Marklen X

Excellent synopsis, I enjoy reading them. Don't make is so long before your next one. BTW, the SEA is still fighting France and GB. Austria is only attacking us, and Hungary, though not a complete member, is back in the fray.

Death is only one part of this story. I was ousted from power in Switzerland and went into exile in Hungary. My nation was gone but the fire was still within my soul. This is why my former enemies decided it unwise to take me on again. Since those dark days stronger alliances have been secured and if I should be ousted again then I am sure my international bloodlines will provide me with a new home to wage war from. If I take this to its logical conclusion you're in te game to take back Switzerland? Interesting..... Actually Monty taking Hungary was the turning point of this game. Early, Czechoslovakia crushed a Hungarian invasion, and we knew that Hungary dropped. The Czechs and Danes were pounding the Poles, and slowly pushing him back, when suddenly the Hungarians came back without warning and took Bratislava and other key cities. It was a steady erosion of the Czech position from there on. It was not as easy as you portray, The Czechs put up a good fight before I took Bratislavia. I did not say it was easy, the term steady erosion implies the Czechs put up a fight, which they did. But Poland was in dire trouble, Baltic States was not yet fully participating, The British air force had just arrived at the front, (and then had to leave again because of the Irish question) and the Danes and Czechs were on the verge of taking out Poland. Had Hungary not been taken over, the entire game would be considerably different.

Death is only one part of this story. I was ousted from power in Switzerland and went into exile in Hungary. My nation was gone but the fire was still within my soul. This is why my former enemies decided it unwise to take me on again. Since those dark days stronger alliances have been secured and if I should be ousted again then I am sure my international bloodlines will provide me with a new home to wage war from. If I take this to its logical conclusion you're in te game to take back Switzerland? Interesting..... Actually Monty taking Hungary was the turning point of this game. Early, Czechoslovakia crushed a Hungarian invasion, and we knew that Hungary dropped. The Czechs and Danes were pounding the Poles, and slowly pushing him back, when suddenly the Hungarians came back without warning and took Bratislava and other key cities. It was a steady erosion of the Czech position from there on.

Lol, I am such a popular guy, I just emptied it a few months ago. It is empty again! Yes, Alsfeld has fallen, but the 1st Tank Army escaped, battered a bit, but now back in tip top shape and ready to renew the fight, and over 39000 land kills and 28000 air kills proves it was expensive to take.

In the west it is like WWI trench warfare. After a couple of turns of bloody fighting, it appears all the combatants are rebuilding their forces for another round.

If you really wanted to get to the channel, why did you cede the only province you had that was adjacent to me to your TA? Apparently the pressure of being reduced to a handful of provinces on the continent (a well defended handful, admittedly) has led you to some fanciful conclusions. Of course Hungary will have to resume offensive operations and advance in order to keep up with our progress and thus stay in contact with your remaining possessions... Well, actually, he ceded it long before there were Poles in Alsfeld. Your current combined offensive has been succesful to a degree, but it appears to be losing steam. I think perhaps you may soon see the tide roll back, in a big way.

If you really wanted to get to the channel, why did you cede the only province you had that was adjacent to me to your TA?

Are you still playing?

Got no problem with Lowlands as long as he is paying for his own turns. Can you explain Southern Russia?

I have no problem with an original player continuing to play the game indefenitely even while negative morale, and doing all he can do. Where I have a big problem with this sort of thing is when an original player drops, and somebody else picks up the position a few months later as a lackey for an existing player. That to me is the worst sort of gamesmanship.

I am still around. Actually, you using dead countries for free intel is a tactic I would of thought below you guys, and I am very dissapointed. It allows you far greater leeway on run dates. I made probably the single biggest order snafu in my Victory! career to save you subs, when I sent 50 transports on a NSD against your subs and tried to land marines from my ASW force. It cost me a lot of good stuff, and would of been funny if it happened to somebody else. You have it all your way at the moment, with all of you able to fight just me, but I think that will change very soon.

You ever have one of those turns where you have one order go wrong, and it screws up an entire turn? I hate it when that happens.

