Dog Park

End of Game Statements

Advanced Rules, Natural Disasters, Special Military Units, Moneylenders, Conquest, Gray Press, Ultimate Victory

Miller Number 2007Apw10

Game Summary

The Players

Statements

Jerry Roalstad (Papacy): I want to thank my teammates Dale & Mike for a job well done in this victory. We worked well with each other, had good communication, which I thought was a key, and the other was being unselfish. This is a prime example where backstabbing is not necessary to win. I had fun playing with you guys and against you Pasquale. Every game needs an Evil Country to unite the forces of Good to go defeat Evil, and you played that part well. We may not agree on playing style but that's okay, we can agree to disagree, and this time around, the Good guys win. There will be other games where Evil will win, and I'm sure you will be one of those Countries. I'm sure we will meet again. Great Game Everyone!

Pasquale Giovine (Byzantines): I wish to thank Chris for his work.

Incredible to say, the invincible Armada was defeated by one of the members that went to a solo against his own allies. I could precise that "I said this" to Norman and the Pope, but we are all defeated and so misery loves company. Worth mentioning is Kevin, a very clever player, that, although the lost of Venice city for my hand, immediately understood the danger of the Armada and signed the agreement with me and HRE to contrast it. Unfortunately for HRE, he was in the middle of Pisa and Papacy and we cannot help him to remain in play due to difficulty to interact in the war.

About my game, at the beginning I had big fear of Venice, that wished to come down in the Adriatic sea, and so I made a no-belligerence pact with Muslims and Normans and an alliance with the Pope against Venice. Hence I was able to conquer Venice and the sea in few time, but incredibly the Pope betrayed me before to have his benefit against Venice, probably untrustworthy convinced by the winner that did not like a big power near him. And the Pope remained always at

the border of the game, hostage of Pisa that slowly but constantly moved to win. Normans made a good game until he decide to enter in Adriatic; thus we continuously stalled on the strait of Otranto (while Pisa went up ...... slowly but constantly). Obviously, attacked by Normans and the betrayer Pope, I could not do anything that defend me, and was able; moreover I proved to inform they two of the Pisa growth, but I was not able and unheeded.

At the end, honour and glory to the winner Mike, that was a fine psychologist unlike me, a rough soldier: his allies stopped me and help him with HRE, but did not took advantages while him growth (slowly but constantly, but it seems to me that I just spoke about this, or no?) Good game for all, and away toward new games.

Thanks to all!

Dale Horsley (Normans): Well I should be patting myself on the back for just surviving. I mean starting out with one center, the possibility of elimination early was significant. The Norman position almost guarantees spending your way to survival and being the first assassinated! My confusion of which set of rules to follow also didn't help. My first move to ROM must have freaked out the Papacy. I was just trying to control provinces as I moved through them, old rules obviously. However the most telling move that pretty much solidified the alliances was my inability to trust the Byzantine Empire. Not following up on what your neighbor promises early in the game will do that. The surprising part of the game was how fast Milan crumbled. Without any resistance, Pisa just rolled in this game. Without any sort of conditions or end game strategy from BYZ, I couldn't risk stabbing Pisa or Papacy for that matter and risk getting hammered from my "new" ally. Speaking of strategy, I've never had so much communication from the Papal player. Great job Jerry! In the end I saw no way, although was making inroads to BYZ, of making up for lost cities as Pisa moved unopposed, so the early victory by Pisa was assured in my opinion. BTW, a great job by Pasquale to providing such stiff opposition, why couldn't you just die quickly!!

Mike Scott (Pisa): Thank you Chris for again GMing so well...

The win is a surprise, Dale & Jerry and I planed on a three way tie... somehow! we were to work that out later. My thanks to Dale for sticking in there, as the right wing of our line he faced more problems from Paquale then I did.

And yes, the 3 of us were in agreement that defeating Pasquale was the main strategy of ours. We did pick off the other players the way it went, but Pasquale the Magnificent is always a tough nut to crack.... and he was again this turn. I am hoping that maybe he enjoyed this game more than others, due mostly to the fact that it was the 3 of us locked in together.

Most of the Strategy was work out by Jerry, and I here-in salute him for the work he did that led more to the victory then my moves may have. Actually, getting rid of the rebellions in the conquored areas was what I was attempting to do.... when the win fell in my lab.

thanks all for playing, see you at the next game.....

Kevin Wilson (Venice): Once again, I prove my inability to truly get comfortable with Machiavelli. As many times as I've played I still haven't become as familiar with the intricacies of the game and rules as I have with other games. I really, really want to become as proficient at Machiavelli as I feel I am with others but I keep making mistakes. Once again, I underestimated the destructiveness of a successful bribe of a key unit at a key time and I mis-timed any counter attempt on my part. As a result, I found myself playing catch up and having to ally with my original enemy who so successfully used the bribe just to stay alive and try for some recovery. And, once again, I survived but didn't truly recover.

I'll keep trying. I'll keep learning. I'll, probably gradually, become more comfortable and hopefully more successful. All I hope is that in the mean time, I make the game interesting for the others while it becomes more interesting for me.

Congratulations to Mike for his victory, or at least pulling away from the rest of us. He worked hard for it. And maybe next time, with more work, it will be me.