Sparks and Bonfires

[Zafuel]

So, as the new century dawns, the old European rivalries are coming to the forefront once again. This is an age in which the old empires find themselves vunerable to the strength of younger powers.

Autumn 1900

http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-06/6217dipmapautum1900.png

Orders due for Monday, 12:00 noon EST

[Qualia]

The Caliph of Turkey is proud to announce that the peoples of Bulgaria have asked to join the peoples of Turkey in a union of friendship that will further their political and economic ties. In celebration of this fact, we will be holding a formal ball in Ankara, to which all world leaders will be invited.

Long live the Caliph.

[RTGoodman]

Autumn 1900

Добрый день, господа. Good afternoon, gentlemen. Greetings on behalf of His Excellency Tsar Nicolas II, ruler of the great Russian Empire.

As armies across Europe mobilize, the Motherland, though long a nation devoted to peace, has found it in her best interests to follow suit in order to protect her borders and her status from possible danger. Of course, I think we would all prefer not to be drawn into war with each other, and I think as modern, learned gentlemen you'll all agree.

As such, the Russian Empire is ever ready to receive diplomatic wires or representatives. The Tsar himself has informed me to spare no expense in assuring that you, gentlemen, and your great nations feel safe and secure in such a trying time, so long as you have Mother Russia on your side.

General Ryan Goodmanovich
Imperial Minister of War

[Exeson]

As a representative of the great country of Germany and the Kaiser I would like to signal our intention of having a peaceful Europe.

We are ready to receive any diplomatic envoys that other countries see fit to send us, they will be given board and food of the highest quality.

[An Enemy Spy]

Italy and Austria-Hungary have declared an alliance

[Neftren]

The Austro-Hungarians remain open to any diplomatic wires.
The Austro-Hungarians would also like to clarify on the above statement and inform our fellow Europeans that we aren't exactly best buddies (with Europe), but are willing to cooperate to avoid any conflict that would generate lasting repercussions.

[thevorpalbunny]

Great Britain announces its willingness to speak with any nation, near or far.

Rules Question: can a fleet in the North Sea or Helgeland Bight move into Denmark or vice versa?

[Zafuel]

As Turkish, Austro-Hungarian and Russian troops converge on the Balkans, dire warnings of a European war start to appear with more frequency. Even as events in Europe start to spiral towards war, France and Italy have been slow to respond, and their troops sit idle as enemies mobilize around them.

Spring 1901

http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-07/2874Diplomacymap1901Spring.png
Sorry, no orders recieved for France or Italy.

Orders due for Thursday, 12:00 noon EST

[drum-n-bass]

La Troisième République The French Third Republic are in private negotiating terms if any is such sought.

[Exeson]

The Kaiser of Germany would like to remind certain un-named countries that they will not tolerate threats to their national security. If these threats and attempts at blackmail continue then we will be forced to take the appropriate action.

[RTGoodman]

His Majesty Tsar Nicolas II would like to address the accusations of Mother Russia seeking to make war. Our Imperial Southern Fleet simply responded to Rumania's request to join the might Russian Empire by entering the harbor there and giving a fine exhibition of our military prowess. Certainly there is nothing wrong with that? Indeed, I hear America itself plans such a Great White Fleet in coming years as her Navy seeks to display its naval capabilities. As for the Imperial Northern Fleet, training exercises are a necessity in time such as these when some accuse the Motherland making war. This is simply untrue - the Russian Empire is committed to peace in Europe, as made evident by her movement of armies closer towards their own homes.

The Tsar would, however, remind "certain un-named countries" that unprovoked war on neighboring, peaceful nations is a very uncouth act that is likely to only earn swift retribution.


As always, the Motherland's embassies across Europe are open to diplomats of all nationalities, should nations seek to speak with her on current matters.

General Ryan Goodmanovich
Imperial Minister of War

[An Enemy Spy]

Italy will move its troops into Piemonte (or however the bloody hell you spell that.) We would like to remind everyone that Italy is open to all nations for negotiation

[Qualia]

In order to avert the possibility for misunderstandings, the Caliph of Turkey extends a personal invite to the Great Powers of Europe to meet with him in Bulgaria for a weekend summit, where you will be treated to the finest displays of Balkan culture, before enjoying a small cruise in the Aegean Sea.

May peace rest in all our hearts

the Caliph

[Zafuel]

True to its word, the new Italian government has shaken off the inactivity of the old regime, striking out in a daring attack on Austria-Hungary. Italian troops spilled across the border and into Trieste, seizing important industrial centres in the region.

