Movement results for Spring of 1901. (redink.001) Austria: Army Budapest -> Serbia. Austria: Army Vienna -> Budapest. Austria: Fleet Trieste -> Albania. The Balkan Gambit with a move to Budapest gives Austria the most leverage on the Balkans. Unfortunately the gamble of not defending against Italy fails. At least Russia is no threat. Trieste is probably a goner, so he'll most likely concentrate on grabbing other Balkan centers to make up for it. England: Army Liverpool -> Yorkshire. England: Fleet Edinburgh -> Norwegian Sea. England: Fleet London -> North Sea. This is the Yorkshire or Pure Northern opening. She's given herself a lot of options with this. It's a good choice. She can go north, taking Norway and getting into the Barents. Or she can take Norway and go for one of the low countries. If she's been reading she might have heard of the Magdeburg, a joint Russian-English attack on Germany. I hope she hasn't, but I know what signs to look for. France: Army Marseilles HOLD. France: Army Paris -> Gascony. France: Fleet Brest SUPPORT Army Paris -> Gascony. The hold in Marseilles must mean that he doesn't trust Italy enough to vacate it. Still, if he'd gone to Spain he could have covered if forced to. Then he could have gotten both Iberian centers this year. If he really wanted to keep the army in Marseilles he could have moved the fleet to Mid-Atlantic, the support was unnecessary. He and I agreed to DMZ Burgundy. Germany: Army Berlin -> Kiel. Germany: Army Munich -> Ruhr. Germany: Fleet Kiel -> Denmark. I liked this opening because it leaves me with options no matter what England and France do. I was confident I could trust Austria, but an Italian Venice- Tyrolia would have been a problem. Now I can hold Denmark and force my way into Holland, or since France made no move this way I can hit both Belgium and Holland, bouncing England if she tries for one and getting the other for myself. There's also an outside chance I could take both and build three. I'm also still considering a Jutland Gambit. Italy: Army Rome -> Venice. Italy: Army Venice -> Trieste. Italy: Fleet Naples -> Ionian Sea. Ouch, a sharp Austrian attack. It looks like Bill wants to eliminate the experienced players early. I'll have to watch my back. This opening is called, not surprisingly, the Austrian Attack. It was an awfully risky opening, but it worked to the best possible advantage for him. He's got to use this start well because Austria is going to come back on him hard. Russia: Army Moscow HOLD. Russia: Army Warsaw HOLD. Russia: Fleet Sevastopol -> Black Sea. Russia: Fleet St Petersburg (south coast) -> Gulf of Bothnia. Onorio told me that he was going to open to the north, but this isn't a particularly northerly opening. Holding with half his armies is a mistake. He should have done something useful with them, toward the north or toward the south. He's losing time here. Turkey: Army Constantinople -> Bulgaria. Turkey: Army Smyrna HOLD. Turkey: Fleet Ankara -> Constantinople. I told Torrin about the Bosphorus Opening and apparently he liked it. He will hold Bulgaria without support, but with Russia in the Black Sea it will be risky to move the fleet out to the Mediterranean. From here he can pretty much choose what he wants to build and where. Evaluation: Here's where everyone stands build-wise. Russia will probably get one but it is still possible that he won't get anything. Turkey's got his one and France can't get more than one this year as well. Italy will gain two, England might, and I can gain two. Austria lost a home center, but can probably pick up another in the fall, giving him a build in Vienna if it remains unoccupied. England and I have opened strong. We're off to a good start with a lot of potential ahead of us. France lost some time but luckily doesn't face any threats at all yet. Russia and Turkey have already generated conflict over the Black Sea so unless Torrin (who didn't write anything to anybody this turn) decides to end his silence that's going to become a war. Italy's start looks strong but Austria can fight back, and surely will. With two experienced players there, that will be interesting to watch. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1901. (redink.002) Austria: Army Serbia SUPPORT Fleet Albania -> Trieste. Austria: Army Budapest -> Rumania. Austria: Fleet Albania -> Trieste. Striking back like this is risky. Italy will be able to retreat to Vienna, leaving him in a good position after builds to hit Trieste right back. I think leaving Trieste in his hands and positioning for next year would have worked better. At least he's got Russian help. Capturing Rumania will give him a build. England: Army Yorkshire -> North Sea -> Norway. England: Fleet Norwegian Sea -> Barents Sea. England: Fleet North Sea CONVOY Army Yorkshire -> Norway. England continues the aggressive northern opening. She will be able to take St. Petersburg regardless of what Russia does. She gets her build from Norway, but doesn't even try for one of the low countries. France: Army Marseilles -> Spain. France: Army Gascony -> Brest. France: Fleet Brest -> English Channel. Gascony to Brest was a mistake. He wants to attack the England, but has denied himself the to opportunity to build a fleet in Brest. We're communicating well though, so I think I can help steer him away from mistakes like this in the future. Germany: Army Kiel -> Holland. Germany: Army Ruhr -> Belgium. Germany: Fleet Denmark HOLD. I'm sort of surprised I ended up with both the low countries. Although I don't think England realized how important they can be, it was still a strong possibility that she would try to take one. Now I hope I don't scare people by doubling my size in one year. Italy: Army Venice -> Tyrolia. Italy: Army Trieste HOLD. (*dislodged*) Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Tunis. Italy knew that if he lost Trieste he could retreat to Vienna so he didn't support it, choosing instead to move to the positionally important Tyrolia. He also takes Tunis, giving him two builds. Russia: Army Moscow -> Sevastopol. Russia: Army Warsaw -> Ukraine. Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Austrian Army Budapest -> Rumania. Russia: Fleet Gulf of Bothnia -> Sweden. Russia finally gets into gear and goes heavily to the south. He's setting up to swing around the Black Sea for a back door attack on Turkey, but if he'd done this in the spring he would have had the leverage to make it count before Turkey could build. As it is Turkey can probably defend himself. Turkey: Army Bulgaria HOLD. Turkey: Army Smyrna -> Ankara. Turkey: Fleet Constantinople SUPPORT Army Bulgaria. Hold Bulgaria for the build and protect against attacks from the Black Sea. A good choice, but support for Bulgaria wasn't necessary and if he wants to fight Russia he should have self-bounced in Ankara so he could build a fleet. Evaluation: France and I are working together against England, which is good for both of us. England doesn't seem to have any allies at this point and that will hurt her. Austria and Russia have begun working together, mostly to Austria's benefit at this point but that makes sense. That will give Austria a good shot at surviving Italy. There are some hints in the wind that Italy has recruited Turkey's help. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjustment orders for Winter of 1901. (redink.004) Italy: Builds an army in Venice. Italy: Builds a fleet in Naples. Austria: Builds an army in Budapest. Germany: Builds an army in Munich. Germany: Builds a fleet in Kiel. Germany: Builds a fleet in Berlin. Turkey: Builds an army in Smyrna. France: Builds a fleet in Marseilles. Russia: Builds an army in Moscow. England: Builds a fleet in London. No surprises from Italy, he's going to continue aggressively attacking Austria. Austria builds the only thing he can in the only place he can. I went for two fleets because I see myself getting really involved in the north, where they will be useful. Turkey's choice indicates he will fight Russia, not head to the Mediterranean, another indication that he's friendly with Italy. France builds the fleet he wanted, but not in the place he wanted it. It will take him a while to get it into the north where it can do some good. Russia's army in Moscow makes me a little nervous. I'm starting to think Onorio has worked things out with his wife and she won't attack St. Petersburg. That means trouble for me. No big surprise to see a new fleet in London, although it's Liverpool that's really being threatened. She needs to move that new fleet to Wales. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1902. (redink.005) Austria: Army Serbia SUPPORT Army Rumania -> Bulgaria. Austria: Army Rumania -> Bulgaria. Austria: Fleet Trieste HOLD. Austria: Army Budapest SUPPORT Fleet Trieste. Austria was supposed to go to Galicia. With my help he holds Trieste this turn, but Italy will attack from Tyrolia to beat that in the fall. An army in Galicia would either retake Vienna or hold Trieste. As it is he will probably lose both. He takes Bulgaria to make up for it, but it costs him another home supply center, and doesn't really do any damage to Turkey. England: Army Norway HOLD. England: Fleet Barents Sea -> Norwegian Sea. England: Fleet North Sea -> Skagerrak. (*bounce*) England: Fleet London HOLD. Even though her opening came straight out of the example moves in the rulebook, it built up a lot of momentum and had her in control of the north. But now she's wasted that momentum by returning to the Norwegian Sea. It wastes a year for that fleet and blows the opportunity to capture a supply center. I'm assuming she's allied with Russia but the move to Skagerrak doesn't really help her against me so I don't see what it was supposed to accomplish. She misses the threat to Liverpool and will lose it in the fall. France: Army Spain -> Gascony. France: Army Brest -> English Channel -> Wales. France: Fleet English Channel CONVOY Army Brest -> Wales. France: Fleet Marseilles -> Spain (south coast). France tells me that the new fleet is going to capture Portugal, so the army moves north to where it will be more useful. Getting into Wales guarantees him Liverpool. Doing it with an army will make getting the rest of England easier. Germany: Army Holland SUPPORT Army Belgium. Germany: Army Belgium SUPPORT Army Holland. Germany: Fleet Denmark -> Skagerrak. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Munich -> Tyrolia. (*bounce*) Germany: Fleet Kiel -> Helgoland Bight. Germany: Fleet Berlin -> Kiel. This is a pretty dull turn for me. Holland and Belgium just sit there and Denmark fails to get into Skagerrak. Helgoland Bight gives me support into the North Sea, though, and I was able to keep Italy out of Trieste. I'm beginning to worry that Italy will get there anyway and maybe it was a bad idea to get him mad at me. Italy: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Venice -> Trieste. (*cut*) Italy: Army Vienna SUPPORT Army Venice -> Trieste. Italy: Fleet Tunis -> Ionian Sea. Italy: Army Venice -> Trieste. (*bounce*) Italy: Fleet Naples -> Apulia. The big attack on Trieste is foiled by me, but he gets a fleet into the Ionian and the other is heading toward the Adriatic which is good positional play. He will probably modify his attack and get Trieste in the fall. Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Armenia. (*bounce*) Russia: Army Ukraine -> Sevastopol. (*bounce*) Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Army Sevastopol -> Armenia. (*cut*) Russia: Fleet Sweden HOLD. Russia: Army Moscow -> Warsaw. Trying to swing around the Black Sea is the best he can do against Turkey, but Turkey's got enough in place to defend himself. The move to Warsaw worries me. What's he doing with that if not coming after me? If he and his wife have decided to work together I'm the target. Turkey: Army Bulgaria -> Serbia. (*bounce, dislodged*) Turkey: Army Ankara -> Armenia. (*bounce*) Turkey: Fleet Constantinople -> Black Sea. (*bounce*) Turkey: Army Smyrna -> Armenia. (*bounce*) He holds off Russia well, but now that Bulgaria could use the support he doesn't give it. Losing Bulgaria doesn't hurt him so much since he can just retreat to Greece and make up for it. Now we could see some back and forth between him and Austria. It becomes a guessing game over who puts what amount of strength into Bulgaria. Evaluation: Austria is running out of home supply centers, which means that even if he fights well, he can't build anything new. That will take him out of the game soon. That's why I would have preferred it if he had concentrated on Vienna this turn. My move on Tyrolia is only going to make Italy mad and the last thing I want is to have to fight Italy. Italy's got the upper hand in the south. Turkey could benefit from that by being there to grab the Balkans as Austria weakens. Russia needs to make progress down there if he doesn't want a strong Turkey on his hands. In the mean time, it looks like he might have started working with England. That's bad news for me, but if France and I can take out England quickly it will make my job a little easier. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1902. (redink.007) Austria: Army Serbia -> Greece. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Bulgaria SUPPORT Army Serbia -> Greece. Austria: Fleet Trieste -> Albania. Austria: Army Budapest -> Galicia. Austria was thinking I would order Munich-Tyrolia again, which would have saved Trieste and given him a build. But I think Austria is going down so I played ball with Italy, rather than upset him further. The attack on Greece had only marginal chances for success. Austria is too far off balance here to stand up to Italy's attack. In order to get his feet under him, he needs France to attack Italy and take some pressure off. His hold on Rumania is only as strong as Russia's faithfulness. England: Army Norway -> Sweden. (*bounce*) England: Fleet Norwegian Sea -> North Atlantic Ocean. England: Fleet North Sea SUPPORT Fleet London -> English Channel. (*cut, dislodged*) England: Fleet London -> English Channel. (*bounce*) Going for the Channel is a good move, but shows that she didn't realize the extent to which France and I are working together, or she would have been worried about the North Sea. Swinging out into the North Atlantic might have worked well for her, but she's got a removal coming and that's probably the one to go. The North Sea fleet retreats to Norwegian Sea, which gives her the most options. The fact that Russia tried to vacate Sweden makes me wonder if he's handing over his northern position to her. France: Army Gascony -> Paris. France: Army Wales -> Liverpool. France: Fleet English Channel -> London. (*bounce*) France: Fleet Spain (south coast) -> Portugal. This turn was pretty straightforward. Get the guaranteed centers, take a chance on another. The army in Paris won't end up doing him any good unless he plans to attack me next. Germany: Army Holland SUPPORT Army Belgium. Germany: Army Belgium SUPPORT Army Holland. Germany: Fleet Denmark SUPPORT Fleet Helgoland Bight -> North Sea. Germany: Army Munich HOLD. Germany: Fleet Helgoland Bight -> North Sea. Germany: Fleet Kiel -> Baltic Sea. (*bounce*) I did so well in 1901, but now I'm in such a stagnant position. I only ordered two moves here and only one succeeded. Russia's aggresive positioning denies me the Baltic and makes me nervous. I need to start making things happen if I want to stay in this game. Italy: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Venice -> Trieste. Italy: Army Vienna SUPPORT Army Venice -> Trieste. Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea SUPPORT Turkish Army Greece. Italy: Army Venice -> Trieste. Italy: Fleet Apulia -> Adriatic Sea. A strong move to Trieste gains him a build, and he helps Turkey keep Greece. Italy's position is strong and will continue to grow unless France gives him a second front. Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Armenia. Russia: Army Ukraine -> Sevastopol. Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Army Sevastopol -> Armenia. Russia: Fleet Sweden -> Baltic Sea. (*bounce*) Russia: Army Warsaw -> Silesia. This is Russia's strongest turn yet. Armenia will make life difficult for the Turk and he can walk into Rumania any time he wants to betray Austria. In the north he tried to arrange a strong position on Berlin but luckily I headed it off. If he's trying to give his position away to England it will probably make things harder on me than on France. Turkey: Army Greece HOLD. Turkey: Army Ankara SUPPORT Fleet Constantinople. Turkey: Fleet Constantinople HOLD. Turkey: Army Smyrna -> Armenia. (*bounce*) Holding Greece with Italian help is good. Letting Russia into Armenia isn't so good. But he had to consider a possible Austro-Russian attack on Constantinople. The problem is, he faces the same threat this turn, plus an attack on Ankara. He can defend against all of this, but he has no offensive opportunities. He's not going to go anywhere anytime soon. Evaluation: France is doing well, which worries me a little, because where is he going to go after England is finished off? Hopefully to Italy. Getting these two big powers to fight would take a lot of pressure off me. Italy is going to overrun Austria, it's just a matter of time. That's why I decided to not attack Tyrolia again this turn. It would just make him mad and I don't want the victor angry at me. Turkey is totally tied down right now and won't get room to breathe until Italy had taken a bigger bite out of Austria. Russia's in good shape in the south (unless Austria decides to go for Warsaw or Moscow), but I can't figure out what he's doing in the north. He threw what he could in my direction but would have abandoned Sweden in the process if I hadn't happened to bounce him. England needs to pick a target and concentrate on it. She's too scattered around, lacking focus. And I need to get my act together and start positioning myself for some kind of offensive. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjustment orders for Winter of 1902. (redink.009) England: Removes the fleet in the Norwegian Sea. Italy: Builds an army in Venice. France: Builds an army in Marseilles. France: Builds a fleet in Brest. France's builds are great if he's coming after me. Italy's build is not a surprise, he wants a strong land force to push through Austria. England's choice of removal is a mistake. It gives away Edinburgh. The North Atlantic fleet isn't going to get anything done and so should have been removed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1903. (redink.010) Austria: Army Serbia SUPPORT Fleet Albania -> Greece. Austria: Army Bulgaria SUPPORT Fleet Albania -> Greece. Austria: Fleet Albania -> Greece. Austria: Army Galicia -> Budapest. (*bounce*) This is a tough fight to maintain his supply center count. His home centers are now all gone so he's just fighting for existance and hoping for outside help. From here he should fight to keep Greece and Rumania. Serbia is lost. England: Army Norway -> Sweden. (*bounce*) England: Fleet North Atlantic Ocean -> Irish Sea. England: Fleet London HOLD. Russia's still trying to give England Sweden, but I still bounced her. If he supports from Skagerrak this turn, though, she'll get it, which will mess things up for France and me. She could have gone straight for Liverpool, but she can get there from the Irish Sea in the fall. France: Army Paris -> Burgundy. France: Army Liverpool -> Wales. France: Fleet English Channel SUPPORT Army Liverpool -> Wales. France: Fleet Portugal SUPPORT Fleet Brest -> Mid-Atlantic Ocean. France: Army Marseilles SUPPORT Army Paris -> Burgundy. France: Fleet Brest -> Mid-Atlantic Ocean. The aggressive move to Burgundy was planned by me in the hope of making Italy think we're fighting. The plan is for France to move into the Mediterranean now. Will he do it? He's in position to take London, but now Liverpool is open so we'll have to cooperate to take care of it. Germany: Army Holland -> North Sea -> Edinburgh. Germany: Army Belgium -> Ruhr. Germany: Fleet Denmark -> Sweden. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Munich -> Berlin. (*bounce*) Germany: Fleet North Sea CONVOY Army Holland -> Edinburgh. Germany: Fleet Kiel -> Berlin. (*bounce*) I did the convoy because I didn't want to lose the North Sea. I bounced in Berlin because I was thinking about keeping it open for a build. In the end this doesn't feel like I got much done. I'm pretty exposed if France decides to attack me. Italy: Army Tyrolia -> Vienna. Italy: Army Vienna -> Budapest. Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea SUPPORT Army Venice -> Albania. Italy: Army Trieste SUPPORT Army Vienna -> Budapest. Italy: Fleet Adriatic Sea CONVOY Army Venice -> Albania. Italy: Army Venice -> Adriatic Sea -> Albania. This is looking more and more like Italy's game. Taking Budapest and getting an army into Albania means that he will take Serbia in the fall, too. That will give him three builds this year. If France doesn't get down into the Med and give him a second front soon it will be hard to stop him. Russia: Army Armenia SUPPORT Army Sevastopol -> Ankara. Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Black Sea -> Ankara. (*no convoy*) Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Army Sevastopol -> Ankara. (*cut*) Russia: Fleet Sweden -> Skagerrak. Russia: Army Silesia -> Bohemia. He didn't order the convoy properly or this would have given him Ankara. He might be able to pull it off in the fall though, if he orders it right. Turkey: Army Greece -> Serbia. (*bounce, dislodged*) Turkey: Army Ankara -> Armenia. (*bounce*) Turkey: Fleet Constantinople -> Black Sea. (*bounce*) Turkey: Army Smyrna -> Syria. I don't know if Italy has given up on Turkey, but it would have taken Italian help to save Greece. It's too bad it was a army, if it had been a fleet it would not have been destroyed. He could have retreated and maybe taken something to make up for the loss. He covered Syria to avoid further Russian penetration. Evaluation: Italy is unquestionably the power to beat. He's going to build three this year, Turkey can't stop him, and Russia's not paying enough attention to the game to hold him back either, even if he takes most of Turkey. Now that Turkey has to also worry about covering Smyrna Russia can possibly do the same convoy and take Ankara. England is struggling, but Russia's trying to help her out in the north. I need to start moving toward a corner if I want any long-term hopes. France is in the best position to hold back Italy, but may have more lucrative opportunities attacking me. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1903. (redink.011) Austria: Army Serbia -> Budapest. (*bounce, dislodged*) Austria: Army Bulgaria SUPPORT Fleet Greece. Austria: Fleet Greece HOLD. Austria: Army Galicia -> Vienna. This is a good approach to Vienna, but Italy's relentless attacks take away Serbia, leaving Austria balanced at four. He was pretty sure to lose Serbia, though, so it's good that he picked up something else. Plus, it's a home center. Serbia retreats to Rumania. England: Army Norway -> Sweden. England: Fleet Irish Sea SUPPORT Fleet London -> English Channel. England: Fleet London -> English Channel. (*bounce*) After two failed attempts I'm not in position to interfere anymore and she finally gets Sweden. That will make up for the loss of Edinburgh and keep her even at three. Additionally, she shows some real aggressiveness trying to push forward into the Channel. France: Army Burgundy -> Marseilles. France: Army Wales -> Liverpool. France: Fleet English Channel -> London. (*bounce*) France: Fleet Portugal -> Spain (south coast). France: Army Marseilles -> Piedmont. France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean -> Western Mediterranean. Surprise Italy! France is coming your way. Two armies and two fleets to deal with should make life pretty rough for Italy. This is the help Austria needs to get back on his feet. Italy can't survive a war with both of these guys at once. I've been working for a while to get France to do this, his only other real option was to attack me. I proposed attacking London like we did and I was sure that it would work. I totally missed the possibility of the approach England took. Germany: Army Edinburgh HOLD. Germany: Army Ruhr -> Munich. Germany: Fleet Denmark -> Sweden. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Munich -> Silesia. Germany: Fleet North Sea SUPPORT French Fleet English Channel -> London. Germany: Fleet Kiel -> Baltic Sea. Getting into the Baltic will help me in Scandinavia and in the mean time I'm going after Warsaw. If I'm going to fight with Russia I certainly don't want him building. I'm somewhat worried, though, that when he sees me do this he'll come after Berlin or Munich. Italy: Army Vienna SUPPORT Army Budapest. (*cut, dislodged*) Italy: Army Budapest SUPPORT Army Vienna. (*cut*) Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Greece. (*bounce*) Italy: Army Trieste -> Serbia. Italy: Fleet Adriatic Sea SUPPORT Army Albania. Italy: Army Albania SUPPORT Army Trieste -> Serbia. Italy continues to attack Austria, which means he didn't see France's moves coming. Now he'll most likely try to strike some kind of deal with Austria. He's told me he might give Austria back his home centers if he promises to go no further than that. He retreats from Vienna to cover the supply center in Trieste. Russia: Army Armenia -> Ankara. Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Armenia. Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Army Armenia -> Ankara. Russia: Fleet Skagerrak SUPPORT English Army Norway -> Sweden. Russia: Army Bohemia SUPPORT Austrian Army Galicia -> Vienna. Well, since Turkey has completely given up I guess we can just figure that all of Turkey is now Russia's. He continues to be faithful to Austria, which might be the only reason Austria's still alive. And he finally succeeds in giving Sweden to England. Turkey: Army Ankara HOLD. (*dislodged*) Turkey: Fleet Constantinople HOLD. Turkey: Army Syria HOLD. Quitter. Evaluation: Italy had looked like the power to beat, but with a second front opening up that's not so much the case now. France's moves also breathe new life into Austria, especially if he can keep Russia as his ally. Russia's gaining a lot off of Turkey and is bound to attack me sooner or later so I'm making an effort now to keep him from building if I can. If I can get Scandinavia and keep France from attacking me I will be in pretty good shape. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkey: Removes the army in Syria. Italy: Builds a fleet in Rome. Germany: Builds an army in Kiel. At least Torrin kept the units in supply centers. If he were really throwing the game he could have kept Syria. With France coming after him Italy builds the logical fleet in Rome. I built an army because I want to use it against Russia, but built it in Kiel so I can support Denmark this next turn while I attack Sweden. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1904. (redink.014) Austria: Army Rumania SUPPORT Army Vienna -> Budapest. Austria: Army Bulgaria -> Constantinople. Austria: Fleet Greece -> Aegean Sea. Austria: Army Vienna -> Budapest. I think the attack on Constantinople may have been arranged last turn. Turkey is going down (not even making an effort to go down fighting) and Austria might as well get a piece of him. A supported attack on Budapest is good, but wouldn't have worked if Italy hadn't pulled out. I am convinced that Italy cut a deal with Austria. Italy pulled out completely and Austria moved to the Aegean, not the Ionian. This is the best thing for Austria. If Italy stays out he can press a strong attack on Russia and get into the southeastern corner. England: Army Sweden HOLD. (*dislodged*) England: Fleet Irish Sea -> English Channel. England: Fleet London SUPPORT Fleet Irish Sea -> English Channel. England and Russia couldn't hold both Sweden and Norway. Without the Russian support, though England loses Sweden to me. The big surprise, though, is that she disbanded it instead of retreating. That signals that she has given up on Scandinavia. But will she try to resecure her home or go for a piece of France? The supported move to the Channel gives her Brest if she wants it. The problem is it also gives her Belgium if she wants it. France: Army Marseilles -> Piedmont. France: Army Liverpool HOLD. France: Fleet English Channel -> London. (*bounce, dislodged*) France: Fleet Spain (south coast) -> Gulf of Lyon. France: Army Piedmont -> Tuscany. France: Fleet Western Mediterranean -> Tunis. (*bounce*) I recommended West Med to North Africa and Spain to West Med. That would have given him a supported attack on Tunis. But since Italy completely pulled back from Austria it wouldn't have mattered anyway, he's got enough strength to defend both Rome and Tunis now. France's objective in the Med has now got to be getting Austria to continue the fight against Italy. It was pretty clear that he'd lose the Channel so might as well go for London and leave Wales clear for a retreat. I've promised to help him into London in the fall. Germany: Army Edinburgh -> Yorkshire. Germany: Army Munich HOLD. Germany: Fleet Denmark SUPPORT Fleet Baltic Sea -> Sweden. Germany: Army Silesia -> Warsaw. Germany: Fleet North Sea -> Norway. (*bounce*) Germany: Fleet Baltic Sea -> Sweden. Germany: Army Kiel SUPPORT Fleet Denmark. I hit both Sweden and Norway with all I could, knowing I would get one of them. England and Russia could have done better than they did, though. They allowed me to take Sweden and keep them out of Norway, giving me as good a shot at Norway as anyone in the fall. I'm still on my guard in Munich, though now that Italy's pulled back I'm probably ok. Austria's got more important things to do than come after me right now. I entered Warsaw unopposed and will keep it in the fall, but with his gains in Turkey Russia will stay even, keeping that annoying fleet in Skagerrak. Italy: Army Trieste -> Venice. Italy: Army Budapest -> Trieste. Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Tunis. (*bounce*) Italy: Army Serbia -> Albania. Italy: Fleet Adriatic Sea CONVOY Army Albania -> Apulia. Italy: Army Albania -> Adriatic Sea -> Apulia. Italy: Fleet Rome -> Tyrrhenian Sea. Italy is completely abandoning Austria here. Every single unit participates in the move west. He can't just be this worried about France so I'm assuming he's cut a deal with Carl. Austria's move to the Aegean confirms this. He leaves behind Serbia and Budapest. If Austria now takes Serbia he will probably then be able to take Trieste. I don't see where Italy plans to get three centers from France to make up for that. If he asked Austria to stay out of Serbia and Trieste he's putting an awful lot of faith in a guy he was attacking just last turn. Russia: Army Ankara -> Smyrna. Russia: Army Armenia SUPPORT Army Ankara -> Smyrna. Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Austrian Army Bulgaria -> Constantinople. Russia: Fleet Skagerrak -> Norway. (*bounce*) Russia: Army Bohemia -> Galicia. This was the right attack on Smyrna. If Turkey had tried to take Armenia, this would have kept him out. Turkey is left with a possible retreat to Ankara, but since he's quitting he doesn't take it. I was worried that he'd go after Berlin but instead he moves to Galicia. I'm not sure what he's doing with that. It really doesn't gain him any position on Austria so I can only assume it's meant to be used in defense of his home centers. With the English army disbanded he doesn't have any support for an attack on Norway so I can at least keep him out of there. Turkey: Army Smyrna SUPPORT Fleet Constantinople. (*cut, dislodged*) Turkey: Fleet Constantinople SUPPORT Army Smyrna. (*cut, dislodged*) This looked better than last turn until he disbanded both units instead of retreating to Ankara and Syria. If he had held in Ankara and ordered Syria to Smyrna he had a good shot at keeping Ankara, but he gave up a long time ago. Evaluation: Things have really changed in the south. Italy has totally pulled out of Austria to fight France. It remains to be seen whether Austria will continue east or join France in an Italian feast. Turkey is out now, mostly to Russia's benefit, but could be facing trouble from Austria if he is faithful to Italy. Italy's total reversal makes it very tough for France to press the attack, but with all those units in the Med it's also tough for Italy to make any forward progress against him. England's disband shows that her fight is really with France and makes my way into Scandinavia easier. Russia's best bet right now might be to hit Austria to get the builds he needs to fight me. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1904. (redink.016) Austria: Army Rumania SUPPORT Army Budapest. Austria: Army Constantinople HOLD. Austria: Fleet Aegean Sea SUPPORT Army Constantinople. Austria: Army Budapest HOLD. The Austrian-Italian Deal was that Italy would give him back a home center to build in if he would turn east and leave him alone. So Austria got Budapest back and gave Greece to Italy. Add in the capture of Constantinople and the fact the Vienna is open and Austria finally gets to build. French pressure from the west has given Austria exactly what he wants. He made all the right deals this year and is rewarded with a much needed build. Now he can go east as he promised or he can turn on Italy and divide it up between him and France. England: Fleet English Channel SUPPORT Fleet London -> Wales. England: Fleet London -> Wales. (*bounce, dislodged*) Not a bad approach. This is a very aggressive way to defend and I like it. Attacking the attacker is a great idea, France and I just had too much force in the area. If she had gotten Russia to order Skagerrak to the North Sea it would have cut the support and her defense of London would have worked, but it would have cost her Norway. This way keeps things a little more balanced, not as good for me but probably better for everyone else. London had no retreats and is destroyed. France: Army Piedmont SUPPORT Army Tuscany. France: Army Liverpool SUPPORT Fleet Wales. (*void*) France: Fleet Wales -> London. France: Fleet Gulf of Lyon -> Western Mediterranean. France: Army Tuscany SUPPORT Army Piedmont. France: Fleet Western Mediterranean -> North Africa. He finally gets London and we both dodge the possible attacks from England. She could have walked into either Brest or Belgium but didn't. In the Med he might as well have ordered an attack on Venice. It wouldn't have worked but he should have ordered it just in case. Supporting each other when there was no attack threatened is a waste. Getting position on Tunis is nice, but Italy can support it. I think the better move would have been to get into Tyrrhenian. Germany: Army Yorkshire SUPPORT French Fleet Wales -> London. Germany: Army Munich -> Ruhr. Germany: Fleet Denmark -> Sweden. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Warsaw HOLD. Germany: Fleet North Sea SUPPORT French Fleet Wales -> London. Germany: Fleet Sweden -> Norway. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Kiel -> Denmark. (*bounce*) I promised France I'd help him into London. When he took a look at the situation this turn he asked me if I was reconsidering it. I supported him because I didn't want to get to big and scare him. He was really thankful. I'm glad that he realizes that he needs my support in the north still. The last thing I need is for him to attack me. I'd much rather go after Russia. The train into Norway was in case Russia cut North Sea's support. Then I'd take Norway away from England and she'd still be down to one unit. Italy: Army Venice SUPPORT Army Apulia -> Rome. Italy: Army Trieste -> Tyrolia. Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Tunis. Italy: Army Albania -> Greece. Italy: Fleet Adriatic Sea SUPPORT Army Venice. Italy: Army Apulia -> Rome. Italy: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea SUPPORT Fleet Ionian Sea -> Tunis. Italy wants me to let him pass through Munich to get position on France. If I don't have to do that I won't. There's just too much risk to it. But that's why he went to Tyrolia. Supported moves to Rome and Tunis shore up his line, cover his supply centers, and give him good position for moving forward. Greece was part of his deal with Austria but its isolated position will be tough to hold if Austria turns on him. Russia: Army Smyrna -> Ankara. Russia: Army Armenia -> Sevastopol. Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Army Smyrna -> Ankara. Russia: Fleet Skagerrak -> Norway. (*bounce*) Russia: Army Galicia -> Ukraine. Pulling a couple units back to cover Moscow makes sense given what I'm doing but pulling out of Turkey completely is a mistake. Austria's deal with Italy is clear on the board now and it implies that Austria is going to attack Russia. Austria's first moves will be to Turkey. Onorio's very busy now taking classes and wants out of the game so he may just be giving his position over to Carl. If he wanted to keep it he should have stayed in Smyrna and moved the Black Sea to Ankara. As it is, though, he moves out of Smyrna prematurely, leaving it officially still in Torrin's hands. So Turkey is not eliminated yet. He has a build this year. Evaluation: England is down to one and the cool thing is that even though I'm the one threatening her remaining center, her unit is in position to threaten France, not me. France gains one this year, but with Italy committing his forces to the west he might lose ground in the south in the coming year. Italy is now depending entirely on Austria to hold up his end of the deal. If he does Italy can put enough into the west to maybe push back France, but if Austria attacks him he's done. For the first time in this game Austria is in a truly strong position. He owes that mostly to France for attacking Italy. Austria can take Turkey if he wants it and will then have enough strength to take most of Russia. He can also choose to attack Italy and crush him in revenge for attacking him. Such an attack would also leave him strong enough to continue on against France or work the east. In the east Onorio wants to get out of the game, which explains his lack of effort to defend himself against Austria. If I can take Norway I'll threaten northern Russia. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjustment orders for Winter of 1904. (redink.017) Russia: Removes the fleet in the Skagerrak. Turkey: Builds a fleet in Smyrna. France: Builds a fleet in Marseilles. Germany: Builds an army in Munich. Germany: Builds an army in Berlin. Austria: Builds an army in Vienna. Russia's fleet in the Skagerrak was totally separated from his other units and unable to coordinate even with his English allies, but he still should have kept it. Removing that fleet makes my job of moving across the northeast a lot easier. If he wanted to protect northern Russia he should have kept that fleet and harassed me in Scandinavia, slowing me down and giving him time to defend the north. My two armies will probably be used to move across land into central Russia. Turkey gets a build because Russia left Smyrna prematurely. He entered in the spring but left in the fall. My understanding is that he's going to enter the Mediterranean and cause havoc. I encouraged France to build in the south to deal with Italy but I still thought he'd cover Brest. I feel a lot more secure with fewer units in the north. He'll have to deal with Brest now but that shouldn't be too hard. And Austria is finally growing again. The big question for the coming year is will he continue east or hit Italy while the back is turned. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1905. (redink.018) Austria: Army Rumania -> Bulgaria. Austria: Army Constantinople -> Smyrna. Austria: Fleet Aegean Sea SUPPORT Army Constantinople -> Smyrna. Austria: Army Budapest -> Rumania. Austria: Army Vienna -> Budapest. It looks like Austria is going to honor his agreement with Italy. Everything slides peacefully to the east and he picks up Smyrna. However, he's still in position to take Trieste, Serbia, and Greece in the fall if he wants. I'm encouraging him and France to work together on Italy. England: Fleet English Channel HOLD. I figured she'd take Brest. She may be giving up, but she can still take Brest in the fall. She's not going to live much longer, but being behind French lines she could cause a lot of trouble in the time she's got left if she wants to. France: Army Piedmont SUPPORT Army Tuscany. (*cut*) France: Army Liverpool -> Wales. France: Fleet London -> English Channel. (*bounce*) France: Fleet Western Mediterranean SUPPORT Fleet North Africa -> Tunis. France: Army Tuscany SUPPORT Army Piedmont. (*cut, dislodged*) France: Fleet North Africa -> Tunis. (*bounce*) France: Fleet Marseilles -> Gulf of Lyon. It might have been better to give up on Tuscany and pull it and Piedmont back, considering the risk of losing Brest. He needs another southern army to make the N Africa, W Med, Spain, Gascony, Marseilles stalemate line and if he loses Brest it could be tough to get one there in time. The rest of his moves are pretty straightforward and correctly done. Germany: Army Yorkshire -> Edinburgh. Germany: Army Ruhr -> Belgium. Germany: Fleet Denmark -> North Sea. Germany: Army Warsaw -> Moscow. (*bounce*) Germany: Fleet North Sea -> Norway. Germany: Fleet Sweden -> Finland. Germany: Army Kiel -> Munich. Germany: Army Munich -> Silesia. Germany: Army Berlin -> Prussia. Look at all this movement. I haven't been this busy in a while. Moscow was a "why not" sort of move, I didn't really expect it to succeed. And there was the slight chance that France would