A Turkish Tale: Ottoman Sunset AAR (Complete)

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 19
Card Draw: 31 "The Somme"
-----
Between July and November, 1916, the British and French Allies launched a major offensive against the Germans on the WEstern Front. The campaign resulted in a massive loss of life and only translated into the conquest of 6 miles of German-held territory. On July 1, 1916, alone, the British Army sustained 60,000 casualties. The campaign, however, did feature the first use of tanks.
-----
Event:
Conduct this Western Theater battle.
And so, we've come to another external battle. Normally this might not be too bad, but the durn War Weariness modifier nullifies my Resources investment DRM of +1. This Somme marker has a Battle Value of 3, so let's see what disasters the die has in store for me this time!

Huh, I rolled a '5.' I guess the die likes the Germans more than the Ottomans. But in any case, the Somme ends up costing the Allies dearly and the Germans give them a terrifically bloody nose. This marker goes into the "Victories" area of the map.


-----
Advance:
The Gallipoli Front moves to Chunuk Bair, which happens to be a Strategic Site. There goes any advantage I get from the Somme victory.

The Salonika Front moves too, but as it is not on the board, it goes nowhere. Thank goodness for small favors. So far, anyway.


-----
Actions: 1
(Sigh) Only one Action means I have to go for the easiest possible victory. I want to kick Allenby out of space 3 on the Sinai track, but also, there's Hamilton on the Gallipoli track too. Since the Gallipoli Front's Battle Value is 2, I'm going to have to spend my one Action on beating him back. Or trying. Boy, this will be embarrassing if it fails.

A '6.' Just when I think I want to melt this die into a lump of charred plastic, it pulls stunts like this. The Gallipoli Front is pushed back and out of the Strategic Site.


-----
National Will: +1
Three Off-Map Victories = +3
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
Strategic Sites Occupied = 1 (-1 to National Will)
Total National Will: 1

I'm still managing to hold on to a positive National Will despite some looming threats. Several Fronts are just one step from Strategic Sites, and a heartfelt push by any of them will put the Ottomans into some deep poop and pretty quickly, since they all pretty much border Strategic Sites. And the way I've been rolling on my offensives, the game might end within a few turns at this point. Stick around, let's find out for sure.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 20
Card Draw: 20 "Landings at Salonika"
-----
In October of 1915, Allied forces landed in Salonika in Northern Greece in an attempt to forestall the conquest of Serbia. While the new front failed in that respect, it remained an active front for the remainder of the war. This was extremely awkward at first, as the King of Greece, Constantine, was very pro-German, while his Prime Minister, Venizelos, was pro-British.
-----
Event:
Place the Sarrail (2) Salonika unit on the 4 space of its track.
Oh, greeeeeat! Welcome to the party, Frenchies!



Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
-----
Advance:
The Caucasus Front gets marching orders, and they move into space 2 (Erzurum). Yet another Strategic Site falls to the Allies.

As you can no doubt see at this point, things can dogpile quickly on you. You're like a juggler starting with one ball, then two, and then eventually, all of 'em.


-----
Actions: 1
One Action. There's two immediate threats - the Caucasus Front on a Strategic Site, and the Sinai Front on a Strategic Site. One's Battle Value is a bit less than the other's, which should be a deciding factor, but I keep thinking I need to go after the Sinai Front just on general principle.

So that's what I'll do. The Russians will be easier to deal with later. Hopefully when I draw a card that gives me more than one Action, anyway.

I roll a '6.' My luck stays with me this turn, and the Sinai Front gets dealt a defeat that they're not quite accustomed to yet.


-----
National Will: +1
Three Off-Map Victories = +3
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
Strategic Sites Occupied = 1 (-1 to National Will)
Total National Will: 1

Six of one, half dozen of another. Win in one place, they advance in another. Part of the tremendous fun in Ottoman Sunset (or any State of Siege game they make, actually) is in the tenseness of juggling limited resources and staving off utter defeat as it continually presses in on you.

Strangely, I feel as if I should be losing a lot worse than I am; the National Will of +1 is rather good so far. At least, it is right at this moment, before I have flipped the next Event Card to see what calamity or Godsend comes our way.

