Movement

Message from Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':

Ok, there are the adjustments.
No surprises, but I was a little worried that Germany would build F Kie. Whew!

Tsar J

Message from Austria to Italy in 'pouchtoo':

Hello Manus,

I've not been ignoring you, the real world just caught up with me for a
while and I had to run a little faster (<:.

I considered all sorts of schemes of trying to convince you that I'd
join up with you in order to gain some advantage, but decided in the end
that they would be neither productive nor worthy.  At the moment, Jamie
has played square and done as promised so I think that for the nonce we
will have to try a little of that trench warfare.

You've done an admirable job of dealing with my treachery already, and if
your performance holds up, then changing my tune will definitely be a
serious consideration, should you still want to work with me of course (<:.
Unfortunately, the generals seem to be in charge right now and it's time
for the soldiers to do their work for a bit.  Should they fail we'll dust
off the diplomats and give them another shot at it.

I will always listen to any specific proposal you have, and will without
hesitation accept a plan that includes anyone or everyone in a draw rather
than allow a solo win, but for this turn at least, I think my best path
will be to try my hand at an Italian campaign.

Regards,
Kaiser D

Message from Italy to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

> I've not been ignoring you, the real world just caught up with me for a
> while and I had to run a little faster (<:.
>
No problem.  That's what I had thought.

> I considered all sorts of schemes of trying to convince you that I'd
> join up with you in order to gain some advantage, but decided in the end
> that they would be neither productive nor worthy.
>
I appreciate that.  My orders can't change, of course, in response to
promises, but as the game goes on, I am convinced you will see reason
so show me some actions on which I can base peaceful moves in your direction.

> At the moment, Jamie has played square and done as promised
>
Ho ho.  I'll save this sentence and quote you in the EOG!  :-)

> so I think that for the nonce we
> will have to try a little of that trench warfare.
>
Okey-doke.  Into the trenches we go.  I've got to say, it won't be
pleasant or profitable for either of us, rest assured, but I'm willing
if you are.

> You've done an admirable job of dealing with my treachery already, and if
> your performance holds up, then changing my tune will definitely be a
> serious consideration, should you still want to work with me of course (<:.
>
As soon as you're ready.  The threat here is not Russia, and I still think
an A/I is crucial to any kind of successful outcome for either of us.

> Unfortunately, the generals seem to be in charge right now and it's time
> for the soldiers to do their work for a bit.  Should they fail we'll dust
> off the diplomats and give them another shot at it.
>
My diplomats will stand at the ready, because I'll still be around game-years
>from now giving you a hard time until you come around.  (Or until Jamie turns
you around.  The problem is you and I will be so embroiled that your back
will be wide open and when he turns you around, you won't be all there.)

> I will always listen to any specific proposal you have, and will without
> hesitation accept a plan that includes anyone or everyone in a draw rather
> than allow a solo win,
>
Well, I'm not really in a position to offer specific proposals.  My moves
are kind of dictated, so I can't be offering supports for you against Russia.
Gee, it seems like I *could* have when I was in Turkey!  Kind of too bad that
Jamie managed to keep us from working together against him, isn't it?  Makes
me almost wonder if it was something he PLANNED to do.  Nah....  :-)

> but for this turn at least, I think my best path
> will be to try my hand at an Italian campaign.
>
I'll tell the homeboys to cook you up some Chef Boyardee.  Enjoy your
stay.  Just get your own chefs to get the Vienna sausages ready for
Jamie.  Those Russian soldiers work up an appetite, you know.

Talk to you soon enough,
Manus

Message from Italy to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

Wow.  Not very good proofreading on my part.  Here's an errata:

> I appreciate that.  My orders can't change, of course, in response to
> promises, but as the game goes on, I am convinced you will see reason
> so show me some actions on which I can base peaceful moves in your direction.
>
"so" should be "to"

> As soon as you're ready.  The threat here is not Russia, and I still think
> an A/I is crucial to any kind of successful outcome for either of us.
>
"not Russia" should read "not you, but Russia"

There.  Better.

Manus

Message from Italy to England, France and

Germany in 'pouchtoo':

Greetings to my trio of fellow A/R attackers:

Dave still doesn't see the light, and so I am in for a few game-years of
trench warfare.  I have promised to make every inch hard on him, and I'll
of course need your help to do so.  Specifically, I would be looking to
make sure that the French fleet stays on the board, and I will likely
be asking for E/F to team up and dislodge my WES fleet so that I can build
again at home.

Austria can be repelled from the boot rather easily if enough builds can
be generated at home.  That's the way to do it, because once he sees he'll
get nowhere, I think we can convince him to turn on Jamie.  But we need
to do it before Jamie turns on him and his soon-to-be wide-open backside.

Comments?

Manus

Message from Austria to Italy in 'pouchtoo':

I read the first one and was just about to ask who you thought the threat
was when I decided to read the next message before replying.

All that you say is of course both what I expected and quite true.  I was
aware when I allowed the Tsar to woo me to the dark side of the risk, and
I have a constant eye on it.  Hopefully I have not, and will not, miscalculate,
but we shall see.  Of course you could just roll over making my position
secure?  Naaahh, I didn't think so (<:.



>
> Wow.  Not very good proofreading on my part.  Here's an errata:
>
> > I appreciate that.  My orders can't change, of course, in response to
> > promises, but as the game goes on, I am convinced you will see reason
> > so show me some actions on which I can base peaceful moves in your
direction.
> >
> "so" should be "to"
>
> > As soon as you're ready.  The threat here is not Russia, and I still think
> > an A/I is crucial to any kind of successful outcome for either of us.
> >
> "not Russia" should read "not you, but Russia"
>
> There.  Better.
>
> Manus
>

_________________________________________________________
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Message from Italy to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

> I read the first one and was just about to ask who you thought the threat
> was when I decided to read the next message before replying.
>
Gotta keep you guessin'!  :-)

> All that you say is of course both what I expected and quite true.
>
Don't want to disappoint my bitter enemy, after all.  :-)

> I was aware when I allowed the Tsar to woo me to the dark side
>
The way Jamie tells it, you did the wooing.  If so, shame on you!  :-)

> I have a constant eye on it.
>
IMHO, you could keep a much CLOSER eye on it than you currently are.
For instance, if you relocate your eye to, say, Moscow....  :-)

> Hopefully I have not, and will not, miscalculate,
>
Speak for yourself!

> but we shall see.  Of course you could just roll over making my position
> secure?
>
I'll take it under consideration.

> Naaahh, I didn't think so (<:.
>
How'd you know?

I look forward to the turn when you decide to hit Jamie and hit him hard.
I think this will give the observers quite a treat.  I am 100% confident
that you will return to my bosom.  I'll just play the wood-pushing game
until it happens.

Manus

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>Ok, there are the adjustments.
>No surprises, but I was a little worried that Germany would build F Kie.
Whew!


I guess he figures the "defense" of the north will be MY bailiwick... heh
heh

Well, I knew/guessed every build before it happened.  That is a rare enough
occurence that I feel good about it (what was that about pride goeth before
a fall?  Hmmm)

Let me stare at the board for a few hours and I'll get back to you.

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from England to France, Germany and Italy in

'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Italy to England, France and
>Germany in 'pouchtoo':


>Dave still doesn't see the light, and so I am in for a few game-years of
>trench warfare.  I have promised to make every inch hard on him, and I'll
>of course need your help to do so.  Specifically, I would be looking to
>make sure that the French fleet stays on the board, and I will likely
>be asking for E/F to team up and dislodge my WES fleet so that I can build
>again at home.


Why not do it now while the fleet is in Spain?  I have a reason not to go
into the Med just yet which I'll explain below.

>Austria can be repelled from the boot rather easily if enough builds can
>be generated at home.  That's the way to do it, because once he sees he'll
>get nowhere, I think we can convince him to turn on Jamie.  But we need
>to do it before Jamie turns on him and his soon-to-be wide-open backside.


I've had some pretty in depth conversations with Dave lately that he
probably isn't letting you in on, Manus.  I was home in the day time on
Thursday and was on line at the same time he was, so we managed to exchange
quite a few messages.  The gist of them is:  he IS very worried about Russia
being at his back door and the Austrian homeland being so open (not to
mention his Turkish holdings).  Dave doesn't think Jamie is as likely to
attack England as he is to stab Austria.  I wish *I* was as sure about
things as he is but he has a point.  Right now nobody is attacking me so I
would be able to bring ALL my forces to bear on the north and almost
certainly defend myself from any Russian incursion.  Dave, on the other
hand, IS an open target for attack as he would be caught between us and
Russia.  He is aware of this and has come asking for my help.  He IS willing
to stab Russia if I promise to help him.  The only proviso he puts on this
is that I have to stay out of the Med.  Otherwise, he says, the A/R becomes
"set in stone".  Personally, although I think it may already be set in
stone, I'd like to see just what can come of this offer.  At the very least
I don't want to jeopardize our chances of breaking them up by a move to the
Western Med.  Now supporting Hohn to Spain(sc) would not only accomplish
what you want to do Manus (poof a fleet), it MAY buy me some credibility
with Dave.    Perhaps if Hohn writes to Dave and says that I asked him about
puppeting to ME in return for an attack on France it may help convince him
of my amenability to his plan.

