be a showcase game,
of course, and your EoY broadcasts and just-to-master presses with
more description of your intentions are heartily encouraged. Many
beginners will no doubt rehash this game in the future, and if you're
willing to give them a glimpse of your strategy, I think it would be
a great help to them.
Either method is encouraged (broadcasts will be read by other players,
of course, whereas 'press to m' is to the silent universe that will
be reading along in years to come). Just as a reminder, though,
don't send a grey broadcast discussing the game and sign it with
your real name.
Cheers, everyone,
Doug
Message from France to Italy
Roberto:
Things are really looking up for you. Both Turkey and
France have built in such a fashion that they are not
threats to you. I will keep one of my fleets in the
neighborhood, just to discourage any pressure that others
may give you to attack me. But it will not be put in a
threatening position.
All set up for a Lepanto. Turkey and Russia fighting.
No Turkish fleets in the Mediterranean. No French
threat. Wow, life truly is beautiful for you!!!
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Russia
Czar Nicolas:
> Yes, I wonder who suggested it to them
They could have suggested it to themselves I suppose. I
will do what I can to try and convince Turkey that he
should side with you. I am sure that you are pointing
out to him that his back is exposed to a Lepanto. Offer
him Rumania for peace?
At least it looks like Warsaw can be saved this year.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Turkey
Ali Baba:
>I 'm sorry to see your apparent problems
>with the German.
Well, he is the kind of guy you likes to dictate rather
than discuss. At least I knew that he was coming to
Burgundy. So it is not as bad as it seems. Messy yes,
beyond repair hopefully not.
>All is pretty much as it seems in the south.
>I ultimately decided that Russian policies
>were not in Turkey's best interests. I have a
>nagging feeling that I'm just opening myself
>up to a Lepanto
It looks like it is a very serious possibility to me.
Russia is definitely not pro-Austrian any more. He might
be willing to give you Rumania just to prevent your
attacking him. I would be careful if I were you. But it
is your risk to take not mine :-)
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to England
Ivy:
I of course expect you to talk with Germany. Just leave
the impression that you are staying friendly with Russia.
I want us to be able to take Holland (maybe Denmark) and
keep Belgium. I would rather that he not decide to
attack France. If he is less sure of you, he will be
less likely to attack me. He may just focus on Russia,
which is our goal.
One thing that you might suggest to Russia is:
F Bot -> Pru
A Fin -> Swe s by Nor
Bot -> Bal is bounce to fail. The moves above put
pressure on Berlin, which should help us take Holland,
etc.
I am not certain if it was your words, mine, or Fred's
own thoughts, but we did manage to get the fleet built in
Berlin! Excellent. Things are continually going your
way! That is good for our alliance.
I have to ask you for a bit of trust. It would greatly
help us if I could move Brest to the Channel. That would
allow me to use Burgundy to attack Ruhr in the fall (so
it did not support Hol to hold or Hol -> Bel). I could
that would give me Eng Chan to support Pic to Bel just in
case Ruhr was ordered to Bel. I would not move my other
fleet to the MAO.
I know that it is asking a lot, but as you pointed out,
it may be hard to crack that German front. In light of
the Russian-Turkish war and the perfect Lepanto set up, I
think that we need to move quickly before we are behind
I-A. That fleet would move away with all speed once
Belgium is secured.
The plan that the Dauphin suggests is:
Par -> Bur s by Pic
Bre -> Eng
Nth -> Hel
Edi -> NwS
Lon -> Nth
Nor s Fin -> Swe
Do you want to know fall moves that might go along with
it?
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Germany
Fred:
I will take it as my goal to take Belgium away from
England then, since you are targeting Sweden.
I cannot see the TdF. All I can see is the CBS summary
that occurs on Sunday, covering the entire week. Last
week they covered 8 days of racing in 1 hour. And they
had the nerve to break away to some sports desk for a
brief update on baseball. Annoying!!
-- Prince Boar
Message from England to France
Good Prince Boar,
[This note was 99% complete when I got your message. I will add a comment
at the end.]
Upon reflection, I think it is best that we openly discuss Russia some
more, inasmuch as our preferences probably differ somewhat.
I can put myself in the French position and see that a vigorous Russia
might be useful against England, once Germany is eliminated. I'm not
suggesting in the least that that is your plan, but it is nice to have
options. Even a weak Russia can provide France with some security against
an evil England.
I, on the other hand, see a Russia ready to topple. Warsaw and StP are
vulnerable, and Sweden and Rumania are not necessarily attainable. I would
like to see Russia's elimination. That can only be done by permitting
Germany to take Sweden, but I think there is an excellent chance of taking
Holland by surprise or deception in the fall. This plan, if feasible,
would include you sliding into Belgium in the fall.
*****************
A quick reaction to your letter. I am willing to consider Brest to
Channel. I ask you to consider Norway->StP in return. If I get StP and
Holland, while you get Belgium, we each gain a center. I need a little
time to digest all of this, and I have to rush home immediately to
entertain out-of-town visitors.
We have lots to thrash out, but we are in a great position.
Oh, yes, I almost forgot to mention something. I refused Germany's request
that I build a fleet in Liverpool. He hasn't reacted yet.
Ivy Wingo
Message from France to England
Ivy:
The main reasons that I do not want to see Russia topple
are that:
1) There is no one to put pressure on Germany's backside.
It would be a long hard fight if he could focus all his
energy on us
2) I want him alive to slow down the Southeast.
My goal as a Northern power is always to side with one of
EFG and finish the other off *before* the south is
resolved. I always try to encourage a 2-on-2 battle in
the south, typically IA vs RT.
Yes, we do not want Russia to grow strong. But I do not
believe that we want him to topple either. Russia has
enough neighbors on the other side that he is easy to
take down later, especially in the weakened state where
we want to keep him.
I think that at least for the spring we should keep him
on our side. In the fall, if you feel you must betray
him, that is certainly an option. But that allows us
both the spring and fall moves for him to annoy Germany
for us. Ultimately we want to deal blows to both of
them.
As for the long term goal of keeping Russia viable to
keep you distracted. Sure that gives me peace of mind,
just like the health of Italy gives you peace of mind.
But Italy looks like he will be strong enough that a weak
but not dead Russia should not worry you so much.
Let's continue to discuss it until we are comfortable
with a solution and path foward.
-- Prince Boar
PS: Thanks for not building in Liverpool. I appreciate
it.
Message from Germany to France
But you could listen live to the Tour. Go to olntv.com I feel your
pain.
Well it's down to the short hairs. I don't have a solid proposal just
yet as to where we should go from here. Certainly I'm learly of both
you and England. But I'm going to have to commit to one or the other.
I'll be giving this serious thought over the next two days.
Truthfully, I was leaning toward coming at you if England built a fleet
in LVN. But he didn't. So far all of his press has been about EG
attacking you. But I don't see any actually moves in that direction.
Talk more soon.
Fredd
Message from Russia to France
Prince Boar,
>I will do what I can to try and convince Turkey that he
>should side with you. I am sure that you are pointing
>out to him that his back is exposed to a Lepanto. Offer
>him Rumania for peace?
Already been done. He must believe that Italy
will stab Austria. That's the only explanation I
can imagine for not building F Smy. any influence
you can provide would be appreciated, though. I do
hope that you and Ivy are going to hit Fredd hard, too.
>At least it looks like Warsaw can be saved this year.
You think so? I'm not so opptomistic.
The soon-to-be-late,
Czar Nicholas.
Message from Italy to France
>
> Things are really looking up for you.
>
Thanks, but things can change in this game so fast. I can't let my guard
down or I'd be 'Russianized'.
> I will keep one of my fleets in the
> neighborhood, just to discourage any pressure that others
> may give you to attack me. But it will not be put in a
> threatening position.
>
Since you brought the subject up, can I ask where the fleet would be
positioned? MAO? SPA/nc? POR? NAO? or somewhere else?
Looking at the map it would appear that we are heading in opposite
directions and this is good. Doesn't make for great tactical press though.
