Here is my first 1v1 game write-up. The goal of these is mostly to give myself a format in which I can take another look at the game and figure out what worked, what didn't, and what I should do differently next time. It is also a way for me to give advice to my opponent, and to let others see what my thought process is so they can learn or correct me where I am wrong.
1v1 Practice GvI 1
http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameI ... #gamePanel
Opponent: Ancient Memories
Title: The Tyrolian Chokehold
Spring 1901: I decided to go with the most standard German opening, the Tyrolian opening, and it did its job. Bouncing Tyrolia kept Venice in place, which really set the tone for the rest of the game.
Fall 1901: I am able to use Munich to take Tyrolia, since Italy had to use Venice to secure Trieste to get more than 1 build. My other two units pick up SC's, meaning we are both at 5 a piece.
Winter 1901: I build a fleet in Kiel to try to grab some of the many coastal SCs to my north, and an army in Munich to keep pressure on Italy.
Spring 1902: For the remainder of the game, Tyrolia is the reason that I won this game. I decide to forego Vienna and instead tap Venice. Why? Because having a unit in Venice inhibits Italy's builds. If Italy moves out of Venice and I take it, this causes Italy to get behind on SC count and they are unable to build in Venice. If they remain in Venice, they have a unit stuck there, and they cannot build in Venice. If I can keep a unit in Venice this game while picking up lots of SCs on my end, I will be able to get an additional unit on the board ahead of Italy every year. Munich goes to Bohemia and Warsaw to Galicia to form a cup around Vienna, and Bohemia can offer support to Tyrolia. My fleets continue picking up SC's and moving closer to the Iberian Peninsula.
Fall 1902: My cup like positioning around Vienna means that I can take it this turn. Bohemia and Galicia are sufficient for this, and so Tyrolia can tap Venice once again, meaning Italy cannot build in Venice this year. Holland remains and EC goes to Brest ensuring I get three builds and I take an advantage on units.
Winter 1902: A fleet in Kiel to continue picking up SCs and two armies, one in Munich to moves West, and one in Berlin to move south and help with the growing line of armies.
Spring 1903: Once again Tyrolia taps Venice, causing a bounce there and leaving the Roman army stuck down south. Big win for me there. Vienna and Galicia attempt an attack on Budapest, mostly just to keep pressure on Italy. The moves in that area fail, which is fine by me. I am already deep enough south where my goal is just to hold the line. Silesia moves south to offer assistance. Munich moves to Bur to try to snag Marseilles. I have already established myself well in the East, so if I can win the West then I have this game down. Brest to MAO also sets myself up well on that front. My other two fleets continue to try to snag SCs to generate builds for my rush.
Fall 1903: Italy makes some mistakes here. The first was with Piedmont. Piedmont to Tyrolia really did not do anything for Italy. Piedmont should have bounced me out of Marseilles. MAO and West Med both attack each other, which leaves me secure over there. I did not need the SC in Spain, what I need is security in MAO. My other fleets take an SC each continuing my growth. In hindsight, I should have stayed in Denmark instead of going to Sweden. This would have allowed me to get to Edi the following year, then Lvp. Getting a third fleet towards MAO was more important for me than picking up Sweden or Norway, and the timing of that fleet caused me all sorts of indecision later. My armies in the East contest Trieste causing a bounce, and Galicia and Ukraine are able to fan eastward, stretching out my barrier and making room for more units to come in. Budapest was busy supporting Serbia, and so that movement was safe for me. Rome moving to Venice and blocking his home SC for another year meant that Italy was now several units behind me even though his SC count was pretty close to mine.
Winter 1903:
Three armies built, because why not? I didn't need another fleet, I needed armies in both the east and west.
Spring 1904:
My armies in the East keep the pressure on, but there is little movement, which is exactly what I want. Meanwhile in the west, I know that I am going to lose Marseilles, so I give it up to take Spain. Munich rotates down to Bur in the hopes of regaining Marseilles soon, and I now have units in MAO and EC giving me extra security there. Sweden moves to Norway, and it is at this point I realize my mistake. Taking St Pete would be awful for my timing, so I will need to stay in Norway.
Fall 1904:
In the west I move my army to Portugal. This allowed me to keep Spain open for my fleet in MAO to attack with support from Portugal. In hindsight, I should have just taken Portugal with MAO. Bur taps Marseilles in case he tried to use Marseilles to attack Spain and Pie went to Mar. I keep pressure in the East, and even snag Sev with Ukraine. Notice I still have Tyrolia, and Italy is still trying to move his units to either Venice or Trieste, which causes Italy to get behind on builds.
Winter 1904:
2 armies to solidify my stalemate line in the East. At this point I realize I don't even need Vienna, I just need to capture the SCs to my north and hold what I have down south.
Spring 1905:
At this point I cede Vienna, and pull my troops into a more defensible line. That last thing I need is for Italy to break through, so by pulling back, I give up one SC that I don't need in order to ensure my own security. In the West I take Spain and move some more armies in the area.
Fall 1905:
A bunch of supporting in the East, just holding my line. Now, North Sea moves to Norwegian Sea in a sort of panic. If Ionian had gone to Tunis, then N Africa, he could have contested MAO. I didn't want that, so I tried to put my fleet in a position to help support MAO. It gave up an SC, but at this point I was worried more about security than speed. In order to make sure I took an SC, I took Paris. Prussia to Livonia sets me up nicely to take either Moscow or St Pete the next year.
Builds 1905:
An army in Munich for security.
Spring 1906:
In the East I take Rum. I really didn't want Rum, but it actually worked out well for me, and had no real risk. Everything else is a holding pattern in the east. In the west I move Gascony into position to attack Mar.
Fall 1906:
I originally put in some other orders, but after doing the math, I realize I can win this turn. All I have to do is take St Pete and Moscow in the East (while maintaining my SCs), Lvp up north, and then force Marseilles with Spain, while covering Spain. This left Edi and Denmark as neutral SC's above me, SCs I was planning on taking but later realized I did not need.
Tl;dr:
Getting an army into Tyrolia in Fall 01 did me wonders. It stayed there until the final turn, inspiring fear on Venice and Trieste. It often ensured Italy kept a unit in Venice for the Fall, meaning that Italy could only build 2 units most years. My armies in the East kept pressure on Italy while maintaining a secure line. My fleets picked up SCs while quickly making it to the West. Two armies also thrown to the West allowed me to take all of the SCs there.
What I learned about Germany:
Take Tyrolia and use it well
What I learned about Italy:
I think one thing Italy did not do super well in this game was manage the West. It is vital for Italy to use its fleet dominance to contest the French and Iberian centers before it is too late.