In summary, what I am asking in tactical terms is this:

England:  F Mid s French F Por-Spasc
France:   F Por-Spasc
Italy:    F Spasc H

I am also assuming A Mar-Pie and a supported attack on Ion?  I'll be putting
an army on the continent and trying to work some moves out with John to slow
A/R down.

Komments, komrades?

King Kal

Message from England to Germany in 'pouchtoo':

Well, that last gamble (F Den-Bal) sure worked eh?  :)  Now if we can just
follow it up with some decent moves, we may even knock Russia back a step or
so.

I'm pretty sure Russia will try the same trick by moving to Baltic as, if
nothing else, it will keep YOU out of there.  Once he moves F Stp-Bot, he
can force the Baltic.  I want to side step him a little.

Here's my suggested tactics:

Germany: F Den-Ska; A Kie-Den; A Ruh-Kie; A Bur-Ruh
England: F Nwy s F Den-Ska (just in case) and A Par-Bur

I think these will succeed because A/R will need all four of their armies to
ensure Munich.  I doubt that Russia will move F Swe-Den but if he does, we
can take it back in the Fall.  I'll also be convoying an army into Belgium
with the intent of shoring up our line.

I've been staring at the board for quite a while (my eyes are pretty blurry
now... ) and I'm pretty sure this is our best chance to acomplish
something.

Komments?

King Kal

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

Well, now that I've gone cross-eyed from staring at the board, I have some
suggestions.

The goal for this year is to see Germany collapse in the north, cripple
Italy and get us each a build or two (or three ).  Austria should have
finished mobilizing against Italy and you should then have the chance to hit
him in the Spring of next year (that's tentative, of course, depending on
the success of our tactics).

Here's the plan:

England: A Lon-Bel;, c by F Eng; F Nwy s German F Den-Ska; A Par-Bur
Germany: F Den-Ska; A Kie-Den; A Ruh-Kie; A Bur-Ruh
Russia:  F Den-Bal; A Fin-Den; F Stpsc-Bot

The German moves are what I am hoping to talk him into, of course, but I'm
pretty sure he'll do it (fingers crossed).

Now the explanations.  First off, the German moves are the only way I can
get an army into Burgandy.  I need it there so as to take a shot at
Marseilles in the Fall.  I'm going to try to talk Austria into letting Manus
into Piedmont so I'll be unopposed.  Dave HAS said he would be willing to do
that to see Italy crippled.  We'll see.  Meanwhile, you and Austria can feel
free to grab Munich (John couldn't stop you anyway; that's why I'm hoping
he'll see these moves as useful).

Now, in the Fall, if all these moves succeed, here's what I envision:

You move A Ber-Kie to cut support for Den which you will take with Swe (Bal
supporting).  I will use F Nwy to cut Ska support and also move my army in
Bel-Hol.  This will reduce Germany to a single centre (Kie) which sure won't
last long.

Just so you know, I'm also planning to take Spain as well as Marseilles if I
can force the appropriate tactics.  This will potentially give me three
builds.  What I need to know is: will that make you nervous?  Like you
earlier, I don't want to seem to grow so fast that you feel it strategically
necessary to attack me or even hold off on an attack of Austria.  I think
the above tactics are the absolute best way to obtain our goals, but I don't
want to do it at the cost of trusting each other.

Komments, Komrade?

King Kal

Message from England to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

A few things to discuss:

First, here's a bit of inside info for you.  Manus wants Hohn and I to pop
his fleet currently in Spain so he can rebuild it at home.  I don't think
it's a particularly wise move, but it's what he wants.  The kicker is, he
wants to wait until the Fall when that fleet is in Western Med.  I don't
want to do it that way.

While I am quite willing to pop his fleet for him, especially if I can make
sure it never gets rebuilt, I have better things to do with my fleet in Mid
this Fall.  Taking Spain, for instance...

Anyway, I wrote him back and said that while I agreed to pop his fleet, I
wanted to do it THIS turn while it's in Spain.  In order to give him a
concrete reason, I told him I didn't want to move my fleet into the Med
proper because I thought I had a chance to turn YOU against Russia and
didn't want to hurt my chances.  I said that you had written me worried
about the proximity of Russia to your back door and that you were getting a
bad feeling about Russia's build of a fleet in Stp SOUTH coast.  I implied
that you had asked ME about working together against Russia and that I was
willing to discuss it.

I hope this is all okay with you and I also hope that you can maybe give
Manus a hint that the above might be true.  Any credibility you can lend
makes him more open to attack next Fall.

Speaking of the Fall, is your offer to let him into Piedmont this Spring
still open?  I want to make sure that fleet never gets rebuilt and if he
leaves Mar open I can waltz right in.  If I take a shot at Spain as well, he
may even get to remove a unit.  This should make your "liberation" of the
mainland much easier/quicker.  Actually, if it all works out, a Spring 1906
attack on Russia may not be out of the question.

Komments?

King Kal

Message from Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':

Just quickly (my home computer got fried in an electrical storm!);


>Russia:  F Den-Bal; A Fin-Den; F Stpsc-Bot

The army in Finland can't get to Denmark. Let me look at the map on Monday
and get back to you, something like your plan might still be good. Oh, I
see, yes. Hm, yeah, that probably works, I would be in Sweden and could
still support myself into Den with F Bal. Ok, tentatively at least, that's
great.

I have no problem AT ALL with your gaining several centers this year, even
if I get none. (And your plan certainly appears to get me one.) Just make
sure you build F Lvp :)

Tsar J

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

Very briefly, because I can't use my home computer this weekend:

Glad to see that Germany build an army.
Even so it's a bit hard to see how I can get another center. But I'm going
to try.

I do think we should have my A Ber support you into Munich. Let's also
decide how we're going to work the taking of Ionian Sea, shall we?

Tsar J

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>Just quickly (my home computer got fried in an electrical storm!);


Here's where I put on my best look of smug innocence and point out that,
before I went to work yesterday, I unplugged EVERYTHING... ;)

>>Russia:  F Den-Bal; A Fin-Den; F Stpsc-Bot
>
>The army in Finland can't get to Denmark.

Okay, so it's early.  I meant Sweden, of course.

>Let me look at the map on Monday
>and get back to you, something like your plan might still be good. Oh, I
>see, yes. Hm, yeah, that probably works, I would be in Sweden and could
>still support myself into Den with F Bal. Ok, tentatively at least, that's
>great.


Good.  Still waiting to hear from Germany.

>I have no problem AT ALL with your gaining several centers this year, even
>if I get none. (And your plan certainly appears to get me one.) Just make
>sure you build F Lvp :)


Guaranteed. d:-})

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':

Re den-bal, I concluded it was a pretty sure thing. Russia does not want
war with you yet, so the only logical move for him was fin-swe to cover
his move to Baltic.

I was thinking about some kind of move against Sweden this turn. I like
your suggestions. I had thought perhaps den-bal, kie-den. I'd be sure to
stop something from happening. (You know, I almost built F Kiel.) I also
would expect ber-kie, so R would block me out of Kiel and par, ruh and
bur would not move. I realize AR would have to support from Berlin to
counter bur, ruh s kie-mun. But they might risk it, knowing I can't stop
that move, and also thinking we would want to shift units around in the
spring.

Here's a thought. I order den-bal, kie-den, and you order nwy-stp,
edi-nth. He'd have to reverse field, assuming stp-gob and fin-swe.

In sum, what about this:

a kie - den
f den - bal
a ruh - hol
a bur - ruh

f edi-nth
f nwy-stp
a lon-bel
a par - bur

About the only thing Russia could do to scramble the picture would be
swe hold. But that does not seem likely to me, and if he did, I'd be in
Baltic with the army in Denmark, not all bad.

Message from Italy to England, France and

Germany in 'pouchtoo':

I am perfectly fine with Cal supporting Hohn to Spain (sc) and dislodging my
fleet to create another build.  I will make sure not to move the fleet.
Hohn, Cadiz will be waiting for your Springtime visit.

Sound good all around?

Manus

Message from England to Germany in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':


>Re den-bal, I concluded it was a pretty sure thing. Russia does not want
>war with you yet, so the only logical move for him was fin-swe to cover
>his move to Baltic.
>
>I was thinking about some kind of move against Sweden this turn. I like
>your suggestions. I had thought perhaps den-bal, kie-den. I'd be sure to
>stop something from happening. (You know, I almost built F Kiel.) I also
>would expect ber-kie, so R would block me out of Kiel and par, ruh and
>bur would not move. I realize AR would have to support from Berlin to
>counter bur, ruh s kie-mun. But they might risk it, knowing I can't stop
>that move, and also thinking we would want to shift units around in the
>spring.
>
>Here's a thought. I order den-bal, kie-den, and you order nwy-stp,
>edi-nth. He'd have to reverse field, assuming stp-gob and fin-swe.
>
>In sum, what about this:
>
>a kie - den
>f den - bal
>a ruh - hol
>a bur - ruh
>
>f edi-nth
>f nwy-stp
>a lon-bel
>a par - bur
>
>About the only thing Russia could do to scramble the picture would be
>swe hold. But that does not seem likely to me, and if he did, I'd be in
>Baltic with the army in Denmark, not all bad.

