A Turkish Tale: Ottoman Sunset AAR (Complete)

[BanzaiCat]

On August 2, 1914, Germany and the Ottoman Empire secretly signed a treaty of alliance. The Sultan, the nominal commander in chief of Turkish military forces, however, did not endorse the treaty, and Djemal Pasha continued in the attempt to reach a treaty with France. Eventually, the confiscation of two Turkish battleships being built in Britain and the flight of the Goeben forced Turkey's hand.

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Ottoman Sunset is a State of Siege game by Victory Point Games. It is a solitaire simulation of the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Ottoman Empire during the Great War. I played this game recently, and spoke about it in an upcoming GrogCast. I had so much fun with it, in fact, I would love to do an AAR. Hopefully I can catch the various nuances of the game in this AAR without getting wiped completely off the map!

The map, with no counters:


The game is not necessarily played to win, but rather, played to NOT lose. The Ottoman Empire is initially beset by three Allied armies - the Caucasus Front (Russians), the Mesopotamia Front (British), and the Sinai Front (British). There are plenty of other threats on the horizon, though; there is also the Arab Front, the Salonika Front (in Greece, as the French), the Gallipoli Front (in Turkey, as the British), and finally, the Narrows. The Narrows can end the game in one turn if the British manage to run the gauntlet successfully!

The fronts on the map, at start:


Finally, there's a little matter of National Will. At game start, it begins at zero (0), but can fluctuate based on two events: one, the Central Powers winning or losing a major engagement on another front, or two, from the various army fronts on the board capturing Strategic Sites.

Off-map battles, such as Verdun or Jutland, occur as Events from card draws. The only way the Ottomans can influence these battles is by contributing Resources to a theater. There are three theaters - the Western, the Naval, and the Eastern. Every time the Central Powers win a battle, this increases the Ottoman's National Will by 1. Every time one is lost, this decreases it by 1. If there's a stalemate, the National Will does not move.

The Strategic Sites:


The National Will track:


So, the player wins this game by surviving through to the very last card draw. Each turn, a card is drawn, events carried out, fronts deployed/moved/removed, and Actions taken. I'll get more into that as the game goes on. The player loses automatically in one of three cases:

- the National Will reaches -3
- the British force the Narrows and capture Constantinople
- any Front advances into Constantinople

...so, I have my work cut out for me.

I will do my best to enhance this AAR with Photoshopping. I thought about doing each card, as this is a card-driven game, but that's a bit too much and I don't want to burn out halfway through as I have with some of my other AARs. I will, however, be as descriptive as possible.

Again, I hope this reaches the very end, or becomes as nail-biting as my first game...not as a complete failure as in my second game (when the British succeeded, barely, at running the Narrows).

I will play a few turns, do some graphics, and update this AAR as the game progresses. I hope you guys enjoy it, and hope it ends up being a good reflection on this excellent system.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 1
Card Draw: 07 "Turkish Minelaying"

In November, 1914, after the bombardment of Seddulbahir by the British Navy, the Turks began fortifying the vulnerable "Narrows" against Fleet action. The foundation of the Strait's defenses was a series of 10 minefields, containing a total of 370 mines. Unbeknownst to the Allies, on the night of March 8, 1915, the Turkish minelayer Nusret laid a line of mines in Eren Koy Bay.

First, I get to immediately place one Minefield marker for free, if available (there are two, and none have been placed, so yes). This is a great way to bolster the Narrows. I place it in one of the two Minefield boxes - it does not matter which one.

If this sector activates, the British have to force their way through the straights. On the map there are four points where they would have to roll to avoid taking a hit to their Fortitude. If their Fortitude takes too many hits and gets reduced to zero, their Narrows adventure fails. If they make it to the end, though, without being zero, they get to Constantinople and win the game.



This goes a long way to helping bolster against that 'quick win' the Allies can get.

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This card indicates the Arab and Caucasus Fronts need to move. Since the Arab Front does not exist yet (it has not yet been deployed), this part is ignored. The Caucasus Front, however, moves from the 5 space to the 4 space.



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Finally, the card indicates I can take two Actions.

Actions allow me to do any of the following:
- Conduct an Offensive (to try to push a Front back one space).
- Allocate Resources to a Theater (where one Resource gives a +1 DRM [die roll modifier] to a Battle in that Theater); however, it costs two Actions to do this.
- Redeploy the Intelligence Bureau (which helps for Coup attempts, but since it's not in the game yet, this is a waste).
- Place Turkish Defenses (either a Minefield or a Fortification in the Narrows).

