| Number of wins: | 0 |
| Number of 3-way draws: | 2 |
| Number of 4-way draws: | 0 |
| Number of 5-way draws: | 0 |
| Number of eliminations: | 20 |
| Most Used Opening: | Helvetic Attack | 10 times |
|---|---|---|
| Second Most Used Opening: | Swiss variant | 4 times |
| Basque variant | ||
| Britanny variant |
I still consider France the hardest power to play in Modern - the number of eliminations speak for themselves. I managed a 3-way draw as France, in Dickens, but it was tough and I only had 5 SCs by game's end. No France has even gotten beyond 20 SCs, though I believe that if one does, they will have reached critical mass and do very well.
It's interesting to note that France's fate seems tied to Russia's. Russia won day2day and will almost surely win aurora, and in both games, France is a strong second place. Russia also participated in France's other 3-way draw, despair, in which France had 16 SCs. Ukraine may also have the same effect - though it hasn't done as well as Russia, it is dominant in details and frontlin, in which France is also doing quite well. This could be because a large Russia or Ukraine threaten Germany, Italy and Egypt, giving France much more room to maneuver.
French players have used an even wider variety of openings than those playing Egypt. The clear favorite has been the Helvetic Attack, which has also given France one of its two 3-way draws and its two top placings in ongoing games. Still, France has been eliminated 4 times out of 10 using the opening, so it might be that the success of the opening is simply due to the number of times it has been used.
| Game | Opening Used | Year | # SCs | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euro96 | Helvetic Attack | 2006 | 16 | 1st |
| Euro97 | Helvetic Attack | 1997 | 8 | 1st tied |
| Aurora | Maginot (Monaco V) | 2006 | 18 | 2nd |
| Details | Swiss (Britanny V) | 2014 | 16 | 2nd |
| Frontlin | French Fashion Tour | 2002 | 15 | 2nd |
| Perot | Spanish Attack (Swiss V) | 2006 | 14 | 2nd |
| Spades | Helvetic Attack | 2002 | 14 | 2nd |
| Asterix Le Gaulois | Helvetic Attack | 1995 | 4 | 2nd tied |
| Hryvna | Helvetic Attack | 1995 | 4 | 2nd tied |
| Renard | Camembert (Atlantic V) | 1995 | 4 | 2nd tied |
| Modsquad | Helvetic Attack | 2008 | 10 | 3rd |
| Oo | Diplomat's Delight | 1999 | 8 | 3rd |
| Eric | Camembert (Atlantic V) | 1997 | 7 | 3rd tied |
| Modhof96 | Midi Offensive | 1999 | 10 | 4th |
| Hamburg | Helvetic Attack | 2001 | 6 | 6th |
| Izmir2 | Lyon Shuffle | 2001 | 6 | 6th tied |
| Modgame | Swiss (Basque V) | 1999 | 6 | 6th tied |
| Modt97a | Swiss (Britanny V) | 2001 | 5 | 7th tied |
| Modern5 | Helvetic Attack | 1998 | 4 | 8th |
| Norm7 | Guns of Navarra | 2000 | 4 | 8th |
| Sard | French Fashion Tour | 2006 | 4 | 8th |
| Norway | Olive Branch | 1996 | 5 | 8th tied |
| Taunt3 | Swiss (Basque V) | 2001 | 5 | 8th tied |
| Modt97b | French Fashion Tour | 1999 | 4 | 8th tied |
| Norm11 | Zurich Alliance | 1999 | 3 | 9th |
| Spring96 | Garde-Frontiere (Atlantic V) | 1999 | 3 | 9th |
| Modern | Swiss (Britanny V) | 2000 | 3 | 9th tied |
| Milos | Alpine Fist (Southern V) | 1998 | 3 | 10th |
| Academy4 | Diplomat's Delight | 2009 | - | elim. |
| Gdansk | French Fashion Tour | 2010 | - | elim. |
| Gun1994 | Alpine Fist (Belgian V) | 2007 | - | elim. |
| Milan | Helvetic Attack | 2013 | - | elim. |
| Minsk | Swiss (Basque V) | 2014 | - | elim. |
| Nato | Spanish Attack (Monaco V) | 2006 | - | elim. |
| Odessa | Eiffel Tower | 2019 | - | elim. |
| Thisthat | Swiss (Basque V) | 2004 | - | elim. |
| Game | Opening Used | Year | # SCs | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Despair | Helvetic Attack | FIR 2012 | 16 | 3rd |
| Dickens | Maginot (Swiss V) | EFG 2015 | 5 | 3rd |
| Day2day | Alpine Fist (Southern V) | R 2007 | 12 | 2nd |
| Liarliar | Garde-Frontiere (Bordeaux V) | T 2007 | 5 | 4th |
| Lie2me | Garde-Frontiere (Atlantic V) | T 2007 | 3 | 4th |
| Blitzz | Helvetic Attack | BEP 2017 | - | elim. |
| Buchanan | Charlemagne's Alliance | BEPSU 2022 | - | elim. |
| Cairo | Maginot (Monaco V) | SPIT 2010 | - | elim. |
| Euro95 | Helvetic Attack | ERT 2023 | - | elim. |
| Izmir | Garde-Frontiere (Atlantic V) | EIS 2005 | - | elim. |
| Katras | Helvetic Attack | BIPT 2012 | - | elim. |
| Lyon | Alpine Fist (Parisian V) | BPST 2011 | - | elim. |
| Rostov | Swiss (Britanny V) | I 2015 | - | elim. |
| Seville | Spanish Attack (Swiss V) | I 2014 | - | elim. |
| Spartiku | Alpine Fist (Belgian V) | P 2004 | - | elim. |
France: Army Marseilles -> Monaco.
