Will The Sun Ever Set On The British Empire?

by “Hippie”

Britains position initially in the game looks quite strong. With 6 units on the board and opportunities close at hand to expand, the position looks quite secure short term. The problems of course lie in that the units are spread out across the board, and unlike Russia, Britain has no quick way of moving troops from 1 theatre of war to another. Secondly, the Fleets in Singapore and Hong Kong can be pretty easily blockaded if diplomatic missions to France, Holland and China have not gone well. Finally, there is the Ottoman Empire. “the sick man of Europe” small enough to pick off quickly for a few easy sc`s, but also the only thing to stand between you and the Russian sharing a border covering nearly half the board. Ok if your alliance with the Czar goes well. Bad news if the Czar has been thrown out of his eastern dominions.

“Britain has plenty of room for manouvre at the start – and if an alliance is made with Russia, the Ottoman Empire is doomed before the game even starts!” Suzi Hollyoake

Britain needs to weigh up the worth of Turkey very carefully before going for the easy kill in alliance with Russia. If Russia is going to get thrown out of the eastern seaboard, then Britain will have a very long border to defend from the Czars hungry eyes. If this is the option Britain takes then it needs to be done swiftly to ensure that Holland does not take the opportunity to move westwards while Britain is distracted. What ever the British Government decides, ganing the Suez canal is imperative to British defence. Once foreign fleets start steaming through the the Suez, then Britains demise is usually swift.

“I actually managed to block the Suez, but I was later forced to disband a lot of units in one go, and it was under threat from Holland that I had to disband the african units. This must be considered my major mistake of the game.”Jim Hill

A short term alliance with the Czar is useful for removal of the Turk, although with the already noted drawbacks .A Long term juggernaut is definitely a possibility, but for Britain to have much chance to win, she must be able to free up the Fleet in Hong Kong and Singapore to harry the dutch expansion and prevent The Japanese getting too strong a foothold in the Philippines

China has many problems before it and is often on the look out for any mates it can pick up along the way. This usually entails agreement with Britain over Kashmir, Kashgar, Assam and Bengal. If things are not going well diplomatically with China, bounces in these areas can be costly for Britain. Hong Kong is not threatened by China as it does not gain much from taking it early on. If a friendly Tri-nation alliance can be formed between Britain, China and France then with a little luck the Hong Kong fleet can head off to Formosa to harry the Japanese or south for a combined French/British naval attack on the East Indies.

Longer term, the prospects for good Sino – British relations are not encouraging. If things are going well for China and not for Britain, China is usually well placed to stick the boot in where it hurts most (notably the Indian Border) If things are going poorly for China then It can sometimes be a little too tempting to nip into Kashmir to have a look at the carpet stalls or pop round to Bengal to have a look at the Tigers. Hong Kong, although not an early target for China, will be looked on as a potential threat to her and as such, if left undefended, she will make a move on it as soon as she can spare the unit to do so.

Holland and Britain have the potential to be big time enemies. With Singapore and Ceylon far too important to ignore, the scene is set for a nasty tangle sooner rather than later. If Holland blockades the Singapore fleet and acquires the other simpler Supply centres nearby, then it wont be long before there are numerous dutch fleets west of Java and heading for Madras pretty quick. If Britain is still dispensing with the Turk, it could leave him open to problems. If Britain can stomach the idea, a swap of Ceylon and Singapore could go a long way towards a very useful alliance. With Holland keeping to the east of Sumatra and Britain to the west, a joint venture against the French can be mounted and a gradual expansion north by both powers can quickly see the despatch of the other interested parties in the game.Either way, with Holland given free reign in the east, it at least puts a dampener on Japanese expansion into the Philippines and the establishment of the easterly stalemate line.This tactic was used very successfully in the Game C4 However, care should be taken in this instance that France or China are not wiped out to give Holland a hard time with the south easterly stalemate line.

If things have not gone so well with the Dutch then a move to the Java sea holds many benfits.It automatically stops the dutch from obtaining 3 builds at the first phase.Either a Dutch fleet must bounce a british move to the Java Sea or risk losing a home supply centre in the first adjusts!!. If the Dutch do bounce the British in the Java sea then the only way they could stop Britain gaining Mlaya the following move is if the Dutch also moved to the Anderman sea.If they did, then its probable they are going to bounce malaya and just take the one build with the consolation of knowing that unless the French come to your aid quickly, that they will gain both Malaya and Singapore in the net set of moves.

Japan is so far away that the odds are that Britain will be on friendly terms with her for most of the time. The only fly in the ointment is if Britain has come to an arrangement with China and France to vacate Hong Kong. Japan has the ability to put pressure on all Britains potential enemies by an attack from behind and it also has the potential to grow very quickly, leaving itself open to early leader syndrome. This might be helpful if Britain needs to distract attention away from herself during the mid term part of the game.

