Ok, so Russia cloned in both games. But otherwise the board is entirely different. And since Russia’s neighbors have not done the same on both boards (is that the HMS Pinafore sailing up the Barents Sea?) it doesn’t have quite the same effect in Game 2.
Didn’t take long for the confusion to set in, did it?
Why, this is interesting.
I told you! I told you! Beware the German-Italian alliance!
This is, by the way, a reference to another Dope-Dip game where lno was Germany and I played Italy. We worked with Britain (played by oldscratch) to dismember France; on the turn we dispatched France we mutually stabbed oldscratch for 3 centers, IIRC. Any resemblance to current games is completely coincidental; I’m just being an old geezer reliving plast glory.
Oh, that was a stab of epic proportions. I’m so pleased you remember.
I’m so glad that you’re both not in one game together then.
Despite France’s assurances, the disinterested onlooker will observe that it would be an act of considerable faith for me to head up towards Arkh’angelsk while my posterior is so vulnerable. RTFirefly, show, don’t tell.
Still, I’d rather be me than the Tsar right now.
You know, that move to Syria didn’t even register? I see what’s going on, of course, but not until I actually looked at the board, and I can usually keep track of at least the opening sequence in my head. Fascinating. Fortunately for me I’m well removed from that piece of the action.
Smy - Syr doesn’t make sense to me either. Smy - Arm, on the other hand, would’ve made sense for Turkey picking a fight against Russia. (It would’ve made even more sense coupled with Turkey successfully taking over the Black Sea.)
Austria seems to be in an early pickle, with 2 bounces on the first turn. But then, Austria is a tough country to handle.
Just my two peanuts.
No, it makes perfect sense. Obviously Russia and Turkey are in cahoots. The bounce in Bla was prearranged. Turkey’s heading for F. Ank-Con followed by building F. Smy, and the army in Syr is to prevent an Italian landing there. True, there’s not much danger of that happening at once, but the army needs to be out of Smy anyway and somewhere that doesn’t threaten Russia.
I wonder if that Russian fleet is headed for Bla and then Con in Spring 02? It’s a serious test of trust but puts a usually neglected unit to work and spells bad news for Austria and Italy, especially as they seem to be by no means singing from the same hymn-sheet.
Patience, my friend. All any of us can do before the next move orders are due is talk. That’s the nature of the game.
“Rabbi, is there a blessing for the Tsar?”
“Yes, my son: ‘God bless and keep the Tsar, far away from us!’”
One of them, in Galicia, is a standard Austrian opening move to make sure Russia can’t threaten any Austrian home bases in Fall 01. The other has accomplished the result of no Italian unit on Austria’s borders. So Austria’s actually doing OK for the moment.
Rococo: “What about my pickle?”
Danger: “You’re lucky you still have your brown paper bag, small change!”
It does look a bit more dire than I had been expecting. Time to assemble the team:
“Latrine! Deja Vu! … and Chocolate Mousse! to me!”
Truth be told, the bounce in Bla probably would have been prearranged, but there was a minor breakdown in communcation. Just enough to make me hastily reevauate what was going on. And in all honesty, all the opening tactics I read about got muddled in my head and I moved to Syr when I should have held. Mal’s theory sounds nice, but I’m not convinced Italy’s that much of a threat–er, I mean–Right! absolutely! That’s exactly what I was thinking!
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what’s up with Italy in this game? Does Italy
a) have a devestating super-secret plan that no one will admit to knowing,
b) a serious misunderstanding of the game, or
c) a deathwish?
I’m hoping it’s b, because I’d hate to help someone commit suicide in the game, and if it’s a, I’m not in on it.
[sub]pardon the interruption, but is there perhaps a linkey someone could point me too that explains just what the heck you all are talking about with the bounces and whatnot? i’ve looked but couldn’t find anything, and i’d so love to be more familiar with the game the next time a doper dip tourney comes around. i loves me some strategy games and no one around here will play risk with me anymore 
[/sub]
www.diplom.org will tell you more than you want to know. Ignore all the stuff on the variant games until you have thoroughly read up on the basics. Briefly, the board looks a bit “Risk” like but all movement is considered simultaneous and in accordance with written orders submitted in secret. If two units try to move to the same place, neither gets there (and “bounce” off each other). The whole truth is somewhat more complicated though.
Besides reading that link, you can also just look at the games in progress and probably more or less decipher what’s happening. On those few that aren’t quite apparent from the maps and orders issued, just ask here.
For example, in Game 2, go to the map and click on the link for Spring 01. Austria’s orders were:
A Budapest - Serbia
F Trieste - Venice
A Vienna - Galicia
Since nobody was in Serbia and nobody besides Austria can get to Serbia in the first round, that one is a “gimme” and he will hold this and get a build for it in the Winter round.
He also ordered his Fleet in Trieste to Venice, but since Italy order his Army in Rome to Venice, they met with equal force which means a bounce in this case (there is no such thing as “home field advantage”, per se, in Diplomacy, although since Italy already owns this territory he will maintain it for the time being.
Finally he ordered his Army in Vienna to Galicia. Russia also order his Army in Warsaw to Galicia, so this, too, results in a bounce.
But Russia also ordered his army in Moscow to Ukraine. Since there was no conflict the army moves in. Now Russia has TWO armies which border Galica. If he wishes he can capture Galicia in the next round by ordering one of these two armies into Galica ~supported~ by a second army. For example A Ukraine-Galicia, A Warsaw Supports A Ukraine-Galicia. Now this may or may not come to pass, and will be determined based on:
- Discussions between Austria, Russia and possibly Turkey. This is the “diplomacy” part of the game, and is at least equally important as any tactics/strategy of the game.
- Whatever is going on in other parts of the map that Russia may need to direct his attention to.
- Choosing between alternatives like grabbing Rumania, which is a Supply Center and thus gains a build, versus Galicia which is just a province, and not a Supply Center, and thus merely strategic.
- Whatever Turkey gets up to with regards Rumania and the Black Sea.
- Probably something else which I’ve overlooked.
Does this help give you a picture flavor of the game? In the moves, equal force is a tie or “bounce”, overwhelming force controls the move. Countries can and will support other countries, although this does not happen much/at all in the first round, you may see it in the second and definitely in the following rounds. Opening moves help to create the initial dynamic and shows, to some extent, how much one may trust one’s neighbors (for the immediate future). The game has a lot of intrigue and paranoia (for example, is all of the chatter from RTFirefly real, or is it an elaborate ruse concocted by the English and the French?)
Note that everyone ~except~ for England bounced in this game (and maybe he’s the worse off for that… hard to tell now), while there were only 3 countries bouncing in the other game, and they all involved Russia, with the most basic bounces in the game (Galicia and the Black Sea). These two almost always happen, unless Russia or Turkey have duped the other OR they are very tightly allied (beware The Juggernaut, my friends, the teeth that bite, the claws that snatch…)
Looks like Nate must’ve had a busy morning at work.