Still, we should keep in touch and pass along any information we come in
contact with. If we're going to mutually defend the West Med, we both need
to be aware of what is happening in the rest of Europe.
Just curious, were the bounces in Burgundy pre-arranged or did Germany
really try twice to enter your country unprovoked?
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Italy to France
Let's see how close I can get in predicting moves for Spring '02:
a par - bur
a pic s a par - bur
a spa - gas
f por - mao
f bre - eng
Feel free to predict Italian orders.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Italy to all
Van Lingle Mungo reporting for Vatican Tonight backstage with the winners of
the 1901 Titleist Awards. Not too many surprises at this years award show
but there was still plenty of excitement.
Oh wait, here comes the winner of the best unit in a supporting role.
VT: Mr Serbia, can we have a minute. That was quite a performance you put
on in the fall. Tell us about it.
Serbia: Well, I was, uh, like trying to help a friend but some Russian
sailor dudes caused some trouble and I guess the Romanian borders were
closed tight as a drum. Bummed me out. We're tired of these supporting
roles though. We're looking to ink a leading role next year.
VT: Speaking of the best unit in a leading role, look who just stopped by.
Mr Yorkshire, rumor is you get seasick. How was it you made it all the way
to Belgium?
Yorkshire: Good question. As you know, there was a contest to figure out
who Ive Wingo was. Turns out, I was the only one who knew and I won a
3-month vacation in Belgium. I haven't had a vacation in almost four years
so I couldn't pass up the chance. I blew chunks the whole way but the beach
scene here is worth it. A couple of Peptos and I'm good as new.
VT: Congratulations on the award. We look forward to your next move.
VT: Here come the two winners in the writing categories, France for best
writing of an original screenplay and Russia for best writing based on
material previously published. Gentlemen, I know you're excited but do you
care to comment on the night's proceedings?
Russia: My work stands by itself. Just because nobody else was nominated
doesn't mean my work wasn't deserving of the statue.
France: I'm stunned and honored. I've worked hard reporting the greatest
bicycle race in the world and it's nice to be recognized by the Academy. I
really didn't expect to win. Ivy and Nicky have written some great stuff
thru the year. All I can say is, thank you, thank you.
We go live now as the best director award is being presented.
And the 1901 Titleist Award for best direction goes to ..........
Archduke Ferdinand
Archduke: Thank you. This award could not have been possible without my
talented ambassadors to Europe. They do all the work and I reap the
benefits. Doesn't quite seem fair, but, then again, you said life was fair.
That's it for the 1901 Titleist Awards. We hope to see you all again next
year at this same time.
Van Lingle Mungo reporting for Vatican Tonight
Message from England to France
Good Prince Boar,
Try as I might to find a way to guarantee Pic->Bel & Bel->Hol, without a
fleet in the channel, I cannot see how to do it. After getting Belgium
last turn, it is probably best that I not ask for the channel myself. I
was tempted to do so, with Por->Mao as compensation, but I am willing to
see Bre->Eng as you suggested. It settles the issue without need for
further debate.
It would be best if you keep the fleet close to the French coast and stay
out of sight of Dover. And remember, the Channel islands are
English. Once you have an army in Belgium, I trust you will volunteer to
slip the fleet back into Brest or perhaps Mao.
I am ready to cede the other point as well. I will not attempt StP in the
spring, and almost certainly not in the fall either. Rather, I hope to
work with Russia to give me a shot at Denmark. It wouldn't be a sure
thing, but at least a shot.
Your partner in conquest,
Ivy Wingo
Message from England to all
>Van Lingle Mungo reporting for Vatican Tonight backstage with the winners of
>the 1901 Titleist Awards.
OK, that does it. No more anonymity for Roberto. He was the winner of the
identify Ivy Wingo contest and knows that I also considered the even
wackier name Van Lingle Mungo. Van Lingle Mungo was another baseball
player. I ruled him out, because the name was harder to type and he was
already celebrated in song.
So Italy is awarded Belgium as his prize and only needs to arrive to claim it.
As for that comment, "beware the snake who crawls into Belgium," I was
referring to the second person in Belgium, not the first. Obviously.
Ivy Wingo
Message from Germany to France
Prince Boar:
Lance takes the yellow jersey. He added another minute into
Ullrich. The highlights should show Ullrich's crash. He goes straight
over his handlebars. Those Germans are tough ;-)
On to more mundane topics. I like to sit back and comtemplate the
board as a neutral third party. The following show up.
.England can take the Channel. If he goes from the North Sea even an
attack of DEN- NTH won't stop him. But it would keep EDI out of NTH, if
that was the follow up.
.England can support an attack on HOL.
. France can move into the MAO.
. The typical French backdoor attack on England is wide open.
. Spain will certainly return to MAR, or perhaps it can wait around for
a convoy opportunity.
. Italy isn't showing a anti-French stance, as there is no fleet in
Tunis. In fact, he's got a clear path to convoy that Tunis army into
SMY or SYR in the fall.
. Russia has two units in the north, but unless he retreats one, England
could just walk into STP.
. England can walk into HEL or SKA, and have a supported attack on DEN
in the fall.
. France and Germany can support an attack on Belgium. But who gets
it? We're of equal strength right now.
Time to get down to brass tacks. You are France, certainly one of the
top seeds in the play, if not the top one. My feeling is that you don't
win by being a bullshit artist. You do it with tactics and by building
solid alliances by being someone that people trust. I suspect that IVY
on the other hand is not so stable at the wheel. For instance his very
first message suggested that I take Scandinavia while he heads south.
Looking at the board I don't see this as his current plan.
Let's talk turkey. If I were to support you into Belgium, what could
you do for me? I can live with you in BEL. With you in BEL and
England in NTH (and probably ENG) Hol is safer. But I'll need more. At
least a promise that BEL is given over to me at a later date, for
instance if you were to take LVN.
Looking a couple of years down the road, I can live with France taking
all the centers of England. Providing that I own BEL, there isn't a
massive French Fleet presence in the northern seas, and if I hold the
North Sea.
Message from England to France
Prince Boar,
Returning to your message and specific moves:
>The plan that the Dauphin suggests is:
>Par -> Bur s by Pic
>Bre -> Eng
>Nth -> Hel
>Edi -> NwS
>Lon -> Nth
>Nor s Fin -> Swe
I probably prefer Edi->Nth and London hold. It's a little safety insurance
for me. I do trust you, but all it takes is one independent, loony admiral
and we would have an accidental war. I am also considering
Norway->Skag. That would demonstrate great trust in Russia and might give
me a shot at Denmark.
Have you heard anything about how the IATR quadrangle is going to unfold in
the southeast? I've had brief notes from Russia and Italy, but nothing
from A & T.
Ivy Wingo
Message from France to all
I apologize for my recent silence. I know that I owe
most everyone messages. The Queen has had me washing
windows in the Palace. You think that once you get an
important job like The Ambassador to Europe, you are
beyond such things. I even won a content for my writing!
I have not been this happy since I won the third grade
poetry contest. All the other kids wrote dirty limericks
so were disqualified, but mine was still great.
Yesterday's Tour de France stage was won by Felix
Cardenas of Team Kelme. So no points are awarded to any
of our teams. A friend tells me that Lance Armstrong
took over the Yellow Jersey in today's stage. Simon must
have had no legs today in the Mountains. We french are
disappointed, but it seemed inevitable. I am still
waiting on the official times and report from my
reporters in the field. Therefore I will not update the
standing until later tonight.
Bonne Chance
-- Prince Boar
[Coming mother. I was just taking a short break ….]
Message from England to France
>The Queen has had me washing
>windows in the Palace.
Sigh, the "Queen." I understand. In my household we use the expression,
"She, who must be obeyed."
No hurry. We are in good agreement, I believe, and there is lots of time.
