Game 10

Japan is a wise and enlightened nation. We have identified Jason Flower and his strong naval pedigree as the man to lead the rise of the Imperial Japanese Navy in G10. The Dutch are welcome in Nippon

No Pressure at all, if you want to see how ships get sunk.

Some how I feel the Kamikaze culture could fit in well with my Naval skills.

Too be fair to J.Flower & his Japanese Naval skills his Nippon Navy in scabble did manage to land a Army on a rocky coast in winter and did not sink a single ship or drown anyone. So claarly 150 years of reading the collected wisdom of Flower San has done some good!

Mind you its not all been plain sailing for the later versions of the Prussian, Russian and Nippon yacht squadrons. Sinking ships in a Typhon can happen to any Navy but it takes real skill to block up your main Naval Port with ships sunk as part of training as the Russian yacht squadron managed.

I also ejoyed reading the round up of the Mercurius Politicus but think the round up missed a small but important point:

- THE INVASION OF FRANCE by Imperial forces who have captured Besancon and Belfort and are burning French villages in Eastern France round the city of Dijon. I may be wrong but I would have thought the French Gentry might be a tad more upset about that than the Spanish Postal service not taking their mail.

- Also while getting Tulips to bloom in Autumn and the Czar getting all loved up is clearly of vital importance for Eastern Europe think after the Invasion of France the declarations of the Spanish Regency Council could have done with some more detail due to its importance to Western Europe.........Its not every day that a Cardinal of the Church takes a Papal ruling and bins it in quite so brutal a way "The Papal ruling has been found to be unfair, biased and not in the interests of Spain and its peoples"........plus this new version of Cardinal Portocarrero & the Regency Council are issueing letters of Marque. I like this version of Cardinal Portocarrero already.

Only question does Cardinal Portocarrero meet all of the London Conference rules for the issue of letters of Marque?

Can someone please send Papa Clement a copy of the October 1713 paper

- Oddly, I note that the three contenders for the Crown of Spain are now back as Karl of Austria, Philip of France and the infant Rodrigo. This seems to mean that the claim of Pedro of Portugal has been binned along with Papal rulings (not sure how the Viceroy of Naples is going to react to that?). Which left me a little baffled since we have already had one adult claiming to be a questionable birth of Carlos II crowned as King Rodrigo. Can someone explain who this infant Rodrigo is?

"Further military manoeuvrings occurred to try to get a local upper hand across north Italy, with lots of uninvited guests on all sides being kept out in the rain.
The Dutch put on a spectacular display for His Most Christian Majesty, in Calais. Shame he was not there to enjoy it, although a prominent Jacobite <can’t call him Scottish apparently> got to see the whole show instead."

To Quote the above

Wonder why a prominent Jacobite was rowing away from a Dutch ship, especially one with a gift for The King of France. That the ship then explodes destroying the good gift is interesting ot say the least.

Are the Corsairs in Calais now harbouring( no pun intended) Jacobite troublemakers? Which could see enraged Scots lawyers descend upon the scene, demanding Haggi & whiskey repayments

I'm glad people enjoyed my above summary, I could only play off everyone's contributions in the paper and on the forum so thank you all. I enjoy playing TGOK and the community we have established.

@Stuart THE INVASION OF FRANCE (apart from being in capitals) read more like French propaganda trying to get sympathy as for their cause. A great power like France planning an operation in Genoa as has been executed could not possibly have ignored the concept of a counter attack.

@Jason F I think there is precedent for a piratical player to take over a country, just cannot remember the game as I was not part of it at the time and was going by forum reports. Wondering if the western alliance players want more reinforcements for their cause? Then again you could have just given them an idea...

Just to add to the others comments, a great and fun summary Marshal, thank you

As to the matter of the presence of James Stuart (a well known-vagabond and freeloader on various European courts) in France, I can confirm teams of Scottish lawyers are working on submissions to the courts at this apparent treaty breach.  Unless of course Mr James Stuart is in France illegally and without the permission of the French government, in which case we look forward to his immediate arrest.

I do agree with Jason F, James Stuart's presence when a Dutch gift to the King of France blows up does seem a bit of a coincidence...

Marshal Bombast wrote:I'm glad people enjoyed my above summary, I could only play off everyone's contributions in the paper and on the forum so thank you all. I enjoy playing TGOK and the community we have established.

@Stuart THE INVASION OF FRANCE (apart from being in capitals) read more like French propaganda trying to get sympathy as for their cause.  A great power like France planning an operation in Genoa as has been executed could not possibly have ignored the concept of a counter attack.

