|
PEARL DANIO END-GAME STATEMENTS
GM:
Ally Bain [EGS]
Started: 17th April 2002
Finished: 12th August 2002 (Spring 1912)
Result: Austria/France/Germany/Italy/Turkey draw
| Country | Player | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | Result | | Austria | Kester Bearne | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Draw (GM Vote) | | England | Gavin Coles | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Eliminated (A1907) | | France | Jim Best | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Draw (GM Vote) | | Germany | David O'malley | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | Draw (GM Vote) | | Italy | Duncan Proffitt | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Draw (GM Vote) | | Russia | Rye Braune | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Eliminated (A1910) | | Turkey | Jeff Young | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | Draw (GM Vote) |
AUSTRIA (Kester Bearne) EGS From the Double-Kingdom of Austria-Hungary (& Italy)
First of all, thanks to all for an interesting a varied game and especially to Ally for running it despite our best attempts at giving hima hard time. Congratulations to the other participants in the draw: Italy and France for holding on and Germany and Turkey for perhaps getting closer to a more significant result for them. Apologies also, for those items of press which escaped censorship and caused irritation early on: they were intended to be both retrospective and rather obvious or pantomime comments but, of course, things did not always turn out to show them in that light. This was in fact my first gunboat outing and I expected it to be rather brief, given the draw and then the openings in which all the perils of that draw were made explicit ...
1901 Our Kingdoms for a Horse
To your foxholes, men ... we've drawn the brown units. Is this a reference to the army's new trousers? We fear so. What ever is an Archduke to do when the diplomatic corps(e) is on strike? Hedgehog? We think not: every chance of annoyijg everyone and little of picking up centres. Stand around and wait for offers of alliance? Hmm .. may be next time. We know! Southern opening ... we've heard the Serbians won't put up too much of a fight and besides their opposition to the Archduke is well-known. If all goes well, we may pick up a couple of centres and an alliance (or two? half would do). Just in case, we send the Imperial Guard to tour Transcarpathian Galicia. Just as well ... all does not go well and The Russians are Coming. What's that? Oh, the Italians are coming, too. And the Turks but hey, we may not get to meet them. Great. One good sign of sorts ... there is a bounce in the Black Sea.
We spend the rest of the year migrating south and end up with Greece and Serbia, although the dastardly Italian has stolen Trieste and the Russians have pushed into Galicia while the Guard trains new recruits. On the other hand, the Sultan sees serious about the Black Sea and also attacks Rumania and Sevastopol. Could this be that ally we're looking for? We certainly hope so ...
1902 Our Kingdoms for a Hearse
We hold our position in Spring: would like to send a message of support to the Sultan, but little chance of a spare unit yet. Fortunately, he finds time both to take the Black Sea while Russia absorbs Rumania and support us. We order a half-day holiday but immediately have to rescind it. No riots or complaint, since everyone is defending their homes against enemy raids. Another interesting occurence: France has sailed into the Med. Hmmm ... By the end of the year, we have taken back Trieste in exchange for Vienna, thinking it will be awkward for Russia and Italy if they have to work round one another; Turkey has liberated Rumania. France is in TYS ... secure (kind of) in our new positions, we do order a half-hour holiday.
1903 We Hold onto our Hats
The holiday ends abruptly with the realisation that France has backed off again, under pressure in the north: England has reached a high point which is as usual rather good for Austria, leaving specific matters aside, because F/G/R are all at least partially busy elsewhere. Turkey finally gets two fleets, but loses Rumania at the end of the year: with Italy now free again in the west, thinsg are feeling constricted: we begin a long tradition of keeping our builds in reserve because the country is too full to place them when we recover Vienna. Germany is growing noticeably fast.