Usually Japan is a good source of information about the movements of others and may well be the edge Britain needs to fend off a Chinese or French/Dutch stab.

Between France and Holland, it is preferable for Britain to see France in the ascendancy. With no access to the Indian ocean except through Malaya and the Java sea it should give Britain enough time to stabilise her forces and protect the eastern borders long enough to see the Japanese expansion put paid to any French aspiration in the west. However, if France and Holland are in cahoots then its time to worry. They`ll have enough Fleets to force the Japanese westwards rather than southwards and still have enough left over to sample the delights of the curries available in Delhi high street.

Hong Kong for France is much more of a target and if this can be used to Britains advantage in negotiation with China, mutual support could well prove useful to both should the French start becoming aggressive.

If a suitable arrangement can be accommodated, a useful alliance can be formed to quickly dispense the Dutchman and split the spoils. This would usually form around Britain giving up Hog Kong for possession of Sum and Java and the security of Singapore. This would leave the French nicely placed to block any Japanese naval expansion while looking more closely at the Chinese defensive situation. Meanwhile the British can look towards an assault on the Chinese around Kashgar and Tibet or against the Turk if he is too engrossed with the Russian.

Alternatively, Britain can court China,Holland and France

“The question is, what does Britain get out of this? The historical role of Britain in the far east was as a naval superpower which, in general, kept the peace at sea, and thus allowed all nations to prosper through trade. In many ways the situation in Colonial diplomacy is the same. In effect Britain can forge, and should, alliances with China and Holland based on its role as a maritime policeman in the west pacific. By selflessly helping with the security of the Dutch and Chinese, and, to a lesser degree, the French, these alliances should, in the early part of the game allow Britain the freedom to move west into Turkey and northern Russia.”Jim Hill

If allying with Turkey, then some agreement should be reached in restricting the number of fleets Turkey builds to the bare minimum as the Port in Baghdad can be a killer should a Turkey/Holland alliance spring up when your not looking. By persuading Turkey to Build Armies it goes some way towards forcing the Turk and Russia to stay where they are little threat to you while you concentrate on matters elsewhere.

F Ade – RedS
F Bom – Ara.S
A Mad – Mys
A Del – Pun
F Sig – JavS
F HK – SCS

The move to Mysore from Madras opens 2 opportunities to the British. A convoy into Karachi with the army in the Punjab taking Kashmir would still give the possibility of gaining Bengal in forthcoming years if China has moved Sinkiang to Kashgar rather than to Assam. Alternatively, The Army in Mysore might get a bit lost and suddenly make a surprise landing in Arabia which would certainly cause a stir in the Sultans Palace.

The 2 Fleets in the east are very much left to their own devices. Assuming that neither France or Holland are willing to tolerate their presence and no negotiation has been successful, then the attempts to leave their home ports are unlikely to be successful. However, by the same token they will tie up any potential enemies as they try to displace them and this could give enough time to send reinforcements when they can be spared

F Ade – RedS
F Bom – AraS
A Mad – Hyd
A Del – Pun
F Sig – Mal
F HK hold

This opening combines a non confrontational approach in the west with potential peacemaker roles in the east. By moving the fleet from Singapore to Malaya, a potential sc swap with the dutch to remove the trouble spots of Ceylon and Singapore is established. By the hold in Hong Kong, France and China have the opportunity to move there armies away from Canton and Tonking and the start of a potentially useful 3 way alliance is established which could put pressure on the Japanese, Russians and Dutch in one move.

Meanwhile in the west, the other four units can quietly go about the business of getting 4 more supply centres

F Ade – RedS
F Bom – Ara.S
A Mad – Hyd
A Del – Pun
F Sig – JavS
F HK – SCS

again this follows similar principles in the West although with a more wary eye cast Eastwards. The defensive approach to these provinces suggesting that The British leadership have not contemplated giving up these areas in exchange for a quiet life.

F Ade – RedS
F Bom – AraS
A Mad – Hyd
A Del – Pun
F Sig hold
F HK hold

here, Britain waits to see how successful the diplomacy has been in the east. If Life is going well with the Dutch, there is still the opportunity to extend influence into Malaya in the following year

F Ade – RedS
F Bom – AraS
A Mad – Hyd
A Del – Pun
F Sig hold
F Hk s A Ton – Can

Here for some reason, the Chinese government has managed to upset the British Government. Although, initially appearing to favour the French, this move might actually be to aid a Russian alliance whereby this pressure in the south might be to ease Russia’s passage into the Chinese heartland in the north.

To sum up, Britain, although having a large number of units on the board is actually quite limited in the openings that can be made. An all out assault against an enemy is difficult the first couple of Years and afterwards defence can become firmly entrenched in the British Monarchs mind as he is apparently assailed on all sides.

The chances of survival to the mid-game are good for Britain, However, if firm stalemate lines have not been achieved anywhere, then Britain can find herself squeezed out as others start to push and shove for a place of expansion.