Diplomacy: Game Over

[Saskwach]

FF Carl: Awesome stuff. My only quibble is that that first speech sounds too craven to have come from a leader - especially a leader of an Empire who must always confirm to the people that theirs is the greatest power. Armies never "retreat" under threat of war from another nation: they "consolidate and reposition behind the Finnish border under an amicable agreement with Russia (which we got the better of, of course)."

Everybody: Let's calm down, eh? If this game ever gets tit-for-tat it's not being played properly.

 

[Zemalac]

I am still needing retreat orders for the army in Rum and the fleet in Eng.

 

[chomesuke]

Zem, I know that you want to give them good time to respond. But what is the use of setting a very strict deadline for the orders, and then letting everybody take their sweet time getting their retreats in?

I would have deleted them(the armies) ages ago. And offcourse this would be largely in my favour, but I really want this game to go about in a snappy pace.

And it's really becoming interesting!

 

[Zemalac]

Zem, I know that you want to give them good time to respond. But what is the use of setting a very strict deadline for the orders, and then letting everybody take their sweet time getting their retreats in?

I would have deleted them(the armies) ages ago. And offcourse this would be largely in my favour, but I really want this game to go about in a snappy pace.

And it's really becoming interesting!

True, actually. You make a very good point.

So let's set a deadline. If I don't have retreat orders by tomorrow, I will disband the retreating army/fleet. This is to keep the game moving smoothly.

In the meantime, we might as well get build and disbandment orders out of the way.

BUILDS
Turkey: 1 build
Russia: 1 disbandment
Austria: 1 build
Italy: 1 disbandment
England, France, Germany: No change

Get those in to me, and we can keep get this moving again tomorrow.

 

[Zemalac]

All right, I got all the build orders in, though only one of the retreat orders. I didn't recieve any orders for the unit retreating from Rumania, so the unit was disbanded. Which removes the necessity of getting a disbandment order from Russia, so we're set to march into Spring 1905.

Here's the map.

Spoiler: Builds and Disbandments

BUILDS 1904

Turkey: Build A Ank
Austria: Build A Vienna
Italy: Disband A Tyr
Italy no longer controls any supply centers and has been eliminated

Spoiler: Retreats

F Eng-Mao
A Rum disbanded

Sorry about not waiting for you Wes, but it's been five days since I've recieved any orders of any kind from you. I'm not going to wait any longer.

Anyway.

Next orders are due on Saturday. Don't be late.

Best of luck, gentlemen.

 

[Zemalac]

I still don't have two people's orders. However, since it is a weekend, I can afford to be lenient. I can wait eight hours or so while sleeping, instead of the eighteen that it would take on a weekday.

Results will be up tomorrow morning.

Spoiler: Note to BoVinE and Wes

This gives you quite a bit more time to get orders in. Don't waste it.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

Hey Zem, I think Wes is away, I'd be happy to take his spot...

 

[Zemalac]

Hey Zem, I think Wes is away, I'd be happy to take his spot...

I'd need Wes' permission to have you take over his country. And besides, his profile says he was last active at 11-something last night, which was well after I posted giving him extra time and sent him a PM asking for orders. He's here, but I'm not sure what he's doing. He's certainly not sending me orders.

So until I hear from Wes, I'm going to act as though he's still playing but is extremely forgetful or something. If I don't hear from him in a couple days I'll replace him with you.

I'm afraid I can't delay any longer. I already slept later than I usually do, thus giving him even more time. I hate to say it, but Russia is once again in civil unrest.

Here are the results for Spring 1905.

Spoiler: Orders

SPRING 1905

France

A Pic-Brest Bounced with Lon (1 against 1)
A Mar-Gas
A Spa-Por
F Mao S A Spa-Por

Austria

F Nap S F Tun-Ion
F Tun-Ion Bounced with Adr (2 against 2)
A Tri-Alb Bounced with Alb (1 against 1)
A Bud-ser Bounced with Ser (1 against 1)
A Vie Hold

England

F Nwg to Bar
A Nwy to Stp
A Swe Holds
F Por to Mao Bounced with Mao (1 against 1)
Dislodged from Spa (2 against 2)
Fleet cannot retreat; unit destroyed
A Lon to Bre Bounced with pic (1 against 1)
F Eng convoys - A lon-Bre

Turkey

F Adr-Ion Bounced with Tun (2 against 2)
F Aeg S F Adr-Ion
A Ser s A Rum Support cut by move from Bud
A Alb S A Ser Support cut by move from Tri
A Rum holds
F Bla S A Rum
A Ank-Arm

Germany

Ven S Rom
Rom S Ven
Hol to Bel
Bel to Nth
Bal to Bot Bounced with Bot (1 against 1)
Lvn S Sil to War
Den Hold
Sil to War

Russia

Civil Unrest
A War dislodged from Sil (2 against 1)

And now, alas, I need a retreat order from Wes for the unit in Warsaw. If I don't get such an order within, say, two days, I will at least temporarily replace him with Spartan. I really don't like having to declare civil unrest, and I've had to do it twice in a row for the same country.

That is all for now.

 

[MeatSpace]

((I feel that I'm going to try my hand at writing a bit of history))

In a surprising turn of events the current leader of France issued a statement on the recent aggression in his tactics.