[BanzaiCat]

That's it for today. I might post another turn or two tomorrow, though. Thanks for reading and putting up with my errors in the game thus far.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 21
Card Draw: 15 "Armenian Massacres"
-----
On the night of April 24, 1915, the Turkish government placed under arrest 200 Armenian community leaders in Constantinople. Thereafter, the Turks began a massive systematic program of extermination, initially couched in terms of deportation, but in reality including mass executions, and death marches in the Syrian Desert making [this the] first genocide in the 20th century.
-----
Event:
No Event this turn, despite the horrors mentioned above.
-----
Advance:
Gallipoli Front moves from space 3 (ANZAC Cove) to space 2 (Chunuk Bay), a Strategic Site.
Salonika Front moves from space 4 (Salonika) to space 3 (Monastir).
Sinai Front moves from space 4 (Beersheba) to space 3 (Jerusalem), a Strategic Site.

In one turn, the Allies have occupied two of my Strategic Sites. Not good.


-----
Actions: 3
No Offensives vs. Caucasus this turn.
Well, at least I get three Actions. Not being able to push the Russians out of space 2 (Erzurum) is kind of a pain, so let's see how well I can fare against the Sinai Front and the Gallipoli Front.

I'm going to kick this off with an offensive against the Gallipoli Front. Might as well start with the easiest of the two. I roll a 4, which succeeds in pushing Hamilton's Aussies back down a bit, out of the Strategic Site. One down, one to go.

That leaves me with two Actions. The next one, I will spend on trying to force the Sinai Front back. I roll a '6' - success! Things are going well. I've managed to defeat two of three advances this turn so far.

With my last Action, I could try my hand at any number of Fronts, though my choice of all of them would be the Russians. Thanks to this card, though, I cannot do that. I'm instead going to push back against the Gallipoli Front again. This time I roll a '1' and fail miserably against a weak front. Figures. Could be worse I guess, especially since I've nullified both Strategic Site occupations. (Whew.)


-----
National Will: +1
Three Off-Map Victories = +3
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
Strategic Sites Occupied = 1 (-1 to National Will)
Total National Will: 1

That could have gone much worse and put me into a -1 National Will, had either of the two offensives that succeeded, failed. I'm still hanging on.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 22
Card Draw: "Italy Joins the War"
-----
On May 23, 1915, lured by Allied promises, the Italians entered the war against their former allies. Shortly thereafter and lasting into the Fall, the poorly prepared Italians launched the First Battle of the Isonzo, hoping to seize the town of Gorizia. While the Italians outnumbered the Austrians by more than 2 to 1, the offensive was a complete failure, which inspired the Austrians to attack.
-----
Event:
Conduct this Eastern Theater Battle.



Well, another Battle appears, and here's another chance to either help or hinder my National Will. The Battle Value on this one is 3, and with no DRMs, it will be a straight die roll.

I get a '5' so history repeats itself and the Italians fail miserably against the Austrians. Another Victory!



So let's see what happens to try to mess that up...
-----
Advance:
Arab Front advances, but doesn't exist, so that doesn't happen.
Salonika Front advances from space 3 (Monastir) to space 2 (Lake Doiran), which is also a Strategic Site.


-----
Actions: 2
I have a chance now to push two Fronts back, and they should be (operative term: "should") be easy to do. At least, the odds should be in my favor. We shall see.

For my first Action, I'm spending it to conduct an offensive against the Salonika Front. I roll a '4' so it goes back to space 3 (Monastir). That's right, that's what you get, Frenchies!

For my last Action, I'm going up against the Caucasus Front. (I sure hope this works, it's been a while since the Russians have gotten a butt-kicking.) I needn't worry as I roll a '6,' pushing them out of the Strategic Site of Erzurum (space 2) into space 3 (Van).


-----
National Will: +3
Four Off-Map Victories = +4
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
No Strategic Sites Occupied = 0
Total National Will: 3

This was a great turn, but the +3 National Will I've attained can easily be brought down as each of the five Fronts on the map are all one space away from a Strategic Site. It doesn't matter which of them moves in the next turn, because they WILL occupy at least one of them, which will end up being the focal point of my Actions on the next turn, no doubt.

