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Message from England to Germany
Greetings Freddy,
> Sweden isn't a sure thing. There are still two Russian units to deal
>with. We are surrounded my friend. I think that we have to go in both
>directions simultaneously. I'll take the lead in Scandanavia, while you
>take the lead in France. Just like your original plan.
Why isn't Sweden a sure thing? Here is just one way to do it. Support
yourself into Baltic in the spring and let Russia into Sweden. In the fall
we have Norway, Denmark, and Baltic to take on Russia's two units. You get
Sweden. Bingo.
> I thought that France was trying to get a FGR going. I guess he'll
>tell anything to anyone. Can you believe it...
Sure, I believe it. I suspect that France is quietly disappointed with
Russia's troubles. He wants to knock off one of us with Russian help and
then with more Russian help, kill the other. A classic France/Russia
ploy. I've seen it work more than once in face-to-face play.
> I suggest that you build a fleet in LVN. Certainly France will put
>another fleet in Brest.
I gave this serious thought. It would make my intent fairly obvious and
would guarantee French moves to MAO and the Channel immediately. This way
I have a slight chance of sneaking into the channel and can make the
reasonable request that France not move to the mid-Atlantic.
One more very, very important matter. Italy has left open the possibility
that he might hit France from the south. I think that would be wonderful.
He indicated that he lacked confidence you were really going to go after
France. To be perfectly honest, and more to the point, he is not confident
that you have the spare time to communicate in a timely fashion.
So, if you think it in our best interest, please send Italy a note inviting
him to consider going west. You may tell him that you are sure that I will
go along. If you think Italian involvement is a bad idea for some reason,
please let me know.
I just looked at the map. One more idea. Suppose I try Lon->Channel,
Norway-StP, North Sea->Norway, Edi->Cly or North Sea. This has the
advantage of truly killing Russia. With both StP and Sweden lost, I would
then sail away from the north with enough fleets to take on France. You
and I would each have six units. I would build a fleet in Liverpool. You
could take the remainder of Scandinavia as I gained compensation in
France. As long as Russia is alive, you have a determined enemy in the
north. Better to wipe him out entirely.
Back to the original message. Sweden is yours this year. I just don't see
how you could miss.
In alliance,
Ivy Wingo
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 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 Germany to Italy
Roberto:
Good to hear that you're not involved in plan to carve me up. Our
English friend shouldn't have said that. It's too easy of a story to
check out. Plus I didn't believe it, as it's tactically a mistake for
Italy.
The key is to look at the reason why Ivy would drop a story like
that on me. (Actually it was more a hint, than a story) The obvious
answer is that he doesn't want me to work with France. Duh. I wonder if
this also means that he wants to work with me against France? I think
the builds will tell. If a fleet appears in Liverpool, I think we can
both breathe easier.
Fredd
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 Italy to Germany
> The key is to look at the reason why Ivy would drop a
> story like that on me. (Actually it was more a hint,
> than a story) The obvious answer is that he doesn't
> want me to work with France. Duh. I wonder if
> this also means that he wants to work with me against France?
If it helps, England has always hinted that he wants me to move into the
West Med and join an EG attack. I've resisted to this point mostly because,
well look at the map, there are excellent opportunities to the east,
opportunities that are too tempting to resist. He's never hinted that I
move north to join an EF attack on Germany.
I don't know. I get the sense though that Ivy is looking for somebody to
distract his nearest and most powerful neighbor. I don't get the feeling
he'd follow thru with an attack. What is your gut feeling about Ivy's
intentions?
> I think the builds will tell. If a fleet appears in
> Liverpool, I think we can both breathe easier.
>
Well, a fleet didn't appear in Liverpool so Ivy still has left his options
open. I assume you are going to try to move towards Sweden but do you think
England is going to go for STP?
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 Germany to Italy
Roberto:
> I don't know. I get the sense though that Ivy is looking for somebody to
> distract his nearest and most powerful neighbor. I don't get the feeling
> he'd follow thru with an attack. What is your gut feeling about Ivy's
> intentions?
