Hey Germany! Looking forward to this game! You doing well this afternoon? Yes! Very well. How about yourself? Pretty well.  A little tired, it's almost 10pm for me.  Where you from? Philadelphia originally! Working in DC. How about you? Maine, where in DC are you? Who are you working for? I was in DC last year and have a bunch of friends there right now Maine is beautiful! I used to go to scout camp there. I work at a think tank. Glad you got to check out the city. Philly is still my home, but I’m really enjoying DC. Which think tank? I was at the Hudson Institute No way! AEI Really cool, that's awesome! What sort of policy work? Education policy actually. How about you? Housing policy Very cool. Yeah, it's a lot of fun.  Miss DC though, have a bunch of friends down there having fun without me So what are your plans for the game? The board has been frustratingly quiet so far Yes I know! People are probably busy with the work week. Same here, but it's a slow day I’m still figuring out my plans... I have some ideas but I’m waiting before locking anything in. How about you? I'm siding with whoever I've heard back from honestly.  The board seems particularly inexperienced at Diplomacy, from what I can tell Same here honestly. Who have you heard from? England, like two lines.  Italy a bunch, Turkey a little, Russia a little England, like two lines.  Italy a bunch, Turkey a little, Russia a little I just accidentally lied to you so I'm resending as the truth lolll. This emoji thing sucks at times Italy seems like a cool dude Yeah lol I had a bit of a learning curve with it It says “You MUST select an emoji for your message to send” so I was attaching like smiley faces lol I’m hoping me you and Italy can get along so I can focus on France That's the plan! Dope Hey Austria! I wanted to take your temperature for your plan this turn. Hey! Not sure yet, if you're online in an hour let's talk then.  What up with you and Russia? Hey just got back ok Thoughts on Russia? Idk. I’m probably going to let him take Sweden as long as we agree on him not attacking Ber Idk if I can trust that he would and I cannot afford to lose it obviously I wouldn't give him sweden if I were you Why? Regardless of if he keeps his word with Ber (and he has no real reason to), he has three units up north and there is nowhere productive for them to go either than retreat or back into you.  The more builds he has that he can commit up north, the more he can just overwhelm you Well he could go south. He could focus on Turkey He can in theory, but look where his units are.  It will take three moves before any of them are in play.  Three moves.  That will be the start of 1903. You talking with Italy? A little! What did he ask for? What are chats like with England and France? I've heard very little A truce for the first few turns Do you have a deal with Russia? I don’t understand why he didn’t War>Gal Sorry, people will know who I am when they see my Prof pic Probably smart I wonder if I know any of you guys IRL Could you move on France here? Not at the moment. Not with Russia breathing down my neck. Do you have a deal with Russia?  Its hard to imagine he chose not to War>Gal without working something out with you. My deal with Russia is that he's an idiot.  I'm moving on him here.  Just block him is Sweden and make my job easier.  I'm trying to cripple him to help you out a bit He can't even convoy from Lvn. He just doeant know what he's doing I think so too. But I can’t risk him taking Ber so I’m going Mun > Ber. I’m happy to help out and bounce Russia in Sweden. Thanks He said he's moving back to War here this turn btw, so don't overcommit too hard Thanks for the tip. Better safe than sorry. Losing Ber this early would be too damaging to risk. Mun > Ruh would give me opportunity to be a bigger player in the west. My best guess with Russia is that he moves Pru> Ber Lyn>War What are you thinking with Italy and Turkey? Agree with you on all counts. Italy is communicative and I like him. Turkey is uncommunicative Do you and Italy have something worked out as well? I’m with you on Italy. You two are the countries I have the best relationship with at this point. So Berlin huh? Kind of a petty thing not to tell the truth about Me? I changed my mind at the last second based on what you told me Sorry if that upsets your plans?!? No I just wished that we were upfront.  This is a small thing but I want to be able to trust you throughout the game Hey man I totally understand and that’s my bad. Largely because you told me he was going to Warsaw and he said the same thing literally (I mean literally) in the last minute I changed my move Like I really don’t want any issues here And I don’t think the move to Ruh hurts you unless you’re going after me next turn. I’m a little worried because you have two builds near me Definitely a gamble on my end with Ruh tho but since you and Russia told me the same thing I took a chance with it. Tbh I didn’t even think about what I told you because it wasn’t like we were planing something together with regard to that move It isn't going at you.  Austria and Germany rarely attack each other. Right that’s what I’m hoping too I'm not mad at you, just concerned for the future.  Can we commit to sharing those updates.  