Diplomacy Zine -- Electronic Protocol Chapter 2 From: sinhaa@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Anand Sinha) Date: Wed, 26 Sep 1990 16:52:18 +0000 Chapter Two of ELECTRONIC PROTOCOL: This chapter contains results from REPUBLIC, KHAN and gunboat games JACAL, MANHATTAN, and DRESDEN. Issue # =============================================================================== Results from MANHATTAN =============================================================================== MANHATTAN: Fall 1908 ---France-----------------------------------Germany---------------------------- A LVP H |A Kie - HOL A SPA S (A Gas - Mar) CUT (Wme) |A RUH S (A Kie - Hol) A BUR S (A Gas - Mar) |F Nts - Den FAIL (Ret. ???) A GAS - Mar CUTS |---Italy------------------------------ F MID S (A Spa H) CUT (NAf) |A BOH S (A Tyl - Mun) F POR S (A Spa H) |A BUD - Vie FAIL F ECH S (F Mid H) |A SER - Bud FAIL ---Russia-------------------------------|A MUN - Kie BOUNCE (Ber) A War - UKR |A PIE S (A Mar H) A Swe - DEN |A MAR S (F Wme - SpS) CUT (Gas) A Rum - BUL |A VIE - Tyl FAIL A BER - Kie BOUNCE (Mun) |A TYL - Mun FAIL A Sil - GAL |F NAF - Mid CUTS F Con - AEG |F WME - SpS CUTS F SKA S (A Swe - Den) |F GOL S (A Mar H) F BuE - CON |---England---------------------------- F NWG S (F Nwy - Nts) |F Hol - BEL F Nwy - NTS |-------------------------------------- F GoB - BAL | ----------------------------------------- German F Nts may retreat to Edi, Hel, or it may disband. POSITIONS: England: 1 F Bel France: 7 A Lvp Spa Bur Gas F Mid Por Ech Germany: 3 A Hol Ruh F ??? Italy: 11 A Boh Bud Ser Mun Pie Mar Vie Tyl F NAf Wme GoL Russia: 11 A Ukr Den Bul Ber Gal F Aeg Ska Con Nwg Nts Bal ************************************************ I'm assuming that F Nts does not retreat to Edi. ************************************************ SUPPLY CENTERS:(New in caps, old in parens) England: 1 (Hol), BEL France: 6 Par, Bre, Spa, Por, (Bel), Edi, Lvp Germany: 3 (Ber), Kie, Lon, (Den), HOL Italy: 11 Ven, Rom, Nap, Tun, Vie, Tri, Bud, Ser, Gre, Mar, Mun Russia: 13 War, Mos, Sev, StP, Rum, Ank, Smy, Bul, Con, Swe, Nwy, BER, DEN BUILDS: France: -1 Russia: 2 PRESS: ELVIS HEARD!!! NEW ITALIAN LEADERS SELECTED RUSSIA DISTRUSTS NEW ITALIAN LEADERS; TAKES DEFENSIVE POSITION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gary (IND) --- The King was heard by Jo-Beth Williams today outside this small U.S. town. She told reporters that she was walking along the road and heard the King as he drove by in a truck. She tried get a look inside, but her view was blocked by an lp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rome (UPI) --- The general council has selected the Beatles to lead this great nation into the future. This group was selected because of their appeal to the youth movement. They have promised to support the PM in a move back to England. They noted however that there is some distance that must be crossed before this pledge can be put into action. Did the new leaders have any comments about the Czars latest statements: "What he said" was their response. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow (PRAVDA) --- "What the hell are the new Italian leaders doing requesting our help into Kiel? Can't they see that Germany can hold Kiel against our current forces?" asked the Czar. "Yea. They can see it just fine," answered the Commander of the Armed Forces. "I think what they're doing is trying to distract us from our own coordinated move in the north. I was suspicious of their actions last Spring when they tried to move into Galicia in violation of our treaty. And now I'm doubly suspicious because of this strange request." "Oh. You're always suspicious. You didn't trust King Elvis but he turned out to be a reliable ally. I don't think this is any different." "Well, you're right about King Elvis. My suspicions there weren't justified. But we recovered just fine. As soon as Elvis reassured us about our alliance we pulled back our forces into non-threatening positions. We can do the same thing here. I've ordered our southern forces to move into positions that can repel attacks from both the fleets and armies of Italy if they come at us this season. And just remember, if I hadn't been cautious last season and sent our troops to protect Galicia from entry, it would now be a staging ground for the Italian army." "Yea, OK," conceded the Czar, "but if Italy takes non-threatening actions this season and reassures us of cooperation I want our forces to pull back immediately so we can continue working together and end this whole damn war with a joint Russian-Italian victory." