Game 183

[Lord Diamond]

End of Game Details attached!

[Lord Diamond]

I would like to learn how Sinestro the Witchlord won this one. I thought it interesting that his best wizard was a P7 and that the Elf had a P9!

[Sinestro]

I had 1 p8 (because of ring of power) and 8 p7s. Every wizard was a Lich. That's why I wanted to fight the red group. 9 wizards casting summon death = 18 brigades wiped out plus if only 1 group engaged in combat, add in 3 presence spells, and the weapon artifacts I had.

If it was not for diplomacy, I would not have won and the RA would have won way back turn 20. If he didn't win, then the EL would have won on 35. So many things happened that allowed it to go to turn 40 and me win by status points. Was not a pretty victory. Easy to tell. People won't write reviews on this one most likely because all the anger that happened in the game.

[DuPont]

DE - Well, this was an interesting game. I started out looking at the board and decided that a good target would be the DA - giving me a region on each side of the equator. But the DA was JF and that's problimatic - he usually has NAPs with everybody and loads of allies. I thought perhaps of picking a different target but decided to try anyway. I made NAPs myself with everybody down south - something I don't ordinarily do - including a game long one with the RA. I spent the first year building up, particularly my capital and diplomatic corps. I attacked on turn 10, just as I got my ESO. Partly this was because I had spotted the DA enamoring the Talking Mountains - I was hoping to catch him just as he moved his people out for an attack to the north. Well, that didn't happen - not sure if he was just enamoring the Mountains for a lark or if he was going to move in another turn or so, but he still had people in some of his towns so I was unable to turn the region uncontrolled with the first wave, though I did do a decent amount of damage. I had also built a 12 fleet navy on the Sea of Drowning so was going after his water-based capital. I didn't have sufficient numbers to take it outright, so I had to siege. But then he counter-attacked -or at least I should say he and the WI did. I hadn't made any NAPS with the northern kingdoms but I should have expected JF would have people on all corners of the board to call on and he had some serious agent power. I lost my king (foolish me, I didn't have him guarded) and my diplomatic corps started to pay a price. But my saving grace was that my home region was being unmolested so I had lots of gold to draw on to keep hiring more and wizards to cast conjure prestige.
Then came the infamous JF MegaQuit!2015 event - this game was the only one where this actually helped me. Also around this time, the WI contacted me with a rather annoyed message saying, essentially, 'We've beaten you, why don't you quit already!' I giggled and assured him that I NEVER quit - besides, I was still in quite a decent spot. He was trying to put together an alliance to fight the RA and (this was just before MegaQuit!2015) at least wanted me to back off the DA. Anyway, since the DA was dropping, there was nothing to back off. I agreed not to go after the WI, though since I had a NAP with the RA, I could do nothing to stop him from winning.
I don't know the details as I wasn't involved, but the WI managed to put together a mega-alliance to stop the RA from winning. That gave me time to take control of the Eastern Steppes. I should point out that just before leaving, JF had managed to siege my capital city - something I didn't think he'd have the numbers for as the walls were above 60k - and I'd put in an order to move my capital to the Sea of Drowning rather than the more vulnerable Esteria Vale. The WI had responded by trying to nuke my capital, but there was still a bit of wall left. He thought he was going to be able to finish it off the next turn, but he didn't know I had three wizards who could cast ward and they were lined up to do that.
Either way, my reprieve was short lived as the RD plowed into Arcania. I responded with my political corps but then the EL decided to join the party and hit me in the Eastern Steppes. Having to fight them both was a bit of a nuisance - the WI did manage to give me some help with gold and getting the GN to cast some conjure prestiges. The pain was I spent a lot of the gold trying to raise a wizard to 7 to cast dome and foil the relentless RD, but it kept not happening. I did eventually get one in the last turns, but too late to do any good.
Eventually, it seemed that the EL was now in a position to win. Again, I couldn't help much - I'd made an agreement with him to let him have control of the Eastern Steppes in exchange for him giving me some help against the RD. I'd given up on Arcania at that point, but I still had a healthy diplomatic corps and influence well above 20. I made plans to invade the RD held Talking Mountains as the GN/UN/BL seemed to be carving up Arcania.
The RD was too busy being hit there to defend the Mountains. I had to lay down my markers hard in a few cases to claim enough pop centers to get control, but I did. The EL, meanwhile, had been attacked from all sides and was no longer in a position to win, so it was going to go until turn 40. Since the EL had not actually done a thing to help me against the RD, I didn't see why I couldn't move back into the Steppes (which was now uncontrolled) and take it back. The WA also had a presence there and while we'd been nice to each other, we had no formal agreements. As it happened, he snagged a pop center of mine on turn 39 anyway, so no need for me to feel guilty. I don't think I needed the EL pop centers in 6 to gain control, but I took them anyway to be sure. Meanwhile I had sent a patrol to my old capital at Zarathon long with the WI's supergroup. The RD had made that his capital after MegaQuit!2015 and it pleased me to see an ally take it. Also, he was holding a number of my people there and I wanted to see them freed. The WI was kind enough to return most of them to me, which cost him Status points (and other than my high level agent, didn't gain me any) but I get weird about wanting to see my people safely home, so I appreciated and sent him the Plow of the Prophet as thanks.
It was a fun game. I don't usually nominate, but here I must do so.
INFAMOUS - No question Sinestro gets this one and I mean it in a good way. He dominated the game with his personality and diplomacy. Not always smooth - 'why don't you quit!' is not usually the best way to begin an exchange with me but he kept the game going, made it more interesting than usual and fun besides. I don't think he had some sneaky plan to win by attrition - he just wanted to keep it going. Had he looked like he might have been close to his SVC, I have every belief that he would have expected to be taken down by a group as well.
I do understand that there were some feelings hurt. I won't speak for others as to who might or might not feel that word was broken. I will say that I didn't feel anybody fouled me nor that I fouled anybody. The RA did fib about pop centers in the Sea of Drowning, but that's totally acceptable. I did attack the EL on the last turn after signing a NAP, but that was conditional on help that never happened and it didn't cost him anything at that point.
Great game all!

