Donner Dip Concluded with British Solo Victory in Fall 1878

[RUFFHAUS 8]

Britain has submitted a set of moves that will guarantee a solo victory against any possible combination of orders submitted by the remaining players. Therefore I have chosen as GM to decalre the game concluded, primarily to spare everyone the bother of waiting another week for all the players to return, chasing down orders, and processing the adjudication and map, etc...

Congratulations to Snowfire as Britain, who ends the game with at least 25 of the necessary 24 supply centers for victory. Thanks to all the players for your participartion. Special thanks to Boshko and The Orange_1 who joined as late replacements for France and Japan respectively.

The players in order of finish with an approximate SC count:

Britain - Snowfire (25+)
Japan - The Orange_1/Thucydides (21) *
France - Boshko/Connorkimbro (6)
Russia - Gerwald (1+/-)
China - ColonyPod (0) eliminated 1878
Holland - orange (0) eliminated 1877
Turkey - El Awrence (0) eliminated 1876

[orange]

Holland EOG

Holland EOG

First I'd like to thank Ruffhaus for an extremely fast paced and well run game. It was a pleasant surprise to have an ACS game run so smoothly and quickly. I'd be very willing to participate in another of these.

Having played and soloed as Britain in the last game of gunboat, and having doubled my centres in the first turn of that game, I knew that Britain was a powerful position that could easily sweep the board. I was gearing for a FH alliance against Britain, and hoping that China and Russia would work together to take out Japan, while Turkey put some pressure on Britain from the west.

The hardest decision of the game for me was about Java Sea. Basically we start with 3 options. Don't go for it, and pray Britain doesn't either. Go for the mutual bounce with one unit, or waste both units by supporting it in, but assuring that you get it and that Britain doesn't build in Singapore in W70. I chose the latter of these options, mainly because I did not want to see Britain get a second fleet in Singapore. France got off to a great start, and at this I was pleased. I figured France could have all of Indochina, leaving me with some island territories and some convoy routes to India. However, the indecisive France igonred all of my diplomatic signals, and likewise, did not ally with Britain. This was ultimately the reason Holland never rose to greatness. Allied with France, both of our nations could have become a great regional power, and it is my understanding of the map that the fates of Holland and France are almost always strongly linked together. This game certainly helped to prove that point (despite the NMRs towards the end)

By the time I had a viable shot at India, I had to turn my attention back to my homeland where Britain was looking to inflict some heavy damage. Meanwhile, China - who had been playing quite well in the first two years, let a one centre limp **** stab from Japan turn him sour, and cause the quite unfortunate, and most awful 'all units hold' orders. With a different China, or someone who didn't throw the game based on one small stab, this game would have been radically different. However, I'm almost glad that he acted this way, because it allowed Japan to make fast gains, putting armies into Manchuria for a full scale Asian invasion. At this point my vote was clearly in Japan's corner. I would do whatever I could to cause him to win, even when it came down to my very last unit/centre in France (which I did not out of the need for survival, but for revenge of France not making a decision when I was giving him all the appropriate signals)

The Java Sea set up between F1876 and the following spring was absolutely amazing. But, of course, SnowFire was handed a victory with Japan’s year of NMRs from which the nation could not recover. So while I’m a bit upset to see Britain win this, especially with the NMRs giving him a huge assist, it was a well played game. Congratulations to SnowFire on the W.

[Christantine The Great]

No solid reasoning behind my all holds, I just wanted Britain to win. Worked, sort of...

[SnowFire]

Well, this was an... interesting game. Thanks to RUFFHAUS for running it as well.

In any case, I agree with much of Orange's assessment, having played both Holland & France in the past. When I played Holland, myself, France, and Japan swept eastward in a three-way coalition that never really could be stopped, and was functionally unbreakable for stabs at the end (whoever stabbed first would be quite dead). France-Holland is a strong alliance, but it does help to have some Diplomacy: Holland builds all the fleets, France all the armies, and it works out.
When I played France, I knew that England would be strong in gunboat and desperately asked for allies against it from China and Holland, which fell on deaf ears, and England went on to sweep things up. I understand that they had an investment in early hostile moves against me, but the general failure to work together against Britain- even after my demise- helped insure Orange his victory.

