Commentary and Analysis for Game 1 of Group B (acmac):

It has been a 1901 of prospering alliances and enemies. Instead of the Northern Opening which is a common opening move, England has opted to move south and potentially face France. But for this year the suspected attack did not occur, and the result of the deceiving move was to attain Belgium. England has also lucked out on Russia’s NMR, leaving him free to take Norway in 1902.

France is facing trouble on an incoming England and tentatively Germany, and we’ll see if Germany will aid either side in this old duel between familiar enemies. The tides will change depending on where he builds this year. Germany will also most likely go for Sweden and head toward Russia because of a NMR.

Italy is in a state of despair because of the builds (or lack thereof). He did not acquire any SC’s, which will surely affect Austria’s influence on what to do with his 2 builds. The two seemed to be allies in 1901 but maybe miscommunication could bring a downfall to this alliance and ultimately Italy. Austria has also lucked out of the NMR from Russia, as this will affect the game to a great length.

Turkey and Russia: a juggernaught? Maybe, as the two seem to be in accordance, as Turkey seems to be heading west for the time being. Turkey grabbed the standard Bulgaria, it will be interesting what he does with his builds and upcoming moves.

Commentary and Analysis for Game 2 of Group B (acmac, incomplete...?):

England strode in safely to Norway, and his builds will change the focus of the game. England’s move from the Norwegian Sea to Norway reflects his alliance with Russia, and Germany better be prepared; if he isn’t he will soon be defeated. Russia is also putting pressure on the Austrian front, closing into Galicia in the fall. He achieved 2 builds, and will likely build in Warsaw.

France attained 3 builds this year, as he captured to standard Portugal and Spain. Also with Germany and England leaving Belgium to himself, he proceeded to get Belgium. Germany smartly bounced in Munich, as he saw Italy’s army in Tyrolia. Italy also bounced in Trieste, giving us a glance of what may become a feud between the two nations. Turkey tried to get Bulgaria, but failed with Austria’s support move.

ETA: gman314 is commenting on group A. My mistake, folks. acmac I think finished commenting on game 2 as well, not positive.

Games 3 & 4 commentaries are coming up.

Commentary and Analysis for DCL Group B Game 3

From the looks of it, there’s a Juggernaut in play and the West is uncommitted. Not a lot of comment on the alliance structures just yet, so let’s move to each individual country’s opening year.

England had some promise with a Northern System opening, considering France did not open to the Channel and Russia did not open to St. Petersburg. Then he failed to turn in orders, which prevented him from what could have been a powerful start to the game by convoying to Norway and sliding into an undefended Barents Sea.

France’s opening is a solid noncommittal start that, had England been an active player, would have given him all kinds of alliance options. The move to Burgundy was clearly defensive, as evidenced by the lack of support and the subsequent hold. The failure to move to Belgium may cost him if the German gets hungry, however. Perhaps he was expecting England to convoy there. At any rate, two builds without angering anyone is always a strong opening, and France apparently has accomplished exactly that. An excursion into England or even the Mediterranean might be profitable, but the first priority must be appeasing the mighty beast to his east.

And what of that beast, the German with three builds? It is no small feat to double in size in the first year, and Germany has done exactly that, seizing the Low Countries and Denmark with authority. England’s all-hold and turmoil with Austria has reduced the number of threats he must engage; France and Russia are the powers with whom he must be concerned. With a Juggernaut forming and Austria’s position faltering, it may be time for Germany to step into the leadership role and defend Europe from the steamrolling menace.

We now take a brief look to the south, where Italy has done as most Italian players seem to do these days: make peace with France and Austria, and then set up a Lepanto. The opening system is flexible through the build phases, and Italy has a decision to make: should he turn on his peaceful neighbor and try to get strong to face the terror of a Juggernaut, or should he press his assault into the heart of Turkey? His choice will have a huge impact on the order of the game. Choose wisely, my green amigo.

Austria has provided the lone spark of excitement in a decidedly austere 1901: his decision to move Vienna to Trieste, not Galicia as one normally sees with the Balkan Gambit these days, has allowed Russia to acquire two southern builds and brought about his imminent collapse. The most likely reason? I would guess that Galicia had been deemed a DMZ which Russia promptly violated; very rare is the Austrian that allows Russia into Galicia and rarer still is the move to Trieste from Vienna. At any rate, with one build and an obvious Juggernaut in play, it’s going to be difficult for Austria to rebound.