[Sinestro]

WI - Well I'm sad that the game is over. I had a lot of fun but it was very stressful. Constantly thinking about it and all the communication that was involved. So much emailing and keeping track of what everyone was doing and the info I had.

So, before the game started, I had saw JF was the DA and knowing JF was an experienced player, I reached out to him for an alliance. I'm a fairly new player and learning the ropes. So having him as a teammate like him, I saw that I would not be wiped out early. I also reached out to many other kingdoms. The elf and I agreed to a turn 10 NAP (which was further extend throughout the game), I created a NAP with the WA and GI on similar terms. And a 10 turn NAP with the RD. This gave me time to raise up my wizards without having to worry about being attacked and I could search my region for unusual sightings. The DA and I had agreed that we would attack the RD after our turn 10 NAP (the DA created a 10 turn NAP with him as well). DE that is why you saw him raising his regional reaction. I was going to be in the back with my wizards and cast regional effect spells while the DA moved his emmys into the region. The plan was to take swiftly so the RD could not have the gold to recruit, feed or pay his military. We knew where the RD capital was and I was going to take out his king, etc. Well....everything was going according to plan until turn 10 when the DE made his move on the DA (1 turn later and the DA would have had all his emmys in the Talking Mountains). So from what I remember, the DA was just going to use his emmys to take back anything the DE took from him. And the DA wanted me to teleport an invisible group to Gundibar incase the DE was to show up so I could just blast away his army. The DE had 3 armys marching around taking PCs, but we knew the DE could not keep it up long. He was taking so many losses with all the attacks and he does not have a great military (and I was casting Demonic visions in the region which hit the DE groups quite a lot of times). Plus he did not have the wizards at the time that were high enough to diplomacy and take pop centers that way so he was forced to attack. I also was doming pop centers the DE went to. So sometimes he would land on 2 pop centers and could only hit 1. We also had managed to do a lot of recons of pop centers so we could find out DE emmys names (the DA found 3 palantirs in his region). Throughout the conflict I summoned demon on the Demon Prince king, 2 demon princes, count, baron, and 2 governors. Plus the DA assassinated a couple of his emmys. HOW could this guy keep going. The DA had regained his region back and we started to move on the offensive and move into Arcania. The DA had a group that was just above the defenses of Zarathons 60k defense and the DE had a standing order to raise the defenses. So the DA had to constantly summon monsters every turn just to keep the city under siege. We almost though we wouldn't be able to take it because the DA accidently messed up on an order to siege it the turn after he landed on it. The plan was for him to attack that and then move to Esteria vale (thinking that would be his new capital, but the DE moved his capital to the water in Eastern steppes). So after Esteria vale he planned on taking the towns then in 8. I started to destroy the DE capital. His capital would have been destroyed with 1 more destroy town spell (which I planned on casting 4. We knew the wizards the DE had and what he could dispel). BUT....that's when the DA dropped....and I have no clue why he chose what he did. But it really changed around everything for me.

