Let’s go with Spec Rel and see what happens
Turn 3 AR2
Special Relationship for event
2 IP to France
2 VP
Might be a while before I can update with new images, but I can tell you that
Turn 3 Action Round 3
UN Intervention event, East European Unrest for influence, France 3/6, Libya 0/2 is my move.
I’m tempted to just dump Europe Scoring now and set up for the rest of the world
UN Intervention thins his hand down, making him more vulnerable to the Truman Doctrine if you feel like keeping up the pressure.
5 year plan only works on non-US cards. US event occurs immediately. So he can’t use that to discard Truman.
Not fully up to date, but if it hasnt happened yet, I’m for Spec rel into France, to keep Truman as a problem in his hand
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Looks like he doesn’t have a lot of problematic cards in his deck. Or at least that he isn’t concerned about using Truman this turn.
I would go on the attack in France/Italy now. It makes Truman a problem for him and he can’t play 5-year plan yet, so his choice is at least limited.
Edit: France the only choice in that case as it isn’t overcontrolled.
Other option is to just concede Europe and put the pressure somewhere else. Maybe Algeria?
Or go shore up in Asia: take Laos, Indonesia, Phillipines, India, Burma, Taiwan (Formosan resolution is in effect). It’s probably more cost effective than going hard in Europe right now (although Spain/Portugal would be a nice one to control)
This is where I struggle with what the right play is. We’ve got a lot of Ops this hand, do we fight for Europe, potentially for the whole turn to try to save 6 points; or do we take the hit and use our Ops to fight in the rest of the world?
Truman (remove all USSR influence from 1 country in Western Europe) will hurt him. But if we’re in this for the long haul it will also hurt him later.
I’m worried he’s rope a dope-ing us. Draw all our fire in Europe before switching to somewhere else. At my count, to stop his domination we’d need 2 ops each in Canada and Spain, plus 6 in either France or Italy. That’s without opposition. I don’t think Europe will get worse than it is, so maybe hold the scoring card but I think we need to change focus.
We can keep adding to Europe (well, Canada), but I think solidify Asia and move into Central America.
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Right, but it gives him 3 ops to work with, which means he can normally re-control anything that he’s lost control of, in which case the Truman Doctrine doesn’t do much.
We played that last AR.
I’m thinking 4 ops - 2 Canada, 2 India
One uncontrolled country. This is very significant.
Ah. We need 2 in France to break control.
Maybe those 2, plus 2 in India then?
But it’s discarded randomly. So he won’t play that before the last turn if he wants to get out Truman. And besides, if he does that, he has to use the china card to prevent us from having back to back action rounds at the end (as he already has no hold card because of un-resolution)
I agree 100%
Breaking control costs extra, so if you really mean business you want to use your Containment bonus as the control-breaker. I’m not sure it’s all worth it (as you suggest) but it’s a single concrete plan, and if you can outgun him in Europe now it might yield dividends later. You have the initiative.
If you want to make this play, I would rather go 2 into Spain/Portugal instead of Canada, as he has access to the Iberian Peninsula, but not to Canada.
But you would need to put 2 influence into France to make Truman a problem. Otherwise he uses the one op to recontrol France and resolves the event afterwards.
EDIT: What i mean is, it costs 3 ops to get 2 influence into France right now.
Regarding 5-year plan: I think he’s planning to use that on his last turn, as the event would be basically anulled then (no hold card left)
Another random plan: Maybe don’t put any ops into mid-war battlegrounds or ME-battlegrounds this turn, to prevent him any coup target next turn and let us steal the coup basically. (CMC, ABM-Treaty, maybe another one would cancel that plan).
EDIT: I wouldn’t go all in on India just yet. You don’t know if he has the war card and controlling it now before controlling Burma gives you a 33% chance he immediately flips India if he has the war.
If you go Asia with the last op (if you put the other 3 into France in this scenario), I would rather put it into Laos, Taiwan, Burma. In that order of importance, if you use 1 Op in Asia.
So 4 Ops (D&C or Nuclear test ban).
All 4 in France takes it to 6-6
3 in France takes it to 5-6 with an IP in India (goes to 2 out of 3 we need). Thinking behind that play is it means 1 more IP to dominate Asia again.
My issue with this plan. Decolonization is going to Space. Socialist Governments buggers up our plan because he can uncontrol UK with it (possibly France as well Pre Truman). So has to be played late. That means we do have limited turns to pull this off.
True. Probably not worth it. Pity.
Let’s see what some others think, including @lalunaverde
Normally if I get drawn into these battles I lose.
I’ve just counted, we have a hold card, so the space play doesn’t have to happen this turn. We’ve got 2 rounds (8 ops) before either playing the scoring card or Socialist Governments.
He’s got China (4 ops), 5 year plan (3), Truman (1) plus one other.
I’m going backwards and forwards with this. To go into mid war 6 points down, dominating Asia and presence in Central America is pretty good.
You don’t need to space Decol this turn. Or if you do, what is going to be your hold card?
And if all the discussion has been done, maybe do a poll. Because I’m torn myself what the best strategy is here: go full on Europe or go for other regions (shore up Asia, putting influence into ME/mid war regions)
Also, how incredibly stupid is this plan? 
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This is just my playstyle, but it seems Europe is too risky for an all out tussle for dominance.when he has foothold in Africa and Central America.
I like securing SE Asia and lock him out in Vietnam. Also realignment would be great to remove him in South Africa - no modifiers to either side! And Panama too, which is +1 modifier to the Soviets. Both cases wouldn’t lose American influences since there are none. THAT would annoy him. If he gets Fidel, CA is his with the addition of Costa Rica.
Africa would allow him to spread to Angola and Zaire without “Decolonisation” or “Portuguese Empire Crumbles”.
In Mid War, there’s the “puppet governments”, “OAS”, “Colonial Rearguards”, “Panama Canal” cards for the US. “Allende”, “Liberation Theology”, “P.E.C.” (see above)., “South African Unrest” for Soviets. And the neutral “Junta”.
Also, you can always win Italy back with “Brush War”, if you get it 