Hello! What are your thoughts in Scandinavia? I would like Sweden.  In exchange, I would offer up that fleet as a proxy unit for you.  Want some help into Skag?  You got it.  Want me to help you into North Sea after I take Norway?  It's all yours.  Thoughts? Hello! So it sounds like you are already planning on taking Sweden and Norway. I will confess that a strong Northern power makes me uncomfortable. If you are planning on taking Norway, you are probably committing your army in Moscow to St Pete this year then? That makes you awfully vulnerable in the south. I thought we might work together?  If I took Norway with your help, we could DMZ Scandinavia - which would allow me to focus on the South. Anyway, that's getting way ahead of ourselves - I can't fight on two fronts, I'd rather work with you in the North and focus on the South. I'd consider that if you didn't build at all in St Pete. Let me talk to France and get back to you, since I would clearly benefit more from this in an EF alliance than an EG alliance, and France has yet to say anything. I'm comfortable with no build in the north. Honestly, I think that I'm going to have to dedicate most of my units towards the South.  Let me know if the proxy fleet concept works for you.  I'd prefer to free up your units to do something more productive than to fight over a build in Scandinavia. I just dont know how useful that promise is to me unless A) I can trust you fully B) I'm all in on an English attack. I'm not saying I dont want to be friends with you, I'm just letting you know that the deal seems a bit flat. So ... you just auto-bounce the Russian in Sweden unless you Sealion? Look, your tone has me very concerned - you don't seem particularly interested in working with me or exploring the possibilities of us having peace between our units in Scandinavia.  I've been offering you partnership and opportunity from the get-go and not really feeling like there's any reciprocity.  Have you already made up your mind how you want to play your position and I'm wasting my time?  Or are you open to negotiation and finding common ground and working out a way we can cooperate? Well. You offered to support England against me, so I'm not in a very trusting mood with you. I've also heard stuff from Austria about you that is concerning, so it's not just England pulling a fast one on me. I've said I'm not opposed to working with you - and I'm certainly not opposed to keeping peace between the three of us in Scandinavia. I just cant commit in spring 01 to fight against England when France has sent very little press (and alarming press at that) and the things I am hearing about you are conflicting. Your impatience troubles me even more. Do you always nail down all of your alliances within hours of the game start? No, but I like to feel other players out to see what they're open to and considering.  I told England that I'd be open to moving on you (Germany), which is true.  I mean, if he had said "yes, let's do it!  You can have Norway, let's lure him into bouncing you in Sweden, but in reality I'll move there while you move to Baltic and make him guess which home center to cover after you move to Silesia from Warsaw in '01 .... " I mean, yeah, I'd probably work with him. But just because I said that I'd be open to it, doesn't mean I was trying to get him to attack you from the jump.  I also told him what I've told you, which is that I think I need to head south and I'd just like some sort of peaceful arrangement in the north. So you just admitted that you are still open to working against me rather than with me. So why are you mad at me for telling you from the start that I too am keeping my options open? Just be patient. Let me talk to France. If you're getting other press from these guys that say that I'm talking about opening against Germany from the jump, and you believe it, then I think we've got some stiff competition for the $10 bounty for "best liar."  My preferred option with Germany is to leave GAL a DMZ, hold with A Moscow, and then use it against whoever lies to me in '01 (covering Warsaw from an Austrian or German in GAL/SIL, going to Norway in England lies to me, or covering SEV if Turkey opens to Armenia).  Maybe you find me too direct, but I thought we were having a conversation and then you got weird. *with Russia. I'm not mad at you, I was just reading the tone of your press.  🙂  And i read it correctly, you were worried about me trying to play you based on what you were getting from England and Austria.  I also like to keep my options open and to feel out the other players.  I don't expect other players to turn around and share my press with my opponents, because that strikes me as a poor way to demonstrate one's ability to keep quiet about things.  But thank you for letting me know that England can't be trusted.  That's valuable information.  For what it's worth, Italy is someone you probably shouldn't trust to keep your communications with him quiet, either. Well I'm glad that we were able to lay that out in the open. And I didn't think you were going to pounce on me from the start, I just see you as an ambitious player, and like I said,  having a strong Russian presence in the north from an ambitious player combined with a hostile England does not bode well for Germany unless Germany has already bolstered themselves in my past experience. Excellent.  I respect honesty and competent play.  If you can demonstrate both, you'll have my respect - and also a trustworthy partner. Well I am very happy to see you move southerly. My biggest concern now is France and his movement to Burgundy. Do you have any insight on his plans? He forced it. Very interesting. He was not very talkative with me, probably because he was focused on chatting with you and England. I mean, it’s not a super unusual opening. A tad aggressive for my taste, but unusual. I’d say there’s a decent chance he goes to BEL and it’s up to you to figure out what England does. YOR-HOL can be killer. *not. But not unusual. If England is going to do that, it’s either a new plan or one he wasn’t comfortable discussing with me. He seemed more interested in Russia opening south than seeking my assistance against you. That could be good for you or it could mean he doesn’t want me around to be able to help you out. You haven't talked to France at all? Can you talk to him now? Can do. Would you mind letting me into Sweden? If I let you into Sweden, you wont build north and you wont