[JimMorrison]

It has come to my attention that there has been some slacking among the nations, some of them simply do not contribute enough to SP and MP gaming enjoyment. So to avoid downsizing, and make sure everyone gets the bonus that was promised, I would like everyone who is able, to provide evaluations of the available nations. The purpose of this is twofold, the first is to make an easy to use chart that new players can use to shorten their learning curve, and simultaneously hasten and ease their entry into MP games. The second is to compile the opinions of all of the more experienced players regarding relative strength and weakness of the nations, to highlight where IW could give a little love, in the interest of diversity.


Now, there are some rules, please read all the rules before contributing to the thread, though stray comments are of course welcome, evaluations need to adhere to these rules:

First, we are not ranking in any attempt to make a top 10, or any other sort of arbitrary listing. There is no harm in 5 nations being tied for top or bottom, there are no winners or losers here.

Second, I want informed perspectives only. Without a broad range of experience with different nations, you cannot expect to make accurate judgements about what weak and strong actually are. While we are not here to directly compare nations to eachother, the ratings are inherently relative, within the scope of the game. For this reason, I am asking that you not rate the nations of any given age unless you can rate at least one third of the nations within that age. Because of this rule, you are not expected to submit ratings for more than 1 age, if you are not comfortable doing so.

Third, you may post if you only play SP games, there is no problem with that. Simply do not include the MP score on the nations that you rate, I won't hold it against you. If, however, you are posting MP ratings as well, I would prefer that you have an adequate body of experience in MP. I don't feel comfortable quantifying this, but if you have completed several MP games (win or lose) in any given age, and you feel confident in assigning some ratings, then please do so.

Fourth, when I begin to compile the list from the posts (since I will be averaging results, I won't tabulate on the fly, there will be a window for posting, then I will compile the chart, with occasional updates over time), I will be looking for statistical deviations. I won't be looking for certain results, there are no right answers, but if someone posts nonsense ratings that don't coincide with anyone else at all, then their post will be disregarded.


Now, each nation will be rated in 5 distinct categories:

Early Game Strength
Mid Game Strength
Late Game Strength
Ease of Learning (SP)
Ease of Use (MP)


In each category, I would ask that you rate the nation on a 1-5 scale, such that:

1 = Weak
2 = Deficient
3 = Adequate
4 = Capable
5 = Strong

Feel free to post your rating in either 1-5 form, or using the first letters, W/D/A/C/S.