Very good summary of the game, but Tom blissfully underestimates the
effort required by Germany to hold off a combined Russian-English
attack. If you looked at the map in '04 I had Russians in Berlin
and an English fleet in Hel Bight. Not good, but I managed to
recover with a lucky guess against Russia and a relentless begging
campaign with the French for help against England. Tom had a very
easy game because France was only prtially involved and England lost
interest and mostly NMR'd after '03. With Austria involved against
Turkey and Russia alternately, Italy pretty much had a free ride.
Even more so after Russia decided to help him get the solo after I
beat him out of German terrirtoy and both Austria broke through his
front lines. Anyway, Tom knew how to take advantage of the
situation and managed to not to piss anybody off (like I did) so he
certainly deserves the victory. As Germany I prefer to ally with
France and take out England before heading east but France was
rather quiet on the diplomatic front in '01so I assumed he was
working with England. That was my clue to find an ally asap and Tom
stood up to the plate. I like the Munich '01 move and I'd do it
again, even though the real key to busting France is an English
attack fom the north in my opinion.

Paul


--- In NYC-Diplomacy@yahoogroups.com, Tom Stein <Tom326@...> wrote:
>
>
> We had our first NYC Diplomacy online game. While there were a
few bumps, I’d thought the
> game was a lot of fun and quite a success �" I might be a tad
biased since
> soloed.
>
> I played Italy. Before first moves, Austria and Germany proposed
a Central Powers pushed first by Austria. I was not thrilled with
this idea because (1) Italy vs. France can be a slog, (2) it would
be hard to
> control my destiny and (3) Austria would be in a far better
position to stab me than vice-versa. So I moved to Tyrolia, Ionian,
Apulia and managed to diplom that the Tyrolia moves were “ok”
> with the proposed alliance. But I was
> planning on going for a quick crush of Austria with Russia and/or
Turkey.
>
> However, Germany offered me Munich. This was an intriguing idea,
so I was
> game. But in Fall 1901 Austria let Turkey into Serbia when he
could
> have bounced him and Turkey got two builds. At first, Germany and
I thought Austria had just screwed up, but then it came out that
they were working together and
> that Austria wanted everyone
> to “just get along” so he could crush Russia. Germany and I
were fighting mad at this and gave him an ultimatum: “us or
Turkey.”
>
> 1901 builds also created drama. First, Germany,
> worried that it would “give us away,” and against my advice,
built two armies,
> rather than a fleet in Kiel. That, more than anything, I think,
screwed Germany in this
> game (a point I’ll come back to). Second, France and England
had already figured it out, with France building in Mar and England
building an army in Edi (?!?), making Germany’s
> build doubly painful.
>
> Austria acceded to our ultimatum and agreed to attack Turkey, but
said he wanted to tell
> him first. I don’t know whether this “warning”
> was ever conveyed. Germany and I were secretly agreed that while
we
> both needed Austria, we
> longer felt we could rely on him and would crush Austria when the
time was right.
>
> In other news, Russia, due to misorders and
> Austrian aggression, got no builds and was in dire straits.
>
> My plan at this point in the game was to maintain a solid
> two-way alliance with Germany,
> to first crush France, then Austria, then Turkey,
> with Germany taking out England and Russia. I would have taken a
solo if presented on a
> platter, but so long as Germany was loyal and did not “hand”
me the solo by
> playing badly or moving out of position I would stay loyal and
take the two
> way. I believe in rewarding solid
> alliances �" especially when the other person takes the first big
“gamble” as Germany did by inviting me into Munich.
>
> I went full bore for France. Austria attacked Turkey and England
slid into the channel giving new life to Russia. I’m curious as
to what went on between England and France. I’m guessing there
was a brutal backstab by England, but
> really not sure. Regardless, England went into Brest in the fall,
which turned what might have been a protracted battle with France
into a route.
>
> In ’03, a Russian/English and Russian/Turkish alliance threw
> me back solidly on board with Austria (for now). Germany on the
ropes, without his
> fleet, was on the ropes as he could not counter attack. In the
fall of ’03 drunken misorders combined
> with a NMR in the spring of ’04 were a tad embarrassing.
However, these actually worked out, because Germany had amazingly
convinced France to turn on England. My misorders breathed life
into the new partnership
> with France.
>
> In the fall of ’04, however, I was getting impatient. Germany
was begging for help and for me to lay off France,
> but I (1) wanted to reposition my troops, (2) wanted France to get
a fleet, but (3)
> wanted a build. So I took Spain and attacked Gascony and sent a
cryptic message before hand saying I wanted to help France get a
> fleet. It worked perfectly. France did not grow, but got to swap
an army for a fleet, I was able to build and get
> an army in Venice and France was still on board with the
“alliance.”