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The German High Command recognizes the essential defeat of the landwehr in the current conflict with Italy and Russia; unfortunately, a collusion between those two powers is basically unstoppable at this point, so long as both remain faithful to that alliance. Nevertheless, the Kaiser hopes to derive some measure of pleasure by eradicating the last of the British refugees from the continent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GM Notes: >If Germany retreats to Edi, France loses one of those builds. >The Autumn retreat and press is due Friday. Will the English >last out another year? I forgot to give Russia ownership of the Denmark supply center. Note the new builds. MANHATTAN: Autumn 1908 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ German F Nts retreats to London. POSITIONS: England: 1 F Bel France: 7 A Lvp Spa Bur Gas F Mid Por Ech Germany: 3 A Hol Ruh F Lon Italy: 11 A Boh Bud Ser Mun Pie Mar Vie Tyl F NAf Wme GoL Russia: 11 A Ukr Den Bul Ber Gal F Aeg Ska Con Nwg Nts Bal PRESS: DON'T HAVE A COW CZAR ARRESTS COMMANDER; APOLOGIZES TO ITALY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Naples (AP) --- "Hey Ringo, what's the deal with this Czar? He tells us to tell him what we'd like, and he turns his gun on us." "I don't know John, intelligence informs me that his units should be moving out in the spring. Here we are walled up against the French and Germans, and they get antsy because we ask them to try something." "Hey, George, would that plan have worked?" "You bet, the Germans hate the English more than they hate us. Besides, I think it confused them too." "What are we going to do Paul?" "I think we should hear what they have to say. I was going to ask them to pull their ships back inside the Black Sea to Bulgaria and Rumania. Now I'll insist on it. We can't get by, and it would be a full year before either of us could get close to a confrontation again. Then we can pull out even further from the Balkans." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mobile Foreign Office (Soleil) --- "Rule Britania, Britania rules the waves, Britain never never never...", hummed the PM whilst sitting in his mobile bath and playing with his favourite (and only!) rubber duck. "We've got them all on the run now. Just look how they cower at the English might! Just one more year and ...". "Excuse me for intruding, Sir. Its time to take your nice pills again. Let's try not to make as much fuss as you did last time." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow (PRAVDA) --- In a private communique sent to the new leader of Italy the Czar said: Well, we both saw what happened last season ... what can I say? ... somehow "oops" just doesn't seem to cut it. "Oh, shit!" is a bit more appropriate, but doesn't solve any problems. Now, first let me apologize. I hope you recognize that caution on my part **WAS** appropriate -- You're a new leader; we never discussed the prior alliance between Russia and King Elvis; and you did attempt to take Galicia last season in violation of the treaty. So there were some valid reasons for me to expect the worst. But now that I see how trusting and cooperative your own military orders were, I truly am sorry that I didn't cooperate in return. I guess these are the problems inherent in a world with such slow communications. Now I hope we can patch things up and move forward together. If you respond positively to this press release I will certainly move the fleet that is currently in the Aegean back into Turkey. And of course I will not move any of my armies into Italian-held territory. Also I'd like to re-establish the neutral zone in Galicia and Silesia. I expect that you will move at least one fleet eastward in defense just to protect against a double-cross by me. That's understandable and I would not presume to suggest that you don't. What I DO suggest is that you plan the pullbacks that you're forced to make in such a way that once I've pulled my forces back into non-threatening positions, you will be able to move westward again with minimal lost time and territory. I really hope we can work together and get this thing rapped up. There were some initial problems and distrust between Elvis and myself, but we finally worked them through and were beginning to make some real progress. I hope you and I can do so also, and quickly. ... One final note. I'm not going to see your response to this until my winter construction has been completed. So I'm forced to plan without the confidence that you're going to accept my apology and work together. For my own safety I need to build new forces in Warsaw and Sevastopol. When I anticipated battle with you I had intended to build a fleet in Sevastipol. I'll change that to an army, which should suffice for my defense but should not be as threatening to you. Please bear in mind that if my intentions were not honorable I would not be giving you advance notice of my construction plans that would enable you to plan against them. ...Your Hopeful Ally, The Czar of All Russia P.S. The Commander of the Armed Forces, who convinced me to be so suspicious, has been arrested and will soon be executed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GM NOTES: Winter builds are due Tuesday. Thanks for getting me things on time. Let's keep it up! MANHATTAN: Winter 1908 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDS: France: -1 (A Lvp) Russia: 2 A StP, A War FINAL POSITIONS: England: 1 F Bel France: 6 A Spa Bur Gas F Mid Por Ech Germany: 3 A Hol Ruh F Lon Italy: 11 A Boh Bud Ser Mun Pie Mar Vie Tyl F NAf Wme GoL Russia: 13 A Ukr Den Bul Ber Gal StP War F Aeg Ska Con Nwg Nts Bal PRESS: RUSSIAN/ITALIAN ALLIANCE REESTABLISHED; SEVASTOPOL EMPTY ITALIANS AGREE WITH CZAR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow (PRAVDA) --- The Czar sent an urgent communique to Italy: I've reconsidered my defensive requirements. Since I'm bringing the southern fleets back (and I **AM**), to build additional forces in Sevastipol would be excessively paranoid, disturbingly threatening to you, and just downright nasty. So I'm not (as you can see). After looking at your orders last Fall as well as your press I have recognized that all of your actions have been in good faith towards our mutual benefit. Therefore my Berlin army and Baltic fleet have been ordered to escort your Munich army into Kiel this Spring. On related matters: 1. I recognize the possibility that my announcement last season of intended builds might have provoked you into press this season that is threatening to me. If that has happened I intend to overlook it and follow through as stated here. 2. I'll pull my army out of Galicia this Spring. Please reestablish our prior neutral zone in both Galicia and Silesia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Naples (AP) --- In a public statement, the Beatles have announced that an agreement has been reached with the Czar. With this in mind, the state has issued a current "action item" list, this includes: Monitoring the activity in the Balkans. The Russians should be engineering a pullout. Under proposal is a dramatic withdrawal of all forces except the Russian fleets from the area. Maintaining the status quo w.r.t. the current German conflict while the Russians presumably re-group on this front. The status of Galicia has been confirmed as a neutral zone, and the Russians have been permitted to use Silesia as a staging ground. The French front has dug in, and is expected wait for changes in the French front line. The Italian armada commander has noted the Russian presence in the Atlantic and has asked for a dialogue about Russian assistance in "turning the corner" as the case may be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MANHATTAN: Spring 1909 ---France-----------------------------------Germany---------------------------- A SPA S (A Bur - Mar) |A HOL S (A Ruh - Bel) CUT (Nts) A BUR - Mar FAIL |A RUH - Bel CUTS A GAS S (A Spa H) |F LON - Nts FAIL F MID - Wme FAIL |---Italy------------------------------ F POR S (F Ech - Mid) |A BOH S (A Tyl - Mun) F ECH - Mid BOUNCE (NAf) |A BUD - Vie FAIL ---Russia-------------------------------|A SER - Bud FAIL A UKR S (A Gal - Rum) |A MUN - Kie FAIL A Den - KIE |A PIE S (A Mar H) A BUL - Ser FAIL |A MAR S GER (A Ruh - Bur) NSO A BER S (A Den - Kie) |A VIE - Tyl FAIL A Gal - RUM |A TYL - Mun FAIL A StP - NWY |F NAF - Mid BOUNCE (Ech) A War - SIL |F WME S (F NAf - Mid) F Aeg - ION |F GOL S (A Mar H) F SKA - Nts FAIL |---England---------------------------- F Con - AEG |F BEL S GER (A Hol H) CUT (Ruh) F Nwg - NAT |-------------------------------------- F NTS - Hol CUTS | F BAL S (A Den - Kie) | ----------------------------------------- POSITIONS: England: 1 F Bel France: 6 A Spa Bur Gas F Mid Por Ech Germany: 3 A Hol Ruh F Lon Italy: 11 A Boh Bud Ser Mun Pie Mar Vie Tyl F NAf Wme GoL Russia: 13 A Ukr Kie Bul Ber Rum Nwy Sil F Ion Ska Aeg NAt Nts Bal PRESS: FRENCH CONGRATULATE CZAR CZAR OVERTHROWN; COMMANDER IVAN DECLARES INTENTION TO RULE THE WORLD! BRITISH REVERSE TACTICS ELVIS SEEN IN POSH MALL!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PARIS (Le Monde) -- French President Clouseau wired a congratulatory message today to the Czar for his impending conquest of Europe. "It's only a matter of time now before all of Europe is united under Russian rule," said the President. "Of course we Frenchmen would prefer to govern ourselves, but if we must subject ourselves to foreign rule, we'd much rather it be to Russia than to Italy. I couldn't stomach the idea of falling under the command of the new Italian government, which has displayed nothing but utter stupidity and an inability to count to 18 since taking over from the previous Italian regime, which was afflicted with those same shortcomings." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow (PRAVDA) --- Deep in the lower levels of the Imperial Palace ... aka the dungeon ... walks the Czar of All Russia ... with an armed escort. "Et tu, Ivan?" he says dejectedly to Commander NaTrump. "I'm afraid so, my old friend. The armed forces just couldn't let you go through with your plan to divide the world with the Italians. Not when we're so close to complete control ourselves. Our boys want the fruits of victory and conquest all to themselves." "But I've promised to keep an alliance with them. They've been good friends for many years. It's just not right to stab them in the back." "C'est la guerre, Your Excellency. That's your problem ... your damn code of honor." The thick wooden door then swung closed upon the Czar. "I too have some loyalty to friends", added Commander Ivan while walking away. "Out of respect for the help we received from the British before your mistaken alliance with Italy, I've ordered the North Atlantic fleet to distract the German army in Holland from their support against the fleet in Belgium. That should help England to survive in the short term, and I'll re-install them in their homeland in a few years." "Wait! WAIT!!" called the Czar. "I'm your leader. I can rule the world. Just follow me!" But there was noone to hear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mobile Foreign Office (Soleil) --- The PM, thinking of nothing better to do, decided to support their poor, impoverished German allies/enemies during this sorry time of our joint demise. The PM stated that this support would not cease until it was impossible or impracticable to give. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Long Beach (CAL) --- The King was seen again today in Long Beach. Mary Thompson said Elvis passed her in the "Shop-Rite" mall as she was in the record store. She says he was checking on his display there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GM Notes: The press says it all. Except for Russia, nobody seems to be going anywhere. Summer press is due Monday. We also have a proposal for a Russian win. Please vote on it. MANHATTAN: Summer 1909 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ no retreats PRESS: ENGLISH STILL HANGING IN THERE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mobile Foreign Office (Soleil) --- The estranged PM sent his congratulations and condolences to the Czar yesterday, and meekly inquired as to the likelihood of the Kipper `n' Vodka parties of old being once more placed upon the political agenda. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GM NOTES: I didn't get much press. :-) Fall 1909 orders are due this Friday. I'll put out the move early if I get them before then. The proposal for the Russian win failed. MANHATTAN: Fall 1909 RUSSIA RULES!!!! ---France-----------------------------------Germany---------------------------- A SPA S (A Gas - Mar) |A HOL S (A Ruh - Kie) A BUR S (A Gas - Mar) |A RUH - Kie FAIL (3:3) A Gas - MAR |F Lon - NTS F MID S (A Spa H) |---Italy------------------------------ F POR S (A Spa H) |A BOH S (A Mun H) F ECH S (F Mid H) |A BUD - Rum CUTS ---Russia-------------------------------|A SER - Gre BOUNCE (1:2) A UKR S (A Rum H) |A MUN S GER (A Ruh - Kie) A KIE H |A Pie - VEN A BUL S (F Aeg - Gre) |A Mar H FAIL (Ret. ???) A BER S (A Kie H) |A VIE - Gal BOUNCE (Sil) A RUM S (A Sil - Gal) CUT (Bud) |A TYL S (A Mun H) A NWY H |F NAf - TUN A SIL - Gal BOUNCE (Vie) |F Wme - TYS F Ion - NAP |F GoL - TUS F Ska - DEN |---England---------------------------- F Aeg - GRE |F BEL S GER (A Hol H) F NAt - LVP |-------------------------------------- F Nts - EDI | F BAL S (A Kie H) | ----------------------------------------- Italian A Mar can retreat to Pie or it may choose to disband. POSITIONS: England: 1 F Bel France: 6 A Spa Bur Mar F Mid Por Ech Germany: 3 A Hol Ruh F Nts Italy: 11 A Boh Bud Ser Mun Ven Pie Vie Tyl F Tun Tys Tus Russia: 13 A Ukr Kie Bul Ber Rum Nwy Sil F Nap Den Gre Lvp Edi Bal SUPPLY CENTERS:(New in caps, old in parens) England: 1 Bel France: 5 Par, Bre, Spa, Por, (Edi), (Lvp), MAR Germany: 2 (Kie), Lon, Hol Italy: 8 Ven, Rom, (Nap), Tun, Vie, Tri, Bud, Ser, (Gre), (Mar), Mun Russia: 18 War, Mos, Sev, StP, Rum, Ank, Smy, Bul, Con, Swe, Nwy, Ber, Den, KIE, NAP, GRE, LVP, EDI PRESS: CZAR RELEASED FROM PRISON -- PROCLAIMED EMPEROR OF THE WORLD FRENCH PRESIDENT CLOUSEAU WINS "PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES" AWARD ENGLISH MEEKLY SEEK SUPPORT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow (PRAVDA) --- The Czar of All Russia was released from his "room" in the lower levels of the Imperial Palace today and given a parade through downtown Moscow. "I hope you understand and forgive me, my old friend," said the Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, "but this war was really dragging on and your insistence on cooperation with Italy would have kept it going for many more years. This way there's a quick ending and you have now been proclaimed 'Emperor of the World'." "Well," countered a visibly cheerful albeit slightly undernourished Czar, "I guess it's hard to stay mad at someone who helped to elevate me to this new position. All is forgiven. In fact I plan to give you the new position of Commander of the National Police Force. You realize, of course, that the entire world is now a part of the Russian nation. Oh, yes. I've also got a few others in mind for the new ruling body. There's a Mrs. Mopp in London who has shown some quite remarkable insight into the workings of intergovernmental relations. Let's track her down