Ivy
Message from France to Germany
Emperor Frederick:
>Go to olntv.com
Thanks. I might try that next Saturday. I missed it
today. During the week I should be working, so I will
avoid it. But I did check out the minute-by-minute
coverage on www.bicycling.com one day. Just don't tell
my boss. Oh wait, this is Gunboat so you cant. :-)
>Truthfully, I was leaning toward coming at you if
England
> built a fleet in LVN. But he didn't. So far all of
his press
>has been about EG attacking you. But I don't see any
actually
>moves in that direction.
I have read your other message and I will reply to it
separately. But I want to answer this one first.
I have to admit that I was not shocked to read this. I
had a feeling that you were leaning toward siding with
England. I received so very little from you about a
potential alliance, especially after my talk about EG
alliances. I felt that perhaps that philosophizing was
annoying you so I backed off.
I guess that meant that I proposed little as well. I was
mostly worried about being ganged up on. You are not the
first person to assume that because I ended up with
France that I am dangerous. All I can say is that
everyone of us did well in one to three games against
good competition. I think the playing field is pretty
level. Besides, a really smart top seed may have chosen
a less popular country, in order to hide. I will make no
claims one way or another, because of the gunboat rule.
All I will say is that England is just as dangerous as I
am. Just as you are.
I am glad to see that I have a chance at an alliance with
you. I will read your other message more carefully (I
just skimmed it so far) and respond to that later today.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Russia
Czar Nicholas:
>any influence you can provide would be appreciated
I am doing everything that I can. England and Germany,
have certainly noticed your vulnerability. I am trying
to convince England that keeping you alive is in his best
interest.
>I do hope that you and Ivy are going to hit Fred hard
I guess we will find out who get hits this year. If it
is England or Germany, that is good for you. If it is
France, well, then it looks kind of grim for you, as well
as myself. :-)
>>At least it looks like Warsaw can be saved this year.
> You think so? I'm not so optimistic.
Well, Germany built a fleet in Berlin. So the most that
he can muster is that Army in Munich, which I doubt will
leave Munich because of the Italian Army. Austrian can
bring an army to Galicia. I suspect that you will only
see one unit against Warsaw. You can bounce that unit
from Ukraine. Turkey cannot take Sevastopol, so Moscow
is safe. I think that you can hold your own this year.
>The soon-to-be-late,
Cheer up, I am working for you.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Italy
Roberto:
>Since you brought the subject up, can I ask where
>the fleet would be positioned? MAO? SPA/nc?
> POR? NAO? or somewhere else?
All that I am willing to say right now is that I will
agree not to move it to Spain (SC) if I have your promise
not to move a fleet to Tyrrhenian Sea.
I agree to keep in touch. It makes sense. I will let
you know what I hear. All I have to offer now is that
Russia is desperately trying to find a friend in the
South. That is not surprising news however. I just do
not know whom will take him up on it, if anyone.
I am looking forward to seeing whether you betray Austria
or Turkey. They both seem to be trusting you and could
be easy prey. Russia would jump on board either way.
And since Turkey and Austria do not make good allies, I
would not be surprised to see the other join in. But I
half suspect that you and Austria have done a great job
at setting up the Lepanto. You asked what my guess at
your moves are. They are:
Ion -> Eme
Nap -> Ion
Apu/Tyr hold
But you may surprise me.
>Just curious, were the bounces in Burgundy pre-arranged
>or did Germany really try twice to enter your country
>unprovoked?
The first was pre-arranged. I was *told* about the
second at the last minute and able to bounce it. So I
knew, but I was not necessarily happy.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to England
Ivy
Thank you for agreeing to my move to Belgium. I
understand your request for the hold in London. It makes
very good sense. I am glad that we can work together to
feed off each others ideas to build the best plan. Alone
we may not be as good as we will be combined!!
I will absolutely move the fleet back out of the Channel
as soon as Belgium is taken. I will of course not move
to the MAO with my other fleet. It is probably obvious,
but there is no need to leave a question about it.
>I am ready to cede the other point as well. I will not
>attempt StP in the spring, and almost certainly not in
>the fall either. Rather, I hope to work with Russia to
>give me a shot at Denmark. It wouldn't be a sure thing,
>but at least a shot.
I am glad that you will not attack Russia in the spring.
We can always reassess in the fall. I would think that
we would want to keep him alive at Germany's back. But
we certainly do not want him to get strong. I do not see
him getting a build. And if he does (disbanding his
fleet in Sev), it would be in an army Warsaw.
I am not certain that I understand why you would want to
move North to the Skageraak. All that would do is make
Russia nervous. Skag borders Denmark and Sweden.
Therefore you would have two on Sweden. But if you move
to the Bight, you still border Denmark. But you also
border Kiel and Holland. This gives you so many more
options. Just having those other options (Kiel and
Holland) is what will increase your chances for Denmark.
Germany must guess more.
As your loyal ally I feel that it is my duty to suggest
options that I feel are stronger for you. However, I
yield to your decision on whether the Skag or Hel would
be best.
Oops, I just reread your other message. I will leave the
above just it case it is useful, but it is meaningless
most likely You said Now to Skag. Ah that makes more
sense. It would almost guarantee Denmark coupled with Nth
-> Bight. However, can Russia in his desperate state
resist the move to Norway? I am not sure that I would
try it. But as I just stated about, the decision is
yours. I will only caution you, as a good ally should.
-- Prince Boar
Message from England to France
>Oops, I just reread your other message. I will leave the
>above just it case it is useful, but it is meaningless
>most likely You said Now to Skag. Ah that makes more
>sense. It would almost guarantee Denmark coupled with Nth
>-> Bight. However, can Russia in his desperate state
>resist the move to Norway?
Exactly the point. I would never do this normally, but Russia's wrath is
directed at Germany and Austria. He might be very grateful for my trust
and support. But then again ... 8-)
> I am not sure that I would
>try it. But as I just stated about, the decision is
>yours. I will only caution you, as a good ally should.
We have two more days to think about it.
Ivy
Message from France to England
Ivy:
>No hurry. We are in good agreement, I believe, and
> there is lots of time.
True. But I was taking the messages in order that
received them and told myself that I would not stop until
I got to one of yours. I feel it important to keep up my
end of the bargain to communicate with my ally. Isn't it
funny that when you have time, you get no messages. When
you are busy you get 15! :-) I still have 3 more
message to write, but they will wait until tonight.
>Sigh, the "Queen." I understand. In my household we
>use the expression, "She, who must be obeyed."
Well, for Prince Boar it is his mother the Queen. In
real life your guess is right on :-)
The windows are done. Now let's see what fun is in store
for me next :-) I was smart, I got my bike ride in at
8:00 AM before it was too late :-)
-- Prince Boar
Message from Germany to France
> I guess that meant that I proposed little as well.
This would be true my French friend. I tend to like specifics, as many
times an enemy will stand behind colorful prose. Although this is a
game based loosely on the stab, I've found that most people like to be
truthful. (I expect that to be more the case in this game)
An example would be Russia in this game. His early messages were nice
and warm and bubbly. He wanted me not to bounce him in Sweden. But he
wouldn't say what he'd do with that build. I read that to mean that he
wanted the option to use it against me. While at the same time he
remained truthful. Let me think about that, I'm going to allow him to
get a build and then use it against me. I don't think so. If he had
stated that he would either build in the south, or move the build to the
south immediately, then he probably would have that build today. I
imagine also that he didn't want to tell me as he was afraid that I
would relay that info to his southern antagonist. In that case he
should just have asked me not to tell. I would have given my word on
that. It's no skin off my nose. I wouldn't risk getting caught in a
little lie that has no payoff.
The bottom line is that I intend to remain as truthful as I can. Except
for the big stab. Given a chance to wreck some major damage, I'll lie
through my teeth. I'm expecting everyone will play very similarly.
Getting caught in a small lie early in this game can be fatal.
Evidence of this would be my informing you of my move to BUR. Even
though I totally screwed that up with getting the message out, almost
too late. I know I messed up, what can you do. It does happen. It
probably won't be the only blunder that I make, and certainly the other
players won't play error free either.
