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SILVER TIP TETRA END-GAME STATEMENTS
GM:
Ally Bain [EGS]
Started: 20th January 2004
Finished: 26th January 2005
Result: A/G/I/T four-way draw
| Country | Player | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Result | | Austria | Paul Yovich | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Draw | | England | Chris Goddard | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Eliminated | | France | Drew Losos | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Eliminated | | Germany | Thomas Gourgolitsas | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | Draw | | Italy | Jonathan Farrell | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Draw | | Russia | Julian Wheeler | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Eliminated | | Turkey | Andrew Cochrane | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Draw |
AUSTRIA (Paul Yovich) It's a long one Ally, as you might expect...
As the exhausted remnants of Europe's great armies trudged home, the generals and the statesmen gathered to dissect the triumphs, the disasters and the consequences of the greatest war Europe had ever seen. In Vienna, the Kaiser and his advisers looked back with bitter regret at the debacle of Autumn 1921, when a combination of intercepted messages, inadequate supplies and incompetent generalship had left the front-line troops without orders or enough ammunition at precisely the time of a major German offensive. Three army corps had been cut to pieces, and three cities lost, and the Double Eagle had never recovered. The Field Marshal responsible had been shot, and his replacement had been able to stabilize the front so as to prevent the Germans overwhelming the Northern and Western fronts, but Francis Joseph's dreams of European dominion were dashed forever.
Historians were later to say that this fateful year was to mark the beginning of the end of the Habsburgs' pre-eminence in European affairs. What might have been, they would remark in their learned journals, had only the order to advance against the German positions in Silesia been received an acted upon. Yet in truth the seeds of failure had already been sown, and Austria's failure to capture the ultimate prize was a much a consequence of diplomatic mistakes as it was of strategic blunders.
Austria had first dared to voice its dreams of European conquest in the winter of 1906, when a decisive thrust had caught the Russians completely by surprise, capturing Moscow and Warsaw and dividing the remaining Romanov forces. The Tsar was to pay for that defeat with his life, and his people with their freedom. Meanwhile the Austrian ally Italy was carrying all before her in the West, and her uncharacteristic success led to treachery, as 1910 saw the powerful Italian navy besiege and then capture Trieste. Turkey also attacked the isolated garrison in Sevastopol, and these two blows led to a long and bitter struggle, sapping the Austrian people of much of their strength.
However, the Italians over-reached, and well timed overtures of friendship to the German High Command led to a decisive alliance that was to shape the fate of Europe. Over the next 10 years of conflict, Germany first repulsed Italy, then turned against her central neighbour with a perfectly-timed stab that was to put her decisively on top. The scholars were later to fill volumes with their musings on whether Austria would have fared better with or without this alliance, but they would never know that Austria herself contemplated moving against the Germans scant months before she was herself stabbed. This indecision was to be disastrous, as the Germans had left their capital unguarded in 1919, and had the opportunity been taken the course of history might have been very different.
Instead, the admirals, frustrated by a series of failed attempts to inflict a defeat upon the Italians, persuaded the Kaiser to turn upon Turkey. This was another costly decision - the Italians had been stretched thin, yet had managed to keep control of the Ionian sea lanes, and the Austrian military failed to make any gains in the Balkans, achieving nothing but the short-lived recapture of Sevastopol. The empire was, in 1920, superficially as powerful as in 1909, but it had no ally left, and its strength was to prove illusory.
The next four years were of tumultuous change in the upper ranks, as incompetent generals and ineffectual diplomats were replaced, but little changed for the foot soldiers, save that their rations and the soles of their boots became thinner and thinner. In the end, Italy and Turkey were prepared to join forces with Austria in the face of the German threat, and eventually alliance led to stalemate and ultimately to truce.
Francis Joseph was later to write in his memoirs that, while he could admire much about his fellow leaders, there was still much to regret. Turkey was ever a more effective adversary than friend, while Italy's pride proved both its strength and its fatal flaw. As early as 1907, it seemed that Austria and Italy might divide the whole of Europe between them as their great alliance flourished, yet in the end Italy's greed for power was to be the undoing of both.
The Germans were a great foe in the later years, decisively defeating the Italians in the West, yet had it not been for a series of misguesses and missed chances, Austria might have conquered her entirely. Russia was wracked by internal strife, and the Tsar's death was merely the logical end to his corrupt and incompetent rule. As for England and France, Francis Joseph barely noticed them - their leaders too small for the great events of the 20th century.