and appoint her Chief Liason to our regional Governors. And there's President Clouseau of France who I'd like for the new Secretary of the Treasury. He's really impressed me with his abilities for counting up to 18. Skills like that are rare indeed. And perhaps most important, send someone into our new Italian territory. Remember that stunt in which our fleet in Constantinople was lured out into the Aegean Sea. I'd like to find the people who pulled that one off. Anyone able to create illusions of that calibre would be excellent for public relations work! ... Well ... let's get started on our new tax and royalty programs ... " ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow (PRAVDA) --- The Czar responded promptly to President Clouseau of France, the first world leader to congratulate him on his accession to the role of Emperor of the World: Sir. Thank you for your kind congratulatory message. I'm sure we can work something out so that the people of France can be governed most directly by their traditional leaders. Of course you would have to represent Us and maintain a regular flow of tax receipts. And of course there would be a complete demilitarization of the French people, except for small law enforcement needs. And of course "barbeque" would have to be re-introduced to French cuisine in honor of my friend, the late Joe Bob of Italy. And of course the education system would have to evolve to the teaching of the Russian language and history to all entering children. I'm sure this could all be handled under your capable leadership. But there was something else in your message that I find quite offensive and must take issue with. You had the nerve ... the NOIVE .. to call my Italian allies, both recent and historic, stupid. I judge that a dose of humility is in order ... and I intend to assume the role of DOCTOR and try to administer it!!! First a word of defense for my "buddies" in Italy. Your criticism of the new Italian regime has some merit, but is unjustly harsh. Perhaps they should have been more cautious about my sneaking through with a grab of 18 centers, but let's not forget that we ALL get taken in by convincing press and distracting actions (in this case the Russian build of an army in StP). Some of us are more susceptible to trickery than others, but we're all capable of dropping our guard at the wrong time. In this case there was a new regime that had a lot to adjust to while assuming control. To make a mistake under these circumstances does not require "utter stupidity", just some normal carelessness. Now ... moving on ... to your statement that the prior regime was equally "stupid". HUH????? I don't get it. I felt that they were a strong but VERY cautious ally, a constant threat, even going into 1909, and a continuous pain in the ARSE who could not be manipulated or deceived. I have only the utmost respect for that regime. Finally ... about your own desperate need to be humiliated (with the truth, only, I assure you) ... let's get on with the show ... (two caveats: 1. If you're a replacement for an original France, this obviously doesn't "fit", but it's a fun story so I'll tell it anyway; 2. Please keep a sense of humor -- even though this is a story of how you were snookered, and is intended to "chastise" you for calling another player stupid, it really is intended in good spirits!! ... if we can't laugh at our own foibles we're in sorry shape :-) The Time: Winter of 1900. The Place: Moscow. The Scene: Discussion in the War Planning Room. "So we want to focus our forces on the Balkans. How can we (1) muck up the works in western Europe in general to keep EVERYONE from getting their act together, and (2) make sure England doesn't have the ability to attack us in the North? The Answer: Get France to attack England. Send Black Press from England inviting Italy to bring country cuisine into France. And send press from Germany inviting France to join an alliance with Germany against England." The Result: France moves into the Channel as well as moving ALL forces northward, pissing off England. Germany tries to invade France, bounces with army from Marseilles in Burgundy. French press calls on Germany to move together in attack on England. Success! (from the Russian perspective). "Well, OK," you (France) may respond, "so I fell for your black press. Big ... deal! That happens to everyone." That was just the prelude ... Scene Two ... Moscow War Planning Room, Summer of 1901. "Hmmm. The Rules have changed. No more Black Press. Only Grey Press. Can we maintain confusion in western Europe a little longer? The Answer: Sure ... some Grey Press from Germany to France: << I'm SOOOOO embarrassed ... communications misunderstanding ... I really REALLY want to ally with France ... I'll support you hither and thar ... I'll wash your royal feet ... >> and just to add to the feelings of the moment, some Grey Press announcing that France is closing down all the English restaurants ... will Italy keep promise now and help England?" Back in the War Room, "We" really didn't think you would fall for it. In fact this is the heading that accompanied the press release to the GM: <<Hail, Lord Valentine! / A wager ... can France be convinced to trust Germany again? ... I think not, but can't resist the effort ... ("Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice ...")