Go Ost, Jung Man
by Chris
Warren
from Diplomacy World
#71
I hate playing Austria.
OK, so I'm not alone in that
regard, but I have the double pleasure of an almost uncanny knack to draw it. In
the four games I've played since starting tournament play, I've played the
Austrians three times.
So, here's some advice for the
weary Kaiser in the south
1. Don't Panic. Experience shows
that either you'll do well, or you’ll suddenly find yourself with some free time
on your hands.
2. Never give up (well, almost). In
one game, I faced the following unpleasantness for Spring 1901: Austria: A Vie-Bud, F Tri-Alb, A Bud-Ser; Italy:
A Ven-Tyl, A Rom-Ven;
Russia: A War-Gal, A Mos-Ukr. In Fall 1901, I
moved back Bud-Tri with support, bouncing the Italian, but the Russian went
A Gal-Vie and A Ukr-Gal. At this point, it looks
like a typical 1903 Austrian death, but I ended with an outright win. Fortunes
can certainly change.
3. Keep close track of all the
alliances on the board. In the above game, I discovered an EG alliance against
Russia and used that to convince France to move at all speed to Italy, removing
one of-my early-game worries.
4. Do everything to get your
neighbors attacked. Pressure on any of your close-by powers is to your
advantage:
Italy -make sure this is done by
France, not Turkey. The last thing you need is the Crescent navy in the Adriatic
or Greece. Trying to get Italy to attack Turkey is optimal, but if he doesn't,
you will have the pressure you need to keep him out of Trieste. Just remember
that French fleets are no better, so help prop up the Italian against the
onslaught you initiated.
Russia -An attack on Russia can
help you in a number of ways, depending on your other alliance arrangements. In
an AI vs Turkey, Russia will have little to offer but
its fleet. The fleet would be useful for harassing the Turk, but not enough to
justify cutting him into the spoils. An attack on Russia could also make your
own invasion of that country easier, and hopefully set you up for a later attack
against Germany. Finally, in the unusual case of AR against Turkey, Russia can
use its already committed units to help get you in good position while using his
other units to fend off the attack, preventing him from steamrolling you once
the Wicked Witch of the East has been eliminated.
Turkey -help against the Witch
needs to come from Italy with little to no Russian involvement If France has
taken an interest in Italy, it should easy to convince Russia that EG arc
unfriendly to him (and work to make that true.)
All of this should convince you of
another important fact:
5. Negotiate in the West as much as
the East. Getting Russia and Italy attacked is good, but so is taking a small
part in setting up an interminable situation with no one eliminated.
Getting an Italian A Pie if an EF alliance is forming,
or an army into Tyrolia from you or Italy if the EG is
attacking France can be effective. An FG alliance is fine, as it is usually slow
to get at England (although if you haven't accomplished your goals in the East,
pressure can be placed as a defensive measure.)
6. Don't be afraid to enter Bohemia
first. A lot of the Midgame and Endgame fighting occurs in the "neutral zone" of
Tri/Boh/Sil/Gal. Unless there's been a solid draw commitment between you
and Germany (or whomever controls the German dots), they will go into the zone
and seize the upper hand when ready. It might tick off the German a bit, but
it's very unlikely to cause a war, and may even prevent one until he can call in
more troops.
Of course, the most basic
instruction for Austrians is:
7. Don't attack Italy! I won't say
never, as after Turkey is dead it's not a bad idea. And, it can be considered if
Jed Hatfield is Russia and some McCoy is playing Turkey. In the first turns,
Italy can defend itself, unless you use all forces (not a good idea), and seeing
the Turks behind your exposed back with a scimitar will be enough to put you off
croissants for a while.
And. finally:
8. Seize the Balkans as a group
ASAP. This means your home centers, as well as Ser, Rum, Gre and Bul. By keeping everyone out, you'll reduce your
stabability by about 99%. Do any amount of negotiation
or dot-swapping it takes to achieve this.
That's the real key: negotiation.
If all your neighbors attack, you have few resources but your voice (or pen) and
your ears. When applied correctly, they can lead to happy years of little red
armies dancing through Europe.
Of course, I still hate playing
Austria.