Right now, the Caucasus Front would be very easy to push back; an Offensive against it would mean I'd need to roll a 3 or higher (note the '2' on the Caucasus Front's marker; a 1 or 2 would fail) to push it back one space. Better than even odds! But since I lost one game because of the Narrows and those pesky British with their super-ships, I'm going to spend both my Actions to fortify the Narrows.

I choose to place the other Minefield marker (1 Action) and then place a Fortification in Dardanos (1 Action).



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As our Central Powers buddies have not lost or won any major battles, and we have no Strategic Sites behind any Fronts, our National Will remains at a relatively stable '0.'

One card/turn down, dozens upon dozens to go! One hopes, anyway...

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 2
Card Draw: 01 "Intelligence Bureau of the East"

The Intelligence Bureau of the East (Nachrichtenstelle fur den Orient) was established at the start of the war to promote nationalist agitation against the British Empire. Headed by archeologist Baron Max von Oppenheim, the organization sent agents into India and Egypt in order to stir unrest and was also involved in subversive missions to Persia and Afghanistan.

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Interesting, because the only other time I drew this card was when the game was nearly over and two of the three British provinces (Persia, Afghanistan, and India) had already had Coup attempts. This card means I get to place the marker representing this power (and a +2 DRM to any Coup cards drawn) on any of the three areas I listed above. This move would cost 1 Action. Once moved, I could move it again, for a cost of 2 Actions. Since no Coups have happened yet, it is only a matter of time before one is drawn, and is a safe bet (unless the game ends prematurely of course) that I'll choose correctly. Whether I choose the one that actually Coups first, though... :-\ I'll have to wait until it's time to perform Actions if I choose to do that.

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The card orders me to advance the Mesopotamia Front, so it moves from the 5 space to the 4 space. This is the only Front to move for this card (thankfully).



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This card gives me one Action. It also gives me a +1 to all Offensives versus the Mesopotamia Front. Since they are tougher than the Caucasus Front, I'm going to conduct an Offensive against the Mesopotamia Front to take advantage of that sweet, sweet DRM. The Intelligence Bureau will have to wait for another turn.

Meanwhile I have the great yet nebulous and not-appearing-in-this-film Ottoman Army attack the Mesopotamia Front. Their Battle Value is 3, so I have to roll a 4, 5, or 6 on a 6-sided die to beat them back into square number 5. However, since the card gives me a +1 DRM, I only need a 3, 4, 5, or 6.

+1 = 6

The Sultan's glorious armies push back the Mesopotamia Front! Huzzah! HUZZAHHHH!!!!



Uhh...wait, what do you mean, there's more turns to play?

Oh, that's right. Two measly cards down...48 more to go.

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The National Will track does not budge as nothing has yet happened to move it. We're still in the war!

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 3
Card Draw: 09 "Armenian Volunteer Units"

Armenian volunteer units served in the Russian and British Armies during the First World War. The origins of these units varied from Armenians who escaped the Ottomans to Armenians who lived in areas under Tsarist control. Harsh treatment of Armenians within the Empire led many to resistance, which was used as an excuse for the genocide to follow.

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Despite the interesting description, there is no Event with this particular card.

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Advance:
The Arab Front advances, but as they do not exist yet, this does not happen.

Dashkov, leading the Caucasus Front, pushes further westwards to Van (space 3). They are now one space from the Strategic Site of Erzurum, so I'll likely have to take action against them this turn.

Finally, the Sinai Front under Murray have an Advance order to move from Suez (space 6) to El-Arish (space 5). However, the Sinai Front operates under limitations in this part of the map: thanks to the lack of potable water, an Advance order into spaces 5 or 4 have to make an Attrition Roll in order to complete the advance. There is an Event card that builds the "Sinai Pipeline," which provides enough water so that this is not an issue, but for now, it is. If the roll is equal to or less than Murray's Battle Value of 3, the Sinai Front may not move this turn.

...so the Sinai Front is unable to move forward this turn due to scorching heat and a lack of water.



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This card gives me two Actions.

I'm spending one of them to try to push back the Caucasus Front. As it's Battle Value is only 2, I need to roll a 3 or higher to push it back.

...so the Ottoman Army facing the Caucasus Front manage to push them back a space.

I'm going to use my second Action to invest in von Oppenheim's little Bureau venture, providing him with the logistics he needs to move his infrastructure to Afghanistan. Why Afghanistan? Why not? At this point it's a crapshoot when it comes to upcoming Coups...if they happen, that is.



