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France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean can retreat to North Africa or Portugal or Spain (north coast) or Spain (south coast) or Western Mediterranean
Message from England to all
Very, very funny, a very clever practical joke. How did someone manage to
issue phony results for S1903M and what happened to the real results?
Message from Germany to Turkey
Seeing is believing. Good job.
Message from England to Turkey
Ali,
A toast! A toast to your success!
Please crate up 50 bottles of whatever elixir your diplomats are drinking
and send it to London. I wanna get my hands on some of that stuff.
In awe,
Ivy
Message from Russia to Italy and Turkey
Damn! I decided not to support Gal-War
because I didn't want to dislodge War and have
it retreat to Ukr, so he moves there anyway.
I told EG that I was unaware of your switched
plans from Rum S Gal-Bud. I'm hoping that
seeing IT instead of AI will keep Germany from
attacking StP. More later.
Nick.
Message from Master to all
Extension at player's request. Everyone take a week off!
Doug
Message from Russia to Italy and Turkey
Gentlemen,
I'm glad that we've got a week to hash this out. 8-)
I've told EG, and E, and G that I was unaware of the IT
vs. A plan. My order of Gal-Bud, in keeping with the
original GRT plan has proved useful in selling this idea.
I actually ordered it because I didn't want War to retreat
to Ukr, or to allow Vie-Gal, Boh-Vie to succeed. Since
Bud S Ser-Rum was also possible, I figured Gal-Rum, Mos-War
made the most sense.
When you talk to EG, please ignore the existance of
RIFT, and talk as IT. I'm hopeful that this will make
G leave StP alone. I'm open to ideas for the Fall, but
lean toward Gal-Bud with support.
In Friendship, and Alliance,
Nick.
Message from Turkey to Italy
Roberto,
Thank you, thank you, a thousand times, thank you. I was nervous as a cat
waiting for that result. I'm glad to see my instincts have not abandoned me
completely.
I'm ready to charge full steam ahead with the IT as though no disruption had
occurred. We've got some time before the next deadline, but let's not
become complacent about it; I'd like to get a plan for the fall shored up as
soon as we can. My goals are to secure Tri and Gre for you, Ser and Smy for
me, without losing either Rum or Con. I'm not worried about my army being
destroyed in your assault on Greece, since I can just rebuild it, but I'd
rather get it moved out gracefully if possible.
I can't believe the Russian. He told me he was going along with your plan,
then ordered differently. Supposedly it's because he didn't want War
retreating to Ukr. A reasonable argument I suppose, but he should have let
me know beforehand instead of finding out in the results. On the other
hand, perhaps I should thank my lucky stars he didn't; if he had expressed
strong reservations about your plan, I might not have gone along with it
myself.
Since Bla will be needed to protect Rum or Con, it seems Austria won't have
any opposition in Sev, which actually works well for me. I have not written
to Russia since the result, but his initial thought is for Gal-Bud with
support. I plan to encourage him to order Gal-Bud, but whether or not to
provide support will be determined by IT plans. At the moment, I favor
focusing all our efforts on IT concerns, and letting Russia go hang.
Anyway, needless to say I'm feeling much better now about the future of this
game. I look forward to working with you. Please write at your convenience
with any thoughts.
Best regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to England and Germany
Gentlemen,
By now you've both heard of my crazy scheme, and seen it come to fruition.
I must admit I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw the results.
Things could have gone very badly. But they didn't, and now I'm eager to
resume our discussions.
First of all, though, a quick note about Russia. I had thought that Russia
and I were coordinating our moves this turn. As it turns out, Russia
ordered differently than I was expecting. He now tells me he's claiming to
both of you that he had no foreknowledge of the IT plan, but you both
already know otherwise. I urge you to play along with Russia in this
matter, and please do not reveal that you might have know about his
involvement ahead of time.
Also, it seems Italy's main reason for changing course was to head off EG
dominance in the north. As you can surely imagine, it is vital to me that
Italy continue his new direction, so that I can secure my homeland and get
the foreign fleets removed from my shores. At the same time, I'm not
willing to give up my relations with you gentlemen, but I'm worried what
would happen if Italy knew I was in contact with you both. I therefore ask
that you keep our associations in secret for the time being.
I apologize for asking for this cloak-n-dagger stuff. I generally try at
all times to be as straightforward with people as I can. However, the
current political situation must be handled very delicately, given the
sudden change in the southern landscape.
Best regards to you both,
Ali
Message from Turkey to Germany
Fredd,
Well, I guess Boh-Vie wouldn't have worked after all. Russia didn't move as
he said he was going to; as far as I knew, the plan was Mos S Gal-War. As
you can see from the result, had he moved as agreed Vie would indeed have
moved to Galicia. Also, Russia would now be able to protect Sevastopol.
In any case, it seems that Ber-Pru is aimed at Russia. With Austria and
Russia tearing at each other, it should be easy for you and I to go in and
pick up the pieces. Due to my associations with Italy, I'd like to keep our
relations clandestine for now, as I'm sure you can understand.
In any case, we've much to discuss. We've got a week to think about things,
but I hope we can get a head start on working out some plans.
Regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to England
Ivy,
Heck of a result, eh? I came soooo close to changing my order, it just
didn't seem prudent to trust Italy so far. Italy had written with a
proposed combination, which I followed to the letter despite the obvious
risks. In the end I'm sure glad I did it, but it was very nervous-making.
Pretty surprising turn of events, given the '02 Leponto.
Unfortunately, now I have to juggle my diplomatic relations a bit to remain
friendly with Italy and EG at the same time; but once I can get the foreign
fleets away from my shores, I should be in pretty good shape. Thanks for
your continued encouragement and dialogue, it was very helpful to bounce
ideas off you as the turn progressed.
Meanehile, you've certainly gained ground against France. I was astonished
at his moves, how in the world did he think MAO S Bre-Eng would work? Had I
been in France, I'd have been holding onto MAO with both hands. Of course,
had I been in France, we might have an FE well under way by now. ;^)
In any case, I was certainly not best pleased that Russia told me one thing
and then did another. As you know, I was considering him as a target if
Italy moved against Austria. His "surprise" moves only strengthen that
resolve. Naturally, I will be trying to convince Russia I'll remain on his
side, at least through the fall move. I hope and trust that I can count on
your confidences. In return, if Italy and I develop close relations, then I
may be able to provide you with some valuable intelligence.
Best regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to France
Prince Boar,
I realize you probably won't read this until you return, but I have to write
to thank you for your press last turn. It was your last press to me that
tipped the balance in favor of trusting Italy. It was a crazy thing to do,
perhaps, but it worked out well in the end.
In any case, you've certainly got the changed dynamic in the south that you
were hoping for. I will do my best to play my role in the new political
structure. England's advances are unfortunate, but Italy should be able to
help soon, and I will do nothing to detract him from those efforts.
Regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to Russia
Nick,
Boy, what a relief. I was nervous as a cat waiting for that result, I kept
looking at the board and thinking about all the way things could go terribly
wrong. I came close to writing you that I had changed my mind, but in the
end I'm glad I didn't.
I'm sorry about A Ukr; that was most unfortunate and unexpected. I guess
one of us should have seen it coming. I'm trying to think of a way to cover
Sev, but only Bla can bounce Ukr-Sev, and if he doesn't order it then I end
up in Sev. Besides which, Bla could be well-utilized to protect Rum or Con.
I guess we can hope he'll attack Rum with Bud/Ukr, perhaps leaking some
story through another power that might convince him to do it. Problem is,
who?
Obviously I'd like to build this year, and I'm reluctant to give Greece up
to Italy. But if I hold onto Greece and build 2, that would be too
unbalancing. Also, we need to figure out what to do about Sev; either some
attempted bounce, or else support for your re-entry to Sev next spring. It
doesn't look like Austria will be around much longer, so I'm still confident
we'll prevail in the end.
Anyway, as you say we've got a week to mull it over. If I understand
correctly, that's a week before the retreat results, let alone the next
movement phase. Let's take a look at things, push some pieces around, and
come up with a plan.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts,
Ali
Message from England to Turkey
Ali,
>Heck of a result, eh?
I have lived to see a miracle. I worship you as a god!
>Unfortunately, now I have to juggle my diplomatic relations a bit to remain
>friendly with Italy and EG at the same time;
It is not totally obvious that there is anything incompatible with
short-term friendship with all three of us. I think the biggest
uncertainty now is whether the western Italian fleet is coming to save
France or to help dismantle France. My best guess is that Italy intended
to make up his mind later. He will have to do this quite soon.
Anyway, should Italy take a bite out of France, we are likely to see an
EGIT ending. This is best for England and Turkey, because that leaves
Italy and Germany as obvious candidates for a three-on-one
elimination. Then you and I wipe out the remaining player, taking
advantage of the stalemate line between us. Isn't diplomacy a simple game?
If you owe me anything (you don't really, but plan for the future), you
will encourage Italy to attack France, not save France. I will really,
really, really be in your debt and will remember it.
As for EG relations, I have no choice but to trust Germany for now. What
else is there for me? Communications still stink. Germany also conducts
his northern units in almost complete secrecy from me. Once again, I did
not know what his moves were going to be.
I do have some advice. Please build one fleet. Say in Ankara. This may
be the only time you can do so without causing a new war with Italy. He
won't like it, but you have a good argument. It helps take Sevast, and by
building in Ankara you are simply taking common sense defensive precautions
"just in case." Then some day, if you ever need to go after Italy, you can
build a fleet and have three, not two. Thinking ahead to an end game, I
have seen Italy have a tremendous advantage over a former Austrian or
Turkish ally, because Italy had complete fleet domination of the Med.
>In any case, I was certainly not best pleased that Russia told me one thing
>and then did another.
Just out of curiosity, what did Russia say he was going to do?
More importantly, any reason I once had for propping up Russia is now void.
Your distant friend,
Ivy
Message [from Turkey] to all
DATELINE: CONSTANTINOPLE
Turkey's capital city erupted in riots yesterday, as
the political crisis that has gripped the country
devolved into bloodshed. For months, there has been
widespread concern that Ali Baba, the self-proclaimed
Supreme Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces, would
attempt to overthrow the government of Sultan Suleiman.
The Sultan has not been seen in public since Baba seized
control of the army, and many believe he is either
imprisoned or dead.