All that being said, Certainly I'm in talks with England to partition
France. We'd like to have Italy's help. I'm also in talks with you to
partition England. Possibly with Russian help.
If you aren't talking to England about partitioning Germany, than you
shouldn't be the top seed.
The question is which alliance will emerge. (and will it hold) Now is
the time that we'll find out. Or we'll start to find out at least.
For instance, will Ivy take the Channel? I'm not putting in his orders,
but I say that he has to. If I were playing England, I'd be
exceptionally wary of a French fleet in IRI. That almost always spells
the end for England. England can bounce you out of the Channel, but he
can't stop you from going to MAO. If I were playing England I wouldn't
trust you not to go there. It's just too disastrous for him if he isn't
in the channel, or NAO, or IRI, or at least Clyde.
I guess I'll wait for your email answering my proposal. Specifically, I
can support you into Belgium. (We'll want to destroy that army) In
exchange, I'll want you to freely give Belgium over to me at a future
date. Specifically when you take your first English center. Most of the
fight will be yours to carry. But I'll help, providing that you end up
with one army and one fleet in the north, and I own the North Sea. I
can also live with a 2nd french fleet in the Channel, provided I have a
fleet available to support my north sea fleet.
All this means that you will have me surrounded. Very similar to our
earlier discussion. I'm not really worried about you being on my
southern border. And I think that with the way that I want it work out,
my western border can be defended also.
> Besides, a really smart top seed may have chosen
> a less popular country, in order to hide.
This occurred to me. But a really, really, smart top seed would have
that argument ready. ;-)
Fredd
Message from France to all
Tour de France Stage 13 Results:
Lance Armstrong took the overall lead with a dramatic win
today atop Plas d'Adet in the Pyrenees. He attacked his
rivals on the steep slopes of the final climb, soloing to
a one-minute win over Jan Ullrich. Earlier Jan had
somersaulted into a ravine during a turn, but was able to
jump back up and continue the chase. In an act of flair
and fair play, Lance waited for his rival to catch up,
checking to make certain he was all right.
After this Stage win, England now holds first place
alone. If Lance Armstrong holds on to win the overall
race, it is unlikely that anyone can beat England. The
Dauphin says that he hopes Ivy's sister is cute. I say I
hope that Ivy's sister is off the Continent! :-)
Official Tally:
Austria (Domo-Farm Frites): 0 points
England (USPS): 30 points
France (Festina): 10 points
Germany (Telekom): 20 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) 57:49:26
4. Jan Ullrich (TEL) @ 5:13
5. Joseba Beloki (ONC) @ 6:02
-- Prince Boar
Message from Italy to France
> All that I am willing to say right now is that I will
> agree not to move it to Spain (SC) if I have your promise
> not to move a fleet to Tyrrhenian Sea.
Agreed. Do you want to just get it over with and call Pie, Gol, Wes, Naf,
Tys, and Spa/sc DMZ?
> All I have to offer now is that
> Russia is desperately trying to find a friend in the South.
Yes, he's been encouraging an AIR against Turkey but at the same time an
Italian stab of Austria. Only one of those will happen but not both.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from France to Germany
Frederick:
I hope that you will allow me to review a summary of some
of our past discussions. It will help get me grounded
(and perhaps you as well) on a path forward.
I started discussing how the EG alliance might be like
the AT alliance, perhaps unstable and favoring England.
Obviously I wanted to avoid such an alliance. But I was
also trying to state my preference for FG over FE. You
countered talking about how you felt that there would be
no long term alliances. The smaller ally would always
side against the stronger.
You then offered some of your concerns for an FG
alliance, namely the number of possible French fleets in
the north. I never did point out that they would be
fewer than the number of English fleets, but instead
offered a proposal where we each attacked England with
two fleets and perhaps and army. I offered a division
with you taking Belgium and Edinburgh (although I may not
have specified which English center) and I would take the
other two English centers. Then when you took Norway and
Sweden, I would take Edinburgh. That is where the
discussions ended.
Your latest proposal seems very similar to our last point
of discussion. I believe that you are proposing the
eventual division of Belgium and Scandinavia for you and
England for me. I am willing to agree in principle to
your security measures after England falls, knowing that
we can work out the details in the future. We both want
our naval lanes protected. And we will want to keep the
Maginot Line between us defended. But mutual benefit
will be just as important a safeguard as the placement of
our troops.
Originally I wanted the FG alliance because I did not
want England at my back. I preferred you at my flank.
But because of your arguments of the viability of the EG
alliance and my nervousness of the noise I was hearing
about France being a high seed and is dangerous, I took a
very cautious route. I did not want to attack the wrong
person when I could have so many different enemies. You
also seemed to want to wait until 1902 to decide what to
do.
Well, 1902 is upon us and we must make a decision.
England having 5 units instead of 4 makes him even more
dangerous. And although each of us may get along well
with him, perhaps better than with each other, he is
dangerous. More so because he wins people over.
Therefore I see the best course of action that we can
take is to work together. I assume that we will start
cautiously, as we have behaved so far. But that does not
mean that we cannot build both momentum and trust between
ourselves.
I appreciate your offer to allow me to take Belgium
first. I will need another fleet if I am to take on
England and watch a growing Italy. Russia appears ready
to topple and you will probably have easy gains. But I
am comfortable with transferring Belgium to you once I
take my first English center. If you have grown more
than I, we might discuss delaying the transfer if you are
concerned about being the early leader and too large to
unbalance not only our relationship but the attract the
attention of the south. But lets assume for now that
this will not be a large issue.
I think that your best bet is to encourage England to
attack Russia. That cripples the main threat to
yourself. I may need your help in taking Belgium. It
all depends on what England does this season. If our
path takes you through temporarily owning an English
center, you may need my help to take it. So in the end I
see things evening out. After that, we may work fairly
independently, at least until we possibly attack Italy
and Austria.
I hope that this is a start to your desire for specifics.
I apologize for not doing so earlier. My conservatism
and my perception of your preferences were to blame.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Austria
Ms. Felicia:
I am shamed that I have not written you sooner. It has
been too long. Let me first start by congratulating you
on your success. As someone pointed out, you are the
only southern power to have taken 5 units. I am sure
that you can overcome their ridiculous suggestion of
ganging up on the early leader. I am impressed, and
perhaps a bit frighten, at how you were able to both use
Turkey to deny Russia a build, but get Turkey to build an
army. Russia and Turkey are enemies. You and Italy are
friends. Things could not be better for you.
I embarrassed to have to mention this, but the Dauphin is
insisting. He wonders about the fact that you have not
written in a while and that your Tour de France team is
not succeeding. He feels that you are upset that your
sister would get the date with him and not yourself.
Therefore you are holding the team back. He says, and I
am really sorry about this one, that you both can come
along on the date with; in fact bring all your sisters.
I hope that you will not hold his bombastic behavior
against me.
I do look forward to hearing from you.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Turkey
Ali Baba
How are things going on your end of world? I have little
to report. I still do not know whom will be attacked,
between England, Germany and France.
Italy has not told me what he plans to do. I did at
least suggest that he had a choice between the Lepanto
and stabbing Austria. I did not suggest attacking
France, of course. Hopefully your gamble will pay off.
I do worry that with you and Russia fighting that Austria
and Italy will stab you and you will crumble while Russia
topples. That is not only bad for you, but not to my
liking either. I really do not want to see all those
Italian units looking for their next place to go. I hope
that you are cautious and consider peace with Russia.
Negotiate Rumania so you at least have a build. Just do
not leave your homeland too open that you cannot defend a
joint move to Eastern and the Aegean.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Italy
Roberto:
>Do you want to just get it over with and call Pie, Gol,
>Wes, Naf, Tys, and Spa/sc DMZ?
The Dauphin has agreed. I hope that you have found a new
map without pasta sauce so that you can put a big X onto
those locations. :-)
With Russia and Turkey fighting, you and Austria must
both be considering whether it makes sense to go for the
Lepanto or stab the other while the timing is good.
Choose wisely in the south.
