Gobsmack - A Germany gunboat journal
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 5:13 pm
https://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=387345
Gobsmack – Gunboat journal
By: Amwidkle (playing as Germany)
Pre-Game
This is a 275 D-point-bet gunboat game played on webDiplomacy. Settings: anonymous players, hidden draw votes, and Draw-Size Scoring. I just finished a similar gunboat with identical settings and 285 (D) point starting bet, titled “Marrakesh.” https://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?game ... #gamePanel
In Diplomacy games (either gunboat or press) of a high caliber, you have to think five steps ahead. To not only where your next SC is coming from, but how the board position will look after you claim it. Whether you’ll be able *actually keep and hold your territory* from your rivals. Whether you’ll have a place in the alliance structures that are likely to exist in the future. Hence, I am journaling this game in order to slow down focus my analytical skills.
Spring 1901
Country assignments are in. I draw Germany – I am pleased. I think Germany is a joy to play, in either gunboat or press – though I tend to think Germany’s chances are a tad better in press.
In gunboat, Germany is a direct competitor of France, who starts with two Iberian neutrals safely tucked away. I consider myself a defense-oriented player and so I envy France. France’s defensive position is tactically superior to Germany’s, and frankly, superior to any other nation. So for me to have a chance of thriving in this game, I will have to form superior alliances to counter France, hoping others appreciate the dangers of a French steamroller.
Though it seems fruitless to expend a lot of resources locking horns with France in the Bur/Bel region, I see it all the time, especially in gunboat. There’s a reason for that. France and Germany are rivals in the West for the same centers. The wariness of their border doesn’t disappear even if/when England is defeated. Quite the opposite: removing the Englishman only exacerbates the initial F/G trust problem by extending the F/G border along an even longer front. Now instead of a mere Bur/Bel bottleneck, the border continues to the English Channel and the British Isles. The F/G alliance can work beautifully in press games – I’m quite a fan of it actually – but it requires a level of trust and coordination that is practically impossible to come by in gunboat. The idea that France would simply pivot south to face Italy, and leave me to my own devices, even if we were to team up to destroy England seems fanciful. Much more likely, it will come down to a fight to the death in any event.
As I have judged that conflict with France is all but inevitable, my thinking from the start must be geared toward securing the best possible advantage against France early on.
I generally see France moving an army to Bur in S01, occasionally with support. France’s move to Bur is 100% sound defensively, and gunboat places a premium on defense, especially in early rounds. Therefore, ordering A (Mun) – Bur right off the bat seems to me to be a fruitless gesture, only helpful in order to signal my anti-French intent to others. Though France is my object, giving away my intentions right away seems a high price to pay to ruin a relationship with a powerful neighbor. If and when I move on France, I will want to maintain some element of surprise.
Germany’s main alternative to ordering A (Mun) – Bur in S01 is moving A (Mun) – Ruh. The Ruhr move, too, while standard in press, seems less promising in this gunboat game, given the likelihood that Bur will be occupied by a French army in F01. France’s A (Bur) would directly threaten Mun and make a retreat to Mun in F01 very tempting. While tactically sound, retreating from Ruh to Mun would be *diplomatically* weak. In gunboat especially, where other players’ assessment of your credibility can only be determined by your moves, it seems best not to be humiliated by harassment and forced to make about-face retreats early on, if it can be avoided.
Other alternatives: Ordering A (Mun) – Tyr is a defensive measure, and a possibility. However, I see the Italian attack through Tyr infrequently these days, even less so in gunboat. Again, ordering to Tyr in S01 only to retreat to Mun in F01 seems a waste, and will likely upset the two other central powers with whom I ought to be fast friends. Though an early Austrian demise would not necessarily be good for Germany, there’s little to be done about it if Italy wills it. One lone German army is unlikely to salvage a compromised Austria, and in gunboat especially, it would likely be viewed by Austria as an invader rather than a rescuer. Germany is interested in the Austrian sphere, to be sure, but also has more immediate concerns.
Other options for A (Mun): Ordering Munich to Bohemia or Silesia in S01 is practically suicidal, destroying your relationship with a Russian neighbor whom you should not be disturbing this early on. Even more critically, such wild and unorthodox Eastern play suggests to your Western rivals that you don’t really understand how to play Germany. As I posited earlier, in gunboat, your moves are your credibility. Speculative German attacks in Central Europe seem more likely than anything else to bring about a fatal E/F steamroller.
