Moot XI, Round 1, Board 3

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1. 

   Chris Kelly June 27, 2017 Log in to Reply

   This could have been a tremendous and heartwarming moment: the game where Jake Trotta and I finally worked together. I vaguely recalled that he had written about liking the A/R alliance, which I like, too… and here we were, as Austria and Russia! All we had to do was agree to DMZ Galicia, and our partnership would be off and running.

   But that is merely what could have been. Every Weasel knows that when you’re dealing with Jake, it’s vital to read the fine print — and in this case, it was literally true. Because when Jake praised the A/R in the [url=http://windycityweasels.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1096:the-wise-old-weasel-austria&Itemid=241]Wise Old Weasel – Austria article[/url], he said:
   [quote]I can only remember one honored Galicia DMZ (not including rookie players), so even if you agree to it, just go there anyways. [/quote]
   I hadn’t recalled that part, and I paid the price as Jake went to Galicia and I didn’t.

   Even worse for me, England had opened as hard as possible to the north, moving a fleet to Barents while convoying an army to Norway. Meanwhile, Germany had kept me out of Sweden as part of an eventually successful bid to ally with England.

   So the north was a lost cause, but I was eventually able to take Rumania, as well as complicate Jake’s game as we each slipped units behind the other’s front lines (swapping Warsaw for Budapest in 1902). All told, I helped create enough tactical mischief that Austria only gained one center in the four years after 1901.

   At that point, Jake announced that he had to leave for a scheduled performance at Second City, and the board agreeably voted to draw rather than make Brandon take over Austria. The German/English alliance led the final results, with 9 and 7 centers, respectively.

2. 

   Jake Trotta June 30, 2017 Log in to Reply

   2017 Moot Round 1 Recap

   Honestly, I didn’t want to play this round- I knew I had a show at Second City that night and I’d hate to leave a board early and an ally in a tough situation. Plus I love dip, and I love improv, but damn they’re tough to do on the same night.

   Anyways, I knew I had til 9:30. We started at 6:30. I figured if I could pick up a few points and rushed a draw, that may help me if I had a good Saturday. That ended up happening due to the good graces of the rest of the board.
   So, what actually happened?

   AR
   Clockwork Chris was up in Russia… and he had too good of a pitch. New player in Turkey, good player in Italy, aggressive player in England… and he wants a DMZ? He mentions that he read my comments on Wise Old Weasel? Clearly this is flattery and he’s going to Galicia. I had a few different thoughts.
   My gut said Chris was telling the truth. My mind said you should play it safe anyways. My heart said I really just want to attack Chris Kelly.
   I followed my heart, Chris and I got in a three year awkward dance for Warsaw and Budapest, but Chris’s game was over very quickly.

   AT
   I almost always try to work with new players. But we’d made consecutive deals in F01 and S02 that he didn’t hold up on-both more to his benefit than mine. I explained to him “yo, Chris gon’ die, do you want a dead ally or a live one?” That seemed to sink in. However, state of the board dictated that I could get a dot from him… so I did. He was essentially neutered til the end of the game.

   AI
   Love being next to my good buddy Paul Pignotti. We’ve worked well together (and would again on board 3). AI was rolling right away. If this game continued, we both could’ve had great games. But I had to leave.
   There was one moment I thought of stabbing, when he left Venice completed undefended and I happened to be in Trieste. I didn’t seriously consider it because I knew I wouldn’t be playing long. In a longer game… maybe, but probably not.
   As it was, if this game continues, Paul and I were in awesome shape.

   The West
   Couldn’t tell you because I wasn’t paying attention. Think France badly misordered. That’s about all I got on that front.

   Player Feedback
   The West: Like I said, I don’t remember. The jokes were great though.
   Turkey (Gabe Morales): Showed some strong instincts for the game and some cleverness that will be really an asset down the road. Your game slowed because you picked the wrong ally, which will happen sometimes. Hope to see you on another board soon- lot of potential as a diplomacy player.
   Italy (Paul Pignotti): Great alliance, wonderful job done moving west. In the long run, we would’ve rocked this board. Only regret is being guy no. 28 and having to leave so we couldn’t.
   Russia (Chris Kelly): I’m glad you read my articles. I’m equally glad that you misremembered a detail about that article that led to you having a tougher game. Always a pleasure, even if it doesn’t always work out for either of us.