What has Germany said about your presence in Tyrolia. He
has not mentioned it to me and I am curious to hear his
reaction.
-- Prince Boar
Message from Germany to France
Prince Boar:
>From the stance of the English forces, I'd say that it already is
England's intention to attack Russia. Which leaves you a great stab
opportunity.
I'd say that I get along better with you than England. But perhaps
that's the advantage of not being specific.
(the below section was written after looking over our old press. I
wrote this then realized that I was responding to old press. I'll send
it along anyway. Consider it a really slow response to something that
you said long ago.)
I also wonder if a 2 way in this game wouldn't be better than a solo
win. I believe that we can have co-winners, But I'd have to ask Doug.
It reminds me of the movie 'Tin Cup' with Kevin Costner. If you haven't
seen it. At the end he's an amateur about to win the US open. but he
blows up and refuses to take the easy way out, and the win. We keeps
trying for the impossible shot. He makes it eventually naturally. Then
he's all depressed cause he didn't win. But Renee Russo tells him that
nobody will remember the winner that year, but everyone will remember
him blowing up and then making that last shot.
Doug wants this to be a showcase game. What would be better than having
a two way. It would be classic. In a game where the stab is king, the
best two people show that it can be done a better way. Ha I love it.
I would commit to that. And what a better way to do it. The top seed
and one of the low seeds. Ha.
Anyway back to reality. If I help you into Belgium, it certainly won't
be easy to overrun Scandinavia. England will be pissed.
The question becomes than, attack Belgium now or in the fall? I prefer
the fall. This will give me the opportunity to move into position to at
least have a try at Sweden. If you're going to build one, then I should
also. Keeping that balance of power is important, as you point out.
Fredd
Message from Russia to France
Prince Boar,
> I am trying to convince England that keeping you alive is
> in his best interest.
Well, he's either trying to set me up, or he's decided that
you're right. I guess we'll see soon enough.
> I think that you can hold your own this year.
Perhaps, though I need to do more than just hold my
own to survive.
Czar Nicholas.
Message from France to all
Tour de France Stage 14 Results:
Today's stage was won by Roberto Laiseka of team
Euskaltel. It was fitting that a Spainard won a stage
in the Pyrenees. The important race was between the two
main contenders. Although Ullrich gave all he had, he
could not shake Armstrong loose. In a classic moment of
sportsmanship, Ullrich reach back at the finish line so
they could cross clasping hands. It was not only a sign
acknowledging Armstrongs' superior effort and eventual
final victory, but a sign of respect between the two
racers.
Tomorrow is a rest stage and then the race will become
about USP protecting Lance's lead.
Official Tally:
Austria (Domo-Farm Frites): 0 points
England (USPS): 30 points
France (Festina): 10 points
Germany (Telekom): 20 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) 62 hours, 15 minutes, 4 seconds
2. Jan Ullrich (TEL) @ 5:05
3. Andrei Kivilev (COF) @ 5:13
4. Joseba Beloki (ONC)@ 6:33
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Germany
Frederick:
Time for some specifics. It appears obvious that I need
to move to Burgundy in order to take Belgium. However, I
do not want to simply assume that you will know that. I
plan to move to Burgundy and want to make certain that
you have no problems with that. I understand if you feel
that you need to stay in Munich. Actually, given the
fact that Italy is in Tyrolia, you may want to stay in
there anyway.
What was his reason for move to Tyrolia. All he would
tell me is that he was trying to make a statement. He
could have easily stripped naked and ran out into the
street yelling, look at me. That would have gotten
attention as well. :-) I am curious to hear what he told
you about it.
Good luck in the Baltic. I expect that you will have not
trouble taking it. Russia probably will not even try to
prevent it, but just in case you can support yourself in.
Will Kiel be moving to protect Berlin or will it hold
for defense of Holland and Denmark. Well, actually you
can keep that to yourself if you feel safer doing so. We
are still tenatively working toward an alliance and we
need not share all our secrets just yet.
Let me know if there is anything that we need to talk
about.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to England
Ivy:
As you stated in your last letter, things between us seem
pretty well set. I will move to the Channel and Burgundy
and hold in Portugal. Germany expects me to move to MAO,
so he will wonder/be upset if I do not. But at least I
can point to my move to the Channel to appease him. I am
holding mostly to keep you secure. But I also do not
mind irritating him a bit since your move to the Bight
will irritate him also.
What are your plans for Belgium? Will it simply hold or
are you going to support Paris to Burgundy? It depends
on what kind of statement you want to make. I am
guessing that the hold may be your best option. It
leaves open the question of whether we are working
together completely. I guess that you could move to
Ruhr, expecting to bounce. Even if you made it there,
things would not be too terrible. It might open up some
more options.
I want to talk to you also about the South. I am
concerned that Austria will grow too quickly. I would
not mind seeing Russia and Turkey become friends. It
might even be better for IRT to join up against Austria.
We really do not want a monster Austria in our way. At
the same time we want to keep a viable Austria to keep
Turkey in check. A medium sized Austria can still be
brought down as long as a couple powers in the south are
viable. You and I should decide on what outcome we
prefer and both start working towards it. We can focus
on talking to different powers to not make it obvious.
But it may increase our chances of bring our preference
into place if we agree on one.
-- Prince Boar
PS: I hope that your sister safely made it away. It
looks certain that your team will win you the Tour de
France tournament.
Message from France to Russia
Czar Nicolas:
Yes, I believe that England may be willing to not go for
your throat now that you are down. On the other hand
that is exactly what an active EG alliance would want us
to think. But if you have to trust someone, I would
trust Ivy ... for now. I believe that I convinced him
that having you alive is in his best interest. I know it
is in mine, but I did not bring up those points.
I am sorry that one of my earlier messages was wrong. I
did not realize that Austria was already in Galicia.
That is why the Dauphin is the military strategist and I
am just a poor wordsmith. He suggests that you offer to
support Austria from Galicia to Rumania (adding your
support to guarantee him achieving rather than Turkey or
yourself). When he agrees (really hoping that he can
then walk into Warsaw while you leave it unguarded) you
actually move Ukraine to Warsaw and bounce him. I do not
know if this is useful and am not sure if I understand it
all. But since the Dauphin suggests it, I am passing it
on to you.
I would worry about the supterfuge, but I suppose that
you can just point to the fact that he lied to you once
and you got worried that he was lying to you again - just
in case he actualy did move to Rumania. At any rate that
would make Austria and Turkey enemies and you would gain
from that.
-- Prince Boar
Message from Germany to France
Italy hasn't been real forthcoming on what he's up to in Tyrolia. I did
call him on it. He seems to realize that if someone like you or Russia
helps him into Munich, he won't be able to hold it. At least not this
early in the game. (He would be able to hold it from me, but not from
you, eventually)
This is the big move. It should tell us if it's EF or FG. Or maybe
EG? But then don't forget that it's my belief that alliances will
change often. So if I come out of this with England at my doorstep,
I'll still be talking to both of you. Although I think the volume
might be turned up a little.
But that's just the paranoid side of me talking. England really holds
the cards this hand. He could sit back, or go for the channel, or slip
into HEL or SKA. Or go for STP. Our moves are pretty standard.
You do realize that I have to move to Ruhr either this turn or next
turn. If we're to destroy the English army. I've made up my mind, but
I'll have to keep that secret for now. Both ways have advantages.
Supporting HOL now from an English attack makes sense, but so does
moving now so that I can support HOL next turn.
Fredd
Message from Austria to all
Archduke Ferdinand has returned from his journey, and is currently
consulting with his ambassadors and advisors. The ambassadors will
soon be responding to many of the communciations received.
Message from Austria to France
> Things could not be better for you.
Which means they are about to get worse, of course.
> He wonders about the fact that you have not written in a
> while and that your Tour de France team is not succeeding.
The lack of communication is due to the Archduke's travels;
those are ended now for a while. As to the bicyclists, our
team has been weakened due to the best athletes serving their
country in the military.
> I do look forward to hearing from you.