Jamie has been trying to talk me into an alliance for the last couple of
turns and has been letting some of his intended moves slip (that's where the
tip to move to Bal came from, btw).  Let me see if I can get anything from
him for the upcoming move.

I can say I'm not too keen on the move to St Pete's though.  I'd like to
have a few more units ready for the northern front before I totally alienate
him.  I figure we need all the time I can buy because the less aggresively
Jamie moves north, the more strategic time we buy to position ourselves.

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':

I spent some time staring at the board this PM. Because of sev-mos,
Russia can defend stp quite easily. So nwy-stp doesn't accomplish that
much.

I think a lot depends on what A Berlin does. If, as I said, we see
ber-kie, then your suggested moves will leave us badly positioned. OTOH,
if, say, ber s sil-mun, then your moves are indeed the best. RA don't
have to take Munich this turn. Thus, Russia might try to use A Berlin in
some other way than merely supporting into Munich.

Well, I'll take another look later.

Kaiser

Message from Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':

Our messages crossed in the mail.

I agree that you should try to keep Russia out of the north. In that
case, though, nwy s den - ska is perhaps unwise. In all likelihood, I
can make the move (if we decide to do that) without support. Then you
can say I went off on my own, hoping to hang on in Scandinavia or
something.

Kaiser

Message from England to Germany in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>Our messages crossed in the mail.
>
>I agree that you should try to keep Russia out of the north. In that
>case, though, nwy s den - ska is perhaps unwise. In all likelihood, I
>can make the move (if we decide to do that) without support. Then you
>can say I went off on my own, hoping to hang on in Scandinavia or
>something.


As I said in the other letter, I'll see if I can get any scrap of info from
Jamie and we can plan accordingly.  Actually, I think either set of moves
will do us, but it would help to know what he plans to do...  ;)

King Kal

Message from Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':

Yes, much will depend on what hints Russia drops. But I was staring long
and hard last night. It seems to me that if we do the ska, den moves,
then nwy-stp does make sense. Assume swe-bal, fin-swe, sev-mos, stp-gob
- all pretty good bets. Then plug in the moves you suggested. To cut to
the chase, nwy-stp would take F Baltic out of play in support of AR
attack on Kiel. Russia would have to put two units on dislodging you
>from Stp and two to protect Sweden. Thus, they could not take Kiel, and
we might even have some counterattacking capacity.

If Russia does not move sev-mos, then he could very well lose a center.

Worth considering.

Kaiser

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>
> Glad to see that Germany build an army.
> Even so it's a bit hard to see how I can get another center. But I'm going
> to try.
>
Quelle suprise! (<:

> I do think we should have my A Ber support you into Munich. Let's also
> decide how we're going to work the taking of Ionian Sea, shall we?
>
I definitely agree on the support to Munich, let's make sure we take it
out.  Just to make sure we get it right, it will be army Sil that will be
moving there.

As to Ionian, I think you just need to move to EMS and then we'll
see where the Italian fleets are positioned.

Regards,
Kaiser D

Message from Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':

>
> First, here's a bit of inside info for you.  Manus wants Hohn and I to pop
> his fleet currently in Spain so he can rebuild it at home.  I don't think
> it's a particularly wise move, but it's what he wants.  The kicker is, he
> wants to wait until the Fall when that fleet is in Western Med.  I don't
> want to do it that way.
>
> While I am quite willing to pop his fleet for him, especially if I can make
> sure it never gets rebuilt, I have better things to do with my fleet in Mid
> this Fall.  Taking Spain, for instance...
>
hyork, hyork, hyork as the Boob would say.

> Anyway, I wrote him back and said that while I agreed to pop his fleet, I
> wanted to do it THIS turn while it's in Spain.  In order to give him a
> concrete reason, I told him I didn't want to move my fleet into the Med
> proper because I thought I had a chance to turn YOU against Russia and
> didn't want to hurt my chances.  I said that you had written me worried
> about the proximity of Russia to your back door and that you were getting a
> bad feeling about Russia's build of a fleet in Stp SOUTH coast.  I implied
> that you had asked ME about working together against Russia and that I was
> willing to discuss it.
>
> I hope this is all okay with you and I also hope that you can maybe give
> Manus a hint that the above might be true.  Any credibility you can lend
> makes him more open to attack next Fall.
>
All this is fine with me.  I have been keeping the door open with him and
making constant mention of the fact that I believe you all about Russia's
evil intent.  I've made it very clear to Manus that the slightest twitch
>from Russia and I'll be joining the coalition against him.  His goal right
now is to make sure I don't make any gains until the "inevitable Russian stab"
happens.  Thus I'm sure it won't surprise him at all to hear that I've been
talking with you about the dangers of Russia.  I'll continue to reinforce that.

> Speaking of the Fall, is your offer to let him into Piedmont this Spring
> still open?  I want to make sure that fleet never gets rebuilt and if he
> leaves Mar open I can waltz right in.  If I take a shot at Spain as well, he
> may even get to remove a unit.  This should make your "liberation" of the
> mainland much easier/quicker.  Actually, if it all works out, a Spring 1906
> attack on Russia may not be out of the question.
>
> Komments?
>
Well, I'm wondering about the details of how this is going to work out.  I'm
assuming that it is the French fleet that will go to Spain, not the English
one, correct?  To waltz into Mar, you'll need an army in Gascony or Burgundy,
can you manage this?  Obviously a fleet moving to Spain/SC, then Mar would
NOT be in keeping with our agreement regarding the Med.  I can still let
him into Piedmont, that's not a problem, but in order for the fleet to
be popped, you'll have to support France to Spain with MAO.  How will you
justify a move to Gas?  I don't see anyway you can bet to Bur, the only
place that German army could go would be Bel!!  If you move to Gas, won't
that be a blatant tip off?  If you do that there is every chance that he
would decide NOT to disband the fleet, but would retreat it to Mar.

I would think you are better off to play it straight in the Spring, supporting
France to Spa and staying out of Gascony, then, in the Fall, you walk into
Spain behind France and move to Gas or Bur with your army.  That only gets
you one build, but Portugal will be easy meat the next turn and Mar will be
close behind.

I can let him into Pie, but it may slow down my offensive a bit so I'd like
to be sure that there is a good reason behind doing so first.

Regards,
Kaiser D

Message from Austria to Italy in 'pouchtoo':

Howdy Nieghbor,

> > I read the first one and was just about to ask who you thought the threat
> > was when I decided to read the next message before replying.
> >
> Gotta keep you guessin'!  :-)
>

Oh, you do.  I await each twist and turn with great anticipation, if not
a twinge of dread (<:.


> > I was aware when I allowed the Tsar to woo me to the dark side
> >
> The way Jamie tells it, you did the wooing.  If so, shame on you!  :-)
>
Yeah, right.  And Jamie's a novice and a carebear to boot!

> > I have a constant eye on it.
> >
> IMHO, you could keep a much CLOSER eye on it than you currently are.
> For instance, if you relocate your eye to, say, Moscow....  :-)
>
I would get a better view of his vodka supply that way. (<:

>
> I look forward to the turn when you decide to hit Jamie and hit him hard.
> I think this will give the observers quite a treat.  I am 100% confident
> that you will return to my bosom.  I'll just play the wood-pushing game
> until it happens.
>

I'm all for giving the observers a treat.  Why do you think I stabbed you?
They were getting far to smug in their little predictions (<:.  I share
the concerns of you all about the dangers of the Great White Bear.  But
if you don't play with fire, you'll never get warm.  The trick is to keep
>from getting burned.  (And there's always been a little of the pyromaniac
in me.)  If I do turn on him I want the Russian implosion to be spectacular
as well.  Nothing worse than a wounded bear in your back yard.  I'm willing
to bet that another year will see the decision point, depending a lot both
on what happens in our little arena and how the forces are distributed in
the north.

Stay in touch. (In fact, why don't I drop in and visit you in Rome?)

Kaiser D

Message from Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':

>Here's where I put on my best look of smug innocence and point out that,
>before I went to work yesterday, I unplugged EVERYTHING... ;)

I hate you.

Tsar J

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

>I definitely agree on the support to Munich, let's make sure we take it
>out.  Just to make sure we get it right, it will be army Sil that will be
>moving there.

Right.

>As to Ionian, I think you just need to move to EMS and then we'll
>see where the Italian fleets are positioned.

I don't think we can just wait and see where the Italian fleets are
positioned. One of them will be positioned in Ionian. You have to worry
about Greece, remember?

You can just move Aeg-Gre if you want, and we can get you into Ion from
there in the Fall; or you can move the A Con to Bul so that you can protect
Gre in the Fall with that.

Which way do you want to do it? Or have I missed something?

Tsar J

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

> I don't think we can just wait and see where the Italian fleets are
> positioned. One of them will be positioned in Ionian. You have to worry
> about Greece, remember?
>
> You can just move Aeg-Gre if you want, and we can get you into Ion from
> there in the Fall; or you can move the A Con to Bul so that you can protect
> Gre in the Fall with that.
>
> Which way do you want to do it? Or have I missed something?
>
As mentioned before, I'm aware that I need to protect Greece.  Frankly, I
haven't made up my mind yet how I am going to do that, or how I am going
to attack the peninsula.  However, that should have no effect on our
joint moves.

