PDL 1. Round 2 Game 3. AAR

[mjparrett]

England (V)
France (The Tibetan Blackbird (the artist formerly known as prgm))
Italy (WarSmith) SOLO WIN
Germany (GruGloG)
Austria (Verse9)
Turkey (Tortaldo)
Russia (jimbobicus)

Massive congratulations to WarSmith, who nails the first PDL 1 solo, and with Italy to boot. He replaces me at the top of the table, but I shall be magnanimous and forgive him.

I'm going to love this AAR and the fact jimbobicus played the role of King Maker after the last round! (tongue in cheek - I obviously am unaware at this stage of how it got to this stage).

The applause dies down, and WarSmith takes to the stage to tell his story....

[WarSmith]

Thanks. I’ll take this spot.
The truth is that everyone ganged together to put me on top of the league to replace you
No seriously. This was a high class game with some quality players and it doesn’t surprise me at all to see some familiar names amongst the main protagonists.
I’ll come back with more in due course... right now I’m celebrating my birthday in amsterdam

[GruGloG]

Thanks. I’ll take this spot.
The truth is that everyone ganged together to put me on top of the league to replace you
No seriously. This was a high class game with some quality players and it doesn’t surprise me at all to see some familiar names amongst the main protagonists.
I’ll come back with more in due course... right now I’m celebrating my birthday in amsterdam

Hey! You should let me buy you a beer to celebrate your victory (I live in Ams) !

It was indeed quite the interesting game with and many a weird an unexpected turns. Will come back with a fuller AAR for sure!

[jimbobicus]

Before getting to a AAR, I will comment about how the game ended, since I'm sure that's what everyone is wondering....

To the untrained eye it looks like I've just chucked Italy a solo. Although, it's a bit more complicated than that. Here is how the last few years looked from my perspective:

France, Germany and England were all united against me in the north. Italy was attacking me in the south and it was well within my power to give him a solo. Due to the FGE coalition against me, I decided on the tactic of threatening to let Italy solo unless FGE stopped attacking me and agreed to include me in the draw. I think this is a pretty common tactic given the position I was in - as well as being my only chance to get anything from the game.

I kept trying to make deals with FGE and they kept on attacking me. Briefly I managed to persuade Italy to stop attacking me on the basis that if he did attack me, the game would just fizzle out into either a 4 way IFGE draw or 5 way IFGER draw. However with no deal between myself and FGE, the game was on constant knife-edge. In 1910, it reached breaking point. With FGE still being unwilling to compromise, I tried to make a deal with Italy to persuade him to back off my border. I supported him to Berlin in exchange for him moving his units away from my home SCs. The logic was that he would do so, because I could punish him by supporting Germany back into Berlin in the fall if he didn't back off. However, I miscalculated - with Berlin, Italy would have 3 units defending against 3 units attacking. Italy saw this and so didn't back off my border. Result was Italy holds Berlin plus takes Sev, War, Mosc to reach 18.

I put my hands up - this was sloppy play from me at the end. Despite FGE frustrating the hell out of me, I'm not somebody who would actually outright throw the game while I still have a positive chance of getting something from it. I didn't do the calculations properly. But on the other hand, I'd look to point out this is the kind of mistake that can very easily happen - especially as I was all alone, without allies so had nobody who I could message my calculations over.
It is also doubtful how much this mistake changed the end result of the game anyway. Despite the board position and it clearly being the case that I could throw Italy a solo, FGE were not willing to stop attacking me and include me in the draw. Given that, and my preference for Italy solo over 4 way IFGE draw, I think that an Italian solo was the likely result anyway.

I think big questions need to be asked about France here as the leader of FGE and the person in the best position and so having the most to lose from an Italian solo:

1. Why no deal? It should have been clear that I was needed for a stalemate line against Italy.

2. What was your aim here? 2 way draw? solo? What? And how did you think your policy would achieve it?
Italy stabbed me in Spring 1907.
If you'd have allied with me in fall 1907, I think R/F would have been the dominant alliance and you'd have been the dominant player. From there, I'd have been willing to work with you towards a 2 way where we both have solo chances or take a 3 way IRF draw. But you'd have been pretty much guaranteed at least a 3 way IRF draw - and good chance of better if me and Italy struggle to make peace or if you wanted to work with me towards 2 way.
If you'd have worked with me in 1908, we'd have got a 3 way IRF draw.
If you'd have worked with me in 1909, we'd have got 4 way IRFG draw - with possibilities of eliminating Germany later if Italy plays ball and we wanted to draw whittle.
If you'd have worked with me in 1910, we'd have got 5 way IRFGE draw - with possibilities of eliminating E and/or G later if Italy plays ball and we wanted to draw whittle.

[V]

The truth is that everyone ganged together to put me on top of the league to replace you

Mike has skilfully implemented an element of damage limitation by reducing the award to just 30 pts.
Good move. England approves

[mjparrett]

Haha genuinely not deliberate! Updated