Triple Play

By  Edi Birsan

The following are somewhat of a formalized set of triples distinguished by having a fairly reasonable tactical opening in addition to a strategic or diplomatic play. Further they can be taken to reasonable size conclusions of 12-11-11 without having to really wind up as a block of two stalemating one. Classic Triples Western Triple:   This is the most popular, most boring, most over used, and most abused triple. It is highly used when a new player is Germany, often to his own demise. AIRhead:   I like this one when it is done properly. I ran a textbook case of it a few years ago at the NZ championships with Craig P as Italy and Kazel as Austria. Goffy's Germany had a heart attack when five units rolled on to his border seemingly out of nowhere in Spring 02. Early on Russia is big. However, there is an excellent opportunity for Austria to stab the Russians in the mid-game period when Italy is engaged in the Mediterranean. This puts a lot of pressure on alliance politics, especially if Italy is a weak player and unaware of the importance of its balancing act in making the alliance work. FRGie:   The western equivalent of the AIRhead with the opening play being to wipe out England rather than Turkey and then turn to the southwest in a full line abreast formation. It has the advantage over the AIR of having the potential to avoid the classic stalemate lines in the southeast by the retention of Sevastopol and Rumania. It is less popular because the units that Russia uses in the north become a potential thorn in the side of any stability since there will be several Russian fleets and German fleets providing a large potential for mischief. RAT:   This is a rough one to pull off as it generally requires that Austria be the major power while Turkey and Russia are fleets. Most Turks and Russians cannot take the potential of an Austrian stab and thus they weaken Austria. This in turn brings on the inevitable stab of Austria its two allies. Central AGI:   This is another rough one to pull off since you are initially breaking the two strongest pairs, EF and RT. However, it also has the uniqueness of seldom producing stalemate lines, and its very close home center groupings make for an intensely diplomatic game. ERI:   This is a favorite of mine as Italy since it gives them the Mediterranean to play with. When done right, there are no stalemate lines so it is a strategist's delight. Furthermore, all three are always engaged in front line action against the others and as such it is a more stable alliance with less temptation to stab with the exception of the north.   Evolving Triples Evolving triples lead to effective 2 vs 1 stalemates in the end. This contrasts the finesse of a Classic Triple which should always end with a three-way strategic/diplomatic stalemate but no stalemate lines. North E-G-R:   This is a slow triple but it has the advantage of having all three parties as front line powers engaged in grinding battle against the south. The big danger is the southern stalemate line so it is vital that the triple get a big jump into Austria before Turkey. The South F-I-T:   This has been almost impossible to pull off consistently as Italy often gets killed. Dagger E-G-A:   This grouping moves directly on France and Russia but has the real problem of getting Germany between the two and is a rough one to balance as the I-T battles come into play. This is the reason this is not seen as being too stable. The Corner I-A-T:   For the last decade, every time I see this tried it is bungled and winds up in a huge draw. This really requires good Diplomacy and some theatrics to pull off as it is so blatant otherwise. Absolute poison to the success of this is if the three players are ever seen talking together. Last time I saw it Downunder was on the “top board” at the NZ championship 2000 with Rob Stephenson as Turkey, Craig Sedgwick as Italy and “Pox” as Austria. The triple wound up getting a seven-way draw forced on them by the west as their punishment for not providing the appropriate entertainment to the board.   Pairs and Benefactor I do not consider pairs and a benefactor as proper triple alliances but more of an alliance pair with a benefactor on the opposite side of the board: These are EF-T and RT-F.   Overall Techniques for Making a Triple Work Stagger Talks: Never be seen to talk together for any length of time. A simple technique is to have two talk and then the third comes to throw the other out of the conversation and take his turn. In that briefest of transitions the agreement of the prior discussion is signaled. Use Forth: Always know the fourth tacit member of the alliance and use him in a pair set. In the Western Triple it is traditionally Turkey who is the tacit member of the alliance that keeps the east broken. In the AIRhead it is England who needs to be “rescued” from those meanies in Germany and France. Balance the Front Line Powers: It is highly dangerous to any triple to have one of the powers not being a front line power. To be a front line power requires having multiple units on a line facing the enemy that are engaged in advancing. Decline Builds: When there is an imbalance in front line status you need to have the backfield player decline to build or place units in inoffensive positions so as to prevent a stab. If you have an AIR you might want to see the Russians place a fleet in Rumania or Armenia. In a Western Triple, the German fleet may need to be grounded somewhere like Prussia. Be Discipline Maker or Dominatrix: Each power should be aware that in the case of bad behavior the other two will act together against them. Sometimes it is the role of one of the powers to play this more so than the others. In the Western Triple this usually falls to England who has the smallest front line position in Russia and is often the first to pull the trigger. Balance Outside Influences: Using influences outside of the immediate game environment is often the key to making a triple work. This is provided aplenty with tournament scoring systems that can be manipulated to keep the focus on letting the triple happen. Sometimes in club games a secondary ego scoring system can provide the extra piece of glue to keep things going. Be aware of the motivations of people and use it to the triple's advantages.

Edi Birsan (Edi@mgames.com)

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