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The SWAT Approach in Diplomacy
By Mark Fassio
Like many of my fellow military members, I share an appreciation for the destructive firepower wielded by our armed forces. The "massing of fires" on a target creates mayhem and demoralization and, in some cases, allows a walkover of the position. The same approach can and should be used for your Dip game...in this case I’ve decided to take another "massed firepower" analogy -- the SWAT team -- and change the acronym. Let’s talk about Simultaneous Warfare Against a Target.
There are numerous approaches to fighting your foe, or planning same with your neighbors: you can take the rapier approach (finesse, diplomacy, subterfuge, triple-cross, etc) or the sledgehammer approach (drop any pretense or niceties and just wade in and start slugging). The goal of a "diplomacy SWAT" is a Maximum Version of the sledgehammer approach. In a SWAT approach you ideally want to kick in the door and swing a bloody scythe against your immediate target(s) before they even can raise their sword arm. Then burn down their house. Utterly.
How best to do such a SWAT? Well, a real police SWAT goes in with pre-planning, coordination, cover and mass of attack. You and your fellow greedy scheming rat bastar**, oops, I mean "your fellow honest neighbors" should be doing the same type of approach. A good SWAT should enlist three attackers, although four folks involved in a vaporization is equally good...but three allow you to "play one off the other" later on without a convenient balancer from the start.
WHY do such a thing? Heck, even the novices in "Diplomacy 101" know the answer to that! For one thing, 28% of the board (your two partners-in-crime) are NOT going after you. That’s a nice feeling for 1901 or beyond. Secondly, it "thins out the herd:" dead men tell no tales, and all that. Third, working a SWAT allows you to play off one partner against the other as you work toward mid-game -- the old "who’s the creme filling of the Oreo?" topic. You can cross and double-cross folks to your benefit if there’s initial goodwill and trust. Finally, a SWAT approach in 1901 catches the conservatives by surprise. Rarely will a concerted response dissuade you, IF your initial attack is done with skill and speed. After all, if you jump, say, Austria’s bones with a three-way R/T/I, what the heck is England or France gonna do?! It’s "Poland, 1939" all over again.
First off, pick your immediate target wisely. Ideally it will be easily accessible by all the SWATters, so the defender can’t cover the entire line with any great strength. England and Turkey aren’t good targets, but France, Germany and Austria are. (Italy and Russia fall into the middle category; not the greatest to hit, but do-able with some effort.) The optimum goal is for The Three (the SWAT attackers) to trust each other with pre-planned objectives (and yes, even tentative division of spoils, to ensure motivation). With trust and a target set, it then becomes a matter of superior firepower. (In this case, it doesn’t matter if your opponent is Dip Ace Supreme, like Heinz Guderian with 10 Tiger tanks. If you and your buds are the Allies with 10 times the materiel, even the great aces eventually die.) In this instance, let’s pick Germany as our unfortunate target.
Second, ensure non-interference for at least the first year by any potential saviors of your enemy. If you’re after Germany, a super-unexpected alliance is AIR, although any three could work: FRI, EFR, EFI, etc. If you try this, then ensure that F and G are not allied...work toward keeping the rumor mills flying. And above all, work your Psychological Operations (PsyOps) plan to spoof France...through England. Get on chummy terms with both E and F, you AIRheads. Get the German "in bed" with the Tsar on paper, then two of you (I and A) telegraph that to France. (The Tsar merely "confirms" this in a later note to England, as they discuss mutual gains, what "my friend Germany" is entitled to, etc etc.) France now hears of German perfidy from two "friends" (one of whom -- Austria -- has no reason to lie), and England merely confirms it. This way, when 1901 hits, France isn’t thinking anything at all about saving a rapacious Hun.
I know, I know; right about now you’re slapping your forehead with your palm and wondering just how much I’ve had to drink. "Faz, come on: AIR? WHAT are you thinkin’ here!?" Hear me out. This is, after all, just a thinkpiece.