@Jason F I think there is precedent for a piratical player to take over a country, just cannot remember the game as I was not part of it at the time and was going by forum reports.  Wondering if the western alliance players want more reinforcements for their cause?  Then again you could have just given them an idea...

Since the invasion of France is in the news reports rather than the letters column I do not think its propaganda - unless the dastardly and cunning French have followed up the cunning ploy of staging fake revolts on their home territory as a reason to attack dodgy Italian dodges with a second ploy cunning plan of having French Troops in Imperial and Swedish Uniforms invade France and burn French villages as a reason to issue letters of Marque and rally the French Nation to arms!

Surely not even a mad ferret would think staging revolts and invasions of his own country is a sane and sensible policy?!

Either way if its real or a fake news I still think its sort of important.

Its a mystery to me as well why the Swedes and Imperial forces were able to just walk into three French cities. Personally I like building and defending fortresses but some players just believe in open cities and that every soldier not in a field Army is a waste. This theory can work well but tends to come unstuck if a) Your Field Army is weaker or the foe avoids battle and b) If the foe is unsportting enough to torch open cities/villages.

Think question now that France is burning is will Louis XIV have a sudden religious revalation and accept Papal Wisdom to save civilized Europe from Swedes, Cossacks and Hussars and the horror of a return to the 30 years war. Or is it time to pass the matches?

Stuart Bailey wrote:Since the invasion of France is in the news reports rather than the letters column I do not think its propaganda - unless the dastardly and cunning French have followed up the cunning ploy of staging fake revolts on their home territory as a reason to attack dodgy Italian dodges  with a second ploy cunning plan of having French Troops in Imperial and Swedish Uniforms invade France and burn French villages as a reason to issue letters of Marque and rally the French Nation to arms!

Surely not even a mad ferret would think staging revolts and invasions of his own country is a sane and sensible policy?!

Either way if its real or a fake news I still think its sort of important.

Could just be an Imperial raid or could be the Corsairs covering a recruitment drive? If it carries on then I can cover it in any future summaries as if valid reports then yes it would be newsworthy.

Stuart Bailey wrote:Its a mystery to me as well why the Swedes and Imperial forces were able to just walk into three French cities.  Personally I like building and defending fortresses but some players just believe in open cities and that every soldier not in a field Army is a waste.  This theory can work well but tends to come unstuck if a) Your Field Army is weaker or the foe avoids battle and b) If the foe is unsportting enough to torch open cities/villages.

Think question now that France is burning is will Louis XIV have a sudden religious revalation and accept Papal Wisdom to save civilized Europe from Swedes, Cossacks and Hussars and the horror of a return to the 30 years war.  Or is it time to pass the matches?

Makes me wonder too, again goes back to what the planning was regarding a counter attack.

Kerensky wrote:The Doge of Genoa/ Viceroy of Naples has been evaluating the latest events, and has concluded ‘well, that’s two steps forward, one back and four sideways.’

In the true spirit of crisis management tactics, for which his administration has become well renowned, he responds with what he feels eminently appropriate. ‘That’s tomorrow’s problem, tonight, the card tables & the party awaits’...

Meanwhile, Lord Melville has just returned from a brief visit to his estate just south of Aberdeen...having now had a chance to read the paper properly he chuckled at its contents and called to his manservant, Hamish, to bring him a double measure of Highland Park single malt...

Jason2 wrote:

Kerensky wrote:The Doge of Genoa/ Viceroy of Naples has been evaluating the latest events, and has concluded ‘well, that’s two steps forward, one back and four sideways.’

In the true spirit of crisis management tactics, for which his administration has become well renowned, he responds with what he feels eminently appropriate. ‘That’s tomorrow’s problem, tonight, the card tables & the party awaits’...

Meanwhile, Lord Melville has just returned from a brief visit to his estate just south of Aberdeen...having now had a chance to read the paper properly he chuckled at its contents and called to his manservant, Hamish, to bring him a double measure of Highland Park single malt...

Meanwhile in the back room of a nice little tavern the corsair, his moll and his broker enjoyed some quality French wine (or is that a whine?) and a the fish stew house special followed by a fine brandy......and looked really hard in the paper for the commodity price section and the sale price of for x6 lots of timber and x15 lots of fish.

