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Germany: Builds 1 unit
Italy: Builds 1 unit
Russia: Removes 1 unit
Turkey: Builds 1 unit
Message from Russia to Austria
Ralassa,
>And thereafter? Would the Polish people prefer Russian rule to Austrian?
Well, Warsaw is a Russian Home Centre, but it
would be foolish of me to cripple you when you are
holding the line against the Hun. Hopefully, we
can arrange for you to take Ber or Mun, which would
compensate you for the eventual loss of Warsaw.
>Could I suggest the bold Mos-Stp-Nwy for 1903
That is a possibility under consideration.
>Austria is already stretched thin, with an ally who will soon stab from the
>west.
If you don't trust Italy, then FAIR is hardly
practical, don't you think?
>A retreat to Silesia, a Russian debuild of the Galicia
>army, and War-Pru and Mos-StP in the spring would
>change the strategic situation considerably
Disbanding RA Gal would be a mistake. It would
invite Boh-Gal, and A Gal is needed to support your
Army in Sil as you move War-Pru, in any event.
>Does this course hold any attraction for the Czar?
It matches up with my thoughts in most respects,
but I see that the Judge outage has rendered this
letter moot.
Czar Nicholas II.
Message from Observer to Observer
"Douglas T. (Doug) Massey " <masseyd@b...> wrote:
> To me, this says France and Russia aren't going to quietly go away.
*nodnod* I don't think anyone suspected they would. :)
> I would expect nothing less. If there's one spot where a quiet power
> can survive, it's Turkey.
Yeps.
> The most communicative pairs are EF (even moreso than EG, the
> apparent alliance) and IR (due mostly to the fact that I and R are
> more communicative than A and T, maybe).
Hrm. This *is* suggestive. :) I do get the feeling that EF are
playing a deeper game than the "obvious" FG alliance... or at least
that F is trying to convince E to change sides, *really hard*.
Heavy IR communication is no surprise either... They have every reason
to share a lot of high quality information (the neighbour of my
neighbour is my friend), and no reason to not to.
I'm still thinking the Italian->Austrian stab next year is entirely
possible, combined with the other possibility of EF->G turnaround.
As for build predictions?
Germany: A Ber - go east - nothing else makes sense, I think.
Italy: F Nap - F Nap->Ion, F Ion->Adr, A Tyr->Tri, or
F Nap->Ion, F Ion->Gre, A Tyr S A Vie.
Turkey: F Con - most logical choice, given the topology.
Russia: Remove F Sev, I still think. A Gal is much more useful to
him, and he has to trust Turkey, or die.
Ook,
Thorf
--
<a href="http://tertius.net.au/~thorfinn">thorfinn@t...</a>
"Now that I think of it, O'Reilly is to a system administrator as a shoulder
length latex glove is to a veterinarian."
-- Peter da Silva in the scary.devil.monastery
Message from Germany to Master
> usin@thekleimans.com said:
> >Maybe we could change the rules. I don't see why not. If it were a
> >two way, we could sit and sit and not set draw. Doug might go along.
> >(Right Doug?)
>
> Wrong.
>
> Doug
>
> (Do you do this just to see if I'm reading along?)
Maybe ;-)
Message from Germany to England
Ivy
So a draw is a draw.
Ruhr will support Belgium to hold in the spring.
Bohemia. There's a lot of options there. Coordinate with Russia
against VIE. Try to push Italy out of TYR. Coordinate with Turkey on
something? Or move over toward WAR and support Russia back in in the
fall.
All that and it'll probably just hold. and support Munich. But we
shall see. I haven't made up my mind yet. It'd be great if someone
approached me with a plan, and the plan includes a component where I get
something in return for my help now. I just might sit and wait to see
if such an offer materializes.
Greddy (Greedy?)
Message from Germany to Italy
Roberto:
Gee, I'd hate to see your reaction if I were to suggest putting one of
my armies next to one of your home centers. Because you seemed to get
completely bent out of shape because I suggested that you move your army
away from my home center.
How about this? You move out of TYR and I'll move in. But don't worry
I'll send lots of press saying that Venice is safe from me. "It will be
my belief that we can coexist peacefully with me in TYR" Why do I think
that you wouldn't like that????? But for some reason you think it's
insulting for me to not want an Italian army on my border. I'll call
bull on that one. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
It's my personal hope that we can be allies through the mid-game and
even into the endgame (should we both last that long) If you can't see
the threat that you pose to me by just 'sitting' on my border then
perhaps I'd better rethink that strategy. I look out for my allies, and
I try not to antagonize them. For an example look how England and I have
disengaged.
Can you give me one good reason why you should remain in TYR? You said
earlier that you were going to attack Russia. I missed see your
advance. Attack Austria? Attack Germany? Defend yourself? From
whom? Austria would swing right around underneath TYR. So you can only
defend yourself from me. But why would I attack you? With Austrian help
I suppose it's possible, but if I have Austrian help, you're toast. A
case can be made that you don't want me to go from TYR - PIE and attack
France. But I would think that I'd have to ask for permission for that
first, or you'll see it as an attack even if it's not. So my friend
(?) that army can only be used in an offensive sense. Hardly paranoia.
