So the basic premise is this: You are RUSSIA in a new game. You have found Turkey to be so amenable that you've managed to demilitarize the Black Sea and Armenia on the first turn... But! You have found that Austria is a pretty cool guy too and agreed to demilitarize Galicia! And to make things just splendid, Turkey and Austria both tell you they really like the other one. Damn shame you can't all work together, right?

*buzzer* Wrong! You can! Introducing Eden's latest wacky idea: an Eastern Triple that can actually work!

The basic premise is to start off by collecting neutrals and setting up 1902 for Russia and Turkey; Russia needs to be nice to Germany to get Sweden because the second build is vital to prop up the alliance's one real weak point, the Scandinavian front. Turkey, meanwhile, needs to get two neutrals in order to produce enough fleets to shut down any effort to stall the alliance out in the Mediterranean. Austria will have to do a little more legwork to start by taking Venice for its second build. After builds, Russia and Austria crash into Germany with a vengeance unrivaled by any alliance in the game, Austria and Turkey deal the deathblow to Italy, and the alliance prepares to make a concerted push beyond the stalemate line in 1903-04.

The specific diplomatic negotiations:

Russia: ACQUIRE SWEDEN. Whatever it takes, do it. Promise the sun, moon and stars to get Germany to put his fleet in Holland. If you can sell it as a ploy to take on England, so much the better. Your S01 move should corroborate your supposed anti-English intentions. As regards England, you need to be sure that a move Mos -> Stp in S01 will not be met with fiery death from above.

Austria: Italy has to be turned west via any means necessary. That's really your only diplomatic objective. Maybe tell Germany that you and Russia are on good terms and that he shouldn't bounce Sweden because Russia will be focused on England and Turkey, but most of your time should be spent getting Italy to go west. You want to see him try for Marseilles and convoy to Tunisia via Tyrrhenian Sea in A01.

Turkey: Basically the same thing as Austria. Since the story so far has been Russia-Austria alliance (at least, it has to Germany), having Turkey and Austria collaborate to sell Italy on the AR v T narrative would probably be the best course of action. (Turkey would claim that Austria wants to fight Russia with him, Austria tells Turkey that the poor sap is completely delusional and that AR will tear Turkey apart just fine, and that Italy would be best off starting on the west.

Ideally, Germany is anti-English and going for three builds via F Kie -> Hol; France definitely needs to be anti-English; Italy needs to be anti-French. Most of these aren't terribly difficult to make happen.

So what are the actual moves?

S01:
Russia: F Stp (sc) -> GoB, A Mos -> Stp, A War -> Ukr, F Sev -> BLA (bounce)
Austria: A Vie -> Tri, A Bud -> Ser, F Tri -> Alb
Turkey: A Con -> Bul, A Smy -> Con, F Ank -> BLA (bounce)
=
France: F Bre -> ENG, A Par -> Pic, A Mar H
Italy: F Nap -> TYS, A Rom H/-> Tus/Nap, A Ven -> Pie
Germany: F Kie -> Hol, A Mun -> Ruh, A Ber -> Kie
England: F Edi -> NWS, F Lon -> NTH, A Lvp -> Yrk

Russia opens classic pro-Austrian with mildly anti-Turkish undertones. Austria opens titanically pro-Russian and vaguely anti-Turkish. Turkey opens neutrally. The RA v T storyline looks good. Any misdirection the three powers want to manufacture is fine, but better to keep to the RA v T narrative if you're not sure of the consequences.

The diplomacy should be pretty much the same. Russia should remain coy about Norway, however, so that England feels compelled to use all of its units to take Norway instead of potentially going for a second build. England is not the immediate enemy, but a strong England is NOT good for the long-term success of the ET, so any subtle tweaks to England's expansion should be welcomed. Nothing overt enough to make England an enemy, naturally, but not really talking about Norway either way will be fine when you let him in.

England won't make a fuss anyway, because of France, who is no doubt scrambling. France should have been sold on an anti-English plan, only to find that Italy is coming for him and Austria doesn't appear willing to help! France will have to pull his punch and move ENG -> MAO to get ready to fight Italy. An attempt for Belgium will get screwed by Germany.

Germany is sitting pretty, three builds basically guaranteed and apparently peaceful neighbors everywhere. Oh, how wrong he is.

And finally Italy is halfway ready to convoy to Africa and begin its slow funeral march into France.