>> But of course you DID fall for it ... hook, line, and sinker as the saying goes. The French army in Picardy tried to take Belgium WITHOUT the support of the E.Channel fleet, and was repelled by the Germans; the French fleet went on an embarrassing expedition to Wales, where it did nothing but grovel to the British and vow revenge against Germany; and Burgundy was successfully invaded by Germany! To top it off, your actions also provided the incentive for England to ally with Russia and give me an escort into Denmark!! I've got to tell you, Mister President Clouseau of France, for someone who is so skillful at counting up to 18 ... you sure were duped BIG- TIME ... and sure were in a mess by the end of 1901!!! So ... to conclude ... there are two morals to this story ... 1. It's a lot easier to recognize a scam being foisted upon someone else than it is to see it happening to yourself. Con artists have taken advantage of this fact for thousands of years. 2. People Who Live In Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones. (Whoops! Re-reading this, it sounds a little harsh. Let me state again, mon ami, that it is intended as a good-natured "dig".) Your humble servant, The Emperor of the World ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mobile Foreign Office (Soleil) --- "Heeeeeeeelp! HELP! HELP! PANIC!". "Somebody please call this war off, I want to LIVE!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GM Notes: Yes, Russia won. Closing statements are welcome, and are due by this Friday. They look to be interesting! (I seem to have cut off a couple of good discussions by ending the game. :-) Players names will follow later. MANHATTAN: Final press. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PLAYERS: England: rb1%ukc.ac.uk@earn-relay.ac.uk France: ferguson@ncsa.uiuc.edu 74270.2276@compuserve.com Austria: van@ocsmd.ocs.com Germany: yaj@wdl1.wdl.fac.com Italy: vick@cs.yale.edu tylock@ektools.kodak.com Russia: stevea@pucc.princeton.edu Turkey: hvaisane@ujocs.joensuu.fi GM: tedward@cs.cornell.edu PRESS: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Tylock: I would also like to congratulate the Czar for a job well done. Yes I was duped, and I acknowledge that I fell for it hook line and sinker. But, I don't believe I had much choice. One of my mistakes was blatently changing rulership. I realize now that if I were a long time ally of a player that was replaced, I would not feel much of that to carry over... So, I came in attempting to build on the Russian alliance. Soooo, that rules out my backstabbing him. Who is left? France. Given the response France made, it was clear to me that I would win or lose if I could get through the french lines or not. You should notice that Russia only took 2 centers from me. I can even handle that, the first couple are easy, after that... But, given France's giving the centers to Russia, the Czar could have won even if he did not attack me - London and Holland could go in the next year without much fuss. All the Czar had to do was not help me by France. So when I received enough pats on the back from the Czar, I was only too eager to share in his success. Even seeing the end near, France still did nothing to stop it... I will have to remember that ploy though, the illusion seemed quite real... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Steve Albin FROM THE CZAR OF ALL RUSSIA First, thanks to you all for a really enjoyable game, and especially to Lord Valentine for running it. Oh ... so much to say ... but it's been so long since we had our exciting early years that it's SOOOO hard to remember ... not to mention all these other demands that are pulling me away from my efforts to spend time composing this ... An aside ... sort of ... this was my first Dip game except for one board game in 1977 and several seasons of a Gunboat game called SASHIMI that started about a month before this and was cancelled by the GM very early ... with me having a strong start as Russia! ... any of you in that game? ... anyway this is not totally irrelevant ... the fact that I'm new to this probably played a role in my abundance of early press, since I thought that would be the norm and didn't want to start at a disadvantage. That's probably a good place to begin. It's my impression that there was very little black press, or even grey press, at the beginning. I find that very surprising. I thought (and still believe) that black press would be critical to setting up an initial alliance in a Gunboat game, as well as helping to mold world relations and confusion. I suspect that much of Russia's success was a direct result of both black and grey press. Last