As an attempt to calm you down I will give you one piece of
information. I'm fine with England taking all of France. I see EG
being broken in two ways. One is if England attacks me before France is
eliminated. The other is that once France is gone, EG will have to be
reevaluated. The possibility that I've been mulling over at that point
is GI sweeping in both directions. East and West Simultaneously.
Fredd
Message from Germany to Turkey
> How is your relationship with Italy? Any chance he can be turned?
My relationship with Italy is going downhill. I want him to move that
army out of TYR, and he doesn't want to. I thought that I made a good
logical argument. I don't know maybe I was wrong, but having an army
sitting on the border just doesn't strike me as the way to behave toward
your 'allies'. But he seems to think that my paranoia is insulting to
him. Err I don't think so.
Of course, I do realize that having that army sit there is a great
strategic advantage for him, and that he'll be reluctant to move it. On
the other hand I'm quite sure that with a French army in BUR I can't
afford to have an Italian army in TYR. Somebody is going to get pushed
back. And it's not going to be me. (at least this turn)
Message from Germany to Austria
has somebody ran off with all the 'g' s on your keyboard? It's ok. You
can press to g.
I'm amazed that I have an army sitting on your border and you still
haven't written to me. Your last message is dated the 14th. Two weeks
ago.
Hello
Hello
Anyone there?
Fredd
Message from Austria to Germany
> I'm amazed that I have an army sitting on your border and you still
> haven't written to me. Your last message is dated the 14th. Two weeks
> ago.
> Hello
> Hello
> Anyone there?
You really didn't need to send an army to pick up messages. And your
last message before this one was also two weeks ago.
Nevertheless, your point is well-taken. Until your army came to
visit, the Archduke seems to have taken you for granted. Both in
bouncing Sweden, and then in taking it, you have acted as he expected
and as he hoped you would.
Your recent move had his ambassadors to Russia, England, and Italy working
overtime. France, of course, was urging that the army dislodged from
Galicia retreat to Silesia. In hopes that your intentions were less hostile
to Austria-Hungary than they appeared, and with communications disabled, the
army instead retreated to Vienna.
So, what are your intentions? What actions do you propose the Archduke
take, and how will they benefit Austria-Hungary?
Grace, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from England to Germany
Freddy,
>Actually, I stated up front that any players tied for the most SC's
>in a draw would be declared co-champions.
>
>Doug
Ooh, I missed that. This is interesting and it makes a 2-way a little
easier to live with. In fact the safest way to be declared co-champions
would be for EG to dominate the game but not eliminate a third player. If
we stopped at, say, 14-14-6 and forced a 3-way, then we would be co-champs
without risking the stab for solo that often ruins 2-way endings. Seems a
little cowardly, I know, but at least we might as well be aware of the
options.
Ivy Wingo
Message from France to Italy
Roberto:
I have two goals, or rather call them hopes, for the
resolution of the issues in the south:
1) I hope that you will feel confident enough in the
situation to send a fleet over to help me.
2) I hope that someone will put some pressure on Germany
and especially England.
Hope #2 causes me not to prefer the RIFT alliance that
you are working on. This leaves Germany with little
resistance. Although that could turn out to be OK if we
let Germany grow too large, we can get England
frightened.
But I need someone to put some pressure on England. The
only obvious choice is Russia. If he would move his army
in Moscow to St. Petes and then to Norway that would help
me immensely. Without that, I will not be able to hold
my line against England. He may even decide to spill
into the Mediterranean while the going is good. Getting
across that stalemate line is a key to his eventual
victory. If he is in MAO, he could very easly take that
opportunity rather than a guess at one of my centers. He
still has a shot at them from WES.
Therefore, anything you can do to influence Russia to put
pressure on England would be greatly appreciated by me,
and probably in your best interest. A challenge is that
Russia seems to be too friendly towards England. It is a
strange contradiction in that he is at war with England's
ally, but will not attack England, who also refuses to
help him. Do you get this same feeling.
I worry that if Russia is at war with Austria, he cannot
afford to go for Norway. This is less true if he is
allied with Austria and working against Turkey. This is
why I prefer FAIR over RIFT. But I do not know the
dynamics in the south. I do not understand why Austria
could not make peace with one of R or T. Russia seemed
open to the idea.
Finally, I hesitate to suggest to Turkey that he build an
Army. He must be screaming, fooled me once, shame on
you, fool me again, shame on me. I just do not see him
building an army. In fact, I actually think that you
would need a fleet if you two were going to take on
Austria. As long as he has only the two, and one stays
perpetually in the Black Sea, that should be fair and
reasonable?
I do want to hear what you think.
