A blog used for a game of Diplomacy. Rule for the game can be found here: http://www.wizards.com/avalonhill/rules/diplomacy.pdf . Here is a reference map. Click on the images to see a larger version.
Europe, New Year's Day, 1907, immediately prior to the Paris Peace Conference.
The dignitaries of Europe begin to gather at Versailles, just outside Paris, to begin the task of hammering out a lasting peace for Europe.
After six long years of nearly continuous war, the guns finally fell silent across Europe at midnight, 31 December 1906. Europe – dominated, oppressed and devastated by roving armies, with three of the formerly great powers utterly destroyed and a fourth robbed of her glory and in the throes of a communist revolution – finally stopped to draw her breath as the leaders of the remaining great powers agreed to meet in Paris for a summit to bring an end to the bloodshed.
The Italian Army, defeated but not destroyed, fell back before the advance of the mighty British Armada in France, even as the British navy began the final invasion of Scandinavia and the Ottoman juggernaut seized huge reams of territory from the prostrate Austro-Hungarians. The British annihilated the demoralised Austrian army in Munich, finally ending the war in Germany. Meanwhile Ottoman soldiers kept a wary eye from their fortifications in Warsaw, waiting for an Austrian counterattack in the East that never materialised.
Behind the lines, civilians begin the task of dismantling military equipment for scrap as peace looms.
Another tank being dismantled for spare parts.
Moves for Fall 1906
Ottomans
A UKR-RUM
A Spa Holds
A Mar – Gas
A Par Holds
F Tyn – Nap
A Ven Holds
Political map of Europe in Fall, 1906
NEWS FROM THE FRONT, FALL 1906
- OTTOMAN-AUSTRIAN ALLIANCE IN TATTERS AS CHAOS REIGNS IN VIENNA
The Kaiser is nowhere to be seen and the armies stand leaderless as Ottoman troops assault Warsaw and the near East, effortlessly taking Warsaw and Greece as the rest of the Ottoman Army files towards Western Europe.
- BRITISH TROOPS SMASH ITALIAN POSITIONS IN FRANCE
The Italian army group in Gascony was routed and destroyed by a surprise attack from the sea. The British Expeditionary Force embarked undetected in Belgium and struck hard at the unprotected flank of the Italian advance. The survivors were seen to flee towards the Italian border. Burgundy has remained out of the hands of both of the Great Powers who wish to possess it.
SCANDINAVIA DECLARES INDEPENDENCE
Russia has been conquered, with Ottoman troops now ensconced in both Moscow and St Petersburg. The Russian government exists only in exile in Norway and the locals see no need to pay any deference to their erstwhile overlords. The Scandinavian republic, with the armed forces of the old Russian Empire, seeks only to maintain its neutrality in the face of Ottoman and British aggression.
Orders:
ENGLAND
The Home Secretary shall personally escort the following:-
(May the force be with her)
F Ska-Den
F Bal S F Ska-Den
A Ber-Kie
A Bel-Gas
F Eng C A Bel-Gas
F Mid C A Bel-Gas
F Bre S A Bel-Gas
A Ruh-Bur (2 vs 2)
A Pic S A Ruh-Bur
OTTOMANGS
ROAD TRIP
A BUL S A CON-GRE
A CON-GRE
F AEG CONVOY A CON-GRE
A ANK-CON
A STP-MOS
A UKR S A SIL-WAR
A SIL-WAR
A POR S A SPA
F TUN S F NAF-WES
F NAF-WES
ITALY
Howdy ho,
F Tyn -> Wes (1 vs 2)
A Mar -> Bur (2 vs 2)
A Gas S A Mar -> Bur
A Par -> Pic
A Tun -> Pie (crazy order you crazy guy)
A Spa Holds
Notes: No orders received from Russia or Austria. Both experience Civil Disorder.
Two armies destroyed: the Italian army in GAS was dislodged and had nowhere to go. The Austrian army in Warsaw was dislodged and disbanded owing to the effects of Civil Disorder.
Map of Europe, Spring 1906.
Build orders complete. Some notes:
*No orders were received for Italy. The fleet furthest from the home supply centres was disbanded.
* no luke you can’t build shit in Greece. I randomly selected another fleet in Trieste, read the rules
Political map of Europe, Winter 1905-6, before resupply/disbanding
The historian Winston Churchill has composed a list of the Great Powers of Europe and their relative standings:
The Glorious Ottoman Empire: 10 (+2)
The Mighty British Empire: 9(-1)
The Mediocre Austro-Hungarian Empire: 7(+1)
The Puny Italian Republic: 6(-1)
The Insignificant Russian Empire: 2(-1)
Russian partisans and citizens flee through the streets of Saint Petersburg before the Ottoman advance.
