On a lighter note than usual, I happened to recollect the following cinematic gem over the weekend. It stars Captain Kirk (portraying an actor named William Shatner) from a movie called ???Free Enterprise???. It???s actually the very end of the movie. Good little film, especially if you like the classic Star Trek.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBpnyT4Vdtk

We have an end-game proposal for a three-way draw. Austria, Italy, Russia. All others survive. I suspect this one has an excellent chance to pass (*cough*). I???d just proclaim the draw outright, but my rules are inflexible, and we have to trudge through the bureaucratic formality of it all. Votes are due with the Spring 1909 orders.

It???s a quirky little season. Communication seems to be off a titch in the EFG alliance (witness the untaken support from England???s A Warsaw; Austria???s army in Galicia can breathe a sigh of relief). Still, England retakes Moscow. And France retakes Belgium (from England). And Germany retakes Holland (from France). So, Germany gets a build.

Russia sits on his hands. All units hold. In so doing, he takes a center from Italy (which as mentioned above, is taken in turn by England and handed on down to Germany). Russia also owns the only retreat. Army Moscow retreats to Sevastopol (there are no other non-disbanding options).

The Italian orders appear to be for parallel-universe Italy. One in which he has legitimate sea power. Normally, I would ask him to re-submit orders, but short of stabbing Austria, there is really very little he can do with those units in Tuscany and Rome. Therefore, I???m going to adjudicate with the set of orders as is.

So where does this leave us? Winter 1908. Orders due tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. CST. Germany builds a unit. Italy disbands a unit. The rest of you can work on your rap renditions of:

???Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.???

Austria: Supp 8 Unit 8 Build 0
England: Supp 8 Unit 8 Build 0
France: Supp 7 Unit 7 Build 0
Germany: Supp 5 Unit 4 Build 1
Italy: Supp 2 Unit 3 Remove 1
Russia: Supp 4 Unit 3 Build 0


Fall 1908 Adjudication

Austria (*Fails*):
a tyr-mun (*Fails*)
a vie-tyr (*Fails*)
a boh-sil (*Fails*)
a gal-war (*Fails*)
a gre-bul
f ion s f nap (*Cut*)
f nap s f ion
f alb-gre

England:
F Bal H
F Bar H
F Eng - MAO
A LVN S StP - Mos
F NRG H
A Pru S War
A StP - Mos
A War S Sil ??? Gal (*Void*)

France:
Fleet Aegean Sea Move To Smyrna (*Fails*)
Army Burgundy Move To Marseilles
Army Marsaielles Move To Spain
Army Ruhr move To Belgium
Fleet Tunis Support Tyrhennian Sea Move To Ionian Sea
Fleet Tyrhennian Sea Move To Ionian Sea (*Fails*)
Fleet Western Med Move To Gulf of Lyon

Germany:
A Ber S A Mun
F Hel - Hol
A Mun S A Sil (*Cut*)
A Sil S English A War (*Cut*)

Italy:
A Pie Holds
F Tyr to Gulf of Lyon (*No such unit*)
F Gulf of Lyon CONVOYS A Tus into Spain (*No such unit*)

Russia:
all units hold (*A Moscow dislodged*)