Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site sdcc6.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!greipa!pesnta!hplabs!sdcrdcf!sdcsvax!sdcc3!sdcc6!ix415
From: ix415@sdcc6.UUCP (Rick Frey)
Newsgroups: net.games.pbm
Subject: How to start a Diplomacy game off right.
Message-ID: <2086@sdcc6.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-May-85 02:28:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcc6.2086
Posted: Sun May 26 02:28:12 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 30-May-85 00:41:11 EDT
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 47
Keywords: Best Fall 1901 orders.

I've been in kind of a Diplomacy mood lately and I was messing around
the Net so I decided to raise this question.  What are the BEST ways to
start off with the various countries.

Seeing as how I posted this, I'll start.  In the Grams game I'm playing
France, a country I had little experience playing as, but after looking
at the scenario closely, France is one of the few countries that can
GUARANTEE itself one build at least and most likely two.  

My orders were as follows:

Piece    Location   Order    Destination
------------------------------------------------------
  A      Marseille   ->      Burgundy
  A      Paris       ->      Gascony
  F      Brest       ->      Mid-Atlantic Ocean

While one major problem to this discussion will be the dificulty of
taking the moves outside the context of actual diplomacy, some higher
level analysis can be made.  My reasoning was as follows:  Marseille
moves to Burgundy to avoid a German threat (Munich to Burgundy is to
deadly to be tolerated).  If it succeeds than Germany might be upset,
but Belgium is within reach and Marseille can simply move back to cover
Italian treachery.  If it does bounce, then Marseille can either sit
still and cover Italian conniving or move to Spain or back up to
Burgundy in the Fall.  Paris to Gascony accomplishes the taking of Spain
in the Fall unless England makes a move into the channel.  If needed,
the Parisian army can simply move to Brest, freeing the navy to pick up
either Portugal or Spain.  The navy moving into the Mid-Atlantic is the
guaranteed build.  It can retreat to cover Brest thus leaving the army
to pick up Spain, but either case, no quantity of treachery can keep
France from this one build.  The only question is if France does get the
two builds, what should be done with the two pieces that have moved them
selves almost off the map.  The army at Spain can be back in play
quickly by a move into Marseille the next spring and the fleet can first
move back into the Mid-Atlantic and from there, the world.

I'd be interested in seeing what some people think about an Italian
first move.  Personally, if you can in any way convince AH that you are
not going to be mean, Venie to Tyrolia and Rome to Venice is pretty
devastating.  The fleet at Naples goes to get Tunis and AH has to either
guess right or give up a build (depending on the first move).

Anyhow, let's here from some people and see if we can derive the perfect
beginning to World War I.

			Rick Frey  (... ihnp4!sdcsvax!sdcc6!ix415)