Why not an AIR? Such a plan does a variety of things. It ensures Russia and Austria don’t tussle over Galicia, thus allowing them to maximize unit utility. It also isolates Turkey, the NEXT victim of a SWAT-threesome, from all succor. It also helps ensure the solid, logical A/I, just in case Russia strays, gets greedy, etc. And it allows the AIR to get past any stalemate line in the West through swift action. Imagine this as your 1901 opening.
Germany: "the usual" Mun-Ruh, Kie-Den, Ber-Kie
Russia: War-Sil, StP-Bot, Sev-Bla, Mos-Ukr
Austria: Vie-Boh, Bud-Ser, Tri-Alb
Italy: Ven-Tyo, Nap-Ion, Rom-Apu
If France moved to BUR, more’s the better! If he didn’t, look at where you’re at: Munich falls (3 on 2), or you force Germany to guess: does he defend Ber against a solo Russian thrust of Sil-Ber? Regardless, the Hun loses a home center in Fall 1901. Even if he lands two (Hol/Den) he only has one place to build.
So, who gets this "windfall?" In my mind it should be Italy. Italy always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to 1901 gains, and this shot-in-the-arm is exactly what’s needed to ensure a good SWAT.
Here are some F’01 move ideas:
Italy: Tyo-Mun, Apu-Tun (Nap C) Build 2 (Fleets Rom, Nap)
Austria: Boh S Tyo-Mun, Ser S Alb-Gre Build 2 (F Tri, A Bud)
Russia: Sil S Boh-Mun, Bot-Swe (maybe), Ukr-Rum (Sev S) Build 1-2 (Mos& StP)
Others: Germany should be Even (gains Den, loses Mun)...maybe gets HOL, but your jobs are to prevent that by urging on E and/or F. England and France get "the usual" Scandy and Iberian gains. (Would be REALLY nice to have E and F fighting amongst themselves, but let’s not push our luck here.)
OK, let’s take a breather and assess the board.
In the eyes of all the SWATters, England and France have "their share" and are mollified. Each of the AIR, in varying degrees (and at varying times) should be continually reassuring the E/F players that "the SWAT isn’t permanent" and "I’ll help you (vs. my other two partners) as the time arises." Russia in particular needs to offer England goodies to keep things cool up North: Denmark in 1902 (your call if you actually do it, permanently or not), consideration of Kiel, etc. And what else?:
- ITALY is encouraged, equal to his allies, and ready for his next target: FRANCE. (Yup; you heard right.)
- AUSTRIA is given most of the Balkans and a lion’s share of Turkey. He has the potential to exploit a beautiful A/I and turn on the Tsar later, or can be divvied up by a heavy R/I at the right time. (That’s for The Three to scheme at a later date.) For now, Target 1 is Turkey.
- RUSSIA has cast-iron genitalia at this point. The Tsar is allowing his neighbors to gain at his benevolence, risking bad ju-ju with the Hun and Turk, etc. But wait! Remember that PsyOps thing I mentioned earlier? Of the three, Russia’s job is to drive this train and, in the end, emerge just as strong or stronger.
So how does the Tsar do it? Easy -- he "recants" to the German even while playing The Logical Assessor to the Turk. In summer 1901 Russia tells the German that he sees he was rash to make the move he did, as "the other two are cutting me out." Russia tells the Hun that he will work to "sway" his partners into putting only two on Mun while asking to go for BER solo. (A/I can reinforce this view in notes to E and F, knowing they’ll get to the Kaiser.) If the Hun will just give Sweden to Russia to consummate this deal, says the Tsar, the chastened Russkie will order Sil-Gal and allow the Hun to use his two armies to defend Mun against A/I, thus saving his beer halls from an early putsch. Of course the Russian won’t do this. But if the German hears hostility from A/I ("the three of us are going to pound you") and Russia appears to be the weak link (Trojan Horse is a better name!), then any logical German might just take his chances...what’s the alternative? Assured homeland loss! Russia might thus get SWE as well as RUM, putting him in a position for HIS next target: England.
