1909
The Spring begins boringly enough, with me having little to do but occupy the Armenian army in Turkey while Austria and France move in from the west. Apparently France sold Austria some BS about a mix-up where I forcibly took Galicia from France, (which was obviously arranged between France and I), as Austria wanted a DMZ between our borders. We really begin planning how we are going to stab Austria around this time. Austria continues to try and clue me in on plans, to which I don't really care to respond too much to as most of my moves are already pretty well set, so I tell him I will let him and France make those decisions down south between them.
Austria desperately wants me to move out of Galicia, and wants me to give my word that I will do so. In trying to decide how to respond to this demand, I simply never get around to sending him a message back. France suggests that we need to surround Austria in Bohemia and Tyrolia for the upcoming stab, and posits the idea of me pushing him out of Bohemia and knocking him into Tyrolia by force. I don't think I ever stress my concerns to France about this, but I prefer for France to move to Tyrolia on his own rather than making me look like an aggressor, as Austria might see this as me stabbing for a solo and then back France against me to give France the win.
If we were going to split victory, I would prefer it look like a simultaneous, mutual stab against Austria.
And then the Fall comes. This is around Easter, and I found myself preoccupied with a lot of life events, so while France and I agreed that now was the time to stab Austria, the exact moves were his idea, while I said "sure" in response. I also told him I would need to sail another army out eastward to help reinforce my battle lines, to which he agreed to on the condition I back off my NTH fleet afterwards. Had I planned better, I probably would have requested two armies be shepherded over first, but without proper foresight I agreed to back NTH into HEL once it had performed its convoy. Otherwise, we simply both stab at Austria by my taking of Rumania and France's taking of Trieste.
And then Winter comes, and discussions get really really saucy.
Being a player who can't resist the occasional smack talking, I send this letter to France and Austria, (after Austria had been wrecked by France and I):
Needless to say I was a bit of an asshole, though I didn't suspect Austria would take it as hard as he did.
For some reason, Austria seems absolutely convinced that the stab against him was all my idea, and that if I told him it was France's idea he simply wouldn't believe me as France seemed committed to the 3 way draw. And that if I didn't back off from his borders he would throw the game to a France solo win, as he liked France better at that point because France was willing to work and communicate with him up to that point. Honestly was the best move he could do in a desperate position there;
@
Knight of Scape
played his heart out to the end.
Perhaps in an act of madness, I share this exchange with France, and then send a press directed at Austria where both he and France can see it, giving off a long-ass Bond Villain speech about how I anticipated that he would back his buddy France if he wanted vengeance, and nothing I could do would change that fact, but that he needed to recognize that the only reason France was so chipper with him was because he needed to use Austria as a tool to break down Turkey and Italy. I was always honest with Austria about what I wanted, and never schmoozed him, while France gave him hope of a 3 way draw simply so that he could be used as a pawn in this game of life. That he might have had a chance of a draw if he sided with the other eastern nations to stifle France and I after 1904, but instead got seduced into being used by an opposing superpower that never had any interest in sharing a victory with him. It was about as "real talk" of a speech as you'll probably ever find in a game of Diplomacy.
Knowing that Austria's (understandable) hatred toward me would block off any chance of a solo win, I really play up the (not entirely untrue) narrative that I had been playing for a team win with France for a long time now, and never suspected I would even make it this far, but I would rather risk getting stabbed by a soloing France than settle for a 3 way draw.
Austria sent me one more long message trying to convince me that there was no viable means of a stalemate between France and I, while France did what France does by diplomatically saying that he had definitely considered a 3 way draw as an option after I atom bombed Austria's soul into the shadow realm.
1910
After the firestorm of letters that was Winter 1909, I had to focus on how France and I were going to split up Austria, as I had no plans of backing down. So for the first time in a long while, I was in the thick of tactical battle plans.
I knew that the best move for an antagonistic Austria here was to launch a double supported march into Rumania, so I planned accordingly.