-- Prince Boar
Message from France to Russia
Czar Nicholas:
Well, Austria retreated to Vienna. I am dissapointed,
but I expect that you are content.
What are you planning to disband? I am guessing that it
is the fleet in the GoB. It has no offensive
possibilities and really cannot stop the inevitable. I
guess it could safe St. Petes for a year, but that costs
you flexibility in your options in the south. Perhaps it
is best to focus there. I expect that you are
negotiating with Austria and Turkey (as well as Italy).
Obviously one of A or T must go in order to resolve the
south more quickly. I do not care which as long as it is
quickly done.
I do wish that you would put some pressure on England for
me. Because the longer that I last, the better off you
will be. This gives you time to eliminate one of A or T.
I hope that you will consider moving Mos to St. Petes.
This may save St. Petes because if Germany dislodges you,
you simply retreat to Norway. I would be your friend for
life if you caused England to disband a unit. I could
then hold on for a couple more years. Something that
would be in your best interest. Sure, you have some
risks around your homeland, but if you choose your ally
in the south wisely, and wait to reveal that in the fall,
you will be in great shape!
-- Prince Boar
Message from Master to all
usin@thekleimans.com said:
>This is supposed to be a press game; is it unreasonable to wait until
>the judge delivers the mail before sending the order?
Not at all -- the Judge outage occurred a bit after I sent the
reminder. Retreat moves don't usually take much negotiation and
(looking forward in my Inbox) I see that the retreat is already
in. Didn't mean to sound snippy! :-)
Thanks,
Doug
Message from England to Italy
Good Roberto,
Congratulations on your fifth center. That's supposed to be a milestone in
Italian progress.
I bet you get your sixth before I do. It will impossible for me to grow in
1903, and it is not at all obvious that anything will be certain in 1904
either. I just hope that others will not have run away with the game by
then. That includes my German friend! 8-)
Answer: I don't know.
Question: why did Germany move to Bohemia?
Answer: I don't know.
Question: what is he going to do with Bohemia?
I have asked him, but I don't think at this stage that he knows either. As
you can imagine, communications between Germany and me last turn were
almost non-existent. In addition to the problems obvious to everyone, my
own modem doesn't seem to work at all in the evenings. Furthermore my
internet provider was down for almost a day.
In spite of a little setback for Austria, I still think our two friends,
Germany and Austria, are in positions best suited for very rapid growth.
We need to keep them reined in somewhat.
Cordially,
Ivy Wingo
Message from England to Austria
My dear Edna,
I don't know how Turkey managed to do that, but he is clearly overextended.
You and Italy should be able to cut him back this year.
Personally, I won't complain about last fall's moves. I don't want to see
anyone run away with this while I am slugging it out with France very
slowly. It will impossible for me to grow in 1903, and it is not at all
obvious that anything will be certain in 1904 either. I just hope that
others will not have grown too big by then. That includes my German
friend! 8-)
Answer: I don't know.
Question: why did Germany move to Bohemia?
Answer: I don't know.
Question: what is he going to do with Bohemia?
I have asked him, but I don't think at this stage that he knows either. As
you can imagine, communications between Germany and me last turn were
almost non-existent. In addition to the problems obvious to everyone, my
own modem doesn't seem to work at all in the evenings. Furthermore my
internet provider was down for almost a day.
My first guess, only a guess, is that Bohemia will simply hold. The entire
Bohemia business may have been in response to the Italian army sitting
ominously in Tyrolia.
Cordially,
Ivy Wingo
Message [from Russia] to all
>Broadcast message from masseyd@btv.ibm.com as Master:
>
>Retreat moves don't usually take much negotiation
*Engage RANT Mode*
One of my pet peeves with Joel Furr is his use
of StrictWait. Negotiating with Powers to influence
where they retreat to, or convincing them to disband
and rebuild rather than retreat is, in my opinion, an
under-used, but very effective tactic. (I interpret
the rulebook's restriction on negotiation during
Retreats/Adjustments as being an artifical limit
imposed to keep a F2F game from lasting three days,
rather than game "feature", so I see no reason to
impose it in a PBeM game.)
*EndRANT*
As an example for the Observers who are hoping
to learn something from 'titleist', consider Austria's
Retreat of Army Galicia this phase.
>The Austrian Army in Galicia can retreat to Ukraine
>or Vienna or Silesia.
France might lobby in favor of Silesia to distract
Germany. Italy, as part of AI vs. RT, might suggest
that Austria retreat to Ukraine to maintain pressure
on RT. Russia, of course, would suggest Vienna, to
improve his chances of retaking Warsaw. Strategy
articles routinely reccomend writing to everyone
every turn, and, in my opinion, influencing a retreat,
build, or disband is every bit as important as
influencing the Movement phase.
Message from Germany to Austria
Duke:
> You really didn't need to send an army to pick up messages. And your
> last message before this one was also two weeks ago.
I've got a message in my archives that I sent out dated one week ago.