I decide, therefore, to order Munich to hold. I believe openings with “hold” moves are overlooked. Far from passivity, I find that holding helps convey stolidity and confidence. A hold move suggests a player not too ambitious, aware of his country’s strengths and weaknesses, open to diplomacy, and willing to play defensive when called for. Prudent commanders of countries that seem like tough nuts to crack will usually be left alone, especially in gunboat.
F (Kie) – I agree with many German opening theory commenters that the starting German fleet, F (Kie), generally belongs in Denmark. An army in Denmark has little flexibility, few retreat paths, and doesn’t even reassure Russia much at all, since Russia’s neutral SC Sweden is one of only two spaces a Denmark army may move to. That is usually what I see German armies in Denmark doing – harassing Russia’s (F) Swe, even fruitlessly. Therefore I shall order F (Kie) – Den.
The easiest decision of all is A (Ber) – Kie, a practical necessity to secure Holland. As mentioned above, I find the speculative “Barbarossa” attack and its variants that send the Berlin army east are not for serious play. Russia’s Warsaw is usually easily guarded, and then what? It’s a dead-end.
So for my S01 moves, I decide to open F (Kie) – Den, A (Ber) – Kie, A (Mun) HOLD. My moves will aim to secure 2 neutral SCs, offend no one, and maximize my diplomatic flexibility for F01.
S01 Orders
F (Kie) – Den
A (Ber) – Kie
A (Mun) hold
Fall 1901
I see generally standard moves from everyone, no major surprises.
As I predicted, France has ordered A (Mar) – Bur, and has also sent A (Par) – Pic, placing two units on Belgium. France’s fleet moved F (Bre) – MAO.
England, too, stayed out of the English Channel, opting instead for a northern opening: F (Lon)-NTH/F (Edi)-NWS, with A (Lvp) – Yor.
The lack of immediate Channel conflict is not ideal, but other developments around the board are favorable to me. Russia and Austria bounced each other in Gal, and Russia and Turkey bounced each other in BLA. (Russia’s army went A (Mos) – Ukr.) All players in the East appear to be tactically competent, and no strong alliances appear to be forming yet among the eastern powers, though I/A is looking possible.
Perhaps most favorably to me, Italy opened A (Ven) – Pie, making France’s position awkward. Italy also sent Austria a strong signal of peace by moving F (Nap) to ION, A (Rom) to Apu, leaving Ven ungarrisoned. It appears Italy intends to play as a strong Central power, moving forcefully against the corner powers via Pie (against France) and the Lepanto attack (against Turkey).
How shall I play now?
A (Mun): Italy’s surprise move to Pie makes me slightly wish I had ordered A (Mun) – Ruhr after all, since the threat to Mun would be greatly reduced as France likely will need to retreat to cover Mar. This would have given a German (A) Ruhr the ability to contest Bel.
However, I’m still happy with the placement of A (Mun). My key options for that piece in F01 are: (1) To hold again; (2) to attack Bur in the hopes of sneaking in (as France likely retreats A (Bur) south to cover Mar from Italy’s A (Pie)), or (3) To order A (Mun) – Ruh in F01, a sort of splitting the difference, with the clear aim of taking Bel from its occupant (likely France), while avoiding the catastrophic rupture in Franco-German relations that a German A (Bur) would portend.
In the end, after much thought, I order A (Mun)-Bur. This move in F01 will likely succeed, unlike an S01 gambit, and signal to Italy that his move to Pie was appreciated.
A (Kie): It’s not even a question – A (Kie) will claim Hol. Any other move would be grossly inferior and make myself look like a juicy target.
F (Den): What to do with F (Den)? To bounce or not to bounce Russia? Russia has played a standard opening, bouncing Austria in Gal and Turkey in BLA and sending A (Mos) south to Ukr. His southern neighbors likewise have opened predictably. It looks as though Russia will face stiff competition in the Balkans, no easy victories. This suggests there’s no harm in letting Russia into Sweden to curry favor with my largest neighbor.