>
> > I think the builds will tell. If a fleet appears in
> > Liverpool, I think we can both breathe easier.
> >
>
> Well, a fleet didn't appear in Liverpool so Ivy still has left his options
> open. I assume you are going to try to move towards Sweden but do you think
> England is going to go for STP?
I think that you hit the nail on the head. Ivy has been talking me up
continuously about working together against France. Then he builds in
EDI. That is NOT the place to build to take part in an attack on
France.
I believe that you are correct. His goal is to have me make a move
against France so that we're tied up while he picks up another center.
Probably STP. I'd say Holland or something French, but I get the
feeling that E, F, G are not secure in any combination right now.
>From the start he has advocated an alliance where he moves south, while
I pick up Scandinavia. His builds and moves point at the opposite
objective.
The bottom line is that I believe that he is blowing smoke up me bum.
The next question is, what can I do about that?
Hmmm. Interesting. Certainly I can approach France with a plan to
wipe out England. I have no idea if he'd go for it. We do have a new
fleet in Brest. Will E and F bounce in the Channel this time? Time
will tell. I'd say that it's likely.
I'd say that it's even more likely that England and France have decided
to work together. France is making standard moves. Pretty much
noncommited. But England is definitely making moves and builds to head
east. I don't think that he'd do this if he didn't think that he
would be ok in the south. There's a French fleet in Brest, and one in
Portugal. Those fleets have a real history of being pointed at
England. But Ivy decided NOT to build in LVN. There can be only one
reason for that. He thinks that France won't be coming for his back
door. Or he thinks that he can build again before the threat arrives.
(Ivy is NOT a novice, he knows exactly where his chief danger comes
from)
The question arises: What will France actually do? I don't know. He
hasn't said word one to me about attacking England or you. We arranged
both bounces (barely). But other than that neither of us has brought up
tactics down the road. His plan could easily be to slip a dagger in
England's back. Or it could be to head toward you. I don't know.
One thing for sure. The next move will tell us (probably) who the first
person to be eliminated will be. If England had built in LVN, it could
have been France. But with the build in EDI, I can't see it.
Fredd
Message from Germany to England
Ivy:
I must admit to being a bit perplexed. It was my understanding that
you wished to move south against France, while I moved against Russia.
Eventually cleaning up the entire Scandinavian peninsula. Including
Norway.
Your build in EDI, and your last note suggests that this plan no longer
exists. True?
If you are indeed moving to the east, why would I want to attack
France?
Could you help clear this up? To me it looks like your lips are saying
Yes, Yes, Yes but your eyes are saying No no no. You can support
yourself to the channel this year. Is this your intention?
Fredd
Message from England to Germany
Freddy,
> I must admit to being a bit perplexed. It was my understanding that
>you wished to move south against France, while I moved against Russia.
>Eventually cleaning up the entire Scandinavian peninsula. Including
>Norway.
I understand your point. The vulnerability of StP brought out some greed
in me. Well, not entirely greed, because I knew you would be getting
Sewden and I was hoping to grow in unison. Anyway, StP was a bad idea. I
am going south. Period. In particular I will not be moving to StP.
Scandinavia is entirely yours.
On the other hand, I am confident that the build in Edinburgh was the
proper thing to do. Building in Liverpool would have been equivalent to an
immediate declaration of war against France, and he would have responded by
sending his fleets north. As it is, he has promised not to move to the
Mid-Atlantic, and we are discussing a bounce in the Channel, a bounce that
I will win(!) with help from the North Sea.
Now, there is a big IF in these plans. It can't be as simple as you
attacking Scandinavia and me attacking France. For then you will gain
Sweden and Norway and StP, and I will gain nothing. I have always assumed
that you will pressure France with armies in Munich and Ruhr and use them
in concert with Belgium to push against Burgundy. Right?
And please keep after Italy to help in the south.
Agreed?