I change little moves or messages based on what's going on and I want to have info as accurate as possible So we're cool? absolutely. It was a last minute gut call, based on your intel. I will be sure to keep you abreast of any changes I make going forward. I really appreciate you saying something, because when I made that move the intel I told you didn’t cross my mind at all when it should have. The West is concerning, although you should get Bel next turn Thanks again for understanding. Yes but I have to work something out with France first Sure thing.  What are we doing going forward? f and e are quite strong I think my best path is the ally with France and break england Agreed E should not have gotten Bel here Not for free Yes it’s true. Committed to bounce bur with France slowed me down in doing anything about it, but it was worth it to show France i can be a trustworthy partner Can you get France moving up towards England? e needs to go That’s what I’m working on. Have you talked to France much? Seems a bit curt A bit.  I think I know him Yeah chances are we all probably know someone else here The convoy was flashy but marooned an army.  We'll see Get him to build up towards Eng please Sure thing Chief. Thanks again for understanding. My experience with this game is almost all gunboat so I am still getting used to some of the dynamics of alliances. Sure thing.  I'm working magic around the board.  Russia is moving south against T and France should be going with you Excellent news!! Go easy on Russia for a bit.  I need him against Turkey Will do. I’m building an army in Mun and a fleet in Kiev Just a heads up sounds like a plan Thanks F Tri, A Vie 10-4 You know what Italy is planning to do here? I think he wants to go after France Idk anything specific I think England and France might be working together here Considering the bounced the channel Kk, thanks.  Just curious Hmmm Not sure I like that You may need Italy to help keep France in check, not sure Have you asked him? Here’s my moves as of now. They are still subject to change I just want you to know my tentative plans. K>Hel, Denmark supporting Russia into Sweden, Ruhr into Belgium with Hol support, Mun > bur Looks good.  What are you asking from Russia in return for the Sweden support? Basically he won’t attack me and focus on Turkey Also the only real alternative is leaving Sweden open for England You could strongarm him into making him give it to you "You aren't going to do well if you're being attacked from the North and the South, so give me Sweden and I'll lay off you for the game" Hmmm good idea Make Russia give me Sweden? Russia didn’t get back to me. My orders are still set to support him. Just an fyi K I don’t mind helping if it keeps England away I can still switch to bouncing Russia. I prefer Russia not be too strong in the south, which is undoubtably where he will use that build How do I benefit from knocking him out early tho? I’m happy with nonaggression on my eastern front He can keep turkey busy He was a good dude to me by not taking ber Don't know him out.  I still need him.  Just not overly strong I recommend bouncing him and taking Sweden for yourself.  When he goes down, and he will, he'll burn his units up north since he's being invaded from the south You'd much rather have your own unit up there Not being burned Fair. Do you think I can take and hold Belgium? I could also do k > bal and lock in sweden in the fall Then pivot to taking the North Sea next year Project power Strength is King here Bal is a little misdirected. I recommend Belgium So what should I do with the fleet in Kiev What are the chances that England goes to STP here? Idk we’re not really talking That would be more problematic than anything Maybe hope that England and Russia bounce Swe and go F Den-Ska F Kie-Den Yeah that could be sharp. Gives me ground to take Scandinavia or the North Sea Mhm Are you helping Italy into Mar here? I can But we haven’t discussed I guess I’m basically dead to england and France with that last turn so You're not.  I have you back in chat and Italy is coming Help him and we'll help you Done Yeah I think I have to throw england to the wind Hey man what are you thinking? It looks like France, Russia and turkey are all gonna have problems I'm working my way north and working some magic on France and England Let me know how I can ever assist you Diplomatically So I basically have to choose Like right now To come to terms with england or to make a deal with France. France is dead I won't make your decision for you, but use that information as you will Obviously you’re more experienced at this than I am, but an Anglo-Germanic alliance is tough to pull off. I'm saying France is dead and recommend going after England If Italy takes most of F, there won't be any left for you And you have the positional jump on England right now given your moveset Ah I see Your call, but I really want to see you succeed here What moves do you recommend Take the North Sea, support yourself in Belgium and let Italy into Mar You get a build here for that additional fleet next year If I take the North Sea, and France take the channel, england is in big big trouble. Move SKA to North Sea? No, Denmark Why? You'll need to keep Ska because it borders Nwy/Swe/NTH Those are all key Plus if you build a fleet in the