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If this works.... 1 Supply center left.... Have to win or die on four fronts fighting Turkey, Italy, Russia, and Germany. Is it possible to win as Austria?

You are definitely in a tight spot at the beginning. If you ally with a good Italian player it can go quite well. Also using diplomacy so that you can focus on one adversary at a time seems key. This is coming from someone who has never soloed as Austria though so take it for what it's worth.

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As for the OP, if Austria survives the first 4-5 years in ok shape, you have an excellent chance of winning. Austria's position in the centre of the board is a weakness at first, as you can be attacked from multiple sides. Use good diplomacy, and a little luck, and if you are still alive with, say, 6 SCs by 1905, that weakness suddenly becomes an advantage, because your builds are in the centre of the board. Turkey and England, in particular, often have trouble finishing off a potential solo because their builds are right in one corner of the map.

Of my 17 solos I think 3 are as Austria.

This game isn't supposed to be perfectly balanced. It's a rough simulation of, well, diplomacy. States never negotiate on an equal playing field.

It's perfectly possible to win as Austria. Just harder, assuming your opponents play well. If you want a game where everyone has an equal chance of winning play Candyland.

Austria is only at a disadvantage in low quality games. In higher quality games, it more or less balances out against the opposition.

This will echo what others have said, but serves only to highlight the importance of it.

Austria can be just as successful as any other State given that proper diplomacy is used. The keys to Austria's longevity are in convincing Italy to be friendly and to get Russia and Turkey fighting each other. If you can manage this through your words, you'll do pretty well.

Don't listen to Yigg. He speaks with a forked tongue.

But yeah, I've seen Austria do rather well.

Austria has two major disadvantages. Firstly the default position of her neighbours is usually one which will see her on the receiving end of a kicking. Secondly you often have a relatively short time to establish the relationships required to turn the wolves back from your door. I don't think any other nation demands quite as much effort from day one to essentially stand still. For those of us who enjoy a more relaxed style it's a real pain.

I very much prefer Italy. The typical Italian game in which everything is calm and going swimmingly, and then you die, appeals to my sense of humour.

I think split's done it before...

It's definitely possible . . . here are all the standard games I've played here as Austria:
gameID=147314 Solo
gameID=143301 2wd
gameID=135724 4wd
gameID=47002 3wd
gameID=122933 3wd
gameID=39479 4wd


Overall that's 1 win, a 2-way, 2 3-ways, and 2 4-ways. Austria fits my style well because I like to talk to everybody and move aggressively in the opening. It also helps to be open to allying with Turkey, as it gives you yet another option, and often one that Italy and Russia won't expect.

Now, Italy, I've yet to figure out!

Of course it is, you just need to be a really good diplomat.

Wiggy's approach is good too, but it's not easy finding a basketcase to throw you the solo.

That's really the only way to solo a high quality game.

austria can be a good starting position if you follow these steps:
-make sure Italy isn't one of those bitches who hits tyrolia first turn
-dmz areas with germany
-get russia to bounce galicia and TRY to get him to be an ally (optional)
-move to albania, serbia, (and as previously stated galicia)
-if this all works make sure you claim greece and move to galicia, but tell russia you dont want to bounce again.
--IF russia bounces you in galicia: tell him turkey told you his plans last minute and pit them against one another
--IF you get galicia successfully: act confused and apologize for russia, since you though you two were bouncing again (wink wink not)
-build armies in vienna and trieste->(maybe a fleet, user's preference)
-start betraying Italy, but bounce yourself so you dont leave galicia yet, or if you are not in galicia support russia this turn.
-tell turkey that italy has been 'too needy' and get a little support from him, and hopefully he will be weakened enough for you to effectively move in.
-hope fully you will have a few builds, try getting into either/or both ukraine and rumania (or galicia and rumania)

go from there as you so choose

my record with Austria is abysmal but i got to 16SCs a while ago but i took pity and drew, i have played either 13 or 14 times as austria and quite frankly; gunboat sucks. make sure you communicate A LOT!!! and make sure you get a few fleets, it is always difficult for austria and fleets. France is my personal favorite, 4 solos and counting as em

It's not possible. Every game where Austria wins is either a photoshopped scandal or a game where all other 6 powers CD. I have yet to see a legitimate Austrian solo.

I've won as Austria before! gameID=148928

"That's really the only way to solo a high quality game."

One of a few ways. I've also seen high profile solos come as a result of misorders, egos (two players both sure they can beat the other head to head), and naive players really believing their ally would honour a two-way deal.

I've completed three press games as Austria, and I ended up drawing in all three of them.

All three draws included Italy, and none of them included Turkey.

The most successful of those games (3WD with 12 centers), featured a Central Powers Alliance for the first half, with my initial foe being Turkey (while France got slaughtered). I let Turkey live so that I could stab Russia with English and German help. Germany and I then stabbed Italy, but then Germany stabbed me, so I made peace with Italy (we hated each other all game nevertheless) and together with England (my game-long ally) we took out Germany and Turkey for the 3-Way.

I've got two solos as Austria here, but admittedly it wasn't the fiercest competition in those two games.

