Alliance Match thoughts and Lessons Learned.

Team Warfare lessons learned and thoughts.

Alliance Matches:
    Coordination is the name of the game in alliance matches.  With good coordination we can quickly gain the upper hand, with out it we can fall quickly behind.  For good coordination we need:
         1. Match leader:  This should be an experienced player who has the time to devote to this task.  He will be responsible for:
             a.  finding a time window for all participants to be on for coordination
             b.  assigning strategic goals such as opening overland lines of communication
             c.  facilitating exchange of strategic resources
             d.  maintaining the big, big picture (ensuring no one is really screwing up).  This will require more time than just leading his country.

         2.  Active participants.  The other participants need to be active enough to:
             a.  keep up with technology advances.  (They may be able to make up for production but falling behind in technology is deadly because there is no way to make up ground.) 
             b.  maintain production and construction,  
             c.  maintain effective communication with all other participants, especially the Match leader.

         3.  Don't leave yourself open to attack.  While you need to consolidate forces and want to send troops to the main fronts, unless you're surrounded by allies or you get the US, you need to leave enough of  a force behind to at least delay any invasion.  I usually use 1 infantry as a trip wire in each province and have a LT quick reaction force to back them up if engaged.  The best way to help the team is to have secure and developed core provinces.

         4.  Along with protection your core provinces, they need to be developed.  I try to get my 5 initial IC province to lvl 5 IC as quick  as possible and at least lvl 1 infrastructure in all resource provinces.  This may slow down initial military growth but makes up for it with quicker builds and more resources in the long run.
 
         5.  Know your countries.  By this I mean, understand what resources you have, what you need, and find trade partners within the alliance.  Working together can alleviate short term shortages and strengthen the alliance in the match as a whole.

         6.  Don't rely on RoW with minor nations for overland connectivity.  Russia and Turkey were basically isolated from any help from western allies in our match.  RoW is unreliable so, when practical, take aggressive action to open overland connections.

    7.  Communicate, communicate, communicate.  The more we talk in alliance chat the better we will do.  Did I mention communicate?

    These are just my thoughts.  Feel free to discuss, ask questions and tell me where I'm wrong and what I forgot.