Regards,
Kaiser D

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

Hm, I don't agree.

If you're going to put the F Aeg in Gre, I probably ought to put my fleet
Smy in Aegean. Otherwise the Italian F Ion could retreat to Aeg when we
dislodge it. That would be an unpleasant place for it. If it retreats to
EastMed, that's not too bad, I'd just have to cover Smyrna. I doubt he'd
retreat to Eas.

Obviously, if you aren't going to move that fleet to Gre, I should go to
East Med.

Tsar J

Message from Italy to England, France and

Germany in 'pouchtoo':

Guys:

Looking at a map.

I am wondering if (though not yet proposing) it might be better to wait
until Fall to dislodge my fleet.  For example, I move Spa/sc-WES while
Hohn slides into Spa/sc, and then in FALL, Spa/sc-WES with Cal's support.
The problem is that this delays Cal's trip north one turn, and this is
why I'm not yet proposing it.

However, the upside is that I am beginning to fear that Dave will be able
to ensure both Rome and Naples are covered after Fall, and he will know
to do this if he sees the disband in Spring.

Please comment.

Regardless, I am open to your best guesses on where I should send Rome.
Tuscany?  Apulia?  Nowhere?  I'll move it as popular demand decides, so
send your opinions asap.

Manus

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

> Hm, I don't agree.
>
> If you're going to put the F Aeg in Gre, I probably ought to put my fleet
> Smy in Aegean. Otherwise the Italian F Ion could retreat to Aeg when we
> dislodge it. That would be an unpleasant place for it. If it retreats to
> EastMed, that's not too bad, I'd just have to cover Smyrna. I doubt he'd
> retreat to Eas.
>
Hm, I don't agree. (<:

Personally I don't think that it would really be that bad if he did go to
Aeg.  You have an army that can cover Smyrna, I'd have an army in Con
and a fleet in Greece, thus we'd be covered, and if he wants to play
games there, that just removes his fleet from home defense.  Personally,
I'd rather have it playing games there then defending the Italian
peninsula.  Remember that my fleet in Ionion can strike Tunis and Naples
or even move through to Tyhr.

> Obviously, if you aren't going to move that fleet to Gre, I should go to
> East Med.
>
I think that should be an unconditional move to the East Med.

Kaiser D

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

Ok, if that's the way you want to play it, I'll go along.

>Personally I don't think that it would really be that bad if he did go to
>Aeg.  You have an army that can cover Smyrna, I'd have an army in Con
>and a fleet in Greece, thus we'd be covered, and if he wants to play
>games there, that just removes his fleet from home defense.

I guess. That's four of our centers that he threatens with a single unit.
And would you really have F Gre? Oh, you mean you'd take Ion from Adriatic?
I thought you'd want to keep that one there. Maybe not.

Well, maybe it's ok.

>I think that should be an unconditional move to the East Med.

Ok, that's what I'll do then. (Since three of the centers adjacent to Aeg
are yours, and I can easily defend Smy if it comes to that.)

Probably he'd disband that fleet once England took Spain or Mar, even if he
does retreat to Aeg.

I know, let's just *mine* the Aegean Sea when you move out of it! That
would be cool, the Judge would send out results like this:

ITALY: F ION retreats to AEG <*mined, BOOM!*>

Tsar J

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

> I guess. That's four of our centers that he threatens with a single unit.
> And would you really have F Gre? Oh, you mean you'd take Ion from Adriatic?
> I thought you'd want to keep that one there. Maybe not.
>
There are advantages to keeping it there, but there are also advantages
to moving out of Adriatic so the next fleet to be built can move in.  That's
one of those things that will depend on what happens in the spring.

> Ok, that's what I'll do then. (Since three of the centers adjacent to Aeg
> are yours, and I can easily defend Smy if it comes to that.)
>
Yeah, I guess it is my neck (<:.  Actually, I'd trade Greece for Naples
any day.

> Probably he'd disband that fleet once England took Spain or Mar, even if he
> does retreat to Aeg.
>
That's another point.

> I know, let's just *mine* the Aegean Sea when you move out of it! That
> would be cool, the Judge would send out results like this:
>
> ITALY: F ION retreats to AEG <*mined, BOOM!*>
>

Now you're talking!  Can I get some artillery too?

Kaiser D

Message from France to England and Italy in 'pouchtoo':

Guys,

I will order POR-SPA(sc).  It seems that regardless of whether we
dislodge SPA now or WES next turn, I will need to move to SPA(sc) either
way.  Short on time, gotta go.  Please let me know what you decide to
do, and also if there's a change in plan.

Hohn

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

If England carries out the ideas he's mentioned to me, then he will have a
*lot* of builds in the winter, and altogether a lot of units. Ten, I figure.

Let's keep that in mind, shall we? (Having just read the observer broadcast
declaring that one of us has to stab the other soon!)

I almost prefer *not* to get a build this year, now that I think about it.
I think Germany will be eliminated in '06, but if I build a northern fleet
this coming winter, England has to support Germany thereafter. If I don't
get the build, I'll surely take two of Germany's centers next year (Kie and
Den) in any case, so it doesn't seem to me that I gain anything by getting
the build this year. Once I do take Den and Kie, I'll have no compunctions
about building in Stp (and waiving the other build) and stabbing England.

England is going to be stronger than I expected. But maybe that's good. It
certainly makes me feel safer :).

Still, it's a shame that we won't have any of those annoying little powers
harassing the Brits later in the game. I suppose that's King Kal's thinking
right now, why he's planning to grab for Iberia and Mar rather than blast
into the Med. But let's see, we ought to have 20+ units between us in a
couple of years, and good position in Germany and Italy. I can't see the
remaining forces stopping us. The only enemy is within.

Build Those Fleets,
Tsar J

Message from England to Germany in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>Yes, much will depend on what hints Russia drops. But I was staring long
>and hard last night. It seems to me that if we do the ska, den moves,
>then nwy-stp does make sense. Assume swe-bal, fin-swe, sev-mos, stp-gob
>- all pretty good bets. Then plug in the moves you suggested. To cut to
>the chase, nwy-stp would take F Baltic out of play in support of AR
>attack on Kiel. Russia would have to put two units on dislodging you
>from Stp and two to protect Sweden. Thus, they could not take Kiel, and
>we might even have some counterattacking capacity.
>
>If Russia does not move sev-mos, then he could very well lose a center.
>
>Worth considering.


I've had a short note from Russia about the situation.  He didn't say much
about tactics, but he implied he's had some disturbing thoughts about
Austria.  I figure he's getting worried about a stab given the position of
their units and your potentially near demise.  I'd be surprised if it
happens soon, but Austria certainly couldn't wait TOO long if he does have
that in mind.

I tend to agree with what you said about F Nwy-Stp, but given what Russia
has said, I'd be even more hesitant to make that move.  If Austria DOES stab
Jamie, THAT would be the time to move north, not now when Russia may be
considering a pre-emptive strike.

I'll get back to you.  As of now, which set of orders do you prefer?

King Kal

Message from England to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':


>> I hope this is all okay with you and I also hope that you can maybe give
>> Manus a hint that the above might be true.  Any credibility you can lend
>> makes him more open to attack next Fall.
>>
>All this is fine with me.  I have been keeping the door open with him and
>making constant mention of the fact that I believe you all about Russia's
>evil intent.  I've made it very clear to Manus that the slightest twitch
>from Russia and I'll be joining the coalition against him.  His goal right
>now is to make sure I don't make any gains until the "inevitable Russian
stab"
>happens.  Thus I'm sure it won't surprise him at all to hear that I've been
>talking with you about the dangers of Russia.  I'll continue to reinforce
that.


Okay, good.  I need whatever help I can get as Manus doesn't seem to be one
for taking suggestions.  He considers himself the leader of the "Stop A/R"
coalition and is trying to submit orders for myself, Hohn AND John... heh
heh

>Well, I'm wondering about the details of how this is going to work out.
I'm
>assuming that it is the French fleet that will go to Spain, not the English
>one, correct?  To waltz into Mar, you'll need an army in Gascony or
Burgundy,
>can you manage this?  Obviously a fleet moving to Spain/SC, then Mar would
>NOT be in keeping with our agreement regarding the Med.  I can still let
>him into Piedmont, that's not a problem, but in order for the fleet to
>be popped, you'll have to support France to Spain with MAO.  How will you
>justify a move to Gas?  I don't see anyway you can bet to Bur, the only
>place that German army could go would be Bel!!  If you move to Gas, won't
>that be a blatant tip off?  If you do that there is every chance that he
>would decide NOT to disband the fleet, but would retreat it to Mar.


>I would think you are better off to play it straight in the Spring,
supporting
>France to Spa and staying out of Gascony, then, in the Fall, you walk into
>Spain behind France and move to Gas or Bur with your army.  That only gets
>you one build, but Portugal will be easy meat the next turn and Mar will be
>close behind.
>
>I can let him into Pie, but it may slow down my offensive a bit so I'd like
>to be sure that there is a good reason behind doing so first.


