Your duplicity is less than reassuring.
I’d be willing to swap Greece for it, but I can’t afford to give it back anytime soon.
All in due course - at the moment it’s both rearguard and support for the ongoing Balkans campaign, and as for friendship, it’s unclear to me what you have done so far to merit any concessions from me. I look forward to this changing in the coming year, and when the time is right I quite agree that a demilitarised Black Sea will be the way to go. But that will have to wait for an opportunity to destroy your fleet in that theatre, while we’re at it.
We’ll wait for the builds before discussing this further, but at present I’m much in favour of a push towards Serbia, Greece and Vienna, though if it’s possible to get our Italian ally into Trieste while we’re at it, so much the better.
I think you have to at least try to be underhanded in order to qualify as duplicitous - in my favour, my dishonesty is there for all to see… for sale to the cheapest bidder 
I guess. I just find it odd that you don’t ask for, nor offer anything, yet promise both Turkey and I the use of the same unit. It’s like you decided to lie to us for the hell of it.
I need to know who the hell is going to be playing Russia in the upcoming turns and when. wevets and grimpixie are operating in complete contrast to one another and the new player essentially takes no guidance from the previous turns or discussions. Are we going to be negotiating with grimpixie here this turn heading into Winter only to have wevets come back and completely reverse field again?
First of all, you need to respond back so we can work out some more concrete plans. Second of all, you getting Norway was dependent on me getting a center myself, and that wasn’t going to happen this year. Third, it was also dependent on you and Turkey continuing to butt heads and him maintaining control of Rumania (a traditional Russian center), which isn’t the case anymore:
A Juggernaut typically succeeds because everyone else squabbles over this and that (an Italian-Austrian war is the best thing ever from Russia/Turkey’s perspective)-classic divide and conquer. So I am going to try to help put an end to it, or at least slow you down.
To France:
I am geniunely sorry that our plans came to naught. You however have to think about what Turkish control of the Med might mean to you, if you don’t establish a naval presence down there. Yes, you could build F Brest and then f*** with me, but getting it into the Med by next fall would be a sounder move. Italy has a disband coming up, so he probably won’t be much help. You do have some time-Turkey swapped centers this year, hence no build, but he’ll likely nab Greece, get his Black Sea fleet into the Med, build a 3rd fleet next year, and the year after that might be getting uncomfortably close to your shores as he dismantles the Italian while Russia swallows Austria. Question is how long can you afford to wait?
To Austria and Italy:
The time to end your differences is now-divided you both fall simple as that, I’ve seen it happen far too often in games with the J’naut. Disband the army in Tyrolia, get your fleets lined up against Turkey, get Venice back and build another fleet next year, hope Austria can hold out long enough for you to do some damage-getting a fleet into the E. Med could really slow down Turkey.
To Germany:
You are a shrewd player I’ll give you that. What say we split Sweden/St. Pete/Warsaw/Moscow? You really want a growing Bear breathing down your neck? By not helping Austria, directly or indirectly, at all you are basically telling him you aren’t any sort of friend of his.
@All
Please accept my apologies, I’ve clearly done a poor job of substituting for wevets, although I do believe I have tried to follow the strategy he outlined for me - he is due to return on the 4th Aug.
@England
All points accepted - I can only hope that you will attribute my moves to misunderstanding rather than malice. For the future, I can only suggest that we allow the status quo to remain in Scandinavia and both of us re-focus our attention to the South.
@Turkey
How about this: in the new year, I will support your move into Serbia, allowing Bulgaria to concentrate on taking Greece (either itself, which I’d suggest is better as it allows Con to get off home soil, or with the fleet) - then we can divide the Balkans as you described to wevets earlier - between you, me and Italy? We can work out how to handle the Black Sea next turn.
@Germany
I’m not clear what changed with my taking over - my understanding was that we had a non-interference agreement in mainland Europe, nothing more. If I’m wrong, please let me know.
@Austria
Forgive what was a weak attempt at humor - in line with my predecessors actions, my chips are on Turkey’s side of the table.