Still...the Ottomans are doing well at this point.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 23
Card Draw: "Sinai Pipeline"
-----
British operations into the Sinai were continually hampered by difficulties with transport and supply. In 1916, the British made considerable efforts to construct a rail line and water pipeline to facilitate an advance into Palestine. After building up supplies for an offensive at the end of the year, on January 8, 1917, British forces succeeded in capturing the Gazan town of Rafah.
-----
Event:
Well, THIS is a rather eventful card...

First, I'm instructed to shuffle the Dusk deck into the draw pile. (So, my screwups from earlier are a bit lessened now.)

Next, the Arab Front activates, and I place the Faisal Hussein marker (with a Battle Value of 2) into space 6 (Jidda) of the Arab Front track.

And lastly, the Pipeline Complete marker is placed in its Sinai holding box.

So now, this means that ALL Fronts that are drawn from this point forward will get to act; there will be no more "this doesn't exist so I ignore it." I knew this would be coming eventually, but it still makes the game a bit more challenging.


-----
Advance:
Gallipoli Front advances from ANZAC Cove to Chunuk Bay, a Strategic Site.
Salonika Front advances from Monastir to Lake Dolran, a Strategic Site.


-----
Actions: 1
Well, those advances wouldn't be too bad as they're both weak Fronts, but this card only gives me ONE action.

I'm going to go ahead and spend it to conduct an offensive against the Gallipoli Front. Unfortunately, I roll a '2,' which is unfortunately not enough to win; the odds are against my Ottomans and the Aussies hold on to Chunuk Bay.

Nothing changes on the game board, unfortunately.
-----
National Will: +1
Four Off-Map Victories = +4
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
Two Strategic Sites Occupied = -2
Total National Will: 1

Like I said at the end of the previous turn, that +3 National Will wouldn't last long. I never would have imagined I'd fail against a Front that has a Battle Value of 2, even though goodness knows I've done it several times before! Shows you exactly what you get for assuming your Ottoman forces are good enough to push the Allies back; the die roll will often reflect a success where a failure was expected, and vice versa. We're still in the positives, but the next card's advances will probably put me further into the hole, so I'll need something with a lot of Actions, and quickly.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 24
Card Draw: 33 "Yudenich Named Commander-in-Chief"
-----
Although Grand Duke Nicholas gave General Nikolai Yudenich a free hand in running the Caucasus campaign, after the Russian Revolution of February of 1917, Yudenich was officially named as Commander-in-Chief. By May of 1917, however, he was dismissed for insubordination. He later became a powerful figure in the ensuing Russian Civil War.
-----
Event:
If in play, replace the Caucasus Front with its Yudenich unit.

This means that the Grand Duke counter with a Battle Value of 3 is replaced by the Yudenich unit, with a Battle Value of 4. Wonderful; the Russians just got a bit more uppity.
-----
Advance:
Arab Front moves from space 6 (Jidda) to space 5 (Hejaz Railroad).
Mesopotamia Front moves from space 3 (Kut) to space 2 (Baghdad), a Strategic Space.

Only one Strategic Space lost this turn. Not bad. Not great, but not disastrous.


-----
Actions: 2

I'm going to spend my first Action conducting an offensive against the Mesopotamia Front. It's Battle Value is 3, and I roll a '4,' so it goes back to Kut. Yes!

Now that the Baghdad Strategic Site is out of the woods, I'm going to spend my other Action to push back the Salonika Front in Greece. It has a Battle Value of 2, so my roll of '4' is more than enough to send them back to Monastir. Another Strategic Site liberated for the Ottomans!


-----
National Will: +2
Four Off-Map Victories = +4
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
One Strategic Sites Occupied = -1
Total National Will: 2

That was a pretty good turn of events (pun intended, MetalDog). Back up to +2 in the National Will area is a good thing, but again, we don't have any breathing room as each Front (except the Arabs) are next door to a Strategic Site. And with the increase in the Caucasus Front's Battle Value, they just became that much harder to defeat. The Gallipoli Front will be (relatively) easy to push back when the time comes (I hope, anyway).