Unlike Manus, John has been quite amenable to my tactical suggestions.  This
turn, he intends to move A Bur-Ruh & A Ruh-Hol.  He also wants me to follow
that up with A Par-Bur which will, of course, give me a shot at Marseilles.
I am reasonably certain that these moves will work, so I hope you'll see fit
to let Manus have Piedmont.  For that matter, given the German moves above,
you might consider taking Munich with only Sil & Boh and move Tyrolia
southward (not to Piedmont tho... ).  BTW, I have a letter from Manus
asking for suggestions from me and Hohn about what he should try with F
Rome.  What would you have me tell him?

More later

King Kal

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>
>>Here's where I put on my best look of smug innocence and point out that,
>>before I went to work yesterday, I unplugged EVERYTHING... ;)
>
>I hate you.
>
>Tsar J


I can live with that... 

King Kal

Message from England to France, Germany and Italy in

'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Italy to England, France and
>Germany in 'pouchtoo':


>I am wondering if (though not yet proposing) it might be better to wait
>until Fall to dislodge my fleet.  For example, I move Spa/sc-WES while
>Hohn slides into Spa/sc, and then in FALL, Spa/sc-WES with Cal's support.
>The problem is that this delays Cal's trip north one turn, and this is
>why I'm not yet proposing it.


I really don't want to do this.  While I have a feeling Jamie wants to keep
my "goodwill" as long as possible, if he was to REALLY mount an attack thru
the north, I'd be awfully short on units to defend myself.  I don't mind
waiting a turn to move F Mid north "just in case", I really don't want to
wait three turns.

>However, the upside is that I am beginning to fear that Dave will be able
>to ensure both Rome and Naples are covered after Fall, and he will know
>to do this if he sees the disband in Spring.


I'm no sure what you mean by this.  Do you mean he'll have a guaranteed shot
at Rom & Nap?  Or just have units in position?

>Regardless, I am open to your best guesses on where I should send Rome.
>Tuscany?  Apulia?  Nowhere?  I'll move it as popular demand decides, so
>send your opinions asap.


I'd take a quarter out of your pocket and flip between Tus & Apu myself.
Then flip between Ven & staying in Rome.  Then have the winners play off...

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from Italy to England, France and

Germany in 'pouchtoo':

Okay, Cal prefers to dislodge me this turn so he can get his fleet moving
toward Jamie.  I tend to agree.  I will hold in Spain (sc) and await my
fate.  Give my fleet a good healthy knock, boys, and I'll have my admiral
put in a good word for all of us with the big guy upstairs.  (Though with
luck, Jamie and, if he doesn't turn, Dave will be visiting Him first.)

Manus

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

> If England carries out the ideas he's mentioned to me, then he will have a
> *lot* of builds in the winter, and altogether a lot of units. Ten, I figure.
>
> Let's keep that in mind, shall we? (Having just read the observer broadcast
> declaring that one of us has to stab the other soon!)
>
Yes, I've been noticing that.  And I'm well aware how hard it will be for
me to round the corner out of the Med.  In fact I'm sure he'll be in it
and it will be me trying to hold him off, not the other way.

> I almost prefer *not* to get a build this year, now that I think about it.
> I think Germany will be eliminated in '06, but if I build a northern fleet
> this coming winter, England has to support Germany thereafter. If I don't
> get the build, I'll surely take two of Germany's centers next year (Kie and
> Den) in any case, so it doesn't seem to me that I gain anything by getting
> the build this year. Once I do take Den and Kie, I'll have no compunctions
> about building in Stp (and waiving the other build) and stabbing England.
>
I think that is a good idea.  Interesting point is that if what England is
telling me is correct, then Germany will be moving into Hol, which means
that England will not be stabbing him this year!  He'll still lose one for
Munich though.  If I can believe England, then I can consider using Tyr
in the south instead of the north this spring.  I'll have to think on that
one.  Has he given you any indications?


> England is going to be stronger than I expected. But maybe that's good. It
> certainly makes me feel safer :).
>
And I'm sure it makes him feel safer.  That just leaves poor ole me (<:.

> Still, it's a shame that we won't have any of those annoying little powers
> harassing the Brits later in the game. I suppose that's King Kal's thinking
> right now, why he's planning to grab for Iberia and Mar rather than blast
> into the Med. But let's see, we ought to have 20+ units between us in a
> couple of years, and good position in Germany and Italy. I can't see the
> remaining forces stopping us. The only enemy is within.
>
Well, the strong enemy without should help that.  Not only does a stabber
face the problem that he will be setting England up tactically for a win,
but there is also the problem that strategically he can rely on the other
to make that happen.  The old "I'm not going down alone" syndrome.  Our
mutual fears will keep us together (<:.

> Build Those Fleets,

We're going to have to publish our little motto when this is over (<:

Kaiser D

Message from Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':

> Unlike Manus, John has been quite amenable to my tactical suggestions.  This
> turn, he intends to move A Bur-Ruh & A Ruh-Hol.  He also wants me to follow
> that up with A Par-Bur which will, of course, give me a shot at Marseilles.
> I am reasonably certain that these moves will work, so I hope you'll see fit
> to let Manus have Piedmont.  For that matter, given the German moves above,
> you might consider taking Munich with only Sil & Boh and move Tyrolia
> southward (not to Piedmont tho... ).

If this is the case, then he should not have a problem with your being in
Burgundy.  Since you will be doing the planned support of France to Spa
in the Spring, is there really any need to have him in Piedmont in the
Spring?  Won't letting him in in the fall do the same thing?  That would
make my task easier.


> BTW, I have a letter from Manus
> asking for suggestions from me and Hohn about what he should try with F
> Rome.  What would you have me tell him?
>

You got my hopes up for a moment, but it really is an army in Rome.  Oh well.

I'm assuming he will use the two fleets to force the Ionian.  That means
he's got to be conservative with Rome as he can't just leave it empty.
If you want to tell him anything, tell him I made a comment along the lines
that Manus always tries something tricky and I figure that will be his
undoing, so I'm going to head straight for Rome, figuring that he'll
try to bounce me on one side or the other and that will let me in.

Regards,
Kaiser D

Message from England to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>> Unlike Manus, John has been quite amenable to my tactical suggestions.
This
>> turn, he intends to move A Bur-Ruh & A Ruh-Hol.  He also wants me to
follow
>> that up with A Par-Bur which will, of course, give me a shot at
Marseilles.
>> I am reasonably certain that these moves will work, so I hope you'll see
fit
>> to let Manus have Piedmont.  For that matter, given the German moves
above,
>> you might consider taking Munich with only Sil & Boh and move Tyrolia
>> southward (not to Piedmont tho... ).
>
>If this is the case, then he should not have a problem with your being in
>Burgundy.  Since you will be doing the planned support of France to Spa
>in the Spring, is there really any need to have him in Piedmont in the
>Spring?  Won't letting him in in the fall do the same thing?  That would
>make my task easier.


The only reason I have for having him in Piedmont THIS turn is that I would
then KNOW if I would have Marseilles in the Fall for sure since, obviously,
he'd be unlikely to move back there once he was in Piedmont.  However, my
psychological peace of mind is probably outweighed by tactical
considerations on your front.  Therefore, if you really NEED to keep him out
of Pied this turn, go ahead.  I can always turn to hard liquor...  ;)

>> BTW, I have a letter from Manus
>> asking for suggestions from me and Hohn about what he should try with F
>> Rome.  What would you have me tell him?
>>
>
>You got my hopes up for a moment, but it really is an army in Rome.  Oh
well.
>
>I'm assuming he will use the two fleets to force the Ionian.

Sorry, my computer has the A and the F on the same keyboard... 

>That means
>he's got to be conservative with Rome as he can't just leave it empty.
>If you want to tell him anything, tell him I made a comment along the lines
>that Manus always tries something tricky and I figure that will be his
>undoing, so I'm going to head straight for Rome, figuring that he'll
>try to bounce me on one side or the other and that will let me in.


Will do.

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from England to Italy in 'pouchtoo':

Dave MAY be starting to trust me a little bit; his last note had a tactical
tidbit I may as well pass on.  I won't guarantee that he isn't just setting
me up with a bit of bait but here's the gist of the comment.

He thinks you're a tricky little sod and that you will probably try
something weird with your army in Rome.  He's decided that, in that case,
he's going to move A Ven-Rom.

Again, take the above with a large grain of salt.  It sounds fairly sincere
in the original letter (jsut my impression), but it may be a setup.  Make of
it what you will.

Can you tell I don't want to get blamed if something goes wrong...?  ;)

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':

>  I can always turn to hard liquor...  ;)
>
You aren't one of those heathens whose going to put Ginger in his whiskey
are you?  If so, I'm going to have to ask you to immediately give up
your stewardship of Scotland and Ireland!

I do really like the idea of you taking out two Italian centers, that
will force a couple of disbands.  On the other hand, the two units
that will disband are the two that are already over there with those
centers, so it's not quite as good as it looks at the start.  I'll
see what I can do, I will certainly let him into Pie in the fall in
order to let you take Mar.

Kaiser D

Message from England to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>
>>  I can always turn to hard liquor...  ;)
>>
>You aren't one of those heathens whose going to put Ginger in his whiskey
>are you?  If so, I'm going to have to ask you to immediately give up
>your stewardship of Scotland and Ireland!


