Sorry for the delay.  Been on vacation so had trouble getting e-mail access.
 
I'll try and keep mine relatively short.
 
At the start or the game I knew I was going to be very busy and wouldn't have a ton of time for diplomacy so I just wanted 1 very close ally and we'd try to conquer the board together.  My first choice was Turkey and although his initial response with positive... he didn't quite sell me that he was really committed to the alliance.  If I had gone with him it would have been a very different game.  But Germany approached me about the possibility of a GAR alliance.  Austria also seemed very into the idea.  We starting working together and building trust quickly.  Almost immediately we were working excellently together and in a lot of ways had the game wrapped up in just a few seasons.
 
Probably a lot of you think that I should have tried for a solo, although I certainly never had it leave my mind I didn't go with it for a few reasons.  One I don't think there was ever a time where I could have turned on Germany and Austria and made it work.  I would have needed France or Italy to support me in my solo.  My communication with both of them was very limited and had no reason to suspect that they would do anything other than ally and prevent me from getting the solo.  Also it being round one of a tournament certainly made a difference.  If I went into round 2 with a solo in round 1 I'd have a huge target on my head.  With us doing a 3 way draw we are in a good position in round 2, but not so strong that individuals won't be willing to work with us.
 
I'd like to thank John and Michael.  Certainly one of the most organized and efficient alliances that I have been a part of.
 
Also thanks so much to both GM's for running an organized and efficient game!