GAME END STATEMENT: RUSSIA<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
I am really thrilled to have won this game. I have played Diplomacy by mail for around 30 years, but have never had a solo win. Now in my first email based game, I get the win. Maybe my luck has finally changed. On the other hand, I don’t think I have ever told so many lies in a single game, and my conscience is in shreds. Sorry everybody.
The game went well from the start. I was able to convince both Italy and Turkey to join me in an attack on Austria. Poor Austria- there was nothing he could do to save himself and despite a good fight we overwhelmed him very quickly. In 1902 I had to make the decision who to work with next. My head said Turkey and my heart said Italy. I followed my head and chose wrong as Rachel completely messed up the stab on Italy. Our surprise attack on Serbia went horribly wrong, leaving us with an irate and unscathed Italian. That was the start of the hard diplomacy. I had to win back the trust of Stjepan and was lucky that he was incredibly far sighted and forgiving. Thus began the grand R-I alliance. My stab on Rachel was incredibly satisfying, not least because of her irate response. How I chuckled over those reproachful emails... Together Italy and I were able to subdue her easily.
To the north, things were not looking so good. From the start of the game, my relations with England and Germany were not good, but I didn’t worry too much as I expected their war with France to tie them up for a while. It was surprising to see that although they had 2v1 they could not make progress against France, and really shocking to see how England allowed a French fleet to break and take first Lpl and then Edi. It soon became apparent that Michael was calling the shots in the E-G alliance and that he had an unhealthy ob session with Scandinavia. This was his ultimately his undoing. If E-G had stuck to their task, France would have been defeated and I would have had a harder job. Drew was someone they could not afford to let off the hook. In my view he was the best player in this game.
The first great turning point in the game was the formation of an unlikely F-E-G alliance in spring 1904. The plans made by Stjepan and I took a bit of a hit in that season. This scared me to death as the potential for the evil triumvirate to sweep R-I aside was great. Diplomacy time again. Somehow I convinced E & G that working with F would just hand the game to Drew on a plate. I don’t know why they bought this idea as it had no solid foundation, but they did and stabbed France. However, I was still left with hostile units all over Scandinavia and StP in a position where it could not be saved. The F-E-G alliance was broken, but E &G were really in no mood to be active allies of mine.
Then came the miracle of 1905. I made some deals with E and G, where remarkably (and again inexplicably) they were to pull back from my gates. The deadline came and went and there was no adjudication. I then told Germany that I had broken the deal. This provoked outrage from England and so to save the alliance I innocently suggested that we copied each other in on our emails to Warren giving our orders, as a tool to promote trust between us. I duly waited for E-G orders to pop into my inbox and, rather evilly, calmly took 2 centres off them. At the same time Italy pushed England out of Tunis and France took Brest. England -4 sc in one season- an amazing result.
With E & G neutered and France working alone, the decision on whether to stick with Italy loomed large. In Fall 1905, Stjepan had the chance to hit me and chose not to. This was another critical turning point. To be fair, I don’t think Italy could really have won. He might have grabbed an sc from me, but I could have held him there and worked with France to stop the win. We’d have ended with a three way draw. With this let off, my chance came. I think my stab on Italy was a thing of beauty. Perfect timing, perfectly disguised. From the moment I launched it I knew I was unstoppable. I took 13 sc in just 3 years and that was that.
Thanks to everyone who played and to Warren, for a great game. Special thanks to Stjepan for being such a great ally for most of the game and to Drew for some very entertaining correspondence.
Simon




Professor Simon Langley-Evans
Chair in Human Nutrition
School of Biosciences
University of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington
Loughborough
LE12 5RD

Tel: 0115 951 6139
Fax: 0115 951 6122

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail


From: Warren Fleming [mailto:alwayshunted(at)hotmail.com]
Sent: Wed 25/03/2009 05:58
To: 217 Austria; 217 Germany; 217 Russia `; 217 England; 217 France; 217 Turkey; 217 Italy; dc217(at)diplomaticcorp.com
Cc: Trout.; Stephen Lytton
Subject: DC 217, Fall 1907


Hey folks,

Well, again no orders from Italy, or Germany this time. I suppose it is mostly irrelevant at this point, but they still count as nmrs at the club site. We have a solo winner, with Russia finishing at 21 supply centers after 1907. Quite a convincing win, congratulations Simon.

I enjoyed watching this one unfold. Thanks to all of you for mostly getting your orders in and keeping the game moving along.

Here is fall:

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England:
F Liverpool - Irish Sea

France:
A Belgium Supports A Holland
A Burgundy Supports A Ruhr
F English Channel - London
A Holland Supports A Ruhr
F North Atlantic Ocean - Liverpool
A Picardy Supports A Burgundy
A Ruhr Supports A Holland
F Wales Supports F North Atlantic Ocean - Liverpool

Germany:
F Yorkshire, no move received

Italy:
F Aegean Sea, no move received
F Albania, no move received
A Greece, no move received (*Disbanded*)
F Naples, no move received
A Piedmont, no move received
F Tyrrhenian Sea, no move received
A Venice, no move received

Russia:
F Black Sea - Bulgaria(ec)
A Bohemia - Tyrolia
A Bulgaria - Greece
F Constantinople Supports F Black Sea - Bulgaria(ec)
F Denmark Supports A Kiel
A Kiel Supports A Munich
A Munich Supports A Kiel
F North Sea - Edinburgh
F Norway - North Sea
F Norwegian Sea Supports F North Sea - Edinburgh
A Serbia Supports A Bulgaria - Greece
A Silesia Supports A Munich
A Smyrna Hold
A Trieste Supports A Bohemia - Tyrolia
A Vienna Supports A Trieste
A Warsaw - Galicia

Status:

Game over. Russian solo victory.
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I've attached the .gif file for your info.

Thanks again,

Warren