Well, I used to, but now that she's left the Spice Girls, I don't know WHAT
I'm going to do! ;)

>I do really like the idea of you taking out two Italian centers, that
>will force a couple of disbands.  On the other hand, the two units
>that will disband are the two that are already over there with those
>centers, so it's not quite as good as it looks at the start.  I'll
>see what I can do, I will certainly let him into Pie in the fall in
>order to let you take Mar.


Sounds good to me.

King Kal

Message from Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':

> >>  I can always turn to hard liquor...  ;)
> >>
> >You aren't one of those heathens whose going to put Ginger in his whiskey
> >are you?  If so, I'm going to have to ask you to immediately give up
> >your stewardship of Scotland and Ireland!
>
>
> Well, I used to, but now that she's left the Spice Girls, I don't know WHAT
> I'm going to do! ;)
>

Message from Italy to England in 'pouchtoo':

Thanks for passing the info along.  It's better than anything else I have,
so I'll go with it.

And if it doesn't work, I'll never forgive you.  (Just kidding.)

Manus

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

> Interesting point is that if what England is
>telling me is correct, then Germany will be moving into Hol, which means
>that England will not be stabbing him this year!

Yes, that sure is interesting.
Tell more. WHY is Germany moving to Holland?? To bolster Kiel in the Fall?
To make room for a French army heading to Ruhr (Lon-Bel, then Bel-Ruh)? To
prepare a flashy convoy? I don't get it.

I believe England will convoy to Belgium, so he *could* in principle still
take Hol with support. Still, it sounds like a bad thing for me if they are
really jointly planning Ruh-Hol.

> He'll still lose one for
>Munich though.  If I can believe England, then I can consider using Tyr
>in the south instead of the north this spring.  I'll have to think on that
>one.  Has he given you any indications?

He did a while ago, but they were tentative and in conflict with what he's
apparently told you. He had this recherche scheme by which I would manage
to get Denmark, he'd have to talk Germany into it. Nothing since then. I
didn't mind, since as I said I'd had second thoughts and don't really want
to get Den this year.

Frankly, I would not want to count on anything England said at this point.
Let's just use all the Munich-flankers against Munich.


>> England is going to be stronger than I expected. But maybe that's good. It
>> certainly makes me feel safer :).
>>
>And I'm sure it makes him feel safer.  That just leaves poor ole me (<:.

You should feel safer, too. It gives me an extra reason not to stab you, as
you say here:

>  Not only does a stabber
>face the problem that he will be setting England up tactically for a win,
>but there is also the problem that strategically he can rely on the other
>to make that happen.  The old "I'm not going down alone" syndrome.  Our
>mutual fears will keep us together (<:.

Yep.


Ok, now if only England isn't cooking up a really ugly plan with Germany,
I'm gonna be feeling pretty good for the next year or two. Could Manus
and/or John have talked King Kal into making a stand with them, instead of
against them? Maybe his plan is to wipe out Italy's western position, race
you for the  Boot, and use Germany to encroach on me in the Northeast? Hmm.
If that were his plan, could he possibly get enough centers to win?
I doubt it. Hm. Nah, I can't see it. He'd need some Italian centers.
Well... it's enough to feed my paranoia for this year, anyway.

Tsar J

Message from Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':

So, what's the plan? Did you talk John into that quixotic move you were
talking about earlier? Somehow I doubt it.

Austria seems to be getting a little nervous. Nothing I can't handle.

I think.

Tsar J

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

p.s.
"BTF"

Message from Russia to Italy in 'pouchtoo':

BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS.

Tsar J









Ok, I admit it, it doesn't mean anything. But I felt I had to say it. I've
always wanted to.

Message from Italy to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

> Ok, I admit it, it doesn't mean anything. But I felt I had to say it. I've
> always wanted to.
>
Well, I'd like to tell you that it was well worth your effort.  I admit
I was scratching my head big-time until I scrolled lower and saw I shouldn't
have been.

:-)

Manus (wishing you'd call off the dogs :-)

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>So, what's the plan? Did you talk John into that quixotic move you were
>talking about earlier? Somehow I doubt it.


He came up with his own plan which required me to move to St Pete's.  I
managed to deflect that unsavory suggestion by saying I couldn't antagonize
you until I moved at least one more fleet into position in the north (which,
BTW, ain't gonna happen).  He also wants to take another shot at Baltic, but
I said that I would try to pick up some "hint" of where you were going to
move this turn.  Now that you're back on line, I'll go ahead and tell him
that you plan to move to Baltic.  We'll see then if he wants to block or go
for my suggestion.  I suspect he'll block since he wants to move A Ruh-Hol &
A Bur-Ruh.  Those moves are fine with me because it guarantees I'll be in
Burgandy to try for Marseilles and, if he DOES go for Ska, will leave Kiel
open (this being all the more reason he'll try to block).

I'll let you know what he says so you can decide where to move.

Kordially komrade,

King Kal

Message from England to Germany in 'pouchtoo':

Russia just got back online after the electrical storm knocked out his
computer and he sent me a quick note.  He says he's going to take another
shot at Baltic with the other units moving (predictably) to Sweden and
Bothnia.  His army in Berlin WILL be supporting the Austrian to Munich.

I guess that leaves us with two options:

1) we can go with my original plan F Swe-Ska; A Kie-Den; A Ruh-Kie & A
Bur-Ruh.

or

2) your plan which moved F Den-Bal; A Kie-Den; A Ruh-Hol & A Bur-Ruh.

Either one of these is fine with me.

Gotta run.  :)

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

> > Interesting point is that if what England is
> >telling me is correct, then Germany will be moving into Hol, which means
> >that England will not be stabbing him this year!
>
> Yes, that sure is interesting.
> Tell more. WHY is Germany moving to Holland?? To bolster Kiel in the Fall?
> To make room for a French army heading to Ruhr (Lon-Bel, then Bel-Ruh)? To
> prepare a flashy convoy? I don't get it.
>
> I believe England will convoy to Belgium, so he *could* in principle still
> take Hol with support. Still, it sounds like a bad thing for me if they are
> really jointly planning Ruh-Hol.
>

He's going to move to Hol because England is greedy (<:.  The reason to
have him move for Hol (Ruh - Hol, Bur - Ruh, Par - Bur) is obviously
because they can't defend Munich and this provides the maximum number
of armies in play for the defense.  It's a reasonable and plausible
move that Germany will have no trouble accepting.  The real reason is
it lets King Kal get an army bordering Mar, which he plans to walk into
in the fall.  I think this is actually in accordance with what he told
you he wanted to do?

> > He'll still lose one for
> >Munich though.  If I can believe England, then I can consider using Tyr
> >in the south instead of the north this spring.  I'll have to think on that
> >one.  Has he given you any indications?
>
> He did a while ago, but they were tentative and in conflict with what he's
> apparently told you. He had this recherche scheme by which I would manage
> to get Denmark, he'd have to talk Germany into it. Nothing since then. I
> didn't mind, since as I said I'd had second thoughts and don't really want
> to get Den this year.
>
I'd stick with your second thoughts myself.  The only thing I'd see you
needing to decide is if you should hold in Sweden (Is England going to
do a support for Den to Swe  to keep up the fiction) or go to Bal

Message from Germany to England in 'pouchtoo':

If A Berlin will support, then we might as well go with your plan. So be
it.

Kaiser

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

Germany has just sent me a note agreeing to my "quixotic" scheme.  I told
him that your A Ber was going to support an Austrian move to Munich, so he
said we may as well go for the moves I suggested.

You might want to order A Ber to do a support to Munich. Whether their
actually IS an Austrian move there is moot..

King Kal

Message from Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':

So he's moving to Hol and Ruh... does this mean you will *not* stab into
Hol in the Fall? Or will you use a F Nth plus A Bel to take Hol anyway?

Tsar J

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

>He's going to move to Hol because England is greedy (<:.  The reason to
>have him move for Hol (Ruh - Hol, Bur - Ruh, Par - Bur) is obviously
>because they can't defend Munich and this provides the maximum number
>of armies in play for the defense.  It's a reasonable and plausible
>move that Germany will have no trouble accepting.  The real reason is
>it lets King Kal get an army bordering Mar, which he plans to walk into
>in the fall.  I think this is actually in accordance with what he told
>you he wanted to do?

I guess so. Except that it makes it harder for England to take Holland.

>I'd stick with your second thoughts myself.  The only thing I'd see you
>needing to decide is if you should hold in Sweden (Is England going to
>do a support for Den to Swe  to keep up the fiction) or go to Bal

Hmmmm.
I think that tactically it's better for me to go to Bal. However, given
that I don't actually want to capture another center this year, I'm not
sure what I ought to do.

Maybe I could take the center and just waive the build. It's a suspicious
thing to do, I know, but it's also sufficiently weird that conceivably
nobody would guess the point of it. I like waiving for that reason :-)


By the way, I now wish I had built in Moscow instead of Warsaw. I could
then arrange a bounce in Stp with England. That would have been a good
show, and would also tend to keep England honest.
Oh well.


