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Who is your favourite & why - 6/26/2003 9:14:20 PM   
Pippin


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Everyone has their favourites. Since there are some hardcore gamers around here, I am curious to know which country is your favourite and why. You may assume a bid system is being used if that alters your choices.
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Re: Who is your favourite & why - 6/26/2003 9:22:17 PM   
Chiteng

 

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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pippin
[B]Everyone has their favourites. Since there are some hardcore gamers around here, I am curious to know which country is your favourite and why. You may assume a bid system is being used if that alters your choices. [/B][/QUOTE]

I really dont have a favorite. They are all unique really.

I guess Russia has the greatest scope and opportunity,
but maybe not.

_____________________________

“It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster.”

Voltaire

'For those with faith, no proof is needed. For those without faith, no proof is enough'

French Priest

"Statistic

(in reply to Pippin)
Post #: 2
- 6/26/2003 10:36:10 PM   
soapyfrog

 

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Prussia: They are the linchpin of any coalition, and more to the point they have a sexy army, even if their economy does kind of suck.

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- 6/26/2003 10:46:00 PM   
Supervisor

 

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If I am playing to really win, I would have to say Great Britain, simply due to the nation of the country and game that allows GB to control their own destiny a great deal, plus the "if no one wins then GB wins" rule helps a lot. Money can do marvelous things.

If I am playing to have a good time and really take on a challenge, I would play anyone else except France. I really like playing Russia (huge army, safe country), although Prussia is a big challenge but less fun, and I also really like playing Au. Turkey is fun to play if you don't want to really get involved in too many Major Player wars and if you like trying to concentrate on the VP track.

I will never play Spain unless forced to do so. God what a god awful crap country to play. I always feel sorry for the Spain player.

Playing France is more of a "homework" gig to me. Great leaders, wonderful corp sheet, but all that tedious work. Huge army to pay for and keep track of all the time. France = big responsibilities. I like to play flexible most of the time, and I don't think that France is that flexible. France needs VP and there is only one way to get it, war.

Russia is certainly the most "flexible" country there is in my opinion.

:)

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Post #: 4
- 6/26/2003 11:39:50 PM   
Reknoy

 

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Prussia first -- ditto Soapy's comments on the corps structure (GOTTA love those 4 cav/ 3 cav corps).

France second -- I love driving the ole Cadillac. I'll take the management every day.

I think France is flexible in many ways -- but you are right in that France must fight more often than the others.

France can expand its navies and contest the seas with the British;

or you can build a matchless land army (all those cav!).

Not to mention the leaders.

Russia/GB tied for third -- each for their own reason; GB only if I am looking for the best chance to win.

Turkey -- feudals make it so much fun.

Spain -- strong alliances with France or GB can make for a powerful combination.

Austria -- geez these guys are on the hind end of everything sad. :) My only two games as Austria were depressing :) (even though I placed 2nd in one!)

Reknoy

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- 6/27/2003 4:19:40 PM   
Bill_L.

 

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Russia and Turkey for me, always have had the most interesting and fun games with them.
New ftf game starting July 5th! Woohoo!:D

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Post #: 6
- 6/27/2003 8:23:48 PM   
mmurray821

 

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Prussia is my favorite. The large Cavalry force it has and its ability to save manpower make it hard to beat with British money funding its wars. The "We have a small army and aren't worth fighting right away (fast forward 3 months) we have a large army and are now plowing into your unprotected rear, who's your daddy?" style of play just makes my day.


Great Briton is a second favorite, because their corps just don’t run.

Russia and France are tied as a third.

Turkey and Austria I haven't played and really don't care to. They just don't fit my playing style too well, I feel.

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- 6/27/2003 8:33:18 PM   
baboune

 

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Hehe .. I hate Prussia... :) .. Such a puny country...

Just joking...

I think I like France first simply because it is the only country in the 1805 scenario that allows you to be at war so often.

After that and in order
2 - Russia : Safe place, good strategic defensive position, important political role.

3 - Austria: You always ahave somethin to watch other, Russia, France, Turkey, and even SPain can be on you at any time.

4 - GB

5 - Prussia: Hard to fight any war as Prussia. You are too dependent on your allies.


I never played Spain or Turkey... Turkey seems like an interesting country, Spain I would not play it.

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Post #: 8
- 6/27/2003 10:34:13 PM   
Khi

 

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1- France.
Well, c'mon- who doesn't want to be the superstar?