And now to the Juggernaut, Russia and Turkey, who have clearly become the leading alliance structure in this spectator’s eyes. Turkey is in a bit of an odd situation, having only one build available in Ankara. Doubtless it will be a fleet that allows the alliance to begin pressing into the Mediterranean, but for all the problems Austria is having, it still has potential to cause problems for Turkey, particularly if Italy comes to assist. If this Juggernaut is to keep rolling it will be because of Russia, the monolithic animal that has nothing but a lone German fleet in Denmark keeping it out of Scandinavia and very little in terms of actual threats to its hegemony. The key to this game is Italy’s decision on the fate of Austria and German-Russian relations from here on.

@Pres was in a rush I'll finish after have dinner with family

it's cool

Russia has smartly moved into Galicia, threatening to take SC’s from Austria. But his 2 builds reflect that he may be hard to crack, and Russia and Turkey may need to collaborate to make Austria theirs. Italy does not have a strong hold on Austria and will likely need to side with Russia to later defeat Turkey. But then what will likely become of Italy is unknown, as for now Russia appears to have the upper hand in this probably alliance. Turkey truly must use very persuasive diplomacy to get himself out of this mess.

France has an option to ally with either Germany or England. He needs to think about what the long-term will be like as well as the short term, as both England and Germany seem to want to be allies. France will have to choose quickly, because if he waits for too long there may be an Anglo-Saxon alliance blooming. If the alliance falls to England and they may sweep out Germany quickly and advance to Russia; Germany and France could do the same. If France chooses to ally with Germany he could easily leave his fronts and attack Russia quickly and efficiently. We will also see what Italy will decide to do.

@Pres--I feel as if I'm watching a golf tournament with you announcing :)

That's the end of Game 2

I'll comment a game. Do you have links?

commentary? sweet idea =)

I don't mind commenting either if you have a game open.

we have a lack of spanish announcers on here. i want something like

And England moves into Brest after convoying an army from London. German support coming from the east! ole ole! wait whats this whats this paris taken? GOOOOOAAAAALAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

I imagine (from the influence of another user) that there are army men with tanks saying "Aw, shit! We lost London?!?!?" And then they explode. This makes me laugh :D

I would love to see someone comment like a sports announcer.

I'll try that for 1902 ;)

Is it a good thing that I sound like a golf announcer? =P

Mr. President,

Do you have some links for me?

Just a suggestion: when commenting, Include the game you are commenting on and a link to it every time...so we don't have to search back thru the tread to find the link to the game you commenting on..

Group A:
Game 1: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=36998
Game 2: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=37006
Game 3: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=37004
Game 4: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=37005

Group B:
Game 1: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=36997
Game 2: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=37001
Game 3: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=37002
Game 4: http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=37003

Commentary and Analysis for DCL Group B Game 4

NOW you guys get the hang of it! This first year was MUCH more exciting than round 3. Hats off to all involved for making this a fun one to watch. I really like the double perfidiousness of Italy taking Munich as Germany takes Warsaw. Lots of aggression on all sides, words flying as swiftly and mutably as a carefree moth floating on the wind… this is the essence of Diplomacy. Beautiful work, gentlemen.

The result of this one seems clearer than round 3, for certain: You have the Eastern and Western Juggernauts rolling on a collision course, with an idle Austria and a pair of witty stabbers in Germany and Italy looking to cause some problems in between. Austria is doomed, Germany appears to have met the ire of his neighbors, and Italy’s cleverness might be enough to keep him alive to cause a mess with the Juggernauts. I suppose we’ll see, won’t we?

England has left no doubts about his intention: He’s trusting France and damned if anyone else get in the way! The convoy to Norway and move to Barents is as Scandinavian an opening as it gets, and a no-build Russia will succumb immediately under the strain. I find no flaws with his opening: he picked an apparently trustworthy friend (guess we’ll see once the builds come in, eh?), a target that ended up unable to resist, and said the hell with the risk, let’s take the reward. And it worked! Well played.

