The Diplomatic Pouch

Player Analysis for Fall of 1904 in describe

Austria

a bul s aeg-con
	Going for con with Italy.

f gre - aeg
	Keep pressure up on T if aeg-con succeeds.

a tyr - boh
	Protecting vie by cutting potential support for gal-vie.  Also, I
may be able to push G out of boh.

a bud - gal
	With RG in mun, boh, gal, ukr, and sev, I need some guessing to
defend against them.  RG can go for vie, rum, or tyr.  I'm assuming any
support by tyr will be cut by mun-tyr.  bud-gal (along with tyr-boh)
gaurantees vie won't be lost, but I leave rum and tyr at risk.
	I have to take a guess on vie, rum, and tyr.  This way, if I guess
wrong and lose rum, I could end up in boh and gal.	Also, T threatened to
throw centers to R.	 So, sev-arm rather than sev s gal-rum is possible.
	Guessing wrong against T twice has put me in a bind since I
cannot count on bul for support of rum.

a rum s bul
	rum holding to recieve support (ser s rum by Italy).

a vie s tyr - boh
	Trying to push back G some.


Italy
	We are still going against T.


England
	RG's fleet moves make it likely he'll be attacked.	If FE don't
make peace and RG attacks EF, both EF could end up going down.

France
    He has begun talking with E.  Hopefully, this will work out.

Russia
    The RG fleet moves in the north make it look like RG are going to
be working together for a while.

Germany
    We continued talking about AG vs R, but I don't think it will
happen because RG's fleet moves indicate cooperation between them.

Turkey
    He has threatened to throw centers to R, unless AI backs off.  If
AI backs off, he has promised to attack R.  I suggested T is dead
eventually, and his best chance at survival was to give up fighting AI
and go for sev.  I think I annoyed T a bit with the suggestion.
    AI agreed to reject T's proposal.	If R does take some of T's
centers, it doesn't make our attack on T more difficult immediately, since
T will have to disband something. Down the road, it could be bad for us if
R builds f sev to put a fleet in bla.

England

	Well, I wrote this before the deadline, but as I was proofreading
it, the connection went down and I was a sad, sad boy.	Also, there were
tornados and thunderstorms about, and I didn't want the modem to get
fried so I decided to wait until morning.

    England's Fall 1904 Analysis:

	With foreign fleets in the Norwegian and North Seas - even though
they are supposed to be there - the risk factor has gone off the charts.
In fact, it's so high that I've decided not to worry about it:	if RG are
going to stab me, they'll stab me.  But all things considered, I'm trust
the right people - Germany needs me to help attack France and Russia says
that he's a care-bear player and has done nothing to contradict that
statement so far.
    Of course, the purpose of the northern fleets is for Germany and
I to dislodge the Russian fleet this turn so that he can disband it and
build it again in Sevastopol (which he will keep open).  The strategic
advantage of this move for Russia is pretty apparent, I think, and he
should go for it:  having a fleet in the Black gives him some offensive
options and also allows a greater defence of Turkey.
    So EGR quickly agreed on what would be done this turn, and
Germany and I figured on what France might do to defend against us.  We
proposed a set of moves that would work against what he thought he might
do.  Oddly enough, France wrote to me soon thereafter and proposed an EF
alliance.  Seems that he figured the foreign fleets to be a sure sign of
an impending stab (Austria wasn't so sure).  He also proposed a set of
moves for us to do, and they were the exact same moves that Germany and I
were planning on:  A Paris S F Gascony-Brest, A Mar-Bur and F Spa(nc)
Hold.  He suggested that I order F MAt S F Gas-Bre and defend London,
etc.  Very convenient.

	Tactically, Germany and I have a clever response to this set of
French moves...

	F Belgium S German F Nwg-Nth:  This is in order to dislodge the
Russian fleet in Nth.  We decided that the alternative - me moving to Nth
with German support - would put undue pressure on Russia's borders in the
north.  (No real difference since he has no defenses in the north, but
it's the thought that counts when you're asking one of your allies to
disband next to one of your home centers.)
    F English S German A Brest:  This will keep Germany in Brest
against the French attack of A Par S F Gas-Bre.  The German response will
be A Bre S A Bur-Gascony.  The French fleet will bounce in Brest and then
be dislodged from Gascony.  Another German army will be moving A Mun-Bur...
    F Mid-Atlantic-Portugal:  Well, this is cheap.  No doubt about
that.  He said he would be leaving it open and it's an opportunity I
can't afford to pass up.  My guess is that I'll get in: he's desperate
for an ally and some help, and if he didn't do what he said he would do
with his F Spa(nc) and went to Portugal to bounce any English move there,
that would show a lot of distrust on this part and damage any
hypothetical EF alliance in the future.	 If I get in, great, if not, oh well.
	F Irish Sea-Mid-Atlantic:  If F MAt-Por succeeds, this move is
crucial to back that move up.  Also, it should make F Gascony's
elimination certain.

    Germany and I are planning to eliminate F Gascony and retaining
Brest.  The probable bounce in Bur of A Mar-Bur and A Mun-Bur is
important because it keeps the French home centers covered.  Even if I
don't get into Por and everything else goes to plan, he'll be at three
units next year, which I can certainly live with.  The build is gravy.
Best of all, though, the French forces would be split beyond recovery - A
Par, A Mar and F Spa(nc) are easy to get rid of.