What I have in mind is something like this:
Lon s North Sea->Channel
Edi->North Sea
Bel s Kiel->Ruhr
Norway has to stay in place to support you into Sweden in the fall. After
that it heads for Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic. In the spring I
can swing the Channel to the Irish Sea while using London again to support
North Sea to the Channel. Alternatively, the Channel can be used to cut
Picardy so that Belgium or Ruhr can blast into Burgundy.
Ruhr is as essential to the attack on France. Without an army there, we
cannot penetrate Burgundy, and France can use his armies to defend his
Atlantic coast.
It works on paper!
Please remain confident in our general scheme. Within the past week I have
had messages from Italy, Turkey, Austria, and even Russia all suggesting
that EG against France is the way to go. Everyone is afraid of France. Of
course they want us to do the dirty work.
Please let me know what your think of this.
Oh. One more thing. There are two ways to handle Sweden. (1) Support
yourself into Baltic and we triple attack in the fall. (2) I support
Denmark->Swe immediately, while Berlin moves to Baltic in case Sweden
bounces in the spring. I don't see much difference. Just tell me what you
want Norway to do and I will do it.
Cordially,
Ivy Wingo
Message from England to Germany
Fred,
>Lon s North Sea->Channel
>Edi->North Sea
>Bel s Kiel->Ruhr
Better is Bel s Mun->Bur. This will bounce of course, but it keeps France
out of Burgundy. If we let France into Burgundy there is the very real
danger of Italian cooperation with France on Munich. That you do not
want. You do not want!
Kiel can get to Ruhr on its own; my support was only symbolic.
Ivy
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 England
Ivy:
I've always thought that you should have all of France, and that I'd
support your effort to get it.
It's a pretty good trade off really. You're right in that I'll have
SWE, NWY and STP, but not right away. We only have a one man advantage,
so it is possible to take SWE this turn, the others will take longer.
Certainly I wouldn't ask you to give up Norway until you have the
opportunity to replace it, and also to build one more. That's Brest and
Paris. (or maybe Spain)
It's all going to be a bit tricky. You'll have to move off of
Belgium. And I'll have to be in BUR and RUHR to support your attack.
This will lead Belgium wide open to a German stab. I've proven that I
can be trusted many times over, but you don't know that. Therefore, you
will be hesistant to follow this course. Perhaps we can exchange SWE
for BEL for a time.
I would like to leave the ultimate ownership of Belgium open for later
discussion. If you have that and all of France you'll have 9. I would
need, HOL, DEN, NWY, SWE, STP, and WAR. to equal you. It'd be nice if
we could plan that far out, but who knows what will happen in the
meantime.
I can see that this can be a productive arrangement. I've already
helped you get into Belgium, by making France bounce me in BUR a 2nd
time. Next you help me into Sweden. I'll be helping you into PIC soon,
and supporting BEL. After that I can see doing the SWE/BEL exchange.
Then you can help me into STP. While I'm supporting you into PAR.
Certainly KIE will have to go to RUH. But I don't know yet whether I
want to support that move in, or let you support me into BUR. I'm
leaning toward the BUR move, but I have to study it further.
Russia suggested EG against France. This guy is perplexing.
Fredd
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 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 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 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 Germany to Russia
Nick:
I've been looking at the board. What I see is England poised to move
east rapidly. (He says he's not going that way)
I also see that England can walk into STP unless you retreat a unit.
He can also move NWY-BAR and NTH-NWY this turn and support an attack on
STP.
England can also attack HOL with support this turn.
The bottom line is that Ivy says that he's going to move against
France, but a build in LVN would have been a much better option if that
was what he wanted. There are two possible options here, and I'm
trying to come up with a plan which will cover both of them.
I have a proposal. I will let you walk into Sweden this turn. You
can retreat FIN to STP if that's a good option for you. (It does give
you the ability to support an attack on NWY in the fall) I will also
move BER into the Baltic. If England makes a strong move into
Scandinavia, I'd like to coordinate with you in the fall, and throw the
bum out. If England makes a strong move to the south, I'll be attacking
SWE.
