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Balkan hilarity!
 
Yes, but if Germany orders to Bur, you will have to give up a SC. England doing F Lon - Eng is less negative, and you can defend Bre with Gas or MAt (according to what Italy played). But overall a solid opening, waiting for other countries to start fighting and have a better picture.

Bur is the weak spot, but you can defend both Paris and Marseilles and just take one build that year assuming the English Channel DMZ isn't violated.

There's always a limit to how well an opening can play against a multi-front assault, so diplomacy is always in the mix.
 
Summer 1907 - The Young Turk Revolution

Fear and whispers snake through the winding streets of Constantinople. The City nursed on rumor the way a newborn sucking at his mother's teet, greedily, without thought of the future.

The Pasha of the Sublime Porte's talks with Austria and Italy had obviously collapsed. The Palace trumpeted the restoration of Ottoman suzereighty over Greece as a triumph and reversal of the last decade's ill-fortune, but the streets knew: Greece was a shorter lived victory than that of King Pyrhhus.

Despite the proud words issued from the Palace the Sultan Abdülhamid II, called the Sublime Khan, had been missing for weeks. His Grand Vizier the Frenchman Ferdi Pasha had sailed with the Aegean Fleet to personally oversee the conquest of Greece. Beneath the heavy dank air of the Bosphorus, unrest grew.

Under the oppressive heat of the particularly intense summer of 1907, rioting broke out along the docks of the Golden Horn. Sailors claiming their pay had been delayed, officials assuring them that it was a mere technical error that would be swiftly corrected by the War Ministry. The heat, the anger, and the fear that had kept the whole populace of Constantinople tense erupted in three days of rioting.

On the third day, a senior military official, Enver Pasha, a veteran of the Black Sea fleet who had served in Sevastopol and Bulgaria, approached the rioting sailors as well as the angry Constantinopolitans that had joined them. With personal charisma and the support of the Jön Türkler, they ended the rioting and looting and marched to the Topkapi Palace.

Arriving at the head of the largest military force in Constantinople, Enver Pasha knelt before the Imperial Gate, of the Gate of the Sultan.

To the surprise and awe of the angry mob, the guards turned aside and the great doors of the Palace swung outward, revealing a single elderly man standing alone -- Mehmed Reshad, brother of the Sultan Sultan Abdülmecid II.

Enver Pasha placed his forehead to the ground and spoke:

"Sultan, Padishah, Caliph of the Faithful, we beg you, restore to us the Government of the House of Osman, rid us of the interlopers, and bring back the glory of the Turks."

Within a few days, the Sultan Abdülmecid II had abdicated to his brother who reigned as Mehmed V. Enver Pasha was elevated to War Minister and Grand Vizier and the new Government was filled with Young Turks. Finally, an order was sent out demanding the capture and trial of M. de Montluzin-Sauzay, at the time in Salonica overseeing the Turkish military operations there.
 
Summer 1907 - The Salonican Purge

The Ferdi Pasha, as M. de Montluzin-Sauzay was known among the Turks, had taken residence in the Yedi Kule known as the Heptapyrgion in Byzantine times. The fortress allowed the Turkish High Command unparalleled views of the harbor and the surrounding lands as well as a cool retreat from the intense summer heat.

M. de M. had retired to his suite in the upper tower of the fortress where he had taken to listening to Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffman while gazing on Mount Olympus and ruminating on Turkish military and diplomatic strategy.

During on of these afternoons of seclusion his customary café au lait was late. He looked down on the street leading up to the acropolis where the fortress was seated and saw a growing crowd of Salonican Greeks and off-duty Turkish soldiers.

A loud banging disturbed his tranquil eyrie -- rough voices in Turkish demanding entry. M. de M. reached for the resolver he kept in his desk and opened the door.

A few hours later, Murad Bey marched into the chamber of the deposed Pasha, carrying the official warrant of arrest from the Palace. He recoiled from the stink. The hot air buzzed with flies. In the Pasha's chair, where he customarily drank his coffee and studied Olympus, lay a pale gaunt corpse pinned in place by long kitchen knives.

In short order the announcement went out. The Ferdi Pasha was dead. The head was sent back to Istanbul, the body tossed into the sea. The foreign interloper had been removed; the Young Turk Revolution was complete.
 
Summer 1907 - Capitulation

The purges complete, the Young Turk Government turned its attention to securing the border and protecting the Turkish people. Promises of a constitution would be delayed until the situation in the Mediterranean could be resolved. Until then the War Ministry and Enver Pasha would safe-guard the people and the Empire.

