Seriously, bullshoi. Get the fuck off my thread. I am not interested in your opinion.
Thanks for the insight, uclabb.

How to win at Gunboat
1. Win in your half of the map. If possible, make yourself as small a threat as possible to your neighbors, and hope they start tearing into each other. Then pick on the losing side, grab what you can. Wall out the victor the best you can, but DO NOT fight him, it is in neither of your interests to do so. At this point you probably have around 8 centers.

2. Hopefully you have that done by 1905-06. Now find your nearest neighbor in the other half, start pushing stuff at him. He's involved in his own war with someone else, so this will turn the balance on that half against your new victim. But you're there at the same time as the winners on that half, so you should be making gains. At this point you should have around 10 centers. Ideally the other guy who won in your half has about the same.. Preferably he has one or two more but in a slightly overstretched position. Also, there are 4 people left on the map - two of you, 10-11 centers each, and two of them, about 6-7 centers each. Now's the fun bit.

3. Make the other 10 center guy try to stab you, and defend. Wait for the other two to go all 'Kill the Solo'er. Surreptitiously sneak three or four centers off the other guy. Create a power difference between the two 6-center people. Try to make sure one gets more centers than the other while cutting up the 10-center person. Induce a stab between them, either out of a misguided solo attempt, or frustration. This is the part that requires the most ingenuity, because you're the SC leader at the moment. It might even require pulling back and actively yielding centers to the leading 6-7 centerer to make the other one think you intend to two-way draw. All through this you should be hovering around 14 centers, sneaking your forces into position. Don't amass huge armies near the line, that'll scare anybody. Focus on getting a unit across the line, under whatever pretext necessary. A southern fleet through to the MAO, or a northern army in Galicia or Venice is an almost certain victory.

4. Win.

i'm just trying to enlighten you zultar. i think you need the help.

@santosh, I think point 4. alone summarizes the stategy the best :D

I only have 2 tips which every gunboater should know:
1. Always check the orders for hidden supports

2. never reveal strategy or tips that would put your opponents at an advantage. The above tip helps out you just as much as your enemies, cause them knowing when you want support and am willing to give support is key. However anything beyond that helps your opponents, and so gives you a disadvantage.

Alternative strategy: Be France. Win.

I'm willing to bet few people in this thread are going to following my advice :)

An early war between A and I is excellent news for T and F.

@uclabb i'm not so sure about that. i tried that strategy the last game i had and it didn't work at all.

Yes, master bullshoi. I think it is obviously clear and thoroughly transparent that I need your help and guidance concerning gunboat and diplomacy. If only you could be my mentor and teach me to do as well as you do.

@bullshoi, I am pretty sure you will find it challenging to win even if you make six multis and CD them all except your current account.
And oh, please do try that. The mods here highly encourage people to test out those kind of strategies.

Bloshio, if you screw up as France in gunboat, you have some issues. You might not win but losing is not an option.

hey i only had 2 multis in that game, england and italy. i thought cd'ing those would win me for sure! but i got scammed!

Pfft. France has a very simple strategy
1. NMR in Sprin 1901
2. Win.

Proof: gameID=68372

http://vdiplomacy.net/map.php?gameID=3423&turn=0&mapType=large
Perform the Yorkshire pudding as England, giving you a massive advantage in the game.

(sadly it didn't work out so well for me, Russia ended up winning this game)

santosh, what about the part where Germany and Russia CDed? ;)

santosh knows my strategy

Their units failed to move because they were rooted to the ground trembling with fear when they saw the oncoming French. But seriously, Russia's CD only gave Italy and Germany free centers, I wasn't there at all. And Germany's CD came when he couldn't do anything anyway, the result would have been the same two moves later :)

No. Germany would hold Kiel for a while and harass Mar. You wouldn't get into Boh in time and you would be screwed :)

nmr strategy is not a strategy

But seriously, if you don't at least draw as France, you messed up. And that kinda sucks.

That's not always true, uclabb, and you know it. If EG team up against you, you are pretty much in trouble.

gameID=64973
I don't think I played too badly as France, but EG were relentless.

but you don't all know that due to germany having to leave prematurely he went for a draw and i was able to escape death at the last minute! gameID=82119

lol bolshoi you must be the worst player ever.

that's what they tell me

I love that Brest-Paris mutual hold.

@zultar- I think that game is case and point. You had Germany and France attacking you from 1901 and you still had 5 centers at the end of 1904, and would have survived had Germany seen that England was becoming an insurmountable solo threat. That's ridiculous.

I like to think that skills had a bit to do with that, but I could just be kidding myself.
That was awkward calling Germany out like that though.