season I mentioned the black press that I designed to keep France and England as enemies. One addendum about my manipulation of that part of Europe. I followed it up with grey press from Germany to England, suggesting specific actions for an alliance (English support for Germany in Denmark and Lowlands; German return of favor to England in Brest and Iberia). That was the first step in a "straw man" argument that enabled me to advise England not to trust Germany because the help requested was all short-term while the help promised would be several years later. I was able to reinforce that argument by pointing out that Germany had already broken many promises to France (which of course was untrue -- they were MY promises in Germany's name). From the continuous confusion and distrust in western Europe, I think my black and grey press were all highly successful (he says while patting himself on the back :-), with no trusting alliance there during all 9 game years. During the start of relations among Russia, Turkey, and Austria I also used a fair bit of black press. Someone published a quick piece of press that I had difficulty interpreting, but I sort of thought that it would encourage Austrian-Turkish cooperation. So I decided that strong action was needed to head that off. Here's what I did: I sent black press from Austria to Russia suggesting that we chase those damn Turks away from Europe (and "civilized peoples" to make it more insulting). Since the Austrian ruler had not yet been declared I created the name King Wilhelm I to make it more believable (sorry, Austria, yes, that was me who crowned you with that God-awful name). I sent press from Russia to Turkey suggesting cooperation at the same time. I then moved Spring 1901 against Austria and in a way that was certain to reaassure Turkey of my desired non-aggression. Along with the move I sent TWO messages from Moscow to Austria. One was to Austria agreeing to kick those damn Turks out of Europe. It was written in a way to make sure that Turkey concluded it was "black" press, presumably written by either Italy or Austria, and clearly intended to head off Russian-Turkish cooperation. The other note was also "to" Austria, but written for Turkey's direct consumption. It was written so that, along with that season's moves, it could only be seen as legitimate press from the Czar. It made clear that I rejected the "offer" to ally with Austria against Turkey and repeated my proposal for Russian-Turkish alliance. My objective with the Spring press and moves, along with some reinforcing press in the Summer of 1901, was to lead Turkey to the inescapable conclusion that Russia was the only ally available. I think I succeeded in "drawing that tapestry" on Turkey's mind. To Austria ==> Sorry that I was against you from the start, and that I never even attempted to talk to you. It was (1) because of my belief that a strong aggressive start was important in Gunboat, and (2) that the initial press suggesting Turkish-Austrian cooperation scared me. To Turkey ==> I had not intended to stab you (or at least not until we had conquered most of the world together, if at all). The reason I did was your very passive move in Fall 1901. While Italy was moving forward you sat still without even trying to move towards Greece. I decided at that point that Italy would be a stronger ally than you, and that your trust would create an initial opportunity for this successful early stab. To both Turkey and Austria ==> Yes. Twas I who authored the Keystone Kops monologue when you both supported each others attacks on me but neither actually attacked ... just couldn't resist :-) To Italy (the replacement) ==> Thanks for helping to keep the game alive to its finish. To Italy ==> You put out a lot of fun press, and were a good ally and pain-in-the-ass enemy all the way. I hope you enjoyed my mermaid press in response to your very well planned trap. By the way, I DID see the possibility of that exact trap. But I had no better combination of moves available and decided that if you had the skill to plan it, which I suspected, and the balls to go through with it, which I wasn't so sure of, then you deserved its success. Also, thank you for accepting my temporary groveling and working with me to get back on track quickly. To England ==> I'll be damned if I can figure out what happened, and why you stabbed me when you did. It seemed to be your own suicide -- it was done in a way so that neither France nor Germany could then trust you. And it was at a time when I was under pressure in the south and would have probably given you Scandinavia to form a "more equal" alliance if you requested it. I really did think you were my one "true ally", and intended to work with you till the end (while looking for an opportunity to stab Italy!). To Germany ==> Well, we barely communicated (directly). Circumstances simply weren't there. C'est la guerre. To France ==> I hope you're still smiling, after my "digs" last