Can you agree to this, or is it too insulting?
Freddy Kruegerand
Message from Germany to Austria
Austria:
Hmmm we talk so seldom I forget your name.
I guess we did have a common interest after all. I was hoping that we'd
keep Russia from building. How about that.
Well just wanted to say hi. I'm sure that you're in heavy negotiations
with Turkey and Italy. Just as I am with England and France.
Cheers
Freddy MCMXVIY
Message from Germany to Russia
Nick:
I have another question. I hope you can answer.
Did England know of your intention to move MOS-STP or STP-FIN?
I ask because he took a hell of a chance by not supporting himself into
Norway. To do that I'd would have had to have a sure thing in Belgium.
If you didn't tell him, then France must have told him that Belgium was
open. If that's the case, then we could be in serious trouble.
Because it means E and F have a pretty good alliance going. We'll be
the opening targets.
Fredd
Message from Germany to Italy
Roberto:
I've been writing my EOY statement. It's a great exercise to clear
your head, and look at the board in a new light. A couple of things
came up that I thought I'd share.
In the Spring move E and F didn't bounce the channel. That's not
really surprising. But it does show a level of cooperation and trust
building. Russia and Turkey bounced in the Black Sea. They couldn't
trust each other enough not to. France and I bounced in BUR, but in
this case, where was I to go. I actually wanted to stay in MUN. (Say
in case an Italian came north)
In the fall move, England convoyed to Belgium. This is odd because
Russia was sitting ready to bounce him in Norway. Look at Russia now
that he hasn't built. He's hurtin. England would be in the same shape
if he hadn't built. Yet he chanced it by not supporting himself into
Norway.
I wouldn't have taken that chance. Well I would have chanced it if I
knew that either I was going to get into Belgium OR into Norway.
Russia could have told him that he was going to FIN. But I wouldn't
have believed that if the surprise move of the spring was Russia's
MOS-STP. I would only give STP-FIN a good chance if I had already known
about MOS-STP. I would have yelled long and hard if I were England and I
knew that Russia was opening with an army to STP. Therefore although
it's possible that England believed that he was safe to go unsupported
to Norway, I think it's unlikely.
That leaves Belgium. I couldn't effect Belgium so I didn't talk
about it with E or F. What I did do was decide to go to BUR very late.
(I sent you a note on it) I also sent France a message at the same
time, as my purpose was to make him bounce me, and not take Belgium and
build three. France did respond before the deadline, so he knew the
bounce was on. But could he have told England that Belgium was wide
open? It's certainly possible, there is a 3 hour time window. And
perhaps England changed his orders at the last minute because he knew
that he had a sure thing in Belgium, and he'd take his chances in
Norway. The other option is that E and F already had a deal on where
France would let England have Belgium. That's not good for us.
What do you think of my logic?
BTW England has told me that France has agreed NOT to go to the MAO. No
telling if that's true, of course.
Reading between the lines leads me to believe that E and F are working
together. How long they'll stay this way is unknown to me.
There is another piece of the puzzle. Your communications with France
and England. England has hinted more than once that you're seriously
looking at attacking France. Has England been really trying to get you
to do this, or is he feeling you out to see where you're going?
Another thing that I'd suggest is that you contact Russia and see if
he's been giving England his moves ahead of time.
Fredd.
Message from Germany to Master
EOY -1901
Who opened the floodgates and let all that press out? Anyone who's
played this game a long time knows that a good rule of thumb is to talk
to each player once a move. In this game it's once a day. Checking my
mailbox I have the following number of messages from the powers. (and I
stopped keeping the Tour de France updates)
France: 20
England: 18
Russia: 13
Italy: 12
Turkey: 9
Austria: 2 What's up with Austria???
We've started out pretty standard. Lots of the early press was the warm
and fuzzy kind. Just getting to know each other. Not really going into
specifics. One thing that I noticed was that practically everyone asked
questions about what I was going to do, but gave no insight into their
own strategy. Surprisingly enough I didn't answer many of those with
anything specific.
