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CLONTARF END-GAME STATEMENTS
GM:
Brian Frew [EGS]
Started: Septemeber 2001
Finished: September 2003 (Spring 1918)
Result: 5 way draw England; France; Germany; Russia; Turkey.
| Country | Player | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Result | | Austria | Matthew Kelly | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Eliminated 1912 | | England | Mike Eddleston | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Drew 1918 | | France | Martin Sanders | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | Drew 1918 | | Germany | Harvey Jones | 5 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Drew 1918 | | Italy | Simon Jones | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Eliminated 1907 | | Russia | Jonathan Langman | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Drew 1918 | | Turkey | John O'Donnell | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Drew 1918 |
ENGLAND (Mike Eddleston) ENGLAND: Mike Eddleston
Well, in real time, two years to complete this game which ebbed and flowed on a regular basis both in terms of player interest and territorial gains and losses. I have to say that all my mail etc for this game is on a knackered hard drive so what follows is from memory and may be not be 100% accurate.
I had previously played alongside Martin in Xylosma and had enjoyed the experience so I was happy to look at another alliance between us with Germany as the first objective. We came to an agreement on ENG and I opened to NWG/NTH; unfortunately I misordered A(Lpl) which meant I couldn't convoy out in the autumn. Anyway, France was content to stay with his Iberian centre and I sailed into Nwy and Bel for a total of 5 units at the end of the first year.
I'd also had friendly discussions with Jonathan in Russia but somewhere along the line he mistrusted me and in S02 made an attempt on Nwy just as Germany got fleets into SKA & Den. Things looked ominous. France moved into Wales just as Germany kicked Russia out of Sweden and me out of Bel. However I got hold of Hollland and retained my 5 centres. 1903 started just as badly with France taking London and Germany retaking Hol. However working with Russia we kicked out Germany from Sweden. France diverted his attentions away from England toward Germany but I was however down to four centres whilst F/G had six a piece.
IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT AT THIS STAGE [A1903] HARVEY HAD A UNIT IN SERBIA.....IT IS THIS SAME UNIT THAT WAS TO FEATURE REGULARLY THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE GAME.
In 1904 France began to push Germany back with my support. I was under great pressure to take the war to Russia but I wanted to delay until Germany was further weakened. By the end of the year Germany had lost the Low Countries and Scandinavia and worse was to follow in 1905 when Kiel also fell and France breached Harveys western defences. The highspirited talk was for a Anglo - French two way. Italy had NMR'd and Martin was beginning to make good headway in the south. The Balkans where still in disarray and it just remained for me to deal with Russia. The following year I made my move ...such as it was.....and forced Jonathan out of Swe. I also got hold of Mun.and had grown to 8 units. Italy was in anarchy.
1908 saw me NMR.[really sorry] but I came to no apparent harm and by S09 I was in Stp. I still had one eye on the fast growing France. To date we had worked well together but I was keeping some units in reserve just in case our alliance was put to one side. 1909 saw the height of English empire building but I had made mistakes not least in allowing a rogue Russian fleet into the Baltic.
The following year saw me pushed for time and I floated a last minute and ambitious scheme to Martin involving the convoy of an army .He decided he was having none of it and sailed into NTH whilst relieving me of Holland. This saw a 14 centre France and within a year I had also lost all my German gains to France.
So began a resolute defence with valued cooperation from Jonathan in Russia. This was successfull and in 1913 France NMR'd and lost 2 southern centres.
By this time diplomacy was virtually nil and the battle lines had become more or less set. Word got around that people were fed up and two draw proposals were made, one for a 4 way draw and the other for a 5 way draw to include the single centre Germany.........REMEMBER THAT A(Ser) FROM 1903.....WELL THE BLOODY THING IS STILL THERE, ALBEIT AFTER A BIT OF TOURING AROUND; INFACT IT WAS WRONG TO CALL IT GERMAN SINCE IT HAD SOLD ITSELF TO EVERYONE MANY TIMES OVER AND CONSISTED OF PURE MERCENARIES...........Anyway, tired of fighting the French I'm quite amenable to the draw proposals but just as the ink is still wet on my orders Harvey puts one over on me in another game.