So to step back a moment. My whole intentions in the game from the beginning were to just place (1st - 3rd). I told the DA I had no chance of winning, I'm a noob. I didn't care about winning. I just wanted to place. Well once he dropped I had to refigure my whole strategy. At this time I decided that I wanted the game to go to turn 40. I did not see a chance for me winning. The only games where I got far was primeval games. But with so many players (and experienced ones) I did not see a chance in victory.

So after the DA dropped I figured I did not want to fight the DE anymore. The only reason why I was fighting him was because he attacked my ally. I couldn't do much to him. The whole game I was focusing my wizards on the DE. I had no military or emmy core, on top of that, I wasn't focusing on my regional reaction. So I reached out to the DE for peace (yes, sorry for how I sounded in the email DE. This is to everyone. I AM NOT GREAT WITH WORDS).

At this time I saw the RA getting close to victory. Just so everyone knows. I did have a NAP with the RA which went like this. If either of us got 3 regions, then the NAP would be off. Well when I created that with him, I was not thinking how stupid this NAP was for me. Because soon as he had 3 regions, then the game would be over. Well I learned not to create a NAP like this ever again. But I had decided that I was not going to let a NAP stop me from trying to get the game to turn 40 (this won't ever happen again. I learned not to make NAPs that are game long or like this). I honestly feel that anyone that is capable of taking a person out from trying to go for victory should do so. The RA started to move into Runnimede around turn 18 or somewhere around there and at this time the old UN player dropped and Mad took over. Mad had reached out to a number of us to take down the RA so he could not claim victory. Me, the GN, UN, EL, WA, GI were part of this coalition. With strategy we stopped the RA from winning. We planned on just splitting up 9 and 10 and the GN/UN would claim back the home territory in 7. So that's what we did. After awhile, there really wasn't anything left to split, well there still was not a decent amount. But it got to the point that I said to the rest of the guys that I was out and I was not going to take anymore action against the RA. The whole plan was to just stop him from victory. Not gang bang the guy till he had nothing left. I also wanted to move elsewhere and keep the game going till turn 40.

Around turn 23 I had misread an email of the GIs. I had thought he said "Region 10 is mine". However, later I found out he was just talking about the BLs villages in 10. Well when I read (what I thought he wrote) that. I kept thinking that the GI was close to victory. So I divined the GI SVC and summoned DE on his king. I found out that he needed 3 regions, warlords and influence of 22. I was thinking that he had to be close. He had about half of Torvale, controlled Amberland, (thought) was going to get control of R10. From recons, he had the Warlords, if he did not have 3, it would not have been hard because he had Armor of Anon. And the influence, it wouldn't be hard if the WA conjure prestige on him. So I took it that he needed to be stopped.

