You just stay out of my colonies, haven't you got enough already?! :O:

I'm just annoyed I couldn't grab Egypt yet...then again, Cecil Rhodes is still a kid so the Cape to Cairo plan is a bit premature.

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...-03-22-139.jpg

:har: :yeah: That's pretty much spot on. :yep:

I shudder when I think of the mayhem herr Mustache will unleash on Europe.

The game is going to get fuuuuuuuuuun :D

The scutlebutt is that a new player has joined the fray :03:

http://i.imgur.com/Mqih9F6.jpg?1

http://www.effedieffe.com/images/sto...o_emanuele.jpg

---

The Savoyard Royal Court first thought that the news of Cavour and Victorio Emmanuel II finally emerging from their drunken revel was an April Fool's joke, but apparently the Kingdom will once again be put under some sort of governance.

After spending the past three years drinking their kingdom's fine wines and decking themselves with bling, a groggy Camillo and Victorio finally popped from their "man cave" and ordered something for their headaches. When an aid responded that there is nothing to be found, the King shouted back: "Then go get me some coffee from Africa, you fool!" His order became the basis for Italian colonial ambition in the Horn of Africa.

Their second order to business was to get some more stuff to drown/crown their sorrows in/with. After they were informed that the stocks are low, Cavour ordered a complete re-examination of Piedmont's industrial and commerce policy, ensuring that there was plenty of everything, while shutting down those industries that contributed little to the economy. In his enthusiasm, he also halved all national taxes, after one of his buddy industrialists complained that they have no money to produce more "party essentials". The King even decided to try and stop child labour. Thus was born future Italy's economic policy.

Realising that they need to sell what little they had to improve their "prestige", Cavour send out every diplomat they had to neighbouring countries to improve relations (and hopefully get a nice trade agreement in the process).

Some in the diplomatic circles even spoke of a future Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Italian states, but those are nothing but vicious rumours spread around by Austrian agents, Hell bent on delegating Savoy to the dustbin of history.

---

I hope that my writing somewhat matches the less serious style espoused by the players of The Great Game. I will also be preparing a short tutorial on the management of your national economies (with an embargo on Austrian students) in the next few days.

:D Great start.

Tutorials are always welcome (some of us think that we have the slightest idea what we're doing:haha:) and someone clean up the spilled drink and glass Austria just dropped or this floor will get sticky.

As for styles I tend to be a bit full of myself when I have something report from within the game in the most Prussian way I can imagine you know pompous, knowing it better and a lot of self importance. At least I try to make it sound like that but still have to get used to writing AAR reports especially flavouring it up with a bit of a tongue in cheek way of an approach.

Bah, we Austrians drink first and then drop glasses to the floor :smug:

Good Teran and Refosk is not something we waste

And welcome to the fray Respenus :up:
And don't worry, I'm here to play the game, no grudges will be held if Austria gets steamrolled (this game is so historic I'll loose Milano even if I burn Turin to the ground)

Africa?

http://www.thinkbluela.com/wp-conten...09/Lawn-01.jpg

It's bad enough I've got baguettes and sauerkraut ruining my tea-time without pasta being added into the mix! :O::O::O:

But yes, welcome to the game, just watch out for those French, I swear they're plotting something... :hmmm:

Today I almost became the shortest reigning monarch in Italian history. After serving me dutifully and without fail for almost 5 years and 25.000 hours, my laptop's graphics card went kaput. After troubleshooting for 6 hours and trying to get it back up and running, I could only come to the conclusion that it has failed.

Fortunately, the laptop comes with an Intel integrated graphics processor and that one is luckily still in working order. While not great for general gaming, it can run 2D games (which I prefer) and with PoN working, I can continue with the game. But damn, this was too close for my liking. For some people, it is their motherboard or their CPU that fails, for me, it has always been graphic cards or fans.

Well, enough moaning, I have an empire to carve out :O:

Take the pasta out of the cooling fan. :nope:

Early May was always a pleasant month in Vienna. The capital of an Empire was never neglected. Streets were swept, parks were green and every house had flowers blooming on window sills. But something was in the air. A silent tension, un-noticed by the average city dweller or visitor.

Hans Prozwan, the Vienna station master noticed it. He noticed everything. He worked his entire life in the gateway of Vienna. Before the railroad he was an experienced coach master and as soon as the iron horse got its place in the Empire, he was personaly picked to run the station. He knows every arrival and departure of anyone worth noting. And the last few days caught his attention.
Every commander in the Empire arrived in the capital. Nothin new there. Von Hess has his wife in Vienna, Radetzky had frequent rummy games with fellow noblemen and war games were at least twice a year. But the lack of pomp gave it away that something was different this year.

The Habsburgs were full of themselves and anyone favoured by the crown never arrived without a kings welcome. Nearly cost Colonel von Augsperk his marriage when a 30 men march band avaited him when he visited his mistress. Radetzky, the hero of Novara arrived with only a guard detachment in plain clothes to greet him. Hans also had a small talent. He knew how to read people. He knew that the 20 men that boarded the special train to Venice were diplomats. He knew that they were given instructions by the Emperor Himself. He knew that they werent on a delegation they would not enjoy.

Cold chills went down his spine. He remembered a similar tension he witnesed as a young porter nearly 50 years ago. The silent arrival of generals, the dashing of diplomats and less than a year later, the French marched in.