Who-6 "The Great Game"

[soul_warrior]

lurker's comment: good to see a RL passion for teaching history.
had i not been so easily distracted i would have been one myself as well.
unluckily i dropped out of uni prior to finishing my history degree.
English Medieval was my forte.
but these days im a glorified novice.
no time to study.
do us proud El J.

 

[El Justo]

lurker's comment: good to see a RL passion for teaching history.
had i not been so easily distracted i would have been one myself as well.
unluckily i dropped out of uni prior to finishing my history degree.
English Medieval was my forte.
but these days im a glorified novice.
no time to study.
do us proud El J.

thanks man i think i will enjoy it. it's the certification process that is grueling.

American history is pretty much my bag although i studied a varied amount of intl stuff. but for the most part, i studied 20th century US themes (lots of poli-sci stuff to thru my minor). and i wrote an undergrad thesis on the US-Philippine war from 1899-1901 it's all fun for sure

pre-turn activities
Tibetan forces in the dozens drift into our Himilayan region of southern/western China

US airships are spotted over Habana

lots of USN mvmt in the Caribbean

i begin assembling some forces for the logical crossing of the Pacific from the P.I. over to the Americas. so - before i move anything - i'm assuming we'd like to make inroads through S America? perhaps link up the former Brit and french holdings that we now have here up w/, say, New Granada (Col-Ven)? please advise or give your opinion on the matter b/c i'd send over the Metz Corps from Luzon along w/ a slew of guns and death

check it out - if we had that VP in Bogotá, we could really cash in quick w/ RMs...but we are exactly 319 away from victory.



Central America makes sense too b/c of the VP and it has the industrialism resourse here too. however, it is linked up to the US position who could theoretically flood the region and overrun us if we took any locale.

any thoughts? suggestions perhaps? i'll wait to hear a few opinions before i fire up the turns entirely.

 

[El Justo]

i forgot to mention that we are an economic beast!

 

[Whomp]

El J--do you think the Americans can battle with us? They'd have to cross water with transports and I think we've got the seas covered for any attempt at a mass drop off. I'd start blowing out South America...but I'm crazy that way.

PS Holly's teaching 7th grade social studies. I should have you talk with her since she's spent the last 6 months hammering away on National Boards and some grants. She has a Harvard trip this summer.

 

[cubsfan6506]

Hey Whomp are you married.

 

[Whomp]

Hey Whomp are you married.

Engaged to a Cubs fan.

 

[cubsfan6506]

She's already a million times to good for you. JK

 

[Adler17]

I suggest to do that:

Eurasia: Having conquered the Phillippines I suggest to take out the last remnants of Dutch forces there, especially Sumatra and Celbes. Also Guam and Hawai'i should be taken as well as Timor and the Solomons. Then we should mass these troops up to take Australia. Tibet is, after taking out the attackers, to take with the forces we have already in India and perhaps you can send some from Paris via Mugden and Tsingtao to reinforce them. To take out the islands around Europe and Africa is also another but secondary step here.

America: An invasion of any part of North America at this time is imprudent. They have too many units there. We would be anhilliated too soon. Indeed to invade there would be the last thing I suggest. We are ruling the seas and can stop any invasion of them. That should be okay for now. Also I suggest to send some fighters into the caribbean to get rid about the airships, which should otherwise be attacked by our Zeppelins/fleet. The same has to be said for Europe.
In South America I suggest two things. But only one at a time, if possible. Either we attack Venezuela at first, which is smaller and easier to take, or Brazil to connect Cayenne and Freetown as well as getting rid about the Brazilian presence in the Caribbean. But Brazil is larger. I for myself would try to take Brazil at first and then Venezuela. Then we have one big opponent less to worry about in South America- and who could attack us in the war with Venezuela. The Venezelans could seclare war, too, but should not be that problematical. For any of these campaigns we should send some reinforcements from the islands to the continent. Also some reinforcements from home can be sent, as they have a way to go and will perhaps be needed.

That I wanted to post here when I posted my report but it was laready late here so I forgot.

Adler

 

[El Justo]

El J--do you think the Americans can battle with us? They'd have to cross water with transports and I think we've got the seas covered for any attempt at a mass drop off. I'd start blowing out South America...but I'm crazy that way.

