Hi guys,
it's been two seasons in a row that the Bourbons and German Habsburgs haven't come to blows. Now both share the same interests in the Rhineland and the Emperor has lessened the pressure on the French by marching his Lombard army down to the eternal city. What to make of these developments...?
In Italy we can witness the spectacle of the two lines of the House of Habsburg fighting against another. Family quarrels can be the worst...
Sweden seems to have found a new ally against the Poles (and Russians?). For Denmark has invaded the rzeczpospolita.
So much for war and peace around the continent.
I've tentatively scheduled our deadlines up until January. See below. No deadline from before Holy Eve until Silvester. New Year is on a Thursday so a suitable day for a winter deadline. Now, should you guys prefer that I push matters back until 8 January, let me know.
Anyway, we're now skipping summer and our next deadline's on 9 December.
Happy Dipping!
Charles
PLAYERS:
AUSTRIA: Samy Elias
DENMARK-NORWAY: Andrew Tanner
ENGLAND: George Atkins
FRANCE: Lynn Mercer POLAND-LITHUANIA: Wladimir Mysonski
RUSSIA: Leif Kjetil Tviberg
SPAIN: Ben Bratter
SWEDEN: Andras Vaski
TURKEY: Douglas Kent (abandoned by Bryan Laferriere in Fall 1652)
HEADLINES:
IMPERIAL TROOPS REENACT THE SACKING OF ROME OF 1527
AUSTRIANS AND FRENCH THWART DANISH AMBITIONS IN THE RHINELAND
DANES INVADE POLAND
ENGLISH ARMY LANDS IN BRITTANY
SPECIAL MISSION TAKES A FRENCH ARMY INTO LEON
MOLDAVIAN PRINCE ACKNOWLEDGES POLISH SUZERAINITY OVER HIS DOMINION
RUSSIANS BEGIN PINCER MOVEMENT TARGETTING TURKESTAN
SEVILLE REMAINS IN ENGLISH HANDS
STALEMATE IN AND AROUND THE BALTIC PROVINCES
TURKS READY FOR LAST STAND AGAINST THE CRUSADERS
ANONYMOUS PRESS: Athanasius Kircher, widely popular crackpot, priest, and polymath, is currently in the middle of publishing his Oedipus Aegyptiacus, a 4-volume study of the mysterious picture-writing of ancient Egypt. Dr. Kircher asserts that ancient Egyptian was spoken first by Adam and Eve and that Egyptian writing consists largely of symbols of occult significance whose meaning is open only to those who have undertaken the many years of study and experiment that he, alone, has managed. Kircher is now prepared to give private readings to interested parties who can provide a suitable donation to his Publish My Books charity.
Herr Kircher is also at work on the development of a cat clavichord (aka "Katzenklavier"), this correspondent was told. Though the design was not produced for publication, the Katzenklavier will consist of a standard keyboard and sound box containing cats capable of mewing in different pitches. When keys are struck, small nails will temporarily impact the tails of the cats, hopefully producing musical sounds. Cat donations have been pouring in from across the continent.
ENGLISH PRESS: London: England is abuzz with the news that Major General Oliver Cromwell has disbanded the "Rump" Parliament by force of arms, by which we mean loaded arms, as in muskets held by his soldiers. Apparently, Cromwell was impatient with the Parliament's bickering and inability to define a budget or get off their rumps and go home as they were supposed to. After ejecting the MPs and locking the doors---thereby dissolving Parliament---Cromwell and Company walked down the street closing down anything else that happened to be open, including the Council of State. With that Cromwell was done for the evening and retired to his modest mansion to plot further actions against Irish dissenters. Close advisers to Cromwell say that this sworn enemy of Monarchy and tyranny is in the process of hand-picking a new Parliament that will get things done the way he wants them done.
ORDERS:
Austria:
A Belgrade Supports A Bulgaria
A Franconia Supports A Saxony
A Hesse Supports A Rhineland
A Lombardy - Papal States
A Saxony Supports A Hesse
A Swabia Supports A Lombardy (*Fails*)
A Switzerland Supports A Swabia
A Tyrolia Supports A Switzerland
A Venice Supports A Lombardy - Papal States
Denmark-Norway:
A Brandenburg - Greater Poland
F Helgoland Bight Supports A Holstein - Lower Saxony (*Fails*)
A Holstein - Lower Saxony (*Fails*)
A Lower Saxony - Rhineland (*Fails*)
F Skagerrak - Christiania
F Stettin - Brandenburg
A United Provinces Supports A Lower Saxony - Rhineland
England:
F Brest - Cantabrian Sea
F Cantabrian Sea - Atlantic Ocean
F English Channel Convoys A London - Brest
F German Sea Hold
A Ireland Hold
A London - Brest
F Seville Supports F Brest - Cantabrian Sea (*Cut*)
France:
A Aragon - Leon
A Dauphine Supports A Lorraine
A Lorraine Supports A Rhineland
A Marseille Supports A Savoy
A Savoy Hold
Poland-Lithuania:
A Bulgaria Supports A Transylvania - Moldavia
A Samogitia - Courland (*Fails*)
A Transylvania - Moldavia
A Vilna Supports A Samogitia - Courland (*Cut*)
A Warsaw - Ducal Prussia (*Fails*)
Russia:
F Crimea - Armenia (*Bounce*)
A Damascus - Armenia (*Bounce*)
A Novgorod Hold
A Persia Hold
A Vitebsk - Polish Livonia (*Fails*)
A Voronezh - Moscow
Spain:
A Algiers - Morocco
F Barbary Sea - Seville (*Fails*)
F Ionian Sea Hold
F Naples Supports F Ionian Sea
F Papal States(wc) - Tuscany
Sweden:
F Baltic Sea Supports A Riga - Courland (*Fails*)
A Courland - Samogitia (*Fails*)
A Ducal Prussia Supports A Courland - Samogitia (*Cut*)
A Ingria Hold
A Polish Livonia - Vilna (*Fails*)
A Riga - Courland (*Fails*)
Turkey:
F Black Sea - Constantinople
A Constantinople - Karaman
A Karaman - Candia
Minor Powers:
A Moldavia Hold (*Disbanded*)
F Portugal Supports F Seville
A Rhineland Supports A Swabia (*Cut*)
A Turkestan Hold
RETREATS:
None.
SC OWNERSHIP (Winter 1652):
Austria (9): Bavaria, Belgrade, Prague, Saxony, Swabia, Switzerland, Trieste, Venice, Vienna.
Denmark-Norway (7): Brandenburg, Christiania, Copenhagen, Holstein, Lower Saxony, Stettin, United Provinces.
England (7): Brest, Bristol, Flanders, Ireland, London, Scotland, Seville.
France (5): Lorraine, Madrid, Marseille, Paris, Savoy.
Poland-Lithuania (6): Cracow, Transylvania, Vilna, Wallachia, Warsaw.
Russia (7): Crimea, Damascus, Moscow, Novgorod, Persia, Ukraine, Voronezh.
Spain (5): Algiers, Morocco, Naples, Papal States, Tuscany.
Sweden (6): Abo, Courland, Ducal Prussia, Mecklenburg, Riga, Stockholm.
Turkey (3): Candia, Constantinople, Tunis.
Minor Powers (4): Moldavia, Portugal, Rhineland, Turkestan.
PLANNED SCHEDULE (3 PM GMT):
Fall 1653: 9 December
Winter 1653: 11 December
Spring 1654: 16 December
Summer 1654: 18 December
Fall 1654: 23 December
Winter 1654: 1 January |