Dammit, I keep calling them Strategic Spaces. They're Strategic Sites. You know what I mean.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 25
Card Draw: 44 "Balfour Declaration"
-----
Seeking to curry favor with Jewish Zionists and reward Chaim Weitzman, the British inventor of synthetic acetone for explosives, Lord Balfour, British Foreign Minister, announced on November 2, 1917, that "His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." Ultimately, this was to become the modern State of Israel.
-----
Event:
None this turn.
-----
Advance:
Arab Front advances to space 4 (Aquaba). They just keep on truckin' across the desert.
Gallipoli Front advances to space 1 (Anafartalar Range). Not good. Now they're next door to Constantinople. Not to mention it would take two successful offensives to push them back past the Strategic Site of Chunuk Bay. (Hey, I called it "site" this time!)
Mesopotamia Front advances to space 2 (Baghdad), a Strategic Site.


-----
Actions: 2
+1 to all Offensives vs. Sinai
That's a pretty tempting thing, to go after Sinai, but I have a big issue with the Gallipoli Front right now. It needs to be pushed back or my game will be over on the next turn, if they advance again. I roll a '2,' so they go nowhere.

I don't have much choice but to try again against them. This time I roll a '5,' so they're pushed back into space 2, Chunuk Bair.

That hurt. But at least the immediate threat is gone.


-----
National Will: +1
Four Off-Map Victories = +4
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
Two Strategic Sites Occupied = -2
Total National Will: 1

It's starting to feel like the Ottomans are sinking more than they are advancing; the Fronts are relentlessly pushing in, but we're still managing to hang in there, staving off enemies from conquering Constantinople. I can only hope we continue to succeed.

With 49 cards in the game, we're past the halfway point now, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Hopefully I can push a bit further and survive to the end!

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 26
Card Draw: 34 "Yildirim (Thunderbolt)"
-----
On March 11, 1917, after the fall of Baghdad, the Ottoman Turks assembled an Army Group called Yildirim in order to recover the city. After setbacks in Palestine, the force was redeployed to shore up defenses there. Originally commanded by German General Erich von Falkenhayn, after his unpopular position on retreat, he was replaced by General Liman von Sanders.
-----
Event:
Place the three Yildirim markers in their Holding Box. They are now available to use.

These markers are VERY useful. If a card calls for the advance of either the Sinai or Mesopotamia Fronts, I can spend one of these tokens to negate its advance. The rules are not very clear on if I can negate both, if both advance, but I'm going to assume it is allowed.


-----
Advance:
Caucasus Front advances to space 2 (Erzurum), a Strategic Site.
Salonika Front advances to space 2 (Lake Dolran), a Strategic Site.

Both of these are manageable, if I get enough Actions this turn.


-----
Actions: 1
Of course, I don't get enough Actions.

I am going to spend my Action going after the tougher of the two Fronts, namely, the Caucasus Front. I roll a '6,' so thank goodness, they're pushed back to space 3 (Van).


-----
National Will: 0
Four Off-Map Victories = +4
One Off-Map Defeat = -1
Three Strategic Sites Occupied = -3
Total National Will: 0

Okay, things are getting measurably worse now that I'm at a zero for National Will. I have no breathing room anywhere except for the Arab Front, so I'm going to have to wait and hope for an Arab Front advance in the next card draw. Otherwise I'm going to start looking at a hole that's just getting deeper and deeper with no chance of getting out of it.

I can also hope for a Mesopotamia or Sinai Front advance, as I have those Yildirim markers. Heh-heh-heh.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 27
Card Draw: 28 "Jutland"
-----
German policy for many years before the Great War was to build and maintain a "threat fleet" that could hamper British Naval hegemony. The problem with this policy was, in order to maintain the threat, the Germans were reticent to deploy their fleet. On May 31, 1916, the Germans overcame their inertia and engaged in battle with the British off the coast of Denmark.
-----
Event:
Conduct this Naval Theater battle.



This is obviously one of the tougher Theater Battles to deal with. The Battle Value of this marker is 5, which makes a victory a miracle. I'm almost afraid to roll the die on this one.

And with good reason. I roll a '1,' so this becomes a complete and utter German rout. The British sink most of the German Navy in this engagement, ensuring their dominance of the surface ocean for the rest of the war.

Boom, one more for the Defeats box. Sigh.


-----
Advance:
Gallipoli Front advances to space 1 (Anafartalar Range).
Mesopotamia Front advances to space 1 (Mosul). BUT NO THEY DON'T. I spend one of my Yildirim markers to make sure there ain't none of that happenin' here!
The Salonika Front also advances, to space 1 (Adrianopole).

