WTA Full-Press, 33 bet
Country: Austria
Result: 3 way draw F/A/R

Title: My first Key Lepanto Relationship, and Break-up.

1901:
When I first see that the game has started I already have press from Russia, Turkey, and Italy. Uh oh, I'm late....I hope nobody has made plans yet.

Turkey has proposed that we work together on Russia and alluded to support to Rumania in 1901 and a split of the balkans between us. In response I tell him that I'm interested and request an opening to Armenia to show he means it.

Russia was quick and cold and to the point. "Moving to take Rumania this year. Will bounce galicia. Lets see where we all stand". Whoa, buddy not even a hint schmoozing in there. I am immediately turned off and fear there will be no negotiating with this one. I request a dmz of galicia just to see how he will take it and if I can get some conversation going, he declines saying its too high risk.

I exchange pleasantries with Germany (erist) who is an excellent communicator and I like the cut of his jib even if we cant work together immediately. I have some small chatter with France and England but nothing of substance.

Italy has opened up dialogue with a well crafted message requesting a lepanto alliance and I feel comfortable immediately with him. I counter propose that we try something different like a blue water lepanto. This discussion evolves into a suggestion of a key lepanto, which I have never tried but have read the general rule for Austria is never, never, never do a key lepanto. lol. But the more we hash out the details the more comfortable I become with the idea, b/c like me Italy seems legitimately excited to give this a try and I feel he wants to see it go through more than he wants to stab an Austrian.

Looking back through my press Italy and I burned up the press cables in the pre-season, there is a book full of discussion about this. I decide that I will go "all-in" on this alliance and enter Budapest support Vienna to Galicia and Trieste to Greece. I also go back and really start selling my alliance with Turkey hard to convince him I will support him to Rumania if he opens to Armenia. Italy would open to Trieste and Venice to really sell the stab along with Ionian.

Spring moves register and they are better than I could have hoped for. Turkey did open to Armenia and I am in Galicia, all went as planned.

It's time to play the victim. I think everyone on the board but Italy got a message about how I was fucked and any tips/help etc. If I remember correctly only Germany might have saw through it, or at least suggested I try and talk italy into a Key.

Turkey took the bait hook line and sinker. I told him I would go for Greece, cover vienna and serbia to try and discourage him from potentially bouncing me from greece or italy from serbia and requested he keep Russia to no builds by bouncing Rumania and cutting sevestapol. Meanwhile Italy and I set our next moves to put him in Aegean/serbia and for me to take Rumania.

Fall moves come in and everything has happened exactly as planned. :) Well, except I had wanted a block on sweden, but as far as the south it couldn't be better.

1902:
Boy, I really used up some paper on that first year, other years were not as exciting. This year my alliance was set, there was no deception to play with and my enemies were set as well.

We put Serbia into Bulgaria with ease and I follow into Serbia as planned. I moved out of Rumania to Galicia since it was going to be lost anyways, I now had a 50:50 guess on Warsaw or Rumania. At this point I can be guaranteed Rumania with support from bulgaria if it is not cut, but Italy tells me he can't do that b/c he has good relations with Russia. This was a major concern as I saw the potential of being sandwiched between them. I pleaded my case but wasn't getting anywhere and did not want to do anything too argumentative while in this precarious position, since I still had a 50:50 and I did expect that bulgaria would get cut I just went for it. And failed...which would have succeeded with Italian support. Although Italy was apologetic and realized after he needed to be "all-in" with me as well.

1903:
Italy earned another build and we discussed what it would be and I pitched hard for another fleet and the potential to crush Turkey and finish him off. Really I just didn't want an army at Venice while I was up holding back Russia. It was in this year that Germany pulled himself into our arrangement to work a CPA, we all recognized that France and Russia were the big dogs at the moment and we were all caught in the middle.