PS Holly's teaching 7th grade social studies. I should have you talk with her since she's spent the last 6 months hammering away on National Boards and some grants. She has a Harvard trip this summer.

yes, i think the Yanks would tie up a ton of our war resources - moreso than any other civ we've battled thus far due to the proximity of the fighting (in the caribbean). of course, this is assuming that we launch expeditions into central america. but yeah, them having the schlepp over coast and sea tiles lessens the threat imo.

i think i recall you mentioning that about your fianceé i'd love to to absorb any type of advice etc that she could have is she working on a project w/ those grants?

here's what i'm thinking wrt our next step:
push the Colombians and Venezuelans back in northern S America and capture that VP location so that we have a 'home base' for our remaining raw materials. this could act as a regional 'cash in' place if you know what i mean. venturing into brazil crossed my mind also. but it is a little of a schlepp to gain the VP down there (the VP spots are what i'm looking for really at this point).

so since we're so dang close to the VP win, i'd think it'd be fruitless really to engage the Americans in central or north america. australia could fall under this umbrella, too.

some island hopping campaigns in indonesia could work as well as some of the other outlying islands on the peripheries.

so i'll go for the Colombians first and see where that takes me

PS-somebody dropped cubs OF Soriano in our cfc baseball league and i got him on a waiver claim! what's going on here?!?! i guess being buried in the standings and only a few drop/adds vaulted me to the top of the waiver list

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

i'll probably end up teaching elementary. but i started out as secondary social studies (high school). however, eventually, once i get that jobby-job, i'll go back for the masters and try to adjunct somewhere at one of the uni's near by history of course but that all is long term. i just need to get though the rigorous certification process here in NJ (2 yrs and a few entrance exams).

i should get my turn set started w/in the next few hours too maybe i can get the VP win on my watch

El J: OK, for your homework assignment tonight, you will play AoI and TCW in their entirety.
Kid: That game is stupid!
El J: [Pulls out a giant stamp with the letter "F" and stamps the kids forehead] You Fail!

Engaged to a Cubs fan.

Why did they ever choose the word engaged? I mean, whenever I hear that word the first thing that comes to mind is a weapon of some sort ready to fire. Though lately (after religiously watching Shaun of the Dead almost daily for 2 weeks), the thought that immediately springs up is a busy signal.

 

[El Justo]

El J: OK, for your homework assignment tonight, you will play AoI and TCW in their entirety.
Kid: That game is stupid!
El J: [Pulls out a giant stamp with the letter "F" and stamps the kids forehead] You Fail!

heh, if anything, i'd try and steer them into a desire to design computer graphics, namely civ3 units

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week 3 1908 ~ pre-turn

after a day to mull it over, i changed my mind wrt my original plans to ship the surplus regulars from the P.I. over to South America. so i rebooted the save b/c this may likely be the last turn set i get for this fine SG i switched around some other stuff too...

cleaned up corruption and shiled problems all throughout the Caribbean and the Far East

send in a wave of reinforcements in southern China/Himilaya region near Tibet. at the same time, i nicked troops from all over on the subcontinent and throughout Asia and rallied them all at Dehli for an assault on Tibet - and over the Himilayas lots of arty pieces too.

i spent a great deal of time renaming the TRs. i love doing that and i like seeing the ones you guys all name too.

a large depot of our colonial troops is found in Freetown in western africa. however, there's no existing TR net so i had to pop a few here. same goes for most of Iberia as well so that troops can flow from Europe into the Atlantic towards our Caribbean and S American holdings

sent some unused regular army units over the Trans-Siberian rails to Port Arthur so they can make the trip to China for more reinforcement against Tibet

spy on New Granada capital of Bogotá - 10 MGs, 5 Inf, and a handful of lt cav's and lt arty

spy on Caracas - 4 MGs, an arty piece and a TR and CL - iow, ripe for the pickin's. i promptly move in a pile of regular army units onto the hill tile next to the city and wait for them to ask me to leave during the next IBT

negotiate a RoP w/ Brazil so that we can back-door it into southern Colombia via the Brazilian rail net here in the Amazon Basin. so be advised that we shouldn't break any treaties - even this late in the game imo

move a 6 TR task force stack from Mindinao and southern Luzon towards Dutch held Manado

shuffled some extra regular army units around in the Philippines for shipment back to Indochina for the train ride down through Malaysia and then onto, hopefully, Dutch held Sumatra. the pincer is about to come down on the Lowlands

i sign a peace deal with the US - it makes sense and i snookered them for +180 gold on the way out of the negotiating room this will now give us carte blanche in the Caribbean. i'll move most of the crack troops out of Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola and redirect them to S America for what will inevitably be a blood bath in Colombia. plus, an entire front is eliminated now in the Caribbean

to be cont'd

 