"My people, my friends, the time of isolation are over. The shores and borders of other nations call to our soldiers! They pull at their tired hearts, begging them to bring our way to their territory. We must remain locked in stalemate no longer! The days of the weak France are gone! Now those lions, those devils in Berlin and on the shores of London will know that we are silent no longer! Our guns will call to the people of other nations; their noisy retort will be a signal to those who thought us sleeping. We sleep no more. Load and clean your rifles, polish and pad the sides of our ships. Our reign is beginning! Let no one look to our borders and see openings, let no one look to our soldiers and see weakness, let no one think us dead. For every good French man who gives his life for this country, let a dozen foes give up their lives for their own. The beast of France is stirring and she is hungry! To long starved on peace and fearful isolationism! On this day, we sleep no more!"

Many believe he was hoping to separate himself from the previous leader, who was often criticized for being too soft. While many now believe that the defeat in England was a planned attack and not a accident there is still not enough to evidence to prove otherwise and the execution of many of the survivors lead to a lack of CO's who could testify that it was a planned attack and not an accidental skirmish. For the moment the French populace feels they are in a good place now that the mainland is free of English control. Many dissenters exist and riots have occurred protesting the aggression, though these are often quickly and brutally put down.

All around though the state of the nation is one of strong nationalism with a renewed sense of pride. The Ministers refusal of aid to the Italian Government and recapture of Portugal which destroyed the English forces occupying it has given many soldiers and citizens alike a new confidence in their Leader and their nation.

((I don't believe this conflicts with anything said yet, I apolagize if it does.))

 

[Zemalac]

Wesdabigman seems to have completely dropped off the radar. I don't think it's fair to the rest of you to wait for him any longer, so I'm going to (at least temporarily) replace him with Spartan.

Here is the retreat map for Spring of 1905.

With the Russian army retreating to Moscow, it becomes Fall of 1905.

The next orders are due on Sunday. Let's get this game moving again, eh?

By the way, well done with your first bit of alternate history, MeatSpace.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

Citizens welcome the change, and the riots of recent years show that it is high time for a handover of power.

Why is it that every country I've taken control of wants their leader dead?

 

[Zemalac]

Citizens welcome the change, and the riots of recent years show that it is high time for a handover of power.

Why is it that every country I've taken control of wants their leader dead?

He's talking about the civil unrest the country has been in for the last couple turns. In effect, you are the change of power.

Carl: Good commentary. I especially liked the "rumor that the Tzar is dead." That sums up the situation perfectly.

 

[Saskwach]

Citizens welcome the change, and the riots of recent years show that it is high time for a handover of power.

Why is it that every country I've taken control of wants their leader dead?

He's talking about the civil unrest the country has been in for the last couple turns. In effect, you are the change of power.

Carl: Good commentary. I especially liked the "rumor that the Tzar is dead." That sums up the situation perfectly.

Are you saying Spartan is Lenin? Games imitating life it seems. The next step for you Spartan is to leave the war by first making a strategic blunder (Trotsky declaring "no peace and no war") and then agreeing to harsh terms set by Germany.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

Citizens welcome the change, and the riots of recent years show that it is high time for a handover of power.

Why is it that every country I've taken control of wants their leader dead?

He's talking about the civil unrest the country has been in for the last couple turns. In effect, you are the change of power.

Carl: Good commentary. I especially liked the "rumor that the Tzar is dead." That sums up the situation perfectly.

Are you saying Spartan is Lenin? Games imitating life it seems. The next step for you Spartan is to leave the war by first making a strategic blunder (Trotsky declaring "no peace and no war") and then agreeing to harsh terms set by Germany.

Yes, now I must shave my head and grow a badass mustache which will hereafter be reffered to as Harry Badass IV!

 

[Saskwach]

It should be mentioned that Russia did in fact suffer rioting and civil unrest in 1905. It was related to food shortages and a disastrous war against Japan if I remember correctly.

 

[Zemalac]

It should be mentioned that Russia did in fact suffer rioting and civil unrest in 1905. It was related to food shortages and a disastrous war against Japan if I remember correctly.

This is getting kind of weird. What's next? Is BoVinE going to acquire a chancellor called Bismark?

I would go on, but that pretty much sums up the details that I remember of WWI.

 

[BoVinE]

I'd get one, but there's absolutely no way I'd be able to trust him in this.

 

[Saskwach]

I hate to be the smarty-pants of this operation, but Bismarck died in 1898. While we're talking about him, though - and eery coincidences - it turns out Bismarck was an incredibly prescient man. When asked what would be the defining truth for the next century, he said (roughly): "America speaks English."
Here are some other ones (lifted from Wikipedia):
"Jena came twenty years after the death of Frederick the Great; the crash will come twenty years after my departure if things go on like this" ― a prophecy fulfilled almost to the month.
? A.J.P. Taylor, Bismarck, Alfred A Knopf, New York (1969) p. 264
"One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans."
? Reported by Winston Churchill, The World Crisis, C. Scribner's Sons (1923) p. 195, attributed to Bismarck by Albert Ballin
Possibly apocryphal, but it'd be much cooler if they weren't.

 

[Zemalac]

I hate to delay things again, but...

When I set the deadline for this turn, I had forgotten a few important things. First of all, MeatSpace couldn't get online for the entire weekend for pretty good reasons (namely, he was performing in a play, with three or four showings over the weekend) and BoVinE told me a while ago that he would be in Boston this weekend and wasn't sure if he could get online (I'm assuming he couldn't, since I haven't gotten any orders from him).

Therefore, since they told me of the reasons why they were going to be gone and I completely forgot about them (in other words, it's my fault), I'm giving them an extra day.

Thanks to the rest of you for getting orders in on time, and my apologies for delaying the game after the week-long delay we just escaped from.

 

[Saskwach]

People with lives? On MY internet?! I just won't stand for this.