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DOOMSEEKER END-GAME STATEMENTS
GM:
Andy Scott [EGS]
Started: 14 November, 2005
Finished: 12 May, 2006 (Autumn 1913)
Result: Solo win for Austria
| Country | Player | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Result | | Austria | Andrew Cochrane | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 19 | WIN | | England | Thomas Gourgolitsas | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Anarchied | | France | Allan Wort | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | Survived | | Germany | Stephen Custance-Baker | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 | Survived | | Italy | Andrew Keith | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | eliminated (A1910) | | Russia | Christopher Yaure | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | eliminated (A1908) | | Turkey | Lars Topholm | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | eliminated (A1908) |
AUSTRIA (Andrew Cochrane) Thanks to all of my fellow players for an enjoyable game and of course special thanks to Andy for GMing. It never ceases to amaze me the time and effort given freely by all the GM's that enable the rest of us to play the game.
So once again thanks for your patience and perseverance Andy.
Well this was my first time playing here on this site and my first Gunboat game. In fact this is the first time I've ever played Diplomacy at all. I've never heard of the game before and arrived at the site by chance. Therefore I didn't have a clue how to play the game so decided to throw a dice to determine the moves for each piece. It seems to have worked.
If only it was my first game / attempt.
I don't know about you but it's like a knife turning in my back when I read an EGS in a game that I've struggled to survive in let alone get a draw, stating that the latest person to solo has never played here before and hasn't played the game in years.
I've actually lost count of the games I've played here, must be about 15, and this is my FIRST SOLO!
It's reached the point now that I don't put any preferences for my country choice which is why I think I got Austria this time. I'd just about given up playing to win and am now content to join in and last as long as possible. Is that the secret? Who knows.
Anyway I got Austria and thought this will be a quick game but what the heck. First wrong move was trying to bounce Italy at Tyr only to find a non aggressive Italy for a change. This left me open to Russia walking in but as so often happens A01 was the move that determined my future.
I gambled Russia would rather the certainty of Rum than a chance of Bud/Vie so I left them open and covered Tri instead. I also predicted Turkey would not bother to try Gre but would attempt Rum. I decided to support this move in the hope of a Rus/Tur bounce which is exactly what happened.
I feel that this one move alone secured Austria's future and helped in its solo.
It seems that Austria very often goes out early and this could have happened here. Luckily my A01 move succeeded and combine this with a friendly (at first ) Italy and I thought I had a very good start.
S02 saw Italy moving against France and Turkey continuing against Russia. This was excellent for Austria. Early indications were a friendly Italy and Turkey but I knew that I would have to attack both as attacking Germany was not an option. I decided to attack Turkey as I still wanted Italy to keep my western flank secure.
Italy unfortunately NMR'd just as Turkey had go at him and maybe he thought I would too. My intentions were still however to keep Italy in the game as an ally and then I could concentrate on Turkey.
It was now that Germany and myself got into conflict over Russia (Warsaw). and Munich which had slipped into Russian hands.
This I felt at the time was going to be disastrous for both of us and so I tried to back off without showing any weakness against Germany. Unfortunately we both got embroiled in a heavy land battle for several seasons. This was Germay's downfall unfortunately for him as France was steadily getting stronger and I was reasonably secure against the remains of Russia and Turkey.
I still wanted Italy at this mid game stage to be an ally against the any day now southern French fleet.
However Italy it seemed to me to have lost any sense of strategy and was determined to attack Austria in any way left to his disposal. I could understand this to a degree but couldn't he see I wasn't attacking.
And with his two fleets he could still easily have moved west. Perhaps it was his way to stop further expansion of Austria and he was looking further ahead than I gave him credit for at the time. I was finding it frustrating and maybe that was his plan.
After Italy NMR'd a second time in A07 and then in S08 landing an army in Alb I finally had enough of Italy.
It was too late however as France had already invaded and took Ven off me and Tun off Italy. Italy still kept his attack on me though. This was when I thought any hopes of my first solo which I may have started to entertain in my head were gone.
If only I had turned earlier against Italy but now back to another draw/survive.
I now felt that France had a very good chance especially as he had 4 fleets to my 2 and my hope now was to push back Germany to create a buffer between France and Austria to allow me to try and strengthen in the south. This I managed to achieve at Germany's expense in Warsaw. I had to build a fleet to have any hope of holding France back but I still wanted Germany to survive as I knew he could prevent France swamping the north.
Unfortunately for Germany my buffering in the north was working too successfully for him and he was losing ground to Austria in Mun and StP.
On a side note I only just managed to spot in time a France solo proposal at the end of A10. I don't know if Germany would have voted for it (I would have if it was me) but I nearly lost the game there.
I think after the France solo proposal that for the first time I realized Austria was the one with the only real chance of a solo and now I played all out to get it. Before that I was still just toying with it but now I thought I've got it.
Once I landed an army in Apu I knew I had it even allowing for losing StP and finally the Italian mainland fell to Austria.
Turkey:
Sorry to have double crossed so early but it was either you or Italy. Perhaps a little too trusting of me.
Russia:
No-one (except Turkey) can survive with 3 players against you so did well to last as long as you did.