Violence erupted when the Sultan's Cabinet Ministers
received an anonymous tip outlining Baba's battle plans
in his war against Italy. Dubbed "Operation Roulette",
the plan signaled a radical shift in Turkey's foreign
policy. One minister, who spoke anonymously, joked that
it ought to be named "Operation Russian Roulette",
predicting that Turkey would be overrun by its enemies
should it be carried out.
The Cabinet, taking advantage of Baba's absence from
the capital, passed a resolution stripping Baba of his
military rank and political titles. The resolution
cited reports from government psychiatrists who claimed
that Baba was a certifiable paranoid-schizophrenic.
Couriers were sent to the front lines to countermand
Baba's orders, and an anti-Baba political rally was
staged on the Capital steps.
What started as a small political rally turned ugly
when the details of Baba's plans were revealed. Mobs
of angry Turks took to the streets and Baba was burned
in effigy. The violence was only worsened when news
reached the city that Baba's orders had ultimately been
carried out, resulting in the strongest military
successes of Baba's career. As news of the victory
spread, the mob turned on its leaders, and some of the
ministers were literally torn limb from limb.
Baba himself re-entered Constantinople to find the
city in chaos. After learning of the Cabinet action, he
immediately placed the remaining ministers under house
arrest, disbanded the Cabinet and proclaimed martial
law. He then proclaimed himself Emperor, thereby
abolishing the last vestiges of the Sultanate.
Reaction from the world community has been mixed.
Baba claims that he will continue to abide by agreements
made under the Sultan, but some nations have so far
refused to recognize his new government. The Political
Sector in Constantinople has been barricaded, and no
journalists have been allowed entry. Rumors are on
every tongue that each individual Embassy is in fact
surrounded by troops and tanks.
Baba seems to be in control of the military for now,
though his political troubles are far from over.
Conservatives in Turkey have argued that Baba's
government is illegitimate, and have called for an
uprising to return the Sultan to power. And although
Turkish forces have seized Smyrna, several factions
there have vowed to fight for a return of Italian
control. They claim that under Roberto, life was
beautiful.
The streets of Constantinople are quiet today, and
Turkish paramilitary units have enforced a strict
curfew. There is rising concern that the city appears
to be in control of Baba's personal guard, instead of
Turkish army regulars. The official Turkish news media
is currently releasing pro-Baba propaganda, and is
proclaiming evidence of mass graves in Serbia. However,
journalists have been barred from going anywhere near
the area, so these reports cannot be independently
confirmed.
Message from Austria to all
The Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Italy has been recalled.
Message from Turkey to England
Ivy,
> I have lived to see a miracle...
Heheh, you're too kind. I would *never* have recommended those moves to
someone else. Far too risky. If Italy had ordered Smy-Arm, EMS-Smy,
instead of the way he did, then I'd have egg on my face instead of a smile.
But thanks for the compliment!
In truth, it was France who convinced Italy to change course, not me. I was
just in the right place at the right time, and lucky that Russia and Austria
were beyond making amends.
> It is not totally obvious that there is anything incompatible with
> short-term friendship with all three of us. I think the biggest
> uncertainty now is whether the western Italian fleet is coming to save
> France or to help dismantle France. My best guess is that Italy intended
> to make up his mind later. He will have to do this quite soon.
Indeed. I believe Italy sees the need for some other power to balance you
in fleet strength, and he sees himself in that role. That would imply that
he'll want as much of France and Iberia as he can get. He will surely
attempt to do this without giving any undue advantage to you, however.
I agree there isn't anything inherently incompatible with ITE cooperation.
In fact, I favor an ITE end game. My concern is that my relations with
Italy are still just getting started. As you can imagine, our press hasn't
been all warm & fuzzy since he moved to EMS. We're apparently on a new
course, but we're still getting to know each other as allies. Since I am
supposedly on board in an anti-EG coalition, I want to be careful not to
rock the boat. I hope you understand.
> Anyway, should Italy take a bite out of France, we are likely to see an
> EGIT ending. This is best for England and Turkey, because that leaves
> Italy and Germany as obvious candidates for a three-on-one
> elimination. Then you and I wipe out the remaining player, taking
> advantage of the stalemate line between us. Isn't diplomacy a simple
game?
Hmmmmm, my thoughts exactly. =)
> If you owe me anything (you don't really, but plan for the future), you
> will encourage Italy to attack France, not save France. I will really,
> really, really be in your debt and will remember it.
As I've said before, I believe our long-term interests coincide. I will
indeed be urging Italy to attack France; certainly it's in my best interests
that he have other avenues for growth than Austria and the Balkans, and I
don't want to see too many Italian armies. So I'm with you here, though I
feel I need to build my relationship with Roberto a bit before I try nudging
him in any particular direction. I'm sure we'll keep in touch regarding
this issue as we go forward.
> As for EG relations, I have no choice but to trust Germany for now. What
> else is there for me? Communications still stink. Germany also conducts
> his northern units in almost complete secrecy from me. Once again, I did
> not know what his moves were going to be.
That is frustrating, on both counts. I think if Roberto heard this kind of
talk from you, it might pave the way in France a bit. Certainly, the
stronger an alliance seems, the stronger the resistance to it. I think your
massive fleet force on the edge of Gibraltar has him seeing you more as a
competitor than a potential ally. I'm sure he would welcome any anti-German
hints from England.
Indeed, if Germany makes headway in Russia, and you get stalled in France
due to Italian support, then Germany may outpace you as we had discussed
earlier. In such an eventuality, it might not be bad to have the wheels
greased a bit, so to speak, for a German campaign.
> I do have some advice. Please build one fleet. Say in Ankara. This may
> be the only time you can do so without causing a new war with Italy. He
> won't like it, but you have a good argument. It helps take Sevast, and by
> building in Ankara you are simply taking common sense defensive
precautions
> "just in case." Then some day, if you ever need to go after Italy, you
can
> build a fleet and have three, not two. Thinking ahead to an end game, I
> have seen Italy have a tremendous advantage over a former Austrian or
> Turkish ally, because Italy had complete fleet domination of the Med.
Believe me, this matter is much on my mind, and something Italy and I have
discussed. I had considered F Con last winter, but changed it to an army at
the request of both Italy and Russia. I have to say that at this stage, I'm
not considering building a fleet this year. It would be too disruptive to
my tentative arrangements with Italy, and would not be helpful in attacking
inland, which is my immediate goal. However, Italy and I have discussed
that it is only prudent for Turkey to have an additional, western fleet for
defensive purposes, and I assure you my shipyards have by no means been
dismantled.
> Just out of curiosity, what did Russia say he was going to do?
The orignal plan was Ser-Gre, Rum S Gal-Bud, with Germany agreeing to
Boh-Vie and Italy agreeing to Tyr-Tri, Ser-Alb. You'll recall we had some
discussion about that. At the last minute, Italy wrote with news of
Austria's plans, specifically that Ser-Rum would defeat the Russian attack.
He proposed an alternative set of moves: the Turkish orders, you saw in the
result; the Russian orders were Mos S Gal-War.
I encouraged Russia to go with the plan, hoping Germany would move Boh-Vie,
with Vie moving to Gal. Russia said he would, then afterwards backpedaled,
citing concern that dislodged War would retreat to Ukr, and that he didn't
want Germany in Vie. But if I'm his ally, why didn't he voice his concerns
before the result? If an ally doesn't tell me what he's doing, it's an
annoyance but I can live with it as long as it doesn't affect my sphere of
influence. But when he tells me he'll do one thing, then does another,
especially in the framework of a supposedly coordinated move, that really
gets my guard up.
I guess it worked out in my favor, actually, since now Austria will be
unopposed in Sev, and had Russia ordered as agreed there would be 3 units on
Rum. But still. ;^)
> More importantly, any reason I once had for propping up Russia is now
void.
That is good news. I do think that if you somehow moved toward StP, and
kinda loomed over Scandinavia a bit, it would help encourage Italy to attack
France instead of supporting him. It would also prepare for a possible
English action against Germany should it come to that. I certainly
understand that you've no wish to unsettle your alliance, nor am I
encouraging you to do so. I just believe in keeping things flexible. Who
knows, maybe if the German sees you being interested in Scandinavia, he'll
pick up a pen more often.
All still speculation at this point. It's amazing the lines you can start
to go down when there's a big shake-up on the board. I guess it's not
surprising that in a game of this calibre, people would choose to shake
things up rather than head into a long drawn-out battle. I have a feeling
that the landscape in 3 years may look nothing like the scenarios I envision
today. But as my father always told me, it pays to keep your options open.
Best regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to Italy
Roberto,
I'd like to get started talking about the fall move. I realize we've got a
wait before the deadline, but I thought I'd get started while it's fresh on
my mind.
The most obvious combination I see at first glance is Ser S Bul-Rum,
Gre-Bul, Bla-Con, Smy-Con, Ion S Alb-Gre, EMS-Aeg. This would protect Rum
and Con, while ensuring you Greece. Support from Ion can only be cut from
Aeg, in which case Gre-Bul and Alb-Gre are unopposed. I'm thinking EMS-Aeg
to cut any unwanted support for my self-bounce in Con, and since EMS can't
move out anyway if Ion is supporting the Gre attack.
The drawback to this approach is it doesn't protect Trieste. I believe it
will be easy to convince Russia to order Gal-Bud, especially if we tell him
we'll support the move. That leaves Vienna, but it's by no means certain
that Germany would order Boh-Vie (although it's clearly worth talking to him
about it). The only other option to cut support is Gal-Vie, Ser-Bud, but
I'm not sure Russia would go for that even with a promise of Tri S Gal-Vie.
So the only way I really see to guarantee Tri is Ser S Tri. Unfortunately
this weakens protection of either Rum or Con, assuming Bul-Rum, Gre-Bul,
then Rum loses to Ukr S Bud-Rum if I use Bla to bounce in Con. This may not
be Austria's most likely move, but with Rum vacant he's sure to consider it.
It might be possible to leak some news to Austria that I won't be attacking
Sev, leaving him unopposed there. That's certainly not something to be
relied on either, though.
Anyway, that's my initial assessment. Does any of the above match what
you're thinking? Your relationship with Germany should be improved now
you're out of Tyr; what do you think the prospects are that between the two
of us we could convince Germany to order Boh-Vie?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts,
Ali
Message from Italy to Turkey
> I'd like to get started talking about the fall move. I realize we've
> got a wait before the deadline, but I thought I'd get started while
> it's fresh on my mind.
It's my anniversary today. If it's all right, I think I'm going to take the
weekend off and have a fresh look come Monday. I sure wish Russia had gone
along with my suggestions since we wouldn't have to worry about defending
Trieste this fall.