As if that matters.
I'm not sure what to do with the army in BOH. It seems that all of my
neighbors, etc. are so busy talking amongst themselves about it that
they're forgotten to make any suggestions to me about it.
I will tell you how it got there. It was supposed to bounce with the
Italian army. A bit of skillful maneuvering on Turkey's part. I now
believe. Ali dropped a hint that he had heard through the grapevine
that Italy was planning TYR-BOH. This was totally believable as Roberto
has stated in the past that he intends to use that army against Russia.
Now if I were totally tied up in the west this wouldn't be a problem,
but you're probably noticed that I have designs of my own on Russian
soil. I didn't want an Italian army up in the Northeast to 'get in the
way'. The bottom line is that I didn't want to have to fight him for
Russian centers while cooperating somewhere else.
The rest of my moves followed MUN-BOH. I had to protect Munich in case
TYR-MUN, so KIE - MUN.
Now that I'm there what should I do? There are a lot of options. One
of them obviously is to cooperate with Russia or Italy and attack you in
VIE. That's not really all that high on my list. Another would be to
cooperate with you to attack Italy. Not that high either. And I doubt if
you have any intentions along those lines. I could just sit there. Italy
seems to think that having his army sitting on my border is totally
nonthreatening. I guess that I could make the same point to you. IE
that I'm protecting the back door to my homeland. But I wouldn't insult
you with such a transparent argument. Having an Italian army in TYR
creates opportunities like MUN-BOH. Having an army in BOH will cause you
to make the same kind of moves. In other words I realize that all your
orders now have to compensate for my army. It'll be a major pain in the
ass, even if I don't ever attack. Perhaps you could pass along these
feelings to your partner? He seems blind to the problems his army in TYR
causes me.
Perhaps we should stay in contact more often. The builds should be in
soon.
Fredd
Message from Master to Austria
usin@thekleimans.com said:
>usin@thekleimans.com said:
>>This is supposed to be a press game; is it unreasonable to wait until
>>the judge delivers the mail before sending the order?
>Not at all -- the Judge outage occurred a bit after I sent the
>reminder. Retreat moves don't usually take much negotiation and
>(looking forward in my Inbox) I see that the retreat is already in.
>Didn't mean to sound snippy! :-)
Jeez, I didn't mean to *broadcast* that. Hopefully, it's not a big
deal to you.
Thank god I didn't address you by name.
(I hate gunboat games more and more every day. :-))
Doug
Message from Observer to Observer
> > The most communicative pairs are EF (even moreso than EG, the
> > apparent alliance) and IR (due mostly to the fact that I and R are
> > more communicative than A and T, maybe).
>
> Hrm. This *is* suggestive. :) I do get the feeling that EF are
> playing a deeper game than the "obvious" FG alliance... or at least
> that F is trying to convince E to change sides, *really hard*.
I wouldn't read too much into it. I think EG are in fact allied.
However, I agree with you that F is trying *really hard* to get
England to switch sides. If G builds A Ber and heads east, and G
contines to let E do all of the work against F, who knows, maybe he
will.
> Heavy IR communication is no surprise either... They have every
reason
> to share a lot of high quality information (the neighbour of my
> neighbour is my friend), and no reason to not to.
Agreed.
> I'm still thinking the Italian->Austrian stab next year is entirely
> possible, combined with the other possibility of EF->G turnaround.
I think an Italian stab on Austria makes more sense than ever.
Austria is more spread out than he was before, and he doesn't build.
And with the Italian army in Smyrna, Austria *really* would not be
expecting it. It would also make sense for Italy in that it could
save Russia, or at least postpone his elimination. That's definitely
good for Italy.
> As for build predictions?
>
> Germany: A Ber - go east - nothing else makes sense, I think.
Agreed. He's got EF fighting while he picks cherries in Scandinavia.
> Italy: F Nap - F Nap->Ion, F Ion->Adr, A Tyr->Tri, or
> F Nap->Ion, F Ion->Gre, A Tyr S A Vie.
Agreed. It has to be F Nap for reasons of flexibility, even though A
Ven would be better against Austria.
> Turkey: F Con - most logical choice, given the topology.
Agreed.
> Russia: Remove F Sev, I still think. A Gal is much more useful to
> him, and he has to trust Turkey, or die.
Again, agreed.
Before the game started, I made a prediction (read: wild guess) that
the game would end in an EI draw. I like E's and I's chances; could
turn out that way, especially if Allen is playing England and Jeff is
playing Italy. Jeff was probably the best ally I've ever had in a
game of Diplomacy (vgfp0012), and there are similarities in Jeff's
and Allen's dipping style that could bring them together in titleist.
IF Italy doesn't attack Turkey, I suspect it will be because E has
convinced him to send a fleet west against France as part of a
grander EI scheme.
Karlis
Message from Russia to France
Prince Boar,
>Well, Austria retreated to Vienna. I am disappointed,
>but I expect that you are content.
