2013 Steel Championship - #118

[Lord Diamond]

Me Troll King Millen (akaTripwire)!

Me Troll find bung better in this fight! First Troll no want to fight with Ancient people and their magic so very early me send orcs and trolls down into Runnimede and eat little gnome people! They taste good but der big heads get stuck in trolls teeth! That not so good! They fight hard too and it take troll long time to kill little gnomey peoples. They keep killing troll magic men and talkey trolls! But me keep getting more trolls and more orcs and then the gnome finally die and we eat runnimede face.

So then troll decide to move into Arcania! We try to be sneaky and hide behind tree and jump all over Arcania with talkey trolls and big trolls armies all at one time! So we sneak big armies right on border and leave a few talkey trolls in Runnimede to keep little gnome from coming back then we JUMP on Arcania and find Demon Prince there! Demon Prince peoples give Troll gas, it was a very smelly campaign!

By this time Troll has lots of artifacts. Find lookey artifacts and flag waving artifacts and get "you no use magic on me" orb artifact and put them all in my 1 troll! Then we get 2 staffs that king use! We start using staffs on Demon king say, “You ugly and people no like you! Every turn we use staff and Troll King also denigrate Demon till people no likey him. We also have staff to make people think Troll is sexy and like troll! So easier to use talkey trolls too!

Then on 17th season of wars after battling very hard against demon people who don’t like to die! Which is Very strange. Troll decide to take big city in Arcania. We find very big capital there! And very big 1 demon army! But my trolls and orcs too much for demon army and they eat their faces and make them run away and eat the face of the city and that was big blow to Demons. They say “Ouchie!” and troll get a good foothold there. Also troll have automatic death sentance to any enemies he captures! That hurt Demon people I think, every town seems I took demon and killed him!

Then troll make many big mistakes right in a row! Troll King get greedy and decide to eat too many towns and villages and gain control of Torvale and me should have not done that. Also decide to attack Warlocky people in Amberland with his big magic domethingies and we do nothing but lose trolls and orcs there.

We were working with sneaky Underworld peoples and we should have let the sneaks take control of Torvale! We just wanted substantial and then no one would know troll was doing good! But we got greedy and it make others think Troll was going to eat all the face and win the world so they ganged up and jumped on poor trolls! Me had to run back to Runnimede and fight to get that back and it cost us too much time to get what we need to win the world.

Trolls battled back and made deal with sorcery people to keep what he took and then troll no eat him later on. Demon peoples still a pain in trolls ass the whole time too! At the very end troll send a bunch of talkey trolls into the desert to take some black dragon towns and villages and were on the verge of taking a lot there. We also send trolls up to fight giant who tried to win the world by stomping on everyone but troll was too late. He showed up with his army in the city on the same turn the Giant step with smelly feet on everyone. So troll no eat the world. Just a little portion. But troll king learn a lot!

The end!

PS: My 1TR at the end that I went into Meridon with was a massive army at 100K, 134% morale, no attrition, Warlord, Power 1 Wizard, Orb of Anti-Magic, Standard of Valor, Golden Spear of Lerix, and Sword of Alvinitar. I REALLLY wanted to fight someone that last turn but was too late.

Iron Willed: I vote for Demon Princes. He battled and battled and battled when I was sure he was down and out he stayed in there and fought. Well done!
Chancellor: I have to go with Ancient Ones. Once again he helped me thru this strange world of Alamaze and was a great coordinator (which I definitely am not).
Infamous: I vote for the Underworld, he was deadly in this one! It was the first time I got to see them in action with crazy good agents.

By the way my SVC was substantial in 5 regions not 4!! And I had to have 2 cities. That’s pretty crazy.

This was a good write-up. I wish this site had a 'Like' button.

The DE

[Lord Thanatos]

I played the DW kingdom in this wonderful 30-turn game.

