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Jamiet99uk (1307 D)
03 Dec 17 UTC
(+10)
MAFIA XXXIII ~ CALL OF THE WEST ~ GAME THREAD
((Please do not post in this thread unless you are a participant in the game))
6360 replies
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toms (0 DX)
03 Jan 18 UTC
(+3)
Buy high Quality Passports,Driver’s License,ID Cards,Visas. online
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Peregrine Falcon (9010 D(S))
20 Oct 17 UTC
(+3)
Study Group - Fall 2017
Fall 2017 Study Group Lecture and Discussion Thread. This semester will be taught by Professors Tom Bombadil and StackelbergFollower.
gameID=208608
Page 5 of 5
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Powow (697 D)
11 Dec 17 UTC
B.U.M.P.
Tom Bombadil (4023 D(G))
11 Dec 17 UTC
Working on it now when I have breaks from work. Will have thoughts up before the end of the day (eastern U.S. time)
Tom Bombadil (4023 D(G))
11 Dec 17 UTC
(+2)
Grades:

England: A

On the surface this looks like a pretty huge win in terms of board position for England. There is obviously still some exposure that England faces because of the French fleet presence in the Channel, but should France not make an aggressive move in the fall, ENG has put himself in a great position in the meat of the midgame. The fleet move to Brest is a good sign for Italy, as its now one move farther away from Belgium, which would have been a problem for the Englishman. In addition, the move from Belgium to Burgundy takes away any real threats of a convoy into England’s homeland. It also allows coordination from France and ENG to push Italy out of MAO (which I’ll touch more on when I discuss the French moves). Most importantly, ENG got support into Moscow, and an army into Norway which will presumably head into St. Pet. There looks to be a bit of a modified Western Triple happening here, so its really important for ENG to have a way to expand that goes around GER – which is exactly what is happening. The recovery and pull back by ENG against France was a strong move that solidifies ENG as a contender yet in the late game. The last few years have had Italy taking the top spot in terms of solo threat, but I may be inclined to bump ENG back on top after this turn.

France: C

I can’t help but get that foreboding feeling when looking at France’s moves that he has given up a bit too much in his arrangements with the neighbors. After finally gaining some leverage against ENG, and taking a center from Germany – France had a pretty passive turn that gave most of that up – likely in an effort to get Italy out of MAO. This seems very likely when reading the board considering the army movements in Iberia, which protects against an Italian retreat (and protects against a supported move into Spain). I understand the fear of having an enemy in MAO as it can lead to devastating attacks, but I don’t really see where France goes after this. He has committed nearly all of his units to this move – and there doesn’t seem to be a center to gain for quite a while. Forcing Italy back is essentially giving up any hopes of moving on ENG – which is fine, but there needs to be a plan on where to go after that. The med will be tough considering the lack of French fleets in position. And GER will be tough without English help (and ENG is positioned behind GER, meaning ENG has more control of how the centers are split). France has done a great job of staying alive in this game, but I worry that he got a bit too defensive here. I would have liked to see a move from Paris to Burgundy with support from Belgium. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been the preferred move of GER and ENG – but sometimes you have to play a bit of hardball. That combination would have left convoy options open and moves against GER open. Instead, you have very little control this turn. I’d love to hear what others make of France’s moves – especially with regards to the fleet in MAO.

Germany: C-

I feel like Germany accomplished very little this turn, and with better communication with France may have been able to make better moves. I don’t envy GER’s position here as he’s found himself lodged between some much bigger and better positioned powers. A Western Triple can work for a bit, but looking long term I have a hard time seeing how it ends up well for Germany – the easiest to cut out at the end. The plus side of your current position is that you are not in immediate danger. The negative is that it’s really hard to find a center for you to pick up in the next few turns. There are some interesting things GER can offer if he thinks outside of the box, and that will be the key for him going forward. Germany can go a couple of different directions here: 1) Play defensive, and keep near Munich and Berlin which are important for the stalemate line or 2) Make some risky plays, trust in some players and try to maneuver in such a way to be a threat to solo. Both of these decisions have merit, but I’d argue one is much more fun than the other.

