Greetings one and all. Good job Germany and Turkey. Well played. It's been so long since we started this and I'm in a few other games. I hope I don't get my beginnings mixed up.

If I remember correctly, my plan was to try to go after Austria right away. I have never played Italy to victory, my best being a 8-center 3-way. In that case I went after France to start the game. So I thought I'd try something different.

I talked long and hard to Turkey and thought for sure he was with me. He wasn't. Instead of supporting me into Greece, he supported Austria. I didn't get any builds in '01 and was playing from behind for the rest of the game.

I broke two of my cardinal rules. Never play the game to some preestablished plans, play the game as it unfolds. And never place your game's fortunes all on one risky move. I did both and suffered the consequences.

After my initial faux-pas, and with Turkey coming on strong (despite what he kept saying), I was committed to trying to defend against the TA and was left with very little offensive possibilities. I enlisted France's aid in my defense and that just made me dependent on him. When France was stabbed, I knew my goose was cooked.

Oh, well. It was fun. I look forward to matching wits wit you guys again some day. Maybe the results will be a bit different next time.

Count Michelangelo
aka Mike French