Germany's advance seems unchecked; in the last few weeks, the Kaiser's troops have pushed the Russians out of Warsaw, adding it to the German Reich. Already, Holland and Denmark are under German hegemony, with promises that Holland will be annexed to Germany. Already, Foreign Minister von Krugerspielen has been nicknamed "Arminius" by newspapers.

The protection of Spain by French forces took nobody by suprise. After a shaky start, the French republican government has kept control of the situation, although who France will support in this conflict is still unknown.

In the Balkans, Russo-Turkish Coalition forces stand off against Austro-Hungarian ones, with no clear signs of what might happen.


http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-07/9835dipmapautum1901.png

New armies are due for Friday, 12:00 EST.


(OOC: Right, I've just made a few corrections to the map and put it back up. Sorry England, I missed your orders in my PM box.
If you'd like to accompany your orders with a bit of RP for the commentary, as Germany did, please feel free!)

[Neftren]

Ooh, I thought the deadline was 12:00 tonight, not today. Damn.

[Zafuel]

(Sorry. I guess I didn't make that clear enough.)

[Zafuel]

I've placed Russia and French armies simply by guesswork, since I didn't get any orders as to build.
http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-08/9085dipmap1901autumn2.png

[RTGoodman]

Oops, sorry. I was gone for a day earlier this week and was a day behind. I was thinking the orders were due TOMORROW at noon. I actually was planning on building an Army in Moscow if you're not opposed to changing it, but if you are I guess St. Pete is fine.

Extra! Extra!

Russian Headlines:
Russian Forces Make Assault On Scandinavia, Mostly Successful!
German Hordes Assault Warsaw, Russian Forces Expected to Retaliate!
Tsar Calls All Able Russian Men to Serve the Motherland, Assembles New Army!

_____________________

Open letter to the Kaiser of Germany:

Sir, I am greatly dishonored by your inelegant and frankly unprovoked attack on Mother Russia's territory in Poland. This insult will not go unanswered, for the Tsar has authorized me to do whatever the situation demands in the face of such an assault. Should you choose to have your forces return to your own borders, though, this mistake might perhaps be forgiven.


May your beer be warm and your sauerkraut too sour,

General Ryan Goodmanovich
Imperial Minister of War

[Neftren]

(Sorry. I guess I didn't make that clear enough.)

Could we perhaps allow a 12 hour grace period in the event that any nation fails to provide orders?

[Zafuel]

(Okay, I'll try that.)

[Qualia]

What's the next deadline?

[Exeson]

Orders are due Monday 12:00 noon EST I think, so basically very soon.

Open letter to the Tsar of Russia.

Your divine Majesty, Our occupation of Warsaw was a humble move to prove to all countries that Germany will not stand for intimidation and threats from larger powers and neither should any other country in the same situation.

I regret to inform the Tsar that German forces will continue to police the, frankly crime ridden, streets of Warsaw as well as the surrounding area until such a time as Russia withdraws its forces from the Balkans and breaks off Military ties with the noble but misguided Turkish Empire.

I would also regret to inform you that the drink in the German beer halls remains as clear and cool as ever.

Wolfgang von Krugerspielen
Foreign Minister by rule of the Kaiser of Germany

[Zafuel]

The conflict on the Austrian-Italian border has continued to grind on; reinforcements from General Luigi's Third Army have failed to materialize, and a joint Albanian-Serbian attack has pushed Italian troops out of Trieste.

French protestors demand that the government do something about the line of Royal Navy ships creeping through the Mid-Atlantic, but as yet, no action has been taken. French forces have moved into Portugal, and King Carlos I has expressed his gratitude at being protected against English forces by the French.

In Greece, patriots and die-hards fight a desperate rearguard against invading Turkish troops. The Greek government-in-exile, currently sheltering in Tunisia, has decried the move as "imperialist to the point of inhumanity", but to little real effect.

Decried as "dangerously imperialist" by some, and as "completely off his rocker" by others, Foreign Minister von Krugerspielen has pushed forward German troops to the Russian frontier; a bold series of fortifications and defences have been constructed across Warsaw and East Prussia called the Krugerspielen Line. Krugerspielen promises to "weather the inevitable storm of uncoordinated Russian advances" and to "to uphold the tradition of their fore-fathers or die trying!", even as the Kaiser's advisers start wondering just how stable their foreign minister could be.


http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-09/276111111dipmapspring02.png

[Maldiem]

I sent my orders on the 5th. Was your PM box full?

[Qualia]

The Caliph of Turkey would like to reassure the Greek people's that the recent movement of Turkish troops into Greece was not "imperialist to the point of inhumanity", but a necessary action to ensure the peace and security of the Balkans.

He is also happy to announce that the thorny question of Cypress has now been solved, and would like to invite the leaders of the world to a soiree in the hills of Cypress, where breathtaking views of the Mediterranean and the finest melons will be freely available.

