Oh, my so many choices. Do I continue the Imperial Extension, take the offered Generational Descent, or try to pinch off Tom’s Oldenburg Opening? Decisions, decisions, decisions. I’m reminded of Beilbo at the Innsbruk Invitational in '65, who faced a similar choice. Tactically, however, I believe that Euphemia of Sweden allows me to preserve more options as play develops.
I assume the Etichonid fiction is rejected, but will still point out the obvious: Despite mention of a dreaded Habsburg Loop, that dynasty has not yet been played, the Charleses I’s of Austria and Hungary having respective Lorraine and Capet Y-chromosomes. I certainly won’t break the Habsburgs open (but I hope I’m online to scarf up profit when it happens! 
)
Meanwhile the Bjelbo pivot play has just been attempted:
I can see several of you plotting a massive Scandinavian sacrifice. I’m not sure how to blunt this attack, so will just take a quick profit:
Margaret (Maid of Norway) Queen of Scots (I think the rules about non-Regents are vague enough to allow her after Euphemia.)
This play allows me to collect all the green tokens and invalidate the Carlist pretenders.
Granted we never settled the whole Lancashire/Greenwich question I raised above, but unless I assume that the concubinage rules of the former are not invalidating the prevention of closing off the several claimants, I believe that Håkon III of Norway is my only not-illegal play that has not yet been rendered unavailable.
I see a dire need to block off a flibbetywidget play by paperbackwriter - hopefully someone will see the opportunities if I play
Amadeo I of Spain
I believe I can complete the containment with
Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod
Well spotted!
I did too. I was wondering if the phrase “mornington crescent” wasn’t some very subtle innuendo.
Since I must depart for the time, and in such a poor position, I believe I have no alternative but to park my remaining tokens in the House of Romanov to conserve what little remains. Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia at least allows me to retain the Oldenbergs.
Temujin.
That should open up the Mongols for play, especially since the Q’in Dynasties are currently foreclosed.
Ah, yes, I gave you that opening with Nevsky, didn’t I?
Aha! Now that a Horde leader has been played, thanks to Baator’s Inverted Trapeze, I can play
Alfred the Great
and not lose all my wickets.
I think the endgame is closer than anyone suspects. Or at least the beginning of the endgame…
It seems wevet’s move to Alfred has left players stumped. I assume this is due to genealogical confusion, with neither of Alfred’s grandmothers clearly identifiable. But I think a Frankish connection is firm enough to risk:
Pippin III `the Short’
If this play is accepted then I get 2 red tokens, sole control of the Merovingian Dynasty, and can announce “Æthelred in nine moves.” But that’s a big if (Who’s refereeing this game, anyway?)
That’s just the thing, though, isn’t it? We never established a referee or even, and I admit to sounding like a stuck phonograph at this point, the specific rules. I certainly wouldn’t accept such a move, and not just because your threatened Carolingian Cross-Hatch puts my position in the Oldenburgs under pressure. Greenwich Rule 7b, as you know, explicitly requires dynastical servants have an identifiable marital relationship to a primary dynast, and the entire Pippinids show no such thing.
Stating all that, however, does nothing to extricate my position from my dilemma. I should have pushed the issue more forcefully earlier. As I did not I must accept the consequences.
On the other hand, accepting the legality of such a move allows me to use Schwartzchild’s Arnulfing Cut-Out and wrest the Meroviginians back into Quisp. Saint Arnulf of Metz. Hoist that on your petard.
Good heavens, things have moved on! What to do, what to do? septimus’ play of Margaret, Queen of Scots briefly opened up the chance for a Queens Finesse, but that opportunity is long gone. I think it’s time to take a more forceful approach.
Charlemagne.
Wow, I can’t believe that this thread is my first exposure to this game! As an MC veteran, I feel I ought to be able to participate, but naturally most of the subtleties will probably pass me by. However, I will try a conservative play with William III (of England).
Interesting choice. Looking forward to seeing if paperbackwriter can make it back to the Continent without losing a tempo.
Not directly, no. At least, not without sacrificing all my green tokens and several Germans. The rarely played South Americans, however, give me an excellent indirect path, in this case through Emperor Pedro I of Brazil.
That’s brillant! Well played, paperbackwriter. You could use Thucot’s Remose or any of the Persepolian plays back to the forefront now.
Unfortunately, my only legal moves remaining are from either the southeast asian statelets and, since a Romanov has already been played, the Princes of Chichester. Hopefully an opportunity will arise since the best of all the poor choices available to me might be
Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Ismail Al-Khalidi of Johore
Westward momentum is building to dangerous levels. Despite the potential Teutonic complications down the road, I’d better slow the pace a bit.
Hirohito.
You mean “Karl der Große”? Don’t think I didn’t see the Germanic identity just under the surface of that Latinate name. I’ll go East as well, and play Salote Tupou III of Tonga.
I see some minor complications have set in, but I believe I can still proceed with Xerxes II of Persia and crack open the Achaemenids.