The advantage to bouncing Russia would be an improvement in relations with the English, who will surely appreciate the extra breathing room in Nor. But what has England done for me to compel me to upset the Russian bear? At this point, not much. England avoided the English Channel. If he is serious about trying to gain France as his ally ally, he may even try to screw with me with a convoy to Hol, which would deprive me a build, and leave Kie occupied and unavailable for a fleet build. Bad news.
Bouncing Russia can lead to an Eastern front conflict, escalating into a full-blown war, that Germany really doesn’t need early on. It seems too risky. So, I order F (Den) to hold.
In addition to simply holding, the other possibilities would be to use F (Den) to signal a move to a neighbor. I could support Russia’s move F (BOT) - Swe, or on the other hand, issue a support-hold order to England’s NTH. However, I find that either of these options would likely upset the non-supported neighbor more than it would reassure the target of support. Once I playued England in a gunboat game where Germany supported Russia’s move to Swe, and even though it was no different in practical terms than holding, the grovelingly pro-Russian signaling irked me. Similarly, England might wonder why I might choose to pointlessly support-hold NTH rather than bounce Russia out of Sweden. A move like this -- seemingly pro-England, while effectively pro-Russian -- seems a bit too fancy for my tastes, more likely to make myself seem duplicitous. So, I will avoid signaling and I will instead simply hold F (Den), thereby communicating my true feelings, which at this point are perfectly neutral.
Prior to deciding, I went back and forth between two different movesets – F (Den) – Swe and A (Mun) – Bur, vs. holding both units – several times. Either moveset signals a drastically different game.
Theoretically, I would like to leave both Russia and France alone and make a play for NTH - the strongest territory in the game - in ’02. However, this would be a risky strategy as a 5 SC power, which is what I would be without Bel or Swe. Going all-out against England and wedging myself in-between a France and Russia both stronger than myself seems a hard way to go, especially in gunboat. So, I’m ruling out attacking England off the bat, without picking up at least 6 SCs from the continent.
On the other hand, going all-in for an English alliance with attacks on *both* Russia and France seems unwise. Again, England hasn’t done enough yet to earn it, and those hostile anti-F/R moves, paired with a surprise bounce by him in Holland, would completely wreck my tactical and diplomatic position.
So in the end, I choose a compromise between the two move-sets I was strongly considering. I hold F (Den), hedging my bets with Russia in the north, and against France, take the plunge into Bur. These moves will upset only one neighbor – and a neighbor who is already being attacked by Italy in the south. A compromise between boldness and safety.
F01 Orders
F (Den) HOLD
A (Kie) – Hol
A (Mun) – Bur
Winter 1901
I took Holland (whew!) – and made it into Burgundy! Meanwhile, Italy supported Bur – Mar. Clever, even though it has no practical effect, it signals Italy is both engaged against the French and predicting his moves. Italy has France’s number!
Russia took Sweden – no surprises there. England bounced France in Bel, which was a surprise, and very favorable to me. If France had supported England to Bel, he could have both made a fast ally to his north and helped stonewall my incoming attack. Very glad they did not work that out.
I am in close to an ideal position for Germany at the end of 1901. France’s opening has gone very poorly for him – and yet, odds are still good that he will hold all his home SCs next year and pick up Spain anyway for another build. This is the power of France – even a concerted attack by two neighbors can equal mere harassment in the face of a competent defense. I/G are keenly feeling England’s absence in the Channel.
In the south, Austria has two builds, and Italy and Turkey both have one. Expected.
As for me, I have two builds. Building A (Mun) is obvious, strong, and expected. Building in Ber is unfruitful and overly anti-Russia, so I will also plonk down either a fleet or an army in Kie. An army in Kie would potentially help cement an alliance with England, following up on his bounce of France in Bel. However, England’s convoy to Bel may have just as easily been a self-interested play rather than a genuine move against France, given the lack of Channel conflict so far. Do I reward England for playing his best interest, and merely some greed gone wrong? I don’t think so.
Building, F (Kie) will give me more flexibility, the ability to attack England if I need to, and will hearten Russia, especially if he builds F (St. P) (nc). Of course F (Kie) also gives me the ability to clip Swe from Russia (via BAL) next year if I need to!
I decide to build a fleet in Kie.
