If you want points, play PPSC.

Bo, that's twice we agree in one day. Careful.

Talk to the other players, get a feel for their weaknesses, exploit them, win. England is little different from any other nation.

In a less harsh way, JY, PPSC breeds the idea that it is okay to play poorly for the sake of getting points. Yes, points means you got more SC, and one would think you have to have skill to do that, but not really.
Our point is that when someone approaches 12, 13 SC (maybe even as low as 10), it is important to stop that power from getting the solo. In PPSC, because there is a prize for getting 16 SC even if the solo happens, it promotes fragmented resistance against the solo.
Because the goal (to win) is to get that 18 SC (or just over half depending on what board), the goal should at the same time be to make sure no one else does so either. This is why many people play WTA. It promotes greater thinking about moves and planning for potential stabs or moves to stop a solo. This is also particularly prominent in gunboat (which I mainly play now).

" In a less harsh way, JY, PPSC breeds the idea that it is okay to play poorly for the sake of getting points. "

Except when it doesn't. How then do you explain the low quality of WTA games?

I'll need more specifics to answer that. Private games? Public? Press or gunboat?

It could very well come down to the fact that those people played PPSC before. Or that they're new. Or just low skill players joining a random game. Most gunboats I play are high in quality so I'm rather confused as to what you're saying. It isn't like PPSC has a superior quality to WTA. Unless you state otherwise.

Focus on snagging Tunis. Never fails

As England, fighting Russia is unwise, since battles over Norway or St. Pete's distract the both of you from France's rise, precluding better uses of your fleets. Instead I recommend you ask the French to help you get your army into Kiel. Your thirst for German centers should be quenched, and now you ought to bring the Franks to heel. The Kaiser, fearing death, will change his tune, and hurriedly accept your peace accord, to turn and face the Russian stab platoon - which means that France will soon fall to your sword. From there it's an old-fashioned solo race, which you can then move forward with apace!

Chaqa I just handed you the keys to victory and you thank me with silence? Ugh

@cardcollector

I think part of the disconnect might be that you play gunboat, which is very different than press. I could see how WTA gunboat games might indeed be higher in quality than PPSC gunboat games. I've never really looked at it that way.

My opinion is that this site has about five tiers of quality in terms of (press) games, and the bottom run is indeed dominated by PPSC play. But if you go to tier three (or above) players who play well will want some reward for their play even if all of their (immediate) neighbors are bozos. PPSC does this for me. If I can't count on my neighbors to help me solo, and can't count on my neighbors to help me get a three-way (draw), then I enjoy having the option available to shoot for points. The compliant raised by some players that some players (like me) don't try hard enough to shoot for draws is unfounded, from the standpoint that I think they suffer under what I choose to call the Beginner's fallacy.

The Beginner's fallacy - anyone who discounts my personal plans for the game, or disagrees with my playing style is an idiot.

Then there we go. We have no disagreement.
I have nothing against PPSC existing. I have played those games before. I have also played WTA with some knuckleheaded moves being made that ruins a perfect draw. I just prefer WTA. (You're right, gunboat v press does matter)

@Thucy I've failed to win before even though I got Tunis once as England.
And my concerns about grabbing Kiel as England is that France often stabs you because you block their expansion by staking a claim in Germany. And if Russia is in a juggernaut, you can count on them aiming for Scandinavia. This is why I like working with Germany v France or opening north to grab StP and enough fleets to force yourself into Denmark and Sweden.

@cardcollector: in this case, you're missing the style for the substance

Paging obiwanobiwan.....

It might just be the games I seem to play in, but it feels like WebDip has a lot of hate for England. I rarely see England surviving until the late game on this site, and England is my least favorite to be assigned to when I join a new game because it feels like the country is nothing but a giant red bulls eye for every other one in the game.

When it comes to the board game Diplomacy England is my favorite country, and with the group of friends I play with I am notorious for my great play as England. I have close to a 75% win rate and have never been eliminated in a game as England. I just cant seem to make that success transfer to the WebDip version of the game.

Also @JamesYanik when it comes to those 3 games

Opt 1: France and Russia both missed their first move in Spring 1901, and when they did move they both went straight south and basically asked England to attack them. Not saying it isn't a good example of how to play England, just dont count on that same scenario to happen every game because England had 2 less people to contend with from the get go. The rest of the game and the other two games wont load currently so I cant really take a look at those options.

@Thucy if you mean I'm missing the style of press for the substance being quality of games, that may be so but I choose gunboat for saving time. I'm allowed to play about 5-10 games at once without dedicating too much time for back and forth conversation.

@cardcollector

nah that's not what I mean

Do explain. I usually play poorly as England and would like to learn what you are trying to say.

It's not that you don't understand, it's just that your silly demand (for me to explain what ought to be plain) is proof that your mind's a bit bland.

Probably. Been much too tired to think creatively the past week.

I still love you

I knew this forum had an issue with "close reading," but damn

<3

still waiting for chaqa to weigh in

It doesn't matter how many times you bump this thread, Thucy, no one is going to notice or +1 your poem.

What poem?

Exactly

:)

Thucy, friendly advice: if you're going to make something rhyme, make it metricly bearable.

#fuckthucy