PS Oddly was looking at the history of the Dunkirk Privateers and it seems that the most common targets of the Spanish and then French flagged privateers sailing from this Port was not Gold and Spices but was actually a) Fishing fleets and b) Baltic traders. At one Stage the Dutch Govt about the damage to its Fishing Industry that they ordered their Sailors to ignore the King of Spain's letters of marque and throw any captive Dunkirkers over board. This order to drown fellow sailors did not go down very well partly due to fear of what the privateers would do in return so the Dutch dropped captive privateers into shallow waters off Flanders from were they could walk ashore.
They did however hang some important captains including a Hapsburg rear-Admiral. Lucky my character is a Bourbon Rear Admiral

Stuart Bailey wrote:

Jason2 wrote:

Kerensky wrote:The Doge of Genoa/ Viceroy of Naples has been evaluating the latest events, and has concluded ‘well, that’s two steps forward, one back and four sideways.’

In the true spirit of crisis management tactics, for which his administration has become well renowned, he responds with what he feels eminently appropriate. ‘That’s tomorrow’s problem, tonight, the card tables & the party awaits’...

Meanwhile, Lord Melville has just returned from a brief visit to his estate just south of Aberdeen...having now had a chance to read the paper properly he chuckled at its contents and called to his manservant, Hamish, to bring him a double measure of Highland Park single malt...

Meanwhile in the back room of a nice little tavern the corsair, his moll and his broker enjoyed some quality French wine (or is that a whine?) and a the fish stew house special followed by a fine brandy......and looked really hard in the paper for the commodity price section and the sale price of for x6 lots of timber and x15 lots of fish.

PS Oddly was looking at the history of the Dunkirk Privateers and it seems that the most common targets of the Spanish and then French flagged privateers sailing from this Port was not Gold and Spices but was actually a) Fishing fleets and b) Baltic traders.  At one Stage the Dutch Govt about the damage to its Fishing Industry that they ordered their Sailors to ignore the King of Spain's letters of marque and throw any captive Dunkirkers over board.  This order to drown fellow sailors did not go down very well partly due to fear of what the privateers would do in return so the Dutch dropped captive privateers into shallow waters off Flanders from were they could walk ashore.
They did however hang some important captains including a Hapsburg rear-Admiral.  Lucky my character is a Bourbon Rear Admiral

It's an interesting one, isn't it. My understanding is things like fish were easier to sale without attracting attention. Think of it this way, if you're a slightly rough around the edges, maybe bit smelly, individual who suddenly has a load of gold and spices to sell...well people will ask questions...but if you're selling "2nd hand fish", who is going to look twice...

A modern comparison is some scruffy 19 year old who steals a new Landrover is going to attract attention when he tries to sell it...but if he's selling a 10-year old Corsa he's just nicked...he looks like he could own it...

Jason2 wrote:

Stuart Bailey wrote:

Jason2 wrote:

Kerensky wrote:The Doge of Genoa/ Viceroy of Naples has been evaluating the latest events, and has concluded ‘well, that’s two steps forward, one back and four sideways.’

In the true spirit of crisis management tactics, for which his administration has become well renowned, he responds with what he feels eminently appropriate. ‘That’s tomorrow’s problem, tonight, the card tables & the party awaits’...

Meanwhile, Lord Melville has just returned from a brief visit to his estate just south of Aberdeen...having now had a chance to read the paper properly he chuckled at its contents and called to his manservant, Hamish, to bring him a double measure of Highland Park single malt...

Meanwhile in the back room of a nice little tavern the corsair, his moll and his broker enjoyed some quality French wine (or is that a whine?) and a the fish stew house special followed by a fine brandy......and looked really hard in the paper for the commodity price section and the sale price of for x6 lots of timber and x15 lots of fish.

PS Oddly was looking at the history of the Dunkirk Privateers and it seems that the most common targets of the Spanish and then French flagged privateers sailing from this Port was not Gold and Spices but was actually a) Fishing fleets and b) Baltic traders.  At one Stage the Dutch Govt about the damage to its Fishing Industry that they ordered their Sailors to ignore the King of Spain's letters of marque and throw any captive Dunkirkers over board.  This order to drown fellow sailors did not go down very well partly due to fear of what the privateers would do in return so the Dutch dropped captive privateers into shallow waters off Flanders from were they could walk ashore.
They did however hang some important captains including a Hapsburg rear-Admiral.  Lucky my character is a Bourbon Rear Admiral

It's an interesting one, isn't it.  My understanding is things like fish were easier to sale without attracting attention.  Think of it this way, if you're a slightly rough around the edges, maybe bit smelly, individual who suddenly has a load of gold and spices to sell...well people will ask questions...but if you're selling "2nd hand fish", who is going to look twice...