Winter 1901 Builds
A (Mun)
F (Kie)
Gobsmack – Gunboat journal
By: Amwidkle (playing as Germany)
Pre-Game
This is a 275 D-point-bet gunboat game played on webDiplomacy. Settings: anonymous players, hidden draw votes, and Draw-Size Scoring. I just finished a similar gunboat with identical settings and 285 (D) point starting bet, titled “Marrakesh.” https://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?game ... #gamePanel
In Diplomacy games (either gunboat or press) of a high caliber, you have to think five steps ahead. To not only where your next SC is coming from, but how the board position will look after you claim it. Whether you’ll be able *actually keep and hold your territory* from your rivals. Whether you’ll have a place in the alliance structures that are likely to exist in the future. Hence, I am journaling this game in order to slow down focus my analytical skills.
Spring 1901
Country assignments are in. I draw Germany – I am pleased. I think Germany is a joy to play, in either gunboat or press – though I tend to think Germany’s chances are a tad better in press.
In gunboat, Germany is a direct competitor of France, who starts with two Iberian neutrals safely tucked away. I consider myself a defense-oriented player and so I envy France. France’s defensive position is tactically superior to Germany’s, and frankly, superior to any other nation. So for me to have a chance of thriving in this game, I will have to form superior alliances to counter France, hoping others appreciate the dangers of a French steamroller.
Though it seems fruitless to expend a lot of resources locking horns with France in the Bur/Bel region, I see it all the time, especially in gunboat. There’s a reason for that. France and Germany are rivals in the West for the same centers. The wariness of their border doesn’t disappear even if/when England is defeated. Quite the opposite: removing the Englishman only exacerbates the initial F/G trust problem by extending the F/G border along an even longer front. Now instead of a mere Bur/Bel bottleneck, the border continues to the English Channel and the British Isles. The F/G alliance can work beautifully in press games – I’m quite a fan of it actually – but it requires a level of trust and coordination that is practically impossible to come by in gunboat. The idea that France would simply pivot south to face Italy, and leave me to my own devices, even if we were to team up to destroy England seems fanciful. Much more likely, it will come down to a fight to the death in any event.
As I have judged that conflict with France is all but inevitable, my thinking from the start must be geared toward securing the best possible advantage against France early on.
I generally see France moving an army to Bur in S01, occasionally with support. France’s move to Bur is 100% sound defensively, and gunboat places a premium on defense, especially in early rounds. Therefore, ordering A (Mun) – Bur right off the bat seems to me to be a fruitless gesture, only helpful in order to signal my anti-French intent to others. Though France is my object, giving away my intentions right away seems a high price to pay to ruin a relationship with a powerful neighbor. If and when I move on France, I will want to maintain some element of surprise.
Germany’s main alternative to ordering A (Mun) – Bur in S01 is moving A (Mun) – Ruh. The Ruhr move, too, while standard in press, seems less promising in this gunboat game, given the likelihood that Bur will be occupied by a French army in F01. France’s A (Bur) would directly threaten Mun and make a retreat to Mun in F01 very tempting. While tactically sound, retreating from Ruh to Mun would be *diplomatically* weak. In gunboat especially, where other players’ assessment of your credibility can only be determined by your moves, it seems best not to be humiliated by harassment and forced to make about-face retreats early on, if it can be avoided.
Other alternatives: Ordering A (Mun) – Tyr is a defensive measure, and a possibility. However, I see the Italian attack through Tyr infrequently these days, even less so in gunboat. Again, ordering to Tyr in S01 only to retreat to Mun in F01 seems a waste, and will likely upset the two other central powers with whom I ought to be fast friends. Though an early Austrian demise would not necessarily be good for Germany, there’s little to be done about it if Italy wills it. One lone German army is unlikely to salvage a compromised Austria, and in gunboat especially, it would likely be viewed by Austria as an invader rather than a rescuer. Germany is interested in the Austrian sphere, to be sure, but also has more immediate concerns.
Other options for A (Mun): Ordering Munich to Bohemia or Silesia in S01 is practically suicidal, destroying your relationship with a Russian neighbor whom you should not be disturbing this early on. Even more critically, such wild and unorthodox Eastern play suggests to your Western rivals that you don’t really understand how to play Germany. As I posited earlier, in gunboat, your moves are your credibility. Speculative German attacks in Central Europe seem more likely than anything else to bring about a fatal E/F steamroller.