The top priority should be limiting the number of Austrian centers next year
regardless of who ends up with them. If that means Russia gets a build (or
doesn't have to take one off), then that's fine.
More next week.
Roberto
Message from Austria to Turkey
I think you'll be better off with an Austrian ally than with an Italian one.
You will still be fighting with Russia, and possibly Germany, inland while
Italy is free to stab you at his leisure.
Tamara, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Turkey to Austria
Tamara,
> I think you'll be better off with an Austrian ally than with an Italian
one.
>
> You will still be fighting with Russia, and possibly Germany, inland while
> Italy is free to stab you at his leisure.
My primary concern up to now has been to get my home center back and to
relieve AI pressure. At present, I'm open to suggestions. What do you have
in mind?
Ali Baba
Message from Germany to Turkey
Ali:
Mums the word. Russia has already stated that he didn't know what was
going on.
Since we have a week off, I'll probably only write a couple of times
before the end of next week.
Freed
Message from Germany to Turkey
Ali:
How about a little information exchange.
My short term goal is to stay out of the Austrian situation. So don't
count on support from me against Italy, or me supporting Italy against
you. I'd like to take WAR and STP next fall. I should get one. It
looks like I should get both, but I'm not counting on it. The best laid
plans....
What I'd like to know is what is Ivy suggesting that you build?
As strange as it sounds the English preference of a Turkish build does
mean something to Germany. ;-)
Fredd
Message from Austria to Turkey
> My primary concern up to now has been to get my home center back and
> to relieve AI pressure. At present, I'm open to suggestions. What do
> you have in mind?
I'm pretty well hosed. But I can influence which way my centers fall
from here. I'd prefer to help you, though I eventually get squeezed
between you and Germany, rather than let Italy achieve whatever benefit
he sought when he stabbed me.
I won't be a perfect puppet; if I can assure myself of sharing in a
draw, I'll follow that course. But short of that, my goal is to harass,
hinder, and harm Italy. And if the stab resulted from your
manipulation, then well-played to you. I'll still seek revenge on my
putative ally rather than you.
So, the ball is in your court. You can prop me up, with some assurance
that the red units you don't wipe out will be as much yours to order as
the yellow ones. If you wish to immediately hit Italy, that appears
best to me; as well as keeping Smy, Gre, and Ser, you can probably
cripple Italy by supporting my return to Trieste while cutting Alb
support, giving him no center to compensate for his loss of Smyrna. He
then needs to not only find a safe disband, but also find a way to
defend his home centers.
My diplomatic services (however poor they have thus far shown
themselves) would also be at your disposal. Already Russia and Germany
have contacted me concerning the Italian stab. Both seem more concerned
about you than about Italy, and so can't provide the leadership against
Italy that I seek, but might be more willing to act in ways that benefit
you if the suggestion came from weak Austria-Hungary rather than
powerful Turkey.
You have a marvellous opportunity, created by what I believe to be a
strategic blunder by Italy. I hope you make the most of it.
Tamara, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Turkey to Germany
Fredd,
> How about a little information exchange.
I'm always up for that.
> My short term goal is to stay out of the Austrian situation. So don't
> count on support from me against Italy, or me supporting Italy against
> you.
I assure you I'm not looking for either at the moment. My immediate goal is
only to deal with A and R quickly, and see where things lead from there.
> I'd like to take WAR and STP next fall. I should get one. It
> looks like I should get both, but I'm not counting on it. The best laid
> plans....
You should have a pretty easy time getting StP,and maybe Warsaw also. If
and when I attack Russia and/or if Austria goes to Sev, Russia will not have
the resources to defend himself in the north at all.
> What I'd like to know is what is Ivy suggesting that you build?
Ivy has urged me to build a fleet this year. I will tell you the same thing
I told him, which is that at the moment I'm planning an army, to consilidate
the Balkans and the centers around the Black Sea. Of course, a lot could
change in the fall. But Ivy's suggestion was a fleet.
> As strange as it sounds the English preference of a Turkish build does
> mean something to Germany. ;-)
Understood. I hope this is of some help. As you're aware, I'm hoping for
GT cooperation to mop up Autria and Russia quickly. This will fuel growth
for both of us, making it more difficult for England or Italy to stab us. I
have embarked on a land-based course to date, but only in order to maintain
a solid position in the Balkans and around the Black Sea. I have no
intention of contesting you in Russia, and I'm hopeful we will be allies
there, not competitors.
Regards,
Ali
Message [from Russia] to all
> Broadcast message from England in 'titleist':
>
> Very, very funny, a very clever practical joke. How did someone manage to
> issue phony results for S1903M and what happened to the real results?
You didn't really expect everyone to form alliances in 1901/1902, and then
Carebear their way to the end of the game, did you? We've all Soloed more
than once, and a Solo here means a great deal, so I, at least, expected some
rather bloody stabs.
Message from Russia to Turkey
Ali,
> I'm sorry about A Ukr; that was most unfortunate and unexpected. I guess
> one of us should have seen it coming.
I saw the possibility, but preventing it would have taken both my
Armies,
and that would have weakened our attack on Austria.
> I'm trying to think of a way to cover Sev,
At this point, I suspect it makes more sense to ignore Ukr, and hope it
goes away. 8-) He can order -Sev, -Mos, -War, or -Rum with support,
and defending against all of them would cost me a Center if we guess
wrong, anyway.
> I guess we can hope he'll attack Rum with Bud/Ukr, perhaps leaking some
> story through another power that might convince him to do it. Problem is,
> who?
He wrote me a nice letter to apologize and beg for help. 8-) Perhaps I
could convince him to order Ukr S Gal-Bud, which would solve the problem
of your building two, as well. Just an idea, I haven't looked at the
ramifications
of that, yet. It would support the, 'I was betrayed by IT!', line, though.
> It doesn't look like Austria will be around much longer, so I'm still
> confident we'll prevail in the end.
Given the German moves to Bot and Pru, it doesn't look like I'll be
around
much longer, either, though, so we might want to consider some sacrifice
options. i.e. "If you take StP, I'll throw all my Centres to the Turk!"
> I look forward to hearing your thoughts,
I wonder what I did to attract so much attention? 8-)
Nick.
Message from Turkey to Russia
Nick,
> At this point, I suspect it makes more sense to ignore Ukr, and hope
it
> goes away. 8-) He can order -Sev, -Mos, -War, or -Rum with support,
> and defending against all of them would cost me a Center if we guess
> wrong, anyway.
What to do about Ukr is completely your call. War is pretty much pinned,
since if it moves out you don't gain the center. If you choose to ignore
Ukr, then I can use Bla to protect Rum or Con.
> He wrote me a nice letter to apologize and beg for help. 8-) Perhaps
I
> could convince him to order Ukr S Gal-Bud, which would solve the problem
> of your building two, as well. Just an idea, I haven't looked at the
> ramifications
> of that, yet. It would support the, 'I was betrayed by IT!', line,
though.
Hm, not sure I like that approach. ;^) He has also written to me, with an
"I'll do whatever you want so long as I get vengeance on Italy" letter. He
very much wants support into Trieste. If I were to give him that support,
you could attack whichever Austrian unit moves, thereby picking up the
center.
> Given the German moves to Bot and Pru, it doesn't look like I'll be
> around
> much longer, either, though, so we might want to consider some sacrifice
> options. i.e. "If you take StP, I'll throw all my Centres to the Turk!"
Germany tells me he's planning to stay out of the Austrian matter, and that
his goals for next year are StP and War. I don't know if your threat would
deter him or not, although the impression I get is that Germany does think
I'll end up fighting him for your centers.
> I wonder what I did to attract so much attention? 8-)
Your death, or resurrection, would have far-reaching consequences. I got
the feeling EG wanted to give you a break due to the AI vs. RT. Now that AI
is gone, so is their restraint.
There are two ways I can go at this point. One, I can support Italy in Tri,
give him Gre, build an army and commence the IT. Two, I can support Austria
to Trieste, hold in Gre, and hopefully build two fleets. You should pick up
a center from Austria either way. If Austria expects my support, then I'll
know which unit is attacking. I can then support Tri, with Tri supporting
the appropriate attack from Gal, or else support the attack, with your unit
following behind.
The Ukr unit going to Mos or Sev would be a wash, an exchange for Warsaw,
and you'd still be able to build while Austria disbands. Of course you may
still have trouble with Germany, and I'd have to juggle to get fleets out of
Con and Ank, but it could be done. My only other alternative is to wait a
year or two for his fleets to move out, but he'd get suspicious if I didn't
attack Sev, and I would have to hope for a 2-build year to make it
worthwhile. So, this may be my chance.
I'm eager to hear what you think on the above. Please write at your
earliest opportunity.
Ali
Message from Turkey to Austria
Tamara,
Indeed, what you suggest would be a great boon to Turkey. The Italian wants
and expects me to cede him Gre in exchange for Smy. I think he's likely to
order Ion S Alb-Gre, in which case support from Alb won't need to be cut.
I'm reluctant to move either Ser or Gre, but Ser could easily support you to
Tri, and I doubt Alb will cut that support.
Germany tells me he plans to stay out of the Austrian theatre, and that he
plans to attack Russia. Russia tells me he's claiming he didn't know about
the IT maneuver (this is a lie, by the way). I expect Russia will probably
hold in War and attack Bud, hoping for IT support. That being the case,
then Bud-Tri would lose Bud to the Russian, while Bud S Vie-Tri would have
its support cut. However, support from Ser should still ensure Vie-Tri. Is
this along the lines of what you were thinking?
By the way, to answer your question, I wasn't the one who influenced the
Italian decision. The impression I got was that it was France's lobbying
for a change in the 2-on-2 dynamic in the south that did that. Italy was
the one who approached me and Russia with his plan.
It is dangerous for me to even discuss these things with you, as there is a
great likelihood you will simply use my words to turn Russia or Italy
against me. If I support you against Italy, how do I know you won't just
switch sides again once I'm the bad guy? Still, if I get two builds this
year, it would be a perfect opportunity to build two fleets, though I'm sure
that would just paint a big ol' target on my forehead. But since you
brought it up, I see no reason not to explore the possibilities.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the above.
Ali Baba
Message from Austria to Turkey
> It is dangerous for me to even discuss these things with you, as there is
> a great likelihood you will simply use my words to turn Russia or Italy
> against me. If I support you against Italy, how do I know you won't just
> switch sides again once I'm the bad guy? Still, if I get two builds this
> year, it would be a perfect opportunity to build two fleets, though I'm
> sure that would just paint a big ol' target on my forehead. But since you
> brought it up, I see no reason not to explore the possibilities.