[El Justo]

pre-turn Week 3 1909 ~ cont'd
more assets are moved around from our Caspian Sea bases into the subcontinent
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IBT
New Granada asks me to leave after i parked an SOD on their doorstep - i politely decline and prompltly declate war against them

La Plata (Bol-Para) asks for peace and i counter w/ an off of +8 gold/turn - they agree and we've got one less thing to worry about in S Amercia

the Dutch come begging for peace and i send them away for the dogs that they are
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Week 6 1909
major troop transfers begin in Manila-->Saigon-->Singapore for invasion of Sumatra

the assault on Caracas ensues - and it's easily taken (7:0) rumors have been swirling that a rouge team of soldiers have rounded up all males with the surname Chavez in Caracas and had them castrated. one unidentified source said that it was done in the name 21st centrury capitalism

guns from one of our Med naval squadrons pounds a British landing party on Corsica and a Naval Inf brigade knocked out a tommie MB btln

a Dutch gunboat is sunk off the southern tip of Sumatra bu U 13 (8:0)

a Brit M class dd is sunk in Java Sea (9:0)

Dutch TR sunk in port in Manada (10:0)

another Brit M class sunk (11:0)

one of our DD pickets in the Atlantic is lost to a New Granada DD (11:1)

2 CLs lost near Sumatra and one enemy CL sunk (12:3)
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IBT
caught the Dutch and the Tibetans trying to plant a spy in our capital - desperate dogs that they are!
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Week 9 1909
Dutch PC sunk in eastern Indian Ocean (13:4)

Manado taken in Indonesia w/ no losses (18:5)

a weak Spanish landing party in southern Luzon is eliminated (20:5)

2 more M class DDs and a TR sunk (23:5)

our advancing troops in S America take Ciudad Bolivar in Venezuela w/ ease (32:5)

Australian port of Cairns is blockaded and bombarded. it seems that this is an active base of operation for tommie ships. not no mo'!

extensive TR networks established in W Africa (to S America) and in Portugal for the trip across the pond w/ some guns etc

the Metz Corps lands on Sumatra along w/ a host of other units - the Dutch are in big, big trouble here and i'm poised to nick the 3 cities here. the kicker is that it's probably loaded to the hilt w/ RMs b/c the cities here are still generating them but the LL civ has no place to cash them in so it's going to be like a turkey shoot. and i may be able to end the game (in term of VPs) if i can capture all of them and ship them back for points w/in my turn set

a Cressy class CA and TR sunk (34:5)

our Med Naval Inf detachment proves its worth and kills off the last of the tommie units on the landing tile on french-held Corsica. i promptly flood the landing tile w/ regular troops

a Spanish TR is sunk near Gibraltar (35:5)

Brit TR sunk in western Atlantic off of Brazil (36:5)

a few red-lined Dutch units knocked off on Sumatra in advance of the big assault planned for next turn

to be cont'd
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these 2 turns took me 4 and a half hours to play it ain't the IBT times but the moving and managing of our humongous empire and its assets. i have to be honest here and admit that this game is almost definitely the largest empire i've ever managed in terms of cities and land mass. it's sick how much power we have however, the funny part about all of this is that we still have wants all over the map. and by that i mean we might not have enough NGFS in some areas, might not have land-based arty support, or not enough cav units and stuff like that. so there's always something to improve upon imo.

the RM express is in full swing. i've sent back most of the Far East RM assets and rallied them in Damscus for the express back to Turkey. we currently stand at just under 3,800 VPs w/ 3 full turns left for me...

take a look at this screenie - i took advantage of our RoP w/ the Brazilains to back door it into southern Colombia. they're in a world of poop here w/ the pincer that is about ready to engulf them



i took a more aggressive approach on this turn set b/c of a few things. the first is that it could likely be my last and i wanted to see how far and how fast i can drive our troops. and secondly, i fired up the turns immediately after watching a documentary on one of my boyhood idols, Major General William T. Sherman. of course, if that ain't inspiring to scorch, burn, and kill, i don't know what is!

 

[Adler17]

Keep them running!

Adler

 

[cubsfan6506]

, i fired up the turns immediately after watching a documentary on one of my boyhood idols, Major General William T. Sherman. of course, if that ain't inspiring to scorch, burn, and kill, i don't know what is!