The fragile truce between the Ottoman and Russian nations broke down today as the Sultan ordered his forces in Moscow to liquidate the last vestiges of Russian central control. Undetected by the remnants of the Russian military who had been sent to fight the British in the Scandinavian territories, the Ottoman army captured the temporary Russian capitol without encountering serious resistance. The partisans and resisters were dispersed swiftly and finally, after half a decade of war, a bitter peace began once more in the East. Bereft of central command and even of their homelands the fate of the Russian armies in the Northern theatre of war is unclear.
A spectre haunting Europe? - Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev: The entry, 1905
Aftermath of the fall battles in the pays Burgundy
Tensions arising from the uncomfortable British/Italian condominium in France finally boiled over in Fall and unrestrained warfare broke out along a thousand-mile arc from the pillars of Hercules to Berlin as British troops and fleets clashed with Italian, Turkish and Austrian forces attempting to roll back British conquests on the continent. Although Paris and Brest came under heavy attack the worst of the fighting was in the Burgundian countryside, which now resembles a moonscape of flooded trenches, shattered trees and abandoned vehicles and equipment from both Italian and British armies. Neither the Italians nor the British were successful in capturing the no man’s land and have retreated to their lines for the winter.
Ottoman and Austrian sailors duke it out in Tunisia
The Ottomans have hoisted their flag over Africa, with their fleets now occupying all major cities and strategic locations along the coast. Although not invited by the erstwhile Italian overlords, the Sultan has stated that the self-determination of the African peoples is paramount and has declared himself the protector of all Araby, Africa, Lusitania and the Luminiferous Aether. It appears that the other great powers are not impressed – an Austrian fleet attempted to enter Tunis for some shore leave but was turned away with some violence and swearing by the Khazar, Turkmen and Romanian crew of the Tunis Fleet, who refused to leave their lodgings and fired on the Austrian crew with small arms and empty bottles from the windows of their hostels. While a stern telegram from the Austrian High Command called the Austrian fleet back before they could train their guns on the offending crew members, it is highly likely that this incident will further inflame tensions between the Sultan, Kaiser and President
Moves for the turn:
AUSTRIA
Us Über They!
A VIE move to GAL
A WAR support A moving VIE to GAL
F ION move to TUN (the Turkish fleet was still there)
F LYO support Italian A moving MAR to SPA
A MUN move to RUH (Brits)
A TRL move to BOH
Or whatever.
BRITAIN
More wine please…(ASK FOR MORE?)
F Den-Bal
F Nth-Ska
A Bel-Bur (Italians coming in from Gas)
A Ruh S A Bel-Bur (Support broken by Austrians in Mun)
A Pic-Par (Italians in Paris)
F Bre-Gas (Army in Gas, since it couldn’t get into Bur)
F Mid S F Bre-Gas (Attacked from NAF and cut)
F Eng S F Mid
OTTOMANS
…to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee…
A MOS-STP
A SPA-POR
F NAF-MID (British fleet in MID)
F TUN-NAF (failed as NAF-MID failed)
A SIL-BER (British army in Berlin)
A AEG-ION (derp. Even if it was possible – and it wasn’t – this wouldn’t have been carried out because there aren’t any armies in the Aegean)
A CON-BUL
A GAL-UKR
RUSSIA
yo duckbrain,
F BOT – SWE
A NWY S F BOT – SWE
A PRU – WAR (Austrians in Warsaw)
ITALY
Bonjour! (Au revoir!)
A Mar -> Spa
F Wes Supports F Naf -> Mid
F Nap -> Tyn
A App -> Ven
A Pie -> Mar
A Gas -> Bur (Brits)
A Par -> Bre (Brits)
Adjustments due 00:00 Tuesday or I make them for you, as always. Just to clarify – I won’t follow the rules in removing the units (which is to remove furthest from home), I’ll just do my best to remove the least useful unit. Army/fleet creation is random though.
Russian army in Warsaw elected to retreat to Prussia. Note the Russian army in Norway – I put the army in Finland by mistake. Orders due 00:00 Sunday as usual.
Fall 1905. Retreat order required for Russian unit in Warsaw (marked in red)
Hmm. Anyway, retreat orders needed for Russian army in Warsaw, please send them to me ASAP (if I don’t get any orders I’ll randomly select from the three available territories into which the army can retreat).
An Austrian airship bombards Warsaw as preparation for the advancing troops.