England did break the mold by proposing that he go after France, while I
took Scandinavia. Including a trade of Norway back to me at some future
date.
Russia wanted to know if I was going to bounce him out of Sweden. I
hadn't made up my mind, but was leaning in that direction. It was
cinched that I would do that when I asked what Russia would do with that
build, and he couldn't say that he wouldn't build in the north. The
bounce was set in stone when Russia opened MOS-STP.
I really like all the players in the game, except for Russia. He's just
ok. But this is much different than other games, when it's easy to
develop a dislike for a player. Everyone is on their best behavior.
It's a first and second date for each of us. Although what we want to
slip in is a little different.
The first move there wasn't any supported attacks necessary so it all
went smoothly. France and I bounced in Burgundy. That was what I
wanted. As I actually wanted to stay in Munich, as Italy was talking
about Tyrolia. I also didn't want to go to Ruhr, as I felt that would
leave France in BUR, and I'd just have to move back in the fall.
Leaving France with an opening to Ruhr.
England made the standard opening. No bounce in the channel. That's
not a good sign. But it's to be expected.
Russia opened MOS-STP. This disturbed me greatly as Russia can be very
dangerous if he puts an army in SIL or nearby. Letting him have SWE so
that he would have a spare build to do this, was out of the question.
The fall move was much more interesting. My initial moves had left me
out of any conversation as to who would get Belgium. This was on
purpose. Although it's important to talk to your neighbors at all
times, a discussion of which one of you gets to take a center can cause
friction. I was hoping that the conversation over Belgium would lead to
trouble between E and F. Or at least plant a seed of trouble that will
grow into a full blown war at some later date. We'll see.
I made my first mistake of the game. I was convinced that England would
have to support himself into Norway or risk getting no builds. This
meant that France would get three. Not a good idea. So 3 hours short
of the deadline I decided to go for Burgundy, and told France. Luckily
he was able to bounce me there. But if I had made it into BUR I would
have just gone with the flow.
Surprise, England convoyed to Belgium. A lucky guess? I didn't tell
him that France and I would bounce. I don't believe in lucky guesses.
In fact carrying that thought further. If I were England I would
have supported myself into Norway, UNLESS I knew that for sure I could
get into Belgium or Norway. For E to be sure about getting NWY, Russia
would have had to tell him that he was going to FIN. Additionally,
Russia would have had to tell E about his opening move MOS-STP. Because
E would not have believed that Norway would be safe after he had been
surprised by a Russian army in STP. Therefore it's unlikely that E knew
he would get Norway.
Which means that he must have known that he was going to get
Belgium. This shows strong FE cooperation, and could be trouble for
me. Better get I and R on my side, just in case.
The builds. I told both E and F my builds ahead of time. There was no
real surprise coming so why not show them some trust. France's builds
were normal. However, England built in EDI instead of LVN. This sets
him up for a charge to the east. While he's been telling me that he
wants to go south. I called him on it after the builds. He reiterated
that he wants to go south. And that a build in LVN is a declaration of
war with France. Bullshit! Everyone knows how often France puts a
fleet in the Irish Sea and takes LVN. If I got two builds the first
turn I'd put one there, and hold there as a defensive measure. I flat
out don't trust England. He's been telling me one thing, but acting a
different way. Chances are that he wanted to go with me early on, but
has changed his mind and intends to go with France now. Will I
survive?
Message from Germany to England
Ivy:
I forgot to congratulate you on your two builds. Not something that
England pulls off very often. No wonder you stayed up late to see the
moves.
That was very risky. Just look at poor Russia. That could have been
you...
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 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 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 Germany
Fredd,
> What I see is England poised to move east rapidly.
His builds suggest as much.
> (He says he's not going that way)
That implies that he's moving against you.
> There are two possible options here, and I'm trying to come up
> with a plan which will cover both of them.