I know less and less with each passing day. I do wonder about
your repeated clashes in Burgundy, and the French civilians
that were welcoming the English military to Belgium. Will you
and England be cooperating in the offensive against Germany?
Or is that all misdirection, so that England will not be
expecting your attack?
I'm sure you have questions about the east, but I don't have
any answers. Russia believes he was stabbed, and is trying to
muster support; I have no idea how successful he's been.
Felicia, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from France to Austria
Ms. Felicia:
The English presence in Belgium and the bounce with
Germany in Burgundy was not my choice. A hasty decision
without discussion caused it. No one knows for sure how
things will end up in the West. This should be a
revealing turn.
I wish you luck. May your soldiers ride to further
glory.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Germany
Frederick:
I of course understand that Ruhr will have to be covered
in order to eliminate the English army. I will not try
to influence your decision on when you cover it. I
suspect that you would want to cover it with Kiel in the
Spring, but possibly Munich in the fall. Or you may have
some other plan that I cannot fathom. I am sure that the
Dauphin could suggest some other military options that my
simply mind cannot fathom. However, I will not worry
about it for now.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to England
Ivy:
Are you recovered from the weekend yet? Things were a
bit slow. Austria is back, I have heard from Italy.
Nothing for either expect warm fuzzies from the latter.
Germany has at least picked up his level of
communication. His style hasn't changed, but the volume
has. Have you noticed the same?
Will you be supporting Russia to Sweden so he can either
move his fleet to Prussia or his army to St. Petes (and
then Moscow)? His presences in Sweden may help you
attack Denmark.
-- Prince Boar
Message from England to France
Good Prince,
Ah, this is going to be a very fine day.
Yesterday was one of those days that my home modem decided to snore, and I
was without communication from about 5pm on. Please don't let these
interruptions cause you grief. In a true emergency I can drive the three
miles to work and get on-line. This will probably never be necessary.
My exchanges with Germany and Russia have been satisfactory, but not
without difficulties.
Germany has been suspicious ever since I did not build a fleet in
Liverpool. My explanation -- that I did not want to telegraph my
intentions -- may have sufficed. But it doesn't really matter any more,
does it? The only move he could make to slow us down would be
Den-NorthSea, but he wants Sweden too badly to do that. Anyway, it now
seems Germany is expecting my help in Sweden plus my forced entry into the
Channel.
If anything, Russian diplomacy has been a little more complex. I openly
revealed to him the possibility of my moving Norway to Skag so that he
could get Sweden and I would have a shot at Denmark in the fall. In my
experience a demonstration of trust often gains cooperation. Leaving
Norway vacant certainly would involve my trust of Russia. Russia welcomed
the idea of cooperation with me, but to my surprise he thought it best that
he get Denmark(!) in addition to Sweden so that he would remain a viable
threat to his southeastern neighbors. Russia thought that I could work
with Holland and points south.
Isn't that ducky?! My French ally would have Belgium and my Russian ally
would have Denmark, leaving me Holland. How am I to conquer the world by
funneling all my units through Holland? This is not a complaint; I just
find it most ammusing. Anyway, I have decided not to depart Norway and I
am telling Russia that. Russia and I have never tried to deceive each
other (unless he really did originally intend to mount an attack on
Norway). I still don't mind helping Russia into Sweden, but my Denmark
scheme is dead for this year.
>As you stated in your last letter, things between us seem
>pretty well set. I will move to the Channel and Burgundy
>and hold in Portugal. Germany expects me to move to MAO,
>so he will wonder/be upset if I do not.
Please upset him. Don't even think ... 8-).
>What are your plans for Belgium? Will it simply hold or
>are you going to support Paris to Burgundy? It depends
>on what kind of statement you want to make.
I expect Picardy to support Paris to Burgundy and I expect Holland to
support Kiel to Ruhr. So Belgium is useless this turn, except for symbolic
purposes. Withought giving it any thought before this instant, I was going
to support your move to Burgundy.
>I am guessing that the hold may be your best option. It
>leaves open the question of whether we are working
>together completely.
It won't matter what Germany thinks any more, but it might help a tiny,
tiny bit if the rest of the world is uncertain. Believe me, none of them
want a EF alliance. They've made that clear to me from the beginning.
Perhaps I will try Belgium->Ruhr.
On second thought, no one will be fooled about EF intentions. But Bel-Ruh
has a tiny chance of working, so let it be that.
>I want to talk to you also about the South. I am
>concerned that Austria will grow too quickly.
Neither Austria nor Russia talk much to me, but both are friendly. Don't
you think that Italy holds the key to that area of the world? He can ally
himself with either Austria or Turkey. Italy has always answered every
question of mine, but I have been careful not to ask him whether he prefers
Turkey or Austria. Pry too much and your source shuts up!
We want somewhat of a stalemate over there. Its best when the stalemate is
perpetuated by some genuine animosity, such as the feelings that Russia now
has for Austria. That way it is difficult for them to untangle and face a
threat from another direction. I assume that Russia and Austria will be on
opposite sides. I assume that Austria and Turkey will be on opposite sides
soon, if not immediately, in spite of their cooperation over Romania last
turn. Does that mean we want Italy to side with Austria so it will be two
on two?
On the other hand, if IRT does gang up on Austria, then that leaves Turkey
with no outlet against us. Right now it looks pretty good for us either
way. I am probably in one of my overly optimistic moods.
Most cordially,
Ivy
I would
>not mind seeing Russia and Turkey become friends. It
>might even be better for IRT to join up against Austria.
> We really do not want a monster Austria in our way. At
>the same time we want to keep a viable Austria to keep
>Turkey in check. A medium sized Austria can still be
>brought down as long as a couple powers in the south are
>viable. You and I should decide on what outcome we
>prefer and both start working towards it. We can focus
>on talking to different powers to not make it obvious.
>But it may increase our chances of bring our preference
>into place if we agree on one.
Message from England to France
As has happened before, I just sent off a long note only to discover
another from you waiting!
>Are you recovered from the weekend yet? Things were a
>bit slow. Austria is back, I have heard from Italy.
>Nothing for either expect warm fuzzies from the latter.
>Germany has at least picked up his level of
>communication. His style hasn't changed, but the volume
>has. Have you noticed the same?
Yes, his volume has. I am not surprised. He couldn't possibly have been
as poor a player as earlier press, or lack thereof, suggested.
>Will you be supporting Russia to Sweden so he can either
>move his fleet to Prussia or his army to St. Petes (and
>then Moscow)?
He is even considering convoying the army to Livonia apparently!
>His presences in Sweden may help you attack Denmark.
Absolutely, we need Russia in Sweden, but the means and the timing still
have to be worked out. I just informed Nicky a few minutes ago that I
cannot bless his desire to own Denmark. Obvious, if I were a German ally.
And if allied to France I would be left only with Holland through which to
operate. I also tried to reassure him that I have no designs on StP. Now
Russia needs to react to that message. I have not boldly told him that you
and I are allied, but he suspects it.
Ivy
Message from France to France
Spring 1902 Symposium on Philosophy, Europe and
Everything.
- by Prince Xavier Boar
First I would like to thank the people of France for
inviting me to be the Plenary Speaker at this annual
symposium. It is one that is dear to my heart. The
topic for my speech will always be the state of a State
of the Union Address for France, although I reserve the
right to add a little philosophy. This first
presentation may be short of details because I will be
trying to cover both 1901 as well as pre-1901, and
perhaps a peak at 1902.
Pre-1901
The original goal of my Bother, the Dauphin, and I was to
try to work with Germany against England. We wanted to
eliminate the danger of England from our back and then
stab Germany with Russian help. However, we felt that
France is less at risk to England than England is to
France; therefore we were willing to accept swapping
places between England and Germany. It would depend on
the personalities, the preferences of Russia, and how
things developed.
Our second objective was to arrange a long term
neutrality pact with Italy. We wanted that border secure
and trouble-free. We intend to keep up our end of the
bargain until both England and Germany fall, provided
that we are lucky enough to make that come to pass.