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Our National Will remains at zero for the time being. We're surviving, but it's still early yet!

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 4
Card Draw: 19 "Senussi Revolt"

In November, 1915, Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi, the head of a religious sect of tribesmen in Libya, was encouraged to attack the British in Egypt. After seizing a few oases, British forces with South African aid expelled the Senussi from Egypt permanently by February, 1917.

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Retreat:
This card orders the Sinai Front to retreat a space. Since they're already in the 6 space, they don't go anywhere. This would have come in handy later in the game!

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Advance:

The Mesopotamia Front advances from Basra (space 5) to Ctesiphon (space 4).

The Gallipoli Front has an Advance order, but since Mr. Churchill's historically disastrous idea hasn't quite gelled yet and become a reality, there are no moves to make there.



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The Ottomans get two Actions from this card. Since the Caucasus and Mesopotamia Fronts are not immediate threats, and I really want to assist my Central Powers brethren, I'm going to spend both Actions on adding a Resource (and a +1 DRM) to the Western Theater.



This will make a difference when those very influential battles start happening. I can add up to two of these Resource markers to each Front, if I choose to.

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Our National Will remains a solid zero.

[BanzaiCat]

Thoughts? Feedback?

[bayonetbrant]

I linked this to the Ottoman Sunset thread at CSW
http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX/.1dd4e1b9/89

will also notify VPG O0

[BanzaiCat]

Sweet, thanks! :)

Admittedly, I love VPG. Their customer service is second to none. When I ordered Hapsburg Eclipse this past holiday season, my puppy chewed the bloody cover off of it. I wrote them to ask for a replacement cover...didn't expect to be able to get one without paying, which would be perfectly understandable given this was totally my fault. But they sent me one for free. I figure I owe them for that.  O0

[BanzaiCat]

Thanks to all for the shares, likes, and views! I'll get some more turns posted later tonight (probably around 8pm CST or so).

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 5
Card Draw: 12 "Gorlice Tarnow"

In May, 1915, a combined Austro-German offensive was launched against the Russian Empire, seeking to reclaim the last territories in Galica. The Central Powers' breakthrough led to a substantial loss of Russian-controlled territory and the capture of an estimated 140,000 prisoners.

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Event:

This card calls for me to conduct an Eastern Theater battle (as mentioned above, Gorlice Tarnow).

This is one of many battles fought by the Ottoman's Central Powers allies. Victory can mean a reinforcement of will to continue the fight; a defeat will be a drag on it and can help lead to the Empire seeking terms. Since this Eastern Theater battle is relatively easy - it's Battle Value is 2 - hopefully the Germans and Austrians will whip the Russians just as they did historically...

There are no DRMs as I have no Resources associated with the Eastern Theater, so it will just be a straight die roll...



The Germans and Austrians manage to defeat the Russian army, just as they did in history! This one will go into the 'Victories' box!



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Advance:

The Caucasus Front and the Sinai Front are ordered to advance by this card.

The Caucasus Front moves automatically, from space 4 (Sarikamish) to space 3 (Van). Again, the future Commie troublemakers are one space away from Erzurum, a Strategic Site. This is not acceptable.

The Sinai Front is still faced with the lack of water; however, I roll a 1, well less than their Battle Value of 3, so the jerks move from space 6 (Suez) to space 5 (El-Arish). They still have to make a roll to advance to the next space, so it's not all that bad. Yet.



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Actions: 3

With three actions, I can do some damage. Hmm...

First, I want to push back those weak Russians in the Caucasus Front. I roll a 2, and FAIL. Wait...FAIL?

Sigh.

Second, I want to push back those weak cowardly, hiding Russians in the Caucasus Front (because...yeah, because the terrain is all rough and all, and the Ottoman Army couldn't find them! That's the ticket!). I roll a 3. My Ottoman Army just kind of goes "meh" and gives the Russians a little shove, putting the Caucasus Front back to space 4. Then presumably they go back to sunning themselves on the shores of the Black Sea.

So I have one more Action. I can conduct another Offensive, or build another Fort in the Narrows. Since I've already moved the Intelligence Bureau for the East, moving it again would cost me two Actions instead of one (presumably the Germans give the five-fingered discount to Afghanistan and end up having a lot of souvenirs they'd need to move). And since the Narrows already have seven fortifications/minefields, I'll go ahead and have my army conduct another Offensive.

This time, I'm going to aim them at the Mesopotamia Front. While it would be funny to push the Sinai Front back a space, especially because they worked so damn hard to move just one space, the Mesopotamia Front is a threat to Baghdad if they move in the next turn. I roll a 3, which is a failure, apparently because the Ottoman Army out there is too distracted by...Mesopotamian stuff, I guess.



