AARs

[Morg]

So the game has come to a close. The result of a 7-way draw between, in order from largest to smallest: Britain, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Yugoslavia, Egypt, & Spain.

Congratulations all it has been quite an interesting game. Now it's time for awards:

The Boldest Bluffer Award: Diplomat42
For bluffing to Germany that Czechoslovakia was going to attack him, while unaware that Germany and Czechoslovakia were controlled by the same person.

The Strong Flanks Award: Freddafred
With fleets on the sides and armies in the center, this player had classic flexibility and strength on both flanks, but the center ended up being the weak point.

The Beguiler Award: Asudevil
This player never seemed to run out of allies willling to look the other way as he grew, that is up until near the very end.

The Liberator Award: Yhanthlei
For liberating Egypt and bringing his previously wiped out satellite back onto the board.

The Internal Brotherhood Award: Stevier
This player was able to use his Satellite to help keep his Major Power out of trouble.

The Counter Stabber: Shavemybaby
This player correctly anticipated exactly when his ally would stab him and counterstabbed to offset the losses.

The Oversized Satellite: Ninjaruler
I'm sorry, but this is the only way I can explain this player's later play. Feel free to disagree and voice it.

The Loyalty Award: Yhanthlei
At the end this player has open opportunities on both his allies to seize their rear SCs and in the end chose not to.

The D'oh Award: Shared by Yhanthlei & Shavemybaby
Each player had the other on the ropes and then NMRed at the worst time and the battle dramatically swung the other way

The Victory Award: Asudevil, Shavemybaby, Stevier, Yhanthlei
Self Explanatory

[asudevil]

Ninja wanted to leave the site...so once he realized he was toast...he just let me take his stuff.

As a whole I liked the game. I wish Yanthei had gone for gusto and gone for the stab. It was my only chance at a solo, but for how often we complain about ALA's falling apart, this one didnt. But I think it would have been an interesting ending if he had stabbed since Italy/Poland were facing me, but would have probably been madder at him.

Anyway, I was close there for a turn, but I knew it would be a hard one to wrap up. Maybe had I delayed my stab?...but Italy was getting adamant about me ceding him territories cause I had grown to fast.

As for the mP thing...you once everyone figured out who each other were, it wasnt really a big deal. Im running the 1933 variant where mP's can change hands during the game...and even there people arent communicating through me because they arent really keeping it secret.

I tried to for a long time, I dont know how long that actually worked.

Anyway, thanks for the game, I hate ending in 4 way draws, but you guys just werent going to make a stab.

[Freddafred]

I wanted to get Egypt and go for Turkey but I got Rumania I attempted to attack Turkey but when Poland attacked me I pretty much fell.

[asudevil]

I wanted Spain and England...or Turkey and Egypt...I ended up with England and Greece...so I wanst even able to really get my mP and MP together.

[shavemybaby]

I wanted italy and spain and max bidded on both, I was lucky enough to get them. England and I formed a solid alliance early on and beautifully played france, deceiving him with a false forwarded message of my intentions. As england made alarmingly rapid progress through germany and the north and I had difficulty breaking turkey (Morg is right about that NMR being critical, if I had been able to crush the turks and sweep into the balkans things may have been very different.), I became increasingly concerned about my ally going for the solo. As asudevil said, I asked persistently for territory from him to keep us on an equal footing, and when this didn't materialize I decided it was time to make peace with turkey and attack. This coincided with his stab, and from there it was just him versus the grand alliance.

I think that we could have pushed england back more, but it would have become increasingly more awkward for turkey and more tempting for him to stab (I was very worried that he would take england's advice and wipe me out in a single blow). There was talk of quickly crushing poland for a 3-way draw, but I thought that this would put me in a very dangerous position sandwiched between the two huge powers so I cast my vote for the draw. Asudevil, you were a fine ally and a good player, I would have done basically the same thing in your shoes. Yhanthlei, if you had stabbed either me or poland (or both) you would have had a reasonable chance of beating england to a solo. You, Stevier and I made a good grand alliance.

[Yhanthlei]

First of all thanks to everyone for an excellent game, and to Morg for excellent GMing.