Just waiting on France for Builds.
Sent a few hours back, btw.
ITALIANS FLEE ALPS. STOP.
FRANCE AND GERMANY ANTAGONISE. STOP.
RUSSIAN FORCES GATHER FROM EAST. STOP.
So here, we in Winter 1902
Builds
France: Army Paris
Germany: Fleet Kiel
Russia: Army Moscow
REMOVES
Italy: Army Tyrolia
**Deadline for Moves for Spring 1903 is Saturday 1st August at 20:00 GMT **
Map Tracker:
Perhaps a policy statement from Italy? It seems as though you have chosen to bury the hatchet with Austria after all.
Before your taking over wevets had made a very shrewd tactical move to threaten Norway. He’d misled England into a sense of security and moved to a position in which Norway would be his easily. I moved to cut England’s support to help ensure the center would be yours. Then you took over and instead tried to cooperate with England. England saw the previous threatening moves and assumed that you were lying to him so it came to nothing but those moves on your part made no sense.
France, building an Army in Paris is a very strange choice. You cannot bring that extra unit to bear on me and you’re simply ensuring a road block of useless units while the Mediterranean is decided without you.
England, if you wish to cooperate I’m still willing. My conditions have not changed, before my tactics are able to change I need a change of tact from France. Either he must be persuaded to move away from me (impossible with another Army build) or he must be forced to. I will be happy to offer aid to Austria and clash with a schizophrenic Russia if we can cooperate in pressing France back. Unfortunately a concerted attack from France requires my full compliment of units.
Just seeing if I could hedge my bet - I’d hate to be the second victim of a dreaded Juggernaut. That, and maybe quickly get back a lost center. Doesn’t seem likely, so nothing has changed between Italy and Turkey and Russia as far as I’m concerned. I’d like to take Greece to regain parity with Austria, and then we can swap it later during the Grand Division as discussed before.
This time I’ll verify my move orders have been sent. :smack:
@Germany
Thank you - I understand.
To Germany and Englad:
I have been, I am now certain, played for quite the patsy, soaking up attention from the German so that England could solidify a hold on the Northern Latitudes.
That being said, I bear no ill will, and now that my ally England is openly courting German favor, I like to think that we can still move forward together, in peace. I chose a buildin Paris as it was my last gasp efforts to keep things peaceable between England and I.
So, I propose this… Germany, you are correct. I cannot harm you, and neither can you harm me. England has benefited nicely from this arrangement, and I think it’s time we do as well.
My aggressions against you, Germany are done. And England, I am also continuing to keep the peace between the two of us.
To Italy and Austria:
I will be moving into Pie this turn. This is not necessarily an act of aggresion, so much as it is a move to place myself in position of defense. I don’t intend to stay there, but I have to clear some room, and that may be the only way I can do so.
Again, for the zillionth time, I was pretty much forced into this stance. I was uncertain what the intentions would be of the new Russia, and felt I couldn’t afford another round of “will he or won’t he f*ck with me again,” and when grimpixie never responded back I assumed the worst. If wevets had just kept his nose out of our business the turn before he buggered out, I indeed would have stayed with the original plan and one of us likely would have either Holland or Denmark now. But Germany getting an extra build (fleet) likely would mean the guessing would have to be spot on to get one of those centers this year-stalemate basically.
So all that said, I would like to hear back from Germany about his plans for that new fleet-into the Baltic to get Sweden, or the Heligoland Bight to (needlessly) challenge my hold on the North Sea now that I’ve turned away from you? Note Tristan that I am not suggesting he turn his guns in your direction, but rather to forestall a growing Russia.
chuckle
If you say so.
You have declared “peace” with Germany and England, and now you want to enter Piedmont? This is tantamount to declaring war on Italy, sir. I would suggest you press your war against Germany with England. I must insist any French army entering Piedmont must continue marching into Tyrolia in the autumn.
We really need to start working together. Juggernaut in the East and France coming in from the West.