MP: Asia Twist - Wraithlord Wins!

[DonCorazon]

Thanks for hosting Pasha with your typical impeccable style and grace. I am honored to participate in your games.

Congrats Wraithlord, however you may have won. "All is fair in love and war". If someone did just hand you a VP, well, I personally would never do that since I think both from an RPG and a good sportsman perspective it makes no sense, but suppose there is nothing explicitly against it in the rules and some people do seem to like the idea of being vassals. The Don, however,always chooses to die on his feet, rather than live on his knees... and would hope others to do the same.

But you are quite a charmer I must say, perhaps a little thick with the flattery for my tastes but you seem to be quite effective with others. I called you out as being the one who'd win this game long ago (see thread somewhere a while back), but my own diplomatic energy was drained after Ashdod - I was too fatigued with PMs / coordination to take the lead again in another "alliance", and nobody heeded my warnings. Even still I tried to attack you in the spirit of trying to do what I could, but could see it was going to weaken the defense of my own VPs (even still I refused a formal NAP to hopefully keep you off guard). Thus ended the last offensive of the Pangean war machine.

Even while it was an epic game, I found this game helped crystallize a number of issues I have with certain game settings. Gem generator fatigue for one - I finally got sick of clams and bloodstones and just stopped making them.

Diplomacy for another - and in particular how it often means success can be most readily achieved by turtling/preying on the weak and waiting for others to fight the tough wars. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, and in fact it is known by many that the best way to win wars is never to fight a fair one. And I certainly did my best to make the war against Ashdod lopsided by bringing in anyone I could (but note everyone who fought the big A ultimately lost).

And this leaves something lacking to me in MP games. The most interesting fights are the balanced ones. Yet those are exactly the ones that help everyone else but the nations fighting. i am not sure what the answer is but it bothers me both as a player that relies on the strategy many times, and has been hurt when straying from it a few times. I think the answer is smaller maps / fewer players and/or RAND style games. Either that, or I just need to reserve more time for these diplomatically intense games and remind myself to let others fight the tough wars. I think I prefer the former though.

Another thing that kind of irritates me about Dominions is the undue influence certain indies can have on the game, but i suppose it makes each game interesting. It sure sucks when you don't find anything decent though. Jot's teleporting iron adepts mitigated my own horde of maenads from hostile action, since he could teleport in front of my armies, getting first cast defense advantage and splat my hordes with an RoS. That sucked.

I like the map, though i wish it had a little less movement limiting terrain.

Anyway, that's enough ramblings from a sleep-deprived new dad for now. Good game all, look forward to playing again some time.