http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=57547#gamePanel
actually that's what's gonna happen

Wow, look at the phallic imagery.

Moral: Don't try Western Triple. It ends in 7-way draws.

Occasionally 6-ways, unless it is somehow broken before that.

I usually just let England take the rightmost territories south: St. P, Moscow, Sev.

that was a random draw, any reason why you did that?

Well, this is what usually happens:

http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=48400

mongoose998, A/I/T/R had a stalemate line so E/F/G could not break through. And no way would A/I/T/R stab each other in that scenario, at least, not without some big cojones or some stupidity. Well, except Turkey who could legitimately stab figuring to be useful to E/F/G when they eventually turn on each other.

The real question is why E/F/G didn't turn on each other.

To answer the original question, it is important that Germany not get too far east. Germany needs to hit Austria and Italy too to help out France. And to give England room to grow in the east. If Germany doesn't give England room to grow, they're just asking to be stabbed by England.

alderian, i can't help but read this and think of our current league positions...

It was not intended as a comment on any ongoing game, ours, or otherwise.

gameID=51461

That was a "perfect" WT, but it was one of the worst games I've played. I desperately wanted to stab and try for the solo, but the other players in the game (namely Turkey) were some of the worst players I've seen, diplomatically. I practically begged him to help me stab, and he wouldn't. The result, as you can see, was a boring three way. Our alliance started in 1901, and never, ever, broke. Diplomacy should never go like that.

The other four powers had more than enough opportunities to set up a stalemate and force me to stab. Our alliance *shouldn't* have been successful, but the WT *can* work if the other players are idiots. (Or if just one of them is.)

gameID=47099

This is I think an example of a perfect response to a WT (which for some reason included Austria). Not much to say there, other than that England shouldn't have stabbed, nor should have Italy. The chat logs on that are pretttyyyy interesting. :-)

Also, there's a huge difference in Gunboat vs. Full Press. I'd never expect a WT to last until there were only 3 left in a gunboat.

Western triples are so absurdly in favor of the English it isn't even funny. When you hit a stalemate line/solid defense, you can just stab (like England in ☺'s second example). When you don't hit a line, and you never get a good stabbing opportunity, you just continue to the end (like ☺ himself played it).

As France or Germany, I would never happily join a western triple.

Although, maybe it could work if F/E decide to allow Germany to grow large. Germany takes Belgium and Denmark in S 1901, then builds only armies. England and France have nmo trouble defending against Germany when he has no fleets, and Germany doesn't need to fear an English stab when they can't convoy armies into Hol/Bel.