England:
No contact so no comment on game
Italy:
Thank you for the non aggressive start but I have to say I was confused by your later moves against me. NMR'd at just the wrong times but still in till A09 so well done.
France:
Frequently does well as a country and you played the game very well. Struck at just the right time against Italy whilst staying neutral with Germany. This strategy very often seems to lead to victory.
Germany:
Playing Austria you always feel that Germany is your best ally. You both need each other so to see us attacking each other was a new one to see for me. Even though Austria ended up taking all of Germany I was glad for your survival as you played a very good game stuck as always in the middle.
Austria;
A non aggressive Italy and friendly Turkey together with a good A01 ensured the game was going to be a good one for Austria. Felt I may have bitten off too much by attacking Turkey and Germany at same time but with Italy so far west I had to take the chance. The relationship between Austria and Italy was the key to this game.
Once again thanks all for a good game and especially Andy who carried on through his new family addition with the usual high standard of GMing here at Dip 2000.
Now I can go back to surviving having got the solo monkey off my back.
Andy C
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FRANCE (Allan Wort) EGS France in Gunboat game Slayer;
I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Congratulations to Austria on the win. And a hearty round of applause for Andy for his efficient and steadfast administration in difficult personal circumstances.
This game was intended to be my first attempt at understanding the situation from a French point of view and I was pleased with the manner in which it unfolded. I learned a great amount about the position and the ebb and flow of intiative. Without going into too much detail I initially had the objective of securing the few safe gains then deciding between Germany or England to be the main target of any further expansion.
Before the first two years were completed however, Italy launched an all-out attack in the south. I felt that, as long as no-one else joined in, I could concentrate on defending against him and this was, luckily for me, the case. England was committed in the north and Germany was making friendship signals. I moved all pieces to this defense and hoped that Austria or Turkey would take advantage of his exposed rear if I could just hold Italy from any gains in France. Once he had made an error in orders and it was clear to all that Italy would be frustrated in his attack, the pressure was off me as he had to try to return home to stop the attack from Austria from sweeping him aside. I thought this unlikely as Austria was playing well. In the south, therefore, I hoped that no-one else would be coming at me for a few years and that I should be able to create a strong line against whoever came from the east if I could just make a few gains for myself.
England delayed just one move too long in his attack on me to try to take advantage of my southern positioning. He had been frustrated in the north and had, happily for me, not made friends with Germany. I swiftly moved north to defend against his initial thrust. This was successful as he had split his forces whereas mine where concentrated and I could bring everything to bear as I studiously avoided any threat to Germany.
While monitoring the progress of Austria in the south to assess when I should make sure he was bottled up, I turned the tables on England. Within a year I began to judge that my unit gains from England would not only steady the ship but began to feel that the shape of the end-game was becoming clear; Germany had quite correctly seen that Austria was the winner in the east and south and would aim for a win. He had had no threats from me and I guessed he was assuming that I would see the same danger he did (I could) and would join him in blockading Austria. This would have produced a three-way draw quite easily.
From 1906 I was concentrating on a strategy to win; I dislike 'managed' draws unless a clear stalemate is reached and we were not there yet. I guessed that Austria would continue to try to expand but by now Germany in the centre and myself in the south had pretty-well held him in place and I felt he had begun to accept the likelihood of a draw. Germany had done extremely well in the centre but again I guessed he was hoping that I would not take advantage of his positional weakness in concentrating on Austria.
I decided to go for the win by 'hollowing out' Germany from behind: I wanted to gradually take centres without weakening his line that held Austria in check. I hoped that he would not realise that the initiative had switched to me before I was in a position to hold Austria below 18 centres. It didn't work; Germany withdrew from the defensive front blocking Austria too soon for me to supplant him and in addition I make a crucial mistake of positioning with an army in Italy which blew the stalemate line there. The position was Austrias to win and he took the opportunity with both hands.
Congratulations to Austria and Germany for making this an interesting game;
commiserations to the others. I hope to play you again on the site.
Regards,
Allan Wort
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GERMANY (Stephen Custance-Baker) Congratulations to Austria, a very steady, honest victory.
I am a bit miffed by the way that France played the game as he persistently weakened me in the north, so that I had to protect myself against him, without making a proper attack on Austria in the south. From the start of the game he kept ordering Pic to Bel, which tied down two of our forces to nobody's benefit.
From Spring 08 onwards, I was faced with the choice of giving up centres to France or retreating from Austria and maintaining my numbers by taking England. The end result was that France and I attacked each other and Austria reaped the benefit.
Thanks again,
Stephen
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ITALY (Andrew Keith) Slayer would not be my best ever game. In fact it may well be my worst. OK I survived to be amongst the last 4 (and I have certainly been eliminated earlier in other games) but not through any great skill but rather masterly incompetence.
Two NMRs (ouch - I had a pretty clean record before this game) and some stupid misordering (Albania and Apulia are on opposite sides of the Adriatic you DOLT) meant any chance I had after my early attempt to "surprise" France (a small hope at the best of times) was gone.