season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Endgame comments by deposed Italian monarch Elvis and deposed Pope Joe Bob I: Whew... I'm SO sick of writing press as "Pope Joe Bob I" and "King Elvis" and their spokespeople, that I'm just going to do this like a normal human being... First of all, I want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed the game and want to again apologize for causing more than my fair share of delays (for which I was rightly replaced). I've been loosely following the game since then, and was sad to see the new Italian regieme fail, but glad to see the on-again-off-again ally, Russia, succeed. A few comments... Russia: First, let me reciprocate your comments: you also were a VERY cautious ally and a continuous pain in the ARSE who I spent most of the game planning my moves around. For at least the first half of the game, your cautiousness-bordering-on-paranoia was a constant problem for me and tended to drive me batty ever so often. Ironically, however, your caution and belligerance forced me in many situations to play better than I usually do--to, in many cases, say "oh, f--k it..." and do something that was somewhat risky but, due to luck or fate, seemed to mostly work out. This was the case your self-fulfilling prophecy of an imminent backstab: I was actually telling the truth when I said that I had not seriously contemplated an attack on you until YOU YOURSELF suggested it so loudly. I'm glad to see that I caused you as much trouble as you caused me and I want to give you a little piece of advice: sometimes it can pay to be a little more trusting and a little less calculating! I guess we will never know what would have transpired had I stayed in command of my country--perhaps it would have ended the way it did, perhaps differently. I still was committed to finding a common solution between us, something that would have taken longer but still was feasible, I think. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed playing against you, and I have a great respect for your playing ability--it was fun playing both with and against you! In response to the French criticisms, I have a few general things to say about the pre-replacement Italian strategy. As usual, my beginning strategy was very weak: I floundered around between attacking Austria or Turkey, which should explain a few silly things I did early on (like missing the Austrian secession of Greece). Once Russia had managed to pounce on Austria and began to threaten Turkey, however, I began to seriously look for some help, not trusting the Czar at all. Both Germany and France were uninterested in helping out in any sort of joint venture, and so I was stuck with either trusting Russia or throwing my lot in with the two losing powers. I gambled on the losing powers after the Czar's statement that he was convinced I was going to attack him, and managed to fight to a stalemate. However, as France and Germany continued to be uninterested in working with me (concentrating on England and the North Sea) I was forced to pull out and conclude a treaty with Russia. What then? Russia was out and France looked difficult, so Germany was the logical choice. Russian help failed to materialize, indicating that the Czar seemed to be leaving me to beat my head on a wall while he conquered in the north. France, for whatever reason, refused to help me attack Germany--help which would have swept us through the continent, possibly forcing a three-way draw or Russia's defeat. So, naturally, I took the easiest path: I attacked France. This gave me some centers and stalemated me again. HOWEVER, at this point Russia began to come through and things began to look like it would end in a joint Russo-Italian win. By this point, France's overtures of peace were way too late--the chance was gone, and unfortunately, soon I would be too. So, to my French detractors, I have this to say: Perhaps I didn't always make the best decisions (who does?), but with the options presented I did the best that I could... and I'm damn satisfied with that. Besides, Italy STILL managed to count higher than France ever did. ;-) <Sigh> But enough justification for what I did and didn't do. Actually, the most fun I had in the game (beside the trick played on Russia... ;-) ) was writing the press, which sometimes was good and sometimes sucked but was always interesting to me. I hope at least some people enjoyed it--I think press serves to embellish what can be, at times, an unspontaneous game ("Ok, maybe in a couple of seasons, something will happen to break this deadlock..."). This marks my retirement from Diplomacy for a while (my turns weren't late for no reason at all), but hopefully I'll see everyone in some other game when the demands of being a college student ease up (if ever). It was fun! Ciao! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GM NOTES: Gotta go, so I'll make it quick. Thanks for being a great group and sending me all the juicy press. :-) Congratulations to the Czar for pulling a solo win! Up