Checking in as Italy here. This game was enjoyable and I felt lucky to get advice from someone with a sharp eye for the game. I started off the game looking at all the powers, but concentrating most on France, Austria (naturally), and Turkey. 2WL made a point of reminding me to look at everyone’s moves and begin to deduce the forming relationships. 2WL covered the nuances of Italy as well as the strengths. I explained my full-press strategy as Italy: really make a go at getting Austria on-side so I can keep a front “safe.” Where I feel my natural tendency, as I have evolved as a player, is to determine/plan my 18, 2WL asserted to “take it as it comes.” It’s difficult for Italy to get 18 so there’s plenty of flexibility.
2WL insisted that I play the game of “guess the moves.” This is an exercise I intend to employ often. I want to get better at “thinking” like the other players. The spring 1901 moves seemed to be pretty standard (start the Lepanto) BUT for the move to Piedmont. The rationale made excellent sense: it assures Austria (relationship-building) that Italy won’t stab (right away) and it keeps France honest and requires them to cover Marseilles. It certainly affected the power balance.
Fall 1901 saw me make the typical move of convoying to Tunis. The move of supporting Burgundy to Marseilles was to communicate non-aggression. It was interesting to watch the play of Germany, which looked strong, and Russia/Turkey. Germany turned up with 3 builds, which should have been a threat to France. And, growing so quickly, I would think everyone’s eyes would have been on them. This was supposed to give Italy/Austria some breathing room to continue the Lepanto. Turkey became the target.
Spring 02 was where things started to get hot for Italy. I tried to get into the eastern Med, but Turkey was thinking the same thing. That stalled my planned move into Ionian. I was keeping my eye on France (moving to Spain) and England. England, being very anti-Russia, meant France had some latitude in targeting Italy and/or Germany. That move by France caused the reactionary move of Naples to Tyr as a way to block the eastward movement. Turkey seemed content to begin tangling with Austria and leave the Eastern Med open for me. Russia and Austria were in contention over Rumania. England made some moves that were questionable, drawing France’s attention. France also attacked Germany. This looked like nothing but positives for Italy. I was considering moving against France, but 2WL suggested that with Germany’s size relative to France, it could destabilize the western part of the board. There was no direction as to what I should decide, simply something to consider.
I was now in a position to pressure Turkey, should I choose to. Spring 03 had me move to Tyrolia. It was decided upon as a way to check German power...would they react to it, or ignore it. The move to Smyrna was also to cut anything that Turkey was planning. I was actually quite happy to see Austria take Bulgaria. I felt, “Alright, now we’re getting somewhere,” since Russia was insistent on hitting Budapest. Surprising to me was Germany’s attack of Russia. That to me spelled trouble for Germany and Russia, and good times for Austria and myself.
However, 2WL then told me that the attack on Turkey would be slow and plodding. This was when the idea to stab Austria first manifested. It wasn’t a definite “You need to do this,” and this is a credit to 2WL...a guide, with advice, but letting me make the decisions.
So, the stab was made, leading to an army build in Venice. I also convoyed to Albania from Tunis. I thought it was a safe move since France was otherwise engaged. The hope was also that Turkey would see Italy as a friend.
Spring 04 was when Austria retaliated against my play. I wanted to keep the momentum up against Austria with a move into Greece. The Fall was my downfall. I totally botched my moves for Serbia. And I repeated these bad orders in the spring.
There were many lessons in this School of War for me. I see Gunboat as the “pure” version of the game. It really is beautiful...like a dance, of sorts. There is so much that happens that requires a sharp eye and time. The first lesson, is learn to see what power structures develop. This affects subsequent moves. England’s moves affected Germany, Russia, and France, so there were ripples of effect for Italy. Secondly, check the orders after a turn. There is a lot of communication in there. I’m still feeling shaky on my “understanding,” of them, but I think I have a better sense. Third, timing. Respect the timing. Italy is a slow grower, so when opportunities present themselves, they have to be taken. It did have repercussions with Austria, but I feel the move was done at a reasonable time. It wasn’t done too early (which would have been foolish) nor too late. Lastly, check the damn orders before clicking “ready.” I had some good momentum going. One bad set of orders set me back. The rest of the game would have seen me playing catch-up. Another good piece of advice from 2WL is that it’s easy to create conflict, but it takes real diplomatic tact to end a fight for the good of the 2 powers. Austria and I would have been better off making up so we could have tackled Turkey. Again, if I hadn’t sent in incorrect orders, I am sure I would have been sitting in more of Austria’s centres. Because I did mess up, I had to try to remedy the situation.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the experience. I appreciate the time taken by volunteers to help us improve our game. Thanks especially to 2WL...very helpful, positive, funny.
The Things Public School Doesn't Teach
left of my starting 100 so if anybody's up for a cheaper game, I'd be up for that. A little bit about myself: I'm a huge Tolkien geek, I absolutely love sports, and I'm currently in college so I'll be pretty busy for the next 4 weeks.
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