Ruqayyah Snyder
Playing Austria in a game of Diplomacy is a precarious position. Surrounded at the start of the game, Austria is the easiest country to eliminate. Austria is situated in the Balkans, a powerful base to draw upon for a mid-game victory drive. To play Austria well, you must be a good player, and it will take a tremendous diplomatic effort. A key strategy is to get on good terms with Germany, as Austria and Germany should work together for their mutual benefit. Additionally, you must offer Italy a neutrality pact. There are also a series of openings that present a tough posture for Austria, called Hedgehog openings, which are designed to keep you alive at all costs. If you want to win easily, you can't take the high road; you must get down and dirty and start fighting out of the surrounded condition you find yourself in.
Characteristics of a Perfect Austria Game
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Game Type | Board game, strategy game, dice drafting game |
| Players | 2-4 |
| Age | 12+ |
| Playtime | 60-120 minutes |
| Difficulty | Easy to learn but hard to master |
| Game Mechanics | Filling your hotel with guests, pleasing the emperor, gaining prestige points |
| Game Strategy | Diplomacy, alliances, tactical openings |
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What You'll Learn
Austria is the easiest country to eliminate
Playing Austria in a game of Diplomacy can be precarious. Austria is surrounded at the start of the game, sitting atop the Balkans, the area of the board with the densest concentration of supply centres. Russia and Turkey both want control of this region, and Italy is also a threat, as they will likely try to stab you to get a piece of the action when you start to falter. Given this, your first thought when playing as Austria should be how to survive the first two or three years of the game. Austria is the easiest country to eliminate, so simple survival should be the first order of business.
Austria requires a great deal of hard work and a tremendous diplomatic effort. Position and tactics are less important with Austria than with most countries. Everything hinges on whether you can make the right friends at the right moment. If you slip up, even a little bit, some hotshot Turkey or Russian player will gobble you up.
However, if you can orchestrate a victory or two, your chances of winning the game increase significantly. Austria is sitting right on top of the Balkans, a powerful base to draw upon for a mid-game victory drive. Germany is rarely discussed when talking about Austria, but Austria and Germany need to work together for their mutual benefit. Simply staying out of each other's way is not enough. You should get on good terms with Germany, and they should keep you informed of any pertinent information.
There are a series of openings that present a tough posture for Austria, called "Hedgehog" openings. The most important part of any Hedgehog opening is to be diplomatic. It is pointless to start a game with a bristly tactical opening when the same could have been accomplished through diplomacy. So don't be afraid to be thin-skinned early on as Austria. You must offer Italy a neutrality pact. Keeping Italy from attacking is harder, but if you turn your back on Turkey and Russia, you will get crushed.
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Austria's position is precarious
There are several strategies that can be employed to play Austria well. Firstly, get on good terms with Germany. Germany rarely attacks Austria, but it is important that they are at least aware of you and any pertinent information. Secondly, offer Italy a neutrality pact. Keeping Italy from attacking you is hard, but it is foolish to attack them. If you turn your back on Turkey and Russia, you will get crushed.
There are also several opening tactics that can be employed. The "'Hedgehog' opening presents a tough posture for Austria" and is a good option. Alternatively, you can try for Greece. Use the army in Vienna to bounce a Russian or Italian attack. A lot of powers opt for a neutral opening, for example, with Big Red, this means not moving Vienna or Trieste. However, this is bad news as you will not be able to pussyfoot around in the Balkans and live to see the end of the game. Instead, you must get down and dirty and start fighting out of the surrounded condition Austria finds herself in.
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Austria-Germany alliance
Playing Austria in a game of Diplomacy is no easy feat. Austria is the easiest country to eliminate as it is surrounded at the start of the game and is sitting on the Balkans, a powerful base that is also coveted by Russia and Turkey. To win as Austria, you need to put in a tremendous diplomatic effort.
A key part of your diplomatic strategy should be forming an alliance with Germany. Germany and Austria should not be fighting each other, and they need to work together for their mutual benefit. Germany is unlikely to be thinking of attacking you, but you want them to be thinking of you as an ally. Get on good terms with Germany, and they should share pertinent information with you, and anything that threatens you should be seen as a blow to them.