BTF,
Tsar J

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>
> I guess so. Except that it makes it harder for England to take Holland.
>
I'm starting to think that maybe he's going to wait until next year to
take Holland.  On the other hand, if he convoys into Belgium and moves
a fleet into North, he should be able to take Holland with just the
two of them as all the German supports will be going forward to protect
against you and I.

> >I'd stick with your second thoughts myself.  The only thing I'd see you
> >needing to decide is if you should hold in Sweden (Is England going to
> >do a support for Den to Swe  to keep up the fiction) or go to Bal
>
> Hmmmm.
> I think that tactically it's better for me to go to Bal. However, given
> that I don't actually want to capture another center this year, I'm not
> sure what I ought to do.
>
I can't see a lot of reason that Den is just going to sit still.  It should
either attack Swe or try for Bal.  Based on that, if you moved to Bal,
you would either bounce their or in Swe and there would be no chance of
your getting the center.  The other option is to help England maintain the
fiction and have him support Den to Swe while you use Fin to support Swe
to hold.

> Maybe I could take the center and just waive the build. It's a suspicious
> thing to do, I know, but it's also sufficiently weird that conceivably
> nobody would guess the point of it. I like waiving for that reason :-)
>
>
> By the way, I now wish I had built in Moscow instead of Warsaw. I could
> then arrange a bounce in Stp with England. That would have been a good
> show, and would also tend to keep England honest.
> Oh well.
>
Since there is no threat to Berlin, have you considered doing:

Ber s sil - Mun, Pru - Ber, War - Mos/Lvn

That would provide you with the protection against the English stab,
particularly with Fin s Swe, Swe Hold.  It wouldn't directly threaten
England so he shouldn't have a problem, and if you went to LVN, you
could still get quickly back to Pru, or do a convoy the next spring
after your fleet enters Bal.

I would NOT set up a bounce with England in the Fall.  He might just
let you in in order to prevent you getting a fleet build!  If you do
set one up, make sure you use BOTH your armies (fin - stp, lvn - stp)
so as to keep him out even if he holds.

In either case you won't be taking a center, so you don't have to worry
about the build.

>
> BTF,
Kaiser D

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>So he's moving to Hol and Ruh... does this mean you will *not* stab into
>Hol in the Fall? Or will you use a F Nth plus A Bel to take Hol anyway?


Nope, you misunderstood (more likely I mispoke).

He is going to move: F Den-Ska; A Kie-Den; A Ruh-Kie; A Bur-Ruh.

Now as long as you don't move to Ska or Kie, everything will work.  I will
take Holland in the Fall, you take Denmark (with me cutting F Ska's support
for anything) and presumably Austria takes Munich.  Germany will likely only
have Kiel left if I remember the positions correctly (cat scattered the
board...).

Kopascetic?

Back to repairing my kanoe.

Kordially, komrade,

King Kal

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

Yeah.

Well, I'm leaving now, and it's too complicated to explain, but briefly:
England is setting up this convoluted plan I mentioned, and if he's
*really* doing it it's extremely likely that I'll get a center. OH WHAT A
PROBLEM. :)

I guess I'll just take the center and waive the build, if things go as I
expect. I'm not so worried about that anymore, it's just an obvious thing
to do given my constraints.

Hm, I just thought of another approach, which I kind of like. Well, I'll
think it through and let you know, it's not something we have to worry
about now.

Tsar J

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>
> Yeah.
>
> Well, I'm leaving now, and it's too complicated to explain, but briefly:
> England is setting up this convoluted plan I mentioned, and if he's
> *really* doing it it's extremely likely that I'll get a center. OH WHAT A
> PROBLEM. :)
>
> I guess I'll just take the center and waive the build, if things go as I
> expect. I'm not so worried about that anymore, it's just an obvious thing
> to do given my constraints.
>
> Hm, I just thought of another approach, which I kind of like. Well, I'll
> think it through and let you know, it's not something we have to worry
> about now.
>
Thank you for sharing that with me.  It really cleared things up!

Kaiser D

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

>Thank you for sharing that with me.  It really cleared things up!

Oh, shut up. Stop grousing and just Build Those Fleets!

Well, do you really want to hear the details of England's plan? Apparently
he's convinced Germany to make moves that leave Denmark open to my attack
if England doesn't help G in the Fall.

My other idea was this. Maybe in the Fall I'll be in position to try for
either Kiel or Denmark. And naturally I would be expecting that you'd offer
an assist into Kiel... but then what if you didn't, what if you supported
Germany in Kiel instead? Then I wouldn't get my build, and we'd have put on
one more nice little show. England would be satisfied, the chance that he'd
get worried and join with G/I to form a blockade would have vanished.

Obviously, it depends on the exact position next season.

Tsar J

Message from Italy to England, France and

Germany in 'pouchtoo':

Okay, my orders are in.  May God appoint just our cause.

Any bets on whether we'll see Con-Bul to protect Greece, followed
either now or next turn by Sev-Rum, Ank-Con, and War-Gal which
will bring Dave to our side, but maybe too late?

Manus

Retreat

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

Ah, good adjustments.

I think we're pretty much set with our moves now, right?

I will choose my actual moves tomorrow and tell you what they are.

Tsar J

Message from England to Italy in 'pouchtoo':

> Message from [email protected] as Italy to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
> King Kal:
>
> Well, I broached the idea of building A Ven with both Germany and Austria
> and neither liked it at all.  My feeling was that I probably have enough
> fleets for the job of visiting "certain coasts" and that I would like an
> army to follow Piedmont in to Marseilles.  However, given the responses
> of the German-speaking people, I've decided to float another boat and wait
> another year to enlist some Italian land forces.  I thought I should notify
> you, though, for two reasons:
>    (1) I didn't want you to be unduly alarmed by my navy.
>    (2) If I do end up having an extra fleet that I'd rather be an army,
>        maybe you could, in some future year, feign an action against me
>        that would result in a fleet dislodgement so that I could build the
>        army I'm foregoing now.
>
> So this is just a heads-up.  As I said, I do believe (hope) that Germany is
> not too displeased with me.  Surely not as displeased with me as I am with
> myself.  Let me know your own feelings.


Well, I'm not CRAZY about you building an extra fleet, but neither am I
duly alarmed.  I'm even still optimistic about our working together to
take out France.

But it still depends on my seeing some drastic action by you against
France.  If all goes according to plan and the three of us coordinate our
moves properly, there's no reason why Hohn should even survive the year.

Now THERE's a thought!  ;)

King Kal

Message from England to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

> Message from [email protected] as Austria to England in 'pouchtoo':

> A four-way alliance.  My head aches just to think about it (<: .

Good.  Keep aching.  :)

> At this point I do plan to make a move on Italy.  I also expect Russia to
> make a move towards Germany.  As far as my own participation in that event,
> well, perhaps I've sounded more encouraging to him than I should have.  Shame
> on me (<:.  I do have A Sil and will use it to help out in the effort.  My
> main focus will be on doing as much damage to Italy as possible though.
> It would be nice to see you take Hol as that would help crumble the German
> line.  On the other hand, to do so would require you to move Cha - North,
> which would be a big tip off since you can cover Nwy much easier with
> NAO.  An option might be Nao - Nwg, Eng - Nth, Iri - Eng.  That would
> leave MAO at risk though.

> There are also some advantages to your NOT attacking Hol this year.  It
> allows you to still appear to be allied with Germany.  Certainly he'll
> have no qualms about you entering North Sea next year, and nothing he
> could do about it if he did.  You can then make the stab for Hol in
> the next year.

I'll probably NOT go for Holland this year as it would not be in my best
interests to see Germany fall TOO quickly.  When I DO make a move in that
direction, I'll probably do it with units gained from France.

> I'll leave you to game it out and pick the path you like the best, suffice
> it to say that you can count on me to give Italy some major distractions.
> I want you to get some builds and be in a good position.  Otherwise we'll
> be facing a runaway Russia with annoyed people behind us!


Believe me, getting a couple of builds to ensure some survival is my top
priority right now!  ;)

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

> Message from [email protected] as Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
> I hope that Austria has told you that he will definitely assist you with
> any Italian problem that arises.

He just wrote after I got this letter and we have a better understanding
on our Italian associate...

> Do you have any idea what Kaiser John will build? I mean, will he build a
> fleet? (If he's told you, that probably means it would be intended for me!)

Um, yeah, he's going to build an army (he said retroactively...)

King Kal

Message from Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':

Gee, thanks, you are a veritable font of useful information!
Pssst, I have a scoop on France's Fall 1902 moves....



Now, to serious business.
Naturally, I expect you to move a fleet next to Nwy. Do you have any idea
which one it will be? You know I prefer you to move to Nth, but it seems to
me you have to use that fleet to make sure you take Bre, right? So you'll
move NAO-Nwg? (I may use that information, so if you're willing to tell me
I'll appreciate it.)

Tsar J

p.s. I've been told by confidential sources that Germany has been trying to
put together an AIG alliance. So our little project may be coming to
fruition just at the right time.

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>
> I think we're pretty much set with our moves now, right?
>
> I will choose my actual moves tomorrow and tell you what they are.
>

Sounds good.  The German tells me you have asked him to move on Silesia.
There is panic in the streets of course.

Kaiser D

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

Ok, here's my suggestion.