If the diplomacy looks anything like that then the autumn turn should be easy:

A01:
Russia: F GoB -> Swe, A Stp -> Fin, A Ukr -> Gal, F Sev -> Rum
Austria: A Tri -> Ven, A Ser S A Ukr -> Rum (no such order!), F Alb -> ION
Turkey: F Ank -> Con, A Con -> Bul, A Bul -> Gre
=
France: F ENG -> MAO, A Pic -> Bel (blocked), A Mar H
Italy: F TYS C A Tus/Rom/Nap -> Tun, A Tus/Rom/Nap -> Tun (via convoy F TYS), A Pie -> Mar
Germany: A Ruh -> Bel, F Hol S A Ruh -> Bel, A Kie -> Den
England: A Yrk -> Lon, F NTH -> Nwy, F NWS S F NTH -> Nwy

Wham! Looks like Austria made a terrible play, as Turkey sets up for a Juggernaut with Russia. Russia is poised to strike at either Austria or Turkey, and Austria stabbed Italy and kept it buildless... but at what cost? (Well, we know none, but the other players sure don't.) France, it should be noted, was denied both of its Iberian builds. England got one at the cost of the North Sea. Germany got three, but we're about to halve his owned centers in 1902, so no one cares. The main thing is that by keeping France AND Italy buildless you have set yourself up marvelously for Turkey to dominate the Mediterranean.

The builds are basically forced: Austria has to get Vie/Tri to continue its Italian campaign, Russia needs A War/A Stp to secure his flanks, and Turkey... builds two fleets? What could that mean?

W01:
Russia: A War, A Stp
Austria: A Vie, A Tri
Turkey: F Ank, F Smy
=
France: --
Italy: --
England: F Edi
Germany: F Kie, A Ber, A Mun

The diplomacy for the next phase practically writes itself. Germany now has more armies than France has units, and while Italy is weak by the Austrian stab, he has still managed to tie France up in the south. Furthermore Germany already pissed off France by denying him the one build he could get. Might as well make the logical continuation Ber -> Mun -> Bur (latter supported by A Bel). And since England is surely in for it and about to lose Norway, why not make a move on the North Sea and try to establish dominance in the west?

Italy will be desperately trying to sue for peace with an angry France. Good luck.

England is the wildcard. England has every right to be worried about three units being on Norway, since France's move to the Channel prevented him from convoying the army and giving him the units he needed to ensure its defense. England's best chance, though, is to acknowledge that (1) Russia *didn't* try to deny England Norway, and (2) If Russia wants it now then there's nothing England can reasonably do about it anyway, and therefore to work with Russia against a suddenly-strong Germany.

The stage is set... now the board gets to see just how completely they've been had:

S02:
Russia: F Rum -> Sev, F Swe -> BAL, A Fin -> Swe, A Stp H, A Gal -> Sil, A War -> Pru
Austria: F ION -> Nap, A Ser -> Tri, A Ven -> Rom (bounce), A Tri -> Tyl, A Vie -> Boh
Turkey: A Bul H, A Gre H, F Con -> AES, F Smy -> EMS, F Ank -> Con
=
France: A Pic -> Bur (blocked), A Mar -> Pie (blocked), F MAO -> Spa (sc)
England: A Lon -> Yrk, F Nwy & F NWS S F Edi -> NTH, F Edi -> NTH
Italy: A Pie -> Ven (blocked), A Tun -> Rom (via convoy F TYS, bounce), F TYS C A Tun -> Rom (fails)
Germany: A Den H, F Kie -> HEL, F Hol S F Kie -> HEL, A Mun -> Bur, A Bel S A Mun -> Bur, A Ber -> Mun

Checkmate for Germany. With a little timely help from England, it becomes impossible for Germany to defend ANY of Denmark, Berlin, and Munich. Germany is simply overwhelmed and its six-center start completely collapses under the swift and completely unexpected attack.

Curtains for Italy, too. Naples is gone, Rome will be gone soon afterward and Tunisia falls in 1903 to see Italy eliminated in short order.

England and France, meanwhile... are probably wondering just what in the world to do. Germany, to this point, has moved hostilely to both of them, but they might hesitate to attack Germany simply out of shock at the Eastern Triple (or, for experienced players, the realization of just how screwed they are if they give the ET any reason to keep steamrolling). More likely, though, they'll be content to grab the Lowlands and try to work from there.

By the end of 1902, Germany is at best looking at Kie/Hol/Bel... and at worst just Kie. Den, Ber and Mun are goners. Likewise Italy's homeland is completely occupied by Austria. (Naples and perhaps Rome should be ceded to Turkey when the chance arises to keep Turkey happy.)

Russia should move Stp -> Fin in the autumn again to allow F Stp (nc). That is probably going to lead to a somewhat protracted battle for Scandinavia, but it's one for which the odds favor Russia at this point -- Norway will again be under extremely heavy siege, stifling English progress. Austria should waive builds in the interest of mutual security that year (and for giving Turkey a center or two without losing any fighting forces)

Longer term, Turkey and Russia should be providing the fleet power along the perimeters so the alliance can't be stalemated by sea. Austria is the main army purveyor after 1902.


I wouldn't call for this every game, by far -- the risk of a stab is very very high -- but it might be worth practicing. Thoughts?