Actually, for FAIR to work, Gal-Sil was rather
important. We're going to have to improvise, now.
>What are you planning to disband? I am guessing that it is the fleet in
>the GoB. It has no offensive
>possibilities and really cannot stop the inevitable.
It will be one of the Fleets, obviously, and
while F GoB cannot keep Germany from taking StP, it
will keep him from taking it this year, and that may
be an important enough reason to keep it.
>I guess it could safe St. Petes for a year, but that costs you flexibility
>in your options in the south. Perhaps it is best to focus there. I expect
>that you
>are negotiating with Austria and Turkey (as well as
>Italy). Obviously, one of A or T must go in order to
>resolve the south more quickly. I do not care which
>as long as it is quickly done.
Austria has been consistently uncooperative
since F1901M, while Turkey has come around quite nicely.
I do not see myself changing allies at this point.
Indeed, in many ways FIRT works better than FAIR, since
it eliminates the need to push East while simultaneously
holding off Germany. If you could sound out Italy
regarding his feelings regarding FIRT, I would appreciate
it, but be warned, he's nearly as smooth as Ivy is.
>I do wish that you would put some pressure on England
I wish that I could.
>I hope that you will consider moving Mos to St. Petes.
It is under consideration, but I would prefer to
retake War, and build A StP, if at all possible.
>This may save St. Petes because if Germany dislodges you, you simply
>retreat to Norway.
Do you really think that Germany would mind my
costing England a Center? He could always claim that
he expected me to retreat south. Ivy might be upset,
but I doubt that he would break the EG alliance over it.
>if you choose your ally in the south wisely, and wait
>to reveal that in the fall, you will be in great shape!
I expect that the Juggernaut will continue pave
the road toward Vienna. If Italy joins us, we should
make good progress, if not then I'm likely to fall under
German pressure.
Cordially,
Czar Nicholas II.
Message from Italy to Austria
I'm taking advice on what to build. Any input?
Roberto
Message from Italy to Russia and Turkey
Gentlemen,
I've received advice from Russia to build fleet Naples and from Turkey to
build army Venice. These are two opposing views and I'd prefer we all agree
on the best approach for my unit. I had previously suggested to Turkey
fleet in Rome since it's headed to the TYS anyway. If there wasn't an
immediate threat from the English armada in MAO by end of '03, I'd probably
go ahead and build the army, but since I have to convoy out of Turkey thus
tying up the Ionean fleet, I think it best I send a new fleet west.
Comments?
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Turkey to Italy and Russia
Gentlemen,
I concur with both of you, a Turkish army and an Italian fleet seem to be
called for. As for Rome or Naples, I suppose it doesn't matter as long as
it isn't sent in my direction. I have entered my order for A Con.
Must run, more later.
Ali Baba
Message from Russia to Italy and Turkey
Gentlemen,
I suppose that F Rome would give a slight extra
measure of security to Ali, over F Naples, but I don't
see F Nap as being effectively anti-Turkish in any
event, and F Rome would tip-off England that Roberto
is headed West. I'm figuring to disband F Sev, but
if there is a tactical reason to keep it rather than
F GoB, please let me know.
In Alliance,
Nick.
Message from France to Russia
Czar Nicholas:
I understand that F Bot can prevent the loss of St. Petes
for one year. But the Fleet in Sev can take Rumania
(with Turkish grace) or help Turkey and you take a
different Austria center. In the end I think that your
power base will be in the south. You would be better
served having your forces together.
But the choice is yours. A difficult one to make. I am
sure that the Dauphin will be facing such a choice soon.
-- Prince Boar
Message from Russia to France
Prince Boar,
>I understand that F Bot can prevent the loss of St. Petes
>for one year. But the Fleet in Sev can take Rumania
>(with Turkish grace) or help Turkey and you take a
>different Austria center. In the end I think that your
>power base will be in the south. You would be better
>served having your forces together.
My suspicion is that if I disband F GoB, Germany
will order Bal-Lvn (or Bal C Ber-Lvn), Swe-Fin and
take StP in the Fall. Moving Mos-Stp this Spring
MIGHT stop that, but I am doubtful, and doing so would
allow War-Mos. Leaving F GoB as a blocking force
should keep Germany from positioning to take this
Spring since he desires my cooperation against Austria,
and England doesn't want Germany to build this year.
Taking Rum and Nwy while losing Mos and StP does me no
good, I'm afraid.
Nick.
Message from Italy to Germany
> Gee, I'd hate to see your reaction if I were to suggest
> putting one of my armies next to one of your home centers.
It seems to me, you were suggesting that. Perhaps I over-reacted. Perhaps
I missed quoted. Allow me to quote the sentence that caused the reaction.
> > The army in Tyrolia is beginning to worry me. I haven't
> > decided yet, but I'm considering trying to move it.