I decide, therefore, to order Munich to hold. I believe openings with “hold” moves are overlooked. Far from passivity, I find that holding helps convey stolidity and confidence. A hold move suggests a player not too ambitious, aware of his country’s strengths and weaknesses, open to diplomacy, and willing to play defensive when called for. Prudent commanders of countries that seem like tough nuts to crack will usually be left alone, especially in gunboat.
F (Kie) – I agree with many German opening theory commenters that the starting German fleet, F (Kie), generally belongs in Denmark. An army in Denmark has little flexibility, few retreat paths, and doesn’t even reassure Russia much at all, since Russia’s neutral SC Sweden is one of only two spaces a Denmark army may move to. That is usually what I see German armies in Denmark doing – harassing Russia’s (F) Swe, even fruitlessly. Therefore I shall order F (Kie) – Den.
The easiest decision of all is A (Ber) – Kie, a practical necessity to secure Holland. As mentioned above, I find the speculative “Barbarossa” attack and its variants that send the Berlin army east are not for serious play. Russia’s Warsaw is usually easily guarded, and then what? It’s a dead-end.
So for my S01 moves, I decide to open F (Kie) – Den, A (Ber) – Kie, A (Mun) HOLD. My moves will aim to secure 2 neutral SCs, offend no one, and maximize my diplomatic flexibility for F01.
S01 Orders
F (Kie) – Den
A (Ber) – Kie
A (Mun) hold
Fall 1901
I see generally standard moves from everyone, no major surprises.
As I predicted, France has ordered A (Mar) – Bur, and has also sent A (Par) – Pic, placing two units on Belgium. France’s fleet moved F (Bre) – MAO.
England, too, stayed out of the English Channel, opting instead for a northern opening: F (Lon)-NTH/F (Edi)-NWS, with A (Lvp) – Yor.
The lack of immediate Channel conflict is not ideal, but other developments around the board are favorable to me. Russia and Austria bounced each other in Gal, and Russia and Turkey bounced each other in BLA. (Russia’s army went A (Mos) – Ukr.) All players in the East appear to be tactically competent, and no strong alliances appear to be forming yet among the eastern powers, though I/A is looking possible.
Perhaps most favorably to me, Italy opened A (Ven) – Pie, making France’s position awkward. Italy also sent Austria a strong signal of peace by moving F (Nap) to ION, A (Rom) to Apu, leaving Ven ungarrisoned. It appears Italy intends to play as a strong Central power, moving forcefully against the corner powers via Pie (against France) and the Lepanto attack (against Turkey).
How shall I play now?
A (Mun): Italy’s surprise move to Pie makes me slightly wish I had ordered A (Mun) – Ruhr after all, since the threat to Mun would be greatly reduced as France likely will need to retreat to cover Mar. This would have given a German (A) Ruhr the ability to contest Bel.
However, I’m still happy with the placement of A (Mun). My key options for that piece in F01 are: (1) To hold again; (2) to attack Bur in the hopes of sneaking in (as France likely retreats A (Bur) south to cover Mar from Italy’s A (Pie)), or (3) To order A (Mun) – Ruh in F01, a sort of splitting the difference, with the clear aim of taking Bel from its occupant (likely France), while avoiding the catastrophic rupture in Franco-German relations that a German A (Bur) would portend.
In the end, after much thought, I order A (Mun)-Bur. This move in F01 will likely succeed, unlike an S01 gambit, and signal to Italy that his move to Pie was appreciated.
A (Kie): It’s not even a question – A (Kie) will claim Hol. Any other move would be grossly inferior and make myself look like a juicy target.
F (Den): What to do with F (Den)? To bounce or not to bounce Russia? Russia has played a standard opening, bouncing Austria in Gal and Turkey in BLA and sending A (Mos) south to Ukr. His southern neighbors likewise have opened predictably. It looks as though Russia will face stiff competition in the Balkans, no easy victories. This suggests there’s no harm in letting Russia into Sweden to curry favor with my largest neighbor.