Historically, an Austro-German Alliance existed between Austria-Hungary and the German Empire from 1879. The two powers promised each other support in the case of an attack by Russia and neutrality in the case of aggression by any other power. Germany’s Otto von Bismarck saw the alliance as a way to prevent Germany's isolation and to preserve peace, as Russia would be unlikely to wage war against both empires. The addition of Italy in 1882 created the Triple Alliance. However, during World War I, Italy stayed neutral and then joined the Entente powers, declaring war on its former allies.
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The 'Hedgehog' opening
The Austria game in Diplomacy is a precarious one. Austria is the easiest country to eliminate as it is surrounded at the start of the game, sitting atop the Balkans, an area with a dense concentration of supply centres. Russia and Turkey both want this region, and Italy will likely stab you to get a piece of the action when you start to falter.
The Hedgehog opening is one of a series of openings that seek to present a tough posture for Austria. The most important part of the Hedgehog is to follow up with diplomacy. It is pointless to start with a bristly tactical opening if the same result could have been achieved through diplomacy. You must offer Italy a neutrality pact.
The Hedgehog opening is F(Tri)-Ven, A(Vie)-Gal, A(Bud)-Rum. The Southern Hedgehog substitutes A(Bud)-Ser, but is otherwise the same. This is safer and guarantees a build. You have the choice of A(Ser)-Gre, A(Ser)-Bul, or A(Ser) in Rum, depending on where you think the next biscuit is coming from.
The Southern Hedgehog is the best possible opening for Austria and will allow a wide range of options in the Winter 1901 negotiations. You will have stabbed no one, and you will have turned Italy and perhaps Russia into channels marked by your buoys and not theirs. You now have time to breathe and prepare to spin your web for Turkey.
However, remember that Austria is difficult to play and requires a great deal of hard work. Everything hinges on whether you can make the right friends at the right moment.
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The importance of Italy
Italy is a key player in the game of Diplomacy, and its actions can have a significant impact on Austria's chances of success. Italy is one of Austria's three immediate neighbours, and as such, its decisions and strategies will influence Austria's gameplay.
Firstly, Italy's proximity to Austria means that it can be a threat to Austria's territory. Italian players often seek to gain a foothold in the Balkans, which is a coveted region by several other powers, including Russia and Turkey. This makes Austria's position precarious, as it is surrounded by potential enemies. To counter this, Austria must focus on diplomacy and forming the right alliances to protect itself.
One strategy for Austria is to ensure friendship with Italy. This can be achieved through various means, such as offering concessions or forming alliances against common enemies. For example, Austria can remind Turkey that Italy has been wanting to try out Lepanto, and an Italian attack on Turkey will only bring green fleets sailing into the Eastern Mediterranean. This tactic can help deter a potential Turkey-Russia alliance and encourage Turkey to side with Austria.
Additionally, Austria can benefit from an alliance with Italy against other powers. For instance, if France attacks England, and Germany and Italy attack France together, it weakens France's dominance in the Mediterranean and prevents it from overrunning Italy and posing a threat to Austria. However, it is important that Italy does not succeed too much or become too powerful in this alliance, as a successful Italy could also become a threat to Austria.
The Hedgehog strategy is also useful for Austria to defend against Italy and other powers. This involves moving its fleet in Trieste to Venice, stalling an Italian attack. The Alpine variation of the Hedgehog specifically targets Italy, sacrificing the guaranteed build in Serbia to stop a hostile Italian advance.
In summary, Italy plays a crucial role in the game of Diplomacy, particularly for Austria. Austria must carefully navigate its relationship with Italy, forming alliances when beneficial and employing strategies like the Hedgehog to defend against potential Italian aggression. A successful Austria-Italy partnership can deter other alliances and protect both countries from external threats.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria is a precarious position to play as you are surrounded at the start of the game, sitting on top of the Balkans, a powerful base. You will need to work with Germany for your mutual benefit and get them to share any pertinent information. You must also offer Italy a neutrality pact. You can try a hedgehog opening, which presents a tough posture for Austria, but don't be afraid to be thin-skinned early on.
If you are confident, you could try the double-hedgehog-attack-everyone-and-cover-your-ass-later opening. If not, you should try for Greece. Use the army in Vienna to bounce a Russian or Italian attack if you think it might come. Alternatively, you can try a neutral opening and not move Vienna or Trieste.
Grand Austria Hotel is a dice drafting game where you try to fill your hotel with guests. Your hotel will be evaluated three times throughout the game (at the end of rounds 3, 5 and 7) and, depending on how pleased the emperor is, you will either be rewarded or punished. There are a lot of different ways to get points and one very unforgiving way to lose them.