I read that as, I'm considering moving Tyrolia by force which would land you
next to one of my home centers as well as two of my ally. I would have
preferred an opening sentence discussing the pros/cons of DMZ'ing Tyrolia.
Keep in mind one of the biggest reasons I'm currently in Tyrolia is you
failed twice to answer my queries to discuss the advantages/disadvantages of
Ven-Tyr. Regarding Burgundy, you and England could have kept him out of
Burgundy but you chose instead to order Kiel support Holland rather than
move to Ruhr in the Spring. So, to say that you are now concerned about the
offensive possibilities of Tyrolia BECAUSE France is in Burgundy is, as you
put it, "bull on that one".
> I look out for my allies, and I try not to antagonize them.
> For an example look how England and I have disengaged.
>
> Can you give me one good reason why you should remain in TYR?
Several, but since you just asked for one. My ally, Austria (who I look out
for) asked me to move there just in case our German friend (?) moved to
Bohemia.
Now, can you give me one good reason why you moved to Bohemia?
> You said earlier that you were going to attack Russia.
You said earlier you were fine with either Austria or Italy occupying
Tyrolia as long as you knew about it in advance. So, why the concern now?
I was planning on moving north but Russia became so weak I didn't see the
point. Besides, I somehow doubt you'd be any more comfortable with me in
Silesia as you are with me in Tyrolia.
>
> So my friend (?) that army can only be used in an offensive sense.
>
If you truly think the above statement is true, there is nothing I can say
to change your mind so I won't try. I'll just say that I disagree with the
above statement and we can agree to disagree.
Now, I'm willing to discuss the future of Tyrolia. I'm even willing to
retreat from the position, but, it's going to cost you something. I'd like
to see you retreat from your Bohemian position to someplace a little further
north. I'm sure you can find interesting things to do in Northern Russia
without having to interfere with AI troop movements. Or, if you're truly
worried about the fate of Munich, you could move it back from wence it came
and stay out of the Eastern problems all together. Nobody in the east was
talking about Germany. Since your move to Bohemia, that's all that is
talked about. I'm willing to bet your retreat would see an end to those
talks and get the east re-focused on the east. It's your call though.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Italy to France
>
> I have two goals, or rather call them hopes, for the
> resolution of the issues in the south:
>
> 1) I hope that you will feel confident enough in the
> situation to send a fleet over to help me.
>
Building a fleet in Naples and it's headed to the TYS.
> 2) I hope that someone will put some pressure on Germany
> and especially England.
>
As far as England goes, that's out of my hands at the moment. Germany
though is getting a bit uptight with my army stationed in Tyrolia fearing a
combined FI attack on Munich (wait a second, not a bad idea - thanks for the
idea Germany).
> Hope #2 causes me not to prefer the RIFT alliance that
> you are working on.
>
There is very little chance of AR working together. I don't even want to
waste bandwidth trying.
>
> But I need someone to put some pressure on England. The
> only obvious choice is Russia. If he would move his army
> in Moscow to St. Petes and then to Norway that would help
> me immensely.
>
That's simply not going to happen as long as Austria continues his assault.
Perhaps Germany's move to Bohemia will get Austria's head to swivel but I
suspect he'd turn his attention back once that issue is resolved.
> Without that, I will not be able to hold
> my line against England. He may even decide to spill
> into the Mediterranean while the going is good. Getting
> across that stalemate line is a key to his eventual
> victory. If he is in MAO, he could very easly take that
> opportunity rather than a guess at one of my centers. He
> still has a shot at them from WES.
>
I'm hoping to prevent that.
> Therefore, anything you can do to influence Russia to put
> pressure on England would be greatly appreciated by me,
> and probably in your best interest. A challenge is that
> Russia seems to be too friendly towards England. It is a
> strange contradiction in that he is at war with England's
> ally, but will not attack England, who also refuses to
> help him. Do you get this same feeling.
>
Not really. I get the feeling that Russia considers Austria to be his
greatest danger. I just think Russia decided to put what little resources
he had into the Austrian defense. He didn't really have much choice.
> I worry that if Russia is at war with Austria, he cannot
> afford to go for Norway. This is less true if he is
> allied with Austria and working against Turkey. This is
> why I prefer FAIR over RIFT.
>
I understand your reasoning and agree with it. I favor FAIR over RIFT as
well. Unfortunately, nobody to date has been able to convince Austria to
favor that alliance. Time is not on our side to wait for Austria to see the
light.
>
> Finally, I hesitate to suggest to Turkey that he build an
> Army. He must be screaming, fooled me once, shame on
> you, fool me again, shame on me. I just do not see him
> building an army. In fact, I actually think that you
> would need a fleet if you two were going to take on
> Austria. As long as he has only the two, and one stays
> perpetually in the Black Sea, that should be fair and
> reasonable?
>
No problem. No need to stick your neck where it doesn't belong. Turkey and
I have come to an agreement.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Austria to Italy
> I'm taking advice on what to build. Any input?
A fleet in Naples.