I have found that trying to cover two options usually ends up
covering neither. (Review my opening for confirmation. 8-(
> I have a proposal. I will let you walk into Sweden this turn. You
> can retreat FIN to STP if that's a good option for you. (It does give
> you the ability to support an attack on NWY in the fall) I will also
> move BER into the Baltic. If England makes a strong move into
> Scandinavia, I'd like to coordinate with you in the fall, and throw
> the bum out. If England makes a strong move to the south, I'll be
> attacking SWE. Can you agree to this, or is it too insulting?
I can agree to it, since I don't see England moving south at all,
let alone in strength.
> I have another question. I hope you can answer.
> Did England know of your intention to move MOS-StP
No, it was a decision I made very late, without telling anyone.
> or STP-FIN?
Yes, I told Ivy of my intention to move to Fin to secure Swe within
hours of the Spring Results arriving, and then spent many letters trying
to convince him to bounce France out of Belgium. (Little did I know
that France wasn't trying for Bel.) I used the argument that bouncing
him made no sense for me, since it would leave my Army in StP where
in would be no use in gaining Swe, and would prevent me from building
in StP, if I had a reason to do so, and that since he had the option to
support himself, StP-Nwy was unlikely to do anything except annoy him.
Czar Nicolas II.
Message from England to Germany
Comrade Freddy,
> I forgot to congratulate you on your two builds. Not something that
>England pulls off very often.
Did I never explain this to you? It didn't take long to be confident that
Russia was not going to bounce me in Norway. He repeatedly reassured me in
believable language. Furthermore, if he were anti-England the intelligent
thing to do would be to move first to Finland and then build again in StP
for a triple-attack on Norway in the fall.
So North Sea was free to go after Belgium. But how to do it without
angering France prematurely? Lots of difficult negotiation went on, but
the clincher came when you told France that you were going for Burgundy.
France had to bounce you and grudingly gave me permission to have Belgium.
After all, he was still trying to court my friendship. In the end I had
you to thank.
I just received a note from Russia. It appears that his hatred of Austria
is sufficiently strong that he may be moving Finland back south. That
means that Sweden should be a cakewalk for you.
I still am on good terms with Italy and have urged him not to use Tyrolia
against Munich in any way. It is so obvious to me that France will attempt
Picardy s Par-Bur that I think you can bounce him with Bel s Mun-bur. That
leaves Munich in place in the fall and keeps France at a safe distance
where he cannot use Italy's help against Munich. Of course, there is a
very good chance that Italy has no intentions of getting involved with you
anyway.
Move as your reason guides you against Sweden. Let me know if Kiel-Ruhr
and Bel s Mun-Bur is OK with you.
As for ultimate division of spoils, I am all for numerical equality as we
progress. I appreciate your willingness to defer Norway until I have
compensation in the south. I probably will depart Norway before the
handover, just to get to the south as fast as possible.
Cordially,
Ivy
Message from Germany to Russia
Nick:
Go for Sweden. I won't stop you. I will be moving into the Baltic,
possibly with support, maybe not.
>
> > I have another question. I hope you can answer.
> > Did England know of your intention to move MOS-StP
>
> No, it was a decision I made very late, without telling anyone.
>
> > or STP-FIN?
>
> Yes, I told Ivy of my intention to move to Fin to secure Swe within
> hours of the Spring Results arriving, and then spent many letters trying
> to convince him to bounce France out of Belgium. (Little did I know
> that France wasn't trying for Bel.) I used the argument that bouncing
> him made no sense for me, since it would leave my Army in StP where
> in would be no use in gaining Swe, and would prevent me from building
> in StP, if I had a reason to do so, and that since he had the option to
> support himself, StP-Nwy was unlikely to do anything except annoy him.
Interesting. The reason for asking is that I can't believe that England
would try for two unless he was sure of one. Perhaps he believed
you. My original thinking was if he didn't know about MOS-STP then
it's unlikely that he would have believed you were going for FIN. But
I guess it's possible.
