-2010-
Spring is awesome. I predict Near East's moves again, disbanding his Bombay fleet (that's three forced disbands in a row!) and getting NWI yet again. Russia is closing in on PRussia, so he won't be a thorn in my side for too much longer.
Meanwhile, Quebec is swarming into South America. Yikes.
Fall moves go even better than the spring! I hold Bombay, take Calcutta (no disband this time), and only lose SWI and my Somalia fleet in exchange. My Antarctic defenses can survive that, and I relish my triple build.
Quebec gets a ton of builds, too.
-2011-
I determine that Lanzhou is my next target, and surround it with armies while holding Bombay. I lose Calcutta and NWI, but those are expected. Now I can break through NE's defensive line.
Fall moves are fantastic. I lose Bombay, of course, but retake Calcutta while taking Lanzhou! I also save my Madagascar fleet by retaking SWI. I also hand Russia Korea by cutting PRussian support, which may mean more Chinese centers in my future.
Hilariously, Near East rewards PRussia's inexplicable loyalty by retreating into Shanghai. That's what you get for your brilliant choice of ally!
Meanwhile, the long, twenty-four turn conflict between Argentina and Brazil nears its conclusion. Brazil is reduced to a single center, but Argentina only has five. Quebec has the rest. What a productive and profitable conflict the two of you had!
-2012-
While Argentina and Brazil start working together against Quebec, I disband yet another NE unit in Bombay. Meanwhile, I begin surrounding Guangzao and Japan, my next targets. Simultaneously, Quebec convoys into Kamchatka, raising the specter of war with Russia.
Russia looks more and more like an emergent ally as he moves into Kazakhstan, and with surprising support from Ghana manages to get into the Med as well! Near East is almost certainly on the chopping block now.
In the fall, Near East realizes this, and redirects some of his attention to addressing the Russian threat. This, combined with his choice of moves, results in considerable setbacks for him in the east, and another triple build for me as I claim Bombay, Guangzao, and Shanghai.
Kenya finishes off the year by making an assault against the one weak point in my defensive line, Southwest Indian, but devotes one unit fewer than is necessary and so fails to take it.
-2013-
Jumping on the bandwagon, Kenya attacks Near East as well, disbanding Libya. I retreat from Bombay, knowing I can’t hold it, but get Tibet instead.
Fall, I manage to retake Bombay while Russia seizes Armenia and Syria. Brazil finally gets finished off by Argentina, and Quebec and I bounce each other out of Japan. I hope that this will not spark conflict between us, as I would prefer to focus on the Near East and perhaps break into South America while Quebec and Russia fight.
-2014-
Quebec decides to back off and let me have Japan, and the positions of NE and Ghana completely collapse. A four-way draw seems the most likely outcome at this point, with the conflict between Russia and Quebec my only hope for securing something better.
In the fall, as Ghana is defeated and NE reduced to two centers, I turn on Argentina by convoying into Santa Cruz. I do so under the belief that Quebec will defeat him anyway, and I want a cut. Furthermore, attacking Quebec now and relying on Argentinian aid could abort the Russia-Quebec war too early.
-2015-
My plan in Asia at this point is to finish off NE and secure my holdings while Russia and Quebec fight. I don’t see many gains in Asia, so if anything I will eventually turn on Quebec, considering the far greater gains to be had in the Americas.
Unfortunately, Russia decides to support hold NE in Afghanistan, which forces me to look for a build elsewhere. Beijing is still vulnerable, but won’t be for long, so I attack Russia and take it in the fall. So much for maintaining an alliance with the Russians.
Unfortunately, two things happen in the fall which pretty much eliminate the last of my solo prospects. Firstly, Argentina outmaneuvers me in South America, not only costing me Santa Cruz but disbanding an army as well. Secondly, Quebec NMRs, losing an opportunity to make headway against Russia, and allowing the Russian army to be redirected against myself.
-2016-
Quebec returns and continues fighting Russia, but his momentum has been lost. I capture Santa Cruz and Afghanistan in the fall, narrowing the game to four players, but my prospects for further expansion against either Russia or Quebec are poor. Additionally, a number of my forces are still tied up defending against Kenya. With everyone else having draw votes up by the beginning of 2017, I accept the four-way draw.
-Closing Thoughts-
Antarctica: You were an opponent, but that was somewhat expected and you made no pretenses about your intentions. This, and the context of our conflict, allowed us to have a mostly one-on-one duel, which was satisfying in its own right. You put up a good fight.
India: Despite being so close, we never got to interact. Sorry you got sandwiched between China and Near East.
China: Like India, you were pretty much dead by the time I had the chance to interact with you. Sorry that I took your centers once I did, but on the bright side I was able to use the builds to avenge you in a way.
South Africa: I was willing to keep you around if you threw yourself at Kenya, but unfortunately you seemed more interested in defending your holdings against me, which prompted me to take you out while I had the chance.
Near East: My greatest rival! Like with FA, my war with you was a lot of fun because we were relatively evenly matched and most other powers stayed out of it until the end. It was a most enjoyable duel in Southeast Asia, and you were a worthy opponent.
PRussia: I was entirely planning on being your ally, but for whatever reason you decided to go with the Near East instead. And look how he rewarded you for that!
Kenya: Funnily enough, I was never interested in attacking you, though I’m sure it seemed otherwise at times. We had an interesting little maneuvering game until things finally settled down. Congrats on winning Africa.
Russia: Like PRussia, I was totally down to be your ally until you shut me out of Afghanistan. Fortunately for you, Quebec wasn’t up to the task of kicking you out of Asia with me.
Quebec: You played quite a solid game! I considered us allies, of a sort, but it would have been interesting to see how it would have turned out had I an actual opportunity to duke it out with you for the solo.
Argentina: Sorry for turning on you at the end, but to be fair you really shouldn’t have spent such an absurd amount of turns in stalemate with the Brazilians.
gmo gene silencing?
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