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**LordStone1** · May 9, 2001, 16:38

Final Supply Center Count:

Russia - 19: ST. PETERSBURG, MOSCOW, WARSAW, SEVASTOPOL, Norway, Sweden, Berlin, Munich, Trieste, Vienna, Budapest, Venice, Serbia, Rumania, Bulgaria, Greece, Constantinople, Ankara, Smyrna; played by Defiant

France - 6: PARIS, BREST, MARSEILLES, Spain, Belgium, Tunis; played by Chazzy

England - 6: LONDON, EDINBURGH, LIVERPOOL, Portugal, Holland, Denmark; played by Ruffhaus

Italy - 2: ROME, NAPLES; played by Iain Lindley

Germany - 1: KIEL; played by Berzerker

Turkey - 0: None; played by Talon

Austria - 0: None; played by Gibster

[This message has been edited by LordStone1 (edited May 09, 2001).]

**Defiant** · May 9, 2001, 16:51

Lordstone,
Den is not mine, I backed out of it, it belongs to Ruffhaus, he gained it last fall and I moved in it this spring but back out this fall, still under English domain. EOG coming up!

**LordStone1** · May 9, 2001, 16:58

Fixed.

**Defiant** · May 9, 2001, 17:03

Thank you

**Defiant** · May 9, 2001, 21:17

Russia's End Of Game:

First, I just want to say thank you to Lordstone in this first ever Apolyton Tournament Championship, a job well done. I would also like to thank Ruffhaus, Berzerker, Chazzy, Iain, Talon and Gibster for an excellent game played.

Now to the guts of EOG. When I first saw the player placements I must admit I was extremely worried, Berzerker facing my direct West, Ruffhaus in the NorthWest and Gibster in my West who had just soloed in his preliminary game as Austria. So I turned to Talon and asked if he wanted to join into a Russian-Turkish alliance which is one of the most powerful alliances and he agreed. To cement that alliance the trust comes in the first move which is neither of us to the Black Sea, I moved to Rumania and he moved his fleet down the coastline to the Aegean. From that point on for a while our alliance was unbreakable and that was a good thing for I felt I had to immediately deal with Gibster.

It is in my opinion that Ruffhaus and Berzerker are the best players in Apolyton Dip community and of coarse this game. Now as much as I didn't like the placement it did serve on very crucial advantage to Russia. When you put the two biggest boys on the same block they will inevitably fight, just natural. Right away Ruffhaus and Berzerker wanted me to help against the other. Berzerker said if I built a fleet in St.Petersburg and used it against Ruffhaus he would not contest my take on Swe. Ruffhaus said we can't let the HUN get too big or he will do damage to us and he is right, if Berzerker gets a few builds under his belt he would run the area on us. So not knowing really which way to go, I agreed to both and hoped I wouldn't have to take one side or the other, I was trying to play both sides and keep them busy against each other so I could concentrate on Gibster.

It worked, they went after each other with the energy of a Mongoose and Rattler. Chazzy also joined the hunt against Berzerker and that kept the HUN off my borders. After the Spring season I ever got a little bit more worried when Ruffhaus opened with the Churchill and all his forces were coming my way, maybe intended for Germany, maybe not. This early in the game what the player tells you is not always what his intentions are. So I just carried with the moves to Rumania, Galacia and Swe to gain two SC's for builds and it made it. I told Gibster I was going to move against Turkey but in all honesty I don't think he ever bought that gameplan. Well I got two builds and built armies in War and Mos, needed them against Gibster and Berzerker was too busy with England and Germany that he didn't talk smack to me about not building a fleet in ST Petersburg. I continued my assault on Gibster until the end. During this fight very critical occurance happened that changed the war for Russia. In my endeavor to try and play England against Germany I got caught up in an exchange in offensive moves against England, I was trying to help Germany to maintain some strength and I supported him into Denmark which was currently controlled by England. England and I had not talked much and I was leary of his moves so I moved to Norway from St Petes to break a possible assault on Swe and Ruffhaus had moved out of Norway and he did attack Swe but only from Den. End result is I got Norway, accidentally, I meant to break support and I ended up with it. At this point I was in control of most of Austria and my builds were piling in.

The next critical point came when I stabbed Talon in Turkey. I had planned to taking the alliance to the end and fight Talon for the 18th, however in Turkey's success he moved most of his units out of his home centers and left them wide open for liberation by the Russia people. I saw the chance and I took it and it really had sewn up my solo except for one thing, a grand alliance against me and I feared it would happen.