2- Turkey.
Sneaky little gusses that can cause all kinds of mischief.

3- Britain.
With all that money, it's hard NOT to be a snob.

4- Prussia.
Biggest upside/downside of all the powers. I've reached Dominant status as Prussia, and been wiped off the map as well.

(4.5- Sweden)
Variant rule. Fun country, but only for the VERY patient. A lot of downtime.

5- Russia.
All that land! And two German powers as buffer states to protect you from the frogs!

6- Spain
Hmm... do I want to be France's puppet, or Britain's?

(6.5- USA)
Another variant... proof of how insignificant the War of 1812 was.

7- Austria
Ever dance on a razor's edge? Can't trust any of your neighbors, and yet you have to trust them for a little while.

(in reply to Pippin)
Post #: 9
- 6/28/2003 3:51:46 PM   
pfnognoff


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Austria:
Most difficult. France kicks your butt, then you kick Ottoman's butt. Even Spain can come to Italy and be nasty. If Russia and Prussia are reasonable then you can even kick French butt.

Prussia:
A lot of potential, but again it depends on Russian player being reasonable.

France:
Just be sure to use your double move and they will bow their heads.

Brittain:
Never played them.

Spain:
To much *** kissing, but if succesfull you end up with alot of strange minor conquests.

Russia:
Everybody can pay, and I can be reasonable.

Ottoman:
Personal favourite. You don't have to talk to anyone, just obey Napoleon and you are set for fun and feudal games.

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Post #: 10
- 6/28/2003 9:37:40 PM   
YohanTM2

 

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I'm a naval history buff so:

1. Gotta be Nelson and GB

2. Spain can be interesting if you negotiate well

3. Turkey has some fun options

4. Russia can snag some nice fleets and put a naval spin on the game

5. France, switching focus from Cav and Art

6. and 7. Austria and Prussia - Forgeddabotit

(in reply to Pippin)
Post #: 11
- 6/29/2003 6:27:41 AM   
DodgyDave

 

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as long as stack wars happen, then will i prefer Russia, France or England, but i tend to play Prussia and turkey at times, but not really to win, unless i can seriously backstab some people.

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Post #: 12
Navies - 6/30/2003 7:54:08 PM   
anibalbarak

 

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I like the most countries with navies. With HARM revision naval rules are quite improved, I like them overall. I don´t like the final moral for Spain, 2,5 is not fair in my opinion. Spanish navy was as good as French, Portuguesse or Russian. It had manning problems but her officiallity was one of the best in that moment, moral 3 as the other naval countries would be ok.

Harm includes naval leader Villeneuve as counterweight for the naval enemies of England, Villeneuve was in 1805 the maximum figure in french navy but was indeed a notably mediocre officer, other countries like Spain (Gravina, Churruca) or Russia (Ushakov, Senyavin), had first quality officers adding colour to sea war.

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Programmer's Picks - 7/1/2003 10:13:52 PM   
Marshall Ellis


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Hey guys:

Couldn't miss the chance to chime in here:


1. Turkey
Kind of like stealth. They stay low and nobody really likes screwing with you since you don't attract a lot of attention. LOVE the feudals. You have to be comfortable losing maybe more than half of your battles with majors though!

2. Russia
Maybe too big to really eliminate but also maybe too far away for them really strong arm the French unless the Prussia and/or Austria is on board. Good choice for longevity.

3. Spain
Kind of like Turkey with a little more money BUT if you play her right then you can really sneak up on a game and hope that the French player learned a lesson from history and did not try to invade. Yea, yea I know that Spain has guerillas BUT if you're being invaded then it's likely that your economy is not doing too well and you're slowly being reduced to third world status which isn't any fun!

4. France
Hey! It's good to be the king every once in a while! I don't like being on the hot seat but for the first couple of years or so it is fun to see how far you can expand the French empire.

5. Great Britain
Hey! It's also fund having the biggest navy and being practically invincible on the seas. It's also fun getting all that money!

6. Prussia
It's a good thing you can save manpower BUT what good does that do you when get very little in the first place! I think in order to really enjoy playing Prussia, you must be happy with multiple surrenders in the game. If you can live with that then you'll be fine.

7. Austria
Austria always seems to be the French punching bag. Again, much like Prussia, you must be happy with multiple surrenders in the game And YOU MUST use them to your advantage such as hoping the French player will pick enforced peace which ought to give you enough time to rebuild your forces and maybe grab a few territories so that you end your game in Paris but you must enjoy pain with this country!