The veteran Russian Warsaw Garrison, weakened by years of war and by the crushing betrayal of their erstwhile ally in the previous year, finally gave way before a determined Austrian onslaught supported by the Ottoman army in Moscow. Although defeated the Russian army retreated in good order and swiftly regrouped, its battle-hardened soldiers and officers preparing to seek revenge. It is expected that the Austrian army will have to spend the next season suppressing the Warsaw partisans – ex-soldiers and residents armed with improvised weaponry and prepared to fight to the death to repel the invaders.
Aside from the attack on Warsaw and a clash between Swedish and Russian forces in Sweden there was no active conflict between the great powers and no deployment of gas anywhere in the theatre. This has led some experts to believe that a political settlement is now well within reach and that the war will finally come to an end, however some point to the disturbing activity of the Ottoman Empire which has stretched its tendrils through all of Africa, Iberia and now even into German territory. The Italians in particular are finding the taverns and town squares of their conquered territories suddenly full of Ottoman conscripts and regulars, and while there has yet to be a shot fired it is unclear whether the Ottomans will leave without the use of force.
Moves this turn:
RU
Yo duckbrain
A STP – NWY
F BOT – SWE (Bounced against English fleet coming from Den)
A WAR hold (Dislodged by attack from Silesia supported by OE in Moscow)
OE
doobie doobie doo
F CON-AEG
A SMY-CON
F ION-TUN
F WES-NAF
A POR-SPA
A GAL-SIL
A UKR-GAL
A MOS SUPPORTS A SIL-WAR
UK
Send thee to the Falklands!
F Den-Swe (Russians coming other way)
A Edi-Bel
F Nth C A Edi-Bel
A Kie-Ruh
F Bre S A Pic
A Pic S F Bre
F Eng S F Mid
F Mid Hold
IT
Guten Tag!
A Pie->Mar
A Par Holds
A Gas Supports A Par
F Spa -> Wes
A Ven -> Pie
A Rom -> App
F Nap -> Rom
AT
Goten tag,
A SIL move to WAR
A BOH move to TRL
A BUD move to VIE
F ADR move to ION
A MUN hold
F TYN move to LYO
Danke
Notes That was all remarkably smooth even by the standards of major, locked alliances. The only point of interest this turn is the aforementioned retreat from Warsaw.
I will wait for the retreat order until midnight on Monday, after which time I’ll randomly select a province to move that army into if no order is given.
Political map, Spring 1905.
Sorry for the late start to Spring. All adjustments made: France is eliminated, all units added or destroyed as ordered and please note Italian fleet in Spain is on the south coast.
Orders due Sunday 00:00 GMT.
Political map of Europe in the winter of 1904/5, prior to adjustments. Italian fleet in SPA in on the South Coast - this will be reflected in the Spring 1905 map.
Italian troops overran the Parisian barricades.
Italian troops today marched through central Paris as the leaders of the Paris Commune signed an unconditional surrender. Although it was expected that the rebels in the metropolitan centre would put up a fight, the appearance at the city limits of a huge column of heavily armed and well organised Italian regulars took the fight out of them. The country known as France formally ceased to exist today as the South and centre were annexed to the Republic of Italy, however the British government vowed to liberate France once more. The remnants of the French second army hold on for now in Burgundy but are woefully undersupplied and losing men rapidly to dysentery and low morale – without further supply this army is expected to wither away before the end of winter.
Russia, beset now on three fronts – the Ottomans and Austrians with whom she has warred for half a decade, and now the perfidious sneak attack from her erstwhile allies, the English – Russia put up a brave fight. Austrian troops in Warsaw were obliterated by a heavy Russian counter attack, driving the few shell-shocked and gassed survivors running for the hills in disarray. However, pressed all along the line, something had to give, and Moscow fell to the invading Ottoman armies. While Russia fights on despite the loss of the capitol, her armies begin to suffer from lack of supply.
Ottoman and English fleets clashed off of the coast of North Africa, and the stand-off there brought most of the naval operations of all nations to a screeching halt throughout the European theatre. This marks the first occasion where fighting has broken out in Africa and the first hostile action between Ottoman and British forces.
Orders Fall 1904
BOSSTRIA
THE FALL! LEAVES AND SHIT!