To translate all that, well done Germany for taking advantage of my many mistakes, and well done Italy and Turkey for doing the right thing in the end game. I can't wait to find out who you all are. Italy - if only we'd stuck together we might have won it all, but then again I suspect the temptation of a solo win would have got the better of me too. Turkey, I wish I had not stabbed you - well really I wish I had guessed right in autumn 1919, but I was in part driven to it by the fact that we couldn't seem to get our act together in the turns before. And Ally, thanks for your patience and flawless adjudication of this marathon game - the longest by far I've ever played.
Paul Yovich.Return to Top
GERMANY (Thomas Gourgolitsas) First of all a big thanks to Ally Bain for GMing this game to the end.
My compliments to Austria, Italy and Turkey for making me NOT solo winning.
It was a strange game from the very beginning.
Central powers quickly became the board leaders.
I got stabbed from Italy in the beginning (if stab can stand in a gunboat game) and then from Austria as well.
But when Italy became too strong, Austria decided to help me. It was the only reasonable thing to do, in order to avoid an Italian solo.
With Austria not my enemy any more, I managed to stay alive and later become the top power on board!
When Italy was too weak to stop me I decided to attack Austria.
Both the attacks on Italy and Austria were a pay back to their stabs against me.
When Austria NMRed for first (and last) time, I thought I would solo in a couple of game years.
But he didn't do that mistake again.
It was the time that all three remaining powers (except mine), managed to accomplish a cooperation against the prospect of a German solo.
I thought I could solo when I managed to enter Med. Sea, but it was too hard to keep that fleet alive and disband one of the Italian fleets at the same time.
The four way draw came as a natural result of "all the rest against the leader" ... at least I was the leader!!!
I might not solo won the game, but I was one of the winners and the one with the most SCs of all.
Great game from all of you guys!
I can hardly wait to meet you in another game ... which I will solo win ;)
Cheers,
TomcutReturn to Top
ITALY (Jonathan Farrell) First of all, a big thank you to Ally for running the game, and for providing nice answers to my confused questions. Secondly, thanks to all the other players: nobody anarchied and I enjoyed playing with/against all of you.
This was only my second game of Diplomacy (both times as Italy), and my first of Gunboat, so I consider myself lucky to have made it to the end. In fact, I was lucky to begin with: I happened to attack France more or less at the same time as Germany did, and for a period in the first half of the game everybody near me seemed to be busy elsewhere, so I was able to take over the former French territories and Iberia. I faced a battle with Germany over England, but, again, I was lucky in that Austria and Turkey seemed to be engaged in a Mexican stand-off to the south-east, which meant that I could safely leave the Heartland of
the Eternal Roman Empire (as the newspapers in my pay called it. Others had the temerity to label it merely 'Italy') relatively undefended.
Unfortunately, the lack of action in the bottom right-hand corner of the map beguiled me into thinking that Austria and Turkey were advancing little because of their conservative tactics. Taking advantage (as I saw it) of these weaknesses, I thought it wise to try to expand my interests in the Balkans while simultaneously engaged in a battle of Britain with the Kaiser. I managed to get a toehold on the east coast of the Adriatic, but it wasn't going to last. (It is perhaps worth taking the time here to scotch those dreadful rumours which involved phrases like 'invading sovereign territory,' 'subjugation of legitimate forms of governance,' and 'not keeping your trench nice and tidy.' These terms cannot be applied to anything that I was involved with. All I was doing was 'securing interests' and 'liberating downtrodden natives'; innocent enough - indeed, noble - endeavours, I'm sure you will agree.) My actions, unsurprisingly, caught the attention of both Turkey and Austria, who began to gnaw away at our respective borders.
Looking back, I seem to have completely missed the significance of the actions of both Turkey and Austria and decided that the moment was ripe to launch an all-or-nothing assault on Germany. Silly. My plan was to allow Germany over my front line, if necessary, as long as this allowed me to capture all of his home supply centres in the endeavour. My thought was that this would mean that, whatever territories of mine Germany did manage to annex, he would not be able to hang on to them.
Oh, how I was wrong. Even if the southeast of the map had been quiet, I don't think that I could have subjugated the German homeland quick enough. Suffice to say that I lost Iberia, then England (clearly, I'd learnt nothing in watching the Marquess of Salisbury lose his own land to those pesky Germans), and then France. Within a few seasons, almost all of Europe was grey or brown. (Nasty, dull colours. Not like blue.)