This is definitely not good. Both the Gallipoli and the Salonika Fronts are poised at the gates of Constantinople. I will have to spend all available Actions to try to push them back!


-----
Actions: 2
Looks like I get just the right number of Actions to push back both of these Fronts. If either of these offensives fail, I'm at the mercy of the cards and could lose in the next game turn.

I spend my first Action to launch an offensive against the Salonika Front. I roll a '2.' The Frenchies aren't going anywhere. :(

Now, I can either choose to try again or go up against the Gallipoli Front. It's pretty much hit or miss at this point and who knows what the next card draw is. So I'll stick with my original plan and spend my other Action conducting an offensive against the Gallipoli Front. I get a '5,' so they're pushed back.

If I draw a Salonika Front advance on the next turn, it's game over, man.


-----
National Will: -1
Four Off-Map Victories = +4
Two Off-Map Defeats = -2
Three Strategic Sites Occupied = -3
Total National Will: -1

Back in the negative numbers again after so long in the positives. Things are looking bleak for the Ottomans and we might lose the game on the next turn.

Let's find out...

I haven't been moving the National Will marker in the above images. I'll try to watch that in the future. If there IS a future.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 28
Card Draw: 42 "Hoffman Offensive"
-----
In Mid-1917, General Max Hoffmann requested additional German forces from the Western Front in order to knock Russia out of the war. When six divisions were sent to him, he launched a major offensive, which captured Riga within a fortnight, and sent Russian troops and the Provisional Russian Government reeling.
-----
Event:
Conduct this Eastern Theater Battle.



Here's something of a 'gimme.' The Battle Value is 2, so this SHOULD end up as a victory for the Ottomans and a tiny bit more breathing room on the National Will track...

...right?

I roll a '2.' So it's a Stalemate. Neither a win nor a loss, so it doesn't count against my National Will. I guess that's something. Not so good for the Germans, though.


-----
Advance:
Arab Front advances to space 3, Tafilah.
Sinai Front advances to space 3, Jerusalem, except no they di-int, because I spend another Yildirim marker to stop those hijinks of theirs.


-----
Actions: 3
+1 to all Offensives vs. Caucasus
A decent bonus, but I have bigger things to worry about...at least to address first.

First, I spend one Action to fight back the Salonika Front. I roll another '2' and the French prove rather dogged in their defense, so they don't budge.

I'm forced to spend another Action to try again, and this time I roll a '4,' so they're FINALLY pushed back after two failures.

So who's next? I'm going to go after the Gallipoli Front. I roll a '6' which is more than enough to push them back to space 3 (ANZAC Cove), and out of the Strategic Site they occupied.


-----
National Will: 0
Four Off-Map Victories = +4
Two Off-Map Defeats = -2
Two Strategic Sites Occupied = -2
Total National Will: 0

This turn was a definite turn-around, but how long that lasts depends on the next card draw. Not drawing a Salonika Front advance saved our butts, quite frankly. And two of three successful offensives isn't too bad, though it smarted to lose yet another offensive die roll to a Battle Value of 2, but that's the way the game goes.

[BanzaiCat]

FYI, I started a thread asking for help in figuring out my next AAR:

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=13727.0

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 29
Card Draw: 46 "Kaiserschlacht!"
-----
The 1918 Kaiserschlacht Offensive (Kaiser's Battle) was the last major effort of the Central Powers to win the war. Realizing that war weariness had set in and that fresh American forces were arriving en masse, General Ludendorff committed his final reserves and infiltration forces from the Eastern Front. While the campaign was initially successful, by July it petered out.
-----
Event:
Place the Kaiserschlacht marker on the map. Conduct this Phase each turn from now on.

Oh, $@!+.

This can be...a problem. The Kaiserschlact (or, Kaiser's Battle) was exactly as the description said. With thousands of German troops released from the Eastern Front after victory there, they were thrown into the Western Front in the hopes of bringing the war to a swift end. In game terms, this means there are now six battles to fight on the Western Front. A new phase has been entered into the game where I need to resolve one Kaiserschalct battle each turn. Once all six battles are fought and placed in the appropriate box (Victory, Defeat, or Stalemate), I have to roll to re-fight another one, so each turn, this happens until the end of the game.