Two weeks after the Salonican Purge, an official declaration was issued from the Topkapi Palace, sent to all the Governments of Europe:

All hearken to the solemn decree of His Magnificence, Mehmed V, Padishah Sultan of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful, and Beloved Guardian of the People.

Ottoman Turkey bows our head to Adamisso, First of the Name, Great Emperor of the Romans, Sovereign of Italia, Gaul, Iberia, and the Lowlands.

We come with open hands to beg that he serve as suzereign of Turkey and that the Turkish peoples in Thrace and Anatolia may continue self-rule under the government of our choosing and the House of Osman. In matters foreign we beg the guidance and protection of the Great Empire of the Romans.

By the hand of Enver Pasha, War Minister and Grand Vizier
Endorsed by His Magnificence, Mehmed V, Padishah Sultan and Caliph of the Faithful

The Turkish envoys in Rome bearing the proclamation also indicated that should the Emperor desire, the skull of the French interloper could be produced for wine drinking.
 
So, all that talk of uniting against Italy... and I'm the only one actually doing something... while getting stabbed by UK?

Also, nice try, Italy. Too bad we already have you down as "extremely unreliable"...

Who talked about uniting against Italy. You keep comitting suicide, I will keep destroying Germanian influence wherever it remains.
 
Capitulate? How french of you. :p:D

Well, my first duty is towards the survival of Turkey, and my second is to her victory...

...also, the Young Turk Revolution happened only a year later in our timeline, so it seemed opportune.
 
The Russian Czar lets out an explosive sigh

"It would appear that the world is on the verge of bowing knee to the Italian. I find this to be highly disturbing, that they would give up the fight so easily.

I will do my best to force them back to the pit from which they came, but I fear that even the combined might of Germany and Russia will not be enough to contain the forces that have been unleashed."
 
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Yes, I guess the Balkan people are entirely oblivious to the rest of Europe, and will continue fighting until the green scum hits them...

Hey, I'd rather be "first among losers" than have both Russia and Turkey stab me *again* as soon as I've made sure they have a remote fighting chance against Italy.

Considering the "balance" of previous peace proposals and negotiations, it wouldn't trust either of them to hold a deal unless I offer them all my supply centers AND full command over my forces for the duration of their capture of my SCs.
 
All who stand by Germany will fall.
 
Hey, I'd rather be "first among losers" than have both Russia and Turkey stab me *again* as soon as I've made sure they have a remote fighting chance against Italy.

Considering the "balance" of previous peace proposals and negotiations, it wouldn't trust either of them to hold a deal unless I offer them all my supply centers AND full command over my forces for the duration of their capture of my SCs.

Oh, we might as well concede, then. For the record, first among losers doesn't give any Joeb-points. And let's not forget who supported Russia to Sev in the first place... :rolleyes:
 
Hey, I'd rather be "first among losers" than have both Russia and Turkey stab me *again* as soon as I've made sure they have a remote fighting chance against Italy.

Considering the "balance" of previous peace proposals and negotiations, it wouldn't trust either of them to hold a deal unless I offer them all my supply centers AND full command over my forces for the duration of their capture of my SCs.

I should point out that Russia has only betrayed the Austrians once, and once only, and now concedes that it was a mistake.
 
Hey, I'd rather be "first among losers" than have both Russia and Turkey stab me *again* as soon as I've made sure they have a remote fighting chance against Italy.

Considering the "balance" of previous peace proposals and negotiations, it wouldn't trust either of them to hold a deal unless I offer them all my supply centers AND full command over my forces for the duration of their capture of my SCs.

I believe I've kept my word with Austria...but memory failure seems to be endemic to the Adriatic nations.
 
Points of contention:-

Does russia & Germany concede?
does Turkey accept that Greece (not actually owned by turkey) will count towards an Austrian SC?

there can be no End Game without either of these being accepted.

It depresses the Emperor to think that they will have to chase around this german army like a dog out of its cage. Furthermore discussions will be had about the turks new position with our allies. Though for the record we see the concession as smart and honourable in the circumstances, Lepanto being a word im sure on the turkish mind.
 
Turkey gladly concedes Greece to Austria-Hungary if the Emperor of the Romans commands it. We had arranged a bounce with Austria-Hungary in Greece, and they chose not to honor the bounce or inform us of their change of heart. We have charitably assumed that they submitted their orders in error.

However, regarding End Game...the rules above state:

However, players can end the game by agreement before a winner is determined. In this case, all players who's Great Power still has units on the map share equally in a draw.

Which is how I've always played Diplomacy.