I contacted the GI initially and he was willing to form an alliance so long as it included the WA. I also contacted the RD who was willing to form an alliance so long as he received a "skinny substantial" in the Talking Mountains. Eventually the DW/GI/RD/WA formed an alliance. I also contacted the DA and worked out a 12 turn NAP. I felt good about the early diplomacy and now looked forward to an eventful contest. I think the WA, who was the last to formally agree, summed it up best when he said, "If I have to ally with the top two players in Valhalla (at that time) in control of the two best military kingdoms... well, then you might have to twist my arm."

It was decided the GI would assault the WI, the RD would assault the EL and I would go after the SO (while the WA was afforded peace to build his wizards.) The DA was willing to join me against the SO and off we each went to conquer our portion of Alamaze!

As we began our assault upon the SO, the DA suggested we should bring the BL into the fold. I declined to do so. In fact, the first town I conquered in 9 belonged to the BL. The BL was upset and sent a message to that effect. I responded that he hadn't heard from me because we weren't working together and any help he received as a result of the DA and I attacking the SO "was entirely incidental." This message was not well received. Thereafter, the BL and DA began attacking my holdings in 9 and it was clear they would attack me in 3. The RA was truly a footnote in this game as he quit the contest after my DW army group completely dismantled the RA army on the plains of Synisvania.

I divined DA popcenters in 6 and took the battle to him - while the BL flew to the Mountains and attacked me. Over the course of the next portion of the contest I razed Gurisek, 4 towns and 2 villages in region 6. While doing so, I lost my agents to assassins, my 3 P1 DW wizards to DA wizards and eventually my leaders as well. This, of course, left my military susceptible to the DA army group when I entered the forests in 6. I had decided not to enter the forests ever, but forgot this decision when rushing to enter a set of orders. Oh well...

While all of the above was taking place in 6 I was fighting a battle with the BL who kept taking popcenters with his groups while I retook them with my emissaries. All the while I was building defenses at my city capital. When the BL finally decided to attack my city the defenses were nearly 80k. The BL ignobly retreated and from that point forward I had the momentum in 3 and finished the contest again in control of the Dwarven homeland.

At about this same time I worked out an arrangement with the DE (who had been formally accepted into our alliance) to assist me in trapping the DA wizards. When the DA lost a couple P5 or P6 wizards to the DE he was extremely upset (this might be an understatement.) I figured the death of a couple high level DA wizards was adequate compensation for the death of three DW P1s!

Toward the end of the contest, the UN contacted me to see if I was interested in providing DA and BL targets for his agents. I agreed to do so and asked nothing in return (I am not a very good negotiator apparently.) I also provided the UN Ancient Annihilator in exchange for Rod of Fire, I think.

So as the contest ended the DW was again in control of his region and making small incursions into 6 as the BL was evicted from the region and quit the contest. The DA lost control of his region, due to the UN assault. My teammate declared victory and all was right with the Alamaze world.

Interestingly, at one point our alliance DE/DW/GI/RD/WA was actively engaged with every other kingdom on the map. 5 v. 10 was definitely intriguing. I didn't get to assist my allies as much as I had hoped due to fighting with both BL and DA for the majority of the contest. But everyone seemed content if I could simply "hold the flank."

This contest was every bit as difficult and interesting as one would expect from an Invitation Only Championship match. I was extremely lucky to have made the podium (barely, of course.) Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Through the first 18 turns I was in second place on every status point report. On turn 24 I slipped down to 4th for that turn, but still second overall. When the contest ended I was also 4th in status points for that turn and barely achieved third place overall.

I used the special DW order to raise defenses as a standing order from turn 1 through 30. I also used up to 3 agents every turn to look for artifacts until they each met their untimely demise. I ended the contest with an agent 12 in possession of Ruler Eliminator, a single P1 wizard, a lone Marshall in charge of my remaining 5 brigades of valiant dwarves flying upon the Last Herd of Winged Stallions to do battle wherever they were needed. I also had over 105,000 defense at my capital city!