France has also started strong, picking up three builds while angering no one. If he so decides, he could bail out a wounded Germany by marching on Italy and England, or he could deliver the coup de grace himself. Italy will prove to be a nefarious neighbor; the eventual battle for the western Mediterranean should be interesting. Whatever France decides, it may be assumed he shall see some success.

Germany, on the other hand… I don’t mean to pick on anyone, but this is not how I would start a game. Sure, the move to Warsaw was a witty tactical maneuver, credit given for that. And securing 2 other SCs was smart. But Italy waltzed right in and got Munich, and more importantly Russia’s imminent collapse does him no good. It is England who is best positioned to capitalize, Turkey next; he shall see Warsaw and little else, as Russia will doubtless be content to let his ally and the bolder of his two foes have his land while he wrecks vengeance upon the one who crippled him most. Is his position salvageable? Certainly, but it will be tough sledding. Good luck. (And one other note. I do love the Prussian move. Boldness is beautiful. Just… don’t get too bold, mkay?)

Speaking of that whimsical waltzer, that nefarious neighbor… Italy is my favorite of the bunch so far. Nothing makes me giggle like an obnoxious schoolgirl like Tyr -> Mun in 1901. (Just ask my roommate. He’s signing me up for a psychological examination. No, really.) Two build Italian openers are a rare treat, and when one accomplishes this without angering the two most relevant neighbors in France and Austria… well. That’s just icing on the cake. The problem now is maintaining Munich against a Germany looking to rebound from a shaky start. Luckily, Munich can be sacrificed if he lunges for the fertile plains of…

Austria, who started with a nice move (Galician Balkan Gambit, one of my favorites), but then missed orders. What a shame, that is going to affect the alliance structure significantly. Given the Russian collapse, there’s now a giant power void in the most SC-dense region of the game. Look for that to be filled by either Italy or…

Turkey, who took full advantage of the Austrian miscue to seize two builds and position himself for glory in the Balkans and Mediterranean. The Mediterranean should soon be a hotspot for titanic showdowns given the success of the masters of this domain. It will be interesting to see if Turkey plays the loyal ally and props up his dying friend in the Russians, or if he decides to grab as much loot off the sinking ship and sail for safer waters.

And Russia… poor chap. I don’t really fault him for his circumstance. German malevolence to the degree witnessed here and English determination will almost certainly make for a sour start. He has a shot to rebound with quick gains into Austria, but his fate is in the hands of the Turk.

Keys to the game: Turkey’s decision on Russia, France’s next move, and of course, who will step up and match the eye-catching, riveting backstabs of this first year?

yebellz is allowed to comment on group B games 1 and 2. (Really, anyone is... just ask. Please know what you're doing, though. Also, anyone can ask questions to the commentators.)

Oh ok, I hadn't noticed this thread earlier. Thanks for letting me comment. I don't really want to get committed into writing a regular commentary, but I would like to be able to occasionally cast my opinion.

I see that acmac finished his commentary on Game 2 of Group B. Originally, I felt compelled to step in if that was all he was going to say about that game. Although, I'm not too happy with the quality of his full commentary for either game.

Here are the rough points that I would have emphasized in a commentary for game 1 of group B (gameID=36997):
There are very clear signs that an RT alliance is forming. It's unfortunate that Russia missed the autumn turn, since he had Norway and Sweden free for the taking. Turkey holding his army in Bulgaria in the fall, instead trying something productive with it, perhaps suggests that the diplomatic situation with Italy and Austria wasn't quite conducive.
The peace and confidence along the Italian-Austrian border clearly points to some sort of agreement having been worked out, but then likely Austria violating that agreement by taking Greece himself. Italy wouldn't have moved on Greece unless he was certain that he was going to take it, since he could have otherwise taken Tunis for free.
France seems to have been taken a bit off guard by England's French attack opening. France seems to have anticipated a convoy into Picardy and chose to create a self bounce in Brest as opposed to sending that fleet in Portugal to take a second build. England used the position to instead take Belgium with support, by using the North Sea not only guarantees that SC, but also puts a vital army on the mainland. This move left Norway open for Russia, although perhaps England realized that Russia was going to miss his move. Germany's opening was fairly standard, going for as many neutrals as possible, and he is in a very versatile position moving forward. It's interesting that he left Sweden open. Was he perhaps planning to let Russia in, or did he realize that Russia wasn't going to get his moves in on time and didn't want to leave Denmark? It seems that he'll be able to choose a side in this battle between France and England, but if Russia comes back he will also have to worry about addressing the RT juggernaut.
However, it looks like Russia may just CD and ruin this game anyways. Unfortunate, since with Austria creating conflict with Italy, and England and Germany leaving Scandinavia open, the RT alliance would have been posed to do well in this game had Russia been able to make his fall moves play it out.

