Need help/feedback in bot game

[chickenpie]

Hello everyone.
I am new to playing diplomacy (although I've read up on strategy a bit), and would appreciate some advice in my game against the bots.
Also, if anyone has any tips for how I could have played better, please let me know.
(I'm not sure if this link is how you share a game, please let me know if I've messed up)
https://play.webdiplomacy.net/beta/?gameID=629240

Thank you!

[gimix]

Since you ended up as the board leader I suppose you played (at least reasonably) well. The question arises: did you have the possibility to solo from the final position?

I assume you know what the main stalemate line is, so the quick answer is: no, you could not win because all of your SCs were on the same side of the MSL, and as long as the bots played correctly you had no possibility of crossing it.

Put in another way, this is a typical West (ENG/GER) vs East (you) situation. In the end game Austria, the Balkans, Turkey, Russia without StP, and (usually) Italy are owned by the East; the Lowlands, Britain, France, Iberia and (usally) Scandinavia by the West. This is exactly your situation, apart from having lost Warsaw which is anyhow retakeable.

This means 16 SCs for the East, 14 for the West, and leaves 4 contested SCs: Tunis, Munich, Berlin, StP; so the East needs to take 2 of those to win. (Remember though, while Tun, Mun, and Ber once occupied can be defended for ever from both sides given the proper positioning, StP cannot be defended indefinitely from south; but it is sometimes possible to hold it long enough while you take the other needed provinces to reach 18).

If you didn't so already, have a look at brotherbored.com - in this case specifically to his Austrian Gunboat Solo Win Plan

[chickenpie]

Thank you very much, this is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for!