So a few turns later. I approached the GN and asked if he would help me attack the GI/WA. He agreed. The GN and I attacked him in Torvale and I hit him in Amberland. Well just as were attacking the GI/WA, the BL lands on a pop center of mine in the Northern Mists. All I kept thinking was seriously, the GI/WA got the BL to come after me. Well come to find out, the BL was just trying to survive. I offered to help the BL with and gold if he attacked the GI/WA. At this time, I had nothing to do with all my gold, All my wizards were p7 liches. The BL agreed which was a relief. So after awhile we started putting pressure on them. The GI had nothing left in Torvale and had 1 PC in Amberland. The rest was down in R10 and R9. On one turn the BL landed one of his groups against the GI and I had a group against another GI group. Both the BL and I decimated the 2 GI groups. After this I really wanted the war to be over. I saw the RD being close to victory so I wanted to move after him. All of us agreed to a rest of the game NAP.

Once we all agreed to a NAP, I had emailed the RD (we had a NAP where you had to let the other player know 2 turns in advance) and told him the NAP was over in 2 turns. Well in those 2 turns the GN and BL moved on the RD while I waited. I really wanted to fight the RDs big army group. I had a group worth 180k and with all my wizards, I thought I could destroy his group.

Well the turn I was going to attack the RD, I found out from recons that the EL was going to go for victory. He had taken PCs from the BL in Amberland and many WA PCs. He already had 2 regions so this would be his 3rd and the win. Well on the turn the EL tried claiming victory, the UN assassinated the EL king which dropped the ELs influence and he could no longer get victory. I also landed on a bunch of EL PCs and the WA landed on his stuff in R6, The GN also landed on his stuff in R1 but he had to back away because he had a game long NAP with him. Over the next couple turns I played a cat and mouse game with the EL trying to follow his groups around take back what he took or even better, I was hoping to fight his group. None of it ever came. On turn 38. I had decided I wanted to take the RDs capital because he had a bunch of prisoners and the amount of defenses, I thought it would be good for status points and maybe the RD will show up there for that battle I wanted. Well the RD never showed. I should have gone to Avalon where I was going to go originally but I thought the EL was just going to keep moving his group around. Come to find out from a recon, he never did move. But I was also very annoyed from a recon. I saw that the GI had given the EL all his artifacts. It seemed that there were people out there that were trying to get the EL above me in status points to beat me at the very end (Kingdoms giving him artifacts and on the final turn, the RA declaring me an ally so I did not get status points). So I did what I needed to do to make sure that did not happen...

All in all, it was a very fun game. It was like a roller coaster with everything that happened. I don't know about you guys but to me, that's what made the game fun, all the battling that went on.

I don't really know what all nominations there are but id say the player that never quit was the DE. You had an amazing kingdom and I learned so much from the way you played. I never knew someone could cast conjure prestige more than once a turn.

Survivalist - 1st place goes to BL, this guy was beat down from the very beginning of the game. but he kept going till turn 40! I give this guy credit. If it was me, I would have been out of it. 2nd place goes to the RA. Even after he was ganged up on and prevented from winning on turn 20, LT still fought everyone and continued going till turn 40. The guy was pissed and has a right to be but he did not drop. Props to both of you.

Master assassin - The UN gets my vote. He did not play favorites. This guy took out more emmys and agents than anyone else, including both my level 13 agents

Thanks for the great game guys

[Lord Alz]

