I see my options as:

1 - keep moving and finalising and accept the inevitable.
2 - drag out the moves until the timer ends in a juvenile act of defiance to annoy the other 2 players.
3 - just forget the whole sorry mess and CD.

What would/have other players done in this situation I wonder?

1. Die heroically.

2. Convince one to turn upon the other for the win, earning yourself at least a surfival.

i agree with ursa. definitely don't drag it out or go CD, that's just not right.

another tactical strategy is to unbalance the relationship, if you can. put all your energy into stopping one, so the other gets a greater numerical superiority. this might help drive them apart, or might not, but at least you'll have tried. that has to be combined with non-stop diplomacy. don't ever stop talking!!! lol

I've had this sometimes. Just keep nagging at the player with the best position to take the win, to spare you and take that last center(s) from the other guy. A player must've really strict beliefs keeping a 17-17 when the win is... obvious.

I personally don't like dragging the game or CD'ing. Just die heroically, fighting until your last unit is disbanded, giving them a hard time.

having been in a similar situation against one of those players before, i have to say you're chances are slim, sorry! at least the game is almost over.

You can always try to be clever, do a convoy that swaps units around to get past an attack, for instance. It makes them look pretty silly.

I should clarify that diplomacy for the last few turns have resulted in either no response or a response that signifies that diplomacy is useless. No other party will turn on the other for the win.

I have been dragging out turns recently hoping for a response to my diplomacy, but now that it is clear it is going to be a 2 way draw I have given up. Sometimes, when you know there will be no resolution to talking, there comes a point where there is no longer a point.

But I'll bow out gracefully and finalise so the game can end I guess.

Ethics? In MY Diplomacy?

It's more likely than you think.

The reason I included going CD is it would really just be the same as dying, so I felt it was a valid option. I would never normally consider CDing, but it might speed up the draw for the other 2 powers and get the game finished faster, since the draw vote will go through.

I do like TheGhostmaker's suggestion though :)

yeah but you don't want a "left" on your record.

@djbent: and tarnish my good reputation as a fine upstanding diplomat lol! No I won't CD.

haha yeah well, all i can say is tough luck. that's a norm with one of those players.

Eschew PPSC games so it is less likely to happen. It could still happen in WTA games but takes a lot more trust. In PPSC it doesn't make much of a difference whether it ends 17-17 or 18-16 or even 18-15-1. But all or nothing makes a 2 way draw much riskier when someone is faced with the decision of getting half the points or all the points.

A few times, I have connected with 1 of the players and created a situation where he 'accidentally' wins. They have accepted this because technically they will have remained true to the draw agreement, and still won. Example, force a situation where he needs to cut a unit in an SC, but withdraw the unit. So you "fooled" him into winning.

You don't win or draw, but you avoid the defeat and tick of the other guy.

wOw That's a GREAT idea!!!

@ag7433: I like that idea!

I've been in the situation where I was one of 2 major powers aiming for an agreed draw. Two smaller powers were left. One went CD but the other fought on to the bitter end. Because of this we included him in the draw rather than wiping him out.

I throw myself madly against one player with the other one gaining ground rapidly, creating a situation where a player has to decide to either wait a game out, or just win. Once he actually decided to wait, for like 4 years, and I was beyond frustrated.