As submitted by France:



------ Start of attached email. Subject: dc130 ~ Imperial1840: French EGS ------
When I came into this game, I was on the defensive. Austria had just attacked me, and Spain and Britain were in position to.
The first thing I did was try and find allies against Spain. I figured that if I could get some allies and attack him, he might be pushed back, before he could kick me out of South America.
Austria was open to the idea, right after he took Egypt. So I knew he was going to continue attacking me.
England was open to attacking as well, but, wanted me to attack first, and he would join me.
So I would have had to go it alone against a Spain that outnumbered me slightly on every front.
Or, I could work with Spain against Austria, and attack Britain. My eye was especially on India. This is what I chose, because then at least it would be two against two, instead of just me against Spain and Austria.
Spain played it very well. After my second move, I saw that he was in a position to take 5 of my centers one turn. I debated whether I would beg him to not do it, or say nothing and hope he missed it. I went with the latter, which proved to be a mistake. I just figured that if he was my ally, then I needed to do the moves we had discussed, and if he wasn't, then I was just staving off the inevitable, while fighting Austria and Britain, who I had just provoked.

My big mistake, though, came two turns later. I tried to get another alliance against Spain with Holland, Austria, Britain, the USA, and Russia, and it kind of worked, but not for nearly long enough. I knew, however, by this point that I only had one enemy. I was kicked out of Europe (except London), Asia, and the Pacific. I knew exactly what Spain's next move was going to be. He would convoy an army from Fortress South America to Africa. I saw that I couldn't cut the support Spain would give to the army, so I had to dislodge the fleet instead. I figured a way to dislodge the fleet while ceding no ground to Spain. I thought it was genius. I did not realize, however, that Spain's dislodged fleet could retreat into an open center of mine (I had moved to bounce the army being convoyed, even though I had disrupted the convoy, so that move was completely unnecessary). That caused me to lose a unit, and I could not offer a solid defense after that.
I slowly withered away into nothingness.

I did enjoy the agony of this game. Ever since I joined it, Spain was far and away the dominant power to stop, but I do not know how it was before.

Steve-Replacement France

Jerry: This is assuming that I don't come back to win the game. If I do, then obviously I will have a different EGS.


---------------------------------
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.

------ End of attached email ------