I've been pursuing an AT alliance since spring '01; though these are not the
circumstances I would have chosen, still I do now find myself in my
preferred alliance.
Last turn, I put the odds at 60%-70% that Italy would stab me. But just
countering the stab would have left me not much better off than I now find
myself. Similarly, I put the odds at 50-60% that you are just stringing me
along, trying to find the most efficient way to get rid of me. But letting
you get rid of me efficiently isn't really much worse for me than the
lingering death that otherwise awaits; and I cling to the 40% chance that
you will take longer-term advantage of what I offer. (In one earlier post,
I forecast that you would have plenty of opportunity to stab me later. In
fact, I am rather easily stabbed, because I somewhat optimistically view
myself as such a good ally that it seems in my allies' best interest not to
stab me.)
> Indeed, what you suggest would be a great boon to Turkey. The Italian wants
> and expects me to cede him Gre in exchange for Smy. I think he's likely to
> order Ion S Alb-Gre, in which case support from Alb won't need to be cut.
> I'm reluctant to move either Ser or Gre, but Ser could easily support you to
> Tri, and I doubt Alb will cut that support.
Interesting. I'll go ahead with whatever you'd like, though I might whine a
bit if it seems too suicidal. Right now, this plan seems to be shaping up
rather well: Bud/Ser s Vie-Tri, Aeg-Ion, Ukr-Mos (or -Sev). Bul is free
to support Gre, or Ser, or move to Rum (against the possibility of Ukr, Gal,
or Bud moving there).
> Germany tells me he plans to stay out of the Austrian theatre, and that he
> plans to attack Russia. Russia tells me he's claiming he didn't know about
> the IT maneuver (this is a lie, by the way).
Germany has spoken vaguely; his only concrete suggestion was a request for
support to Warsaw (which I politely refused), which I assume was meant to
discourage me from trying for Warsaw. Of course, Germany can also support
an attack on Galicia, letting Russia retreat to his choice of open centers,
such as Warsaw, Vienna, Budapest, or Rumania. Russia blames me for most of
his troubles (with some justification); I don't give much credence to
anything he writes.
> I expect Russia will probably hold in War and attack Bud, hoping for IT
> support. That being the case, then Bud-Tri would lose Bud to the Russian,
> while Bud S Vie-Tri would have its support cut. However, support from Ser
> should still ensure Vie-Tri. Is this along the lines of what you were
> thinking?
Yes, that would be ideal.
> By the way, to answer your question, I wasn't the one who influenced the
> Italian decision. The impression I got was that it was France's lobbying
> for a change in the 2-on-2 dynamic in the south that did that. Italy was
> the one who approached me and Russia with his plan.
France and Italy have been faithful allies all game, but where does France
expect Italian growth to come? With three fleets, Italy is unlikely to get
even a 50-50 share of any Austrian centers. If I were you, I might be
concerned that an IR or IG is already planned; a long-term IT is more
dangerous than helpful to France. Of course, that's a self-serving comment
in my situation, but I also believe it's true.
> It is dangerous for me to even discuss these things with you, as there is
> a great likelihood you will simply use my words to turn Russia or Italy
> against me.
I don't pass press, and I rarely pass on others' proposals or suggestions
even paraphrased. Turning Italy against you would do me no good; he's taken
himself grossly out of position to help an AI alliance anyway. Russia is
almost as irrelevant as Austria-Hungary; I believe Germany will attack him
(partly to get there before you do) and Russia will be fully absorbed by his
own defense.
> If I support you against Italy, how do I know you won't just switch sides
> again once I'm the bad guy?
Switch to what side? Join Italy, who already stabbed me once? Germany, who
mumbles out of both sides of his mouth without saying anything useful?
France, who is fighting a losing battle against England? England, who,
unless he comes to blows with Germany before getting into the Med, has an
excellent chance of soloing? I doubt that I'll be switching sides again.
> Still, if I get two builds this year, it would be a perfect opportunity to
> build two fleets, though I'm sure that would just paint a big ol' target
> on my forehead. But since you brought it up, I see no reason not to
> explore the possibilities.
One of those fleets would be stuck inside, in Ankara; it will take three
turns to pass all your fleets through the Bosphorus. But a Turkey with
three fleets in 1904 is not particularly unusual, and none of your neighbors
would be in position to gain by "turning on you." Long-term, an EGT draw
looks fairly likely, and you'd only need a center advantage to win the
championship.
Tamara, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Russia to Turkey
Ali,
> > I suspect it makes more sense to ignore Ukr
> War is pretty much pinned, since if it moves out you don't gain
> the center.
I'm considering War-Mos, Gal-War to deal with Germany,
since Ukr-War is Austria's most unlikely move.
> > He wrote me a nice letter to apologize and beg for help. 8-)
> > [Ukr S Gal-Bud possibility]
> Hm, not sure I like that approach. ;^) He has also written to me,
> with an "I'll do whatever you want so long as I get vengeance on
>Italy" letter.
Since he's ignored everything I've ever suggested, I agreed that we
needed to work together, and asked what he suggested. I'll let you
know what he says.
> Germany tells me he's planning to stay out of the Austrian matter,
> and that his goals for next year are StP and War. I don't know if
> your threat would deter him or not, although the impression I get
> is that Germany does think I'll end up fighting him for your centers.
Hmm, that makes no sense to me... Would you want France to
collapse quickly? I suppose if he could actually take War and StP,
he might be able to use the builds to hold what he gains, but he's
going to stalemate himself in the East, and ended up stabbed by
England.
> There are two ways I can go at this point. One, I can support
> Italy in Tri, give him Gre, build an army and commence the IT.
> Two, I can support Austria to Trieste, hold in Gre, and hopefully
> build two fleets. You should pick up a center from Austria either
> way. If Austria expects my support, then I'll know which unit is
> attacking. I can then support Tri, with Tri supporting the
> appropriate attack from Gal, or else support the attack, with
> your unit following behind.
Let's hold off on that decision for a few days, and see if Austria
contacts me again. If he tells me he wants revenge on Italy, too,
then we may be able to trust him, and use him against Italy. If he
gives me some other story, he's feeding us another line, and we
should probably look to eliminating him, while encouraging Italy
to help/stab France.
> My only other alternative is to wait a year or two for his fleets to
> move out, but he'd get suspicious if I didn't attack Sev, and I
> would have to hope for a 2-build year to make it worthwhile.
Well, there is IRT vs. AGE. We'd have to push your Armies
through Bud and Vie toward Mun, but it is possible.
Nick.
Message from Master to all
We'll also have an extension from Aug 14 to Aug 20 -- hopefully,
we'll get the retreat and maybe the fall moves before that player
departs (if he's comfortable with his moves before leaving).
Doug
Message from Russia to Turkey
Ali, My Friend,
Well, I exchanged half a dozen letter with
Austria yesterday pointing out all the reasons why
Ukr S Gal-Rum made more sense than Gal S Ukr-Rum, but
he was insistent, so I finally told him that I would
support Gal-Rum. I do, in fact, support it, since it
is, in my opinion a much preferred move over Ukr-Mos
or Ukr-Sev. I will not, however, use my Armies to
express my support for Ukr-Rum. 8-)
I suggested to him that since Italy wants Greece,
Austria ought to be able to retake Tri, but he
expressed no interest in that attack and indicated
that he did not believe he could actually take it if
he tried. He did, however, say that he wanted to gain
a third Center to hang on to his Fleet, since he felt
it would be more useful to him than a third Army.
This may well have just been noise to encourage me to
attack you, though. I would guess this means Smy S
Bla-Con, Bul-Rum, Gre-Bul, Ser S Gal-Bud is probably
your best bet, though there are other possibilities.
I'm going to write to Roberto, and see what he has to
say, next. I'll keep you informed.
In Alliance,
Nick.
Message from Italy to Turkey
>
> I'd like to get started talking about the fall move. I
> realize we've got a wait before the deadline, but I
> thought I'd get started while it's fresh on my mind.
>
I've had time to analysis the board.
> The most obvious combination I see at first glance is Ser S Bul-Rum,
> Gre-Bul, Bla-Con, Smy-Con, Ion S Alb-Gre, EMS-Aeg.
>
> The drawback to this approach is it doesn't protect Trieste.
And that's a significant drawback in my mind. How about the following:
(it's similar to your combination)
bul-rum
ser s bul-rum
gre-bul
smy-con
here come the differences
alb s tri
ion-gre
ems-ion
bla s bul-rum
Using the above orders, here are the results based on Aegean potential
moves:
aeg-con: you keep Smyrna and I get Greece as planned
aeg-bul: you keep Greece and I keep Smyrna; we can swap next year
aeg-gre: same as aeg-bul
aeg-smy: you remain even; I would gain one (a fleet headed west); and we
easily support you into Smyrna next year
aeg-ion: I doubt Austria would make this move but if he does, I must point
out that I would make out like a bandit. This is not necessarily a bad
thing long-term as I would use the builds to shore up the holes in defending
Trieste (and possibly used to help take Vienna) and get some fleets out west
ASAP before France folds the tent up and heads out of town (he's hinted that
unless EG are pressured soon, he's just going to 'give up'). As it is, I
have to be wary of English fleets heading into the Western Med now that
France let him into the MAO one turn sooner than I expected. Smyrna again
would be yours next year and I would hope to recover a center somewhere
(France perhaps) to make up the loss. If not, I think my eastern most fleet
would be available for a disband.
aeg-eas or aeg hold: same as above but if Austria makes either of these
moves, I'd eat my shorts!
Make note that I discarded the combination that included BLA-SEV even though
it gives Austria a chance at SEV. Russia couldn't possibly be upset with
you for not bouncing Austria and it gives you a glorious excuse to station
an army in Armenia so that you can secure SEV for IRT (otherwise known as
IT).
> I believe it will be easy to convince Russia to order Gal-Bud,
> especially if we tell him we'll support the move.
>
He's asked if Trieste is available to support him to Budapest. I'm half-way
wanting to issue the support since I think we can get him to build in STP
(if available) which would, of course, threaten Norway and that would be a
good thing for Italy. Would you be at all upset if I issued the support
order and it succeeded?
> That leaves Vienna, but it's by no means certain
> that Germany would order Boh-Vie.
>
I've asked but I'm not relying on an accurate answer. I'd rather take it
upon myself to defend Trieste.