I must say that I made a special point to do all those things I know are necessary to do well in Alamaze (that I usually don't do): lots of diplomacy and a concentrated, diligent search for artifacts. Locating artifacts is generally not a part of the contest I enjoy and that is always reflected in my lack of status point accumulation. For the record... I do know how to accumulate status points. I just think beating one's enemies should be the point of this contest; building up a horde of artifacts should be incidental to success rather than paramount.

Congratulations to Wynand for a masterful win with those mighty Giants. Wynand is a wonderful teammate. This entire contest was a joy, even though I spent the last half of the contest being assaulted by two skilled opponents. A special mention, and thank you, must be made to Lord Diamond (the DE) because he refused to leave the battlefield even when reduced to a single popcenter. He eventually tripled his holdings and was instrumental in assisting my teammates against the TR/UN/AN/GN etc...

Thank you Ry Vor for the invitation to this Championship contest!

[The Gray Mouser]

Interesting how magnanimous these players in the Championship game, with much on the line in that game, have been. Sportsmanship: I salute you!

I was the Gnomish Alchemists, having had the Gnomes silver podium finish earlier in my Gnomish days. As a reminder, this Championship game was placing the personas who had finished highest with each kingdom through most of 2013.

The Troll Uprising Chieftain, one "Tripwire", had won with the TR in what may have been his first contest. Uprising? I say Upstart! Experience leads to mastery, and this Tripwire must have gotten lucky.

I negotiated with The Deliverer of the Red Dragons, and with Nikodemus of the Underworld, to satisfactory conclusions. That was a significant accomplishment, as not having either of those would have led me to quite a different strategy. I had conversations with the Demon Prince and had prisoners deliver a fresh wyvern carcass to the Troll, as what I thought might be the best gesture he could comprehend. I also approached the Ancient Ones, who I believe just sent me a wyvern skeleton about, well, about two days after I sent the fresh carcass to the Trolls.

All in all, things looking good. Prince and Duke to Cradia, recon Cradia, divine towns, raise a couple agents, raise a wizard, maybe even bid on the high council, then or shortly after, made for a peaceful T1.

Results came in, everything looks fine, except, what is this? A Troll Count at Cradia? I didn't know Trolls could Count!

A slow economically growing Gnome just won't do, so what to do? The audacity of this unwashed species! Denigrate, raise agent to 7, ward Gnome Prince and Duke, sleep Troll Count, assassinate. Take Cradia.
It worked.

Problem was, this was now about turn 7 and now and forever after, there would be many Trolls.

Somewhere around now, Ancient One invisible groups were knocking off my wizards and taking a few towns. Causing trouble.

The rest was denouement for the Gnomes.

My applause goes to Tripwire, Master of the Trolls. Some are born with an ear for music, some for Alamaze, it would seem. He gets my nomination for Infamous. Love his reprisal of his first victory with the Trolls here on the forum.

[Wynand]

I played the DW kingdom in this wonderful 30-turn game.

I contacted the GI initially and he was willing to form an alliance so long as it included the WA. I also contacted the RD who was willing to form an alliance so long as he received a "skinny substantial" in the Talking Mountains. Eventually the DW/GI/RD/WA formed an alliance. I also contacted the DA and worked out a 12 turn NAP. I felt good about the early diplomacy and now looked forward to an eventful contest. I think the WA, who was the last to formally agree, summed it up best when he said, "If I have to ally with the top two players in Valhalla (at that time) in control of the two best military kingdoms... well, then you might have to twist my arm."

It was decided the GI would assault the WI, the RD would assault the EL and I would go after the SO (while the WA was afforded peace to build his wizards.) The DA was willing to join me against the SO and off we each went to conquer our portion of Alamaze!

As we began our assault upon the SO, the DA suggested we should bring the BL into the fold. I declined to do so. In fact, the first town I conquered in 9 belonged to the BL. The BL was upset and sent a message to that effect. I responded that he hadn't heard from me because we weren't working together and any help he received as a result of the DA and I attacking the SO "was entirely incidental." This message was not well received. Thereafter, the BL and DA began attacking my holdings in 9 and it was clear they would attack me in 3. The RA was truly a footnote in this game as he quit the contest after my DW army group completely dismantled the RA army on the plains of Synisvania.

