To confirm the final moves:
Autumn 1907
Unusually at this point of a game, only one order - the German unit - fails. It is however a most significant one and prompts the following press from the Russian Tsar:
"Tsar-Kaiser: Sorry Shaun. I thought you were trying to trick me into bouncing in London as a means of delaying me while the other French fleets head north. Really, sorry."
The full orders follow, but I suggest you move straight to the end for the two orders in bold.....
Austria:
A Budapest Supports A Vienna
F Naples Supports F Tyrrhenian Sea
A Serbia Supports A Budapest
F Tuscany Supports F Tyrrhenian Sea
F Tyrrhenian Sea Supports F Naples
A Venice - Tyrolia
A Vienna Supports A Budapest
France:
F English Channel, no move received
A Gascony - Burgundy
F Gulf of Lyon, no move received
F Liverpool Hold
F Marseilles, no move received
F Mid-Atlantic Ocean, no move received
A Ruhr - Belgium
A Tunis Hold
F Western Mediterranean Supports A Tunis
Russia:
F Baltic Sea - Denmark
A Berlin - Munich
F Black Sea Supports A Rumania
A Constantinople - Bulgaria
A Denmark - Kiel
A Galicia Supports A Rumania
F Greece Supports F Ionian Sea
F Helgoland Bight - North Sea
A Holland Supports A Munich - Ruhr
F Ionian Sea Hold
A Munich - Ruhr
F Norway - Norwegian Sea
A Rumania Supports A Constantinople - Bulgaria
A Silesia - Bohemia
A Ukraine Supports A Galicia
A Warsaw - Silesia
F North Sea - Edinburgh
Germany:
A Yorkshire Supports F North Sea - London (*Void*)
With that, we have to congratulate Simon for reaching the 18 units required for a solo win and leaving France and Austria-Hungary as survivors with Germany being eliminated in the final round!
I intend to write my own summary of the game (without the nuances of diplomacy that took place!) and invite you to do the same via an EGS. The usual deadline - Monday 08:00GMT 7February2022 - for any offerings will apply.
Regards
Martin
PS
I mentioned I might write my own summary, but feel it would merely be covering what was contained in the the End Game Statements as set out below - in particular that from Simon and, as the saying goes, history is told by the victors....
For my part I would like to thank all players for their efforts throughout their participation in the game - hitting deadlines just makes the game easy for the GM and keeps the action flowing and much more enjoyable for all. I look forward to talking to you again - as GM or as a player - sometime in the future.
All the best.
Martin
EGS from Sean (France):
Congratulations Simon and well done!
France actually got off to a good start, but she let things stall and slip away...This was my first game with this group and it's actually my first game in quite some time. So I have to admit to being a bit rusty (erratic?). No matter, I really enjoyed this game and my sincerest appreciation to the vets I was able to play with. My thanks as well to Martin for a well managed game.
Unfortunately for you all, I'll be back for more my friends!
Sean
EGS from Shaun (Germany):
DC 597 final statement from Germany
Despite not making it to the end, I enjoyed this game a lot. It had some very unusual nuances, Italy going so early, England not sending me any correspondence for the whole game, almost as if playing gunboat, France being a complete enigma and Russia trying a northern opening. It was a bit like trying to catch moonbeams, just as you thought you knew where you were, something odd would happen.
I’d like to congratulate Martin on his first gm, you did a superb job Martin.
I can’t remember ever having been stabbed three times by the same player in a game so there is learning for me there; overconfidence perhaps, or vulnerability to a smooth talker like Simon! I am also left more convinced than ever that Germany and Austria HAVE to keep together and perhaps I didn’t fight hard enough for that.
See ya'll
Shaun
EGS from Simon (Russian):
DC597 final statement from Russia.
First of all, I would like to thank Martin for doing such a fantastic job as GM. I know only too well what a difficult job it is and this was a faultless performance. Thank you! Thank you also to all of the other players for making this so much fun to play. There was a lot of diplomacy going on in the background.
I was very happy to be allocated Russia for this one, as I’ve got a good track-record with it on DC. I was a bit surprised to find that Turkey didn’t want to talk very much at the start of the game, but in contrast Gavin was a very communicative Archduke so that rather sealed the fate of the Sultan. We quickly agreed to work together and we made swift progress through the Balkans. In the north I tried a completely new opening and moved Mos-StP in spring 1901. This effectively killed England as he couldn’t get a build, and it cemented a pact with Germany which enabled me to take Sweden in 1901 and thus have a steady platform to build from. The early seasons went well and the three way AGR pact made good progress. My focus at this stage was on stabbing Gavin at an early stage and working with Shaun. However, then came the shock collapse of Italy. This led me to change plans as a) I’d wanted to work with Gerry to attack Gavin and b) Gavin clearly knew exactly what I was thinking and took appropriate measures. So it was that I reluctantly attacked Germany, feeling not entirely confident that I could take down a player of Shaun’s calibre.
The game then motored along steadily for a while, but I was still looking for the chance to stab Gavin. Shaun offered me the chance to go for an alliance with him mid game, but I am embarrassed to say I did the dirty on him for a second time. Meanwhile I noticed Austria had too many fleets for his own good so I encouraged a big fight over the Med between Gavin and Sean, all the time passing on to Sean exactly what Gavin had said he would do. As more Austrian units moved westward I tried to build up a position to attack, which was aided considerably by Gavin asking me to move fleets through Constantinople to help him out. By the time I stabbed him I felt that I could get the solo because he and Sean were too locked together in war to stop me, I had more armies that everyone else combined and no centres on vulnerable coasts, Shaun was too weak (though that rogue fleet in Sweden was annoying) to cause a lot of damage and Gelo had scores of his own to settle and was happy to give me some help.
I guess the end needs addressing as eliminating Shaun was perhaps controversial. One thing that I am sure we all agree is that Diplomacy makes you paranoid. Shaun offered me support to London and victory in exchange for survival and I immediately agreed to it as it seemed a worthy outcome and I knew that if it didn’t work I would get Belgium, or Budapest or Edinburgh in the next year. So I submitted my orders, and then I brooded on it for a few days and talked myself into believing that there was a 3-way pact to stop me, and that French fleet would pour north to shore up defences and frustrate me. The support to London was clearly a ruse allowing me to be bounced there and leave Edi untouched. I overthought it and Shaun paid the price. Really sorry for that- I shouldn’t have changed the order.
Anyhow- thanks again to everyone. Remember, Greater Russia will look after all of her subjects. Welcome to your new motherland!
Best wishes
Simon
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