>
> So the only way I really see to guarantee Tri is Ser S Tri.
>
See above as I advocate for Alb s Tri allowing you to use Serbia in defense
of Rumania.
> It might be possible to leak some news to Austria that I
> won't be attacking Sev, leaving him unopposed there.
>
Ever heard of something falling on deaf ears? 'Steamed' is the best I've
heard of how Austria feels about me right now.
> Your relationship with Germany should be
> improved now you're out of Tyr;
>
Yes, he was happy with my move and has hinted that he will be moving Bohemia
north now. I suspect he will move Munich west as well.
I look forward to your comments. I'm available all week but I was the one
requesting the next extension. I hope to have my moves for fall entered
before I leave.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Turkey to Italy
Roberto,
Sorry for the delay in my response. I've been working on a last-minute
project to put a band together for a gig this weekend, and it's consumed a
fair amount of time. Nevertheless, I'm eager to get a consensus on what to
order in the fall. I don't have your press in front of me, but I believe I
remember most of it. If I fail to address something you mentioned, please
let me know.
I have to confess I had some concerns about your proposed combination. It
seems to me there are too many ways I could end up without a build. I'm
hopeful we can come up with a more straightforward plan that has a high
probability that we'll each build one.
Austria has written me with an "I'll do anything you want so long as I can
hurt Italy" letter. I've replied favorably to his press in hopes I can
guide (or at least determine) what he will do. He seems to think the odds
are that I'll string him along for just such a purpose, but I don't see it
can do any harm. He is most interested in attacking Trieste, and the last
thing I heard from him indicated Bud S Vie-Tri, Aeg-Ion, Ukr-Mos or Sev.
I'm also getting some funny press from Russia. I think he's quite nervous
about the prospect that I'll build armies and come attack him. He initially
favored Gal-Bud, then it was War-Mos, Gal-War, and he's also talked about
combining with Austria against Rumania. I think there's a reasonable chance
I'll face a 2-unit attack on Rumania, but I'd be surprised if AR coordinated
their efforts there. I can't imagine either would agree to give it to the
other (though I could well be wrong in this assumption).
England and Germany have been very silent lately. They've both encouraged
me to build a fleet (or fleets) this year, and I don't think either was too
enthused that I didn't embrace this suggestion. So, no news really from
them, other than indications that they both intend to stay allied. Which is
to say, no news at all really.
It seems to me that you favor Alb S Tri over Ser S Tri. I can understand
and appreciate that you may feel you can't trust me yet, and so you'd rather
support Tri yourself. Of course, if I were going to attack you I would just
tell you what you want to hear, then attack anyway. I assure you I have no
such intention. I can also appreciate your desire to move your fleets out,
and indeed nobody would be happier to see that happen than I. But I'm not
sure that putting 2 supports on Bul-Rum would be the best course of action,
and A Ser is in a good position to work against Austria.
In any case, how about these alternatives:
I: Tri Hold (or S Gal-Bud)
I: Alb S Ion - Gre
I: EMS - Ion
T: Ser S Tri
T: Gre - Bul
T: Bul - Rum
T: Bla S Bul - Rum (or -> Con)
T: Smy Hold (or -> Con for the bounce)
or:
I: Tri - Bud
I: Alb - Tri
I: EMS - Ion
T: Ser S Tri - Bud
T: Gre - Bul
T: Bul - Rum
T: Bla S Bul - Rum (or -> Con)
T: Smy Hold (or -> Con for the bounce)
I think supporting you to Bud has some promise. If Bud S Vie-Tri, then
you'll gain Bud, and Tri still be Austrian but will be vacant. Austria will
still be at 3 centers max, so even if Bud disbands or is destroyed, he won't
be able to rebuild in Tri. If Vie S Bud-Tri, then you'll bounce the attack
and stay in Tri. Seems to me that Tri is pretty well covered under that
scenario. There's a chance you wouldn't gain Gre, but also a chance of
picking up both Bud and Tri (as in Vie S Bud-Tri if we can convince Russia
to order Gal-Vie).
Either way, this would mean I'd be under-protected in either Rum or Con,
depending on what I do with F Bla. Even if I self-bounce, there's a chance
of unwanted support. Also, there's a possibility that Austria will bounce
you in Ion, but other than that I don't see any risks to Italy. Despite the
risks, though, I'd prefer something along these lines than all-out support
for Rum and possibly moving out of Smy.
What do you think? I will also be out of e-mail contact this weekend, so
hopefully we can get a solid plan in place before France's retreat
processes. I think that we should be able to come up with a solid
combination, especially if we can guide (or determine) what Austria and
Russia decide to do. By the way, I have no objection to Tri S Gal-Bud, nor
would I be especially worried if the attack succeeded--as long as Italy
remained an ally of Turkey.
Let me know what you think of the above, or if I've left anything out.
Ali
Message from Italy to Turkey
>
> It seems to me that you favor Alb S Tri over Ser S Tri. I
> can understand and appreciate that you may feel you can't
> trust me yet, and so you'd rather support Tri yourself.
>
One quick comment before I absorb your proposal and move some pieces around
the board.
Lack of trust on your part was not a reason for my suggestion of Alb s Tri.
Lack of trust for Russia and Germany to issue an order breaking support was
more to the point. I'd prefer to take it upon myself when available.
Albania seemed a logical choice given Serbia could be used for defend
Rumania. An attack on Budapest is certainly not out of the question and I
definitely prefer Ion-Gre as opposed to Alb-Gre.
> He is most interested in attacking Trieste, and the last
> thing I heard from him indicated Bud S Vie-Tri
One last comment. I have heard from Russia that Austria has told him he
doesn't plan on attacking Trieste since the odds of such an attack being
successful are minimal. Somebody is lying. The question is, who?
More later this afternoon.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Turkey to Austria
Tamara,
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. RL pressures and all that.
> Last turn, I put the odds at 60%-70% that Italy would stab me. But just
> countering the stab would have left me not much better off than I now find
> myself. Similarly, I put the odds at 50-60% that you are just stringing
me
> along, trying to find the most efficient way to get rid of me. But
letting
> you get rid of me efficiently isn't really much worse for me than the
> lingering death that otherwise awaits; and I cling to the 40% chance that
> you will take longer-term advantage of what I offer.
Italy sucker-punched me with that Leponto. He sucker-punched you last turn.
Clearly, leaving yourself open to this guy is a Bad Thing. And, it's
difficult to proceed in an alliance without leaving yourself at least
somewhat open to your ally.
If I'm to build fleets and attack Italy, I'm a lot better off if I can build
two at once; and this may well be the last chance I'll get to do that. Even
if it would mean some shuffling to get them out to sea, it would still be a
great advantage. So, there are plenty of advantages to Turkey to support
Austria instead of Italy.
> (In one earlier post,
> I forecast that you would have plenty of opportunity to stab me later. In
> fact, I am rather easily stabbed, because I somewhat optimistically view
> myself as such a good ally that it seems in my allies' best interest not
to
> stab me.)
Ironically, this is also the approach I typically take. Unfortunately I
picked the wrong ally early on (namely our illustrious Roberto), and lost
Smyrna as a result. It's the approach you took, and now he's in Trieste.
> Interesting. I'll go ahead with whatever you'd like, though I might whine
a
> bit if it seems too suicidal. Right now, this plan seems to be shaping up
> rather well: Bud/Ser s Vie-Tri, Aeg-Ion, Ukr-Mos (or -Sev). Bul is free
> to support Gre, or Ser, or move to Rum (against the possibility of Ukr,
Gal,
> or Bud moving there).
This has the most promise from my perspective; in any case I would not
propose anything "suicidal" to you.
I've heard a number of screwy things from Russia; at first it was Gal-Bud,
then War-Mos, Gal-War, and he's also hinted at combining efforts with you
against Rumania. Italy has discussed the possibility of Tri S Gal-Bud, and
it seems likely Russia would go along with such a plan. Italy has also
talked about Alb S Tri; I'm trying to talk him into ordering Ion S Alb-Gre
instead, but I'm not sure if he'll agree to rely on Serbia supporting
Trieste. Still, if he decides to support himself then I'm not ruling out
Gre-Alb to cut support, if you'll order Aeg-Ion so I don't lose Greece.
> Germany has spoken vaguely; his only concrete suggestion was a request for
> support to Warsaw (which I politely refused), which I assume was meant to
> discourage me from trying for Warsaw. Of course, Germany can also support
> an attack on Galicia, letting Russia retreat to his choice of open
centers,
> such as Warsaw, Vienna, Budapest, or Rumania. Russia blames me for most
of
> his troubles (with some justification); I don't give much credence to
> anything he writes.
I strongly doubt Germany will be coordinating any efforts with Russia. I
fully expect Boh-Sil, so that Germany can attack Warsaw and StP next year.
> France and Italy have been faithful allies all game, but where does France
> expect Italian growth to come? With three fleets, Italy is unlikely to
get
> even a 50-50 share of any Austrian centers. If I were you, I might be
> concerned that an IR or IG is already planned; a long-term IT is more
> dangerous than helpful to France. Of course, that's a self-serving
comment
> in my situation, but I also believe it's true.
As do I. I think France's only motivation was that if AI vs RT dragged on
(as it seemed it might), then he had no chance whatsoever against EG. If
the south were shaken up, then there's at least some chance the western
situation would change too. Perhaps he hopes for Italian support, and
perhaps he figures he'll get chewed up by Italy but prefers that to losing
centers to EG. Who can say. In any case, my impression is that it was
France's lobbying that turned Italy.
> I don't pass press, and I rarely pass on others' proposals or suggestions
> even paraphrased. Turning Italy against you would do me no good; he's
taken
> himself grossly out of position to help an AI alliance anyway. Russia is
> almost as irrelevant as Austria-Hungary; I believe Germany will attack him
> (partly to get there before you do) and Russia will be fully absorbed by
his
> own defense.
> Switch to what side? Join Italy, who already stabbed me once? Germany,
who
> mumbles out of both sides of his mouth without saying anything useful?
> France, who is fighting a losing battle against England? England, who,
> unless he comes to blows with Germany before getting into the Med, has an
> excellent chance of soloing? I doubt that I'll be switching sides again.
I have to say I agree with all of the above. I guess I just wanted to hear
it from you. I have the same reservations that you do, i.e. that you may be
just stringing me along in hopes you can hurt me somehow. But I also
believe we both have a lot of clear advantages in working together right
now.