Since National Will is zero, losing too many of these battles might end the game in a few turns. Of course, the game could still end by an advance into Constantinople, and right now, the only way I could positively influence the Western Front Kaiserschlacts is by spending two Actions to add another DRM to it, giving me a +1 to my die rolls. I might do that, but something tells me I'm going to need all my actions now just to try to keep the Allies at bay.


-----
Advance:
Caucasus Front advances to space 2 (Erzurum), a Strategic Site.
Mesopotamia Front advances to space 1 (Mosul), another Strategic Site.

I could use one of my Yildirim markers to keep the Mesopotamia Front at bay, but I'll save it for when I might really need it. (Hopefully I won't.) There's another reason I am holding off, as you will see in a moment.


-----
Actions: 4
+1 to all Offensives including Kaiserschlact.
That's why I held off from using the last Yildirim marker.

So right now I have no less than four Strategic Sites occupied; the Mesopotamia Front has two of those four, and not only that, it's poised to enter Constantinople on the next turn. So I'll have to focus on them, first.

I have to beat their Battle Value of 3, and I roll a '6,' and with that +1 DRM that's a 7. I manage to push them back to space 2.

I'm going to try against them again, to push them out of Baghdad, the other Strategic Site. I roll a '3,' which would fail normally, but with the +1 DRM, that's a 4, and another victory. The Mesopotamia Front is now back in space 3 (Kut), thank goodness.

Next, I'm going to try to push the Caucasus Front back to Van. I roll a dismal '1,' +1 for a 2, which still isn't good enough.

I'm going to use my last Action to go against the Salonika Front. A '6' +1 means their measly Battle Value of 2 fails to hold back the Ottoman onslaught, and they're pushed out of space 2, which was a Strategic Site. So I've managed to clear three of the four occupied Strategic Sites. Not a bad turn's work.


-----
Kaiserschlact:



The first Kaiserschlact battle commences. This one has a Battle Value of 3, and I a +1 DRM for it. I get a '3,' which results in a stalemate, normally. However, since the card gives me that +1 and it applies here, that's a '4,' for another Central Powers victory!


-----
National Will: 2
Five Off-Map Victories = +5
Two Off-Map Defeats = -2
Two Off-Map Stalemates = 0
One Strategic Site Occupied = -1
Total National Will: 2

The Kaiserschlact adds just another dimension of tension to the game, making an off-map battle happen every turn. Fortunately, it worked in my favor this turn, but with five more to resolve before going over them again, there's plenty of wiggle room. Like I said - just one more layer of tension to add, but that's the fun of the State of Siege game system.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 30
Card Draw: 30 "Asia Corps"
-----
After the fall of Serbia, it became possible for German troops to be dispatched directly to the Ottoman Empire. The first major German relief expedition (Pasha I) was dispatched in March of 1916 and sent to the Palestine Front. In April, air assets were also dispatched. In August, 1917, a second expedition (Pasha II) was dispatched. Ultimately, most German forces were decimated.
-----
Event:
Enter the Asia Corps marker to gain +1 DRM on all offensives against a single front for one turn.
This is a nice little DRM. However, the only thing I'm not clear on is whether this is a permanent in-place marker, or if you're only allowed to use it one time. The rules do not specifically say you can only use it once, nor do they say you can use it every turn. There is, however, a line at the end of the rule that says "There is no advantage to ending the game without using the Asia Korps marker," which tells me this is a one-shot deal, and so that is how I will treat it.

It's also my understanding that I have to allocate the Asia Korps to a die roll before said die roll is made, not after.
-----
Advance:
Mesopotamia Front advances from space 3 (Kut) to space 2 (Baghdad), a Strategic Site.

That makes two Strategic Sites now under Allied thumbs. Could be much worse.


-----
Actions: 3
I'm spending my first action as an offensive against the Mesopotamia Front. A '5' on the die and they are sent whimpering back to Kut! (Well, maybe not whimpering so much, because I'm sure they'll be back soon enough.)

Now, I think I could spend another action trying to push the Russians out of that Strategic Site, but this is an opportunity I can use to grab another +1 DRM for the Western Front. This could make all the difference in those battles, so I will go ahead and do that.


-----
Kaiserschlact:


The second Kaiserschlact battle has the same BV as the last one, 3. I roll a '5,' +1 for my new, shiny DRM, and that 6 is more than enough to assure another Central Powers victory on the Western Front.