I got my first choices of Turkey and Egypt, which I hoped would be a strong defensive position. Looking at the board I was optimistic about allying with the USSR, who based on some initial messages and guesses as to bidding I guessed controlled Rumania. Unfortunately my offer of alliance was met with a single word message with little follow-up: not a good sign. Initial diplomacy was focused largely on getting support into Bulgaria, and some of the stranger moves, like the Egyptian move into the Ionian Sea, were ploys to try to get this support. To my frustration this didn't happen until the second year, with both Greece and Rumania, and through Rumania the USSR, working to keep me contained. I have to say that this was shockingly effective at keeping a major power contained for fairly low unit investment, although I'm not sure that it was in the USSR's interest. This isn't a balance complaint, it's just something that caught me off guard. With Poland providing assistance into the Balkans and a hostile USSR and Greece and facing invasion from Italy, my alliances were more or less set, and I resigned myself to fighting off Italy while Britain grew. The NMR on the Egyptian retreat from the Ionian was a particular blow there, and I was kicking myself over that. Things continued more of less at a stalemate in the Mediterranean as the USSR fell to myself and Poland and Germany fell to Italy and Britain, and from there until the British-Italian mutual stab. That made things more interesting.

Fortunately, Italy, Poland, and I made for a cooperative alliance. I was especially pleased with Italy's willingness to allow my fleets access through the Ionian, both because it helped stabilize the front against England and because it left open the possibility of a grand stab against Italy if I ever thought that I could get away with it. The issue was whether to stab, and whether doing so would grant Britain the solo. I have to disagree with Italy's analysis, I don't think that I would have had a good chance of challenging Britain for the solo. Even eliminating Poland for a three way draw was a tricky proposition, especially since Britain's calls for betrayal among our alliance, although entirely reasonable on his part, were frequent enough to raise strong suspicions that Britain would still try for a solo rather than a three way draw. I came to the conclusion that eliminating Poland for a three way and still holding off could only happen if both Italy and I were entirely on board, and was only safe enough if Italy and I both thought that it was safe enough. Italy did not, and Poland agreed I to abide by the decision. If I had known that Italy was concerned about my trying for a solo maybe I would have pushed harder for a stab against Poland- it raises the question of whether Italy vetoed the proposal because of concern over Britain or concern over me, and only concern over Britain was relevant to me. Plus, stabbing into Tunisia, Rome, Naples, Athens, Kiev, Krakow, and possibly Belgrade would have made for a delightful move.

I very much liked the map, the dispersal of the minor powers added an interesting element. That was especially the case with far flung minors like Britain's Greece, which I think was used very well. It may have even changed the course of the game- if I had gotten into the Balkans earlier Britain and Italy would have faced a larger challenger later and Russia could have been captured sooner. I may even recommend that future Turkish players bid on Yugoslavia or Rumania instead of Egypt, given how important getting into Bulgaria is. Of course, better diplomats than I would likely not have had the problem.

Again, thanks to all.

[asudevil]

Yeah...when I got stuck with Greece...I knew my best chance was just to keep you in your corner as long as possible...

That was kinda fun.

[stevier]

This was my first forum game and I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Morg for GM'ing and the other players.

I didn't have any strong preferences in the initial bidding for powers. My initial impression on getting Poland was that I was the sandwich between Germany and USSR. Germany was more open in his diplomacy and as he was also a central power, I thought we could work together. That meant that my goal was to try and remove USSR from the game and give me a safe edge to the board. It was a slow campaign as I needed Turkey to put pressure on USSR but he was having his own difficulties.
Just as the breakthrough was made, Germany capitulated. This was a blow as I was hoping Germany would put up a fight and slow the British advance.

Eventually, the grand alliance formed. I had little choice but to completely trust Turkey and Italy. I was quite relieved to get included in the draw if I'm honest.

Good game all!

[shavemybaby]

I also highly enjoyed the map and the initial element of mystery added by the minor powers. And of course, thank you Morg for impeccable GMing.

[ninjaruler]

Whether I am reviving a dead post or not, I really did like this game, so I am posting an AAR, but yeah, here goes nothing...

Umm yeah, this game was a lot of fun for me, even if I did get screwed and left the site right after, (no this is not me coming back)

The first turn was the most hectic for me, I think, if memory serves correctly. I successfuly stopped a stab from france... which helped a lot in how my satalite and main country were neighbors... that worked really well for me, but yeah, I was almost screwed, but I called out to britain in help and he came, only to stab later on...

but yeah, I thought I had a good chance, untill italy and britain attacked me, and britain wouldn't help me, but it was what I would have done as britain as well. but yeah, thats like all I have to say, even thought it is small... yeah, it was fun...