> One of those fleets would be stuck inside, in Ankara; it will take three
> turns to pass all your fleets through the Bosphorus. But a Turkey with
> three fleets in 1904 is not particularly unusual, and none of your
neighbors
> would be in position to gain by "turning on you." Long-term, an EGT draw
> looks fairly likely, and you'd only need a center advantage to win the
> championship.
So again, AT cooperation is in my best interests. And I'm generally guided
by a keen sense of enlightened self-interest (my '01 builds and '02 moves
notwithstanding).
Let me know what you think. I'd like to get a plan shored up by Friday, as
I'll be out of e-mail contact this weekend.
Regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to Russia
Nick,
Sorry for the delay in my reply. I've had RL pressures that have kept me
busy, so the week-long delay came at a good time for me. These pressures
will be culminated this weekend and I'll get back to normal life. In any
case, I'll be out of town this weekend, so I'd like to get as much as
possible figured out by Friday.
> Well, I exchanged half a dozen letter with
> Austria yesterday pointing out all the reasons why
> Ukr S Gal-Rum made more sense than Gal S Ukr-Rum, but
> he was insistent, so I finally told him that I would
> support Gal-Rum. I do, in fact, support it, since it
> is, in my opinion a much preferred move over Ukr-Mos
> or Ukr-Sev. I will not, however, use my Armies to
> express my support for Ukr-Rum. 8-)
Heh heh. If Ukr can be sent uselessly against Rumania, then so much the
better, as I do plan to defend Rum. Naturally, I would be most disappointed
if you supported the move, but I cannot for the life of me imagine how it
would be in your interests to do so.
> I suggested to him that since Italy wants Greece,
> Austria ought to be able to retake Tri, but he
> expressed no interest in that attack and indicated
> that he did not believe he could actually take it if
> he tried. He did, however, say that he wanted to gain
> a third Center to hang on to his Fleet, since he felt
> it would be more useful to him than a third Army.
> This may well have just been noise to encourage me to
> attack you, though. I would guess this means Smy S
> Bla-Con, Bul-Rum, Gre-Bul, Ser S Gal-Bud is probably
> your best bet, though there are other possibilities.
> I'm going to write to Roberto, and see what he has to
> say, next. I'll keep you informed.
He's clearly telling us different things. He tells me he wants to get Italy
out of Trieste, and that he wants support from Serbia. What have you heard
from him lately?
I am indeed considering moves very much along the line of what you suggest.
Italy has also told me he favors supporting Gal-Bud. I think his preferred
plan would be Ser S Tri, Tri S Gal-Bud; but whatever Serbia does, it
wouldn't hurt to see Tri S Gal-Bud.
I take it from your press that you're in favor of my giving Greece to Italy
as we had discussed? The alternative would be for us to take advantage of
the AI conflict, and for me to build some fleets. However, I like the
direction things have gone this year, and I am leery of rocking the boat too
much. What are your thoughts on this matter?
Regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to England
Ivy,
I'm just writing to touch base. How have things been going in your neck of
the woods?
Things are crazy in the south. Lots of strange talk going around. Austria
writes that he wants vengeance on Italy, and asks me to support him to
Trieste. Russia writes that he and Austria have exchanged a lot of press,
but that Austria considers an attack on Tri to be futile. Meanwhile, there
seems to be some discussion of AR combining their efforts in Rumania,
although who would actually get Rum in such a scenario is unclear.
>From my perspective, I have two broad choices. One, I can continue in the
spirit of IT, which would probably mean ceding Gre to Italy, in exchange for
Smyrna. Two, I can try to put the blades to Italy, which would mean
supporting Austria to Trieste, holding onto Gre and hopefully building two
fleets. In all honesty, I've not yet received enough consistent press from
I/A/R to determine which would be the better course. Any words of wisdom
from your perspective would be welcome.
I have little knowledge at this point about what Russia will do. He has
talked about Gal-Bud (hoping for IT support), and also War-Mos, Gal-War to
defend against German attacks. And, he's admitted he's talked to Austria
about working with him against Rum. Very strange. I'll let you know if and
when I get anything definitive from him.
I know we've got a long delay here, but I'll be out of town this weekend and
out of e-mail contact. So, I hope to get some kind of plan for the fall
shaped up by Friday. Please write when you get a chance, so we can compare
notes.
Regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to Germany
Fredd,
I'm just writing to touch base. How have things been going in your neck of
the woods?
Things are crazy in the south. Lots of strange talk going around. Austria
writes that he wants vengeance on Italy, and asks me to support him to
Trieste. Russia writes that he and Austria have exchanged a lot of press,
but that Austria considers an attack on Tri to be futile. Meanwhile, there
seems to be some discussion of AR combining their efforts in Rumania,
although who would actually get Rum in such a scenario is unclear.
>From my perspective, I have two broad choices. One, I can continue in the
spirit of IT, which would probably mean ceding Gre to Italy, in exchange for
Smyrna. Two, I can try to put the blades to Italy, which would mean
supporting Austria to Trieste, holding onto Gre and hopefully building two
fleets. In all honesty, I've not yet received enough consistent press from
I/A/R to determine which would be the better course. Any words of wisdom
from your perspective would be welcome.
I have little knowledge at this point about what Russia will do. He has
talked about Gal-Bud (hoping for IT support), and also War-Mos, Gal-War to
defend against German attacks. And, he's admitted he's talked to Austria
about working with him against Rum. Very strange. I'll let you know if and
when I get anything definitive from him.
I know we've got a long delay here, but I'll be out of town this weekend and
out of e-mail contact. So, I hope to get some kind of plan for the fall
shaped up by Friday. Please write when you get a chance, so we can compare
notes.
Regards,
Ali
Message from England to Turkey
Hi Ali!
>I'm just writing to touch base. How have things been going in your neck of
>the woods?
It's quiet. So quiet that I would be happy to divulge all my state secrets
to my worst enemy if only to make conversation. Fortunately my worst
enemy, my only active enemy, is absent.
My German friend let it be known that he would be silent for most of the
week. No change there (said with deliberate sarcasm).
Italy and I have exchanged notes. He must come to terms with what he
wishes to do with his western fleet. He certainly will move to Western
Med, and I will permit him to do so. What is up in the air is whether he
comes to defend France or to partake in the feast.
I must continue on my anti-France crusade at least until France has lost
some strength. I don't see how to harm Germany in the present
situation. I consider, and surely Germany considers, our mutual situation
to be unstable. My biggest fear is that he will be able to build again
before me and then be able to execute a stab.
Germany doesn't talk much. When he does, he never says precisely what he
will do in the northeast. Nevertheless, I believe it to be virtually
certain that he will advance on StP and take it next year.
Russia has sent notes. He remains very friendly towards me, but what he
wants I can't give. He wants me to talk Germany out of taking StP.
As you suggest, a Russia/Austria pairing is now quite plausible. They have
their weakness in common. Both have been betrayed badly at one time or
another. Both have to worry about being swallowed by a greater
power. They are surely very skilled players who are capable of putting old
grudges behind them.
> >From my perspective, I have two broad choices. One, I can continue in the
>spirit of IT, which would probably mean ceding Gre to Italy, in exchange for
>Smyrna. Two, I can try to put the blades to Italy, which would mean
>supporting Austria to Trieste, holding onto Gre and hopefully building two
>fleets. In all honesty, I've not yet received enough consistent press from
>I/A/R to determine which would be the better course. Any words of wisdom
>from your perspective would be welcome.
I have far more words than wisdom.
At least I will permit myself just a little input into your Italy decision
by saying that I don't care what you do. There must be an advantage to me
one way or another, but I can't see it. Right now I see two possibilities,
either the Italian fleet is friendly to me or unfriendly. If you attack
Italy, there will be a third possibility. He may send his western fleet
back east. That would be a tiny plus for me, I suppose, but not as
beneficial as Italian support for the French campaign.
Now a question for you. Do you know what Italy wants to do with his fleet
after he moves it to the Western Med?
Ivy
Message from Russia to Turkey
>Message from Turkey to Russia in 'titleist':
>
>Sorry for the delay in my reply.
No problem, we've got time.
> >I finally told him that I would support Gal-Rum. >I will not, however,
>use my Armies to
> > express my support for Ukr-Rum. 8-)
>
>Heh heh. If Ukr can be sent uselessly against
>Rumania, then so much the better, as I do plan to
>defend Rum. Naturally, I would be most disappointed
>if you supported the move, but I cannot for the life of me imagine how it
>would be in your interests to do so.
I suspect that he's lying to me, but taking
Bud makes more sense than trying to defend Mos and Sev,
and he's done nothing to earn my support.
>What have you heard from him lately?
Nothing since I agreed to support him. Italy
offered to support Gal-Bud/Vie, but said nothing about
his other plans.
>I take it that you're in favor of my giving Greece to Italy
>as we had discussed?
Well, the moves I laid out would bounce off Ukr-Rum,
and let you hold Gre, unless Italy supports Alb-Gre.
Given the English Fleet in MAO, and the likelyhood of
Germany taking StP/War next year, you will probably
need Italy's support to hold off EG, but that's your
call to make.
Nick.
Message from Turkey to Russia
Nick,
> I suspect that he's lying to me, but taking
> Bud makes more sense than trying to defend Mos and Sev,
> and he's done nothing to earn my support.
He's surely grasping at any straw he can get right now. I do think that if
we can discover what he'll do, it will give us a significant advantage. I'm
continuing to promise him support against Italy, but it seems what he's
telling me is quite different from what he's telling you. I think we should
both continue to talk to him in earnest, but we should also compare notes
carefully regarding what he's saying. That way we should get a good sense
of whether or not he'll do anything predictable.
> Nothing since I agreed to support him. Italy
> offered to support Gal-Bud/Vie, but said nothing about
> his other plans.
My guess is that Alb will either support Tri or will support Ion-Gre. He
did write with a grand scheme that was supposed to mini-max the outcome
based on what Aeg did, but in my analysis the most likely outcome was Italy
building 2 and me holding even. So I'm trying to steer him in another
direction.
What is clear to me is that Italy is prepared to use Tri to support you
against Austria. If Italy promises you support for a particular move, I'm
pretty confident he'll come through with the support. The trick is in
determining which center to hit, that is, if Austria attacks Trieste using
Vie and Bud. Obviously, Tri would need to support you against whichever
unit is moving. Hopefully we'll have a good line on that as our discussions
with Austria progress.
> Well, the moves I laid out would bounce off Ukr-Rum,
> and let you hold Gre, unless Italy supports Alb-Gre.