A modern comparison is some scruffy 19 year old who steals a  new Landrover is going to attract attention when he tries to sell it...but if he's selling a 10-year old Corsa he's just nicked...he looks like he could own it...

Dont think the Dutch were upset about a couple of battered old fishing boats.......think what upset them was the sunk guard ships and most of the Zeeland fishing fleet being taken with after old men and boys being sent home 1500 Fishermen being held to Ransom.

Think nicking and flogging a whole 2nd hand Fishing Fleet (one careful owner) needs a bit more organization and political protection than flogging a 10 year old Corsa to your mate down the pub.

Interesting the Dutch Folk Hero and man with claim to be the greatest Pirate ever after his capture of the Spanish Treasure Fleet for the Dutch West Indies Company (paying a 600% dividend to shareholders!) was finally killed leading not in action not against the Spanish Navy but leading an attack on the Flanders Privateering bases.

In Versailles, King Louis just shakes his head in mild disbelief at what is considered appropriate these days.

A Hapsburg prince gets himself captured in a war zone if not a battlefield and it is considered wrong of the Bourbon side to do this - especially when a Bourbon prince had been kidnapped in Madrid whilst on a diplomatic mission and there was no concern raised from elsewhere.

The Hapsburgs start calling themselves the western allies, really!

Diplomatic propaganda has now reached the level of "your wrong/I'm right", next it is going to be "your mum smells" and will be considered the height of whit and erudition.

Whilst cynicism of the French has reached the point that blowing up the French Kings Xmas present from the kind Dutch people is considered a French/Jacobite conspiracy.

Just goes to show where a bad press will take you.

As to the counter-attack, that would be saying, but Napoleon said to an Austrian diplomat "I can lose 30,000 troops a month", meaning - can you.

Don't worry, I have no plans to accuse anyone's mother of smelling but I reserve the right to go (in a strong Glaswegian accent), "did you spill my pint...Pal" when the time comes

As to the fireworks, well, who benefits...I mean an effort to promote friendship between the Maritime Powers (and Scotland) and France blows up...and the pretender to the British thrones, who benefits from hostility between Britain and France, is surprisingly near by....smoking flintlock pistol...

Hmmm, well the Genoa/Papacy/Imperial position was supporting the Jacobin recovery in Scotland and England, so I am guessing that the Genoese have picked up Stuart characters in the game. I believe that it was player run in the first year. The interference in Frances religious minorities also seems to provide form in this regard. I suspect that might also explain missing post in France.
If there wasn't enough to do, I have to hunt down the bloody Jacobins now...…..

Get the Jacobite sorted & UDP will send new fireworks , packed in sealed Iron boxes, on wagons with non smoking drivers.

If they're "Bloody Jacobite!" maybe they have been involved in a few murders as well, real pain to get the stains out.

Seems the Apollo people have got the French blaming the Italians & the Italians blaming the French, probably means Spain is to blame for everything.......

Did't Savoy or the Papacy give political asylum to ( former once upon a time long, long ago) kingJames, will this lead to a diplomatic incident.?

So will we now see a Franco-Maritime Powers (and Scotland) alliance to hunt down and punish the Stuarts for their naughty letting off of fireworks not on 5th November? Irony levels could be reaching a new high here...

With the Austro-Swedish-Papal-Genoan-Jacobite? "allies" burning villages in eastern France and setting off fire works in French ports. Nasty things esp round timber ships full of gunpowder and rum!

Seems that is the duty of every good (well good'ish) and loyal Frenchman to dig out his Cutlass and box of matches.

Just really baffled about what to burn first we seem to be in what could be called a target rich environment.

It all seems quite interesting. Yes, a few fires do seem to have been lit during the Hapsburg liberation of the Franche Comte. Maybe scorched earth by defending forces during the retreat?

And Jacobites? They are beginning to feel like the ‘every men’ of LGDR conspiracies. Poor chaps do seem to get stitched up in G10.

I wonder what the Grand Wizzards view will be next month...

Kerensky wrote:

And Jacobites? They are beginning to feel like the ‘every men’ of LGDR conspiracies. Poor chaps do seem to get stitched up in G10.

But they make it so easy...I mean being in a French port when you shouldn't even be in country, so close to a ship that's carrying gifts that the ship you're on also blows up...they are either directionly-challenged and incredibly unlucky...or devious whatits up to lots of deviousness...