Italy: B

Italy is caught in the most mind-numbing experience in Diplomacy – grinding away against Turkey, which always seems to take eternity. I’ve been impressed how Italy has manipulated the other powers in the Balkans, and is currently using AUS to help against TUR. That is not to say that AUS is getting nothing out of the relationship – quite the opposite is true – which makes it more impressive. Stabbing a player and then continuing the relationship shows that Italy is a skilled communicator. And this type of maneuver where you cripple a player, and then use their help to move on someone exponentially helps in solo bids. If I have time, I will expand upon this in another post, but the short version is basically that players who draw often will move on someone until they are defeated. Top players make moves, but often hold back and try to use their leverage to create puppets to help their long term prospects. This is why games with great players often go a long time before seeing eliminations. It is a win-win situation as it allows Italy to have help against Turkey (centers in his 18 he needs) and allows AUS to avoid being eliminated and look for that opening to crawl back into this. It is difficult to pull off – and lazy players will never go this route. Having three fleets on the Aegean spells disaster for Turkey, but it will be a slow disaster, so Italy needs to try to keep other powers from catching up while he slowly moves east. It will be very interesting to continue to watch the give and take with AUS. The reason Italy is getting a lower grade here are the moves in the west, and the English move into Moscow. Losing MAO will sting, more because of lost influence than anything – Italy will not be in any real danger from the move. The taking of Moscow isn’t great because it weakens Italy’s ally (and potentially makes AUS feel more desperate) and it escalated the threat that ENG is – in particular eating into centers that Italy might have listed in his 18.

Austria: B

It’s a bit hard to grade AUS here as his game depends mostly on his communication and appeasement of Italy. Losing Moscow hurt, but it was somewhat expected. Taking Rum is a good move and shows the continued benefit of the ITA/AUS here. The retreat to Ukraine is quite interesting given the fact there was an open center in Sev. I like the move however, as it allows AUS more options. Retreating to Sev would have given up Warsaw, and forced AUS into a southern presence. By retreating to Ukraine, AUS has the option to put two units on Warsaw, or make a move on Sev (or even wheel and deal with GER/ENG and make a move on Italy). I like the options AUS has, but just like last turn it’s all about remaining useful and waiting for a time to make gains that you can actually hold

Turkey: C

This is going to be fairly brief, but that is the joy and boredom that is Turkey. Often at this point when you are playing defense, your creativity is limited. The good thing for Turkey in this situation is that even with a huge unit advantage it will take a while before Italy can really break through. Turkey has a turn to try to turn the tables, and has some options on how to do it. He can convince AUS to turn on the one who stabbed him. He can convince Italy that he has much to offer to help Italy grow even more. Or he can talk with England – a new player in the area and see if that army can be of use. Something has to change though, as Turkey is losing any leverage he might have.

Russia: D

Russia’s only hope of survival was to make a move to an area that two different players border (like Barents Sea). Right now he has no bargaining power as he only borders ENG. Even if someone wanted to help him, he is in a position not to receive any help. At least a move to Barents would have offered him the potential to beg for help from Germany.



Sorry this was a little rushed. I’d really welcome more comments/questions from other spectators if there are any. I’m trying to make this seem less like an obvious play-by-play and instead be somewhat useful.

I’m going to spend some time typing up how to push towards solos rather than draws – in particular with regards to having your allies help push you past stalemate lines. Most solos are decided moving past the line at 14 or 15 centers – not picking up the 18th past the line.
Claesar (4665 D)
13 Dec 17 UTC
Bump
Kench (1274 D)
14 Dec 17 UTC
Bump?
Tom Bombadil (4023 D(G))
14 Dec 17 UTC
Grades will be up this afternoon!
Claesar (4665 D)
16 Dec 17 UTC
Yay!
Claesar (4665 D)
17 Dec 17 UTC
Bumper sticker
chipo (565 D)
18 Dec 17 UTC
bumps only? lol
Tom Bombadil (4023 D(G))
18 Dec 17 UTC
(+2)
Okay all - I apologize for slipping the past few weeks. I've had some family issues that have really sapped my energy away from spending time to comment on the state of the game. I'm going to try to keep a more regular schedule moving forward. Hopefully Stackel comes back to add as well, and if not, I'm sure we can find another prof to highlight the board. That all being said, here are some grades and thoughts for the current board.

Moving forward I'm going to try to spend a bit less time on grades, and more time on thoughts about the state of the board and more big picture stuff. That interests me more anyway, so I'll use it as a way to stay continually engaged in the game.