I don't think anything else is even close. If England goes for MAO
this year, you'll need another fleet for defense. Turkey is looking
tough, and fleets are much more effective against him than armies.
In other developments, Germany is claiming his move to Bohemia was
meant to bounce Tyr-Boh. I think he's lying, but you should know what
he's telling me anyway. He says your army in Tyr was so threatening,
he felt forced to counter it, and asked me to urge you to relocate it.
I disagree, of course; we'll discuss moves after the builds process.
Idalia, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Austria to England
> I don't know how Turkey managed to do that, but he is clearly overextended.
> You and Italy should be able to cut him back this year.
He outguessed me, partly because I wanted to leave him room to cannibalize
Russia if he chose to. He didn't so choose :-(.
> Personally, I won't complain about last fall's moves. I don't want to see
> anyone run away with this while I am slugging it out with France very
> slowly. It will impossible for me to grow in 1903, and it is not at all
> obvious that anything will be certain in 1904 either.
England will be in MAO by fall of 03, and will have a choice between
guessing for French centers and bypassing them to get into the Mediterranean
early.
> I just hope that others will not have grown too big by then. That
> includes my German friend! 8-)
ET is a natural alliance. Russia has tied his hopes on Turkey, and you have
cooperated by leaving StP alone. And you need Germany to leave you alone
long enough to turn your positional advantage over France into actual
centers.
But Germany, without blatantly stabbing you, seems willing to let you slog
your way through France while picking up the easy centers in Russia (and
possibly Austria). He already has two fleets. After he uses them to pick
up StP, where will he go next? He's in excellent shape, both tactically and
strategically.
You probably won't discuss it with me, but if you were to shift alliances to
join with France against Germany, you would have great potential for gains.
Nobody is in position to come to Germany's aid, and his aggression has left
him with few countries who would choose to help him anyway. Success against
Germany would leave you with unchallenged hegemony in northern seas, a solid
position from which to build your championship.
Edna, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Austria to Germany
> I will tell you how it got there. It was supposed to bounce with the
> Italian army. A bit of skillful maneuvering on Turkey's part. I now
> believe. Ali dropped a hint that he had heard through the grapevine that
> Italy was planning TYR-BOH. This was totally believable as Roberto has
> stated in the past that he intends to use that army against Russia. Now if
> I were totally tied up in the west this wouldn't be a problem, but you're
> probably noticed that I have designs of my own on Russian soil. I didn't
> want an Italian army up in the Northeast to 'get in the way'. The bottom
> line is that I didn't want to have to fight him for Russian centers while
> cooperating somewhere else.
I would expect the army would be no more threatening to you in Bohemia
than in Tyrolia. And bouncing him from Bohemia doesn't seem
well-calculated to earn the cooperation you seek, by the army which would
then necessarily remain in Tyrolia. On the other hand, if you felt Italy
was too closely allied with France for cooperation with him to be
rewarded, perhaps Mun-Tyr, either with or without warning, would have been
your strongest move against Tyr-Boh.
As to eastern goals, Silesia seems a better location if your target is to
be Russia, while Bohemia certainly gives the appearance of hostility to
Austria-Hungary.
> In other words I realize that all your orders now have to compensate for
> my army. It'll be a major pain in the ass, even if I don't ever attack.
> Perhaps you could pass along these feelings to your partner? He seems
> blind to the problems his army in TYR causes me.
Austria-Hungary has its own discomfort with the Italian army in Tyrolia,
but with your army in Bohemia, the Italian army becomes more useful than
not.
Russia will presumably remove his northern fleet this winter. That allows
you to take StP by force: Bal-Lvn, Swe-Bot in the spring. If you also
move Ber-Pru, Boh-Sil, you will surely reap the northern Russian centers,
including Warsaw which is currently enjoying its recent liberation by
Austro-Hungarian troops. Can you discuss whether these moves are in your
plans?
Grace, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from Austria to Russia
> Disbanding RA Gal would be a mistake. It would
> invite Boh-Gal, and A Gal is needed to support your
> Army in Sil as you move War-Pru, in any event.
I fear disbanding the northern fleet would only postone the
problem, as it would encourage Bal-Lvn, Swe-Bot, taking StP.
Since disbanding Mos before you're comfortable working with
the Archduke seems out of the question, that leaves the
southern fleet.
As part of a cooperative effort, Warsaw can suppport
Gal-Sil, and/or Vienna can support Gal-Boh. In fact, with
both Tyr and Vie supporting Gal-Boh, and War attempting Sil,
we would almost certainly destroy the Boh army in the
spring. I'm not sure how beneficial Russia would consider
that course, however.
Ralassa, for Austria-Hungary, by the grace of Archduke Ferdinand
Message from England to Austria
Edna,
>England will be in MAO by fall of 03, and will have a choice between
>guessing for French centers and bypassing them to get into the Mediterranean
>early.