As for the Turk, here comes the Diplomatic Tsar again. He tells the Sultan that this misunderstanding in BLA is useless for them both: witness the tight A/I cooperation and "their" (A/I) ultimate intent to "drive a wedge between R and T, leaving us both weak to be picked on by A/I and the others once Germany is gone." The Tsar tells the Turk the same thing he told the German, i.e., he’s going to make peace with the Kaiser and withdraw to Gal. Russia then tells the Sultan he only wants RUM as part of his "two-unit attack on Austria" for 1902, and that he’ll be using Sev S Ukr-Rum, giving him Gal and Rum for 1902 vs Budapest. What the Tsar should be doing is convincing the Sultan that (a) he’s sincere, (b) there’s an A/I out there, and (c) Turkey needs to position himself to help crush A/I right out of the gate. He, ahem, "could" show good faith with F Ank-Con, thus clearing out the Black Sea as a DMZ and getting set to sortie to Aegean. Of course, this generally works only with a novice or a VERY pliable Turk. But it never hurts to ask. Or just tell him you’re supporting to RUM and if he takes Black, well, fine, but he better move it in 1902. Remember, friends: it’s all a lie for 1902 anyway, to condition G and R for one turn that "Russia is good."
If this PsyOps works, the Hun should be willing to cede Sweden to Russia. Boom! The Tsar goes up two and German supports for internal defense are even more wrecked for 1902. As for the Turk, well, if he’s in Bla, so what? Russia and Austria are in Ser, Gre, Rum and Sev. Bulgaria is dead meat (3 vs 2), and Italy’s F Ion can go to Aegean to finish him off....or it can head west for the French Connection.
There’s your 1901 opening:
- Two centers for probably all of the AIR-buds.
- Turkey hemmed in, unsupported, and about to lose BUL and then a slow strangulation.
- Germany pushed into a "1945" scenario, with three foes to his front and potential vultures to his rear.
- England and France wary, but "not much so," if reassured by the SWATters.
I’ll end the main discussion here, except to say that in 1902, board dynamics and the SWATers builds will guide tactics and strategy. You definitely want to crush Germany and Turkey, so you can’t pick too much of a fight -- yet -- with the others. But SPEED is of the essence for circumventing stalemate lines, so if you’re REALLY daring:
- Italy can play with a move to Ruh, or supporting Russia to Berlin, even as her fleets speed west.
- Austria moves the builds south, as he/she is the Great Convoyer and Reducer of the Turk. Bohemia can move in behind Sil-Ber, or into Mun as Italy vacates.
- Russia takes Berlin and moves Mos-Sev, Sev-Arm. He either helps take BUL or takes it himself. He plays defense in the North and hopefully steers England away from StP.
If the SWATters hold true, Turkey is doomed. And the attack on Germany will see Berlin taken in 1902, and the Hun slowly running out of compensatory centers and space. Italy’s move westward is logical and will cause France to look south, reducing any potential support for Germany. England remains the trump card and the Balancer, as she was for centuries. Cajole and pacify England, and natural E/F fleet jealousies will allow you to SWAT the Hun and begin your next set of moves...against your next set of targets.
Wacky? Zany? Ever been done? Don’t know. I can tell you that I proposed it during Round 4 of DipCon XXXI in May 1998. My Russia did indeed invade Germany, but Italy stabbed Austria right out of the gate (the fool) and wrecked the plan. Even so, as a renegade Russian I managed to lie my way into Berlin and Sweden in 1901 (must be my angelic face) and that encouraged France to establish "hegemony and a puppet" over the rest of Germany. That was so-so until the Englishman was encouraged to join us vs F/G and then we had one bodacious, fluid game.
This isn’t a sure-fire guarantee for instant death of a nation in one turn. But its audacity, unexpectedness, and potential to gain equally while reducing your immediate neighbors makes for a nice opening idea. Victory goes to the biggest spinners of lies and believable credibility. Break in the front doors of France, Germany, and/or Austria, then see where you are...and hey! it’s only 1902!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to sell a few air conditioners to some Eskimos. |