RD
This game was a exercise in futility. I forgot to put my SVC in and so a 3 region victory was basically unattainable. I built up the first 10 turns with NAP's with those around me. Without understanding the meta game I entered a game long NAP with the RA when we traded artifacts early, this was a minor thing at the time but then I found out that the major powers at the time had also done the same. The WI in his review talks about the DA and WI planning on invading 3 after the 10 turn NAP but he forgets that on the 10th turn we agreed to a 2 turn notice extension. My expansion routes were limited so I decided to take a look at 5 even though it had both the GI and WA. They were attacking the TR 3v1 GI/WA/UN so I organized a bit and showed up on both cities with Army groups capable of taking them along with emmis in key pop centers. Unfortunately it was the same turn it became obvious the RA was close to winning and a coalition was formed to stop him. I needed a enemy to raise my leaders if I was ever to claim a SVC so I agreed to hit the DE in 8 after the WI provided me with Pop center information. The DA had dropped and with the large coalition formed I had to expand without being a threat. This allowed the DE to move into 6 while I took 8, walking a line so the next target was not me. The EL needed a place to expand so we agreed I would not interfere in 8 and he would expand. I had taken the city and maybe 1 or 2 pop centers while trading pretty effectively in 8 with the DE. I under-estimated his political strength as I knew he had lost some DE Princes, he did a good job exploiting the perceptions of who was a threat and ended the game with 3 and most of 6. I had blown through a few of his armies and he did not continue the fight in 8, I knew I would lose 3 but I also knew the GN/BL/WI were gunning for me and I chose to protect 8. The GN invaded ineffectively with the BL briefly hitting 8 but pulled out about the same time I roasted a division size force, my main group was 13 RD / 13 WY and like 200k with multiple Warlords and weapons. I would invade the GN in 7 and pushed in, the UN who always seems to find a way to assist others late in games against me let me know that he would defend the GN in 7 even-though the GN had attacked me unprovoked. The game was getting near the end and I had a number of agents, let me beat against them if he wanted. 2 power 3's some princes and a couple of my agents died but he took the bait I assume it was him and tried for my king on 39, lvl 12 agent on guard, a ward, a ring = a dead UN agent. (again I assume it was him, could be wrong). One item I think is funny is the WI continued to talk about wanting to fight 1v1 but until 40 avoided conflict and instead had multiple allies working, he could not even try his last turn attack without planning for a DE invisible group to assist. I stayed out of a final confrontation as I knew I was locked into a top 3 finish but he could lose a bit and still make it but I was afraid to dip a bit and fall to 4. It was a fun game overall but a lot of drama and to be honest this was the first game as diplomatic I played where I understood some the Elders aversion to the format, I don't like the mob mentality and 3v1 or 4v1 don't take a lot of skill just diplomacy, I find a 1v1 or 2v1 is more challenging and thus I get more satisfaction from those types of victories. Congrats to DE fighting the good fight and to the other podium finishers congratulations to well deserved finishes.

[Sinestro]

We agreed to the 2 turn thing once the DE invaded the DA. There would have been no 2 turn notice agreement otherwise.

[Mad Hatter]

My first time playing the GN and everything was going along fine, until the final sign-ups then someone took the UN position. I immediately cut a deal with him as I just wanted to try playing this kingdom. The game started off horribly. I kept landing on US, but not crossing many pc’s. I took one town on turn 3 and a village on 4. By turn 8 my highest military leader was a Capt I, all due to US encounters and all I had to show for it was the Horn of the Intrepid and a Ring of Prot. I did manage to grab a few more pc’s and had 5 towns and 4 villages and the UN controlled the region, all the while casting hidden ore and raising my wizards and promoting emmies and I was happy doing that and letting the UN stand out as the ruler of R7. For my ESO I took 2 Marshals and a General. I began to recon pop centers to the north (info is so important in this game). And this is about the time the UN/GI/WA went after the TR. I sat back and continued to build up defenses and gold production (sucked there was no pc in the water in R7, so a mountain cap it was). I had all the info on the UN and TR caps at this point and then I lucked into GI cap. On turn 12 I declared the RA an enemy, part of our agreement for a game long NAP and a turn later, he declared the UN, WA, EL, GI, and me all enemies, at which time I didn’t know if he cut the UN the same deal, but I had to let him know that I would defend the region…just in case. Meanwhile, I then found the Crystal of Seeing and another Ring of Prot. Still raising wizards and getting more costly, I used my low level agents to continue reconning places out east. I had covered all the major cities soon and found the RD cap by accident. This was turn 13 and the RD had invaded R5, the BL/RA kissed and made up and I now had the Stone of All Minds (lovely artifact) and a turn later the EL took my town in R4. I began reconning R1 and enamoring it. On turn 16 the 1/2 RA Army Groups showed up in R7 and I had just divined all of the EL pop-centers, ready to move, but alas Houston, we had a problem. We trailed the groups around in R7 for a while, constantly doming, meanwhile acquired a village in R4 and I moved my capitol there. I set my biggest group on my old cap and waited for one of the RA groups to show. When it did, I hit it with everything I had and then pursued it and finished it off. We gnomes were so happy, we could have finished our contest there and then, and told that story for decades to come, punctuating our victory by holding aloft the Orb of Anti-Magic we acquired. Meanwhile, the NEW UN player (MAD) organized a coalition and I had divined the RA SVC, of which I divined everyone’s before the end of the game and had no qualms sharing them with anyone who wanted to know, just to keep things interesting. While everyone else drove the RA back in R9 and R10, I stayed in R7 as I told the RA that my purpose was only a defensive one. Well, the rest of the game went from one coalition to another to prevent anyone from winning. Occasionally I would conjure prestige on the DE and BL just to keep the game interesting and hoping they would keep others busy. I knew from the first status points that I couldn’t win or place unless it was given to me and I didn’t want it that way, and it was offered. I started off 2nd from last and slowly climbed to 5th place by the end. Game strategy for me was to learn the position. I spent a lot on gathering intel for each coalition I was part of and casting spells for others as needed. The game really didn’t start to drag until after peace was made with the GI/WA and we went after the RD, then the EL. And then every turn was a chore. Well, I enjoyed most of the game and none of the drama. What I did learn from this game was the potential for the GN to rise in prominence in rankings of Valhalla and that I will play it more often. We tip our collective HATS to everyone in this game. Those who podiumed…CONGRATS! To everyone, I hope to see you in other games, on both sides (enemy or ally).