Jason2 wrote:

Kerensky wrote:

And Jacobites? They are beginning to feel like the ‘every men’ of LGDR conspiracies. Poor chaps do seem to get stitched up in G10.

But they make it so easy...I mean being in a French port when you shouldn't even be in country, so close to a ship that's carrying gifts that the ship you're on also blows up...they are either directionly-challenged and incredibly unlucky...or devious whatits up to lots of deviousness...

Would seem to have Doge of Genoa claw prints all over it..........when the fire works exploded did they form a flaming Dragon in the sky?

Jason2 wrote:

Kerensky wrote:And Jacobites? They are beginning to feel like the ‘every men’ of LGDR conspiracies. Poor chaps do seem to get stitched up in G10.

But they make it so easy...I mean being in a French port when you shouldn't even be in country, so close to a ship that's carrying gifts that the ship you're on also blows up...they are either directionly-challenged and incredibly unlucky...or devious whatits up to lots of deviousness...

Has there ever been a more misunderstood group than the Jacobites? After all, if (as some seem to believe) they are an ideal scapegoat for everything that is wrong with England in 1700, then given how often they are blamed there must be a huge list of things wrong with England in 1700. That does seem to suggest that there are plenty of reasons for people supporting the Jacobites at that time, for clearly the Williamite government must have been incompetent to provide those reasons.

Historically it is fair to say that they did have more than their fair share of bad luck, but to balance that they have so many more positive traits. They are the natural risk takers and swashbucklers of the period; however hopeless the odds they face, you'll find a Jacobite with some crackpot plan able to rally supporters and give it a go. That they may have landed up in the wrong port is just all part of the fun.

To understand a true Jacobite you really have to appreciate their spirit. Warden Hodges could only have been a Williamite, shouting "put that light out" and objecting to everything. By the same logic, Captain Mainwaring could only have been a Jacobite leading his band of brave, but determined men through the turbulent times they faced. They left the grand strategy to King James and it was never his fault when it went wrong - all they had to do was their bit, and they were going to do it with style.

If the Jacobites didn't exist, you'd have to invent them - you have to admit any game would be much poorer without them.

Stuart Bailey wrote:

Jason2 wrote:

Kerensky wrote:

And Jacobites? They are beginning to feel like the ‘every men’ of LGDR conspiracies. Poor chaps do seem to get stitched up in G10.

But they make it so easy...I mean being in a French port when you shouldn't even be in country, so close to a ship that's carrying gifts that the ship you're on also blows up...they are either directionly-challenged and incredibly unlucky...or devious whatits up to lots of deviousness...

Would seem to have Doge of Genoa claw prints all over it..........when the fire works exploded did they form a flaming Dragon in the sky?  

No, but I believe they briefly spelt out "all corsairs are barbary pirates"

Stuart Bailey wrote:

Jason2 wrote:

Kerensky wrote:

And Jacobites? They are beginning to feel like the ‘every men’ of LGDR conspiracies. Poor chaps do seem to get stitched up in G10.

But they make it so easy...I mean being in a French port when you shouldn't even be in country, so close to a ship that's carrying gifts that the ship you're on also blows up...they are either directionly-challenged and incredibly unlucky...or devious whatits up to lots of deviousness...

Would seem to have Doge of Genoa claw prints all over it..........when the fire works exploded did they form a flaming Dragon in the sky?  

Late reports have come in, that on detonation, the fireworks spelled out 'Grand Wizzy Wizzard Woz Ere'. We will await the latest from independent below the line sources to confirm the accuracy of these reports...

Mind you, all jokes aside, our man Jimmy Stuart was a house guest of the Duke of Savoy. Could it be the dreaded quadruple bluff in play?

I thought that after the French got rid of Jimmy Stuart to Italy on the grounds that the warmer air would be better for his health the Duke of Savoy passed him onto the Papacy (back in days when the Pope and the Duke were still speaking).

Fairly sure that at one stage the Pope was saying that if the Spanish did not stop messing around with bastards he was going to make the Crown of Spain a ward of Court or somthing like that and make Jimmy Stuart King of Spain (or was it Papal Viceroy?). Which I guess would solve the problem of spare Royals floating round Europe and Thrones with no one sitting on them.

A sort of Papal matchmaking service

Anyone know what the title of Chief Papal Matchmaker would be in Latin? And has the Doge of Genoa bought the office?