I needed to strike an alliance with Ruffhaus, he was the furthest away from me and he also had an agenda. He wanted a foot in mainland Europe and I could help him, but I also needed him NOT to join the grand alliance and also help into Kiel to break Germany's back. He agreed and the fate was sewn.

This last round where I moved out of SC's that I didn't need to was part of the deal with Ruffhaus and I, not a ploy to extend the game, I felt it very important to hold my word to the end.

Finally, I believe this is how a Diplomacy game should be played, to the end, only one winner if able. This thought reminds of a phrase from Top Gun that seems to fit these games, "Gentlemen, this is combat, there are no points for second place". While I understand draws and they are necessary at times, especially in large map games, I feel our goal should be to win and win outright with soloes, too many deals are made and draws occur sometimes when they shouldn't. It eliminates a lot of stabbing that should occur, it is an intregal part of the game. I am advocating no draws in our next segment unless of coarse absolutely unavoidable and I believe the GM also has to agree to the draw, not just the players.

Again thank you everybody for this game and lets continue the diplomatic atmoshpere to the next round.

**RUFFHAUS 8** · May 10, 2001, 22:54

England EOG - Well, sarcasm abounds! Clearly from the crows eye this one has to baffle the outside observor. But on the diplomatic front there was no basis for a grand alliance. Alliances are based on trust. There wasn't much of that going on between EFG, and from a distance it didn't look like Italy had much faith in those at his back either. The only player that trusted anyone in this game was Talon, and he got whacked hard and ugly. Most of us saw it coming, but there just no telling people these things sometimes. We've all been there before, so it's not like Talon's the first guy to get completely slaughtered from a stab in an RT juggernaut.

Anyway, the draw was particularly nasty for me I thought. I drew the three musketeers from ADCT Game C, who refused to fight each other in that game. And one thing they they all had in common beyond that was an apparent fear of me as "the bad guy." I guess me and Gibby paid the price for our preliminary round solos. Tip for tournament players everywhere - this is pretty standard pratcice to gang up on solo boy.

Defiant, "TAG, you're it"

I diligently tried to establish an EF alliance and opened into a Churchill with a twist of a convoy to Denmark! After Spring 1901 Berzerker (Germany) became even less forthcoming than he was at the start. My thinking here was alliance with France and non-agression with Russia, who I'd already told that I was going after Germany.

Here's where I screwed the pooch though. I got busy with RL and lazy with this game, and didn't work Defiant (Russia) hard enough to assure him that I was still going after Germany. I wanted to try a sneaky maneuver where I staged and attack on Sweden, while Russia got into position to hammer the Hun from the east. In the Fall of 1902 the plan was to convoy A Sweden into Germany or Livonia via the Russian fleet. But my negotiations were sloppy, and Definat hooked up with his old buddy Berzerker. I lost Denmark and my army, which I never rebuilt. I was really pissed at Defiant for this, because he flat out lied to me on this. But my sloppiness takes 50% of the blame.

Making matters worse, France got cold feet and played stall ball on smashing Germany from the west. I'm getting really nervous here. France is backing off, Germany is noncommital at best, and has been already working with Russia. Italy is plundering Austria. And all this while the RT cranks up! Yikes.

I was desperately trying to get someone to work with me, but everyone was looking at me like Jack the Ripper. I tried desperation. Berzerker. A guy who hadn't told me a truthful thing in 4 months and clearly saw me as his biggest threat. Still I was pissed at Russia, and sure hell not gonna help HIM win. I should have known better. The Hun immediately stabbed me in a pathetic no-gain maneuver. He just lied for the sake of lying. At the same time I attacked the English Channel, irritating France to no end. Damn, I'm really screwed now!

So here I am with three units, three enemies, and Frenchie looking for serious blood. I'm dead in two years or less if I don't make something work. Eliminated before Gibster! Imagine the horror!

I went to Defiant again, offering my services as a janisarry to him. It was a tough sell, but I worked the angle hard and over several game turns to gain his faith in me. Additionally,I had written the Hun some hate mail, promising to help Defiant solo. This wasn't a threat, it was a promise. And while I was 100% serious, it was still a desperate gamble, because Russia might not go for it enough to save me. But my goals were minimal at this point. And ruining Germany seemed about the only option left. But Russia came around, and my gamble paid off just in time. As France landed in Liverpool with a FLEET (next time bring it hard Chazzy!) Defiant allowed me back into a center and I staved off a disband. Furthermore I got a build after retreating OTB or being otherwise destroyed, and France couldn't hold Liverpool now. A ray of sunshine was emerging.