1904 von Baldrich has a Cunning Plan
This war of attrition on two fronts, even with Turkish support on one of them, is not doing us any favours, particularly given the difficulty in substantiating any builds we earn. It is time to throw the dice high and take the war to one of our opponents. Russia isn't viable since he is better placed than I and, even if successful, I will only come into conflict with the worthy Sultan. Italy looks difficult to crack, but I have moved to ADS already, to let Turkey's more powerful fleet stand Italy out of ION and to consolidate our position in Trieste. We take a gamble and convoy into Apulia, leaving a lesser force to hold up the Russians as much as possible: everyhting goes rather well, except that Turkey forgets (I hope) a retreat, which might have gone into Warsaw, and Russia is better-placed than had seemed likely. For the Autumn, we gamble on I/T bouncing over Greece and go for Venice and Naples, both of which succeed much to my surprise: Vienna falls in the north, but Italy is on the ropes. Italy bluffs us over Greece and it goes to Turkey: I had expected this at some stage and hope that Turkey will continue use his new-found strength on someone else. The clock is ticking in the north, since England has had a very rough year and is all but gone. I had half-hoped this year that Germany would visit Russia (he may now think he should have done), but the Tsar is still safely encamped in our forecourt.
1905 in which Life becomes a Hurry
By now, Germany was clearly the dominant power, although Turkey had a good position too and it became a concern to maintain the good working relationship we had: my attack on Italy, now in retreat, had opeend the Med to the Sultan and things appeared to be going well for him also in the east. I needed enough time to get my due builds onto the map so that I would not appear the best route out of the corner and also secure the north before the Germans marched into Tyrolia. A G/T draw seemed a possibility and I was quite sure it looked better with an 'A' in there somewhere. Turkey takes ION and then Tunis while Germany is now in France in force.
1906 In which we presume upon the Sultan's good nature
Italy is now on the run, but has a plan of his own and steams west, which turns out to be a very good move. France is stretched and Germany looks likely to break through soon. In the Spring, there is a successful Russian offensive in the east, but Turkey loks well-placed to come back in the Autumn: I am a little concerned that the Sultan builds armies this year, and now wonder what would have happened if the Tsar had held off that season. By the end of ther year, Italy has reached Spain, I have all of Italy (except Tuscany, which remains Italian throughout) and Turkey takes Serbia, which I decide to overlook as another fleet is launched. It is evident that Turkey can harm me if he wishes but I think Germany's dominance is more than obvious enough now that he will not do so provided I make the right gestures.
1907 The endgame approaches
I retake Vienna in the Spring and Turkey orders supporting moves and withdraws from Serbia, whcih makes the Archduke very happy, although he is too busy organising a northern barrier to celebrate for long. At the end of the year, it is necessary to indicate to Turkey that I am leaving the south open to prop up the French defence: provided he joins me quickly, we will be able to support the French and Italians in Iberia, or else stop the German advance there, which is enough to prevent the win at least: he has buitl armies, and I rather think that Russia's days are numbered.
1908 The race for Gibraltar
Actually, it's not much of a race: we will get there first, so it is a question of sparring over Spain and Portugal. Germany overruns the Russian rear before it has time to become a front, but he is too late to prevent me blocking Piedmont and the Tyrol, while my friend the Sultan has more than enough to hold the line in Russia and Gibraltar: I think we can get an AGT draw from here, and I have moved quickly enough to divert the threat of that being shortened to GT, since Turkey cannot move against me without opening a gap for the Kaiser. I do not think he intended that anyway, but it is nice to be as sure as possible.
1909-1912 Italy and France Show a Final Flourish
The only event of note is finally reaching, and building from, 6 centres. Whatever - it took 'til 1908 to get 5 ... Somehow, Italy and France endure in Iberia and are included in the draw, a notable success for them: I imagine it would have been possible to reduce the draw there, but in fact there were few fleets to spare in the region and noone showed the inclination to do so. Although a 5-way sounds long, and may be a disappointment to the Kaiser after his strong showing, I have to be more than happy after that dismal opening and, more importantly, the play was often interesting and fast-moving.