try to take Edinburgh. But the rest was all guaranteed to work. And it sets me up to take St. Petersburg in the fall. I can take it with support but since Russia didn't enter Moscow I don't even need it. I'll either get the army off of England when France does, or I'll keep him there if I decide to attack France. Still not sure if I'll do that. Italy: Army Venice SUPPORT Army Rome -> Tuscany. Italy: Army Tyrolia -> Piedmont. (*bounce*) Italy: Fleet Tunis HOLD. Italy: Army Greece HOLD. Italy: Fleet Adriatic Sea -> Ionian Sea. Italy: Army Rome -> Tuscany. Italy: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea SUPPORT Fleet Tunis. Italy's making all the right moves for a war with France. Taking Tuscany is good because it leaves France a unit down for the fall and if England takes Brest it denies him the choice of removing the army on England. The Ionian is important for supporting Tunis to allow Tyrrhenian to work on moving forward. Russia: Army Ankara -> Black Sea -> Sevastopol. (*bounce*) Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Moscow. (*bounce*) Russia: Fleet Black Sea CONVOY Army Ankara -> Sevastopol. Russia: Army Ukraine -> Galicia. Russia may be vacating Ankara for Austria but my bounce in Moscow works all the way back to keep him in place, not that that really affects much in the bigger picture. I'm not sure what Galicia is for. He could have used Ukraine to ensure the move to Moscow, but all Galicia seems good for it attacking Vienna or Budapest. Considering that Onorio wants to get out of the game this doesn't seems like a likely thing. Turkey: Fleet Smyrna -> Eastern Mediterranean. Torrin is just hoping to move around and stir things up before he's eliminated, but it doesn't look like he's going to have much room to do it. Evaluation: The fact that there's still nobody fighting me is the purest luck. I'm going to pick up another two builds this year, but not because of any skill on my part. I'm just hoping that my size doesn't scare France. I'm not quite ready to fight him. Luckily, he can't afford to turn anything away from Italy right now so he's not likely to attack me. That's why I wanted him involved in a Mediterranean war. It takes forever to slog back and forth through the western Mediterranean and nobody ever gains much, so it's an ideal way to keep him and Italy too busy to consider me. France does have to think about that stalemate line, though, because Italy is doing everything right. Austria has a smooth road ahead of him if he concentrates on Turkey and Russia. That will eventually bring the two of us into conflict but I think by then I will have enough strength to at least hold him back. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1905. (redink.019) Austria: Army Bulgaria SUPPORT Fleet Aegean Sea -> Greece. Austria: Army Smyrna HOLD. Austria: Fleet Aegean Sea -> Greece. Austria: Army Rumania SUPPORT Army Budapest -> Serbia. Austria: Army Budapest -> Serbia. I had encouraged Austria to attack Italy early on this turn and he told me he didn't want to because he thought it would be better to keep those two fighting and use Italy as a buffer between him and France. But in the end he attacked anyway. He could have also taken Trieste, but he already gained more than he can build. I probably shouldn't have encouraged him to attack. It may have been better for me to see Italy last a little longer than this. But there's no denying that this is a big boost for Austria. He has leapt up to match France for size and that scares me. I'd like him to fight France, obviously, but he's more likely to come north after me. England: Fleet English Channel HOLD. (*dislodged*) England wants out. Her fleet is dislodged and although she could retreat to Brest and stay alive she disbands the unit anyway. France: Army Piedmont -> Venice. (*bounce, dislodged*) France: Army Wales -> London. France: Fleet London -> English Channel. France: Fleet Western Mediterranean SUPPORT Fleet North Africa -> Tunis. France: Fleet North Africa -> Tunis. France: Fleet Gulf of Lyon -> Tyrrhenian Sea. (*bounce*) Austria discovered the trick here. Both France and I missed it. With Turkey's aid he takes Tunis. I had been worried that England would take Brest and leave France a unit down. Last turn one of his units was destroyed and he needed to keep Brest in order to be able to rebuild it. At that point I didn't know that Austria would attack, France would take Tunis, and England would stay out of Brest. As it is France builds two. One may be needed in the south, but the second one worries me. If he builds a fleet it could mean trouble for me. Germany: Army Edinburgh HOLD. Germany: Army Belgium HOLD. Germany: Fleet North Sea SUPPORT French Fleet London -> English Channel. Germany: Army Warsaw -> Moscow. (*bounce*) Germany: Fleet Norway SUPPORT Fleet Finland -> St Petersburg (south coast). Germany: Fleet Finland -> St Petersburg (south coast). Germany: Army Munich HOLD. Germany: Army Silesia -> Warsaw. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Prussia -> Livonia. This is basically a lot of nothing. All I really did here was take St. Petersburg. And I didn't even need the support. It's possible for Onorio to stop me from taking Moscow next year, but I'm hoping he'll miss it. He needs to attack Warsaw to keep me from getting three units on Moscow. If I can get into Moscow and Ukraine I can keep Austria out. But if I do that I have to get six from France to win. My real advantage at this point is that I don't see any evidence of a stop the leader alliance. Italy: Army Venice -> Piedmont. Italy: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Venice -> Piedmont. Italy: Fleet Tunis SUPPORT Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea. (*cut, dislodged*) Italy: Army Greece HOLD. (*dislodged*) Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea SUPPORT Fleet Tunis. (*cut*) Italy: Army Tuscany SUPPORT Army Venice -> Piedmont. Italy: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea SUPPORT Army Tuscany. (*cut*) I don't see what he could have done better here. Without Turkey's interference this would have been a good move forward against France. But instead he gets a non-supply center and loses a supply center. Of course ever since France moved on him he's been depending on peace with Austria. It was clear all along that he couldn't fight both at once, so when it looked like he was going to have to fight France he made a deal to get Austria off his back. But that couldn't hold up forever, and when it rains it pours. He not only loses Tunis to France, but also Greece and Serbia to Austria. Greece retreats to Albania, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him disbanded. Russia: Army Ankara -> Black Sea -> Sevastopol. (*bounce*) Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Moscow. (*bounce*) Russia: Fleet Black Sea CONVOY Army Ankara -> Sevastopol. Russia: Army Galicia -> Ukraine. This is the same as last turn with the Ukraine-Galicia move reversed. He needs Ukraine if he wants any chance of slowing me down. He can remove any other unit and still keep me out of Moscow this year. Turkey: Fleet Eastern Mediterranean -> Ionian Sea. (*bounce*) Might as well make your last move count for something. Here Turkey gives the advantage to France against Italy. Evaluation: England and Turkey are out now. Russia probably won't last long, and unless he makes some great diplomatic moves soon Italy will follow. So it comes down to Austria, France, and me. Austria has a ready supply of centers in Turkey and Russia to take advantage of and will also take more from Italy. France will grow from Italian conquests as well, but not being able to move his units south easily, he may keep them in the north against me. As for me, in the east I'm looking at an easily reachable stalemate line on the front with the more experienced player. That's comforting, but to get what I need to win from the west I need all of England and France plus Spain or Portugal. It might be better for me to push on in the east where there are lots of centers available. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjustment orders for Winter of 1905. (redink.021) Italy: Removes the army in Albania. Italy: Removes the fleet in the Ionian Sea. Russia: Removes the army in Ankara. Turkey: Removes the fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean. France: Builds a fleet in Brest. France: Builds an army in Paris. Austria: Builds an army in Vienna. Austria: Builds an army in Budapest. Germany: Builds an army in Kiel. Germany: Builds an army in Berlin. Austria: 1 unusable build pending. Italy knew he couldn't keep Trieste so he isn't bothering to put any effort into it. Giving up the Ionian will be hard on him but so would giving up the Tyrrhenian. He was probably right to keep three armies, they will be better for defending his homeland. Russia wants out anyway, and might give away what he has to Austria and I. I would have preferred France not building any fleets. Another northern fleet makes it hard for me to attack him, which may or may not happen this turn. It is possible that he intends to swing it down to the Mediterranean anyway. Austria can only use two of his builds and can only build armies. He'd like a new fleet or two but can't get them until builds in 1907. Berlin is for supporting my eastern line, Kiel will be for the west if I decide to go there. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1906. (redink.022) Austria: Army Bulgaria SUPPORT Army Rumania. Austria: Army Smyrna -> Ankara. Austria: Fleet Greece -> Ionian Sea. Austria: Army Rumania HOLD. Austria: Army Serbia SUPPORT Army Rumania. Austria: Army Vienna SUPPORT Army Budapest -> Trieste. Austria: Army Budapest -> Trieste. The point here is Trieste and Ionian, but he has carefully covered Rumania from the possibility of a Russian attack as well. This isn't a very exciting turn for Austria, but it's focused and well executed. France: Army Marseilles -> Piedmont. (*bounce*) France: Army London HOLD. France: Fleet English Channel HOLD. France: Fleet Western Mediterranean -> Tyrrhenian Sea. France: Fleet Tunis SUPPORT Austrian Fleet Greece -> Ionian Sea. France: Fleet Gulf of Lyon SUPPORT Fleet Western Mediterranean -> Tyrrhenian Sea. France: Fleet Brest -> Mid-Atlantic Ocean. France: Army Paris -> Gascony. Thankfully the new fleet isn't meant for me. At least it wasn't until he saw Liverpool. He's coordinating well with Austria to take the seas away from Italy. With further cooperation he'll take Naples in the fall as well. Germany: Army Edinburgh -> Liverpool. Germany: Army Belgium HOLD. Germany: Fleet North Sea -> Yorkshire. Germany: Army Warsaw -> Ukraine. Germany: Fleet Norway -> North Sea. Germany: Fleet St Petersburg (south coast) -> Finland. Germany: Army Munich HOLD. Germany: Army Silesia -> Warsaw. Germany: Army Livonia -> Moscow. Germany: Army Kiel -> Ruhr. Germany: Army Berlin -> Prussia. I had two objectives here, take as much of Russia as I can, and get the jump on France in the west. I've moved to get two armies on Sevastopol for the fall. Austria and I told Russia how he should move to be eliminated this year, something he wanted, but didn't discuss between us who would get Sevastopol. So I made sure to put as much on it as I could so the decision would be in my hands. If Onorio really wants out, it will be mine in the fall. In the west I made a mistake. I should have seen that getting two units on London wouldn't actually help and instead started swinging a fleet around the north. That's my weak spot right now and if I'm going to continue against France that will be my main focus. But I don't have to fight France. I still have the option of leaving in the fall and not taking Liverpool. Italy: Army Piedmont SUPPORT Army Tuscany. (*cut*) Italy: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Piedmont. Italy: Army Tuscany SUPPORT Army Piedmont. Italy: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea SUPPORT Army Tuscany. (*cut, dislodged*) I think Italy was overly optimistic here. He doesn't have much chance of advancing any time soon. I wouldn't have put the effort into maintaining the line as far forward as it is. If he had put someone into Rome he could keep Naples, but as it is his armies are too far away to help. Even though Tyrrhenian retreated there, he'll lose Naples and have to remove two this year. Russia: Army Sevastopol HOLD. Russia: Fleet Black Sea SUPPORT Army Sevastopol. Russia: Army Ukraine -> Galicia. I encouraged Russia to vacate Ukraine so I could have two units on Sevastopol. Now I will encourage him to cut unwanted support from Rumania so I can take it for sure and he will be out. Evaluation: I hadn't heard from France since spring 05 and the new fleet made me nervous. I knew that I'd have to attack France or Austria sooner or later, and Austria had a stronger defense that France, so I sent in an attack. I'm not sure if I'll carry thorough with it or not. My armies are in a pretty good position, but I'm wide open in the northern seas. If it weren't for the threat from me France would be looking good. Cooperation with Austria will get him much of Italy. After that his superior fleet presence would be a considerable advantage against Austria. There's basically no way our for Italy now. Even if France totally turns around and fights me Austria will take him. Austria can either hit Italy or me, and I have a good defense. After that he'll be looking at a France facing a two front war. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1906. (redink.024) Austria: Army Bulgaria -> Constantinople. Austria: Army Ankara HOLD. Austria: Fleet Ionian Sea SUPPORT French Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea -> Naples. Austria: Army Rumania -> Sevastopol. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Serbia -> Bulgaria. Austria: Army Vienna -> Tyrolia. Austria: Army Trieste SUPPORT Army Vienna -> Tyrolia. By pushing east Carl is setting up to fight me. He doesn't need all this over there to attack me but he would if I were going to push on against him. Doing so would be slow and difficult, though, and I probably won't do it. Occupying those centers also helps in case France pushed his fleets on through the Mediterranean, something Austria can't stop with only one fleet. If France were to do that coastal defense would become very important to Austria. He helps France into Naples as promised and Tyrolia will give him leverage on either Venice or Munich. France: Army Marseilles -> Piedmont. France: Army London HOLD. France: Fleet English Channel SUPPORT Army London. France: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea -> Naples. France: Fleet Tunis HOLD. France: Fleet Gulf of Lyon SUPPORT Army Marseilles -> Piedmont. France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean -> Western Mediterranean. France: Army Gascony -> Marseilles. France trusted me too far. I figured the best I could hope for was the Mid- Atlantic fleet holding where it was, but he even moved it away from me. And he pushed his armies into Italy instead of backing up to defend himself. This will cost him Paris and London. He will be able to pick up Rome next year but he should still end up removing. Odds are it won't be anything on my front, though. But ignoring the situation I've put him in it wasn't such a bad turn. I would have followed up into the Tyrrhenian from Gulf of Lyon but otherwise it's ok. Getting the extra fleet into the Med would make life really difficult for Carl. Germany: Army Liverpool HOLD. Germany: Army Belgium -> Picardy. Germany: Fleet Yorkshire -> London. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Ukraine -> Sevastopol. Germany: Fleet North Sea SUPPORT Fleet Yorkshire -> London. Germany: Fleet Finland -> Sweden. Germany: Army Munich SUPPORT Army Ruhr -> Burgundy. Germany: Army Warsaw HOLD. Germany: Army Moscow SUPPORT Army Ukraine -> Sevastopol. Germany: Army Ruhr -> Burgundy. Germany: Army Prussia -> Silesia. I tried to make nice with France and told him I'd remove the guy in Liverpool. Then I concentrated on advising him on attacking Austria. I told him that his fleets would be his advantage and lucked out when he moved from the Mid- Atlantic. My plan for England is to keep the pressure on London. That freezes London and English Channel for now, but once I move to Wales I'll get London anyway so he might as well leave now. My weak spots are Belgium and Burgundy. Belgium is open and attackable from the Channel so I'll have to cover it from Burgundy. But if I leave Burgundy that weakens my line in France. I took Sevastopol and I can get a guy into Ukraine, but it is possible for Austria to take Sevastopol away from me so I'm not counting on keeping it. I can retreat him to Moscow, though, and have a line Austria can't cross. Italy: Army Piedmont -> Tuscany. Italy: Army Tyrolia -> Venice. Italy: Army Tuscany -> Rome. Italy: Fleet Naples SUPPORT Army Tuscany -> Rome. (*cut, dislodged*) This time Italy decides to fall back and regroup. There's not too much he can do here, though, especially against Franco-Austrian cooperation. The fleet retreats to Apulia. Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Armenia. Russia: Fleet Black Sea -> Rumania. (*bounce*) Russia: Army Galicia -> Rumania. (*bounce*) The only way I wouldn't get Sevastopol was if Onorio held there and Carl supported him. But Onorio wants to get out of the game so I gave him this set of orders so he could be doubly sure Carl wouldn't keep him alive and cost me Sevastopol. Evaluation: I think I did quite well this turn. I will get London and Paris next year, will form a holdable line against Carl (not counting Sevastopol), and will have a chance to move forward in France. France has to shift gears dramatically and push hard against me. The threat is also there that Austria will attack him in the south. Italy's time is basically over and Russia has retired from the game. That leaves Austria, who can take Sevastopol if he really wants it, but I should be able to stop him from moving any farther than that. Once he realizes this, he will have to either sit on what he has, or attack France. I'm hoping he'll hit France, since that would take the pressure off me and help me out some. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjustment orders for Winter of 1906. (redink.026) Italy: Removes the army in Tuscany. Italy: Removes the fleet in Apulia. Germany: Builds an army in Kiel. Germany: Builds an army in Berlin. Germany: Build waived. Austria: Builds an army in Vienna. Austria: Builds an army in Budapest. Austria: 1 unusable build pending. Russia: Defaults, removing the army in Armenia. Russia: Defaults, removing the fleet in the Black Sea. Russia: Defaults, removing the army in Galicia. Italy does the logical thing and keeps his supply centers covered. If France had held in the Atlantic or moved toward me with that fleet I might have built a fleet in Kiel, But as it is I think I'll have the naval power I need in the short term, so I built two armies. Austria had no choice but to build armies. Both he and I are short of home centers to use all of our builds, but but he has the better chance of freeing all of his up in the near future. Russia is out. France balanced losing Liverpool with Naples so he stays the same. If I'm going to get to 18 I need him to start losing some. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1907. (redink.027) Austria: Army Constantinople -> Smyrna. Austria: Army Ankara -> Armenia. Austria: Fleet Ionian Sea HOLD. Austria: Army Rumania -> Galicia. Austria: Army Bulgaria -> Rumania. Austria: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Vienna -> Bohemia. Austria: Army Trieste -> Vienna. Austria: Army Vienna -> Bohemia. Austria: Army Budapest SUPPORT Army Rumania -> Galicia. Austria's gearing up for a big fight with me. He's moved everything up to their best possible position along his northern line. I just really hope he doesn't realize that this next turn is the one he absolutely needs to push me back. He should concentrate on Munich. He needs French help to do that but that shouldn't be too hard to get at this point. My hope is that Carl focuses on Sevastopol, which I never expected to keep and that France retakes Paris with Burgundy instead of using him on Munich. France: Army Piedmont SUPPORT Italian Army Venice. France: Army London -> English Channel -> Brest. France: Fleet English Channel CONVOY Army London -> Brest. France: Fleet Naples HOLD. France: Fleet Tunis HOLD. France: Fleet Gulf of Lyon -> Tyrrhenian Sea. France: Fleet Western Mediterranean SUPPORT Fleet Tunis. France: Army Marseilles -> Burgundy. It was smart not to fight for London. He could have kept it this turn, but I would have had it by year end so he decides to move that army somewhere useful while he still can. He moves to take Rome in the fall, which will make up for losing London. Supporting Tunis was a mistake. He didn't need to do that since Austria has only one fleet and he could use that fleet up north to fight me. I had been hoping that either I would be bounced in Belgium or that he wouldn't move to Burgundy. As it is he can retake Paris and I leave Munich threatened. Germany: Army Liverpool -> Wales. Germany: Army Picardy -> Paris. Germany: Fleet Yorkshire -> London. Germany: Army Sevastopol SUPPORT Army Moscow -> Ukraine. Germany: Fleet North Sea SUPPORT Fleet Yorkshire -> London. Germany: Fleet Sweden -> Norway. Germany: Army Munich HOLD. Germany: Army Warsaw SUPPORT Army Moscow -> Ukraine. Germany: Army Moscow -> Ukraine. Germany: Army Burgundy -> Belgium. Germany: Army Silesia HOLD. Germany: Army Kiel -> Ruhr. Germany: Army Berlin -> Prussia. I made good progress in England (allowing me to take the Channel this fall) and the eastern end of my line is pretty secure. Munich is left exposed and could cost me the game if France and Austria act on it right away. I could very well lose Sevastopol and not keep Paris. But I have a build left over from last turn that I couldn't use so I should still be able to add a new army this year. Italy: Army Venice SUPPORT Army Rome. Italy: Army Rome SUPPORT Army Venice. This is really all he can do. Although Austria seems to have backed off, France can take Rome without help. Italy will repeat these moves, though, unless he can make some deals to help one of Austria or France against the other. Evaluation: Everything comes down to Munich this turn. Maybe I should have concentrated on that and just accepted the risk of a back rank maurauder in Belgium. Oh well, it's easy to say that after the fact, but an army in Belgium could have caused as much trouble as one in Burgundy. If Munich is taken I just don't know if I could take it back and still keep the rest of my nice eastern line in tact. I would have to do some serious wheeling and dealing to stay alive. I couldn't stop a combined and coordinated Austria and France. On the other hand if they don't take Munich and I can build an army in Kiel, I'm in pretty good shape. Figuring out what to say to Austria and France this turn will be tricky. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1907. (redink.028) Austria: Army Smyrna -> Constantinople. Austria: Army Armenia SUPPORT Army Rumania -> Sevastopol. Austria: Fleet Ionian Sea HOLD. Austria: Army Galicia -> Ukraine. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Rumania -> Sevastopol. Austria: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Bohemia. Austria: Army Vienna -> Trieste. Austria: Army Bohemia SUPPORT Army Tyrolia. Austria: Army Budapest -> Rumania. He takes Sevastopol nicely but doesn't do much else. I think he realizes that this is where the line will stay. I can hold my whole eastern line but I don't think I can attack south effectively. I think Carl will take Venice and then just sit. I'm not sure he will actively go after France. A mistake sending in his orders last turn leaves him stuck covering Trieste, so no new Austrian fleet for another year. France: Army Piedmont -> Venice. (*bounce*) France: Army Brest SUPPORT Army Burgundy -> Paris. France: Fleet English Channel -> London. (*bounce, dislodged*) France: Fleet Naples SUPPORT Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea -> Rome. France: Fleet Tunis HOLD. France: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea -> Rome. France: Fleet Western Mediterranean -> Tyrrhenian Sea. France: Army Burgundy -> Paris. I tried to sweet-talk France this turn and it worked. He moved the West-Med fleet even farther from me. If nothing else came out of this turn at least I bought some time to use my fleets while I have his outnumbered. With the loss of London he had to take Rome to avoid removing anything, and executes it well. The Channel fleet retreats to the Mid-Atlantic, where he can cover Spain. Germany: Army Wales HOLD. Germany: Army Paris HOLD. (*dislodged*) Germany: Fleet London SUPPORT Fleet North Sea -> English Channel. Germany: Army Sevastopol SUPPORT Army Ukraine. (*cut, dislodged*) Germany: Fleet North Sea -> English Channel. Germany: Fleet Norway -> Norwegian Sea. Germany: Army Munich SUPPORT Army Silesia. Germany: Army Warsaw SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Army Ukraine SUPPORT Army Sevastopol. (*cut*) Germany: Army Belgium HOLD. Germany: Army Silesia SUPPORT Army Munich. Germany: Army Ruhr SUPPORT Army Munich. Germany: Army Prussia SUPPORT Army Silesia. I got lucky and didn't lose Munich. I got the feeling that Austria and France weren't communicating a lot. In buddying up to France I had hoped that I could turn him against Austria and reduce their communication. I wish I could say that I'm so diplomatically skilled that I stopped them from teaming up on Munich, but I think I just got lucky. With a build left over from last year I'll be able to build the army I need to hold Munich against Austria. The position also lets me take Burgundy or at lest keep France out of it, which makes my line more secure too. I really didn't do anything this turn, just held my breath. I knew I'd lose Sevastopol and couldn't hold Paris so I just planned out how I'd use them after the retreat. Sevastopol to Moscow actually return it to it's place in the true stalemate line, and Paris to Gascony gives me access to Spain and Marseilles as well as options for supporting into Burgundy or Paris in a year. Italy: Army Venice SUPPORT Army Rome. (*cut*) Italy: Army Rome SUPPORT Army Venice. (*cut, dislodged*) If I were Italy I would be stirring up conflict between Austria and France just to have a fight to participate in. Rome retreats to Tuscany. Evaluation: I should be safe from Austria now unless France makes some big gains on me. With a back rank maurauder, though, he's got a lot to worry about. I'll have to press my fleet advantage while I can because conquering France by land could be slow, plus I'll need Spain or Portugal to seal the win. It's possible Carl could make it a legitimate race by going for France himself. But it's a race that would probably favor me. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjustment orders for Winter of 1907. (redink.030) Italy: Removes the army in Tuscany. Germany: Builds an army in Berlin. Austria: Builds an army in Vienna. Austria: Builds an army in Budapest. This is the logical removal for Italy. This is the only choice for Austria. Berlin can support Munich, which makes my eastern line complete. I'd prefer to have him supporting from Ruhr because then I could utilize two builds, but if I'd built in Kiel and never got to move him he would have gotten in the way of things. This way I can still build fleets and armies to use against France. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1908. (redink.031) Austria: Army Constantinople -> Bulgaria. Austria: Army Armenia SUPPORT Army Sevastopol. Austria: Fleet Ionian Sea HOLD. (*dislodged*) Austria: Army Galicia -> Ukraine. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Sevastopol SUPPORT Army Galicia -> Ukraine. Austria: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Trieste -> Venice. Austria: Army Trieste -> Venice. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Bohemia SUPPORT Army Budapest -> Galicia. Austria: Army Rumania SUPPORT Army Galicia -> Ukraine. Austria: Army Vienna SUPPORT Army Bohemia. Austria: Army Budapest -> Galicia. (*bounce*) No harm in arranging a big attack on Ukraine. He's testing me to see if I'll covered everything correctly. I did so nothing moves, but it's good for him to test it. He fully expected the attack on Venice to work, and he should have. He had no way of knowing that I suggested to France that he use Venice as a shield. He knew he was going to lose Ionian, and planned from the beginning to retreat him to Adriatic. There it will ensure him Venice. France: Army Piedmont SUPPORT Italian Army Venice. France: Army Brest SUPPORT Army Paris -> Gascony. France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean -> Portugal. France: Fleet Naples HOLD. France: Fleet Tunis SUPPORT Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea -> Ionian Sea. France: Fleet Rome -> Tuscany. France: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea -> Ionian Sea. France: Army Paris -> Gascony. I wrote to France that Austria now had nowhere to go but after him and I suggested using Venice as a shield and pressing his fleet advantage. He had every reason to distrust me, but what I said made sense (although Austria hasn't actually done anything aggressive against France yet). He supported Venice, which I suggested more so that Piedmont would be occupied and not move back into mainland France. And he pushed into the Ionian, which gets his fleets even farther away from me. He doesn't trust me completely, though, and he kicked me right out of Gascony. But the only retreats he left me were to two of his supply centers, Marseilles and Spain. I'm not sure why he moved to Portugal, Spain would have made more sense, since I'm actually threatening it. I would have kept the positional advantage Mid-Atlantic offers. The move to Tuscany is either preparatory for going to Gulf of Lyon (and there to gain leverage on Marseilles) or he forgot that a fleet can't support across land to Venice. Germany: Army Wales -> Yorkshire. Germany: Army Gascony SUPPORT Army Ruhr -> Burgundy. (*cut, dislodged*) Germany: Fleet London -> Wales. Germany: Army Moscow SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Fleet English Channel SUPPORT Army Belgium -> Picardy. Germany: Fleet Norwegian Sea -> North Atlantic Ocean. Germany: Army Munich SUPPORT Army Ruhr -> Burgundy. Germany: Army Warsaw SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Army Ukraine HOLD. Germany: Army Belgium -> Picardy. Germany: Army Silesia HOLD. Germany: Army Ruhr -> Burgundy. Germany: Army Prussia SUPPORT Army Silesia. Germany: Army Berlin SUPPORT Army Munich. I did all the stuff to hold the line in the east and proved to Carl that I can. I retook Burgundy which is important to the security of Munich. Returning to Picardy gives me leverage on both Paris and Brest for next turn. I retreated to Marseilles where I can follow up into Burgundy or try for Spain. Italy: Army Venice HOLD. Not much else he can do on his own. Evaluation: Things are looking pretty good for me. Odds are I will take two from France in the fall. I can take one for sure. Austria will get Venice, but nothing else unless he attacks France, which he doesn't want to do because he knows that weakening France will be to my advantage. Even after attacking him once I've managed to get a little trust from France and I'm unabashedly abusing it to direct him as far away from me as I can to make my attack easier. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1908. (redink.033) Austria: Army Bulgaria -> Greece. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Armenia -> Smyrna. Austria: Fleet Adriatic Sea SUPPORT Army Trieste -> Venice. Austria: Army Galicia HOLD. Austria: Army Sevastopol HOLD. Austria: Army Tyrolia SUPPORT Army Trieste -> Venice. Austria: Army Trieste -> Venice. Austria: Army Bohemia HOLD. Austria: Army Rumania SUPPORT Army Sevastopol. Austria: Army Vienna SUPPORT Army Bohemia. Austria: Army Budapest SUPPORT Army Galicia. Carl starts making some smart moves to protect himself against French fleets. Greece was good both because it was where France was most likely to go so he bounces him, and because it would have been a good place to work from even if it hadn't bounced. Add the guy in Smyrna and the new fleet (finally, his first new fleet since the beginning of the game) and he'll have more say in the Med. He has enough force now to take Venice regardless of what France did. His line with me had a weakness in the end in Galicia, but there was no way for me to guess that and take advantage of it. France: Army Piedmont -> Marseilles. France: Army Brest -> Picardy. (*bounce, dislodged*) France: Fleet Portugal -> Spain (north coast). France: Fleet Naples -> Apulia. France: Fleet Tunis -> Ionian Sea. (*bounce*) France: Fleet Tuscany -> Gulf of Lyon. France: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Greece. (*bounce*) France: Army Gascony SUPPORT Army Piedmont -> Marseilles. He can't cover all three of his home centers so he retakes the one he knows he can get, not a bad idea. Moving the fleet to Spain would add more muscle to his defense if it weren't for me moving into the Mid-Atlantic. Gulf of Lyon will help, though. In the Med he is pushing his naval advantage. We didn't talk at all this turn, but I've been telling him to throw his weight around in the Med for several turns. The idea was basically to get his fleets away from me but if he can weaken Carl's defense I'll take advantage of that too. Germany: Army Yorkshire -> Wales. Germany: Army Marseilles -> Burgundy. Germany: Fleet Wales -> Irish Sea. Germany: Army Moscow SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Fleet English Channel SUPPORT Army Picardy -> Brest. Germany: Fleet North Atlantic Ocean -> Mid-Atlantic Ocean. Germany: Army Munich HOLD. Germany: Army Warsaw SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Army Ukraine HOLD. Germany: Army Picardy -> Brest. Germany: Army Silesia HOLD. Germany: Army Burgundy -> Paris. Germany: Army Prussia SUPPORT Army Silesia. Germany: Army Berlin SUPPORT Army Munich. The eastern line is fine and anchored in the west now that I have Burgundy back under my control. I really wasn't sure whether to leave that guy in Marseilles on the chance of keeping it or take the safe approach and move to Burgundy, then I talked to Carl and found out that he understood the vital importance of attacking Munich a year ago (and that France should have done the attacking) so I quickly changed my order to the safer one. France would have done better by defending Brest but it would have been hard to see that. As it is I'm pretty happy with this turn. I took two centers, got the Mid- Atlantic, and am finally ready to convoy that army off of England. Italy: Army Venice HOLD. (*dislodged*) Austria boots him out of Venice, but he retreats to Rome so he's still in it. If I were him I would have tried the move to Rome this turn anyway. Evaluation: If this game weren't almost over Carl would be facing some tricky problems with France coming through the Med, and France could possibly use some naval captures to make up for what he loses from me. But I'm doing pretty well at this point and can probably end it within two years with maybe a center per year. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjustment orders for Winter of 1908. (redink.035) France: Removes the fleet in Tunis. France: Removes the fleet in the Gulf of Lyon. Germany: Builds an army in Kiel. Germany: Build waived. Austria: Builds a fleet in Trieste. Tunis wasn't doing France much good so it's a good choice for a removal. Any other one, though, is tough on him. Gulf of Lyon was probably a good choice because it's not clear whether it was going to have a strong effect or not. I didn't think I'd get a fleet anywhere useful in time so I went with an army. And Austria finally gets to build a new fleet. He lost Trieste in 1901 and since recapturing it he has had to keep it defensively occupied every fall until now. But now he's finally got his second fleet. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Spring of 1909. (redink.036) Austria: Army Bulgaria -> Greece. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Smyrna HOLD. Austria: Fleet Adriatic Sea -> Apulia. Austria: Army Galicia SUPPORT Army Bohemia. Austria: Army Sevastopol HOLD. Austria: Army Tyrolia -> Piedmont. Austria: Army Venice SUPPORT Fleet Adriatic Sea -> Apulia. Austria: Army Bohemia SUPPORT Army Galicia. Austria: Army Rumania SUPPORT Army Sevastopol. Austria: Army Vienna -> Tyrolia. Austria: Army Budapest -> Vienna. Austria: Fleet Trieste -> Adriatic Sea. Again a weakness in Galicia, but the thing is even if I took it I not only wouldn't be able to push on, I wouldn't be able to hold it. So his line is secure. Greece is the right choice again. He pushes across Italy and sets up a strong position. This will be the last turn of the game so he won't have a lot of opportunity to take advantage of it, but it's smart to do anyway. France: Army Marseilles SUPPORT Army Gascony. France: Fleet Spain (north coast) SUPPORT Army Gascony. France: Fleet Apulia -> Adriatic Sea. (*bounce, dislodged*) France: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Greece. (*bounce*) France: Army Gascony SUPPORT Fleet Spain (north coast). (*cut*) At this point he can't stop me from advancing on him, but this is a good defensive choice against me. Concentrating his support on the weakest spot holds me back a bit. It gives up Portugal, but he couldn't cover everything at once. Ionian should have gone to the Aegean in this spring turn, to set up an attack on a supply center in the fall. From the Aegean he would be able to strike at four supply centers that Carl only had two units to defend. Those are pretty good odds. But he goes for Greece and gets bounced, effectively eliminating the chance of taking something in the fall since Carl will order the move to Greece again. Given the bounce in Greece taking a shot at the Adriatic is a good choice. The unit's dislodged (and retreats to Naples), but it doesn't hurt to try it. Germany: Army Wales -> English Channel -> Picardy. Germany: Army Burgundy SUPPORT Army Brest -> Gascony. Germany: Fleet Irish Sea -> Mid-Atlantic Ocean. Germany: Army Moscow SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Fleet English Channel CONVOY Army Wales -> Picardy. Germany: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean -> Portugal. Germany: Army Munich SUPPORT Army Burgundy. Germany: Army Warsaw SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Army Ukraine HOLD. Germany: Army Brest -> Gascony. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Silesia HOLD. Germany: Army Paris SUPPORT Army Brest -> Gascony. Germany: Army Prussia SUPPORT Army Silesia. Germany: Army Berlin SUPPORT Army Munich. Germany: Army Kiel -> Ruhr. I finally get that army off of England, too late to do me any good. There were a lot of ways for me to approach France this turn. I could go for Portugal or Spain or move into the West Med. But in every case there was something France could do that would stop me from getting the two centers I needed. So I just tried to pick one that had a high probability of success. If he had moved to Portugal and attacked Burgundy from Gascony he would have gotten Burgundy (and given me a good scare) and kept me out of Portugal. But this would have been a surprisingly aggressive defense. As it is I got Portugal and am set to take Spain in the fall. Italy: Army Rome HOLD. Evaluation: We're in the cleanup phase of the endgame. It was only a matter of time for me to get what I needed. I lucked out a little here and will be able to wrap it up this year. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Movement results for Fall of 1909. (redink.038) Austria: Army Bulgaria -> Greece. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Smyrna HOLD. Austria: Fleet Apulia SUPPORT Italian Army Rome -> Naples. Austria: Army Galicia SUPPORT Army Bohemia. Austria: Army Sevastopol HOLD. Austria: Army Piedmont -> Marseilles. (*bounce*) Austria: Army Venice -> Rome. Austria: Army Bohemia SUPPORT Army Galicia. Austria: Army Rumania SUPPORT Army Sevastopol. Austria: Army Tyrolia -> Venice. Austria: Army Vienna -> Tyrolia. Austria: Fleet Adriatic Sea -> Ionian Sea. (*bounce*) France: Army Marseilles SUPPORT Army Gascony. (*cut*) France: Fleet Spain (north coast) SUPPORT Army Gascony. (*cut, dislodged*) France: Fleet Naples HOLD. (*dislodged*) France: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Greece. (*bounce*) France: Army Gascony SUPPORT Army Marseilles. (*cut, dislodged*) For the record Naples retreated to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Germany: Army Picardy -> Burgundy. (*bounce*) Germany: Army Burgundy -> Marseilles. (*bounce*) Germany: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean -> Spain (south coast). Germany: Army Moscow SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Fleet English Channel -> Mid-Atlantic Ocean. Germany: Fleet Portugal SUPPORT Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean -> Spain (south coast). Germany: Army Munich HOLD. Germany: Army Warsaw SUPPORT Army Ukraine. Germany: Army Ukraine HOLD. Germany: Army Brest -> Gascony. Germany: Army Silesia HOLD. Germany: Army Paris SUPPORT Army Brest -> Gascony. Germany: Army Prussia SUPPORT Army Silesia. Germany: Army Berlin SUPPORT Army Munich. Germany: Army Ruhr SUPPORT Army Picardy -> Burgundy. Italy: Army Rome -> Naples. Evaluation: By cutting all possible supports for Spain and attacking it with support I get my 18th suppy center and the win.