attack me? My offer of fleet Sweden as your proxy still stands. And no, I won’t attack you. I might build A STP, but definitely not F STP/sc Okay, I'll allow you in, but if you build army st pete then I dont want that unit moving without me knowing where it is going each phase. Ok. Sounds a little paranoid, but fair. Neither France or England are being forthcoming... England tricked me. Now I must kill them. I'm building a fleet to use against England. I will support you in the spring if you promise to use that to contest Norway. I apologize for bouncing you, I did it to secure a relationship with England, but he threw that away. Fleet Kiel, correct? I looked at the map and see that you only have Berlin open. Thank you for the heads up. Yes, I can only do Berlin So, what’s the plan? Do you think you’ve got a friend in France? To give you my perspective, when I play Germany, I don’t bounce Sweden in ‘01 as a general rule. I wait and see if England is working with me - if he is, taking out the solo fleet is too easy and slows down English gains. If he isn’t, then now I have a potential ally in place to help.  And if England and Russia are going to team up on me, I’m screwed anyway - but at least I haven’t provided Russia with additional motivation.   Now, WAR-SIL changes that math. Well I see the merit in most of this, I think you are discounting a build in St Pete by Russia. Russia can easily get a second unit North, and then it isn't just a lone fleet in Sweden. I still dont trust France completely, but at this point I have no other choice than to work with you and France. England openly attacked me, and neither you nor France have. Okay, am I supporting you into Sweden? If you are covering St Pete I'd like to go Sweden to ensure England doesnt get it. Just let me know what to do. I’m going to Sweden Awesome, I'm supporting you Thank you. Thank you for your assistance.  It would appear that England is coming for you, full bore.  Is France on your side? Oh thank goodness. It appears France is on my side. Idk why England has it out for me, but it's annoying. I may need you to either go to Norway or support hold Denmark if you can? Norway is intriguing.  I wish I was in STP right now.  😦 Well at least you have the juggernaut going for you now 😉 This guy ... "let's try to hide it by me pretending to attack you."  👌 😩 no one believes it's not a juggernaut until Russia is in Bulgaria or Turkey is in Rumania. Austria has asked me to move my units towards you (away from him, I suppose).  How did your discussions with Italy go regarding his unit in Tyrolia?  He seems to have fled south quickly (most likely to convoy over to Syria). Actually I didn't even talk to him last phase, and the phase before I just said that attacking Austria was dumb unless he was in a wintergreen alliance. well, that was apparently the way to get him to go south. Even with my help, you could still lose Denmark. He has three fleets to attack with. If Denmark holds and Kiel and Sweden support hold, he cant take it. Oh. Yeah. Math. For what it’s worth, France hasn’t asked me to move west or anything. So, he’s probably your friend. That's good to know, thanks England just sent me a message that says he is going to take Denmark and then stop attacking me because of France... 
Like... what is he doing? I had an opportunity to DMZ the north, sorry. Though, now that England left North Sea as a retreat location, I might not find Norway such easy pickings ... hi.  did you want to talk at all? I mean Is there any way of me getting your help this phase? I'm not actually in any of your centers. But you supported England into my SC after I supported you what do you want?  would you prefer to focus on england? I thought I made myself clear that England was my whole focus last phase. Now that you've allied with England against me, I have two people to be mad at now. You attacking me is more understandable than England though Oh... except you are in Bohemia and Silesia well, he agreed to dmz the north, as i explained, and then he made the moves to support it. I am. Look, it doesn't do me great good to knock you out of the game right away.  I was wondering if you'd be open to a dialogue or are you closed off to any kind of dicussions. I mean I'm open to discussion, but I'm using most of my efforts with other countries since I feel like I wont be able to get very far this phase with you. In later phases things will change though My only real bargaining chip is helping you against England in Scandinavia, or supporting you against Austria How would you suggest going about helping me against Austria? Well... tbh I am mostly going to be holding this phase. I'm going to Munich though, and if you relieve pressure on me I can continue south and support you there. I wouldn't mind you disbanding one of your 5 northern troops. Tbh, I dont know why you only have 2 troops protecting your south when Austria and Turkey can both attack you strongly now. Thought England was interested in working with me against you.  I have no idea why he went for Sweden instead of taking a (guaranteed) support into Kiel.  Sorry. You're apologizing to me for England not attacking me? Sure I’m apologizing for trusting him. Would you like support into Denmark? If I order Kiel to Denmark you could take Berlin by force. Once you've backed off my border I'll consider moving my troops in a way other than protecting myself against invaders. That’s totally fair. I’ll make that a possibility. what do you want me to build? An army would be preferable done.  can we go our separate ways? Yeah, I'm trying to figure out what Austria and Italy are doing now well, Italy is about to get desparate for dots.  So, I'd watch your back. I build the army and would like to head south.  I'd appreciate it if you held off from attacking STP or headed towards Warsaw.  i honestly believe that you have bigger fish to fry and can makes some great headway with your fleets if you head west. Why are you sending your fleet at me? Please, if I wanted to attack you I'd go from Norway. Baltic was going to cover Berlin, but now it will bounce in Denmark classical mid-game mistake, going after Russia instead of Austria. the problem with weakening Russia at this point - is by the time you shift towards Austria, there's no  way to beat him off - and you can't hold Warsaw and Moscow against him. He only has 4 SCs Well, who do you think will get Italy’s France? Eye roll Those two have been cuddle buddies from the jump