Anyway, my two cents!

_____________________________

Thank you

Marshall Ellis
Outflank Strategy War Games



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- 7/1/2003 10:18:46 PM   
DodgyDave

 

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This again show the problem, why should prussia and austria player have to accept losing constantly?

Also why should it need 3 to 5 nations to take on france?

Reduce number of corps per sector to 4 and you will see even Spain being able to mount a defence.

Also i once attacked spain, with 12 corps as france, Spain surrendered after 2 months, due to me controlling 2/3 of spain.

Its way to easy to win over the small nations, as long as stacks are as they are now. Change that, so that even Prussia alone, should be able to fight France, yes most likely lose, if not lucky, but will take france longer then 3 months.

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Post #: 15
- 7/1/2003 10:20:54 PM   
Supervisor

 

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It seems to me that there are a lot of people here who think that Austria really sucks or something. I have to publicly disagree. Austria is an awesome country and can do awesome things (given the person playing them is good at diplomacy and a little charming). I love playing austria with two Grenadier corps, light infantry, and Charles (oh yeah!). The only thing Austria is missing is Cav, and that is what Prussia is for. :)

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Post #: 16
- 7/1/2003 11:05:54 PM   
Khi

 

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[QUOTE]It seems to me that there are a lot of people here who think that Austria really sucks or something. [/QUOTE]

My own two cents was just that I don't get much enjoyment from playing Austria, and didn't mean to suggest it's a weak power by any means. What she lacks compared to other powers is flexibility in options. Austria often has to be very sensitive to the changing moods of her neighbors, and for me- I prefer a little more autonomy in strategy than Austria is allowed. But in the hands of a charming diplomat, Austria is definitely one of the strongest powers on the board.

(in reply to Pippin)
Post #: 17
- 7/3/2003 1:13:37 PM   
John Umber

 

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[SIZE=3]Spain is weak?[/SIZE]

I must disagree. Spain is not in offense, but in defense she is very dangerous indeed. If attacked Spain usually wins in a long tiresome war. The nasty little "free" infantry that shows up everywhere more than compensate for lack of income. Spain loses all major battles, but almost never is the foreign power strong enough to controll everything for a long time. It is basicly only France that can conquer Spain, but that costs almost all the corps of France. What can the french do when Prussia, Austria and GB attacks. France must almost always withdraw before Spain is down on her knees. Spain can then take several small battles to victory. But the owner of Spain must be calm and just wait for the storm to pass...

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John Umber

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Post #: 18
- 7/3/2003 5:16:34 PM   
Forward_March

 

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I have to place France as my favorite. Everyone will eventually come gunning for you, and with great leaders, a strong economy, a good strategy, and a little luck...you might even win. Starting with dominant power status, the ability to choose when you move can unhinge the best Allied plan

Prussia comes next. Call me a Germanophile...I can't help it. Because of her central position, indefensible borders, and weak leaders at the beginning, the Prussian player has to be always wary, and there is never a dull moment.

Next, Russia. You can meddle in the continent, gain Sweden, and then take it to the Turks whilst remaining pretty safe from invasion. Your neighbors can still cause you trouble (if France has been cowed) by occupying provinces and denying you cash, even if they're not keen on advancing to Moscow.

Austria. Not really interested

Turkey. Too weak to gain much except the Ottoman Empire. As the French, I've found the Turkish forces transported on British ships landing near Marseilles. They got sent home by Davout and Ney.

Spain. Ughhhh! You can go on about guerilla factors, and it's large navy...I'd still prefer dental surgery

Britain. Why bother...I'll let somebody else do it. Unless the British player is an irascible arse, nobody is going to ally with France to take on perfidious albion. And even then, the Brits still have a huge navy, Nelson, and tons of money to outstrip anybody's naval budget. It's more fun to be threatened, than be the arbiter of European Politics.

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- 7/3/2003 7:37:24 PM   
DodgyDave

 

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so John Umber, i guess you see battles happening differently.

ok lets see, Spain joins with a bunch of others vs France, france is losing, france surrenders to all except Spain, who is now the fallback point to get political points, spain lose.

This i have seen too often, spain might get those rebels, but its just a matter of 6 months and france, not even with all his army, can have wiped spain out, i know, i have done it myself a few times as france.