England: A

I really like how England is situated moving forward. Without the French fleets threatening, he holds a superb defensive position and now has an army passed the St. Pet line, and another army in St Pet, which is really important for the late game. Getting support into Sev is quite the interesting manuever, and a benefit to ENG as that unit has utility and can be paired with your other army. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here as its a bit trapped by the AUS units, and AUS is the one who helped him into Sev after all. Your path to 18 is in great shape, and where you go from here will be really important in shaping the board. You have the most control over the direction of the game right now - and that is certainly a good thing.

France: C

So, you got Italy out of MAO, but at what cost? Certainly this turn would have looked much better for you had you been able to slip into Munich and capture a build from an unsuspecting Germany. But instead, you walk away with no builds, I would imagine a somewhat peeved Germany, and not any easy routes to expand. Your relationship with Italy seems somewhat strange with you forcing him out of MAO, but also coordinating a move to Munich. All in all it looks like you are still tight with him, which is a plus - but with ENG now having the upperhand against you, its really important that you point him in a direction other than directly south. My biggest worry for you is that even if you are able to get ENG to not move against you (and move on Germany instead), that you have put yourself in a postion to not reap any of the rewads. The units in Iberia are vastly underutilized, all in an attempt to force Italy out of MAO. I wonder if communication could have acheived a better result? And even if that were not possible, it may have been better to risk keeping an Italian fleet there. Your path to 18 looks strained.

Italy: C

The firm grasp you had on this game is beginning to weaken. Unfortunatley it looks as though your puppet in AUS found a better deal and managed to get right back into this game. There is a fine line between using the countries you have crippled to your benefit and propping them up too much and allowing them to damage you. This is very much a credit to the AUS player, who obviously put together a good turn, but you have ended up on the wrong side of it. The essential piece of using a puppet is to make sure you are the person that has control over their fate in the game. And if not total control, at least a disproportionate influence. You want them desperate to survive and be aiming for a draw. Now you have a 4 cetner AUS that is likely confident and may want his home cetners back if he thinks he can pick them up. The key for you this turn is all big picture stuff. Get AUS or TUR back on your side. You still have a great deal of influence. Right now they are working together against you. But not too long ago, both we one foot out the door - in your shoes I would be petitioning one to help take out the other and offering the majority of the centers in return - its the one thing you have to offer that their current partner cannot. Your path to 18 is still possible, but waning some.

Germany: B

With all the action taking place on the western and eastern sides of the board, Germany had a farily uneventful turn in the center, but all in all I like several of the moves he made. First of all, you got a build which was desperately needed. It looks like it was arranged and not a stab of ENG which is even better. I feel that ENG still has the upper-hand on you, but you have some time to kick that can down the road. The center was the biggest thing for you this turn and you were able to get it and build the army you needed. France and Italy working against you was rather unwelcome, but you defended it well, and neither is in a position to do any real harm to you in the immediate future esepcially with your build. I'm very interested to see where it goes, as it can tip the scales a bit in the east or west - so make sure to leverage that unti up and solicit help to maximize its use.

Austria: A

Its a bit hard to grade this turn for you in a vaccuum because the move against Italy has some risks, and you need ENG to at least give you a bit of time to take back any home cetners. If you aren't able to get that time, you may have put the final nail in the coffin yourself, but I think it is a confident play, and a risk worth taking. You have to know that Italy will be wheeling and dealing with Turkey here, so if you want to continue to move towards Italy and attempt to take back home cetners you need to be able to match any offers that Italy gives Turkey. But the real fate of the plan here revolves around your ability to buy time in the north. If you can manage that, you'll be right back in contention after this year. The move to get ENG a center in Sev instead of Moscow may have saved your game, as building in Budapest is absolutely enormous. Suddenly you have the largest army presence in the Balkans. Get to work with those armies!

Turkey: A

I feel like a shortchange you a bit, but being stuck in the corner limits your options and thus my commentary as well. You had a great turn as you flipped AUS to your side and were able to capture a build. The English army creates an intersting scenario where you have a fresh face in your neighborhood - this is why it is so important to have friends on the other side of the board. If you've been talking with ENG consistently, you are more likely to get help from him. If you can push Italy in another direction, or keep AUS on your side, you'll be back in this. The best part of TUR is how hard it is to be defeated, and looking at the board, there is plenty of room yet for you to expand.

Now I actually promise this time that I'll get a more broad strategy piece written up as well.

