I like to give myself as many options as possible in a new game. The GAR was discussed early, but I would have preferred the EG alliance had it been possible (after the GF was very obviously not happening). Had england been willing to work against the french, I would have gone that route instead. It was only as the EF came to light that I threw myself solidly in with the GAR. As we saw in this game, a GAR is worse for the G than it it for the AR. Austria and Russia can take on turkey right away, but Russia can't immediately help against England, and can't help at all vs france. Not to diminish Russia's help, which is the only thing that kept me alive, but I just wanted to point out that, at least for me, the GAR wasn't a sure thing until the full EF was clear.

John


Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:43:47 +0000
From: rick_powell_2000(at)yahoo.com
Subject: Re: dc407 Austrian EOG
To: psychosis(at)sky.com; untitled36(at)hotmail.com; jerome777(at)ymail.com; john.robillard(at)telia.com; derekthefeared2(at)yahoo.com; hurup(at)pc.dk; nephilli99(at)hotmail.com
CC: blitz(at)diplomaticcorp.com

Ah as I suspected.. Germany's claim that the alliance came later in the game was a bit disingenuous.. you guys were allied from the start (which was a rumour I had previously heard).
Guess I never stood much of a chance then lol..
Note to self.. dont bother playing games that are stacked against you before you write your first word  ;-(
 



From: Michael Thompson <psychosis(at)sky.com>
To: John R <untitled36(at)hotmail.com>; WB 2011 england 1 <jerome777(at)ymail.com>; "john.robillard(at)telia.com" <john.robillard(at)telia.com>; Trolls <derekthefeared2(at)yahoo.com>; wb 2 2010 turkey <hurup(at)pc.dk>; "nephilli99(at)hotmail.com" <nephilli99(at)hotmail.com>; England WB 2012 <rick_powell_2000(at)yahoo.com>
Cc: "blitz(at)diplomaticcorp.com" <blitz(at)diplomaticcorp.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 20 March 2012, 13:12
Subject: dc407 Austrian EOG


Not got a huge amount to say beyond that which has been outlined by Germany - he approached me early on to agree we wouldn't attack each other, and my inherent belief that Turkey and Austria can never be solid allies for long was already leading me to work with Russia to knock out Turkey.  As such the three way alliance started early on in the game, albeit with some slight misdirection to try and convince others that Russia and I were at loggerheads.  The alliance was solid throughout the game.  I wavered at one point, and almost flipped sides to work with Turkey against Russia, only changing my mind 15 minutes before the deadline and share with Russia the Turkish moves, which accelerated Turkish decline.  For the first few years of the game I was on good terms with Italy, but he gradually realised that no good was coming of Turkey being knocked out by Russia and I, and after Turkey was gone it was a matter of time
before his demise.
 
I suspect like Germany and Russia I considered whether I could make a dash for a solo, and also considered whether one of them could as well.  I think Russia had the best shot, but he stayed with the alliance, which his to his credit.
 
Didn't have a great deal of communication with England and France (none at all from France from memory)
 
I think if the other four powers had figured out what was going on a bit earlier, then they could have stopped us, whcih would have made for an interesting scenario. I get the impression that communication between the other four wasn't all it could have been - in addition, pretty much every player noted that communication with France was very poor.
 
Overall, happy with a three way - it's a tournament, so it sets each of us up in good stead for Round 2.  Suggestions that a three way isn't an achievement if agreed from the start doesn't wash for me - it just so happened that an alliance developed in the first year lasted through to the end of the game.  I didn't see any good opportunities to stab and shoot for a solo or a two way, so there wasn't exactly much incentive for me to break the alliance. 
 
Michael



From: John R <untitled36(at)hotmail.com>
To: WB 2011 england 1 <jerome777(at)ymail.com>; john.robillard(at)telia.com; Trolls <derekthefeared2(at)yahoo.com>; wb 2 2010 turkey <hurup(at)pc.dk>; nephilli99(at)hotmail.com; AUstria wb2012 <psychosis(at)sky.com>; England WB 2012 <rick_powell_2000(at)yahoo.com>
Cc: blitz(at)diplomaticcorp.com
Sent: Monday, 19 March 2012, 21:43
Subject: dc407 German EOG


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I started the blitz with the grand plan to blitz England with France's help, and hopefully get Russia to at least bounce England in Norway, making it a simple, quick conquest. After the fall of England, France would sweep into the med while I rolled East, and eventually we would have a two way GF draw, or maybe I could even earn the solo. That was the great plan. The issue was France would barely talk to me, much less commit to any such alliance. If fact, it became clear he was out to get me. In the process of negotiations, I found I enjoyed chatting with England, and I proposed my second great plan, Work with England Vs France. However, England was far more concerned about Russia, and was unwilling to intervene on the continent. So that was strike two. Meanwhile, I'd hit it off with Russia. We knew each other from a previous Haven Variant. In that game we were enemies, and I tried to get him to betray his allies then, and he wouldn't do it,
so I pegged him as a good potential ally for this game. I also favorable contact with Austria, so the three of us formed the GAR alliance. Austria and I had the general dmz, so mainly we just watched each other's back, while Russia worked with both us us in the north and south. As a side note here, I initially had good discussions with Italy, but at the crucial moment Italy went east to help Turkey instead of moving west to help vs france. So I essentially felt it was Me vs E/F with my only possible salvation being Russia. As the game moved on, and Russia kept growing while I was locked in mortal combat with France, I feared Russia would stab, but I didn't really have any other option than to trust him. I had the proverbial tiger by the tail, and I had to hold on for dear life. Eventually, though, I began to grow, and by that point the game was pretty well done. I got some flak from a couple players about "settling" for the 3 way. For me, I'm just
tickled to have survived. As a German with antagonistic French and aloof English, I wasn't sure I'd pull through. I think only Russia really had the opportunity to solo this one. I figure he was afraid Austria and I would team up and defeat him. Or maybe he was just that much of a team player. I feel like I did the best I could with the hand dealt to me, and I'm proud to "settle" for the 3 way. It was a good game, and a textbook example of a GAR alliance. Thanks to Austria and Russia for the Alliance. it was a very very smooth alliance. We never had any major dispute. Sometimes we discussed various possibilities for orders, but it was never heated or strained (at least as far as I know!). Good game guys! I'd mentioned enjoyed my talks with England and Italy, and essentially, they and I just had different goals. I barely talked with Turkey, but I knew he was a high-ranked player, so seeing him eliminated early was a load off my mind. I wasn't sure until
the very end that he wouldn't find a way to break the alliance. Thanks to our GM for a great game. As a blitz GM I know how much time this can take. You did well! John