It was fascinating watching the game progress even after I was eliminated. The level of play was significantly higher than I have seen in my limited time playing on DC. The use of press was something that I was unaccustomed to and had not experienced in any other game on DC except in a very limited sense. While I found it enjoyable it was not something I was terribly experienced with. My one attempt promptly received a caustic remark from the observer so I figured I'd just stick to what I knew and left the press to the pros.

I found the initial set up for Sweden frustrating. While the set up is historical, Sweden is pretty much locked into only two paths of advance. With only 2 SC's to begin the game with I am very limited in my ability to get the critical 3rd SC. Forming alliances with your neighbors is pretty easy, but getting them to give up an SC isn't. With only two units, the ability to forcibly take that SC is very slim.

My initial plan was to try and keep Denmark and Russia on good terms while hopping the Baltic and taking an SC on the southern coast and expand from there hopefully moving forward with Russia against Prussia. Russia immediately took the need for my fleet to be in the Baltic as a threat and forced me to take an aggressive stance against him. Fortunately, the alliance with Denmark stuck and we were able to coordinate against Russia. After several turns of stalemate, though, Denmark did what any sensible player would and took over the management of my SC's for me to show me how it should be done. I can see where Sweden has a fair chance of success, but I think the position needs a player with more skill than I have at the moment.

Thanks for the great game guys!

Kurt