Diplomacy Academy 7: What we have here is...

[David E. Cohen]

Hello Chris:

Yeah, perhaps you "made the wrong ask" here, but what would have been a materially better ask, given what you knew at the time? I don't really see one.

Of course, the far bigger communications issue here is Russia, who is apparently has his games mixed up and is communicating about some other game where he has a couple more units up north.

I probably would have gone for the solo here. Not a terribly high chance of success, but by no means an impossibility. Certainly better to go down in flames than to get a blah 3 way draw.


P.S. Loving the Eastern Swing plaque.

[DQ]

Hello Chris:

Yeah, perhaps you "made the wrong ask" here, but what would have been a materially better ask, given what you knew at the time? I don't really see one.

Of course, the far bigger communications issue here is Russia, who is apparently has his games mixed up and is communicating about some other game where he has a couple more units up north.

I probably would have gone for the solo here. Not a terribly high chance of success, but by no means an impossibility. Certainly better to go down in flames than to get a blah 3 way draw.


P.S. Loving the Eastern Swing plaque.

I probably should have gone for it as well. Getting mellow in my old age.

And nicely spotted! Did you zoom in or did you recognize it?!?

[ColonelApricot]

"I'm fine with that." That response to your detailed plan provides a strong clue to his personality and intentions. His mistake is that he's underestimating you. If your genuine objective is to create a workable relationship with him then you need to convince him that you must be taken seriously and if he does so it will be to his benefit. You need to find the right balance between threat and reward to establish your credibility.

So call it out now. Tell him you don't believe he is negotiating in good faith and that unless he does so then your forces will overwhelm him. That's the stick. The carrot is that there's plenty for him to gain - a stable North, gains against Germany, etc.

Perhaps in the long term a friendly but vassal Russia would have provided you with the key to the solo.

[David E. Cohen]

P.S. Loving the Eastern Swing plaque.

I probably should have gone for it as well. Getting mellow in my old age.

And nicely spotted! Did you zoom in or did you recognize it?!?

I thought to myself 'I don't think Chris Martin has such a big ego or needs to prove anything that he has to hang one of his (many) Dip awards on the wall behind him.' I zoomed to cofirm.