I must admit that the world event "Denmark has conquered xArhus" was the greatest upset for me in this game. That was a temporary reprieve because of a change in who gets what in the spoils. There is no chance of a Danish resurrection, despite the exemplary game he has played. I would not bet on that VP. There is much you do not know. Apparently the Danish resurrection plan is to lure me to death in xEsbjerg? Can't find that Denmark retains anything else at this point... unless they have redeployed to Bornholm. Sneaky! Seriously, there could be a resource and soul sucking siege of xEsbjerg coming up I suppose (though without Kurassier or Earthling at the helm how long can that last!) Even if that is the last gasp of a tenacious defense there is lots of work on the continent still to be done and fun to be had (win or lose... rather more if/when winning, admittedly). The defacto alliance of WEA with the US/Canada/Ireland group and the beginning of contact in C Russia makes it look like the game is coming down to 2 large blocs plus the WEA against the other 2 large blocks. Should be interesting. Hmm, tell me about this defacto alliance. Who are the 4 large blocks of which you speak? Unless you count your intermingled TA as 2. I suppose that is possible, to me they are all just the bad guys, so I have made no distinction. Sounds like you think of the WEA as an afterthought, just tagging along on the coatails of the big boys. Not sure that is a healthy attitude. You Norwegians have been at the very periphery of my vision most of this game, as I have had far more, shall we say, convenient enemies to deal with. I think soon you may come into focus. You may not like that. As for the USA/Canada/Irish group fighting alongside the MEA, I do not see that happening anytime soon. There total allies in North Africa are fighting tooth and nail against the MEA, and unless they drop, which knowing the two guys playing those spots I sort of doubt, there is a lot of fighting left to be done there. If northern and southern Europe really had been cooperating (with Hungary as glue to hold them together), the WEU would have been dead already. This is no disqualification of the excellent defensive work the WEA is doing, but a simple matter of applied mathematics. I can imagine that Viking Pilot is a bit weary of a war on two fronts and wants to emphasize his good relations with southern Europe, but this is not a game with only two teams playing. We hereby invite Norse observers to the Libyan desert to observe the nice mountains of burning wrecks. Last turn, there were some nice Transjordan and Tunesian additions to the pile. The Algerian Airforce has build something else than Ju-88's for a change and we expect those Ju-88's to make a glorious comeback any day now. We have bumped into their second line of defence in Libya and it is sharp. But in the larger scheme of things the desert war is self contained: the economic power of both blocks is almost equal and there has been almost no interference of Iraq, Persia, Turkey, Ireland, the USA or Canada in this war. It seems as if they are playing a game all by itself, called "The counquest of Northern Africa". When I offer any assistance the reaction of Falco is a curious mixture of "Please send bombers, they are scary" and "No, please keep away, I should be able to do this myself". So for matters of global politics let's consider the 4 of them contained to their own sandbox. Ah, Dag, you are a man who spits in the face of legends, eh? Let me tell you a little story. From the time that Germany fell, in fact a couple of turns before that, Denmark has faced the combined arms of Norway, Finland and Baltic States, plus the Polish fleet and a large part of their air force virtually alone. In that same period, Czechoslovakia fell under the combined weight of Hungary and Poland. When Czechoslovakia fell, Great Britain's small armored force was the only thing between Hungary, Poland and the English Channel. That was turn 20. At that time, the USA had no fewer than 11 battleships marauding the British coast, and Ireland was bombing Britain with his entire air force. Our fleet was sent to help Spain, and was fine, until the intervention of the Algerian air force, which I know is well known to you. When Switzerland fell, which was basically the same time Germany fell, Austria and Italy sent their entire combined forces against France. France was badly outnumber, but fought gamely. Italy was succesful in capturing the southern part of France, after some fierce battles, but France has held in the north quite well. Meanwhile, the USA and Canada launched their assault against Spain. It was ably supported by the aboved mentioned Algerian air force. With France chopped up, Denmark fighting for her life, and Czechoslovakia being dismantled, the only help available was the Royal Navy, and it did what it could before the Algerians intervened. Viking Pilot has fought no two front war. He took Sweden virtually unopposed, and has then been one of three countries relentlessly assaulting Denmark. Only in the past few turns have American forces diverted some of the Italian attention away from the French, and even now, their air force only bombs French targets. Austria has no other enemies, Hungary has no other enemies, Poland has a few divisions in CR but really has no other enemies, BS same as Poland, Finland has most of his ground forces in CR but his air force is expending it's entire effort against us, Norway has no other enemies. Yes, we are fighting them, and doing well, but slowly our position is eroding. They have become cautious, which is understandable, as I burned them, but their cautiousness has peril in it for us. So you see, we have in fact been fighting all of them all of this time. I will say, as of now, this game ranks as one of the two or three most enjoyable games I have played, which says a lot. The odds are still very long, and the powerful French army recently suffered a setback, due to a snafu in the execution of his orders, but we will enjoy every moment, until we are victorious or we perish.

I must admit that the world event "Denmark has conquered xArhus" was the greatest upset for me in this game. That was a temporary reprieve because of a change in who gets what in the spoils. There is no chance of a Danish resurrection, despite the exemplary game he has played. I would not bet on that VP. There is much you do not know. Apparently the Danish resurrection plan is to lure me to death in xEsbjerg? Can't find that Denmark retains anything else at this point... unless they have redeployed to Bornholm. Sneaky! Seriously, there could be a resource and soul sucking siege of xEsbjerg coming up I suppose (though without Kurassier or Earthling at the helm how long can that last!) Even if that is the last gasp of a tenacious defense there is lots of work on the continent still to be done and fun to be had (win or lose... rather more if/when winning, admittedly). The defacto alliance of WEA with the US/Canada/Ireland group and the beginning of contact in C Russia makes it look like the game is coming down to 2 large blocs plus the WEA against the other 2 large blocks. Should be interesting. Hmm, tell me about this defacto alliance. Who are the 4 large blocks of which you speak? Unless you count your intermingled TA as 2. I suppose that is possible, to me they are all just the bad guys, so I have made no distinction. Sounds like you think of the WEA as an afterthought, just tagging along on the coatails of the big boys. Not sure that is a healthy attitude. You Norwegians have been at the very periphery of my vision most of this game, as I have had far more, shall we say, convenient enemies to deal with. I think soon you may come into focus. You may not like that. As for the USA/Canada/Irish group fighting alongside the MEA, I do not see that happening anytime soon. There total allies in North Africa are fighting tooth and nail against the MEA, and unless they drop, which knowing the two guys playing those spots I sort of doubt, there is a lot of fighting left to be done there.