Apologies again.
Claesar (4665 D)
18 Dec 17 UTC
(+1)
Thanks for the time you invest in us, Tom! As you can see from the eager 'bumps', we're all really excited to read your comments and appreciate them a lot.
StackelbergFollower (1463 D(G))
18 Dec 17 UTC
(+1)
Apologies from me as well. Some unexpected surprises at work and on home renovations kept, well, surprising me last week at the times I expected to be writing some commentary. For now, the storm has passed and I'll be returning to commenting more regularly!
StackelbergFollower (1463 D(G))
19 Dec 17 UTC
(+2)
Alright, let’s get back at it. We’re talking about the Spring 1907 moves now. I’ll start in the east.

Turkey: A-
This is one of those turns where Turkey’s grade is as much about the moves he got out of his neighbours as it is his own moves. Great diplomacy at work here. Two turns ago, it seemed to me that Austria was closer to Italy than Turkey, and as long as that was the case, Italy would, ever so slowly, grind down Turkey’s defenses and win this war. And England moving out of Sev also helps Turkey’s position a fair bit. The way these turns went, Turkey could get a build this year, which would put Italy in hot water going forward.

Austria: A
After this year, there is a good probability that Austria has two of his home centers, which I might not have imagined would happen two years ago. Though Austria’s units are few, they’re well concentrated in an important spot on the board now, and they make Austria useful to both Italy and Turkey. The risks to the downside mainly come from England, but honestly, it seems to me that if Austria wants to strengthen anyone’s hand right now, it is England’s. Well done all around, I say.

Italy: C+
The last time I managed to make some commentary, I was skeptical that making an enemy out of Turkey would yield long-term dividends for Italy, but I was reasonably confident that it was unlikely to lead to a serious threat to Italy’s position going forward. This turn has made me think I was too optimistic back then. If Italy doesn’t find a way to put a wedge between Austria and Turkey, his power position of years past will only be a memory. What was the mistake here? Arguably, it was letting Austria build, or it was devoting too many armies to the west in 1906. Italy put himself in the position where Austria held the balance of power in the battle against Turkey, and it seems to me that that was always a risky position.

Germany: C
I am not sure what Germany is doing. No two powers bordered Silesia, so why support yourself there? Was there really that much concern that Austria, of all players, would have to Silesia? Likewise, I understand the motivation for putting Kiel in a position to defend Holland, but this particular combination of defensive moves makes it look like Germany is just racing to go down to 3 centers. Or 4, if he’s about to take a stab at Warsaw, but he’ll have to fight England for it. And on top of that, leaving Denmark gives England essentially nothing to worry about for the coming turn, so that’s not good.

France: B
I see that making peace with England made sense, given the state of the board, but this turn would have only made me nervous about chosen course of action if I were France. England now can take MAO whenever he wants, and the French units that could defend it may also need to defend Brest. On top of that, France would need help from either England or Italy to get anything from Germany. I get that England seemingly doesn’t want to fight France right now, but it’s hard for me to see how France gets anything on his own terms now.

England: A-
Even though there is no guarantee that that Moscow army generates a net gain this year, of all the units on the board, it is probably the one that any player in this game should take the most pride in. Two English armies have passed through StP now, which is the dream of everyone playing England by this stage of the game. And on top of that, England’s naval border could not be more secure - which sort of goes to show that England is the chief beneficiary now of Russia being eliminated, meaning that England’s earlier cooperation with Austria has paid its dividends in full. The path to a solo looks narrow, but it is more visible for England than anyone else right now.
Bump
Powow (697 D)
21 Dec 17 UTC
Not enough time to email and request a pause
Powow (697 D)
21 Dec 17 UTC
Never mind
Powow (697 D)
23 Dec 17 UTC
Bump
This got very far down...
Hey everyone,
A thread on the new forum has been made to continue this discussion. Let use that one.
You can access it here:
http://www.webdiplomacy.net/contrib/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=82