Hey el j the history channel one.

 

[El Justo]

Hey el j the history channel one.

yes, it was it was nicely done imo.

IBT
Spanish troops land on Cuba

Dutch were moving a great deal of naval assets in and out of Palembang
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Week 12 1909
Tibetan city of Gertse taken w/ no losses and we net a whopping 5,503 in gold! (43:6)

9 Dutch colonial units killed on Sumatra in advance of the main assaults (52:7)

the assault on the former Portuguese colony of Dilí begins against the Brit defenders. 5 RN ships are sunk in port (57:7)

Dutch PC sunk in port in Palembang (58:7)

a naval skirmish w/ the RN off the coast of north-eastern Australia sends a host of British sailors to the bottom of the sea (64:8)

the assault on Colombia continues and we take Medalin w/ zero losses reprted (69:8)

Colombian DD sunk in the Caribbean (70:8)

5 more Dutch units are sent to meet their Maker on Sumatra in advance of the main assault (75:8)

another Royal Navy TR sunk at port in Dilí (76:8)
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IBT
Tibetans try to capture Chongning in southern China and a repulsed w/ relative ease and zero losses by friendly forces (86:8)

New Granada moves about a half dozen units into our territory in S America

A-H signs for peace w/ Lowlands i'll have none of that thank you as i'm set to lay waste to anything in front of my path in Dutch-held Indonesia

however, A-H is keeping a good deal of pressure on the Spanish in Siberia. i mean, i haven't heard hide nor hare from them during this turnset (ie defensive/rail protection maneuvering)

a lame Dutch counter attack on Sumatra is fruitless for them (90:8)

the USN has dozens of Florida class BBs floating all over the map. fortunately, i signed a peace deal w/ them so i haven't had to engage these monsters

the Brits try and break through our naval blockade at Cairns in NE Australia and succeed in punching a hole through one of the stack but lose 1 CA in the process (91:10)

Battlecruisers II learned and switched to Submarines III

to be cont'd

screenie to follow too

 

[El Justo]

the Indonesian theater

 

[Whomp]

Very nice! The Lowlands are about to be steamrolled and I think you're right there were a pile of RM's somewhere on those islands.

PS I like your Chavez subliminal El J. Hehe...

 

[El Justo]

Week 15 1909
several skirmishes w/ the RN around southern Indonesia, 3 enemy ships sunk (97:10

assault on Bogotá commences and this is a key part of the final push for a VP win b/c of the victory point location here. i trailed behind a slew of RMs from the various Caribbean locales in anticipation of taking the city. accordingly, i cashed i a great deal of them after the city fell w/ light losses (30-40 of them perhaps --> 106:12)

assault on Dilí begins and ends swiftly - no losses reported (111:12)
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IBT
not a whole lot...except for a desperate attack by Dutch forces near Palembang which yielded zero friendly casualties (115:12)

the USN is all over the map again

the first ever air-to-air combat over Dublin is spotted as a tommie airship is seen flaming through the skies over the Emerald Isle (116:12)
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Week 18 1909
of course, i was keeping track of exactly how many more RMs would need to be shipped out in order to get to 4,000 so i spent the early parts of the turn managing our massive merchant marine fleet for the express purpose of dropping off the last of the RMs in Turkey and then voila! (4,002 actually but no victory message).



now, generally, that victory screen appears once you're here although i've not seen it yet despite reaching the 4 grand limit. it could be that it may appear when the turn gets processed. it may also be that all victory conditions must be met such as domination and diploamtic. but i don't think this is the case b/c i've seen others win w/out those other conditions. but nonetheless - we've won and imho, in grand, grand fashion way, way faster than any of the other known AoI VP wins (roughly from 1914-1918). so kudos to all team members on a fantastic run.

so - i must ask - should i keep playing the last of my turns and post it for cubsfan? please advise...

 

[Whomp]

I would finish it off but post the save for anyone who'd like to see the victory unfold!

That was an awesome display of domination I have to say. Playing the first couple sets made me feel a little clastrophobic. Once Russia went down I had a really good feeling how this was going to proceeds.

Congrats everyone!! What a truly Great Game! I really enjoyed running with you guys.

 

[cubsfan6506]

Just please also post a save at the end of next turn, I want to look around. By the way this is truly an amazing game and we probaly did get lucky early. By the way i find that odd usualy you get a victory message right away. By the way i also thought that the sherman episode was well done.