The Mad Padre's Diplomacy 2016

The graveyard of Empires!

The Mad Padre has done an excellent job hosting another PBEM game of Diplomacy. For the final wrap up, see his latest blog entry here.

I took on the role of Italy and had great fun dismembering France (sorry, whoever the French player was!) after beginning by making bellicose noises towards Italy's eastern neighbours. After receiving pacific communications from Austria, and only insults from France, I decided that Italy's destiny lay to the west!

Turkey and Austria amicably divided the Balkans between them and concentrated on bringing down the Russian bear, while Germany assisted. Germany was the early leader, gobbling up the low countries and challenging Britain early on for control of Scandinavia. She also assisted Italy's take-over of France by threatening France's eastern frontier. Germany also ground down the British until they were reduced to a single fleet and no home Supply Centres.

While Turkey and Austria poked the Russian bear, Austria kept my back covered from any potential German adventures to the south, although there was one turn when Germany moved south into the Tyrol which caused some ruffled feathers: was this Austria allowing Germany passage through their territory for a free kick against Venice, or was Austria just as much taken aback by this Teutonic tactic? Our mutually beneficial pact was renewed and Germany was escorted back over the border much to Italy's relief!

It was after Russia had been disposed of that Turkey began building fleets, which I took as a direct threat to Italy's control of the Mediterranean, or at least the western portion of that sea. Not trusting the Turks' motives I tried bottling them up in the Eastern Med, but that was never going to work as Italy's forces were too widely dispersed. Ignoring my provocations Turkey poured oil on troubled waters and persuaded me of the errors of my ways and pushed westwards into the Atlantic, ready to assist Britain against Germany.

By now Austria had decided that the pact with Italy had served its purpose and went the whole Brutus on Italy.

Oh, Austria, how could you?

Italy's home bases were virtually empty with a big welcome mat for Austrian forces to come steaming in. It was only Turkey's opportune playing of the same stunt on Austria which pulled me back from the edge. Austria's rapacious advance was halted in its tracks while Turkish armies gobbled up Austrian supply bases. I even manged to claw back some territory in France from the Germans, who had opportunistically plucked French territory from Italy while I was otherwise occupied.

In the end Germany threw in the towel, acknowledging Turkey's ascendancy, bringing a curtain down on the game.

The standings by the final round were:

Turkey:  The USA’s Jonathan Freitag  (https://palousewargamingjournal.blogspot.com)
Germany:  The UK’s Edwin King (https://diplomatist2.blogspot.com)
Italy:  Little ole me!
Austria:  Canada’s Patrick Gilliland (http://irregularwarbandfast.blogspot.com)
England:  Australia’s Mark Haughey (http://onesidedminiaturewargamingdiscourse.blogspot.com)

It also seems I won the role-playing award for outrageously hamming it up in my diplomatic communications. For an example of the fun I had, see this issue of the Daily Dissembler with Amelia Roosevelt's interview with King Vittorio Emanuele III, including a paid advertisement by the Italian Government for "Club West Med"(fnar!).

Thanks again, Michael (or should I say molto grazie?); it was a lot of fun!