Group A, game 1: This game is off to a fairly typical-looking start. France and Germany seem to have a mutual destruction pact as they collide in Burgandy and Belgium. England seems content to let them fight with a non-commital first move and bouncing himself in Norway. Italy appears to enjoy his Lepanto opening while a move to Tyrolia foreshadows potential involvement on France's side. On the other hand, his convoy to Tunis seems to be placing forces to better attack France, Only time will determine his alignment. Austria and Russia are working together to Russia's great benefit. His commitment of only two units southward in the spring seemed weak but Austria's sacrifice of a second build to get him Bulgaria helped him immensely. In the North, Russia will likely capitalize on England's self-bounce to get Norway. Finally, Turkey appears to be facing imminent destruction unless he can find support from Italy.

Group A, game 2: The East of this game has gotten off to a rather interesting start. Despite an initial bounce in the Black sea, a juggernaught appears to be forming with Turkey's support of Russia taking Rumania. However, they may have opposition from an Austria-Italy alliance which also started with a tense border between Trieste and Venice but may yet develop. Italy's army in Greece will cause problems for the juggernaught if Austria supports properly. In the west, France and Germany are attacking each other again but here Germany has England's support. England had a non-commital spring but his fall convoy into Belgium to allow Germany's capture of Holland showed his colours. With these two fighting him and all the other nations scrambling in the balkans, France will have a very tough time of it.

Group A, Game 3:
gameID=37004

Spring 01:
-England: Very Anti-France. Doesn't seem to have Germany's support, which is odd. Italy may have been game, but now he's got a problem with Germany. In short, England doesn't seem to have the needed support to go after France.
-France: Strong against Germany, suggesting he thought he had a deal with England. Luckily, Germany isn't working with England, so he shouldn't have too big of a problem.
-Germany: Probably the most interesting moves. Heads south, which is fine if you're working with someone...
-Italy: Anti-France, but also works as a nice defense against Germany. It's possible that France and Italy are working together, not England and Italy.
-Austria: Pretty standard. Didn't expect an attack from Germany, but it was a silly move, so he shouldn't have. The real question is, is Italy working with Germany? Probably not.
-Turkey: Very standard. Arranged bounce with Russia.
-Russia: Seems to have a good relationship with Turkey. Trying to take out Austria while securing a position in the North.

Fall 01:
-England: Probably the best he could do against France without anyone else's support. He needs to get someone on board (Germany) or try to make amends with France before they both get too far behind.
-France: Probably the safest moves he could have made. May have been worth moving to POR, but that would depend a lot on the press. Trusting Italy was a good call.
-Germany: Not sure what he's up to. Russia has no interest him him, so it's odd that he would aggravate him. Hopefully, he can make amends with the South, now that he'll have Russia to deal with.
-Italy: Helping Austria was a good choice. Germany had no business being down there.
-Austria: A very unfortunate beginning. I would have used TRI to support BUD and had SER s ALB-GRE. Even if Germany made it to VIE, Austria would have a build. He now needs to convince Austria not to take advantage of his weak state.
-Turkey: Moving to BS but not trying to keep Russia out of RUM is odd. You'd expect Turkey to work with either Austria or Russia (or both). I'd hope that the move to BS is to try to make it look like there isn't a Juggernaut.
-Russia: Things are looking good in the south (expect for BS, but that isn't too big of a concern). The North is interesting. Did he do something to provoke Germany? The build will tell all about Russia's intentions.

