Hey everyone, good game.  Nice thing I guess about having been out of this one for so long is that the bitterness of the stabs has passed, and I can look back on it from a fairly disconnected perspective.  Others have already commented on the rise and fall of Aetolia.  More on that later.


 


For me, the game largely hinged on a different theater.  As Penner said in his EGS, he wanted me (Elia) to head north toward Aetolia... (I remember these talks) however my bigger threat was not going to come from Greg, rather, from the south.  Scott, with his awesome solo record was the player to beat.  So naturally I try to ally w him first and foremost.  It wasn't working tho, cuz we had this newbie named Matt in between us.  We couldn't figure out what to do among the three... the natural tendencies like for me to want Matt to go east and for Scott to want Matt to go north made us awkwardly incompatible.


 


This really set the game, and Scott certainly lived up to his record here by successfully campaigning, over and over, for Matt to go my way.  Just when I'd think I'd established an "ok that's water under the bridge but let's work together now so we don't end up both screwed" level with Matt, bam, he turns on me again.  And again.  And... again.  I really have to tip my hat to Scott for all this work he put into that angle of the game.  All the promises to Matt about how he wouldn't stab him, how I was the bigger threat.


 


Then, Scott stabbed Matt, and so lethally done there was no way to save him.  Tho I think we tried for a year, unsuccessfully.


 


Then the game progressed into the Aetolia years, when Greg was expanding.  Here I was badly positioned between two large powers in the east and one larger in the west.  Neither side really needed me, but I think Greg needed me more.  This was cuz Penner and Scott could stalemate Greg w/o me in the picture, but Greg couldn't advance w/o me to help him round the southern tip.  I had dreams of a 6-way draw by getting Greg to perhaps 19 of the 20 centers needed, and with me and Charles (Attica) right on the fulcrum, at which point Scott and Penner would have to work w us to stop the solo and all call it a draw.


 


This failed tho, when Charles gave in to Scott's (Penner's? Combined pressure?) jedi mind powers, and stabbed me.


 


Now back to the Aetolian regime, at one point here Greg stabbed me for a few centers, taking away my ability to build.  I think this was the beginning of the fall of Aetolia.  I'm not sure Greg knew just how firmly I was in his camp and willing to help him expand... and by sacking me, he stopped the momentum we had going and reduced me to a minimal survival role.  This cost him (us) the ability to build on the peloponnesus.  I would really liked to have seen where the game would have gone if this had not happened.  Either we got the draw that I'd set out for, or a better-timed stab by Greg might have snuck him the solo.  As it stood tho w me having to colllapse into Italy, it gave the lower left corner to the evil cronies, and then it was just a long slog of slowly retreating toward the furthest corner of the map I could find.


 


I'm glad the draw passed finally, and on this turn and not in a year.    So thanks for passing that!  The two victims - Matt and Greg - Matt, it's been so long since you were in the game.  Looking back you were out in year 7, and we went almost 18 years.  It's amazing that most of the meat of this game occurred around years 3-5 and then there was so much time afterwards.  And Greg, you know I'm disappointed you didn't survive.  Certainly not befitting.  But, it happens.  I barely lucked into survival myself.


 


Frank, a tireless effort as GM and marathon (heh) game.  Nicely done...


-mike