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The National Will actually advances by 1! I did not reflect that in the last screenshot, but I will in the next one on the following turn.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 6
Card Draw: 04 "Enver To The Front"

Enver Pasha was one of the "Young Turks" who took control of the Ottoman Empire through the CUP (Committee of Union and Progress). Insisting on taking personal command, Enver invaded the mountainous Caucasus region in the height of winter in December, 1914. The result was a resounding defeat for Ottoman Forces at the Battle of Sarikamish, involving over 50,000 casualties.

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Event:

There is no Event this turn. There are a few cards like this (obviously, as this is the second one I've drawn), which is both a relief and strangely, a disappointment at the same time.

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Advance:

Again, the Caucasus Front and the Sinai Front get marching orders.

The Caucasus Front moves from space 4 (Sarikamish) to space 3 (Van)...again. Notice a pattern? The Caucasus Front might be one of the weaker ones, but they are VERY active in this game. And, they can get stronger as the game goes on (this can happen to all Fronts, actually, depending on the luck 'o the card draw).

The Sinai Front has a chance to move from space 5 (El-Arish) to space 4 (Gaza-Beersheba). To do this, a die roll once again has to be less than their Battle Value.

I roll a 3. This is equal to their Battle Value, so the Sinai Front fails to move again, though just barely missing.



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This card gives me two Actions. However, it also limits me. In spirit of the card's description, I can only use these Actions to conduct Offensives against the Caucasus Front...which is fine. They need a little lesson in encroaching on Ottoman soil!

The Battle of Van (probably the third or fourth by now, I lose count; I imagine real estate in the area has dropped tremendously thanks to all these battles) results in a die roll of 4. They're forced back to Sarikamish!

Recall the flavor text, above...the battle was lost by OUR side, and rather splendidly too, apparently, at Sarikamish. Fortunately, in this retelling of history via the game, I roll a 6 and we manage to totally ravage Dashkov's troops, pushing them all the way back to space 5, Kars. HA!



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Our National Will remains at +1.

Just in case you were curious...you can see the National Will track goes to "5+." That's the limit; any values higher than 5 remain at 5. We do not automatically win the game if we get to that level. One can only assume lots of Sultan parties taking place across the lands and rabid nationalism sweeping many eager recruits into the armed services. Right now, 'my' people are only entertaining a partial grin and a shrug when it comes to Ottman fortunes, but that's better than storming the palace and beheading the leadership. (Note: that last bit isn't really a thing in the game, but it probably wouldn't be too far off the mark...)

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 7
Card Draw: 17 "Grand Duke Nicholas Takes Control"

In September, 1915, Grand Duke Nicholas, the grandson of Tsar Nicholas I, who had been removed as Commander-in-Chief on the Eastern Front, took the helm of the Caucasus operations. While his able subordinate, Nikolai Yudenich, was nominally in charge, Grand Duke Nicholas ran strategic affairs until the Provisional Government took over Russia in February, 1918.

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Event:

So, with Grand Duke Nicholas taking over, the Caucasus Front becomes a little harder to handle, with an increased Battle Value of 3. This will make Offensives a little more difficult, though far from impossible. As much as the game system likes to move this Front, though...

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Advance:

Three Fronts are ordered to advance by this card.

The Mesopotamia Front moves from space 4 (Ctesiphon) to space 3 (Kut)...one space from Baghdad.

The Gallipoli Front is ordered to move, but that's somewhat difficult as it does not exist quite yet, so this Advance order is ignored.

For the first time, the Sailonka Front is ordered to move, but like the Gallipoli Front, it is merely a dream, and remains as substantial. Only the Mesopotamia Front therefore makes a move this Turn.



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Actions:

This Card gives me three Actions. Thank goodness, because the Mesopotamia Front is in need of a little attention. I really would like to add another +1 DRM to another Theater, but with a two Action cost, my one offensive against Townshend's troops in Kut will have to be successful. With a Battle Value of 3, it's a 50/50 shot at success.

I roll a 6. What, me worry?

The Mesopotamia Front suffers a setback and all gains they get this Turn evaporate quickly. They're pushed back to Ctesiphon.

I'm also going to go ahead and spend my remaining two Actions to add a +1 DRM to...well, that's something of a toss up. There's four battles remaining in the Eastern Theater, three in the Western Theater, and two in the Naval Theater. The Naval Theater is by far the most difficult to win, while the Eastern is somewhat easiest of the three. Do I add a DRM to the more difficult theater, or add it to the easiest to ensure a victory?