I divined DA popcenters in 6 and took the battle to him - while the BL flew to the Mountains and attacked me. Over the course of the next portion of the contest I razed Gurisek, 4 towns and 2 villages in region 6. While doing so, I lost my agents to assassins, my 3 P1 DW wizards to DA wizards and eventually my leaders as well. This, of course, left my military susceptible to the DA army group when I entered the forests in 6. I had decided not to enter the forests ever, but forgot this decision when rushing to enter a set of orders. Oh well...

While all of the above was taking place in 6 I was fighting a battle with the BL who kept taking popcenters with his groups while I retook them with my emissaries. All the while I was building defenses at my city capital. When the BL finally decided to attack my city the defenses were nearly 80k. The BL ignobly retreated and from that point forward I had the momentum in 3 and finished the contest again in control of the Dwarven homeland.

At about this same time I worked out an arrangement with the DE (who had been formally accepted into our alliance) to assist me in trapping the DA wizards. When the DA lost a couple P5 or P6 wizards to the DE he was extremely upset (this might be an understatement.) I figured the death of a couple high level DA wizards was adequate compensation for the death of three DW P1s!

Toward the end of the contest, the UN contacted me to see if I was interested in providing DA and BL targets for his agents. I agreed to do so and asked nothing in return (I am not a very good negotiator apparently.) I also provided the UN Ancient Annihilator in exchange for Rod of Fire, I think.

So as the contest ended the DW was again in control of his region and making small incursions into 9 as the BL was evicted from the region and quit the contest. The DA lost control of his region, due to the UN assault. My teammate declared victory and all was right with the Alamaze world.

Interestingly, at one point our alliance DE/DW/GI/RD/WA was actively engaged with every other kingdom on the map. 5 v. 10 was definitely intriguing. I didn't get to assist my allies as much as I had hoped due to fighting with both BL and DA for the majority of the contest. But everyone seemed content if I could simply "hold the flank."

This contest was every bit as difficult and interesting as one would expect from an Invitation Only Championship match. I was extremely lucky to have made the podium (barely, of course.) Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Through the first 18 turns I was in second place on every status point report. On turn 24 I slipped down to 4th for that turn, but still second overall. When the contest ended I was also 4th in status points for that turn and barely achieved third place overall.

I used the special DW order to raise defenses as a standing order from turn 1 through 30. I also used up to 3 agents every turn to look for artifacts until they each met their untimely demise. I ended the contest with an agent 12 in possession of Ruler Eliminator, a single P1 wizard, a lone Marshall in charge of my remaining 5 brigades of valiant dwarves flying upon the Last Herd of Winged Stallions to do battle wherever they were needed. I also had over 105,000 defense at my capital city!

I must say that I made a special point to do all those things I know are necessary to do well in Alamaze (that I usually don't do): lots of diplomacy and a concentrated, diligent search for artifacts. Locating artifacts is generally not a part of the contest I enjoy and that is always reflected in my lack of status point accumulation. Just for the record... I do know how to accumulate status points. I just think beating one's enemies should be the point of this contest; building up a horde of artifacts should be incidental to success rather than paramount.

Congratulations to Wynand for a masterful win with those mighty Giants. Wynand is a wonderful teammate. This entire contest was a joy, even though I spent the last half of the contest being assaulted by two skilled opponents. A special mention, and thank you, must be made to Lord Diamond (the DE) because he refused to leave the battlefield even when reduced to a single popcenter. He eventually tripled his holdings and was instrumental in assisting my teammates against the TR/UN/AN/GN etc...

Thank you Ry Vor for the invitation to this Championship contest!

Great summary LT, and thanks for the kind words.

[Lord Diamond]

Game Details