Thanks, again, to Ally, for a very smooth and fast-moving game. Thanks also to the Sultan for an enduring alliance which almost made it to greater things after a difficult start. To Italy and Russia ... well, I did ask you nicely at first to leave! I don't suppose Italy had much chance after his opening to change course, but either one could have called off the initial attack and so gained an ally from the Autumn: Russia in particular may feel bound to open to Galicia but can easily change tack subsequently; Italy's hostility, being more a matter of choice seemed overt. This Austrian, at least, was open to any offers of support and felt left with only one course to follow by the obvious 'get Austria' policies of two neighbours which, by extension, gave a cause and a conflict for others to base their moves on. Tough luck on England that Italy went east and Russia south, but well done in reaching 5 SCs during 1903 despite that. France seemed always to put up a good fight in Spring and Autumn but have a rather indifferent Winter in terms of what and whether anything was built: well done to survive between the colliding alliances.
Regards, KesterReturn to Top
ENGLAND (Gavin Coles) Well, my EGS for this is going to be pretty poor Ally, as I went out so early. Suffice to say my error was picking a two front war too early, by narking off both Germany and Turkey.....with the result that both failed to give me early expansion room. What really did me in though was excellent diplomacy by Austria....I will never trust that player again ;0
Apart from that, good game all, and the press was especially good :))
GReturn to Top
GERMANY (David O'malley) Being my first game of Diplomacy against real players (as opposed to computer play) in about 15 years, I think I can say that I am very satisfied with the outcome.
Thanks Ally for being the GM, and to those that played until the bitter end.
My inexperience showed at the beginning of the game when I misordered because I used wrong country codes (Letting France into Belgium), and at the end when I didn't see the "alliance" (non-agression is a better word?) between Turkey and Austria coming, to prevent me from wining. Not that it should of mattered - I should have moved quicker into the east. I have to say that the sudden collapse of Russia caught me by surprise.
Oh well! I'll take the result, and hopefully learn from here. I look forward to playing against you guys in the near future.
Cheers,
David
Return to Top
RUSSIA (Rye Braune) Thanks to Ally for an excellent job.
Gunboat is so much more enjoyable when the GM drives the game forward so speedily. Rather than reflecting on my early departure I prefer to think that I managed to bring my game to its conclusion at an even greater rate of knots. England and I will go back to the Dippy Academy in an effort to get beyond the wooden spoon next time.
Commiserations to all who drew the game – surely you could have found one winner among you.
Rye
Return to Top
TURKEY (Jeff Young) Well, things didn't turn out the way they were supposed to (with an Austrian/Turkish draw), but what can you do?
Things started out fairly normally with Russia opening south and me opening in a Russian attack. The only thing of real note in our corner was the Austria/Italy units sitting on either side of Greece. The entire game for me revolved around beating off Russia. When that finally happened, after an alliance with Austria, Germany was fairly large and impressive and our immediate attention went to him. At several points Germany only needed 2 or 3 more centres to win, but couldn't quite get them.
All in all a fun game. I feel like I started expanding a little late due to Russia's persistence, but eventually I was able to start moving...just to be stopped against the German wall. Thanks to all the players and Ally who adjudicated faster than other gunboat I've played. Congrads to those in the draw. I was going for the 3-way but perhaps Italy and France deserve it for surviving till the end. Austria, you made a great ally, Germany you made too good a stand.
Jeff YoungReturn to Top
GM (Ally Bain) I do not know if some of you think the game should not have ended in a five-way draw but this is my explanation. Ever since I started playing in the early 80s, who ever is left on the board was part of the draw unless someone has won. To be honest, I cannot count the number of draws, I have had due to only having one or two units but I still like the idea.
It is fair to say, that Turkey & Austria got an alliance working, which stopped Germany, but I am aware that a number of players find it hard to get them working, so well done to the pair.
It has been enjoyable GM your game. Sadness came from realising I have to end it but we cannot play for many weeks with no change on the map.
See you on the boards, (hang on, I am with two....I'm a nice player, don't beat me up!) ;-)
AllyReturn to Top
|