Hi guys,
it's been a while, hasn't it? In the meantime, fortunately our Emperor didn't get eaten by lions and the Georges Incident provided its share of slapstick entertainment. But now it's back to the serious struggle fought out with sword and plume!
It's been an extraordinarily good year for the few minor powers left! All live to see another year. Algiers, Rhineland-Westphalia, Tusany - heck even the just recently occupied Ducal Prussia! All of these are located in a conflict zone. Their survival is a testimony to most of these conflicts having not been decided one way or another.
Northwest-Germany looks to be at an impasse. The net benificiary of this standoff are those Rhinish archbishoprics.
Northern Italy has gone quiet. Indeed, both Austrians and French don't seem to have a taste for war in their border zones. Though the Tuscans are apparently spoiling for a fight! Note their support for a not forthcoming Austrian attack upon Savoy.
Those Barbary pirates stationed in Algiers have chosen to remain aloof of the struggle for Tunis. Perfectly happy to sit out the Turko-Spanish War. I wonder how many would have been willing to wager on Tunis remaining in Ottoman hands. But remain it did!
Ducal Prussia is a bit of a special case. The Hohenzollern duke (who has long abandoned his Electorate of Brandenburg) will rejoice at levying new troops this winter. The Poles preferred to push the Swedes out of Courland. Aided by the Danes. Perhaps Stockholm will now rue the day on which it helped the Poles grab Koenigsberg. For the Poles just used it as a stepping-stone to Courland.
What of the Turkish fortunes out in the East? Belgrade and the Crimea were lost. Yet the crescent and star banner has been raised over Novgorod. Whereas English intervention has left the Kremlin in Russian hands. Indeed, the Czar has managed to remain even on the SC count since his streltsy troops have secured the Ukraine.
Lastly, my duty as a chronicler demands I mention the goings-on in Iberia. Louis XIV might have taken both Madrid and Portugal without facing any opposition. He has chosen a middle-course, foregoing Portugal while making sure the Escorial's prized art collection is sent to the Louvre and Versailles.
Both Mark and Jim owe me retreat orders. And then there are adjustment orders due. No later than Friday, 6 PM CET. Spring 1654 then follows next Wednesday.
Happy dipping!
Charles
HEADLINES:
BELGRADE - KEY TO THE BALKANS - IN IMPERIAL HANDS
DANES ASSIST POLISH CONQUEST OF COURLAND
ENGLAND KEEPS MOSCOW FREE OF TURKS
ESCORIAL'S PRIZED ART COLLECTION SHIPPED TO FRANCE
POLISH WINGED HUSSARS ON BLACK SEA SHORES
CZAR HOLDS HIS OWN - WILL HE RETURN TO A PILLAGED KREMLIN?
SPANISH DESIGNS ON TUNIS THWARTED
SWEDISH KING HOLDS "BLOOD & TEARS" SPEECH
SULTAN LOOKS TO EXPAND HIS ARMED FORCES
PRESS:
None. :(
PLAYERS:
AUSTRIA: Garry Bledsoe
DENMARK-NORWAY: Ben Bratter
ENGLAND: Wladimir Mysonski
FRANCE: Felix Drouet
POLAND-LITHUANIA: Michael Penner
RUSSIA: Mark Utterback
SPAIN: George Oldenburg <1vaevictus@gmail.com>
SWEDEN: Jim Atkins
TURKEY: Andrew Tanner
ORDERS:
Austria:
A Hesse - Rhineland-Westphalia (*Fails*)
A Hungary - Belgrade
A Papal States - Naples (*Bounce*)
A Prague - Bavaria
A Switzerland Hold
