1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6

Would you agree then that I have nothing better than 4.e3? And does anybody have a good variation against 4.e3 f5?

Although it's not a particularly prominent move in this position, you could give 4.Bf4 followed by e3 and then Nf3 a try. It seems to yield favorable result percentages for white against the two most common replies 4...Nf6 and 4...f5. Against the less common 4...dxc4 it gets a little messier with something like this resulting...

True, you're left with 4.e3, and against 4...f5, maybe 5.g4 ; however, against 4...Bd6, I'm afraid you have to play an e3 system against the Stonewall Dutch...

Archetype, do you have any DB stats which look at the position after 9...Ne7 - I ask because the games explorer has black scoring 66.7% after 10.Bxb8. And you're right, the games get messy - this is not the type of line the OP is asking about.

I also dont like to play the marshall gambit nor the noteboom so play 4 e3 and after 4... f5 have played  5 g4 when in a violent mood or the more sensible 5 Bd3  Nf6  6 Nge2 .  Both approaches do well for white according to my database. 

If you're that worried about the Stonewall, have you considered allowing the Noteboom, playing the semi-slav when black cooperates, and playing the 5.Bg5 anti-Noteboom lines after 4...dxc?

That may be more up your alley than the mainline Noteboom, if you play 3.Nc3 to get to the QGD exchange with Nge2 and the k-side attack.  If you play the QGD exchange lines with Nf3 and a minority attack, or the mainline QGD, have you considered switching to 3.Nf3?

I like to play the symmetrical lines where white also plays f4. They're kind of boring though, but I like them.

Note that I also play a symmetrical line against the Tarrasch.

Why wouldn't you want to play the Marshall Gambit? That's the only reason I don't play this opening as Black.

Likely because it involves learning a lot of theory (right?). It can be really frustrating when you lose a game when you didn't really ever make it out of the opening.

Because it involves a lot of theory, and from the few times I've read articles or such about it, I suspect it might even benefit Black in the end. Although I agree that I may end up chosing it eventually (I'm first going to spend this evening looking at the rest of the suggestions in the thread, thank you everybody :-)). It is the most principled reply, I guess.

As for playing the QGD with 3.Nf3: 1. I do play the exchange with Nf3, but to keep black's bishop out of play you do still need to start it off with 3.Nc3; 2. And if I were to go for some QGD line with Nf3 and Nc3, I get to deal with a number of variations I've never looked at before (Tarrasch with Nf3, semi-Tarrasch, Vienna), and 3. It'd be pity because I play 3.Nc3 against 1...Nf6 2...e6, so it'd be double work.

About the Marshall Gambit, I think a bit more accurate is that I don't like the combination of sharp pawn sac, lots of theory, controversial, all in a position I hardly ever get.

My main reason for avoiding the Stonewall is that I don't like playing against it. Don't know why exactly.

I like 5.Bg5 against the Noteboom except that black has 5...Nf6 (against all other moves it seems white is fine), which is a Botvinnik, which I don't play yet. For someone who does, 4.Nf3 and 5.Bg5 must be the way to go.

That leaves 4.Bf4, and I'm actually rather happy with it! I never realized the normal Noteboom moves don't work because white has axb5 cxb5 Qf3. My database doesn't have any games with the position Archetype gives, but Houdini rates it at a healthy +1.6, if it's that good then I can put in some study time and deal with a bit of murkiness. The other lines seem OK too at first sight.

I've found my new toy, thank you :-)

Better than the fianchetto system against the stonewall

Yes, there are other DBs that I use, but when talking statistics it gets to be a moot point when the sample size is below 30. Following the games present a little further, however, one gets to positions like so...

Whether white or black is better here would need deeper analysis.

Could someone post the continuation for the g4 line when black uses this move order to transpose to stonewall dutch?

anyone want to answer my above post?