In the spring Italy supports me to Rumania, and Russia also has Germany at Prussia and closing in on his Scandanavian holdings. At this point Germany is very worried about his open back door with France and proposes that I give up the build I have coming to Italy by giving Greece away in order to let him build a fleet to go west with. This just didnt make any sense to me and after lots of discussion I decided I would not do it, and Italy would continue with the planned convoy to syria.

1904:
I got my build and the only place to put it was Trieste. Italy requested a deferral, but I assured him that everything would be okay and we had come this far together...dirty I know.

I had really never intended to stab him at this time. But it was sooo wide open and his arsenal in the south was concerning, especially combined with the fact that he had good enough relations with France to assist in persuading him to give up belgium last fall to make him more comfortable. He had such a dominant position over Turkey that he would likely get 2 gains this year while I would likely get none. From there it was either me or France who would be in the crosshairs.

I started to discuss an R/A with Russia. I would take bulgaria with Rumania and leave Rumania for him with a promised hold in the fall, I would also vacate galicia to boh, vienna to tyrolia and move to the open venice from trieste . He would protect moscow and go to silesia. Germany had telegraphed his move to me of going to St. Pete so I knew exactly what Russia had to play in order to lose no units.

The spring was crazy, I made my moves in full faith of Russia and he delivered flawlessly. Italy had not moved to protect a potential loss of Rome and Venice in one year so I walked right in. I also supported Russia to Munich and he actually ended up with a build from his dire position. The hate mail from Germany and Italy poured in...more on this later.

1905:
France moves south. This was not good, I didn't have time to make the progress I needed to rule the med, or at least be able to stalemate ionian. I try relentlessly to get him to do anything else and buy some time to get a better position but hes coming. Also Germany is falling fast...too fast. I've started the very beginning of a French solo run.

1906:
I take naples and Constantinople with the help of Russia. But I lose trieste to a rogue italian fleet...major bummer. I had left it open on purpose hoping I could get another fleet build. France is in piedmont, west med, and GoL. Tunis is basically his for the taking and I'm worried he could get his hands on naples/rome eventually. Up north he is making quick work of Germany and he has captured Munich from Russia and I...I'm very concerned about a solo here once he gets the easy centers at scandanavia.

1907:
Its now that I really actually need Italy to complete a stalemate. He still has two fleets and I propose how he could be the piece that holds Tunis and stops this solo. It was really his only option to take my offer or try and throw the game out of spite, but I truly intended to include him. Our moves work excellently...too excellently.

France seeing the cooperation messages me good work, lets eliminate germany at least, and draw. Very quick to give up I thought. At this point it seems safe to take him out and France enters all hold orders to help get the draw done.

1908:
Finish off Italy and draw.


Final thoughts:

I mentioned the understandable hate mail from Germany/Italy. They basically declared that I would be crushed between R/F...which never occured. However, looking back that stab got me a solid 3 way but it was made with the intention to try and solo and I it did not even give me a shot at that. The support to munich may have been too much, but at the time I was worried about German vengence. As it turned out Germany was crushed and easily rolled over by France causing him to grow faster than I was able to claim my new territory. With the 2 home center snatch I had envisioned myself being able to build at least 3 fleets and stalemate any French invasion at Tunis, while I felt I could then work on Russia to make a shot at 18. It did not work that way at all.

Now I'm not sure status quo would have worked for a solo shot either. It would have depended on whether Italy would have stabbed me or moved his units west far enough that I could stab him, which would have been very difficult with no fleets. Germany and France would have clashed and possibly deadlocked. Thinking back over it, I don't really see a solo shot in here at all.

My first Key Lepanto and it was a success! Great working with you early on Avif.

Josunice, you were an excellent ally as well and we worked flawlessly to stuff France.

Erist, thanks for setting this up, the grey press was an interesting idea. It was more amusing that impactful on the game, but i just couldn't think of a good way to use it to my advantage.

Stackelberg - I was surprised at the weak solo shot. Thought you would have pressed harder and used Italy/Germany to your advantage more, but maybe you were tired of the game at that point.

Good game all!