As I said above, I consider myself lucky to have been involved in the draw. I suppose that endings like this are not uncommon in Gunboat games, but it still seems a shame to think that this counts as a four-way draw when both Turkey and I were, in a sense, just making up numbers - well done to both Germany and Austria.
The individual players:
We never got to see what France could have done, which was a shame. Germany and I invaded at about the same time, and I suspect that there is little you can do when that happens in Gunboat. So, as I say, Emile (or 'Emily' as we Italians call him when the ambassadors have gone to bed (and all the time once he was eliminated). Some might think this childish. We think it just deserts for foisting Jean-Michel Jarre on an innocent world) was defeated more by bad luck than by anything else, which is a shame.
England was also perhaps unlucky. The Marquis NMR'd on the very turn that Germany convoyed an army into York (could have been worse, though; England could have NMR'd the turn after.). Again, though, we didn't really get a chance to see what the English could do, which is also a shame, as they're a fine, upstanding and handsome race (although there is that issue of The Spice Girls).
Russia started well, had a little bit of a tussle in Scandinavia with England, and then, rather bizarrely (or at least so it seemed from the Mediterranean) lurched for Germany. Perhaps the Tzar was unlucky, or perhaps it was a foolish move - I don't know. Anyway, if it hadn't been for that move into Germany, I think Russia could have done well (especially since Germany had just invaded Britain). And I can't think of any nasty popstars from Russia - well done. Oh, hang on, Tatu.
Turkey did well to defend themselves against both the Russians and the Austrians. Abd al-Hamid also seemed to be unlucky in that no ally - and so no safe border - arose until late in the game. On the other hand, it seemed to me that for a good few years (from 1911) there was an opportunity for Turkey to move into the Balkans at Austria's expense. Perhaps there wasn't really a chance, and that's just how it seemed to me from my point of view, but I couldn't believe that Turks didn't take the opportunity. Don't know any bad Turkish pop music, but you're probably involved in the Eurovision Song Contest, which is crime enough.
Austria seemed to be hemmed in by Russia and Turkey at first, but when the chance arose, it didn't take long for an empire to arise. Austria was a good neighbour to have because Francis Joseph (or 'Franjo,' as we call him down here when his diplomats aren't around) played to a sensible, and sometimes even predictable, gameplan, which meant that you always knew what was going on. Sometimes I felt that Austria was playing for the draw. For all I know, this might be a sensible strategy to adopt with regard to Gunboat, but I would have liked to see more fireworks. (On the other hand, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. At the end of the game, Austria was eating nine puddings, while Italy was lucky to be left with four (and, no doubt, they were only lukewarm), so perhaps all those fireworks are all bang and no benefit.) Mozart wasn't bad, however, was he? (Daft wig though.)
For me, Germany deserved to get a solo. Perhaps it is only because I so often found myself trying to outguess the Germans that I think this. Nevertheless, for my money, Kaiser Wilhelm played the most exciting and dangerous game of anyone on the board. Perhaps, had I been more cautious, I might not have lost Iberia and England so swiftly, but I think that I would have had a hard job in keeping these territories in the long run - I never felt that they were safe from German invasion. In fact, my respect for Germany was so great at the end of the game that, had Austria or Turkey decided to stab me in order to collect a supply centre or two, I would have gladly stepped aside to let the Germans in - rather a glorious solo that a dull draw as far as I'm concerned (especially when the dull draw doesn't involve me because of the sneakiness of my fellow 'allies'). Still, for all my love of fireworks, I'm glad that didn't happen. (Actually, I've just remembered that David Hasselhoff's pop career has soared in Germany. I'm so glad that such a tasteless nation didn't get a solo.)
Cheers,
JonathanReturn to Top
RUSSIA (Julian Wheeler) Well, this is the worst game I have played based on it being the first time I have been eliminated.
The problem was that by starting with a committed pro Austria / anti Turkey strategy and a novel idea of building two Fleets, I was undone by a flawless alliance from the start between Austria and Italy. If I had continued with this policy Austria would have gained far more than me, having no defending to do in the West. I dithered backwards and forwards, hoping Turkey would get something moving until getting impatient and seeing Germany exposed to my benefit I committed all-out to friendship and trust with Austria.