-----
National Will: +3
Six Off-Map Victories = +6
Two Off-Map Defeats = -2
One Off-Map Stalemate = 0
One Strategic Site Occupied = -1
Total National Will: +3

My National Will keeps getting good padding, which will help tremendously in the coming card turns. Now that Turn 30 is done, there's something like 19 cards remaining to survive through to gain a victory. So far the game has played out as I'd hoped, in that it has given you a good idea of how it works and what events can come at you. You can see easily throughout this AAR how die rolls could have gone either way, and how that victories could have been defeats. For the moment, the Ottomans are doing rather well, riding the fortuitous wave of victories of their Central Powers brethren, but things could always change.

The Kaiserschlact battles, for example, get harder. The first two are at a Battle Value of 3, but the next two are 4, and the last two are 5 each. This is mainly why I spent two of my Actions this turn getting that one last Resources +1 DRM for the Western Theater. Hopefully it will make a difference.

[BanzaiCat]

Turn 31
Card Draw: 26 "Verdun"
-----
German Commander Erich von Falkenhayn launched a major offensive on the WEstern Front in February, 1916, with the aim of capturing the historic city of Verdun and "bleeding the French white." On February 21, the Germans began with a 10-hour bombardment, launching over 1,000,000 shells. The battle also saw the first use of flamethrowers.
-----
Event:
Conduct this Western Theater battle.



So, it looks like I'll be conducting not one but two Western Theater battles this turn. This could really amp up my National Will score and reinforce it against future...bad stuff. If things go my way, of course.

The Battle Value of Verdun is 4, so I roll a '3' of course. With the +1 DRM, that makes it a 4, and therefore a tie, and yet another stalemate. Verdun goes neither way and becomes the historic meatgrinder that it was in real life.


-----
Advance:
Caucasus Front advances from space 2 (Erzurum) to space 1 (Ankara), a Strategic Site. The Caucasus Front now has two Strategic Sites under its heel.
Mesopotamia Front advances from space 3 (Kut) to space 2 (Baghdad), a Strategic Site. However, I'm going to go ahead and burn my last Yildirim marker to halt that. I might regret that later but you'll see in a moment why I chose to do that.


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Actions: 1
Now that the Caucasus Front is next to Constantinople, I am yet again on the cusp of an immediate defeat on the next turn, so I have no choice but to burn my one action on an offensive against the Caucasus Front. Its Battle Value is 4, and I roll a '4.' and it fails.

One thing I've not taken advantage of, and perhaps you may be aware of it if you're familiar with this game, is that I can 'spend' one of my +1 DRM Resources markers to gain an additional Action. This is called "German Staff Operations." However, I have to permanently remove the Resources marker. Given that the Ottoman Empire is on the brink of defeat (and at the hands of the Russians, no less), I think I'm going to go ahead and burn my Eastern Front Resources marker to get another Action. Hopefully this makes the difference.

Unfortunately, it does not. I roll a '2.'

I'm afraid that the Caucasus Front gets a LOT of play in this game, so I'm going to have to burn another Resources marker for one more chance. So I burn off the Resources marker for the Naval Theater.

And of course I roll a '1.' So much for that.

I could do it again and burn off my Western Front markers, but if I DO manage to survive this next turn, I would need them to help me get through the Kaiserschlact, especially since their Battle Values have gone up by one. Probably moot but I'm trying to look at the big picture here. This is but one of the agonizing yet exciting choices one has to make in these State of Siege games.

Since the map doesn't change, I am not posting an update in this portion. Also, I know I've been forgetting to update the National Will marker on its track. Oops.
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Kaiserschlact:



The next Western Front Kaiserschlact is at hand. I roll a '6' making my +1 DRM moot, and there's another one for the Win column.


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National Will: +3
Seven Off-Map Victories = +7
Two Off-Map Defeats = -2
One Off-Map Stalemate = 0
Two Strategic Sites Occupied = -2
Total National Will: +3

The Ottoman's National Will continues to ride high, but the Caucasus Front is poised to knock us out of the war with a single stroke. The Central Powers seem to be doing very well, but if the Ottomans get knocked out, that'll probably be what turns the tide against the Allies. We'll only know for sure when I draw that next card...