Do you really think he can? I think I'd take xBerlin before he does. Why would you want him to take xBerlin by the way? Would you really want a Sponge on your border? Well given the fact that Sponge has Berlin and Germany has allmost no troops left I think our yellow friend is capable of taking xBerlin. Sure he can mess up by not having any ammo, wrong orders or spongy excuses but sooner or later he might succeed. Now let's turn to the question why I want Sponge to take Berlin. Well maybe, just maybe Germany will finally throw the towel in the ring and stop irritating me with those little attacks. Sure I get to score some ARM pts every time but it's so annoying. It costs fuel and ammo. Not to mention my precious time. On the other hand I like the 'never quit' mentality. Keep playing till the last division is destroyed. And even then continue! (better for my ARM score btw so thank you). Sponge on my border? He allready IS on my border! And besides I fight 1 vs 2 and I love it! Especially when both my enemies make mistakes... Von Manstein 1 on 2? A bit melodramatic, don't you think? You have hardly had to fight Germany, as I have been fighting 1 on 5 for some time. I find it hard to work up much sympathy for you. Do you think you will get your panzers out of Coburg? Better move fast if you want them to live.

Hey Michael, you heading to Glendale?

Dag, I have a request. Being an old guy, I have a real hard time telling the color you use for my alliance from the color for the northern fellows. Any chance we could get a more distinct color?

It is interesting that Poland has cut off the Balkan states in Russia. Where do they go now? It hardly looks like an accident, as he drove strait to the Black Sea from Poland. Was this pre negotiated? The WEU is alive and kicking with plenty more tricks up there sleeves. You will all notice some soon. Should we get worried about a possible Greek-Polish union against us? BTW, as Elpasopete mentioned a year ago: Here is the map from a year ago next to the last one: I left out all players no longer active and took the team settings from turn 32. Interesting. I have no idea what Greece and Yugoslavia will do, but it seems unlikely they will be satisfied to just sit around and twiddle their thumbs. They have only one adjacent nation that is not in their camp, and that is Turkey. Will they be happy to just perform long range bomber missions against my alliance, or perhaps more likely, the American forces in Spain and Southern France? Italy has suffered some severe setbacks lately, and perhaps they can help him stabilize his front. Will they marshall forces for a few turns, and assault Turkey? I it likely not defended heavily, given the war going on in Africa. Hard to say. They have benefitted greatly from having a one front war, and may be loathe to change that. Be fun to find out.

It is interesting that Poland has cut off the Balkan states in Russia. Where do they go now? It hardly looks like an accident, as he drove strait to the Black Sea from Poland. Was this pre negotiated? The WEU is alive and kicking with plenty more tricks up there sleeves. You will all notice some soon.

I have not made up my mind yet if I am going to play, but I promise if Sponge and Monk are captains of the world team, I will be in.

I love the idea of a draft of countries, sounds fun. I think serpentine is the only way to go though, otherwise the team picking second gets screwed.

I must admit that the world event "Denmark has conquered xArhus" was the greatest upset for me in this game. That was a temporary reprieve because of a change in who gets what in the spoils. There is no chance of a Danish resurrection, despite the exemplary game he has played. I would not bet on that VP. There is much you do not know.

Guys this bit really does cause me some concerns, how would a Sponge survive, no matter what team I am on I would be voted out. Unless..... I can play Denmark as an Independent nation, my alliegence could waver from side to side dependent on the circumstance. I know I am retired now but a special team game is just what the Sponge needs. I also like the idea of everyone getting together to do a draft pick Spongecus, I don't normally speak for 'all' Americans, but I believe I do speak for all Americans that play Victory!, when I say that we Americans would be overjoyed to have you as a member of the 'World' team. We look forward to sparring against you and your fellow Europeans on the field of battle! LOL Tim. Sponge, I cannot imagine the runaway ego that would cause somebody to suggest playing a lone position in a team game. I think Scotland, last time I checked, is not in the USA, so that would make you a world team player. I could be talked into playing this thing for the good ole USA if I knew you were on the world team.

So nothing to do with the fact its a girl then The fact that Denmark proved that girls are tougher than Spongeboob was also rather fun.