Diplomacy

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by SelfishGene:
All i was really arguing initially is against the idea of never backstabbing under any circumstances because of forfeiting brownie points. I'm not trying to suggest one should *seek* to backstab as it may not be the best hand to play in every game.

I find that the cost of backstabbing somebody is, as a general rule, not worth the reputation hit in most cases. There are certainly opportunities, players, and nations, upon which you can pull such a move and incur minimal damage to one's rep (*cough* Ermor *cough*), but in most cases, the benefit of actually backstabbing one's opponent is minimal: At best, you sack a few provinces before he rallies and you have to fight a pitched battle anyway. You may as well simply stab him in the face: While you won't snag as many provinces before you fight the big battle, there's not nearly as much ill-will and distrust generated....and frankly, you were going to have to fight him sooner or later anyway. Other good opportunities to turn on somebody who you were otherwise peaceful with is when he is clearly losing a war badly: You can justify this move in the name of self-protection and opportunism: As the victim was doomed anyway, he is unlikely to hold this move against you, and it is certainly better that you receive a cut, rather than to allow the other party to get it all. Meanwhile, if executed with care and discretion, you are unlikely to incur significant hostility from the other parties, both the third party, and the one who you decide to attack.

Backstabbing a strong opponent merely because he is preoccupied, however, is rarely a sound move: He'll likely resent this and be distrustful of you in the future: This distrust may spread to others if it becomes a habit, and it's generally not that profitable, as it is unlikely you'll be able to decisively overwhelm the opponent before the impact of your actions actually sinks in. A long, protracted conflict after an attempt at treachery is never to your advantage, as it puts you in an preoccupied position, and your move will likely incite others to imitate your example....against you!

As a rule, people will be less inclined to have the matter fester if you can decisively squish them, thus sparing them the task of managing an obviously collapsing empire over the next several turns: For them, the game will end quickly, and they will likely not remember your actions clearly.