Italy-Austria Opener: The Greek Lepanto.

[Not An NPC]

The Greek Lepanto is a variation of the Lepanto opening designed to prevent Turkish expansion, increase the number of SCs Austria gets in 1901, potentially outwit Turkish players, allow Italy to move against France and somewhat decrease Italy's chance of being stabbed at the cost of increasing the chance of Austria being stabbed and potentially increase the time of the opening.

Spring 1901
Italy
- Army: Venice HOLD
- Army: Rome-Naples
- Fleet: Naples-Ionian Sea

Austria
- Army: Vienna NOT INVOLVED
- Army: Budapest-Serbia
- Fleet: Trieste-Albania

Fall 1901
Italy
- Army: Venice HOLD
- Army: Naples-Tunis VIA CONVOY
- Fleet: Ionian Sea CONVOY Naples-Tunis

Austria
- Army: Serbia SUPPORT Albania-Greece
- Fleet: Albania-Greece

Build 1901
Italy
- Rome: Fleet/Army

Austria
- Trieste: Army
- Budapest: Army

It is at this point that the Greek Lepanto divides into two different openers: The Greek-Aegean Lepanto, which prevents Italy from being stabbed and takes longer, and the Greek-Ionian Lepanto, which gives Italy a fleet to support their army against Turkey, but allows Italy to be stabbed.

Greek-Aegean Lepanto
Spring 1902
Italy
- Army: Venice HOLD
- Army: Tunis HOLD
- Fleet: Ionian Sea HOLD
- Fleet/Army: Rome NOT INVOLVED

Austria
- Army: Trieste-Serbia
- Army: Serbia-Greece
- Army: Budapest HOLD
- Fleet: Greece-Aegean Sea

Fall 1902
Italy
- Army: Venice HOLD
- Army: Tunis HOLD
- Fleet: Ionian Sea HOLD

Austria
- Army: Greece SUPPORT Serbia-Bulgaria
- Army: Serbia-Bulgaria
- Army: Budapest-Serbia
- Fleet: Aegean-Eastern Mediterranean

Build 1902
Austria
- Budapest: Army

Spring 1903
Italy
- Army: Venice HOLD
- Army: Tunis-Syria VIA CONVOY
- Fleet: Ionian Sea CONVOY Tunis-Syria

Austria
- Army: Greece HOLD
- Army: Bulgaria HOLD
- Army: Budapest SUPPORT Serbia-Rumania
- Army: Serbia-Rumania
- Fleet: Eastern Mediterranean CONVOY Tunis-Syria

Greek-Ionian Lepanto
Spring 1902
Italy
- Army: Venice HOLD
- Army: Tunis HOLD
- Fleet: Ionian Sea-Eastern Mediterranean
- Fleet/Army: Rome NOT INVOLVED

Austria
- Army: Trieste-Serbia
- Army: Serbia-Greece
- Army: Budapest HOLD
- Fleet: Greece-Ionian Sea

Fall 1902
Italy
- Army: Venice HOLD
- Army: Tunis-Syria
- Fleet: Eastern Mediterranean CONVOY Tunis-Syria

Austria
- Army: Greece SUPPORT Serbia-Bulgaria
- Army: Serbia-Bulgaria
- Army: Budapest-Serbia
- Fleet: Ionian Sea CONVOY Tunis-Syria

[Temasek22]

Uhh, are you sure you expect Italy to hold everything for 1902? Seems pretty impossible to me... the Italians would easily stab at that time already.

Still, this is a pretty good opening... if it works out, that is.

[Claesar]

I presume Italy is supposed to support Greece to Aegean instead of holding. That also increases the chances of actually getting there. With the current orders, Turkey has to NMR a few specific phases as well.

[Laszlo_L]

Yeah I definitely think that Italy should help get the Aegean. Alternatively you could play a key lepanto where Italy is already in Aegean by fall 1901, it is trickier for Austria, but could work better against Turkey..
https://diplomacy1901.com/example-games/

[Octavious]

My Nan could probably put up a decent defence against these moves, and she's dead. What are you expecting the enemy to be doing whilst you're entering umpteen hold orders? Playing tiddlywinks?

[Anon-Mouse]

There is a terrible flaw in the Spring 01 orders and that is of moving Rome to Naples. Naples cannot support Venice in the event there are two units on Venice from either Piedmont/Trieste or Tyrolia/Piedmont or Tyrolia/Trieste or even Adriatic/Trieste.

In all cases of a proposed convoy through the Ionian the Italians should move Rome to Apulia.