In a general sense our goals for the game are to never
miss a deadline and to communicate with every surviving
power every turn. By turn our goal will be every phase,
but we are willing to accept we may miss speaking with
some far away powers during a retreat or adjustment
phase.
During the opening negotiations we were please to have
secured a neutrality alliance with Italy. We have hit it
off much better with Ivy (England) than Frederick
(Germany). This is partly due to Germany's lack of
communication. But it is more due to the similarities in
style between England and myself. We also prefer
England's cooperative press style rather than Germany's
aggressive style. I also had to deal with the "top seed"
talk where people assumed that because I ended up with
France, I was the top seed. It was true, but I wanted to
plant some doubt. I did not want to come out and say it
was not true, as many would think I might be lying. I
also could not admit it because that would conflict with
the Gunboat nature of the game.
1901
We agreed to bounce in Burgundy with Germany in the
Spring. The Dauphin felt that this would both secure
that important region as well as protect Marseilles
should Italy not keep his word about staying out of
Piedmont. That army was destined to move to Spain. We
moved Paris to Picardy in order to have a say in Belgium.
We were please that Germany agreed to open his fleet to
Denmark. This keeps alive the option of conflict between
Germany and Russia. We choose to trust Ivy not to enter
the Channel. We had a lot of faith in this decision.
In the fall, there was a great deal of discussion about
whether I would take Belgium or not. England obviously
wanted it, but was concerned about getting Norway. I was
worried about the early leader syndrome and keeping Italy
from getting nervous. We had also already decided to side
with England against Germany. The Dauphin wanted an army
in the Belgium in order to further the invasion of
Germany. We were prepared for it to be French, coupled
with our waving a build, but argued for it to be English.
We pointed out that this would still give England a
build, even if Russia betrayed him. But England must
have been worried that we might betray him as well, for
no builds. He took the chance and ended up with two
builds.
We had decided to move to Burgundy and argue to Germany
that his silences and English lies had caused us to move
there. A few hours before the deadline we got a note
from Germany informing us that he was moving to Burgundy
and apologizing for the lack of notice. We replied
indignantly about his coercive behavior. The Dauphin was
displeased about the military set back, but I thought
that perhaps it would have strategic benefits. We have
Germany looking like the bad guy and have not angered him
by slightly betraying him. We also can blame him for the
English presence in Belgium, not ourselves.
A peak at 1902
The goal is to move towards an attack on Germany but to
disguise it as much as possible.
Philosophy
Many of you have speculated why the Dauphin does not
assume the thrown not that our father is so ill. Some
have even absurdly suggested that I might be more fit.
In reply I quote Plato
Philosophers should become Kings and
Kings should become Philosophers.
My brother is not yet ready to become a philosopher and I
am not yet ready to become a King. In the end only he
can be King, but together we may substitute in our
father's illness. We still have much to learn form him.
For example …. (and so on)
Message from France to all
[Greetings I am Trey Wingo and I have agreed to add
commentary to the presentation by Prince Boar on the
State of France at the Annual Symposium on Philosophy,
Europe and Everything. Why is an ESPN Sportscaster
commenting on Politics and Philosophy? Well, first of
all I always wanted to travel to France. Second, if my
third cousin Ivy can go from being a catcher to
Ambassador for England, I can comment on Philosophy. And
third, I am tired of Stuart Scott getting all the cool
jobs.]
Spring 1902 Symposium on Philosophy, Europe and
Everything.
- by Prince Xavier Boar
First I would like to thank the people of France for
inviting me to be the Plenary Speaker at this annual
symposium. It is one that is dear to my heart. The
topic for my speech will always be the state of a State
of the Union Address for France, although I reserve the
right to add a little philosophy. This first
presentation may be short of details because I will be
trying to cover both 1901 as well as pre-1901, and
perhaps a peak at 1902.
[The people did not really invite him, rather some
anonymous person suggested these presentation. The rumor
is that Prince Boar paid this person to make the
suggestion, just so he could "bore" the people with his
philosophies.]
Pre-1901
The original goal of my Bother, the Dauphin, and I was to
try to ….
[Unfortunately this part of the presentation was censored
due to state secrets. Why the color of the Dauphin's
underwear is a state secret is beyond me. Nevertheless I
cannot comment on what I heard.]
.
.
.
Philosophy
Many of you have speculated why the Dauphin does not
assume the thrown not that our father is so ill. Some
have even absurdly suggested that I might be more fit.
In reply I quote Plato
Philosophers should become Kings and
Kings should become Philosophers.
My brother is not yet ready to become a philosopher and I
am not yet ready to become a King. In the end only he
can be King, but together we may substitute in our
father's illness. We still have much to learn form him.
For example ….
[Here I will cut off the "highlights". I want to save to
you from it. Besides I fell asleep three times and
really do not know what he was saying.]
[Until next time,
Trey]
(loud enough for the speakers to barely pick it up)
[Now where are those French Babes you guys promised to
introduce me to if I took this gig]
Message from France to Master
Doug:
I am sending my yearly thoughts to France rather than
master. I assume that you and future readers will be
able to see them that way. Since they are my personal
thoughts, I felt it made more sense to do it this way.
France
Message from France to England
Ivy:
Thanks for your notes. I am sorry about your modem. I
suppose that the only time it would an issue if we were
negotiating some last minute decisions on moves,
especially ones which we hoped to hear first from someone
else. That has happened in the past. But we can deal
with that when and if it occurs.
I see that you are just as uncertain about the Southeast
as I am. I think that I will try to encourage an RT
alliance vs AI. We do not want Italy or Russia to grow
too quickly. The IRT vs A might resolve itself too soon.
I will be pretty busy for a while but will try to check
for messages before the end of my work day, which will be
a bit early as I must visit the Dentist. Pray for me :-)
The Dauphin does like the move to Ruhr, but the decision
will be yours. As for Russia, tell him that he cannot
possibly take both Denmark and Sweden this year. In the
long run Denmark is negotiable if Kiel becomes available
to you. That way you can say "maybe" and not make him
desperate. But I think that it is wise to stay in
Norway.
Just so you know I have been trying to encourage Russia
in the south and telling him that I am trying to
encourage you not to attack him.
-- Prince Boar
Message from England to France
Prince Boar,
>Thanks for your notes. I am sorry about your modem. I
>suppose that the only time it would an issue if we were
>negotiating some last minute decisions on moves,
I won't let it be an issue. Also, the problem seems to disappear as the
weather becomes cooler. Go figure.
> I must visit the Dentist.
Hah! He works for me. "Tell me your state secrets or I drill deeper."
I hate these delays. I work hard and get everyone to agree with me and
then they get another day or two to reconsider.
Ivy Wingo
Message from France to England
Ivy:
>I hate these delays. I work hard and get everyone to
>agree with me and then they get another day or two to
>reconsider.
I will remove my set wait, to make you feel better :-)
I do understand your feeling. It would be better to have
the adjustment right away rather than on the day of the
deadline. But I understand that life happens to people.
It even happens to me. So we can be patient, even do
something other than diplomacy. Gasp :-)
I see your evil plan with the Dentist. But would it not
make more sense for him to give me drugs that would make
me talk (in guise of Novacain) than to threaten me with
pain! But then again, my brother was alway better at
physical pain than I. I had to use psychological pain to
hold my own against him.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Master
Doug:
I will be without access to the Internet from the
afternoon of Aug 3 until Aug 11. I will endeavor to have
orders in before I leave (as long as there was not a
deadline on Aug 2). I will remind you of this trip
before I leave. I just wanted to give you a heads up.
France
Message from Italy to France
>
> What has Germany said about your presence in Tyrolia. He
> has not mentioned it to me and I am curious to hear his
> reaction.
>
His reaction was that he was not overly concerned with my presence in
Tyrolia since he felt it would be a tactical mistake for me to either assist
you in Munich or accept your assistance for my move to Munich. I agreed
with him and explained to him that you and I had not had any discussions
along those lines. He seemed to be reassured.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from England to France
Good Prince,
All is quiet. Very quiet. My moves are in and I wait.
