Kemal Takes Command!
Session Report - Ottoman Sunset
This session used a few variants to grant the player more agency, add some historical chrome and inject some narrative coherence. The major ones were:
The Historical Game - The Event Deck has some enforced structure. Forcing the Narrows is going to happen at the end of the Morning events. If you survive, the Brits land at Gallipoli. Thereafter, there are numerous trigger events. For example, the “Provisional Government” shuffles the “Bolshevik Revolution”. There is still ample variety. But, really wacky and ahistoric events can’t happen. The game feels more like WW1.
Ottoman Initiatives - The player can select some events prior to each epoch. These events can be played when desired or to counter some unwanted event.
Coups - The player starts at random with one of the Coup events and can play it when they want. Have a couple of successful coups and you actually get a Victory. This makes coups of interest and worthwhile. I don’t use the optional rule where you park the Intel Bureau in Constantinople.
Surviving gun emplacements can fortify Constantinople.
Kemal - He can attack on the Gallipoli front and defend Constantinople.
I draw “Goeben Dominates Black Sea” as my starting Ottoman Initiative. I draw “Ghadar Conspiracy” as my coup.
Morning
The war starts with Off-Map Battles on the Eastern and Western Theaters. Victory in the East Golice-Tarnow. Defeat in the West at Second Ypres
I snag the Intel Bureau of the East and immediately deploy it to India. Of course, I launch a coup there with the Ghadar Conspiracy and promptly whiff it.
The British on the Sinai front give me fits. Usually, logistical problems contain them. Not this time. They are constantly advancing and even threaten to break-out and seize Jerusalem! So I allocate an inordinate number of Actions to keep them in Suez. Eventually, with the help of the Senussi Revolt, I push them back to Suez.
With the Russians pressing from the north-east, fortifying the Narrows gets done at the last possible moment. No Mobilization markers are placed in the other Theaters.
The Royal Navy blasts through Seddulbabit. The guns at Kim Kale and the first minefield take a toll. British Fortitude falls to 2! Dardanos is cleared. Fire from Canakkale hits again. The RN stumbles into the final minefield and it ends badly. Victory in the Narrows! Yet, the British are determined and promptly land on the Gallipoli peninsula.
Mid-Day
The Russians keep coming. I select “Armenian Massacres” for the 3 Actions as my next Ottoman Initiative, despite the accompanying hit to National Will.
Another round of Off-Map Battles with Victories at Verdun and Italy. In Mesopotamia, I battle to control Baghdad. I luck out in Afghanistan as my unsupported Coup succeeds! This sets up a showdown in Persia for the final coup. I start fortifying Constantinople with my surviving gun emplacements.
Dusk
The British complete the Sinai Pipeline and the Arabs revolt. Even worse, the Dusk events are shuffled into the Event Deck. Because I have to, I play the “Armenian Massacres” event and get little for my 3 Actions. Do I wish I had selected the Gaza-Beersheba Fortifications? Obviously, yes.
With the Sinai Pipeline being built, I really have to focus on limiting the advance of the British in Egypt/Sinai. As they advance, unless they are checked, the pipeline is extended and that track gets shorter. A key objective is to fortify Gaza-Beersheba. But, it has to come out of the Event Deck first. Once this front breaks out, there are no natural defenses to contain them.
Another couple of Off-Map Battles in Italy and the Somme. Both are Victories! Enemy pressure across the board. My priority is the Sinai front, but the Russians are relentless. Unfortunately, Allenby takes over the Sinai front. It is now a 4-strength. That’s bad.
I catch a break with Bulgaria joining the war and Serbia conquered. So Asia Korps and Yildirim are coming. None too soon, I might add.
Of course, the Western Allies land in Salonika. Now all six enemy fronts are active. The Russians threaten Ankara and on the Mesopotamia front, Mosul is in danger. In the south, the Sinai pipeline is extended to El-Arish. The Arabs are already in Tafilah.
Finally, I get some reinforcements with the Yildirim. Even better, with the Mesopotamia Siege, the Brit’s are sent packing back to Basra. That’s one problem solved for now.
At Jutland the German Imperial Fleet is beaten. I’m still up by six in the Off-Map Battles. But, the wolves are all at the door with the French via Salonika, the Brits via Gallipoli and the Russians menacing Constantinople. I push back the Russians because I reason my defenses should be able to hold off the other two weak fronts.
With the Balfour Declaration, the British attack Constantinople from the south! Kemal fends them off. The Arabs are seemingly unstoppable and threaten Jerusalem. The Russians with their Erzurum Offensive roll into Ankara poised to attack Constantinople. To protect the flank of Gaza, I use my 2 Actions to retreat the Arabs back to Aquaba.
My coup in Persia is finally launched and I am ready. It is a bust. My two failed coups count as a Defeat. The Russians and Brits attack Constantinople. My two gun emplacements save me. But, now they are gone. Kemal counterattacks and drives the Brits back to ANZAC Cove.
Maude has been on the march through Mesopotamia. A sandstorm and some Yildirim slow him down. As the Asia Korps arrives, I pound the Salonika and Arabs fronts. Then, I regret ignoring the Russians in Ankara.
Sure enough, as the British reinforce the the Gallipoli front, the Russians attack Constantinople. To stop them, I convert my now useless Intel Bureau of the East to launch a Preemptive Offensive…and it works! With only a single Action, I use the Asia Korps to push them back to Erzurum.
War Weariness is drawn. I use my last Ottoman Initiative to preempt it. Army of Islam ain’t much. But, it is all I got. There are three enemy advances and only 2 action points with a +1 DRM for Offensives. I stop the Sinai front with my last Yildirim marker. I hit the Russians with everything and only drive them back to Van. With War Weariness is drawn again and this time for good, Maude advances into Baghdad.
The U-boat Campaign is a stalemate. The Arabs, Mesopotamia and Sinai fronts all advance. I throw everything at the Mesopotamian front for no result. The Sinai Pipeline is finally extended to Gaza-Beersheba.
Yudenich is named CiC of Russian forces. Despite political turmoil, the Tsar holds on. The Arabs advance to Adana. The Mesopotamian front enters the Turkish heartland. The Ottomans have nothing to stop them and sue for peace. With 9 Event cards left, it is a strategic stalemate.