In Iremonger [GM Richard Hucknall] I had made a poor effort of playing Turkey and had been reduced for many seasons to one unit. However this unit formed a crucial part of a defence and needed continued support from Harvey. This had been forthcoming for many seasons until Harvey [for his own greedy self seeking ends ;-)....and to reduce draw participants] witheld support which meant that for the first time I had been eliminated from a game on this site. I wasn't happy.
I know we all say you shouldn't carry grudges or whatever from one game to another but given the circumstances, STUFF THAT !!
I sent out my "No more Mr Nice Guy" mail explaining to all the Clontarf players that I wouldn't support a draw that included Harvey And exhorted Russia & Turkey to finish the deceitful bugger off ;-) This would have taken a couple of seasons and John in Turkey was reluctant to agree to my request saying that Harv had earned his place in the draw. So the game dragged on and the diplomatic war intensified. Martin skilfully used this to "patch up " Franco - English relations with promise that we could still work together to reduce the number of players. The problem was that France was always so very near his 18 dots. John in Turkey wouldn't withdraw suport for Germany and Jonathan tacitly complied. I started moving units to put pressure on Russia and Jonathan saw this straightaway. Turkey then NMR'd in 1915 which seemed to have given France the initiative to go for his solo. Martin gets got two builds which means that whilst he may make no further headway in the south he has sufficient units to get his centres from England. I've spotted this and so has Harvey. An alliance of sorts is put together but I petition that I need another unit to be certain of holding off France who is now sailing up the Atlantic. The only centre I can get is Stp but Jonathan digs his heels in and refuses. I'll wait for his explanation on this decision. The Stp centre was not crucial for his defence and by witholding it may have handed the game to France. In one ironic moment when I was called away I actually handed proxy of one of my units to Harvey just in case Jonathan had a change of heart. As it was Martin made some crucial mistakes in the centre ground andin the end I think he realised that a solo was a long way off in coming.
So the game finished with the same result that was nearly achieved 5 years previously, before I took umbrage with Harvey. I make no apologies and defy anyone to say they would not have felt the same way in the circumstances. Harvey's sole unit could have been safely removed within the year and the game ended as a 4 way draw.
Martin was his usual assured self and I enjoyed the ebb & flow of our respective forces throughout the game. Jonathan was probably never sure of where I would move next having launched about three separate attacks on him throughout the game; perhaps this coloured his view when it came down to the Stp centre at the end of the game. however he was always there when I needed support at other crucial times in the game. John and I only really corresponded in the final years of the game but he was instrumental in holding the line to frustrate the French solo.And so to Harvey, I was relieved that ultimately it was you facing Martin and myself, rather than me facing you and Martin; obviously you were able to keep a unit in a strategic position with what I guess was some excellent diplomacy and I understand why others wanted to include you in the draw. Your tactical analysis is also second to none and I saw this both here and in Iremonger. I don't think you bear me any ill -will in my attempts to oust you from the game;-) after all there will be other games and other chances ;-) I dearly wanted you to pay the price for your infamy in Iremonger but in the end I forgive you...........but I don't forget !!!!!!! [Only joking]
So thanks to all the draw participants and hope we meet up again.
I cannot say much about Italy & Austria since correspondence was minimal.
Final thanks to Brian for the GMing of this marathon. Prison sentences are usually shorter!!!!
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GERMANY (Harvey Jones) GERMANY: Harvey Jones
What a game! First of all, many thanks to Brian for GMing this marathon! Certainly the longest game I have ever played in - and two thirds of it with only one unit! All my own fault of course - the consequence of trying to meddle in too many areas until I finally got my come-uppance. Richly deserved it was too!
Anyway, trying to cast my mind back...
Initial negotiations were coloured by the fact that I received very little communication from Mike (England) which led me into a French alliance almost by default. Jonathan (Russia) very friendly. Austria being played by Matt Kelly - who I had found to be a trifle mercurial in the other games I had played in with him.
1901 goes well and sees the beginning of my southern adventure when I send an army down to Tyr to assist Austria from Italian invasion.
