Austria (Brandon Fogel): 6; 17.476 points.
England (Christian Kline): 0; 0.000 points.
France (Brian Beck): 8; 31.068 points.
Germany (Jim O'Kelley): 7; 23.786 points.
Italy (David Spanos): 4; 7.767 points.
Russia (Ali Adib): 5; 12.136 points.
Turkey (Sam Bassett): 4; 7.767 points.

The supply center chart is here. As you can see, it was a close game and largely because no one was able to get much traction.

The West was more dynamic than the East. I won't write at length about the game, but I do want to explain the title of this article.

Two poor choices in 1901 cost me Munich. The following year, I lost Holland to Christian, retook Munich from Brian, and helped Ali take Norway as I took Sweden by agreement, thus gaining a center and pulling even with my treacherous neighbors.

So, I had wiped out the head start I had given them, but now I was faced with a dilemma. Christian opened negotiations in 1903 by asking me to help him retake Norway. In exchange, he would move against France. However, if I failed to help him, he promised, he'd ensure that France topped the board.

What to do? I needed a Western ally, but working with England meant leaving a British army in Holland. Holland along with Denmark are key to Germany's viability. You need those two centers if you want any chance at being a player.

Work with England and I'm a junior partner at best. Fight England and I likely guarantee France easy access to the centers he needs to top the board. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

I played to seize the Low Countries. Christian made good on his threat.

In all my years of playing Dip, I think I've only seen the Convoy Paradox once. The Christian Paradox, on the other hand, is an old friend.