The original line of thought goes like this then. If he wasn't sure
that he could take Norway, then he must have been sure that he could
take Belgium. Meaning that he was working with France. Not good for
either of us.
I might rethink how closely they might be working together in light of
your evidence.
Fredd
Message from Germany to England
I'm glad you cleared up how you picked up BEL and NWY. Being the
paranoid type, I was imagining all sorts of plots. When only half of
them are probably true ;-)
I'll get back later with a final thought before the moves process on
Monday.
If I read this correctly our moves are:
KIE - RUH
MUN - BUR
HOL holds or supports BEL
BEL s a MUN - BUR
NTH - ENG
LON s NTH - ENG
EDI - NTH
I can go with that. Those orders are in.
Fredd
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 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 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 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 England to Germany
Freddy,
Now we have more time, even though we don't need it. I hate these last
minute delays. I work hard to get everyone to agree with me and then they
ger another day or two to change their minds!
>If I read this correctly our moves are:
>KIE - RUH
>MUN - BUR
>HOL holds or supports BEL
>
>BEL s a MUN - BUR
>NTH - ENG
>LON s NTH - ENG
>EDI - NTH
We agree. What about Norway? Is it to be Norw s Den->Swe or should I
hold? The latter makes sense if you are entering Den s berlin->bal, but if
you want the former just say so. It will be done. I have thought about
Norway->nwgSea to get a jump on things south, but that could be risky
without knowing Russia's moves. He may move the Finnish army south.
>Russia suggested EG against France. This guy is perplexing.
He has always encouraged EG against france with me. Right now it makes
sense for him, given his hatred of Austria. Makes sense, that is,
providing you to let him into Sweden!!! This can't happen. You need a
build to protect your backside against whoever emerges strong there.
France wants me to make moves that clearly would put you and me at
war. For example, NorthSea-Helgo. In the meantime his moves would enable
him to go either way. When the dust settles, the key to his true
sentiments will be Portugal. A hold with Portugal would indicate he wanted
an EF attack on G. Port->Mid would indicate he preferred FG against E.
I'm for EG against F, and I can't wait! It's also what most of the world
seems to want. They will be grateful.
Cordially,
Ivy
Message from Russia to Germany
Fredd,
You Wrote >
>Go for Sweden. I won't stop you. I will be moving into the Baltic,
>possibly with support, maybe not.
I'd advise Ber-Bal, Den-Hel. I'm not a threat to
you, but ABel, F Lon, F Edi, F Nth, and F Nwy are.
> > I told Ivy of my intention to move to Fin
>Interesting. Perhaps he believed you.
Well, I was sincere. 8-) I don't see much
point in annoying someone unless doing so would help
me, or is it is likely to weaken him.
>I might rethink how closely they might be working
>together in light of your evidence.
What he's said to me since builds suggests that
he's headed east, not south, and given that he's told
you that he's headed south, that suggests to me that
he's after you more than me. After all, if he was
coming after me, why wouldn't he enlist your aid?
Sincerely,
Czar Nicholas.
Message from England to Germany
Good Freddie,
I have what seems to be a satisfactory relationship with Italy. I never
ask him about his preference for Austria or Turkey. He never asks me about
my feeling for France and Germany. This frees us to be completely honest
(I think!) in some very small matters, and that has been helpful.
Italy has told me that he will not assist in offensive operations against
Munich, but that he reserves the right to help defend(!) Munich. I believe
him and this is a big relief. With time on my hands I worry about what
might go wrong. Italy could mess things up for us, but it seems he will not.
I have quit pestering him to attack France from the Mediterranean, although
it's possible that he could jump in and scavenge if he sees France
dying. Looking way down the road however, I expect to enter the Med myself.
Ivy
Message from Russia to Germany
Fredd,
England still claims he's not going for StP. He did finally say that
France
agreed to let him take Bel in 1901, but that now France wants it as the
price
for an alliance against you. Have you heard anything from Austria? I'm
concerned that he may order Gal-Sil to gain a supported attack on War this
Fall, but I doubt that he'd violate your border without discussing it with
you.