A Trieste - Croatia
A Venice - Papal States (*Fails*)
A Vienna - Slovakia (*Bounce*)
Denmark-Norway:
F Baltic Sea Supports A Ducal Prussia - Courland
F Bay of Luebeck - Copenhagen (*Bounce*)
A Holstein Supports A Lower Saxony
A Lower Saxony Supports A Hesse - Rhineland-Westphalia (*Cut*)
A Scania - Copenhagen (*Bounce*)
F Skagerrak - Christiania (*Bounce*)
England:
F Atlantic Ocean - Indian Ocean (*Bounce*)
F German Sea - Christiania (*Bounce*)
F Helgoland Bight Supports A United Provinces - Lower Saxony
F Irish Sea - English Channel
A Karelia - Novgorod (*Fails*)
F Norwegian Sea - Moscow (*Bounce*)
A United Provinces - Lower Saxony (*Fails*)
France:
A Aragon - Madrid
F Cantabrian Sea Hold
A Dauphine Supports A Savoy (*Ordered to Move*)
A Lorraine Supports A Swabia
A Savoy - Tuscany (*Fails*)
A Swabia Supports A Lorraine
Poland-Lithuania:
A Cracow - Warsaw
A Ducal Prussia - Courland
A Polish Livonia - Vilna
A Vitebsk Supports A Moscow - Novgorod
A Volhynia - Crimea
Russia:
A Novgorod Hold (*Dislodged*)
A White Ruthenia - Ukraine
Spain:
F Barbary Sea - Strait of Sicily (*Fails*)
A Sahara - Tunis (*Fails*)
F Sardinia Supports F Barbary Sea - Strait of Sicily (*Fails*)
F Strait of Sicily - Ionian Sea (*Fails*)
Sweden:
A Courland Hold (*Dislodged*)
F Gulf of Bothnia Supports A Stockholm
A Lapland Supports A Stockholm
A Stockholm Supports A Lapland
Turkey:
F Constantinople - Illyria
A Crimea - Moldavia
F Damascus(sc) - Indian Ocean (*Bounce*)
F Ionian Sea Supports F Tunis (*Cut*)
A Moldavia - Wallachia
A Moscow - Novgorod
A Podolia - Slovakia (*Bounce*)
A Smolensk Supports A Moscow - Novgorod
F Tunis Supports F Strait of Sicily - Algiers (*Void*)
F Tyrrhenian Sea - Naples (*Bounce*)
A Voronezh - Moscow (*Bounce*)
Minor Powers:
F Algiers Hold
A Rhineland-Westphalia Supports A United Provinces - Lower Saxony (*Cut*)
A Tuscany Supports A Switzerland - Savoy (*Void*)
RETREATS:
Russia:
A Novgorod
Sweden:
A Courland
ADJUSTMENTS:
Austria:
Build
France:
Build
Russia:
Build (if A Novgorod got disbanded)
Spain:
Remove
Sweden:
Remove (unless A Courland already disbanded)
Turkey:
Build
Minor Powers:
Build A Ducal Prussia
SC OWNERSHIP (Winter 1652):
Austria: Bavaria, Papal States, Prague, Saxony, Switzerland, Trieste, Venice, Vienna.
Denmark-Norway: Brandenburg, Copenhagen, Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg, Stettin.
England: Bristol, Christiania, Flanders, Ireland, London, Scotland, United Provinces.
France: Brest, Lorraine, Marseilles, Paris, Savoy, Swabia.
Poland-Lithuania: Cracow, Crimea, Ukraine, Vilna, Warsaw.
Russia: Moscow, Novgorod.
Spain: Madrid, Morocco, Portugal, Seville.
Sweden: Abo, Courland, Riga, Stockholm.
Turkey: Belgrade, Candia, Constantinople, Damascus, Moldavia, Naples, Persia, Transylvania, Tunis, Turkestan, Voronezh, Wallachia.
Minor Powers: Algiers, Ducal Prussia, Rhineland-Westphalia, Tuscany.
PROJECTED SCHEDULE (6 PM CET):
Winter 1653 Retreats/Adjustments: 15 August
Spring 1654 Moves: 20 August
Summer 1654 Retreats: 22 August
Fall 1654 Moves: 27 August
Winter 1654 Retreats/Adjustments: 29 August
Spring 1655 Moves: 4 September
Summer 1655 Retreats: 6 September
Fall 1655 Moves: 11 September
Winter 1655 Retreats/Adjustments: 13 September |
