From: farrell@news.cis.ohio-state.edu (christopher k farrell)
Subject: Re: Empires in Arms
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 16:59:46 GMT

	Firstly, for Turkey:

	1)  The Ottomon Empire is a pipe dream.  If the other players let you
	pull it off they deserve to lose badly.  Sorry about that!

	2)  Don't forget you can't detach feudal troops!  So garrisoning is
	actually a severe problem for the Turks, since your Infantry is so
	difficult to build due to your weak economy.

	3)  Try not to get your fleet sunk.  Other than that, use it for 
	supply and as a taxi service.  Never, never, allow it to enter combat.

	4)  Manipulate for +2 a lot; you'll need it.

	5)  Surrender early and often, especially to Russia and Great Britain.
	If you stick around too long, you stand to loose a ream of political
	points in lost battles.  You don't need that many to win.

	This can be overdone.  If Russia is heavily involved elsewhere, or 
	Britain is caught off-guard, you can wage sucessful campaigns.  But
	try to end them quickly, and be careful.  Let's say you jump in with
	France against Austria, you may find Austria surrendering to France
	only to make up their political points pounding the snot out of you.
	I figure it takes about 50 factors of Austrians or Russians to beat
	your army.

	As it says in the rulebook, pick outflank and assault/escalalated
	assault a lot, at the risk of becoming predictable.  If you win,
	you'll win big and may win the war.  On the other hand ...

	Also, keep the cavalry together at all costs.  They are your only
	chance to really win big; if you leave it dispersed, you WILL be
	defeated eventually.  Pursuit is the key to Turkish won wars.

	Never declare war on another major power.  NEVER.  Well, hardly
	ever.  I can see the possibilities, but they'd have to be pretty
	extreme.

	I think someone said in the General that for Turkey, just staying out
	of other people's disasters can be a winning strategy.  There are 
	times to be bold and opportunistic, expecially if Napoleon wishes to 
	invade Russia, but those times are few.

	Never, never loose sight of the fact that the game is won by political
status.  If you loose 3 battles for every one you win, you will loose big.  Far
better to surrender and save your army; then Russia won't find you such a 
tempting target once Austria is through with you.  Get crippled once and 
people will be lining up to smash you.

	Almost everybody is a potential enemy, because they can beat up on you
for cheap political status: Spain and Russia primarily, certainly Austria as
well, and maybe even Great Britain.  Avoid antagonizing these people, and they
may only invade you one or twice.

	Now, I've been sort of harsh on the Turk's chances in any major 
engagement, and some of it is overstated.  However, the biggest mistake I've
seen Turkish players make is to over-estimate the capacitiy of their army
and get into very, very foolish wars (often with Russia, who can maul the
hell out of you with a fraction of his army, and who you cannot force to
surrender).  DON'T irritate anybody needlessly.  It's fine to threaten Austria
while he's at war with France and get some concessions, but don't overdo it.
Don't alienate Britain because you desperately need the trade; your economy
is too weak.

	Walk the tightrope between the warring major powers, without ever
getting seriously involved, and you can do pretty well.

						Chris
-- 
"If every man says all he can, if every man is true
	Do I believe the sky above, is Caribbean blue ..." - Enya
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