1902 is the year the blood rushes to my head. I'm allied with France against England but trying to keep one step ahead of Martin to ensure that I get both Bel and Hol and am ready to stab him when England goes down. Russia is in trouble against Turkey so I decide I may as well kick him when he's down and grab Swe. Italy persuades me that he would make a better ally than Austria (who was misordering and NMRing) and grab Tri from Austria.
1903 is the year it all goes horribly wrong. France stabs me (and what is worst I saw it coming and believed him) and Russia fights back with a fleet I had expected to disband in Autumn 1902 because Turkey hasn't crushed Russia as quickly as I expected! Finally Italy gets the jitters as my ally and predictably (with hindsight) the one thing guaranteed to arouse Matt from his slumbers is me stabbing him.
1904 to 1906 sees my gradual decline as England and Russia join France in carving me up. I try to persuade them both that France is getting too big. I think they both recognised this but unfortunately I had used up any goodwill from them long before!
So by 1907 all I have left is my rogue army flitting round the Balkans. Every year I expect to be eliminated and every year I live to fight another day. Then in 1910 France stabs England and starts to get very big and it is imperative that we all ally to stop him. Well that's at least what me, Jonathan and John think. It takes about another 6 or 7 years before we finally get Mike on board! And just because I stabbed him in Iremonger. I have to say that I think Martin should have won this one. His failure to take War when he had the chance in 1916/1917, twice (!) was inexplicable.
Thanks to all the other players, particularly John and Jonathan who very kindly insisted that I form part of any draw, when they might just as easily have eliminated me to get down to a 4 way draw. The moral of the story would seem to be that if you are down to 1 unit you had better be the one doing all the work on the tactics!
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RUSSIA (Jonathan Langman) "A game which lasted almost two years and ran until 1918 is a marathon by anyone's standards and Clontarf is one I shall always remember as tough but enjoyable.
My opening was based on hopes of a juggernaut and "new" opening I thought I'd discovered by accident in a gunboat game. The idea was that I let Turkey take Rum and Bul, whilst I temporarily occupied Con before moving the Fleet out into the Med.... a sort of "Eastern Key Lepanto", designed to disguise the juggernaut and send the Russian Southern Fleet out to work with Turkey's navy. It would have been brilliant if it had worked, but John very sensibly decided that the opportunity that it presented to stab Russia was too good to miss and I was left feeling that I'd tried to be too clever by 3/4....
So I spent the next few years fighting off a Turkish invasion with occasional help from Italy and Austria whilst also trying to defend the North from England and Germany. Fortunately, the Western Triangle was always reasonably well-balanced and the threat from that half of the board was never very great.
Then, over a period of about four or five game years (1904-10) the three central powers collapsed: Austria and Italy (who never recovered from a disastrous NMR) disappeared and a single German army was left stranded in Austria. England, who had stabbed me, had to pull back to counter a threat from France and we entered the endgame with a four-player alliance trying to prevent a French solo......or at least we did until England decided that he didn't want Germany included in the draw because of events in Iremonger. I should say that I can understand Mike's position: no-one admits to bearing grudges from one game to another, but most players do. Where I felt Mike was unreasonable was in expecting John and I to eliminate Harvey for him. Both of us felt Harvey's tenacity deserved a share of the draw (and, I suspect, both of us felt that his exit might change the balance of power in the East). After several turns of brinkmanship on all sides, we eventually united to stop France. I have to say that I never felt that a French solo was terribly likely: Martin would have had to take risks and once England was working with the rest of us I think the odds were stacked much higher against him than others have suggested.
Overall though, Clontarf will be a game I remember for a long time: for the survival of Harvey's army, for my battle with John and for the wonderfully ironic situation when, late in the game Mike proxied a unit to Harv..............
Most of all, though I will remember it as an excellent game run with accuracy and efficiency, so finally, thanks to Brian who proved an exemplary GM."
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GM (Brian Frew) Brian Frew (GM)
Well - what can I say about this marathon of a game which seemed to become a permanent part of my life!?
The details are well rehearsed by the participants. My own feelings are that France should have won - to me he seemed to pull his punches when dealing with England, perhaps because of their previous strong alliance.
The German unit in Serbia was certainly a notable feature and it shows the value of holing up somewhere strategic and hoping for the best - well done Harvey.
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