From: reynard@susie.cs.scarolina.edu (John Reynard)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Empires in Arms
Date: 16 Oct 92 21:36:57 GMT
Organization: USC  Department of Computer Science


      How many other EIA players have the same problem our group has?

In our group in a few of the early games played France blew out to an early 
lead and ended the game at some point by eliminating someone like Austria or
Prussia from the game.  I was France in one of these games.  

Nowadays France is the whipping boy ofm Eurpoe ope and in 
almost every game by Feb. 10805 there is a five or six country coalition
against France preparing to drive them into oblivion.

Granted played well France can almost win the war against U.K>>., Russia.
Austrias., Prussia, Spain , and Turkey.  Butn come on.

As an example:

I played France for the second time a few games back.  In my first game as France 

I had made alliances with the German countrieds and Spain and simply partitioned the minors for the first year.  By the end of the first year I had an
army of nearly 350 factors , then I ws invaded by Austria/Prussia out of
their fear and pounded them.

Second Game as France 

I bid 120 for France.  An obscense  bid to be sure.  
On the second turn of the game I landed on the U.K. due to a mistake on Britains 
part where he declard war upon Denmark and the Danish fleet sailed down abnd
seized the channel allowing Davout to cross the crossing arrow.

The next turn I was declared upomn by everyone else even Turkey.

Faced with a 6 country coalition facing me I prepared to gain lots of points
by my death.  

I attacked Prussia mercilessly in an attempt to take out some of the enemy 
coalitions forces early.  I quickly lost Italy to the allies as Turkey and
Russia as well as Austria took much of Italy from fleet invasions.

In Mar I attacked Austria's field army in Germany driving it away from the 
Prussian/army buying more time to live.  On the coalition move the Granede
Armee was attacked by 5 Austrian Corpse, 1 Prussian Corpse, 3 Turkish 
corps, a spanish corps and a brit corps.  I won easily but took heavy casulties


In April I attacked the stack of allies again.  Victory again, I killed 50
allied factor s but lost 20 of my own.  The Russian and Turkish Armies had
coalesced in Bohemia at this point.  Spain was invading @.France which wass
completely undefended.

In May I seized Scotland and almost got across the T\\Irish Channel, of well.
On the continent I was assailed by 26 corpse under Charles.  I won again
and due to good chit selection was even with the allies with 50 losses each.

In June I fell back on France itself attacking a lone spanish corpse on the
way otook 0 cas, killed 10 more Spanish.  At this point the allies were 
down to 400 factors I was down to 80.  I refused to surrender because there
are inherent difficulties in holding such a coalition together and the realization th
that only an Unconditional surrender would be accepted.

July 1st Battle of Paris

Every Corps on the map except for one Tripolitanian corps attacked Paris.
My army repelled the allies again taking 40 more casulkties.  The alllies took 40 as well due to a good pursuit roll.
Everyone except Britain lost their minors at this point due to being driven into
the instability zone.  

On my haly of July I made one last stab taking my army and attacking the allies.

Once again victorious I found my army reduced into the teens by the carnage.
France lay prostrate before the world with a mere 15 troops to survive.


This was the best France has done in our last dozen or so games.

In these games France has lost dominant power status by August at the ltest 
and averaging on April.  In every game status was lost.

Wha t can be donre to stop this short of finding new players

Anyrhthing?

Also has anyone else had siad problem.

John.
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