So tasnica does things the opposite of me: I don't think any of my draws include Italy, and most of them include turkey. I'm just really good at taking out Italy around 1903 when I play Austria.

With Austria, I usually keep Italy going until Turkey or Russia is crippled and then turn on him, offering support to the crippled power if he helps fight the other (of Turkey and Russia).

Austria is my second favorite great power to play, here's a 1905 Austria solo:

http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=13701

One of my best games I ever played I soloed with Austria. Interestingly, I lost Venice in the first year, but since Italy did not move to Tyrolia and I secured Greece, I managed to convince him that he's better off allying with me than fighting me. From there, I had to rely on very creative diplomacy.

This was one of those games where I propped up weaker players, keeping them in the game and protecting them while I went after my bigger threats. Russia and I bounced in Galicia to start, but in the midgame he got shafted by Germany, Turkey, and England, so I helped him survive and used him against Germany, until he stabbed me and I killed him.

I guess it depends on how good your diplomacy is. The only time I've soloed I needed to stay below the radar and use others to my advantage. I feel like it's hard to come out swinging and never look back like you can with other powers.

I have looked this 1905 solo, great ideas!

All Austrian solos should end with an Austrian fleet in Belgium.

@Nikola -- Yes ... there are some good ideas there. I particularly liked the clever diplomacy that led to the German CD in 1901 and the French CD later. I'll have to think about how best to accomplish that in the future.

Leading Italy to streach was what a had in mind, but those CDs are definitely something I will try to strategise in my future games.

Tasnica, I'm fairly sure the game you're describing never happened.

gameID=98520
It doesn't hurt to actually check ghug.

Ghug tries not to remember that, in that game, he played a Russia that got crippled by a Tasnican Austria and finished off by the English invading Sevastopol.

*claps for VirtualBob*

Standing ovation for VirtualBob!

If it had happened, Turkey would have been to blame for all faults. It didn't happen though.

Can anyone post a link to a good quality game where Austria solo-ed or near solo-ed after allying with Turkey through early and mid game?
I find it almost impossible to ally with Turkey early on in 1902-1903 as Austria because Turkey becomes very difficult for A to kill in mid game because of the Bul-Con bottleneck and the lack of Black Sea access.
As a result, I go with he standard option and most often try to ally with Russia+Italy and finish off Turkey before stabbing R and I in mid to end game.
Would love to try a fundamentally different strategy of some sort.

http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=12673#gamePanel

It wasn't a near solo, but BESM was played a very good game in a solid Turkey-Austria

http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=109104#gamePanel
Best example of a AT alliance. Ended in a 2 ways draw. Neither of us wanted to stab.

Any alliance can work in a PPSC game because your opponent shares in a win as much as a draw, if not more so.

I should say "odd" alliances have a better chance to work in PPSC games because there is no downside for being the junior partner.

Except being stabbed and having all your SCs taken for extra points

Contrast that with being stabbed and having a 1 or 2 of your SCs taken for all the points.

Being stabbed in PPSC is still a downside though. Not comparatively but its definitely a less than optimal outcome.

The thing with PPSC is that is takes away the incentive to win. People go as far as making alliances with this in mind "alright we'll work together as long as I win. But I won't solo until you have at least so-and-so supply centers" yes this is a thing and it absolute cancer to diplomacy. I don't even think there is a solution to this except getting rid of PPSC completely.

PPSC is not Diplomacy.

Sh@dow, take a look at the 2wd I posted. I allied with turkey, stabbed him in the mid game, and ended up with a draw with Germany. If you go through my other games, I ally with turkey more often than not.

My take on it is that allying with Italy is beneficial for taking on RT. Turkey seems to be the goal because of a high concentration of SC compared to Russia (Warsaw and Moscow aren't very much compared to Bulgaria, Rumania and Turkey.) But using Turkey is good for eliminating Italy. Venice is a constant threat to you.

Obviously (as other stated) it is possible. I admit, the odd AT alliance is fun, and it was one of my earlier games when I had time to play press, and before I started playing only WTA. But Austria is very powerful and it is possible to solo. Beyond the obvious, what makes it hard is that Austria cannot dedicate SC's to building fleets to cross the Iberian without Turkey being a pain, and being vulnerable to Russia/Italy (lack of armies). By the time you conquer Turkey to get the necessary SC, everyone sees you at 12 SC and are scrambling to secure a stalemate line.

As far as i'm concerned any alliance is on the table, play the players and don't get handicapped by preconceptions about statistically impractical alliances. "Textbook" players are lame and will only go so far, be adaptable to game-by-game situations. If Russia is a hard ass that's a strain to work with, Italy/Germany don't work out as a viable triple, but Turkey is a super-loyal less-experienced player then jump all over that.

Everything is situational.

gameID=140141
Allie with russia, Italy, AND turkey with the intent to keep only the Italian one. Have turkey and Russia needing your help while u take the balkans. Stab turkey, and have Germany and Russia fight. Stab Russia once turkey is gone. Go for a lucky solo as Austria

"With the intent to keep only the italian alliance"

...then build fleets in 1901 and 1902?