France: Army Paris -> Picardy.
France: Fleet Bordeaux -> Bay of Biscay.
France: Army Lyon -> Switzerland.
Bordeaux is moved to the Bay of Biscay instead of remaining in port. Other than that the opening is the same as the standard Camembert opening.
France: Army Marseilles -> Monaco.
France: Army Paris -> Picardy.
France: Fleet Bordeaux -> Navarra.
France: Army Lyon -> Auvergne.
France foregoes Switzerland for an early attack on Spain. If cooperating with Britain, Spain will not be able to get more than one build in 1995, perhaps none at all. If cards are played right, Germany will take Switzerland and let France take Belgium instead. This could create peace on France's eastern border while giving it as many SCs as otherwise would get.
France: Army Marseilles SUPPORT Army Lyon -> Switzerland.
France: Army Paris -> Lyon.
France: Fleet Bordeaux -> Bay of Biscay.
France: Army Lyon -> Switzerland.
France opens by making sure to take Switzerland unless Italy and Germany cooperate, while being able to subsequently move to Monaco. The move of Paris to Lyon rather than Alsace allows France to support Switzerland without antagonizing Germany.
France: Army Marseilles -> Monaco.
France: Army Paris -> Alsace.
France: Fleet Bordeaux -> Navarra.
France: Army Lyon -> Switzerland.
France moves to take Switzerland and Monaco, it's two natural neutrals. Paris moves to Alsace to either threaten Munich, support Switzerland or keep the German out. Unless it is pre-arranged, the move will almost certainly annoy the Germans, just as the move to Navarra will annoy the Spanish. In a game with press, this will certainly lead to a lot of negotiation and a delight for any diplomat!
France: Army Marseilles -> Piedmont.
France: Army Paris -> Lyon.
France: Fleet Bordeaux -> Navarra.
France: Army Lyon -> Switzerland.
France can only get Monaco by moving the army in Piedmont back, but perhaps a bounce was arranged with Italy and this is an appropriate way of ensuring an empty Piedmont in the fall, taking Switzerland and making sure to keep it. If not the move to Piedmont and Navarra is likely to annoy both Spain and Italy, making France's life quite difficult in the south, or Midi.
France: Army Marseilles -> Monaco.
France: Army Paris SUPPORT Fleet Bordeaux.
France: Fleet Bordeaux HOLD.
France: Army Lyon SUPPORT Spanish Fleet Barcelona -> Switzerland.
A very peaceful opening - France holds out an olive Branch to all its neighbours. The only unit that moves is Marseilles towards Monaco. A special gesture is made towards Spain, which is seen by some as a natural enemy for France in Modern. With France unable to make a supported attack into Switzerland in the fall, it will most likely only gain one SC in 1995. Those olive branches better bear fruit!
France: Army Marseilles -> Piedmont.
France: Army Paris -> Picardy.
France: Fleet Bordeaux -> Bay of Biscay.
France: Army Lyon SUPPORT German Army Munich -> Switzerland.
France seeks a close alliance with Germany against Italy by offering him Switzerland, likely in exchange for Belgium. Piedmont can go on towards Milan with German help, but probably better is for Germany to try taking Austria while France moves Piedmont to take Monaco and Lyon into Piedmont for a continued attack on Italy in 1996.
If I had received the suggestion before the article, I might have used it. Diplomat's Delight is a good anem. As it is, I try using a name from everyone who contributes one. The opening was named French Fashion Tour by the player who suggested it, because the units go in many directions - into Italy, Switzerland and towards Germany, 'exporting French culture and fashion' . Myself, I thought it was quite funny! I used your suggestion for another opening above, in which France moves towards both Germany and Spain ...
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| Vincent Mous (vim2@rocketmail.com) |
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