The advantage to bouncing Russia would be an improvement in relations with the English, who will surely appreciate the extra breathing room in Nor. But what has England done for me to compel me to upset the Russian bear? At this point, not much. England avoided the English Channel. If he is serious about trying to gain France as his ally ally, he may even try to screw with me with a convoy to Hol, which would deprive me a build, and leave Kie occupied and unavailable for a fleet build. Bad news.
Bouncing Russia can lead to an Eastern front conflict, escalating into a full-blown war, that Germany really doesn’t need early on. It seems too risky. So, I order F (Den) to hold.
In addition to simply holding, the other possibilities would be to use F (Den) to signal a move to a neighbor. I could support Russia’s move F (BOT) - Swe, or on the other hand, issue a support-hold order to England’s NTH. However, I find that either of these options would likely upset the non-supported neighbor more than it would reassure the target of support. Once I playued England in a gunboat game where Germany supported Russia’s move to Swe, and even though it was no different in practical terms than holding, the grovelingly pro-Russian signaling irked me. Similarly, England might wonder why I might choose to pointlessly support-hold NTH rather than bounce Russia out of Sweden. A move like this -- seemingly pro-England, while effectively pro-Russian -- seems a bit too fancy for my tastes, more likely to make myself seem duplicitous. So, I will avoid signaling and I will instead simply hold F (Den), thereby communicating my true feelings, which at this point are perfectly neutral.
Prior to deciding, I went back and forth between two different movesets – F (Den) – Swe and A (Mun) – Bur, vs. holding both units – several times. Either moveset signals a drastically different game.
Theoretically, I would like to leave both Russia and France alone and make a play for NTH - the strongest territory in the game - in ’02. However, this would be a risky strategy as a 5 SC power, which is what I would be without Bel or Swe. Going all-out against England and wedging myself in-between a France and Russia both stronger than myself seems a hard way to go, especially in gunboat. So, I’m ruling out attacking England off the bat, without picking up at least 6 SCs from the continent.
On the other hand, going all-in for an English alliance with attacks on *both* Russia and France seems unwise. Again, England hasn’t done enough yet to earn it, and those hostile anti-F/R moves, paired with a surprise bounce by him in Holland, would completely wreck my tactical and diplomatic position.
So in the end, I choose a compromise between the two move-sets I was strongly considering. I hold F (Den), hedging my bets with Russia in the north, and against France, take the plunge into Bur. These moves will upset only one neighbor – and a neighbor who is already being attacked by Italy in the south. A compromise between boldness and safety.
F01 Orders
F (Den) HOLD
A (Kie) – Hol
A (Mun) – Bur
Winter 1901
I took Holland (whew!) – and made it into Burgundy! Meanwhile, Italy supported Bur – Mar. Clever, even though it has no practical effect, it signals Italy is both engaged against the French and predicting his moves. Italy has France’s number!
Russia took Sweden – no surprises there. England bounced France in Bel, which was a surprise, and very favorable to me. If France had supported England to Bel, he could have both made a fast ally to his north and helped stonewall my incoming attack. Very glad they did not work that out.
I am in close to an ideal position for Germany at the end of 1901. France’s opening has gone very poorly for him – and yet, odds are still good that he will hold all his home SCs next year and pick up Spain anyway for another build. This is the power of France – even a concerted attack by two neighbors can equal mere harassment in the face of a competent defense. I/G are keenly feeling England’s absence in the Channel.
In the south, Austria has two builds, and Italy and Turkey both have one. Expected.
As for me, I have two builds. Building A (Mun) is obvious, strong, and expected. Building in Ber is unfruitful and overly anti-Russia, so I will also plonk down either a fleet or an army in Kie. An army in Kie would potentially help cement an alliance with England, following up on his bounce of France in Bel. However, England’s convoy to Bel may have just as easily been a self-interested play rather than a genuine move against France, given the lack of Channel conflict so far. Do I reward England for playing his best interest, and merely some greed gone wrong? I don’t think so.
Building, F (Kie) will give me more flexibility, the ability to attack England if I need to, and will hearten Russia, especially if he builds F (St. P) (nc). Of course F (Kie) also gives me the ability to clip Swe from Russia (via BAL) next year if I need to!
I decide to build a fleet in Kie.
Winter 1901 Builds
A (Mun)
F (Kie)