So, that all said, I knew that France & Holland would be the most important determinants of my success. I was never seriously worried about the East, especially once I saw that Turkey had a compotent player. The only danger there would be an incompotent Turkey who lets Russia collapse in on it too fast. If Russia grew enough to be a threat there, then they'd probably be a threat to the Japanese as well and I'd be happy.

I never had any friendly plans for Holland, and frankly I'm hard-pressed to think of a scenario where it would work out short of dire neccessity (say, a France-China-Japan alliance against Russia & Holland). France, however, I felt was bribable- a true FE alliance would involve unified moves against Holland and China. My hope would be to gain support, or at least non-interference, against Holland, and let France & China start a kicker of a war that would prevent them from interfering with me (you'll note that my defenses in Northern India were very weak most of the game- if China had wanted to, it could have crushed through Bengal and marched right into India). I suppose it worked... sort of. I'd be curious to hear from connor what exactly France's plans were, as he played quite passively most of the time. Anyway, things went reasonably well, and I managed to muster enough force against Holland just barely in time to stop his advance on Indian shores. Japan then came knocking to insure Holland's demise, but when China started doing the massive holds, I realized that I'd be in big trouble- Japan could grow quite a bit faster than me now. The fact that they would insure Holland's fall meant little if I lost.

Anyway, we all know how it goes from here. If Thucy hadn't dissapeared, he surely would have won, but if China had kept on playing, then maybe he wouldn't have (it would depend on who China fought, and how). I know I was thinking that a China-England-Japan draw might be somewhat likely... but oh well. As a side note, thanks Ruffhaus for running a fast game, but I wouldn't have minded- being that this is a gunboat game and there wouldn't be the massive negotiation delay- that as soon as the Thucy missed his second set of moves, you NMRed him but then immediately replaced him with the_orange1 so Japan only misses 1 turn. Still, I understand the reasoning.

Good game all!

[Dr. Nick]

Turkey EOG

Well, I feel rather flattered that I am described as competent, even if Turkey is in such a horrible position in a gunboat game. Knowing how strong the starting position of Britain is, I half prayed for a half competent player who would have mercy on Turkey if I went all out Russia and left a few defensive units in the south... fatal error. Argh. Britain quickly came in the back, and she was making so much progress that I was inclined to try and muddle them as much as I could, and I managed that a few turns. Except that master stroke of Britain which basically dislodged me all and finished me in the Middle East when it looked like just one bad move would have him bogged there at least another year. So outwitted and frustrated, I tried to help Russia as much as I could, and some of those stabs in the dark of working together with Russia worked out a few years, but I knew I was doomed the minute the Brits entered the Mediterranean.

Having played Japan before with a more land oriented strategy, this game has been most vindicating in a 'Doh!' kind of way, seeing the progress of Japan with all those fleets. Theucidydes game was excellent too, and it was so frustrating to see Japan start NMRing so close to the target solo centres, it made me have a few fits of rage over email that Ruffhauscan aco**** for.

In any case, another solo in the bag for Britain in this map, congratulations SnowFire, excellent game all (except that I still feel disappointed at seeing such limited Anglo-Japanese action around the Java Sea, meh)

[connorkimbro]

France EOG

This is the first time i've posted on apolyton in several months, but I wanted to make my EOG report. I've not played in too many games of diplomacy, and this was my first gunboat game, hence the sort of passive, cautious stance I took at first. Then, due to a misunderstanding of one of the rules, my attack on China was setback, and delayed for several turns. By the time I finally made up for that mistake, I had moved (in real life) to korea, where work took over my life, and without access to a computer in my room, I was unable to continue the game, much to my regret. Playing as france, there wasn't really much to my strategy, other than "try and figure out who won't attack me, and then work together for an allied victory" but by the time my campain actually got good and started, I had to leave the game. My apologies to Boshko for giving him somewhat less than desirable conditions, having NMR'd for two turns. . . i couldn't even get to a computer to inform Ruffhaus of my intentions to quit, and France's position suffered for it. Anyway, thanks all for the good game (while my part of it lasted, at least) and thanks to Ruffhaus for doing an outstanding job as GM.