France and I agreed that it was best for him to support an attack of mine into Vienna, but had some other discussions on what other units should do. He originally proposed an idea to help him "temporarily" take Budapest, which I was DEFINITELY not a fan of. I was in a precarious position where I desperately needed to organize the 2 way draw, while giving France as little opportunity as possible to stab me for a solo win. I felt that if France got into Budapest, he would be too well positioned to stab for the win, (especially if Austria did in fact decide to help him.)
I proposed a sort of stalemate line where I would acquire Vienna, Budapest, and Austria, while he took over Turkey and the Balkan coast with primarily fleets in a way where his forces outnumbered my own, but they would not threaten my inland supply centers, (much like we had organized in northern Germany.)ha
Instead of offering to support him into Budapest, I suggested that he march into Serbia from Trieste, which would make it easier to organize said DMZ in the event that Austria took over Rumania and allowed France in, (this did not end up occurring, as the Austrian attack came from Budapest instead and therefore failed from Serbian support being cut.)
France was still able to gain a supply center in Smyrna though, and the Austrian army in Vienna was thankfully destroyed.
Fall comes, and there is a bit less discussion. I suggest a moveset wherein France takes over Bulgaria, but he decides instead to go for Greece while I take over Budapest. Sometime during this mess France must have convinced Austria that he would cooperate with Austria to stab me for the solo, as Austria's moves do seem to indicate that he was about to let France crash through my defenses, but France's actual moves nullify the Austrian support and allow us to bring Austria down to two centers this year.
One might assume that this was a missed golden opportunity for France to take a solo here, but any indication of betrayal or going for a solo win by France would have immediately led to my trying to preserve Austria's existence and fighting back against France long enough to orchestrate the beloved 3 way draw, in a "lol just a prank bro" sort of fashion. I believe Austria pragmatic enough to have accepted this sort of deal, and therefore any attempt at a French solo here would have just resulted in an even lesser draw on his part.
I also bring up the issue of a weak point I had near the Black Sea, making it aware to France that I needed additional troops to cover there, and stating that I would need to convoy some more armies over into Ukraine and Moscow to complete a stalemate. I also suggested he build armies to fortify his own stalemate lines to make sure there was no weak point for me to potentially break through.
1911
The final, and most paranoid year for both France and myself I imagine.
Knowing that the end was near, I spent a huge amount of time and energy stressing out over the map, seeing any place where France could potentially stab me, and any openings I might have to stab him first. I , needed to attain Serbia as my 17th center, and fortify my line at Bohemia and Silesia to assure a proper stalemate. I also needed time to convoy armies over to fully defend the region around thee Black Sea; time I was not sure if I would have against France.
Meanwhile, France was super concerned about my quick expansion, and was afraid of me taking Bohemia in a way that would colossally threaten him. He asks that I wait until the Fall to move into Serbia, and instead support his Greek ship into Rumania.
Lots of back and forth messages here, as 1911 was our own personal Cuban Missile Crisis so to speak. Ultimately we agreed on a mutual bounce in Bohemia, for me to take Silesia, him to go down the west coast of Italy to set up his stalemate line there, and for me to hold off on trying to force myself into Serbia and instead try to cut off support there with a single unit so that he could take Bulgaria.
Hilariously, I had no idea Austria would end up moving Serbia - Greece, which allowed for me to take over Serbia without needing support and giving me my 17th center.
After a very tense spring, our 1911 is a bit less stressful. With both of our moves obvious with no routes for immediate backstabbing, France takes the final two centers that he needs while I complete my stalemate line in Bohemia. He and I both maneuver some armies around in our home country in case the other decides to go for the solo, but ultimately we both decide that it is not worth the risk to go after one another's throat. With me potentially losing Rumania or Sevastapol if I get unlucky with bounces, and France potentially losing one of many scarcely defended western centers to my planned armadas, we decide that the most fitting way to end this war is to share the victory and bring forth a new age of prosperity to the European continent.