winter you want it in Denmark next year So Denmark needs to be open Russia will hold in Sweden, he needs to in order to get that build Should I tell him, “it’s been good trying to work this out but I don’t think I can agree to these terms. Sorry and best of luck” It sucks. I would have loved to work something out with england but I don’t think it’s workable for more than a year or two :/ You need to grow and you and England are directly opposed and vying for the same territory Don't feel bad, this is part of the game You can do this! So just knife him or tell him hey I don’t don’t we have a deal here, I’m sorry. Don't talk if it's not productive If he gets back to you with a good deal, go for it But don't lose your advantage here What would that look like? He's messaging me now Like a good deal with england? You get all of Scandinavia That's a start And he moves on France But long term he wants to move through Russia? I suppose he still can through the North Sea Right Sorry that was incorrect Norwegian Yes, but he needs Norway to do that. Norwegian Sea to Barents Sea Double convoy. Not that hard Also, he doesn't know this but he's not getting any of Russia So that fish is dead in the watee You’re gonna take the whole thing? Also also, if he goes for Russia he'll basically have surrounded you. I'm not sure why you'd want that Turkey may take a lot He's closer than I So keep my orders set to take the North Sea, and invade from Holland next turn? I suggest it You'll have three fleets next year too So you'll be fine I have to run You should join the Diplomacy Nexus server though! https://discord.gg/P5vyvz8 Thanks! I kinda want another build tho Sweden is hard to pass up I’m planning on moving on Warsaw FYI Ah, I was too.  What's the intent behind the Warsaw move? Trying to snag another build and Paris looks far from a lock You don't want to Hedgehog here, focus on England If you get too far ahead, people will be tempted to gang up on you Can you let Turkey know that you just heard from me that I'm supporting Italy to Smyrna? Keep it discrete as if the information was leaked and you're trying to share it to help him Are you actually supporting Italy into Smyrna? Yeah Just couldn't that turn Should I not be? I don’t have any strong feelings. I like Italy a lot, but I also like Turkey. Turkey is dead here.  Unfortunately it looks like England will grab up most of Russia's remains with this moveset What are you thinking this turn? Would you be open to supporting me into War? I need Gal to support myself in Rum.  You really need to be going after England here, I'm not sure why you've shifted east This is going to throw off the triple I've set up You still there? You're about to really hurt yourself.  England has nowhere to go now. Turkey is solidified, you and Italy will split France.  There is no option but for England to attack you You still playing? Yeah dude. I’m thinking over what you said. I really want to make sure we don't screw up here.  I've been on your side all game.  Don't get too close with England, you, me, and Italy are stronger together So what’s going on with you? Yeah that army in Vienna unnerves me a bit, not going to lie. I thought you and England were coming for me and you didn't respond to my messages lol I tried Okay. No worries. That’s my bad for not responding. I’ve been out of town for a week with work, so I haven’t been playing as intently (working 14 hour days 😵) Yikes I hate that Yeah dude. Basically slept all weekend Where do you work? AEI - didn’t you say you used to work at a think thank? Oh shit yeah Sorry I talk with too many people are sometimes forget.  Where were you travelling? No worries! I was helping run a conference in Charlotte NC Who was there? That's awesome! Thanks man. I would prefer to not get into the details of it if that’s cool, it was a semi-private event. Sure, no worries. I just finished lunch break, but we can talk this evening Sounds good man. Looking forward to it. Need to sleep, sorry about the wait. Can we confirm? No worries Confirm what exactly? That I don't hate you and vice versa :) That would be a good start Would love to talk about a takedown of England here though Yeah for sure Happy to listen 😃 Can you get your units in position for takes of Norway and STP? That's two SCs for you and I can help you with Warsaw in the fall goes well and we adhere to our agreements Idk. I’m not looking to expand past Warsaw and Paris this turn. Not trying to pick an unnecessary fight, forcing me to defend more territory than I have units to do so successfully I'm not sure you're getting Paris from how England was talking WhAt did he say, I asked him what he thought about you and he said he was nervous you were getting too big and you may need to be slowed down Norway isn't much of a stretch and you'll be weakening England here, your only real enemy If I hit england than I have to defend my entire northern theatre. I can take two more SCs this turn without kicking over any logs. Except for me and England.  You're going to get too big for comfort, and the continuation of your working with England is a threat to me You're already making the both of us nervous, and you wouldn't want to push it I prefer to stay neutral between the two of you, and Italy for that matter. Right, but it's about how people percieve you.  