[Zafuel]

(My apologies, I missed your orders. Map updated. Sorry for the mix up.)

[Maldiem]

Alright, I think you made a mistake on the map, then-- Bud - Vie would have bounced with Tri - Vie. A Tri still needs to retreat, and it'll go to Tyrolia (ignore the PM, I wasn't paying that much attention at the time).

Orders coming in a PM shortly

[Neftren]

When is the next deadline? Friday?

[Zafuel]

(OOC: Yes, sorry Neftren. Since your orders were done late by me, I saw an army already in Budapest.)

I'm going to have to slow this down; too few orders are reaching me on time.
Next orders will resolve Friday, 12:00 EST. I'm going to go for about three moves every two weeks or thereabouts.)

[Moody the Wise]

If at any point you need more replacements, let me know - although from what I gather Shish is already on the waiting list too.

Great to see another Diplomacy game out here!

[Moody the Wise]

Oh, and ... if any of you are interested in playing in another Diplomacy game ... a crazy, crazy variant that is crazy enough that it just might work, check out the Imperial Variant that I'm trying to start up. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90732)

[Neftren]

(OOC: Yes, sorry Neftren. Since your orders were done late by me, I saw an army already in Budapest.)

I'm going to have to slow this down; too few orders are reaching me on time.
Next orders will resolve Friday, 12:00 EST. I'm going to go for about three moves every two weeks or thereabouts.)

Please also provide clarification as to AM or PM. It'd be immensely helpful in meeting a deadline and thus accidentally avoiding any mishaps along the way.

Anyway... I'll try to get them in before noon, but that may be a long shot. I'm still debating as to what to do with the lack of diplomacy occurring.

[Moody the Wise]

Please also provide clarification as to AM or PM. It'd be immensely helpful in meeting a deadline and thus accidentally avoiding any mishaps along the way.

Anyway... I'll try to get them in before noon, but that may be a long shot. I'm still debating as to what to do with the lack of diplomacy occurring.

My suggestion (and a policy I follow in games I GM) - use military time.

[Qualia]

I'm still debating as to what to do with the lack of diplomacy occurring.

Well with Italy camping out in your country, and Germany running wild in central Europe, we're just in one of those phases where there isn't a lot to talk about at the moment.

[Exeson]

My suggestion (and a policy I follow in games I GM) - use military time.

Sorry to be really rude but: Who are you and what are you doing in the thread?

[Moody the Wise]

Sorry to be really rude but: Who are you and what are you doing in the thread?

Nobody, really. A Diplomacy enthusiast, and veteran of playing it on these forums. A nosy man who likes to follow Diplomacy threads whether or not he plays in them, because it's nice to watch the Diplomacy community here develop. I'm trying to start up an Imperial Variant game (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90732), and a few of the players in this game have responded. I just figured I'd contribute my wisdom, as an elder member of this community; if it be unwanted, I shall retract it.

[Neftren]

Nobody, really. A Diplomacy enthusiast, and veteran of playing it on these forums. A nosy man who likes to follow Diplomacy threads whether or not he plays in them, because it's nice to watch the Diplomacy community here develop. I'm trying to start up an Imperial Variant game (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90732), and a few of the players in this game have responded. I just figured I'd contribute my wisdom, as an elder member of this community; if it be unwanted, I shall retract it.

Moody... are you stalking me? Okay okay. Just kidding. What happened to your other avatar?

[Exeson]

Nobody, really. A Diplomacy enthusiast, and veteran of playing it on these forums. A nosy man who likes to follow Diplomacy threads whether or not he plays in them, because it's nice to watch the Diplomacy community here develop. I'm trying to start up an Imperial Variant game (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90732), and a few of the players in this game have responded. I just figured I'd contribute my wisdom, as an elder member of this community; if it be unwanted, I shall retract it.

Again I hate to be an ass but surely this is game thread and you are not part of this game, have you had Zaf's permission to post?

Not that I'm against what you are saying, Diplomacy is a great game and needs more players but I'm not sure a game thread is the best place. :smallsmile:

No offense or anything.

[Zafuel]

(OOC: Look, I know you mean well, Moody, but this is an IC thread for a game you're not playing in.)

(Sorry about the late update.)


http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-10/3922autumn02map1863.png


From The Daily Mail, 12th September, 1902
Early this morning, members of the Parti Ouvrier Français stormed the government buildings, dragging the old leaders out onto the street to be shot. Even as English troops landed on French soil and English ships bombarded French ports, the POF promised to solve France's crisis and protect its sovereignty. A spokesman for the POF called the war with England: "The Capitalist's War; stage managed from Paris for the benefit of the industrialists, now making huge profits from this war by exploiting their workers." He then expressed his certainly that a similar revolution would soon break out in England, and that he intended to make peace with the new socialist government as soon as possible...