A Bud -> Tri			A Ank S F Bla -> Con
A Bul S F Bla -> Con			F Bla -> Con
A Gal -> Boh			A Rum H (or -> Sev)
F Gre -> Aeg			A StP -> Fin
A Sil S A War -> Pru			F Swe -> Den
A Vie -> Trl			A Ukr -> War
				A War -> Pru

I *might* change that F Swe move, depending on whether I hear anything
interesting from England.

You may want to have your A Sil support you into Boh instead of me into
Pru. If you are pretty sure that Germany expects you to support him into
Pru, I guess Sil S War-Pru is best, that's why I suggested that one.

>The German tells me you have asked him to move on Silesia.
>There is panic in the streets of course.

The cad.

I asked him whether he had "any interest in moving to Sil." My reason for
asking him this should be perfectly obvious to you -- I hope it wasn't too
obvious to John. I guess it wasn't, since he seems to have passed it along
to you on the assumption that I was sincere!

For the record: his reply was that if I would back off from his English
friend, he might be interested in taking Sil, but otherwise he'd just be
"staying still" to defend himself from "the barbaric red and white hordes."
As if staying still would save him!


Yeesh, let me just check this mail carefully to make sure I'm not sending
it to i or g by mistake...
Nope.

I generally manage to send one press per game to the wrong party. This
would not be a good one to misaddress.

Tsar J

Message from England to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>Message from [email protected] as Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':
>
>Gee, thanks, you are a veritable font of useful information!


Yeah, but at least it's accurate (F Bre & F Mar indeed!  )

>Pssst, I have a scoop on France's Fall 1902 moves....


Got any scoops on the 1998 Kentucky Derby?

>Now, to serious business.


That wasn't serious?  ;)

>Naturally, I expect you to move a fleet next to Nwy. Do you have any idea
>which one it will be? You know I prefer you to move to Nth, but it seems to
>me you have to use that fleet to make sure you take Bre, right? So you'll
>move NAO-Nwg? (I may use that information, so if you're willing to tell me
>I'll appreciate it.)


At this point, I have no idea what my moves are going to be so I can't give
you any tips, at least for now.  Exactly HOW are you planning on using that
info?

>p.s. I've been told by confidential sources that Germany has been trying to
>put together an AIG alliance. So our little project may be coming to
>fruition just at the right time.


Don't know if I'd include Italy in that triad at the moment as Germany isn't
too happy with Mr Manus (AKA The "Hand" of Grod...), but I suppose he'd work
with him for a while anyway.  I also don't think he'll have much luck with
Austria.  David seems to be fairly committed to working with you.  Of
course, at this level, who REALLY knows?

Kordially,

King Kal

Message from Russia to France in 'pouchtoo':

It's really time for a cavalry rescue now. Rather overdue, in fact.

Or maybe not cavalry. Cossacks. Hussars? Some kind of horsy guys that you
really wouldn't want to see in Paris.

Or maybe really drunken sailors.

See, it's a great plan.

Tsar J

Message from Russia to England in 'pouchtoo':

>Yeah, but at least it's accurate (F Bre & F Mar indeed!  )

Oh yeah. I'd managed to forget that one.


> Exactly HOW are you planning on using that info?

Well, if you are going to be in Nwg, I might try Stp-Fin, Swe-Bal. Then
Germany would get his fleet into Sweden, but I could just kick it out and
I'd be in Baltic. But I can't do that unless you're in position to prevent
a German retreat from Swe-Nwy. See?
But if you'll be in Nth, I won't do that trick, because a more
straightforward approach works just fine, with you grabbing Hol. I'd just
do Stp-Fin, Swe-Den, then try to get Baltic in the Fall.

(I know you haven't totally committed to taking Hol, but I feel confident
that you will see the advantage of doing so after the Spring moves are
processed. Well, did I say *confident*?!?! Knock on wood. I'm keenly aware
that Kaiser Dave's promises may be pure set-up, but I'm trusting him.)


>Don't know if I'd include Italy in that triad at the moment as Germany isn't
>too happy with Mr Manus (AKA The "Hand" of Grod...),

I'm just reporting what my sources tell me. John allegedly said that he was
"being forced by circumstances into an AIG." (Not a verbatim quotation.)



>Of course, at this level, who REALLY knows?

Nobody.

Except maybe Jim-Bob.


Tsar J

Message from Italy to England in 'pouchtoo':

> Well, I'm not CRAZY about you building an extra fleet, but neither am I
> duly alarmed.
>
Well, that's good to hear.

> I'm even still optimistic about our working together to
> take out France.
>
I'm also happy to hear this.  I know I have some lost trust to make up for,
and thanks for giving me the opportunity.

> But it still depends on my seeing some drastic action by you against
> France.
>
Well, I'll be taking Marseilles this year for sure, and I'm looking at a
little spot southwest of there as well, but I have to pull up a map to
see what's where and what's what.

> If all goes according to plan and the three of us coordinate our
> moves properly, there's no reason why Hohn should even survive the year.
>
> Now THERE's a thought!  ;)
>
A right pleasant one!

Manus

Message from Austria to Russia in 'pouchtoo':

>
> A Bud -> Tri			A Ank S F Bla -> Con
> A Bul S F Bla -> Con			F Bla -> Con
> A Gal -> Boh			A Rum H (or -> Sev)
> F Gre -> Aeg			A StP -> Fin
> A Sil S A War -> Pru			F Swe -> Den
> A Vie -> Trl			A Ukr -> War
> 				A War -> Pru
>
Looks pretty much like what I was thinking.

> I *might* change that F Swe move, depending on whether I hear anything
> interesting from England.
>
Based on my exchanges with him I am fairly certain that he will NOT take
Hol this year.  There are some actual advantages to that.  It means that
Germany will not consider him a foe next year, and may even be convinced
to use army Gal to help him if he still has it.  It will also make it
easy for England to grab Hol from him next year.  After all, we do want
to make sure that Hohn gets knocked down a bit.  Right now he's still got
all his centers and could become a serious problem if he were orchestrating
a group defense against us.  It'll be fun to see what happens to the
observer ratings after this one!

> You may want to have your A Sil support you into Boh instead of me into
> Pru. If you are pretty sure that Germany expects you to support him into
> Pru, I guess Sil S War-Pru is best, that's why I suggested that one.
>
> >The German tells me you have asked him to move on Silesia.
> >There is panic in the streets of course.
>
> The cad.
>
> I asked him whether he had "any interest in moving to Sil." My reason for
> asking him this should be perfectly obvious to you -- I hope it wasn't too
> obvious to John. I guess it wasn't, since he seems to have passed it along
> to you on the assumption that I was sincere!
>
> For the record: his reply was that if I would back off from his English
> friend, he might be interested in taking Sil, but otherwise he'd just be
> "staying still" to defend himself from "the barbaric red and white hordes."
> As if staying still would save him!
>
Well, he and I are talking as if we are going to work together against you.
He seems to be buying it at the moment.  After all, we've had quite a little
war going!  (<:

>
> Yeesh, let me just check this mail carefully to make sure I'm not sending
> it to i or g by mistake...
> Nope.
>
> I generally manage to send one press per game to the wrong party. This
> would not be a good one to misaddress.
>

Yeah, I know the feeling. I've been checking very carefully.

Kaiser D

P.S. That army in Kiel was nice to see!

Message from Russia to Austria in 'pouchtoo':

>Based on my exchanges with him I am fairly certain that he will NOT take
>Hol this year.  There are some actual advantages to that.  It means that
>Germany will not consider him a foe next year, and may even be convinced
>to use army Gal to help him if he still has it.

Army Gal?
Herr Doktor Freud is home in Vienna, I'm glad to see.

> It will also make it
>easy for England to grab Hol from him next year.

Yes, that is clearly a big advantage of England's not taking Hol this year!

> After all, we do want
>to make sure that Hohn gets knocked down a bit.  Right now he's still got
>all his centers and could become a serious problem if he were orchestrating
>a group defense against us.

Interesting.
I don't see it that way, personally. Let me put it this way. If *I* were
playing Germany, Italy, or England, and Hohn started orchestrating a big
defense against the vicious AR combination, I would be *very* worried. I
would want to be quite sure that the defense was not too successful,
because once it got successful and the AR threat was subsiding, I would
expect to feel Hohn's knife in my back.

However, on the whole I would slightly prefer to see Hohn reduced to nearly
nothing. What would be great is if he gets to the point where he feels he
has practically no chance of winning; if he can see that in case the game
comes to a draw, he'll be casually and safely eliminated. *That* would be
an advantage for us, a big one. Hohn Cho behind the lines with nothing to
lose...:-)

In any case, I don't foresee any problem on that line. By current
appearances, England takes Bre and either Spa or Mar falls, and conceivably
Por too.  I expect England will keep about three units in the west, or more
likely four or five if he decides to replace Italy in whatever center Italy
captures from France. (That's why I mentioned earlier the idea of my
stabbing England fairly soon, before he sets up in the Mediterranean and
stymies you. I do *not* want to see you stymied in the Med!)

If Hohn had five units instead of four right now, I think it would be a
whole different ballgame.

> It'll be fun to see what happens to the
>observer ratings after this one!

It will.


Tsar J

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Last updated on Wed, July 21, 1999.