You can take all the neutral centers you want, but the larger you are, the bigger the threat you are. England and Italy and I feel the pressure already.  I don't have a problem with you yet, but you need to turn on England here, as the chance of you two working together will require both Italy and I to stop what we're doing and respond to the threat you two pose I'm trying to share this in your best interest If I’m not mistaken, we have the same number of units? I don’t tell you to lay off Turkey. Or to go after Italy You're in a better position right now. And you have free available centers- two center jump And no true enemies for this one turn All those add up to make you far more dangerous.  It's not just about SC counts That’s true. I’m trying to keep it that way (no enemies). I really do appreciate you being honest with me. Right, but you'll go from 0 to 3 if you misplay this one.  This is critical. I really want to see you succeed here and our central triple to remain intact. I've put a lot of work into this one I suggest managing your front so you have just one enemy in front of you, rather than 3 on all sides :) I'm glad Is there a way you can be comfortable a move set that doesn’t involve turning in England? He got spoked that I accidentally went into Ska. He needs to be spooked.  Where do you think that army in LVP is going this turn? In Edinburgh? It's not going south Right it’s going Norway It's convoying across to Norway, and after that either through Scandinavia or into Russia. Warsaw will be the first SC he takes back That army is a recognition of the threat you pose. Please please please realize that While you're being nice to him, he's planning his attack You think he’ll turn on me? That army can go nowhere but against your border It would be one thing if he was moving on a defenseless France But it's not, he's headed North That's your domain. You need to start defending and thinking long term I’m going to remain neutral this turn but I will revisit in the fall based on how my neighbors move. Jesus.  I'm already moving against England this turn.  This is so frustrating to me. I'm trying to help you out and you're going to start hurting the both of us Look at the board and see the moves being set up He will have his front against you far before you'll be able to react to it I hope that does not imply and bad blood between us, I just have to be up early tomorrow. If he moves against me or does something looking suspicious I’ll revisit it tomorrow. Well, I'm clearly wrong about England, but I still think it's the wrong moveset You still there? Yes, hey! Should we make the 10 pm chat a regular thing? 😂 Hahahah Little late for me, ready for bed I'm in bed. The last chat killed me last night lol But I felt too strongly to let it go rip Lol no worries- what’s going on tn? I don’t have any interesting moves set, just defense I hate to sound like a broken record, but you can take Norway here with literally no repercussions Btw rumour has it that you’re a nationally ranked player... is that so? Do you know what England is doing with Moscow? But that's your call Not interested, sorry. Not for certain, no. Don't trust water cooler talk :) Is that a no? I've played a lot of Diplomacy and run a top Diplomacy site.  I'm sure there are better players than me out there Makes sense! In a perfect world, you would talk Moscow at no cost to yourself, just to cut a potential support Can you find out what's going on with Moscow? I would really not like him to hit Sev I can ask. I sent eng a couple messages in the last hour and haven’t heard back :/ I have too.  Would you be open to tapping Moscow for me if you don't hear back? Because I'm not hearing back from England, I may take Moscow here so I don't lose a center to Turkey.  Hopefully this gives you the ammunition you need to go after England yourself Thoughts for this turn? I think you can win or lose on this one right here How’s that? Not sure how long we're playing or if you're looking at stalemate lines, but you're pretty damn close to the NS stalemate line and the board lead Too close for comfort ❤ 😉 So what are you saying? I'm not telling you how to win 😂 I don’t see how I am going to win? I’m in the center of the board. You are almost as strong as me, and will be stronger once you destroy turkey. Turkey isn't going down any time soon, even slower if the two of us can't work something out tonight and I have to move back up nothing Also, you've discovered the golden Diplomacy trick, just insist you're not strong and hope others believe you What would it look like for us to work something out? back up north* It depends.  Your builds aren't particularly friendly towards me or England, and I think he's finally spooked I don’t blame him. So we can start with that.  What is your intention with the two army builds? I’ll be honest it’s not madly thought through I can’t go north I can’t go anywhere All I can do is scare the pants off everyone You managed 😂 I've been in conversations all day Anything interesting? Mostly England asking me to pull off Turkey and move North against you THat was the most substantive Is that true? I’m not sure if I believe that. Are you baiting me into attacking England? I can't share screenshots apparently, but that's true.  