In gunboat, if England goes all out against France and just sort of forgets about Norway for a while, then it's doable to have Russia stop at Norway and take it with an army and both players focus on other issues instead of each other.

Even in an early game E/R alliance, there's still a long term issue of England needing to take and hold STP to create any kind of stable long term stalemate line between the two for a 2wd

Of course if you want 3wd or 4wd, those sorts of things become far less important, but that's not exactly the kind of ambitious thing that's fun to play in the first place

It's doable in press but virtually impossible in gunboat because of the tension between English possession of Norway and Russian possession of St. Petersburg and Sweden.
As a practical matter, Russia cannot defend any Scandinavian holdings from a concerted attack from any Atlantic power at parity or better, and England can't prosecute a war against Germany without an alliance with France. Germany serves as Russia's buffer against England, meaning that Russia is gambling that England and France will fight next when Russia decides to invade Germany with English help. Further, establishing a lasting peace will probably require some reshuffling of supply centers to eliminate the tension mentioned earlier.
England and Russia can overcome these difficulties in press, when the personalities are what is really important, and when you can openly discuss these issues with words and not just moves. In gunboat the best you can hope for is that both parties have more pressing business elsewhere and can agree to an uneasy truce (or that Germany provokes both of them so that they need to ally against Germany).

It can work, as long as you keep a troop in St. Peters, and never >ever< move it

RagingIke297 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:58 am

It is certainly doable, I'm in a game now as Russia where Germany was eliminated before 1903. It was the best of times until England stabbed me, doesn't look like I'll recover.

https://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=238778

Well now. That was literally every country that can attack Germany minus Austria (which did absolutely nothing to stop it)...

In all fairness, I would have stabbed you as well. I want in on the next "Justice" match. Looks like a blast

It is certainly doable, I'm in a game now as Russia where Germany was eliminated before 1903. It was the best of times until England stabbed me, doesn't look like I'll recover.

https://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=238778

I have never seen an English/Russian alliance early any game I've played. Seems like an ideal alliance to make short work of Germany. It would be a bit more of a gamble for Russia, with a usually active south to worry about.

Ever try it? Was it the best of times, or the worst of times?