    Diplomatically:

    Austria:  We continued talking a little bit more about an AGE,
but since he seems reluctant to attack Italy (and rightfully so), I think
an EGR is fine.  No need to change horses in mid-stream, and especially
for one with an Italian as baggage.  In response the my doubts about GR
and the fleets off my coast, he suggested that I approach France.  This
was suggested well after France and I had already agreed on things.
    France:  He really should have come to me earlier, but instead he
figured that Germany was the one he could turn.  It's too late now, and
things look too good for the EGR to take pity on him.  I did a pretty
good job of lying to him, I think, and I even found out the Italy and
France have a DMZ of sorts.	 I'm wondering what that Italian fleet will
do this turn.
    Germany:  If there is going to be a problem this turn, it's
because of this absurdly long message that Germany sent Austria asking to
form an AGE.  (Germany sent me a copy.)	 It's huge, around 100 lines, and
is way too revealing about what Germany thinks of Russia and France.  It
gives Austria the perfect opportunity to copy it and get the Russian to
switch sides, should he want to.
    Italy:  I didn't talk with Italy this turn, as he wasn't around
much.  I don't have much to say to him, except "STAY AWAY FROM THE
WESTERN MED!!!!!" and I don't think he'd obey my request if I made it.
Better to leave him alone.
	Russia:	 I sent out a few messages to Russia during the past few
days, just to see if he was reading his mail.  My main reason was to see
whether he'd been having the opportunity to say, write the Austrian and
work out a good stab with him.  Since Russia didn't respond and didn't
get his moves in on time, I think he hasn't been talking with Austria.
This is an imperfect method, but it works sometimes.
	Turkey:	 Didn't say much to him.  He tosses his coins well, and I
hope he makes a great wall down there for a while.

    So this is the most crucial turn so far for me.  If I get the
build and get good position with F Por and F MAt, things look great as I
should have a feasible entrance into the Med.  Spain would be a good shot
and France should be down to one center after next year.
    The EGR is the route I want to go right now.  Germany and I have
talked about getting a two-way draw, but we weren't sure about how to
make progress at the moment.  I think EGR, and after this turn goes by
I'll try to persuade Germany to not talk to Austria seriously about an AGE.
    Of course, if they stab me, ugh, game over man.  Game over.

    Lord Sheringham

  ---------------------------

    England's Winter 1904 Build:

	Fleet London:  F Edi is a waste of time and ticks off the
Russian, and I prefer London over Liverpool because it has a bit of
defensive capability to it against Germany.	 Not that I distrust him, but
I intend to ask him to move his fleets west with mine, so that I can keep
total control of the northern oceans.  This fleet will then follow the
German fleet, keeping him right where I want him.

	About last turn's results, things worked out great and exactly to
plan all around.  France should be down to one center after this coming
year, and this makes my heart glad.

    Lord Sheringham

France

Bonjours, ici Paris.

Things are going from bad to worse. It transpires that G is still playing its
game of attacking me whilst saying it is for my own good and it will permit them
to stab them at the oportune moment. Discussing things with A it transpires that
G has this tactic of promissing you the earth whilst taking it away from you. We
thus concluded that G would try and kill two birds with one stone but attacking
both F and E. It will need R's help and already has A neutral (no wonder given
the position they are in).
However there in lies my slavation: a combined attack on FE would open up an
aliiance between FE. Having good relations with A and I I could try and persuade
I to hold off attacking A and get A to keep GR occupied. In any case E would
have to accept virtually any offer I made them.

Countries:
--------------
G: the Devil Inc. Plays with everybody. There is an old French proverb about a
dog holding his bone, passing over a pond and, on seeing the reflection of his
bone, tries to grab it and looses his. Just watch and see how G is going to
throw E with F by being greedy.
E: no contact, yet...
I: keeping things steady, in a quagmire over in the East.
A: worse off than I, keeping things steady as GR are probably concentrating on F
and E.
T: no contact.
R: no contact

Moves:
----------
*Army Marseilles -> Bur
Preemptive move to disable any support
*Fleet Spain (north coast) HOLD
E will probably go for Brest
*Fleet Gascony S fleet Brest
Additional support since Paris in all probability will be attacked
*Army Paris S f brest
see above
*Fleet Brest S fleet Gas.
just in case

Germany

  I have decided to war with Russia now while I have the upper hand. To
wait would be too detrimental to Germany's future. We will eventually
have to war with Russia and Austria. At present I have a possibility to
rid Russia of three supply centers, leaving him with two. England is
worried that a possible AIRTF vs EG will be formed but I disagree. France
is finished. AI will not be able to bring Turkey into their alliance
since hostilities have been going on much too long between them. Besides,
where would Turkey have to go? Russia will be down to two units and if
allied to Austria will pose Germany no threat. While AIR will be able to
hold a stalemate against EG, it is not likely Austria and Russia will
join forces against me. Even if they do, it is highly unlikely that they
will be able to keep England from gaining control of the Med.

   Therefore, my orders read like this:

      A sil -> war
      A Ber -> Prus
      A Mun -> sil

         These orders should guarentee German control over Warsaw. I
don't believe Russia is going to cover Warsaw so it should be mine.
Regardless, I will have a good chance to take it in the Fall.

	  A Kie -> Ruhr	  so I can pick up Belgium, when England deems it
						time, and also to protect Munich from enemy hands.

	  A Bre -> Par
	  A Gas -> Mar

		   This should ensure the destruction of F Spa. At worse I will
remain in place. Otherwise I capture Paris or Marsaillies. Regardless,
Fra is dead.

	 F Nth Sea -> Norway

		I will cede this to Eng in the fall while I stab for St P.
Regardless, I will get either Norway or St P.


Kaiser.

Italy

No analysis submitted

Russia

No analysis submitted

Turkey

Moves:
	con s ser - bul
	smy s con
	eas -aeg
		Well, I am gambling that A/I attack con on the fall move.
	Even if they take eas, I will rebuild eas as an army in ank.  With
	Russia in arm and a Russian fleet in bla, I have a permanent
	defense against A/I.
View/Strategy/Predications:
	Things are getting better.

- Sultan

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Last updated on Sat, Sept 27, 1997.