Never EVER feel bad about a successful stab that gets you the win. It's part of the game.

If you won, you did it right.

On a side note how important do you guys think establishing an "honest" reputation is?

The stab is an integral part of the game.
To me, I'd be disgusted if you DIDN'T stab in that situation.
The only other time a stab aggravates me is when it's pointless - it nets 1 center, or embroils you in a grudge war against a powerful new enemy that virtually guarantees neither of you will have a chance to win, or benefits the stabber none at all.

Stab - but make sure the stab is worth it and it doesn't come back to bite you.

Hey, i posted a question pretty similar to this about a week ago where i was feeling guilty about a stab to win the game. Most people said the same thing, its all part of the game. If u get the opportunity then do it. You won, be proud, dn't feel bad, even though u prob will, like i do.

I don't feel bad at all, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't in bad taste.

No, it was in excellent taste. It always sucks to be on the receiving end of a particularly vicious stab, but it's something that you have to learn to accept, and I even give kudos for a stab if I think it deserves it. If it's not a game-winning stab you should still be open to working with the person that stabbed you or the person you stabbed if the power dynamic of the game changes. This is why it's important not to hold a grudge, or you're just closing doors and losing opportunities.

On establishing a reputation: it is vitally important. The clever bit is that there is very little that you can do to establish a bad reputation given the assumptions involved in the game, since, as far as I'm concerned, every alliance comes with the intrinsic assumption that someone will stab at some point for a perfectly legitimate reason.

You did the right thing.
Gradually gained advantage, GER did not protect himself at all (?), and it was a one-strike win. There's no way such a home-run can be wrong :)

Should be a good learning experience for Germany - he seemed to totally forget stabbing was an option.

Not that I'd criticize Kreilly (Germ was very vulnerable in that game), but I still think the ideal victory is one that comes without betraying a good ally. (And yes I've stabbed in 3/4 of my games, not counting the CD-take-over silly business that never afforded me the opportunity.. But I'd like to tell myself that it was my ally's fault in each case, for being uncooperative or revealing their own ill intent in various ways..)

I'm new to the game, so my views may change in time, but I feel like it's better to win together rather than greedily depriving an ally of their own hard fought SCs in the pursuit of the quick/easy victory. I play to win, but I'd much rather let my ally take a close second and be dutifully rewarded if we've worked well together to defeat the other players. (This is assuming PPSC of course, so I'm also not that worried about finishing a close second myself).

If you pick a good ally, and plan well such that both of you can expand without forcing the other into a corner, this seems feasible to me. Assuming there's no draw, the victor will be whichever member of the alliance manages their own front better and thus grows stronger, faster.. or just a courtesy yield by one ally to the other. (I've guessed at the latter from reviewing other games, though I've not witnessed it personally).

Of course alot depends on what you value (points? Wins? Draws?), and PPSC vs WTA play.. And given the potental for stalemates and slow play in the late game, I can see why a quick/ruthless stab may be more fun for everyone in the long run..

The reason I went for a win at that point wasn't so much me wanting to betray Germany but rather because they were so committed to taking Turkey they most likely would have gained the rest of the SCs and gotten 18.

I stabbed on the last turn of the game. very rewarding ;]

http://phpdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=10595

Promised my ally the win, told him to get to 18 and leave me at 16.
Soon he was in such a good position against the other countries (and also because I had units in the right places) stabbing me meant suicide. I told him that I wanted to put on a show for turkey so I was 'stabbing him' in the spring. in the fall I moved out. All I wanted was to go into denmark, then come out into the baltic sea. Newer, better position gained ;]
Then every turn I creeped upon his unsupported SCs and in the turn he was 'supposed' to win, I stabbed him. I didn't prolong the game at all. I just waited and got into a better position every turn. I waited untill the end of the game to END the game.

God I love myself.

@amonkeyperso:
Ya that was an extremely successful stab. Though I notice that he also tried to take Trieste from you.. so it seems he wasn't completely trusting. In any case, he let you surround him such that there was nothing he could do.