I think he did that because once Ihad taken England out, italy kept attacking France, had he said "well, if you want Germany to win so bad, then I shall help" Maybe achilles can give us his thoughts.

I agree that Italy did not figure it out soon enough that you were moving toward the solo. That probably caused France to decide to throw the game your way. I am really kicking myself for a move I did early in the game when I had Italy on the ropes, where I took Venice with my army in Rome. I was thinking for some reason that I would destroy his fleet in Venice and then maybe he could rebuild in the South and head after Turkey. Unfortunately he didn't do that (plus he could retreat to Apulia, I don't know what I was thinking!). I could tell that Turkey knew what he was doing so I was trying anything to keep pressure on him. Oh well. Now it is obvious that we would have ALL* been better off if I would have kept up the attack on Italy.

* excluding Germany of course. Well done SL! You may have got it handed to you at the end, but you played it well to get big enough to strike. Nice job.

in 1906/1907 italy just would not leave france alone. France had his hands full already, and I had just cleared the North, and was about to taek Liverpool, but the Italian kept attacking France. THAT was the time to not hit france.

Russia also had something of a lovefest for Turkey, even after he took StP again, I thought for sure he woudl open a front vs me, but he went directly back south.

I am glad you were Turkey./...lol

thanks cspeik. There was a turn, where I had just taken picard, and brest/paris were both open, and france had a buidl coming from retaking marseillles (with a fleeet) and I knew he would not move from marseilles, and was hoping to get a bounce from me with my picardy army, and i simply retreated backto belgium, and he occupied all his home centers and was denied a build.


I think the following turn, with him short a unit, is when I took Belgium to Yorkshire (England was not doing the rest of you any favors either, and helped me a lot) That gap in my line and the lack of 1 French army, was HUGE for me to take EDI and be able to fill that hole in my lines later.

I triedhelping russia a lot in the beginning. His opening left me little choice but to give him sweden, because I needed him to hold England off long enough for me to get my feet under me.

It worked well enough, and then when he destroyed his swedish fleet later, Greedy England bounced me in sweden, which is waht I expected, and allowed me to the north sea. He wanted SC over North sea. ALways a bad move for England.

cspeik I remember a move you did also. You were in venice I think, and moved out into Apulia in the autumn denying yourself a build, and then italy came back and put 2 units up.

Italy was toast I think, and so was the solo had you held onto venice.

Italy was just all over the dang place.

Glad you and Czech were tucked away in that far corner facing off, and left me alone with AChilles (who is very good) and a poor England player. lol

Italy would also not leave me alone. After I'd done a seriously bad guess and Italy had taken back Venice too, I thought we might be on track to go after Turkey (he built a fleet in Venice). But then he just kept jabbing a single unit attack at Trieste, for no gain, but just hindering my battle with Turkey. Really weird.

yes, i watched itlay do his Alipine Chicken to start, and get marseilles, although I amnot sure he knew that is what he did..lol

that grab at marseilles left France gasping fro breath early, and gave me belgium in 1902.

Autumn 1903 was the turn that changed the fate of france/England/Germany all in one gasp. That is the turn that france was unable to build because all his home centers were occupied, and I gained the north sea also that turn, and following that, Russia destroyed the fleet in sweden.

It changed the dynamics quickly.

Near the end while I was fleeing to the south as the Czech put it, I just sort of flipped out at Italy... I just didn't care anymore.

And, I was pretty bad at the start... I figured that Italy was not stupid enough to try for Trieste and Mars, so I assumed he would do an Italian shuffle... I was wrong.