There's no sure thing with anything, but a DRM modifier will come in handy, big time, in the Naval Theater. I have the Ottomans send resources to our Central Powers allies, in the form of...something awfully naval-like.



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National Will remains at a somewhat smug +1. Better than the negatives.

So far, we've managed to survive seven Turns, and managed it with quite a bit of luck. I've expected to get the Mid-Day Deck card, which orders those cards to be shuffled in with the Morning Deck I've been drawing from. Those make life much more difficult for the Ottomans. Thus far we've managed to build up some good defenses in the Narrows, and managed to hold back two uppity fronts, with a third one more or less stymying itself more than anything.

But, none of that will last forever. We've actually had it kind of easy so far. Things will NOT remain this way.

I hope I didn't just ruin it by typing all that...

[BanzaiCat]

My AAR posting might slow down/stop for the next couple of weeks. It's going to be a busy week at work, then with editing a couple of GrogCasts, and then some organizing and packing as the wife and I are headed off on a cruise ship this coming Saturday morning and will be gone for a week.

If I don't get more Ottoman Sunset posts in, they will definitely resume the second week of April. :)

[BanzaiCat]

Finally! After a two-week hiatus (vacation and work stuff kept me at bay), we're back! :)

Turn 8
Card Draw: 18 "Bulgaria Joins the Central Powers"


Bulgaria entered the war on behalf of the Central Powers in October of 1915, lured by German promises to restore their prior borders. Although Bulgarian forces won victories against Serbia and Romania and occupied much of Macedonia, the war soon became unpopular due to economic hardship and dislike of fighting as allies with Muslims, against fellow Eastern Orthodox Christians. In September, 1918, when a multinational Allied force broke through on the Salonika Front, the Bulgarians sued for peace.

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Event:

No Event this turn. (Whew.)

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Advance:

Both the Mesopotamia Front and the Sinai Front are ordered to advance. As the Sinai Front needs a 2 or less to advance in the parched deserts along their path of advance, rolling a 3 (which I did) means they are stuck in El-Arish for the time being. However, the Mesopotamia Front advances to Kut. Again.



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Actions: 1

This Card only gives me one Action. As the Mesopotamia Front is doing its swing of the pendulum, I am going to spend it trying to push them back. Again.

I roll a 5, which puts Townshend once again back to space 4 (Ctesiphon). Things happened in this turn juuuust as they did in the last, which is very unusual for this game.



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The situation remains a solid...well, the same. I'm surprised that there isn't more flux in the game, and now that I've said that, I'm probably totally screwed. As soon as I draw the card that adds the mid-day deck, things are going to get a lot more interesting. I guess I can't complain - I'm not losing!

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 9

Card Draw: 05 "Ghadar Conspiracy"

Early in the war, the Germans attempted to foment revolution in British India. Working with radical nationalists in the country, the Ghadar party in North America, and the Indian independence committee in Germany, a plot for a large-scale mutiny of Indian troops in February 1915 was launched. The plan failed miserably, as British intelligence had successfully infiltrated.

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Event:

Coup in India.



A Coup means I roll a die and hope to exceed the number on the counter. As you can see, it's a 5, so only a 6 is going to win the day. My Intelligence Bureau for the East marker is unfortunately in Afghanistan, so the +2 DRM I was talking about earlier in this AAR does not apply here.

Further unfortunately, I roll a 2, which means the Coup in India fails about as miserably as it did historically. Ah, well.

Had it succeeded, the marker would have gone into my Victories section, but as it failed, it (fortunately) goes nowhere else.

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Advance

The Card calls for three Fronts to advance.

The Arab Front...will not, as it has not entered the board yet. (Yay! It's the little things in this game...)

The Gallipoli Front...also will not, as it has not entered play yet, either. So far, so good...

The Caucasus Front (I knew they've been too quiet for too long!) will, however, advance. They're way back in space 5 (Kars), and move to space 4 (Sarikamish).



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Actions: 2

As none of the Fronts are really a big danger right now, I'm going to spend both actions to invest resources in the Eastern Theater, giving me a +1 DRM to any future battles rolled there. For now, I have a +1 DRM in each of the three Theaters, giving me a decent coverage. I can add one more DRM per Theater if I want to later, but that's the limit.



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National Will remains at +1, and this far into the game, I can't really hope for a better result (well, I can of course, but considering how much worse it COULD be...)