I'm almost certain Italy will support himself to Greece, if he can bring
himself to trust support from Serbia. He almost has to, since even assuming
I move out voluntarily there's a good chance that Bul-Rum or Gre-Bul could
bounce. I'm sure he doesn't want to see me build 2 this turn, even if I do
act in good faith in the fall.
> Given the English Fleet in MAO, and the likelyhood of
> Germany taking StP/War next year, you will probably
> need Italy's support to hold off EG, but that's your
> call to make.
Well from my perspective, I really need both of you. An IT standoff in the
Med would only benefit England, and chances are it would only break when
England himself enters the Med. And it is certainly in my best interests to
ensure you remain viable to thwart Germany in the north, and as a possible
ally against Italy if and when it comes to that.
Even if Germany does succeed in StP/War, I wouldn't say all is lost for
Russia. From what I understand, England's big concern is that Germany will
outpace his own growth. The more aggressive Germany is against you, the
more likely it is that England will cooperate with Italy in France, and will
choose to attack Germany instead. Of course, I'd rather see you build this
year and hold him off; but I don't think German success against you would
pan out the way he thinks it would.
I've written again to Austria, in hopes I can get something definitive from
him. I'll be in touch as soon as I get any reply, and I hope you'll do the
same.
Regards,
Ali
Message from Austria to Turkey
> If I'm to build fleets and attack Italy, I'm a lot better off if I can
> build two at once; and this may well be the last chance I'll get to do
> that. Even if it would mean some shuffling to get them out to sea, it
> would still be a great advantage. So, there are plenty of advantages to
> Turkey to support Austria instead of Italy.
I certainly think so.
> I've heard a number of screwy things from Russia; at first it was Gal-Bud,
> then War-Mos, Gal-War, and he's also hinted at combining efforts with you
> against Rumania.
That last part may be true; I started pushing for that right after the last
moves, before I knew whether I'd really want it or if I just wanted to know
what Gal would be doing. Right now, he's said he'll support Ukr-Rum, which
may freeze Gal, and may cause him to leave Mos open. More likely, he's
lying for similar reasons as I, trying to reduce the chance Ukr will grab
Mos or Sev.
> Italy has discussed the possibility of Tri S Gal-Bud, and it seems likely
> Russia would go along with such a plan. Italy has also talked about Alb S
> Tri; I'm trying to talk him into ordering Ion S Alb-Gre instead, but I'm
> not sure if he'll agree to rely on Serbia supporting Trieste. Still, if
> he decides to support himself then I'm not ruling out Gre-Alb to cut
> support, if you'll order Aeg-Ion so I don't lose Greece.
I will order Aeg-Ion. Tri s Gal-Bud could dislodge Bud, so presumably Italy
is assuming you'll cover Rum. So he's expecting Bul-Rum, Gre-Bul, Ser s
Bul-Rum, Bla-Con, Smy s Bla-Con.
I'll be ordering Aeg-Ion, Bud s Vie-Tri, Vie-Tri, and if you want to
coordinate Ukr (because you want to order Bla-Sev, say), let me know.
Right now, Mos is "better", because I can support Germany or you to Russia's
other SCs, but Sev is easier.
> Let me know what you think. I'd like to get a plan shored up by Friday, as
> I'll be out of e-mail contact this weekend.
It looks like the retreat won't process until Monday, which means the Fall
move deadline won't be before next Wednesday. But there's nothing I can
think of that will change my mind before then.
I did get some grey press, suggesting that Turkey was going to betray Italy,
and encouraging me to forgive the stab and rejoin Italy if that happened.
It was written in the manner of the English leader, and addressed to Italy
and myself. If France was trying to break the deadlock, perhaps England is
trying to re-establish it? Or Italy was probing for allies in case you
stabbed him? Or someone else? At any rate, my only response so far was to
Italy (the co-addressee), rather stiffly saying the Archduke would do
whatever seemed best for his nation. Diplomatically, it's not too
important, but that's the first private grey press I've gotten in the game,
and I'm curious about it. Do you know anything about it? Any mysterious
grey press come to you?
Tamara, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Turkey to Austria
Tamara,
> That last part may be true; I started pushing for that right after the
last
> moves, before I knew whether I'd really want it or if I just wanted to
know
> what Gal would be doing. Right now, he's said he'll support Ukr-Rum,
which
> may freeze Gal, and may cause him to leave Mos open. More likely, he's
> lying for similar reasons as I, trying to reduce the chance Ukr will grab
> Mos or Sev.
This sounds likely. I have to say, if you can talk Russia into ordering Gal
S Ukr-Rum, you're a far better diplomat than I. Right now I mostly expect
Gal-Bud, since Italy seems to support the move.
> I will order Aeg-Ion. Tri s Gal-Bud could dislodge Bud, so presumably
Italy
> is assuming you'll cover Rum. So he's expecting Bul-Rum, Gre-Bul, Ser s
> Bul-Rum, Bla-Con, Smy s Bla-Con.
Yes, you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. Italy's support for
Gal-Bud is the main reason I think Russia will make the move. Russia has
also requested that I use Ser to support the Bud attack, rather than
supporting Tri or protecting Rum. So there is no consensus among RTI as to
what to do with Serbia, and Ser will be supporting your attack in any case.
> I'll be ordering Aeg-Ion, Bud s Vie-Tri, Vie-Tri, and if you want to
> coordinate Ukr (because you want to order Bla-Sev, say), let me know.
> Right now, Mos is "better", because I can support Germany or you to
Russia's
> other SCs, but Sev is easier.
I've been reluctant to advise you concerning Ukr, since I really don't have
any reliable intelligence on what Russia plans. Mos would be a better
choice, if it's undefended. Certainly, it would enable you to coordinate
with Germany in StP and War. And, once my support for you is out in the
open, I'll probably be wanting to hit Sev myself, and your being in there
would complicate matters.
However, it's also possible that Mos could bounce. If I get further
intelligence on this matter, I'll let you know. I don't expect or ask that
you tell me what you plan with Ukr, except that I ask for your promise that
it won't be used against Rum. I will say that F Bla will be used to protect
either Rum or Con; it will not be attacking Sev.
> It looks like the retreat won't process until Monday, which means the Fall
> move deadline won't be before next Wednesday. But there's nothing I can
> think of that will change my mind before then.
Ok, sounds like there's still time then. I just didn't want to come back
Monday and start playing catch-up.
> I did get some grey press, suggesting that Turkey was going to betray
Italy,
> and encouraging me to forgive the stab and rejoin Italy if that happened.
> It was written in the manner of the English leader, and addressed to Italy
> and myself. If France was trying to break the deadlock, perhaps England
is
> trying to re-establish it? Or Italy was probing for allies in case you
> stabbed him? Or someone else? At any rate, my only response so far was
to
> Italy (the co-addressee), rather stiffly saying the Archduke would do
> whatever seemed best for his nation. Diplomatically, it's not too
> important, but that's the first private grey press I've gotten in the
game,
> and I'm curious about it. Do you know anything about it? Any mysterious
> grey press come to you?
This is most fascinating. No, I don't know anything about it. For one
thing, I've not told anyone I was planning to support you against Italy.
The closest I've come is speculating that I could choose this turn to order
in favor of Italy or against him, which anyone can see just from looking at
the board. In general, I've been inviting opinion about which way to go,
rather than suggesting a particular course myself. (Russia encourages me to
side with Italy, while England claims to have no opinion either way.) I
myself have not yet received any grey press.
My guess it that it's Italy trying to cover his bases. England may have
some interest in seeing the south continue a fruitless struggle, but his
best chances would be if Italy were to attack France, and it's far from
clear whether Italy intends to help France or hurt him. If the appeal was
directed at you to forgive the Italian stab if Turkey stabbed Italy, then
why address it to Italy? Except to obscure the idea that the press actually
came from Italy in the first place. He probably figures if I do attack,
then he can continue to write as the mysterious friend who really has
Austrian interests at heart.
Without seeing the press itself, it's hard to say, but that seems to be the
best fit. I'm curious, can you divulge the time-stamp on the press? I'd be
interested to see if it matches any press I might have received.
Anyway, for now I will plan on Ser S Vie-Tri, unless I hear otherwise from
you. I'll be counting on Aeg-Ion to protect Greece, and may order Gre-Alb
if it looks like Alb is supporting Tri. Also, I'm counting on Ukr not
attacking (or supporting any attack against) Rumania. Agreed?
Let's stay in touch,
Ali
Message from Turkey to England
Ivy,
> It's quiet. So quiet that I would be happy to divulge all my state
secrets
> to my worst enemy if only to make conversation. Fortunately my worst
> enemy, my only active enemy, is absent.
Hm, well I should have asked for all your state secrets then! Oh wait, I'm
not your enemy... would that still count? ;^)
> My German friend let it be known that he would be silent for most of the
> week. No change there (said with deliberate sarcasm).
At least you have the consolation that if he's not writing to you, then he's
not writing to anyone else either. I get the impression that nobody really
has any warm & fuzzy feelings about the German. This will likely work to
your advantage in the long run.
> I must continue on my anti-France crusade at least until France has lost
> some strength. I don't see how to harm Germany in the present
> situation. I consider, and surely Germany considers, our mutual situation
> to be unstable. My biggest fear is that he will be able to build again
> before me and then be able to execute a stab.
Interesting, the perspective I get from the others is that EG is rock solid.
If and when you decide to go anti-German, it should really stir the pot.
> Germany doesn't talk much. When he does, he never says precisely what he
> will do in the northeast. Nevertheless, I believe it to be virtually
> certain that he will advance on StP and take it next year.
The German has told me he's pulling out of the Austrian theatre to focus on
StP and War next year. I do not expect him to build this year, but he's
almost certain to gain one or the other next year. And, there's at least a
chance he'll gain both, depending on what Austria does. In particular, if
Austria goes to Moscow, then Russia will be in a lot of trouble.
> Russia has sent notes. He remains very friendly towards me, but what he
> wants I can't give. He wants me to talk Germany out of taking StP.
I'm sure he does. I'd think he would be better off talking to Germany, but
he's probably not getting much in the way of response.
> As you suggest, a Russia/Austria pairing is now quite plausible. They
have
> their weakness in common. Both have been betrayed badly at one time or
> another. Both have to worry about being swallowed by a greater
> power. They are surely very skilled players who are capable of putting
old
> grudges behind them.
