It was fun to play this game as it has been a fairly long time since I have last played Diplomacy. That said, I honestly think it was a complete clusterfuck. I do think Sharp's book is a very good resource (at least, if you are playing Germany or Austria) but that is hardly the reason I stabbed UncleSam. Quite simply, I knew that at the time Drawesome couldn't depend on anyone else so I expected him to do as I had asked of him (which to my mistake turned out to be wrong once he got back on his feet), and siding with France would mean that the Juggernaut would have gone unchallenged for quite a while, and during that turn I needed to rely on Outlaw supporting me into Denmark in order to guarantee a build, something which I was rightfully skeptical about. And admittedly, France is harder to invade as England compared to Germany should both countries survive into the lategame with a lot of centers. In that sense, I believe I made the right decision, but I am aware US and DLE were probably planning on winning together as an alliance of best buds, so I can understand why the former might have been pissed at me for crushing his dreams.
Drawesome's stab did take me completely by surprise. Although I did leave Belgium wide open that turn and therefore could see how he could have been enticed by short-term gain, I didn't see how he could have any hope of gaining any additional centers from me beyond that, and he honestly shouldn't have. Kiritsugu subbed in for Russia right as this happened, and at this point both me and Drawesome (or perhaps Agape in his steed, I'm not really sure) attempted to woo him over to our side. An inexperienced player might conclude that siding with Germany is the obvious choice, since at that point I was occupying St. Petersburg. However, any experienced Russian player is generally aware that Germany and Russia might be the two most incompatible powers on the board (rivaled only by Turkey and Austria). I did offer to leave St. Petersburg, and I could understand why a new player would be skeptical of my offer at first and hence try to kick me out of there by force. However, I proved during that turn that my deal was genuine, so a logical Russia player would have had no reason to refuse my offer at that point, especially since Germany had let his guard down due to Russia's actions on the previous turn. This is what Kiritsugu meant in his post: I asked him to help me take Norway back from Germany, and he kept refusing despite how intensely I begged because in his words, he had no intention of betraying anyone, letting alone winning the game. For me, it was an absolutely devastating turn and the final nail in the coffin as far as my chances of winning the game outright were concerned. Had I kept Norway, I would have not had to succumb to losing so many units, and Russia could have dealt with Germany rather easily because his eastern borders were so heavily exposed, allowing me to continue my attack on France unhindered.
My only choice left was to attempt to survive the German onslaught that followed through superior tactics (which I achieved after I tricked Drawesome into thinking I accepted his request to ceasefire) and then hope for a draw, which is precisely what happened. Technically, I still could have won if US had let his guard down, but I'd say he played pretty much perfectly and literally kept me on a leash, putting himself into a position that would prevent me from becoming too strong.
In terms of play, I was very happy that my overall tactics have not become rusty at all over the years, but I still don't quite think this game can be called a good learning experience for the newer players. It sets a bad precedent for players who want to win outright whenever possible, and the ability to stab and cope with being stabbed is a rather vital skill that some players weren't able to develop. If there was anything to blame for all of this, I would say it would be Agape messing up the entire flow of the game with literally every move he made, and in particular providing very bad advice (if you could call it that) to Drawesome, claiming that he was the person who convinced him to stab me right when he did as well as allowing Russia back into Sweden unopposed during one particular turn. I can't say for sure if this was the actual reason for the stab since Drawesome didn't comment on it in his post, but I will say that if I were him I would have either done it much earlier (ie, try to keep me and France against each other as long as possible while making smaller gains here and there), or much later when both of us would have a lot of centers. Admittedly the latter is less preferable since I would have a significant defenders advantage as England, but I will never the less insist that the timing of his stab was incorrect.
Anyway I am not trying to come off as being salty or negative, just wanted to give my honest assessment. I got absolutely crushed in my first two diplomacy games, but I think it was ultimately learning not to be afraid and overly passive that allowed me to get a lot better. Thanks again for hosting, Walrein.