It looks like the Wizards' presence in this game is long gone and completely forgotten, but I'll share my thoughts about how it went.
Starting out, I was really unsure how to proceed. There didn't seem to be many neutral territories I could take that would open up a natural route of expansion. The only possibilities were up in the north, which ran the risk of getting me into a conflict with the Dwarves that would leave me dangerously exposed on the continent, or to the east, which would turn into an all-out confrontation with the Hobbits. I decided to form agreements with both the Dwarves and the Hobbits to net me a good number of builds the first year or two, then bide my time. I knew I'd have to go after the Hobbits eventually because we were so close to one another, and the river made possible an all-out land and naval assault; however, he had a very solid starting position and I knew I would need an ally to take him on.
Socially, I tried to be friendly and talkative with everyone. It's a big game with a lot of players, and my experience is that weaker diplomats are usually the first ones to get ganged up on. I thought I could guard against an early elimination by being the sort of person people felt they could team up with later. My neighbours were generally happy to form non-aggression pacts and talk general strategy, but the problem was that I wasn't really in a position to contribute anything of value to them, and it was hard for most of them to help me either. The most I could ever get out of them was "just let me finish this war, then I'll totally help you out!" I focused mainly on trying to get the Pirates and Shades to ally with me against the Hobbits. It seemed like it would work, and the territory would divide up nicely, but they both were somewhat hesitant to lay down concrete plans.
Just as my diplomatic efforts started to show a bit of promise, the Hobbits launched a major offensive. I turned my forces to face him, and promptly got stabbed by both the Dwarves and the Pirates for half of my centres. I decided to discard my entire failed strategy and throw my support behind the Hobbits, telling him that I'd gladly hand over my centres if he could guarantee me survival. We had some trust issues, and I lost some more centres in the process, but he warmed up to me once he saw I was sincere. We went on the attack against the Elves, Ogres, and Shades. I didn't feel great about turning against these players since I'd had good relations with them, but I'd completely thrown in my lot with the Hobbits at that point. Despite a bit of success, we weren't able to find a safe place for me. Having burnt all my other bridges, there was nothing left to do but hold the Valley of Lost Honor (fittingly enough) and make my last stand. So it goes.
I didn't have the chance to interact with most of you very closely, but here are some individual messages:
Donovan, the Nomads really don't have a chance in this game do they? It's too bad we didn't have the chance to work together more. I could've used the help!
Jim, I don't blame you for doing what you did, as I really had no business going that far north unless I was planning to go all-out against you. Even at that early stage, I could tell you were headed for a draw share if not solo. Congratulations!
Garry, I really went off on you didn't I? You can't have been surprised that I would refuse to work with you, though I guess you couldn't have known that I'd react by throwing my support behind the Hobbits. Still, you tried a near-impossible diplomatic move: stab someone for a home centre, then try to salvage the deal that they had been trying to put together for ages. Anyway, it looks like things turned out well for you after all. Good job!
Clark, I definitely should've just attacked you right off the bat. The layout of the map all but guarantees that the Hobbits and Wizards really can't be friends. Still, I enjoyed working with you once you started to trust me. It looks like my little boost turned out to be the high water mark for the Hobbits though. It's too bad you weren't able to turn it into something more.
Bryan, you did well defending against the Ogres and Shades at the beginning. Sorry for violating our non-aggression pact, and no hard feelings about the not-so-civil exchange that followed! I think we both like being inflammatory!
Rolf, you were a pleasure to deal with. I wish we'd been in a position to help each other out more! It's a shame you didn't get a draw share like I thought you would, but I guess that's the way it goes.
Patrick, it was nice seeing you do better than our last game. You were always great to talk to, and I was happy to have you nearby as a potential ally. When I formed an alliance with the Hobbits, my biggest worry was that I was throwing you under the bus. Good to see you came out on top!
It's funny that this game ended now, because I've just started playing Diplomacy again. Hope I'll see some of you around!
Phil