>
> My long term plan by this point had changed. I was playing for a
solo as the relationship with Germany had soured. We were still
“allies” but I
> felt (1) he was not pulling his weight by playing too
conservative; (2) the
> position we/he was in was his own damn fault for not building a
fleet in ’01; (3)
> he kept suggesting moves that would put me out of position,
including
> suggesting them in messages to France which really pissed me off
because then I
> had to keep explaining to France how I was still part of an
alliance with him
> and Germany, but not ceding back his territory, even though our
joint ally kept
> recommending it; and (4) I was in a position to break out and he
wasn’t.
>
> ’05 was the year. First, I tried to lull France into a false
sense of security by peeling off a fleet eastward and promising to
> stay out of Portugal. In fact, the real plan to get him to send an
> army to England while gobbling two of his dots without even having
to launch a supported
> attack. This was the perfect time because
> I could (1) cripple France, yet
> (2) England would still be
> hurt by France’s attack,
> helping Germany survive,
> which I needed, and keeping England as zero threat to me. The
second front
> was that I needed to break up the Turkish/Russian alliance.
Russia had, for some reason, made
> moves that allowed an Austrian troop to squeeze through. I put on
the full court press to Turkey, suggesting that now was the perfect
> opportunity to attack Russia and that if he did, I would attack
Austria. Turkey resisted, but after a
> lengthy plea and explanation he was on board. Third, I wasn’t
exactly sure what to do with Austria. I did not want to out and out
attack him,
> because I could be over extended and could quickly make myself a
target. But I also wanted to show Turkey that I
> was serious about my offer. I proposed
> to Austria that I move to Vienna, on the theory that Russia would
try for Vienna rather than another series
> of moves that could likely bounce, and that I would thus bounce
with Russia. Amazingly, Austria AGREED.
>
> Turkey stayed true to his word and attacked Russia. Then came the
big misadjudication. To be honest, I was worried about how big
Turkey might get if Austria turned on me and Russia collapsed
quickly, so I think a triple bounce would have been better for
> me. But it ‘twas not to be.
>
> I had a lot of explaining to do in ’06 and knew I still
> needed Germany, so I agreed
> to give him France. I could have gone either way with Austria and
Turkey and thought strongly about sticking with Austria,
> figuring he’d be far easier to stab down the road than Turkey.
But, despite asking me into Vienna, he apparently decided I was
going to
> attack him. I got a nasty email from him
> and then nothing. I actually would have
> stuck with Austria if I had
> believed he was going to continue fighting Turkey, but I sensed he
was going
> to turn on me. I was right, he did, and
> I supported Turkey into Greece.
>
> At this point in the game I still wanted Germany to grow
> quick and be my primary ally…indeed, if he had played well and
“caught up” I
> would have still gladly done the two way, even though the solo was
my
> goal. But Germany froze up, never driving forward
> for dots as he promised.
>
> Turkey and
> I quickly dismantled Austria. Germany got a build from Paris,
> but then did nothing with it. Russia was making noises about
supporting me to
> a solo, but wouldn’t do what I actually wanted him to do and I
thought it was
> just a ploy to get me to attack Germany,
> which would have been dangerous considering where my pieces were
(and could
> have easily brought Russia/England back to life).
>
> As we were finishing off Austria, Turkey attacked me. Thankfully,
he did not
> attack me very well and I got three builds on that turn, which
made it pretty
> easy to deflect his advances. I was
> still willing to play ball with Germany,
> but Germany was still refusing to actually do anything. I assume
this was out of a fear that I would
> stab him, but it was his fear and conservative play that
ultimately made me
> decide to do so �" he was in the way.
>
> With England out to lunch and Turkey moving north, any hope of a
Russian/England revival disappeared and I was now
> game to accept their support. I talked
> Turkey into a new alliance. I didn’t
> think he’d do it and moved as if he’d attack me. I don’t
think it would have mattered either
> way. At the end, the solo became easy
> due to England/Russia’s support. I
> believe they threw me the solo because they had made ultimatums to
Germany that they would do so if he didn’t attack me and he
didn’t.
>
> I think the key to the game was Turkey’s
> attack on Russia. That occurrence, on the same turn I jumped
> from 6 to 9, was vital and I would have played that turn quite
differently if I
> didn’t think Turkey was going to do it. Germany was my ally
(and still needed me), Austria I was unconcerned with, my moves
> crippled France and France’s moves seriously debilitated
England. Russia and Turkey were the two biggest threats to me on
the board, to get them into a conflict
> the turn I surged forward was essential to my success I think.
>
> Tom
>