Yours,
Ivy
Message [from France] to all
BG> Holey Lepanto Diploman, did I miss something?
DM> Yes Boy Gambit, we have had a fall move as well as an adjustment phase.
BG> Wow! Are there any betrayers that we can bring to justice? I read in the
news that Austria betrayed Russia?
DM> Well, it appears that Austria and Turkey combined to betray Russia. But we
have not yet heard their side of the story.
BG> We should bring them in just in case.
DM> Now now, Boy Gambit, due process must be followed.
BG> What about Germany and France. Do they keep bouncing in Burgundy because
they cannot get along or was there a German betrayal?
DM> We have not heard but are vigorously investigating the matter. What
situations do you see that bear watching for this season?
BG> Well, Turkey seems to have a big kick me sign on his back. He must trust
Austria and Italy. Will that trust be betrayed?
DM> Yes, Boy Gambit! Excellent! Anything else?
BG> Ummmmm.
DM> What about the English-French-German triangle. Something must give up
there.
BG> Oh yeah. But whom will be betrayed?
DM> That is a good question. We must watch and see.
Message from France to all
Tour de France Stage 15 Results:
Today's stage was won by Rik Verbrugghue of Team Lotto
Adecco. He was part of a huge breakaway, but one that
did not contain any of the contenders. No points were
awarded for our game. Since the contenders were all in
the main pack (peloton), they were all given the same
time. Therefore there was no change in the standings at
the top.
Official Tally:
Austria (Domo-Farm Frites): 0 points
England (USPS): 30 points
France (Festina): 10 points
Germany (Telekom): 20 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) 62 hours, 15 minutes, 4 seconds
2. Jan Ullrich (TEL) @ 5:05
3. Andrei Kivilev (COF) @ 5:13
4. Joseba Beloki (ONC)@ 6:33
Message from France to England
Ivy:
>All is quiet. Very quiet. My moves are in and I wait.
Me too. Except your note, a gray, and Russia's
broadcast, I have received nothing today.
I believe that it is because the west is settled. We are
just waiting for the deadline. But the Southeast is busy
negotiating. I suppose that I should spend some time
influencing it. But I have been busy all day until now.
I hope that you are not offended that we hired your third
cousin to commentate at our symposium. If if bothers
you, the guillotine is always and option.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Russia
Nicholas:
>I have to take my wife to the Emergency Room, and I
>haven't got my orders in, yet. My apologies if
>I'm late.
I hope that everything works out well. Please do not
worry about being late. In fact you should have just
rushed off and apologized later.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Turkey
Ali Baba:
With this extra day, the Dauphin has spent some time
studying your situation. I must tell you that he is very
nervous for you. You could very easily be stabbed
visciously by Austria and Italy. If you are not careful
you could end up losing both Bulgaria and a home center.
Alarmed at this I asked him what you should do. Well, I
really did not understand it all. But it involved making
peace with Russia (which I did follow), taking Rumania
from Ankara or Bulgaria, and moving an army to Smyrna.
He said the convoy from Ankara may be best so you do not
get a unit disbanded. If this is not clear, please let
me know and I can ask the Dauphin to write it all down
for me.
I am sure that you have advisors that are equally gifted
in military strategy as the Dauphin thinks he is.
Therefore I am sure that have a great plan in mind. But
because we have a long term agreement to split Europe, I
thought it best to indulge the Dauphin and send you this
information. I felt I should error on insulting your
intelligence rather than with holding an idea which may
improve your security. I apologize in advance if the
former was true.
-- Prince Boar
Message from Turkey to France
Prince Boar,
Sorry I was unable to write sooner. I was away from e-mail contact due to
unexpected and unavoidable circumstances. In any case, now I'm back. A
most unfortunate time to be away, it seems.
I entered my build order based on certain assurances from Italy. You can
see for yourself where those assurances got me. I am indeed wearing a "Kick
Me" sign, and Italy's wearing the boots.
Russia proposed to me that he would support me to Rumania in exchange for RT
peace. I have responded favorably to his overture, and have ordered the
attack he suggested. If he goes through with it, then I intend to keep
things going in that direction. If you're genuinely interested in seeing
Russia recover (and what France wouldn't), then I urge you to write to
Russia and encourage him to follow through. I myself will be acting in
accordance with my promises to Russia, so he would be well-advised to do as
he's promised.
If instead things boil down to an IAR vs. T, then this whole conversation is
moot. In that case, I will surely go insane and there's no telling what I
will do. Obviously I've made a botch of things so far, but the game is
young yet and there's always time to turn things around.
I look forward to hearing any thoughts you may have.
Ali Baba
Message from France to Russia
Czar Nicholas:
Sorry to disturb you at a time like this with mundane
things like diplomacy. Perhaps you had time to reflect
upon your predicament in the ER. There is always ample
amount of waiting time in that location.
I have been working on Turkey to change his plans and
instead side with you. He assures me that he is of the
same mind. He claims that he is following through with
the plans that you proposed. I think that you best bet
is to follow through as well.
May you do well enough to get reelected at the next
General Union Election. Oh wait, you need no election,
you are born to power. Your biggest concern is keeping
your head. I can empathize with that.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Turkey
Ali Baba:
I have written Russia as you requested. I have talked
enough with him before that I think that he would follow
through with the plan.
My babbling before on moves was that an Army in Smyrna
would allow you to cover Constantinople or Bulgaria with
the Fleet in the Black Sea. Since I do not know your
plans, it is hard to comment further. But I would guess
that Austria and Italy would move to Eme and Aeg and
Bulgaria is safe as long as it is covered. But I have no
hint at what IA might do.
-- Prince Boar
Message from Russia to all
My thanks to everyone for their well-wishes. The good news is that the
doctors ruled out any life-threatening, critical causes for the pain my wife
is experiencing. The
bad news is, they're not quite sure what is causing it. We'll be motoring
off to see our family physician in the morning, so please forgive me if my
responses are not as prompt or as detailed as they have been in the next day
or two. Once again, our thanks.
Nick, Alexandra, and Alexi.
Austria: Army Budapest SUPPORT Turkish Army Bulgaria → Rumania (*void*)
Austria: Army Galicia → Ukraine
Austria: Fleet Greece → Aegean Sea
Austria: Army Serbia → Bulgaria (*bounce*)
Austria: Army Vienna → Galicia
England: Army Belgium SUPPORT German Army Munich → Burgundy
England: Fleet Edinburgh → North Sea
England: Fleet London SUPPORT Fleet North Sea → English Channel
England: Fleet North Sea → English Channel
England: Fleet Norway HOLD
France: Fleet Brest → English Channel (*bounce*)
France: Army Paris → Burgundy (*bounce*)
France: Army Picardy SUPPORT Army Paris → Burgundy
France: Fleet Portugal HOLD
France: Army Spain → Gascony
Germany: Fleet Berlin → Baltic Sea
Germany: Fleet Denmark SUPPORT Fleet Berlin → Baltic Sea
Germany: Army Holland SUPPORT Army Kiel → Ruhr (*void*)
Germany: Army Kiel SUPPORT Army Holland
Germany: Army Munich → Burgundy (*bounce*)
Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea → Eastern Mediterranean
Italy: Fleet Naples → Ionian Sea
Italy: Army Tunis HOLD
Italy: Army Tyrolia HOLD
Russia: Army Finland → Gulf of Bothnia → Livonia
Russia: Fleet Gulf of Bothnia CONVOY Army Finland → Livonia
Russia: Fleet Sevastopol SUPPORT Turkish Army Ankara → Rumania
Russia: Army Ukraine → Warsaw
Turkey: Army Ankara → Black Sea → Rumania
Turkey: Fleet Black Sea CONVOY Army Ankara → Rumania
Turkey: Army Bulgaria SUPPORT Italian Army Tunis → Greece (*void*)
Turkey: Army Constantinople → Smyrna
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