139 replies
Peregrine Falcon (9010 D(S))
18 Oct 17 UTC
(+3)
School of War - Fall 2017
Fall 2017 School of War Lecture and Discussion Thread. This semester will be taught by Professors ckroberts, eturnage, and Djantani.
gameID=208533
434 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
30 Dec 17 UTC
Sunday morning/early afternoon live game
Who's up for a Sunday morning (10AM PST/1PM EST) live game?
2 replies
Open
JamesYanik (548 D)
31 Dec 17 UTC
so does the old forum still work
am I alone here?
2 replies
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WyattS14 (100 D(B))
14 Dec 17 UTC
(+2)
Alright, Brainbomb.
Are you ready for a poem I wrote at 3AM?
67 replies
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Manwe Sulimo (419 D)
15 Dec 17 UTC
Star Wars episode 8
So, was I right? Is it awful?
296 replies
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brainbomb (295 D)
30 Dec 17 UTC
Western Meddling in Iranian Protests
So this is great and all. Encouraging protests and stuff. Um didnt this happen in Iran in Arab Spring too? When people start dying were gonna look pretty bad again. Like we encouraged a coup but didnt actually care about the consequences.
14 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
29 Dec 17 UTC
(+2)
Discord Chat
I've created a Discord Server to make it easier to coordinate future games and chat about ongoing ones (that allow press). I checked with one of the mods first to make sure it was okay to set up. Here's the link: https://discord.gg/5WpVw29
4 replies
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ghug (5068 D(B))
12 Dec 17 UTC
(+12)
Thread for Nazis to Spew Racist Bullshit
Make sure not to test if emojis work though. *That's* against the rules.
160 replies
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zultar (4180 DMod(P))
11 Dec 17 UTC
(+68)
Official webDip Holiday: On the first day of Xmas, my zultar gave to me
Joys, fun, and prizes inside, 2017 edition, 3rd annual holiday!
430 replies
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damian (675 D)
05 Dec 17 UTC
(+10)
Century Leagues
The Full Press Tournament You've All Been Waiting For!

368 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
30 Dec 17 UTC
Fewer live classic games these days?
Looking back through the last couple months' completed games, it feels like there are far fewer Classic live games than there were a few years ago. Do other people have the same feeling?
6 replies
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Hellenic Riot (1626 D(G))
08 Nov 17 UTC
(+3)
Winter 1v1 Champions League
The Champions League returns! See inside for details.
156 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
28 Dec 17 UTC
Best Picture
What movies have you seen this year, and which one do you think should win the best picture Oscar?
31 replies
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CptMike (4384 D)
28 Dec 17 UTC
GvI championships
Hi all. We have just finished a GvI championship between:
brkyzgn, CptMike, Denovian, Ezio and michaelf77
Germany won 10 times, Italy 9 times and a game ended with 1 draw.
2 replies
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IHaveCoffee (100 D)
24 Dec 17 UTC
Ask random Questions
Is it true that fish can drown?
44 replies
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xorxes (31128 D)
30 Dec 17 UTC
Championship Crown Game Series
Like the Championship Belt, but GvI instead of FvA.
1 reply
Open
Smokey Gem (154 D)
26 Sep 17 UTC
(+1)
Championship Belt Game Series.
France v Austria .
Winner holds the Championship belt.Game id must be posted.
Only the winner creates next game.
How long can you hold the belt.
62 replies
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brainbomb (295 D)
28 Dec 17 UTC
Exreme Winter over North America
Ive never experienced a December this cold in Nebraska. Temperatures were -7 F last night here. I guess in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota its like -26 F
37 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
29 Dec 17 UTC
Diplomacy AI
I know there was work done on this in years past; has there been anything recent?
18 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
28 Dec 17 UTC
Discord press game
Discordia http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=213453 is a 48/hr turn game with Discord chat for press. It's invite only, so ask in the thread and I'll send you a link. Discord offers notifications and voice chat, which allows for faster comms.
3 replies
Open
Smokey Gem (154 D)
26 Dec 17 UTC
Speed of Thought vs Speed of light.
Is thought faster than speed of light.
15 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
29 Dec 17 UTC
After Midnight (the turn ends) - 24 hour game
http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=213473
1 reply
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datapolitical (100 D)
29 Dec 17 UTC
FvA late night
Looking for a game? http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=213487
0 replies
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yavuzovic (509 D)
28 Dec 17 UTC
Time travel: November 2016
Not impossible!
3 replies
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StevenC. (1047 D(B))
07 Dec 17 UTC
President Trump recognizes Jeruselem as the capital of Israel.
What do you guys think? Post predictable replies within.
82 replies
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c0dyz (100 D)
27 Dec 17 UTC
Is country choice completely random?
I've noticed that I have had an unusual amount of games as France or Turkey, maybe just a coincidence.
24 replies
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datapolitical (100 D)
28 Dec 17 UTC
Last spots in Postal Game
We've got most of the players for our postal game but need a couple more to get a full board. It's a full press game, played over postal mail. Moves will be entered online.
3 replies
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