Oh, I will go for the French centers. Lots of reasons. I need the
strength in case Germany gets funny ideas. Also, I see no need to alienate
Italy. Finally, the French centers will be long, hard work, so why
postpone the start?
>You probably won't discuss it with me, but if you were to shift alliances to
>join with France against Germany, you would have great potential for gains.
Sure I will discuss it. If I did that I would be between a 5-center France
and a 6-center Germany, both of whom would hate me. As long as Germany is
not too greedy, and as long as I make progress against France, it is best
to stay the course.
After a few countries are eliminated, then that might be the time to
shuffle the alliances. Rignt now, I think E,G,I,and A are in the best
shape to survive well into the game.
Ivy Wingo
Message from Italy to Austria
> A fleet in Naples.
That's what I had ordered. Just wanted to make sure.
> In other developments, Germany is claiming his move to Bohemia was
> meant to bounce Tyr-Boh. I think he's lying, but you should know what
> he's telling me anyway. He says your army in Tyr was so threatening,
> he felt forced to counter it, and asked me to urge you to relocate it.
> I disagree, of course; we'll discuss moves after the builds process.
He is lying because I recall telling him my army in Tyrolia would be holding
since I wanted the option of moving to Piedmont at the appropriate time to
help dismantle France.
Yes, he has asked me to relocate it as well but I told him I would if and
only if he relocated Bohemia first preferably back to Munich where it
belongs.
More after the builds come in tonight.
Life is Beautiful,
Roberto
Message from Russia to Master
Russian EoY: 1902
I began 1902 with only my original four Centers, and
now have ended it with three. Not an auspicious beginning
to 'titleist', but at least I don't have to worry about the Early
Leader Syndrome. 8-) I am finally glimpsing a light at the
end of the tunnel, but it remains to be seen whether that light
is the first flickering glimmers of hope for Russia and the
EEU's rebirth, or the headlamp of an oncoming German train.
England and Italy are clearly the Powers to watch in
'titleist'. I suspect that Roger Yonkoski is England, and
that Italy is Allen Schweinsberg or Ken Lofgren. England
faked out France, and Italy convinced Turkey to attack
Russia and build an Army in 1901, and then took Smyrna
via a Lepanto without any problem at all.
I spent F1901B trying to convince AI to run the Lepanto
against Turkey, and let me join in, and trying to convince
Turkey that he was in serious trouble if he didn't build
F Smy, but Italy out-talked me, and both Austria and Turkey
built anti-Russian (A Vie, A Bud, and A Ank). Once builds
came through, I renewed my efforts to reinvigorate AIR vs. T,
but it soon became clear that Austria was not interested in
working with me, and that he wasn't even interested in
discussing the possibility. Italy, however, continued to
listen to me, and seemed to agree with my strategic view. I
contacted Turkey and offered to support Ank-Bla-Rum
because Ank-Arm would have crushed me, and I desperately
needed an ally. As I was offering Turkey incentives to ally
with me against Austria, I was simultaneously encouraging
Italy to attack Turkey to keep the Turk from considering an
attack on Sev in the Fall. This, fortunately, worked out as
planned.
In the North I tried to get EG to let me into Sweden, but
decided that I had to Convoy A Fin - Lvn to have any hope
of holding War/Mos against the Austrian attack I was
expecting. England claims that my suggesting that I would
need Swe and Den to keep both Units in the North pushed
him to ally with Germany, but this strikes me as being as
disingenuous as Austria's claim that my refusal to immediately
commit to moving Sev-Rum forced him to order Vie-Gal,
Ser S Bul-Rum.
In the Fall, I came up with a set of orders that got Turkey a
build to slow the AI attack, and defended War/Mos from
three of four likely sets of Austria's orders, but naturally,
Austria chose the fourth set, costing me Warsaw. I did,
however, force Austria to retreat from Galicia, so I'll be
able to retake War in '03.
Questions for 1903. Will Italy betray Austria and join FIRT
to battle AGE? Will Germany shift south to deal with the AI
threat and give England time to gain position on France, or
will he come after StP and War this year? Should I risk going
for two builds, or should I settle for the safe one?
Czar Nicholas II.
Message from Russia to Austria and Italy
Ralassa, and Roberto,
> As part of a cooperative effort, Warsaw can suppport
> Gal-Sil, and/or Vienna can support Gal-Boh. In fact, with
> both Tyr and Vie supporting Gal-Boh, and War attempting Sil,
> we would almost certainly destroy the Boh army in the spring.
I would favor Gal S War-Sil, Tyl S Vie-Boh. If you want to
work with me you really need to move out of my Home Centre,
and toward our common enemy.
Czar Nicholas II.
Germany: BUILD Army Berlin
Italy: BUILD Fleet Naples
Russia: REMOVE Fleet Sevastopol
Turkey: BUILD Army Constantinople
Centers
Austria: 5
England: 5
France: 5
Germany: 6
Italy: 5
Russia: 3
Turkey: 5
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