A TRL move MUN
A SIL support English move from MUN to BER
A BOH hold
A WAR move LVN (bounced off Russian army in LVN – army in Warsaw destroyed by Russian counter-attack since there was nowhere to run to)
F ADR move ION (stalled due to hold-up in NAF)
F TYN move WES (stalled due to hold-up in NAF)
This is like European carebears all up in here with the niceness of this global warfare. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
CRUSSIA
Yo duckbrain,
F BAL – BOT
A MOS – UKR (The Ukrainian army was there. Moscow army hit by Ottoman counterattack and falls back to STP)
A PRU – WAR
A LVN S A PRU – WAR
A BER – SIL (bounced. Berlin Army dislodged by English attack and falls back to Prussia)
BROKEN BRITAIN
Expel the Cossacks! And bring me some cous cous (no).
A Mun-Ber
F Hel-Den
A Kiel S F Hel-Den
A Bel-Pic
F Mid-Naf (Bounced against Ottoman fleet with the same idea)
F Eng-Mid (traffic jam)
F Bre S F Eng-Mid (traffic jam)
F Nth-Eng (traffic jam)
TRUCKEY
Let us do a thing, so that those which come after us shall say, verily a thing was done, a thing that causes other lesser things to appear smaller in comparison.
A SEV- MOS
A UKR S A SEV-MOS
A RUM – GAL
F BLA – CON
A SPA – POR
F WES – NAF (Ran afoul of the Royal Navy)
F ION – TYN (Traffic jam)
iTaly
mumble mumble
F Lyo – Spa
A Mar – Gas
A Gas – Par (destroyed France)
A Ven – Pie
A Nap – Rom
Notes for this phase: France is out of the game as all provinces are taken.
Scores at end of 1904:
Britain : 10 (2 extra units)
Ottomans : 8 (1 extra unit)
Italy : 7 (2 extra units)
Austria : 6 (1 unit to be rebuilt but no change to score)
Russia : 3 ( 2 units to be removed)
Please have your build orders in by 00:00 GMT Tuesday.
Political and strategic map of Europe, Fall 1904
The English establish a heavy presence on the Continent, taking Munich even as Warsaw falls to the Austrians. The Russian forces are pushed back to a thin line against the North Seas. The Italians move to within striking distance of Paris and the Ottomans regroup to consolidate after the capture of the Ukraine.
Gas deployed for first time in European theatres of battle
Three contested provinces fell to attacking armies this turn. Mustard gas, previously used only against upstarts in the colonies, turns out to be just as efficacious against European lungs. Although the effectiveness of the chemical agents in killing and wounding the enemy is contested (compared to traditional techniques of shooting, bombing, bayoneting and waiting until they get cholera), the ungodly terror inspired by the rolling clouds of toxic gas can force entire divisions to flee the trenches. It is hoped this new technology will bring the war to an end by Christmas.
Notes for this turn: Several armies were forced to retreat this turn. As there was only one possible route to retreat for the Austrian and Russian armies, I have carried this out automatically. If you want to dispute this (ie if you would like your army disbanded instead) please let me know ASAP. I was pretty sure you guys didn’t want to commit suicide though. In these kinds of situations I will continue to automatically move armies, unless there is some obvious reason why I shouldn’t (ie it’s Fall and you might like to make a rapid redeployment, or if there are two or more places for your armies to go to).
No orders received for France – once again, dislodged armies are destroyed.
Moves for this turn:
SPRING 04
AUSTRIA
A GAL move WAR
A SIL support A moving from GAL to WAR
A MUN move BER yeah no – dislodged by English attack from the Ruhr. Fell back to Bohemia.
A TRI move TRL
F ION move TYN
F ADR hold
Cheers
Happy CHinese New Year, I’m off! blocked by Circumstances
RUSSIA
A STP – LVN
F DEN – BAL
A BER S A RUH – MUN
A WAR – SIL (bounced against the Silesian army and dislodged from attack from Galicia. Moved to Prussia as only possible retreat location).
A MOS supports A WAR (Since the army in Warsaw went on the attack it doesn’t benefit from support orders -a support order to hold only works if the army supported is ordered to stay put. Even if this order was possible, the attack from Ukraine would have broken support.)
BROTAIN
Make the Siegfried Line no more!
A Ruh-Mun
F Kie-Hel
A Hol-Kie
A Edi-Bel
F Nth C A Edi-Bel
F Eng-Mid
F Lon-Eng
F Bre Hold Brest (te he)
ITALY
Herewego!
A Ven Holds
A Rom -> Nap
A Pie -> Mar
A Mar -> Gas
F Lyo S A Pie -> Mar
OTTOMANS
A UKR-MOS (Ran into opposition from Moscow army)
A CON-SEV
A RUM supports A CON-SEV
F BLA convoys A CON-SEV
A SPA supports A MAR-GAS
F TYN-WES
F AEG-ION
France is in civil war, no orders given.
Next orders are due 00:00 GMT Sunday 29 Jan.