[Thudargh]

I suppose it's time for BL to weigh in!

One thing that strikes me about Alamaze is how the path of the game can be set quite early.  In my case, it happened on Turn 4.  At that point in time, I had 14 points worth of PCs.(For any new players, villages are 1 point, towns 2 points, cities 4 points.)  For a one city region, that's typically enough - but not this time.  In this game, the Southern Sands had eight villages and eight towns, and the population divide happened to be against me.  On Turn 5 RA attacked, and my chance for regional control vanished.  I put up a fairly spirited defense, capturing and executing several RA emissaries.  But LT is a talented player who didn't make any mistakes, so it came down to resources - RA could recover from his losses, but I didn't have enough gold to use my emissaries let alone raise more wyverns.  Eventually a game of whack-a-capital began and the writing was on the wall.

It was my intention to hang on as long as I could - I haven't dropped a game yet.  Then RA contacted me to see if peace was an option.  I don't know if he meant it in this fashion, but I took it as a compliment - I had been enough of a costly pain in the ass that it was more beneficial to buy me off than to finish me off.  And buy me off he did - for 20K in food and 20K in gold per turn, with instructions to attack Amberland.  Unfortunately, I can't say I was terribly effective on his behalf.  WA had Demonic Visions to which I had no counter.  After some initial success, I had to retreat to lick my wounds.  By the time I returned, every PC I showed up at was Domed and my military wasn't large enough to successfully threaten a village.  I finally let RA know that I was unable to do anything useful in Amberland and told him he could stop sending me food and gold.  He suggested trying to hit WI in the Northern Mists, so I headed north.

Showing up at a WI village did get WI's attention.  I received an email where he concluded I must be working with GI & WA, as apparently they were fighting.  I responded letting him know that I had actually been attacking GI & WA for some time(albeit ineffectively) and that showing up at his village was an attempt to stave off elimination.  At this point, WI & GN offered to provide me the support I needed to be effective in Amberland(gold/food/dispelling regional effects/dispelling domes).  Who was I to refuse?  And they came through in spades - the main restriction I had on raising wyverns was my number of orders.  I took every PC I went after.  I made full use of BL's mobility, especially when the decision was made to go after RD.(Of course I bolted to Talking Mountains!  That's BL strategy in my opinion - don't go toe-to-toe, attack where the enemy ain't.)

In the end, I still ended up in last place.  But that's okay.  I still had fun and someone has to end up last.  And one of these days I'll figure out how to play a military kingdom successfully!