From Inside the Kaiserreich, published by Ernst Kessler, 1976
When I joined the Foreign Office in 1899, von Krugerspielen was already starting his ascent towards Foreign Minister. He had plenty of enemies in the Foreign Office; but after the successes of the Polish Campaign of 1901, he became almost untouchable.
...
However, he was always an eccentric character. I remember one instance when I found him asleep in his office, curled around a crumpled and yellowing map. On it, I found a series of orders to our armies, and a hastily scribbled note: "Kessler - kindly deliver this to the good General". I duly did so, and, the next week, our armies pressed forward into Sweden.

A message sent by General Ryan Goodmanovich to Russian troops on the Polish Front during the First Great War, published posthumously in 1962 in Goodmanovich by Edward Thomas.
"All divisions should dig in and weather the German advance. Disturbances in the capital require the recalling of numbers of loyal troops to quell rioters. You are ordered to prevent the spread of knowledge of the loss of Sweden. Such knowledge can only lead to a loss of morale."

A message from Karl Jaeger to Xavier March, occupation commander in Holland.
"Minister von Krugerspielen will not tolerate continued disturbances in the newly annexed territory of the Hollmark. You are ordered to pursue any methods necessary to secure this region."

From Freedom!, propaganda leaflet published by the Greek government-in-exile in 1902, then sheltering in North Africa.
"The Caliph's actions in Greece show his desperation; he sees his empire slipping through his fingers and has seized our honourable country in petty revenge. All Greek patriots will fight the Turkish occupiers with all their strength. There can be no peace in this area until the blood-stained hand of the Ottaman Caliphate is removed from Greece."

(Okay, retreats are due for: Sunday, 5:00 PM GMT. Builds are due for Monday, 5:00 PM GMT. Is that clearer for everyone?)

[Neftren]

I'm just gonna drop, since this time scheduling is really wierd, I've missed two turns apparently and the map is less than easy to understand (can't we all just use jDip?).

Austro-Hungarian Armies take a full stand-down order, summarily surrendering to any forces who enter those territories.

[Zafuel]

(I see. I'm sorry about that; I have never heard of jDip, though I assume it's some kind of Java Applet that maps diplomacy. As for time scheduling, that's difficult with American players when you're 7 hours of time away. I'm sorry to have been awkward, and sorry to lose you. I can't persuade you otherwise?)

[Zafuel]

http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-11/3488dipmap02builds.png


(Unfortunately, Austria-Hungary has had to pull out due to problems with timing (probably my fault) and the mapping. Orders for Spring 1903 are due for Friday, 1700 GMT.)

[Zafuel]

http://hosting06.imagecross.com/image-hosting-12/8009dipmap03.png


From A History of the Modern World By G. Schofield and D. Woolcott
The Austria-Hungarian Revolution of 1902 suddenly threw the world into disarray. For a moment, it looked like Minister von Krugerspielen's power was in trouble, and junior Foreign Ministry officials tried to salvage the remains of the Austro-German alliance behind "Arminius"' back. But for every leader that they courted with promises of a seat at their blood-stained table, another would soon rise to take his place. In the end, Krugerspielen's control was maintained, and his victories in Scandinavia soon made him virtually untouchable.
...
However, the fiery breakdown of the old Hapsburg monarchy lit the torch for another empire; that of Italy. Italian forces clashed in the Ionian Sea, and a standoff across the Albanian border occured. Where Italy stood with Germany was not clear; but that it was clearly a major player in the Balkan conflict was something nobody disputed.
...
Despite the promises of the POF, France was quickly dissintegrating. In his last days before his tragic assasination, President Leclerc took to pacing through the governmental buildings, screaming at anyone who would listen, and promising that the English protleriat would soon rise and end the war. But as shells fell on Paris itself and English troops stormed Brest, the promises fell on deaf ears.
...
[/I]

Retreats due for Monday, 5:00 GMT.

(Finally, my apologies to Qualia, since I goofed up Turkish builds. Since you provided orders for my botched situation, I have followed those. If there is a problem, please PM me.)

[Maldiem]

Um. Tunisia supported F Napoli-Ionian, meaning it wasn't a bounce. Could you check my orders PM again?

Also, I'm sure one of the people who expressed interest in becoming a sub would be willing to step in for France.

[thevorpalbunny]

Also, F North Sea supported the Germans into Norway. Just noticed.

[Zafuel]

(Sorry about the delay, I've been sick for the last couple of days. Will try and make corrections ASAP.)