Re: March 21st - Sunday - 6pm GMT - 16 Player FFA - Sign up !!!
Date: March 22, 2010 12:57AM
Another FFA has come and gone, but truth be told, the 4th failed to live up to expectations. 30 minutes to get 12 players, player abandonment, piss poor attitude, long years of peace, lengthy drawn out isolated wars... its enough to make me throw away the reputation of a man of alliances and go Sokrates route.
With that said, here's the recap.
March 21st FFA
Roster
Flanders, Sokrates
Lithuania, Icequeen
Tunis, Adrien
Nicaea, Myopia
Aragon, Malakira
Norway, JD
Serbia, Mrscientist
Genoa, Rex
Brandenburg, Patje
Palestine, RockstaR
Eire, James
Morocco, LNO
Early wars-
With the additional spacing in a 12 player FFA, I anticipated lots of build up with much less fighting at the beginning of the game. Nostradamus I am not, because almost immediately Malakria sought to press his Aragon advantage over LNO in Morocco, while JD aimed for the british isles, with James in Eire. Rex in Genoa felt confident against Adrien in Tunis, and even more so when Rockstar began attacking Adrien.
At turn 8 the first eye-opener occurred when Sokrates launched a surprise attack on Rex, who astutely said I only have myself to blame for trusting Sokrates. Not often have truer words been spoken in Conqueror. Rex however, though taken by surprise, showed some resilience and regained control of his lands. However, at turn 10, Malakira attacked Rex's exposed western flank, while in the north, Icequeen chose to attack JD, because luck of the irish ran out out also in turn 10, with James being the first casualty of war. Leprechauns cried everywhere.
Rex tried his best to keep a semblance of order in his lands in the early 3 front war, but fell in turn 14 to the overwhelming armies of Sokrates, with Adrien and Malakira gobbling up the rest of Rex's lands. The specter of a mighty Sokrates in western continental Europe returned, while JD skillfully resisted Icequeen's attack and began slowly pushing her back to Lithuania.
Balancing of Power
MrScientist, firmly entrenched in his position and having a loyal ally at his back in Nicaea, decided to renew the pressure on Adrien, who was having a grinding battle with RockstaR along the coasts of Africa. On the same turn, I worked in concert with him, attacking RockstaR.
Sokrates, with the strongest nation on board, played the role of peacekeeper and sent sizable forces to assist Adrien on turn 19, forcing MrScientist to expand his fighting front. Adrien had avoided death once more. Patje saw an opportunity and took it, massing forces on turn 21 and sending them with the objective of taking down Flanders. JD noticed the build up, and acted to protect his ally, sending an army south to distract Patje. Patje's concentration did not waver however, and he took Sokrates capital turn 24. Sokrates would continue the fight, but the next major development was RockstaR falling in turn 25.
Icequeen began attacking JD in earnest, and it was apparent that a Northern Alliance was emerging ala the Southern Alliance of last game, as Patje also shifted his forces northward, and picking off UK's underdefended lands. With Palestine fallen, I continued the push towards Tunis, with MrScientist sending some assistance through Macedonia, prompting Adrien to surrender ungraciously, leaving turn 32 with his capital untaken, and Patje finished off Sokrates who had retaken his capital, but losing it this winter for good. At some point around now, Malakira also left, with MrScientist free to push westward with no hindrance from Malakira's former allies Sokrates and Adrien. Turn 39, JD found himself a victim to the Northern Alliance once more, falling to Icequeen with the aforementioned Patje running rampant through JD's former backlands. RockstaR took Adrien's absense as an opportunity to harass Nicaea again, taking over Tunis, but Nicaea had built too much momentum and advanced lands, with Tunis falling for good turn 45.
Interlude- Detente
With Aragon being AI, MrScientist leisurely picked off the lands formerlg belonging to Malakira. Icequeen in Lithuania and Patje in Brandenburg had forged a peace with MrScientist. Nicaea was isolated from the north, yet not at peace with Lithuania or Brandenburg. A peaceful period would ensue on the surface, but underneath mistrust bred thousands of armies between the four powers, castles being constructed. In a FFA I have never seen a period of peace like this- I did not notate it, but I estimate that it was 12 turns of peace. A four turn notice at some point was given by Icequeen, who then proceeded to war against MrScientist solo. With the first move and taking a key castle in Moldavia, there MrScientist's capital fell turn 62.
Battle in the Trenches
After Icequeen had sacked Mrscientist's capital, Patje took Poland and Moldavia, sealing off Icequeen. His purpose was to begin a war with Nicaea, which was ready, with 190k country in byzantium. Because we were both at peace with Mr Scientist, we fought along a thin corridor of the easternmost countries. However, much to my dismay and admiration, Patje punched through my lines and brought an army to Nicaea's doorstep. His 100 was not immediately daunting compared to the 300 I had in defenders, but I looked to the future and the crystal ball told me to Try Again next game. However, Icequeen was tiring and looking for a replacement, and RockstaR once more returned, but this time not to plague me. Upon arriving, he announced that in 4 turns he would be attacking Patje. Patje responded by taking RockstaR's capital around turn 80, and even threatened to wipe him off the map. However, this gave me the opportunity to build up armies and push them through the narrow corridor Mr. Scientist allowed me. This was very slow moving as brandenburg was 5 steps from my cap due to having to go around MrScientist, hence it was turn 90 that I took Patje's capital. RockstaR's capital fell in turn 94, with the protestation of 4 season notice required for war. Throughout the wars, I had ample opportunity to sack MrScientist's capital, so we had decided earlier if it came down to the two of us, whoever had more population when everything wiped off the map is the winner. I had 2 more population, and thus the 4th FFA ended.