Nobody to blame but myself. As I said to Andy, I found that no matter how many games you have played you really need to concentrate on each game. Unfortunately I never got my mind into this game and the result shows and I would like to apologise to all others for that.
Congratulations to whoever wins or draws (looks like a probable France - Austria 2 way as I write this), I am sure you deserve it. I am sure I don't deserve to feature in the End Game.
Thanks to all for the game and putting up with me, especially to Andy for GMing and not being too draconian with me on my NMRs.
Andrew Keith
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RUSSIA (Christopher Yaure) First, many thanks to Andy Scott for his usual high quality GM performance. I believe that Andy has GM'd 4 of my 7 games on this site. Despite the birth of his daughter during the game, he kept everything running smoothly and efficiently. Andy, I truly appreciate your efforts!
[On a related note, the GMs do not get paid for their significant contributions of time that make these games possible. As players, the least we owe them is an EGS. My last Gunboat game with Andy resulted in one EGS. C'mon guys, we can do better than that. Andy even sends us reminders of the deadline for the EGS. After months of relying upon his time and expertise, let's give a little bit back.]
Now to the game:
Both my result and the final game result are easily explained by the same cause - I was outplayed by a far superior Austria, and so was everyone else. Very well done, Austria!
Fall 1901, I am in Gal, Austria has left both Vie and Bud open, so what do I do? I try to take Rum, since Austria will surely defend his home dots. But no! Instead, he supports Turkey's attack on Rum, which kept me out and limited me to one build. Austria is up to 5 as well, is more likely to get Turkey's help in the future, and is well-positoned (after his builds) to move against me. Turkey is also positioned to advance North, so I am now trying to figure out how to get Germany, or maybe Turkey, on my side.
1902 sees Austria take Rum, Turkey take Sev, and Germany take War. In the meanwhile, Italy and France are facing off against each other, and England is not doing much of anything, so no one is forcing Germany, Austria or Turkey to look away from me. The only bright spot is that Austria took Bul from Turkey, so maybe Turkey will realie we have a common interest. Oh yeah, I also slipped a unit past Germany into Mun, so I only lose one unit. Austria is at 7, and between his growth and his playing skills, he will be powerful unless an alliance can be created against him.
1903 is the year of the NMRs, England in Spring 1903, Italy in Fall 1903. England's NMR means no pressure on Germany; Italy's means none on Austria. Italy's NMR eliminated the possibility of any pressure form the West against Austria. England finally anarchies in 1905, after giving up on the strategy of vacating his dots in the hopes of losing as quickly as possible to avoid greylisting.
[A note on the Law of Unintended Consequences: this is the second game I have played where someone appears to have tried to lose dots. It appears that they want to avoid greylisting, so they try to get eliminated quickly instead. England eventually showed that he did not even have the patience to lose, but in the interim, it allowed Germany an France to pick up dots even more quickly and with fewer resources than if England has simply held (or anarchied). I am not arguing against greylisting. Rather, I am just pointing out that players should be aware that a player who has NMR'd may make seemingly irrational moves thereafter.]
By Spring 1904, my only realistic hope was if Germany realized the need to form a joint line against Austria while Austria finished consuming Turkey. Germany's unit in Lvn was well-placed to help create a joint line against Austria. By the end of 1904, we had a solid defensive line in place.
In 1905 I took advantage of England's anarchy to trade Sweden for Norway. Austria is at 10, Germany at 8, France at 6. No one else really matters.
By 1906, it was clear that Germany saw me as a source of growth, not alliance. This both guaranteed my elimination and prevented the formation of a serious obstacle to Austria's victory. I offered Austria some support in the hopes he would grant me survival. Austria may have had the same thought, since he offered me support as well. Unfortunately, the result was that neither support did anything. Traded Nwy for Edi.
Unable to move any further West, and with no allies, I am eliminated in 1907.
Austria is at 13, Germany at 10 and France at 8. Italy NMRs and remains at 3. Turkey joins me in oblivion. Germany and France appear to be in position to at least hold off Austria, if not advance. I expect a draw in the near future.
Instead, France attacks both Austria and Germany, apparently aiming for a solo. Germany repositions himself to defend against France, Austria advances and after a few more years it is solo Austria!
An excellent performance and well-deserved victory by Austria. Germany's finish was somewhat ironic, in that France showed the same disregard for Germany that Germany showed for Russia.
Respectfully,
Christopher YaureReturn to Top
GM (Andy Scott) Slayer was a great game to GM with the exception of the English Anarchy. That came about when the same player was in another gunboat game I was running called Doomseeker in which he NMR'd in a crucial turn. He disputed it but I upheld the NMR he then went into self destruct mode culminating in anarchies in both games.
Something I found particulally sad as I know him from another site where he was a good GM. However his actions forced me to Greylist him from Dip2000, which whilst the correct thing to do with regard the rules is something I regret having to do!
Thank you to all the other players though for the good wishes surrounding the birth of my daughter Tegan and I'm glad that you all thought the interuption minimal. I can't think of anything else to say about the game that hasn't already been said except to say that I look forward to playing against you or running more games for you in the future.
Regards,
Andy ScottReturn to Top
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