For the next several turns I played Germany and France against each other while maneuvering to consolidate my units and evict France from Britain, which he refused to do voluntarily even though preaching peach, love, happiness, and 'kill the Russians/Germans' to me again. Finally my 4th build came again as I regained Denmark AGAIN. I take the offensive against France as he promises to go east and contest Russia at sea. But France is only interested in mowing down Italy along the way, which was counter productive to stopping Russia, and I'd given my word to Defiant, and Berzerker.

The last turn netted me 2 builds and a total of 6 SCs through a series of complicated manuevers that Defiant was nice enough to help me with. First he took London and Denmark in the Spring, only to leave both in the Fall. Then he supported me into Holland for one last poke at Germany. But the kicker was tricking France into a 2v2 bounce in the Mid Atlantic Ocean, holding Portugal in spit of poor positioning.

So skarf at my play all you want,people! I was staring down certain
elimination in 1903. I rebounded from the loss of a home SC and being surrounded by enemies to fisinsh tied for second. Yes, Defiant soloed, and we all lose with that. But there's more agenda at play in Diplomacy than winning and losing. "There can be only one" winner, particularly in a championship game. The other six lose. If you can't win, I say survive, and better yet survive and influence the outcome.

I'd have been more inclined to explore a grand alliance if I had an ounce of trust in Germany or France. But I didn't. And I don't think they had any in me. Can't build an alliance on that. In the end, I found my ally, and he won, with at least some help from me.

Good game all. Even you, Gibby. You got gang raped too. No chance for Austria to survive that. I only did cause no one had enough fleets to come get me. The slate's clean with me, people. I hope it is with all of you too.

Finally, thanks to LordStone1 for giving his time, and pushing this game along so well. Much appreciated. It must have been hard to be sitting out, in a game that could easily have had you in it under other circumstances.

[This message has been edited by RUFFHAUS 8 (edited May 10, 2001).]

**Berzerker** · May 18, 2001, 01:46

EOG - (Germany)

Thanks,Lordstone for handling the game.
Thanks to all the other players for offering your time to play.
Congratulations Grasshopper! The prodigal son returns with a veangence

Well, I knew I was in trouble right away France and England were not very talkative (neither was I to be honest) prior to the opening move so I could already see they were allied. I needed an ally and only Russia or Italy could help. But I knew Italy would be occupied by Turkey when the R/T alliance became obvious - or at least apparent. So that left me with only Russia as a possible ally. This scenario made it clear that Russia or Turkey would be the winner depending on who stabbed whom first, assuming of course someone helped me stave off E/F. We all know who did the stabbing and we all know who helped me just enough to slow E/F enough to keep them from interfering in the east.

So, England convoyed into Denmark using my taking of Belgium as his excuse (the fact he took Denmark on the same turn I took Belgium was apparently unimportant). The Fall 1901 turn confirmed the E/F alliance much to my disappointment. I offered to support Russia into Denmark (or did Russia support me into Denmark?) to destroy the English army there and to herald the G/R alliance. It worked and England suffered a setback he would not recover from until the last turn when he stabbed me in his effort to appease the Russians to finish higher in the final rankings; or, to quote the Prime Minister of England himself, "I had to whore myself to Defiant to do it" The Czar's prostitute! Sorry, Ruff, you gave me a great quote, I had to use it, lol.

Somewhere along the line, England finally agreed to attack France. But France's counterattack combined with Russia's stabbing me (with England's help) thereby preventing me from helping England sealed my fate. Following his stab of Turkey, the Czar was heading for a solo and inspite of assurances from the French, my effort to form an alliance against Russia went for nought. The French used my concentration on Russia to stab me and Prime Minister Chamberlain would not commit to stopping the Russians, his exact words were, "Peace in our time"! Do I sound resentful? Lol, nah, but I was a little perplexed that others would not join me in putting up a united front against the Russians, but I guess some people would rather finish 2nd or 3rd and lose to a solo than risk ending up 5th or 6th in an attempt (failed?) to stop a solo

Again, congrats, Defiant

[This message has been edited by Berzerker (edited May 18, 2001).]

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