Having left myself open to attack, I hoped he would play along, but no.....I was attacked immediately. So that was that, but I could see no other way to have an influence on the game. If I had gambled correctly over defending Sweden or covering St P I would still be alive, but not much else.
I predict an A/I draw.......
Thanks as usual to Ally for accurate and timely management.
Julian Wheeler
JuliReturn to Top
TURKEY (Andrew Cochrane) At last "victory" for Turkey, a draw just what I always wanted.
Thanks for Gming a very long good game.
Here goes with the EGS
Hi to my fellow gamers in SilverTip Tetra. Surely the best game I've played in. Firstly thanks to Ally once again for GMing this game. I say it every time but without the GM's we wouldn't get very far.Thanks.
Congrats to A/I/G for the shared draw. I have been proposing the 4way draw since about S09 and couldn't understand why you all didn't go for it then and save us the nerves and tension.
I tried to explain to my wife that after 11 months we finally got the draw.
"You mean there wasn't a winner?" No.
"Well how many drew?" 4 .
"How many started the game?" 7.
"So after all this time 4 out of 7 have drawn. What a waste of time!"
Sorry but I cannot comment on F and E as we had no contact .
Turkey's game consisted of trying not to suffer the same fate as these.
Usual start of gaining Bul in A01 but losing it in A02 and spending until A10 on 3 SC's was going to be difficult.
R and A attacking me early made me realize that soloing was out so draw it was.
Managed to repel R attack but by A04 Austria now attacking and trying to get Italy to join in.
At S07 I had 4 enemy fleets to my 2 but still held on.
By S10 with Italy in EMS I counter attacked A (assuming Italy would then be going for Austria) and gained Sev. My first SC since losing Bul in A02.
Italy was now gaining ground and because my sole purpose was to maintain status quo decided to aid Austria while once again repelling Italy's attack in A12.
Gaining Greece in A14 was part of the decline of Italy and an interesting swap took place with Austria over Bul and Gre.
Of course A19 saw Austriia double cross as he tried to gain supremacy. So my help then went to Italy.
Meanwhile Germany who I have to admit I thought had had it was gaining ground also.
S21 saw me attack Italy as I thought he was going to be knocked out and my goal was now a 3 way draw .
Austria's NMR altered this however so I just stood to see whether he came back into game.Thankfully Austria did as it would have been a great shame at this stage in the game to go into anarchy.
As Germany was now on 15/16 the last 3-4 years were nerve racking to see whether A/I/T could prevent the solo. I'm glad we did . A brilliant game.
Germany- Thought you were long dead but what a turn around to almost solo. Have to say that I didn't really keep much of an eye on you as my hands were tied up against Russia, Austria and Italy until it was nearly too late. It was me that proposed the I/A/T draw in A08 thinking you were out so I think you played very well to come back.
Austria - well played , we had a good alliance going for several seasons. Your early attacks on me were thwarted I feel by Italy's F(ION) not wanting to assist in the attack. This would have finished me off. To see the need for a stalemate and playing to stop Germany in the last few seasons was the best though.
Italy- As above I think if you had joined Austria in attacking me earlier I would have been knocked out and my stalemating tactics would not have been a factor in the east half of the board. Unlucky not to win earlier in the game but again the positioning for the stalemate draw was good.
Turkey- not much expansion for me but I find Turkey the easiest power to defend with and that's what I did.
Thanks again Ally and the rest of you for a very memorable game.
PS Were we the most seasons in Gunboat?
Thanks
AndyReturn to Top
GM (Ally Bain) To me, Silver Tip Tetra was one of the best games I've been involved with. BTW I think it is the longest running Gunboat game.
If anyone is thinking things like, 'How can a four-way draw be a good game?', 'Four-way draw at A24, are the players & GM silly to think its' a good game?', 'A bit of a waste of time compared to an earlier seasoned draw', etc. How wrong you are!
It isn't often that early in Gunboats that A/I move in opposite directions. Not often do countries go from being nearly out to nearly winning. In Gunboats, alliances are often flawed upon by a few mistaken attempts to grow or perhaps one not knowing what the other is up to, yet A/I/T stopped Germany winning.
There are many more but the easiest way is for those who weren't involved to look back at all the seasons & use this game as a good example of playing Gunboats.
To all players, well done but obviously more to A/G/I/T. You know the game started over a year ago?
The stats I do have this game added to it therefore you can see them by http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/alb_gsb/diplomacy/stats/stats.htm
See you all on the boards.
AllyReturn to Top
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