This game had the biggest bunch of cowards I've seen in a long time.
So: Spring 1901 - Germany arranges a CPA with me and Italy - great! As a result, I plan to destroy Turkey as quickly as possible, and Germany persuades Italy to open West (Not me, France!). England tells me France has been arranging a WT - truthfully or not - and that instantly irritates me that one of those is on the table, as they're such game ruining alliances.
So, Autumn comes, I put into place the plan with Russia to destroy Turkey ASAP and it all goes great. Italy calls Abge's bluff on Marseilles at my encouragement. Two of the CPA players have thus done their jobs. Sadly, the third one does not. Germany lets France take Belgium, and a WT appears. It took Germany 2 years to explain why he did this, when he said he "didn't want Italy growing too quickly". Which is my problem with Germany - utterly self-centred. He gets Italy to move west, then fucks Italy over because Italy might grow a little faster than he was, and wonders why I think he's a shit ally. There's now a WT on the board, so am I going to attack Russia in 1902 as previously planned? No bloody way. I attack Germany, who finally stabs France, too little too late. By screwing Italy in 1901 he screwed Italy's entire game and created that stalemate. France should have died as quickly as Turkey did.
I made the correct response to an apparent WT in 1902, and Germany deserved all he got. But anyway; once the stalemate came into play, I began negotiations with England. We spent two phases planning an agreement where he would stab Germany whilst I stabbed Italy, then with 2 hours til the end of the phase, he backed out because Russia wouldn't talk to him. Irritating, but fine, it's a valid reason.
So I spend another 2 turns discussing a plan where I stab Russia in return for his stab on Germany. This time, he pussies out without even telling me, so I make Russia the offer to prop him up in revenge. Russia fights me, however, so despite my anger, I negotiate with England and Germany for them to stab France by me pulling away. Having given Berlin up, I attempt to withdraw further. Instead, E&G decide to pump as many armies as possible into Russia, at which point I tell them to suck my dick, keep Russia alive in Ankara, and force the draw because I was fed up with playing such cowards.
When Italy & Russia alive - I was not a solo threat. They were correct in their surmise that I could have stabbed one of them at any point, as I proved when I stabbed Russia. However, I could never stab BOTH of them simultaneously. The only reason I even had a fleet in the West was to try and help Italy break out - created by ENGLAND propping up France. The only reason I was attacking Russia was at ENGLAND's request. The only player who was across the stalemate line was ENGLAND at Moscow.
Germany's self-centredness w/r/t to a CPA he never once was willing to sacrifice himself in order to furthen, and England's utter inability to think outside the box or take any risk whatsoever ruined this game, and I won't be playing another game with either pussy for a very long time. I don't blame France because he was a corpse after 1901 and whilst he made me the very tempting offer to pull Italy away from him so he could stab Germany (when the only other direction Italy could go in was mine - great offer!), he was never very relevant. He was always a dead man walking. England had many many opportunities to break open the West and refused to do it because he is a huge coward.
I did everything I reasonably could to try and open the game up, but England and Germany refused to think outside the box at all, and as a result, they got the 6WD they deserved. I was voting Cancel with Russia by the end of that shite.
Italy and Russia, and even Turkey, were enjoyable to play with. The West was pathetic. And this is the polite EoG I wrote.
Nutjob gun owner kills nine people
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