It's not just ENgland You and I are the big players here, and Italy asked me to do the same So why don't we, as the big players, take control of ourselves and run the board the way we want, without the undue influence of the other players I mean... I could be interested but I need some clarity I’m weary. Frankly I understand you are a very gifted player and I’m nervous about my odds of winning a one on one versus you. I've been talking a lot and have a vision of the board that you don't seem to buy into.  Why don't you start with sharing your perfect setup.  Obviously it's a win, but where do you pick up your centers?  We don't have to be at odds here.  If I win, it's because I take out Germany and Italy.  What is your ideal scenario? I'm gifted because I spend time on conversations like this.  Most players don't.  The moveset of Diplomacy is pretty simple.  Akin to checkers.  I'm terrible at the Cold War 1v1 varient 😄 ;D Hmmm You’re also a verrrrrry smooth talker For all I know you’ve already set up a massive plan to attack me Hey man, I’m gonna be away from my phone for 30 min You far overestimate me [redacted] lol Who is this?! hmmm ok.  Moves process in less than two hours Wait a second Woah You just dropped a big thing there The point is, you can trust me NO I CANT?!?? I have no idea who you are lol And you know who I am That’s like literally the opposite of trust lol Faith then Idk anyone who lives in Maine or works at Hudson This is legit creepy not gonna lie *worked at Hudson whatever This is having the opposite effect I didn't work there, I was an intern The point is that we need to work something out asap. Yes definitely I mean if I knew who you were then I would feel much more comfortable and far more likely to work something out You talked it Italy you talked to Italy lol Yeah dude I’m so freaked out rn That's what Italy just said lol Idk who else to talk to this is like actually freaking me out Like irl Like I’m really freaked Dear God. This is kinda distracting.  You'll find out who I am after the game Dude but you know who I am RN like wtf How long have you played Diplomacy? Definitely not used to being like doxed online lol I mean like I’ve mostly played gunboat so I’m not used to the this dynamic I hope you are like a buddy of mine IRL so we can laugh about this in a week but rn I’m just like WTF You're not being doxed, you don't have to worry It’s like okay dude but it doesn’t feel chill to me that you have a face to a country and I don’t Do you actually know me IRL or did you just like figure out who I was through tracing an email address or something? This is kind of a waste of our time.  We can laugh this off when the game is over goddammit Idk man it’s just like Kinda Erie from my POV who knows I might not like you IRL Lmfao Or you could be a close buddy idk But either way I HATE the dynamic of you knowing who I am IRL and me being in the dark You'll know my real name and all kinds of shit about me later, let's play the game right now Yeah dude I’m sorry but that gambit really backfired I want to work with you here, let's start with that as a building block not it didn't It fundamentally creates an uneven and uneasy dynamic between me and you. I DO NOT feel comfy with it. I know This has happened to me before Sorry. I’m sure you’re a great dude but I don’t like this. It definitely did not create trust, just totally broke it. How long have you known? How did you know? Who are you irl? Now these thoughts will supersede any thing you say Sorry We didn't have trust before.  You thought we had trust.  This is foundational to the mirage of Diplomacy And now you understand When you call me a good player or a smooth talker, you know nothing about me or my gameplay style So now that we've broken the pieces, we start from the beginning I have to run now.  This was a very frustrating end to a good day Sorry man but you brought this on yourself I'm a little surprised you're surprised.  You put your name publicly on discord and shared what you do for work and where you are on any given weekend I could have found out your name in three different ways Hopefully we’ll laugh about this in the future Not nearly as creepy as the guy that looked me up on facebook and knows my girlfriend's name ok Someone in this current game? No Nobody has the capacity nor cares enough to dox you man Sorry bro, you made a calculation and you were wrong. I don't believe I am now Maybe this was all part of your plan. Idk, idc. You’re really smart and whatever idc I needed to flip your mindset a little bit But I didn't plan for you to be this freaked out So I do apologize for that It’s cool. You must not know me that well IRL Diplomacy is all about trust.  The beauty about it is that you can't trust anyone.  All anyone can do is spin a web and make assumptions about people.  You were trying to do that to me earlier, it seems, without realizing it Did you request it? Nope just as surprised as you are Wonder if England did Possibly Are you moving south here? Any final thoughts? Got to finalize some plans myself, just checking in I can support you into Rum here if you want.  I'm holding my northern line so don't bother taking it out.  However it may benefit you to move against T here You there? Yeah thoughts? I’m not interested man. Sorry 😦