cad@cbosgd.UUCP (Chuck A DeGaul) (05/14/84)
(The author has no connection with the game what-so-ever. His comments are merely intended for the edification and amusement of the readers.) Hello backstab fans! Just for the hang of it, I thought I'd take a stab at some completely unsolicted commentary on the Diplomacy game being run by jett!brian. Since I have no connection with the game, or any idea what communications between players has occurred, my notes are based only on the moves and the position of map. I do not wish to influence the players, so they should probably ignore me. Fall 1901 - Comments by country: Austria: The Hapsburgs have their hands full. Italy appears to have reached no agreements of non-belligerence to the west, and the premature move to Rumania, instead of a more aggresive move to Galacia, has left the Austrians in poor shape. I'd guess Turkey and Russia have done some talking. The only good news is that Germany resisted a move to Bohemia or Tyrolia. Britain: A completely standard move. The French move to Picardy may indicate an attempt to coordinate against Belgium. As always, the world waits to see if the Royal Navy or Kings Grenadiers will be used in Norway. The fleet North Sea has a number of intriguing possibilities and the long standing British policy of maintaining balance between continental powers may be sorely tested. France: A fortuitous first move, the French are in very good shape. The Italians, frequently an early irritant are looking else- where, and the Kaiser's, seemingly, bungled maneuvers have left the Frogs with a opportunity at three 1901 builds. Only the Brits can prevent this, but it may not be their desire to do so. Germany: Kaiser Bill is, as was historically often the case, bufuddled. In my opinion, a very poor first move. My guess is that the Germans were deluged by proposals (as they always are, occupying a central position which is somewhat weak militarily but very strong diplomatically) and became confused. Their moves seem more concerned with not angering anyone, then with following German policy. They could end up with a single build, which for Germany, is frequently a harbinger of an early exit. Italy: Italy appears to expect trouble from Austria -- something rarely seen this early -- and has moved to make Venice a strong defensive bastion. A French agreement may exist, but Italian slow-wittedness may also explain the lack of imagination. On the other hand, Italy must be careful not to make enemies early, and though this first move lacks elan, it is adequate. Russia: The Tsar is one despot I've never had much luck playing, so my commentary may be way off. It appears that Russia has diplomatically warded off trouble from Turkey and German, and thus solved two major headaches. Properly executed, Rumania should be Nicky's in the Fall and 2 builds are S.O.P. for the Russians. Good start, helped by Austria's myopic moves. Turkey: The Sultan has made a standard move showing deals with Russia and possibly Italy. The Black Sea move succeeding makes this a decent opening and was obvious dependent on the Tsar's good graces. Turkey's fall move always is more interesting. General Comments: Several inexpert opening moves promise to make this game a interesting one from the word go. France and Russia appear to have the early upper hand, but Springtime is no time to count chickens. Britain, a frequent winner of this game, is most badly hurt by faulty moves by continentals early, as the Brits are in poor position early to exploit wooden-headedness. Some players feel Austria and Germany, along with Italy, start in very weak positions. While I agree that they are in challenging situations from the start, it is moves like Germany's and Austria's this spring that make them frequent losers, not their inherent position. Your Foreign Correspondent, ---> Chuck A DeGaul <---
matt@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP (Matt Crawford) (05/15/84)
[ I also have nothing whatsoever to do with the game ... ] But, to put in my 2 kopeks' worth, Germany is either afraid of Russia or is planning to get nasty to Russia! But why keep the A. Berlin idle? ___________________________________________________ Matt ARPA: crawford@anl-mcs.arpa Crawford UUCP: ihnp4!oddjob!matt