This is my thinking as well. My only hope is that Austria will focus on
Italy as an enemy, in which case alliance with Russia doesn't really help
him. There's a slim chance that they both see their days as numbered;
Austria cannot prevail against RTI, and Russia cannot prevail if he loses
StP, War and Mos. So the best-case scenario is that they're thinking in
terms of how to go out, rather than how to prolong the inevitable. But my
gut tells me that in a game of this calibre, that's wishful thinking.
> At least I will permit myself just a little input into your Italy decision
> by saying that I don't care what you do. There must be an advantage to me
> one way or another, but I can't see it. Right now I see two
possibilities,
> either the Italian fleet is friendly to me or unfriendly. If you attack
> Italy, there will be a third possibility. He may send his western fleet
> back east. That would be a tiny plus for me, I suppose, but not as
> beneficial as Italian support for the French campaign.
Actually, believe it or not, this is helpful.
> Now a question for you. Do you know what Italy wants to do with his fleet
> after he moves it to the Western Med?
Sorry, but I don't. My discussions with Italy have focused entirely on
Austria and the Balkans. I figure TYS-WMS is a given either way. My sense
is that Roberto himself doesn't know yet, and is simply moving into position
to do one or the other. Embroiled in the east as he was, he didn't even
have that choice. So, I think he's set sail intending to decide once he
gets there.
Sorry that isn't much help. I'll keep you posted if and when I learn more.
Regards,
Ali
Message from Germany to Turkey
Ali:
Nothing happening up here. I for one have been enjoying the break. I
definitely spend too much time on this game. I play a much more
interesting game as a hobby. US politics. This game is cutting into
the time that I spend on that. But then it's good training ;-)
I'll be gone this weekend also.
I'd give an opinion on your neck of the woods, but I don't really have
one. It looks pretty firm up here. I'll go after Northern Russia.
England will go after France. Straighforward.
Fredd
Message from Austria to Turkey
> However, it's also possible that Mos could bounce. If I get further
> intelligence on this matter, I'll let you know. I don't expect or ask that
> you tell me what you plan with Ukr, except that I ask for your promise that
> it won't be used against Rum.
I promise Ukr will not be used against Rum.
> I will say that F Bla will be used to protect either Rum or Con; it will
> not be attacking Sev.
If you use it to protect Con, you'll probably want to self-bounce so that
Con remains open for the build.
>> grey press come to you?
>
> This is most fascinating. No, I don't know anything about it. For one
> thing, I've not told anyone I was planning to support you against Italy.
> The closest I've come is speculating that I could choose this turn to
> order in favor of Italy or against him, which anyone can see just from
> looking at the board. In general, I've been inviting opinion about which
> way to go, rather than suggesting a particular course myself. (Russia
> encourages me to side with Italy, while England claims to have no opinion
> either way.) I myself have not yet received any grey press.
>
> My guess it that it's Italy trying to cover his bases. England may have
> some interest in seeing the south continue a fruitless struggle, but his
> best chances would be if Italy were to attack France, and it's far from
> clear whether Italy intends to help France or hurt him. If the appeal was
> directed at you to forgive the Italian stab if Turkey stabbed Italy, then
> why address it to Italy?
To sow distrust? To make Italy defend against a stab that the writer wasn't
sure would happen, and thereby initiate the rift anyway? I have little
experience with grey press, and generally considered it worthless in a
partial-press game, but this was a very interesting use, which may cause me
to reconsider that.
> Without seeing the press itself, it's hard to say, but that seems to be the
> best fit. I'm curious, can you divulge the time-stamp on the press? I'd be
> interested to see if it matches any press I might have received.
The relevant headers:
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 23:33:53 -0500
From: usin@thekleimans.com
Message-Id: <200108060433.f764Xrl21629@thekleimans.com>
I received nothing else from anybody within a few hours of that either way.
Sunday night judge time is probably somebody playing from home - I don't
think we have any eastern European or Australian players in this game.
Anybody checking results from a 7-day-a-week game with standard (11:30 PM
judge time) deadlines might be on at exactly that time, however.
When I say the style matches England's, it's either from England or somebody
worked hard to make it look that way; not just sentence structure, but line
length, usage of blank lines, and signature style (it was signed by "Kiki
Cuyler") were English-looking.
Among the possibilities that crossed my mind was that Turkey sent it, to
see which of his allies, Italy and/or Austria-Hungary, mentioned it to him.
You said, however, that this was the first you heard of it, so I've now
ruled that out.
Tamara, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from England to Turkey
Ali,
>> My German friend let it be known that he would be silent for most of the
>> week. No change there (said with deliberate sarcasm).
>
>At least you have the consolation that if he's not writing to you, then he's
>not writing to anyone else either. I get the impression that nobody really
>has any warm & fuzzy feelings about the German. This will likely work to
>your advantage in the long run.
I predict that Germany will be a simultaneous target of two or three others
sometime later in the game. You will be one of the "bullies." Either
France or I will be another.
>Interesting, the perspective I get from the others is that EG is rock solid.
>If and when you decide to go anti-German, it should really stir the pot.
Rock solid only as long as both of us feel it serves our purposes. I know
this much. There is no chance of a EG 2-way. Ergo ...
>The German has told me he's pulling out of the Austrian theatre to focus on
>StP and War next year.
Good Lord! He is talking to you more than he is talking to me. This
frightens me.
>This is my thinking as well. My only hope is that Austria will focus on
>Italy as an enemy, in which case alliance with Russia doesn't really help
>him.
Surely Austria is sufficiently good that he will focus first on survival by
any means. If survival is compatible with Italy as the enemy, then Austria
will be delighted to have Italy as his enemy. Who wouldn't in Austria's
position?
>So the best-case scenario is that they're thinking in
>terms of how to go out, rather than how to prolong the inevitable. But my
>gut tells me that in a game of this calibre, that's wishful thinking.
Yes. I got one brief note of dispair from Russia when you and Austria
teamed up to keep him out of Rumania. But immediately after that Russia
got down to business and began to fight for survival. He isn't going to
make it though. He will lose StP next year and it seems to me that he may
lose Sevast this year.
>> Now a question for you. Do you know what Italy wants to do with his fleet
>> after he moves it to the Western Med?
>
>Sorry, but I don't. My discussions with Italy have focused entirely on
>Austria and the Balkans. I figure TYS-WMS is a given either way.
It is. Italy will go there with my blessing, even though I don't know what
he will do after he gets there.
Cheers,
Ivy
Message from Russia to Turkey
Ali, My Friend,
> He's surely grasping at any straw he can get right now. I do think that
> if we can discover what he'll do, it will give us a significant advantage.
I wrote him today and asked for confirmation of Ukr-Rum, and told
him that Italy wanted Gre for Smy, but that you seemed unwilling to
give Gre up. Perhaps if he views me as an intelligence source, he tell
me what he's thinking.
> My guess is that Alb will either support Tri or will support Ion-Gre.
I played up the threat posed by EF MAO and encouraged
F Ion-TyS/Tun this turn.
> What is clear to me is that Italy is prepared to use Tri to support you
> against Austria. Obviously, Tri would need to support you against
> whichever unit is moving.
Unless you order Ser S Gal-Bud, and Italy orders Tri S Gal-Bud,
then I take Bud no matter what Austria orders.
> I'm almost certain Italy will support himself to Greece. He almost
> has to. I'm sure he doesn't want to see me build 2 this turn,
Hmm, War HOLD, Tri & Ser S Gal-Bud, Alb S Tri, Bla-Rum,
Bul S Smy-Con, EMed - Smy, takes four Centres from Austria,
giving me two builds, and you each one. What do you think?
I could certainly use two builds, and I think we need to see Ion
move west this turn.
In Alliance,
Nick.
Message from Russia to Turkey
Ali,
I'm not awake, yet, so I'm going to do this the easy way.
> Message from Austria to Russia in 'titleist':
>
> > Italy says he hopes to get Gre for Smy, but Turkey seems undecided
> > on whether to give it to him. You might be able to use that as a lever
> > against one of them.
>
> I've been hearing that, from other powers and in grey press. But I
> can't track down the rumor; I can't imagine that Turkey would tell so
> many others if it were true (and if true, why not discuss it with me?)
>
> Most likely, either Italy wants the rumors to get back to Turkey to put
> presure on him *not* to double-cross, or England wants to try to split
> the strong IT alliance before Italy can head west.
I don't know what to make of this, unless he's trying to conceal the
possibility of Ser S Gal-Tri.
Nick.
Message from Russia to Turkey
> Message from Russia to Turkey in 'titleist':
> I'm not awake, yet, so I'm going to do this the easy way.
[...]
> I don't know what to make of this, unless he's trying to conceal
> the possibility of Ser S Gal-Tri.
*sigh* Obviously that should be Ser S Bud-Tri.
Message from England to Turkey
Ali,
It's quiet again. Since we last corresponded I have only heard from
Austria. Austria got an interesting anonymous message addressed to himself
and Italy that cautioned against a Turkish betrayal of Italy and suggested
that the two of them be prepared for reconciliation in case that
happens. Austria thinks that the note came from Italy himself "to cover
his tail" !! I suspect so. It certainly did not come from me.
Ivy
Message from Turkey to Italy
Roberto,
I'm on my way out the door, so I'll have to be brief. It looks like we're
very close to a consensus, so we should be able to iron out the details once
the retreat is in.
The latest I'm getting is that Austria plans Bud S Vie-Tri, and wants Ser S
Vie-Tri. He says he's playing Russia along with the notion of Gal S
Ukr-Rum, but that he doesn't intend to attack Rum. I'm trying to get him to
order Aeg S Gre, allowing for Ion-Gre, EMS-Ion. Russia tells me he's still
talking to Austria about Gal S Ukr-Rum, but that he intends Gal-Bud. I get
the impression Russia's not real eager to tell me what he's doing, for fear
that I really will side with Austria to stab you. There are many reasons
why this would be madness, and while I'm pursuing the notion with Austria, I
will strictly abide by my agreements with you.
Anyway, gotta run. I'll write again Monday, hopefully we'll have a retreat
result by then.
Regards,
Ali
Message from Turkey to all
Fellow Powers of Europe,
I will be escaping the clamor of Constantinople, retreating into the hills
for a few days of meditation, reflection, and hallucination, ah, I mean,
religious instruction. I regret that our clerical staff is still working on
sorting and interpreting incoming messages, and I will do my best to address
the situation upon my return. The bureaucracy around here is horribly
inefficient, and if things don't improve, heads will roll.
Until then,
Ali Baba
France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean → Portugal
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