Group A, game 4:
spring 01:
- England: Typical and non-commital opening, seems to trust France.
- France: A good opening to get as many SCs as possible. Trusting of England but appearing to butt heads with Germany in the fall. Looks like he trusted Italy completely. I would have arranged to bounce in Piedmont for security though.
- Germany: Also getting as many SCs as he can. However, if he plays it wrong, he could find a two-front war very soon.
- Italy: Very unusual to send units both west and east. Could find himself in a two-front war as well. The fall will reveal his intentions.
- Austria: A complete rush for the Balkans. Could easily get Greece or, if he works with Turkey, Rumania. That could be a very powerful alliance.
- Turkey: A completely normal opening with a bounce in the Black Sea and armies moving to Constantinople and Bulgaria. Reveals nothing.
- Russia: Two units each for North and South. This can often cause problems in the south unless he has an ally there. On the other hand, he could cause problems for England and Germany if he continues like this.

Fall 01:
- England: Trust of France continuing as he provokes both Russia and Germany. This lack of builds could easily cause problems for him with two powerful enemies.
- France: His trust in Italy seems to be well-founded. I would have expected a bid for Belgium though. It looks like he has agreements with all three of his neighbours and is planning to betray one of them. His builds may reveal something.
- Germany: An interesting attempt to attack England with Russian support. However, Russia's move back to Warsaw could ruin his plans. Also, he and Austria appear to trust each other completely.
- Italy: A convoy to Tunis seems to imply that he plans to head west. This could be very good for him or very bad, depending on whether or not Austria proves trustworthy.
- Austria: His Balkan rush was completely successful, getting him three SCs thanks to Turkey and Russia's non-cooperation and Russia's pull-out from Ukraine. However, his only allis are Italy and Germany and his Balkan possessions could all be lost if Turkey and Russia cooperate.
- Turkey: Took the Black Sea but as Austria is a bigger threat than Russia, this may be completely useless.
- Russia: His lack of allies and his indecision have left him with a single build and a powerful enemy in Austria. Unfortunately, this failure in the south leaves his northern campaign unsupported.

Group A, Game 3:
gameID=37004

Builds 01
-England: Looks like England still plans on moving against France. Although, it still looks like he shouldn't expect help from anyone.
-France: I can only imagine that France plans on trying to get that fleet in MAR to MAO ASAP to combat England. Moving against Italy would be foolish at this point.
-Germany: Looks like Germany is planning on moving against Russia. With E&F pointlessly going after each other, this probably isn't a terrible plan. I still think he would have been better working with E or F and leaving R alone.
-Italy: Very odd. I feel like no matter what Italy was planning on doing, another fleet would be better. I'm really not sure what he's got in mind.
-Austria: Nothing to say, expect that he should have had 1 if not 2 builds.
-Turkey: Not a good build if he was planning to go after Russia. Hopefully, he can make amends.
-Russia: Clearly didn't trust Turkey, but now he's weak in the North and has two units that can only be used against Turkey. A decent start for Russia seems to be quickly deteriorating.

Group A, Game 3:
gameID=37004

Spring 02
-England: Still moving against France without anyones help. Worse than that, France now has Germany as an ally. Convoy to PIC was a decent move; France will now need to play a guessing game. Since Germany isn't on his side, supporting Russia was a good thing to do.
-France: Kudos for getting Germany to help him out. Good rearrangement of troops in the South. With Italy fully distracted, France shouldn't have much problem holding off England. If he guesses England's attack, I'd say France is golden. If not, it will be tricky, but France will still be looking good.
-Germany: If I was Germany, I would have worked with England against France under the condition that England didn't help Russia. For whatever reason, this clearly didn't work out. Germany is going to have to play this next season very carefully. He's undefended in the South and potentially the North, too.
-Italy: Personally, I would have gone after Germany or France. He'll get a part of Austria, but will Turkey and Russia have made up by then? Italy could still actually work out a clever deal with Austria if he wanted to...
-Austria: This is to be expected with no builds in the first year. If he was able to keep Italy from attacking, he may have come out of it. But, if he doesn't turn Italy or Turkey this turn, he's done.
-Turkey: Now that he's out of BS, he may be able to work something out with Russia. That would really be best for both of them. The fate of Turkey is still very up in the air. I'd recommend moving slowly, making sure he can hold on to what he takes.
-Russia: Getting England on his side was very good for him. Unfortunately, Germany is still coming at him full bore and he'll lose WAR this turn. He's really just wasting units in the south at this point. He's now relying on England to defend him in the North and Austria to defend him in the South; not a good situation to be in.