Sincerely,
Czar Nicholas II.
Message from Germany to Italy
Roberto:
After further investigation, the following appears to be true.
England didn't know about MOS-STP. However he did know about STP-FIN,
and apparently believed Russia. He also did know that Belgium would be
open.
So I didn't really come up with a great theory earlier. But it still
is instructive to see that France told England that Belgium would be
open.
Fredd
Message from Italy to Germany
Thanks for the info. It's late now and I'm going to bed. I will try to
write something constructive first thing tomorrow morning. For what it's
worth, I think England knew about Mos-Stp and I'll share why when I have
more time tomorrow.
Roberto
Message from England to Germany
Good Freddy,
My moves are in. Right now they include Norway holding under the
assumption that you have Den s Ber-Bal. Then we have 3 on 2 against Sweden
in the fall. If you want me to change that to Norway s Den-Swe
immediately, just let me know.
On another matter, my home modem has a nasty habit of conking out most
evenings. I have not been able to find the source of the problem.
If you anticipate sending a last minute message, can you give me a warning?
If I expect a late message from you, and the home modem is having one of
its fits, I will drive the 3 miles to my office and check the mail from
there.
This is an important day in the history of our two little nations. I am
with you all the way.
Most warmly,
Ivy
Message from Germany to England
I don't expect to have any late minute notices. I screwed up (a bit)
when I did that to France. I really hate that. In one of the other
games I had a partner who did that all the time. So I attacked him.
You have my moves. I don't see the need to chance anything. Certainly
France suspects. We're not really even talking too much.
Talk tomorrow.
Fredd
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 Italy to Germany
> After further investigation, the following appears to be true.
> England didn't know about MOS-STP.
I'm not too sure about this. Shortly after the S1901 moves came in, I got a
message from England. It was a "lots of conservative moves", just staying
in touch type message. At the end, he says "just wondering if you knew why
Russia moved to *FIN*" [emphasis mine]. Mind you, this was after the spring
moves and Russia had only moved to STP. It was a slip and one I don't even
think he knows he did. But, it makes me tend to think he knew about the
move to STP and that it would be going to Finland.
> He also did know that Belgium would be open.
Whether he would have gotten there or not without the Burgundy bounce is
something I guess we'll never know until EoG come out.
> So I didn't really come up with a great theory earlier. But it still
> is instructive to see that France told England that Belgium would be
> open.
>
Yes, and that they are communicating right up until the deadline.
> BTW England has told me that France has agreed NOT to go to
> the MAO. No telling if that's true, of course.
Well, France has agreed not to move to Spa/sc either. So where does the
fleet move? Or does it hold?
> Reading between the lines leads me to believe that E and F
> are working together.
That is my gut feeling as well.
> There is another piece of the puzzle. Your communications with France
> and England. England has hinted more than once that you're seriously
> looking at attacking France. Has England been really trying to get you
> to do this, or is he feeling you out to see where you're going?
I think mostly the former. He's just trying to get me to spill the beans.
Like I said before, I doubt he'd move against France even I if told him I
wanted to. And I'm not about to lose my credibility by lying just to see if
he's being credible or not.
My apologies for delays in responding. I've been quite busy with ART the
past few days.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Turkey to Germany
Freddy,
Sorry it took me so long to respond. Hope things are going well in the
west. Things are franky a mess down here.
I had hoped that I would be able to launch an early campaign against Russia,
but it seems AI had other plans. I very much fear that Austria will stab me
this turn. Also, from what I'm hearing, there seems to be a general
consensus in the West to leave Russia alone. Obviously both of these
developments are bad news for Turkey, especially when taken together.
I'll be trying to hang on down here as best I can. I urge you not to assume
Russia's done for; from where I sit, I think he's got good chances of making
a speedy recovery from his rough start.
Best of luck in the result. Let's keep in touch.
Ali Baba
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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