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Post #: 20
- 7/3/2003 11:53:16 PM   
Supervisor

 

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[QUOTE]Originally posted by DodgyDave
[B]so John Umber, i guess you see battles happening differently.

ok lets see, Spain joins with a bunch of others vs France, france is losing, france surrenders to all except Spain, who is now the fallback point to get political points, spain lose.

This i have seen too often, spain might get those rebels, but its just a matter of 6 months and france, not even with all his army, can have wiped spain out, i know, i have done it myself a few times as france. [/B][/QUOTE]

This is what I usually see also. No one in the alliance is going to stick it out just so Spain can get a surrender, because Spain is not real threat to Pr, Au, GB, or Ru. Personally, I agree with the dental surgery guy. :)

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Post #: 21
- 7/4/2003 2:02:41 AM   
John Umber

 

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[SIZE=3]Noone likes Spain's position?[/SIZE]

I must agree with you that playing Spain is not easy. But I have played games where Spain has a tip of scales role. It only matters how good you are as a diplomat. It is true that Spain facing France alone is in a hard spot and getting harder. But how is playing Austria or Prussia to eliminate the spanish ally? They will never see Spain threatening the south of France. They should consider once again. Spain could easily be France's lapdog and take a little bite from south of Italy or Austria.

But true, it is a difficult country if you lack the diplomacy style of gaming...
In open war is Spain not a major power and probably never will be.

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John Umber

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Post #: 22
- 7/4/2003 2:09:38 AM   
DodgyDave

 

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its worse then that, France will never allow Spain to be in Italy, nor would Austria for that matter, as they both want all of italy.

and spain in Italy, that normally ends with about 2 spanish corps and perhaps both of Napoly corps in a fight vs either 8 french corps or austria with that amount.

Spain never is able to fight in Italy, because the war tends be to stack war, of 8 vs 4 corps and since spain dont have very good corps, then have they no say in italy.

so that leaves Africa.

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Post #: 23
- 7/4/2003 6:34:10 AM   
Forward_March

 

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Spain's choices are truly sad. Taking Portugal will annoy the Brit. Moving into Africa will pit them against the Turk...who, if not busy with ivan or austria seems to always whip Don Diego.

I agree...Italy...forget it

Best bet for spain would to be to ally with France (TO THE END) and make as much trouble for the Brits as they can. If not, the French invasion would devastate them, despite guerillas.

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Post #: 24
- 7/5/2003 11:17:42 PM   
Pippin


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I am glad to see so many responses to the original post. I’ll just say this, imho, many here are underestimating Spain. Though, if playing in a game where users do not want to make big France pay for every aggression she tries, I can see indeed why Spain can have some trouble.

_____________________________

Nelson stood on deck and observed as the last of the Spanish fleets sank below the waves…

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Post #: 25
- 7/5/2003 11:20:19 PM   
DodgyDave

 

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spain will always get its *** kicked, even if france surrenders unconditional to everyone else, then will spain be the one to pay.

I have never seen france accept to a peace with space, unless spain surrendered, sometimes conditional, but normally its unconditional.

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Post #: 26
- 7/5/2003 11:49:37 PM   
Chiteng

 

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Depends on the options being used. Spain needs the three
province max loss rule very badly. W/o it France will simply conquer all of Spain.

But Very hard to save your fleet from the Brits w/o French help.

_____________________________

“It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster.”

Voltaire

'For those with faith, no proof is needed. For those without faith, no proof is enough'

French Priest

"Statistic

(in reply to Pippin)
Post #: 27
- 7/5/2003 11:54:48 PM   
DodgyDave

 

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yeah and its down to how the game is like.

Spain cant fight stack wars, due to limited corps and size of those corps, but guess nothing can be done about that.

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Post #: 28
- 7/6/2003 12:11:19 AM   
Supervisor

 

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The game design and the nature of the historical time period, Spain was not able to stand up to France (1v1), and so it should not be in the game. Whether fighting stack wars or not.

Everytime I have played, we always agreed to the 3 province rule. It's a must in my book.

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Post #: 29
- 7/6/2003 3:35:08 AM   
Forward_March

 

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Having just read a book on the Peninsular war, a book which gave more time to Spanish affairs than either british or french, I think that what should be done is that despite treaty of cessation, the guerilla war should continue.
It did, in fact. The Spanish population had no love for any foreign invader, and the guerillas, far from being just heros of Spain were a large part in fact brigands who made life difficult for even the Spanish population.
yes, this makes spain poison fruit... Truly, the greatest can of worms.

(in reply to Pippin)
Post #: 30
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