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Adjutant
 
Posts: 3
Joined: 10 Feb 2015, 9:18 am

Post 16 Jul 2015, 10:55 am

This was my first NWO game, and my first game via email. It was difficult to manage the time required for such a large game, and I realize communication (early in the turn) is essential. I will be honest, I was not surprised at getting an E-rated nation for my first game, but I was a little disappointed in the position I got. Venezuela with an army seemed a little useless since the US was so close with the wing in Puerto Rico, but I also didn’t expect he would come directly after me in the first year!! And to add insult to injury, I was not assigned a hidden unit, so I had very few options to help myself.

At the beginning of the game, Cuba, Brazil, and Ecuador all seemed very friendly. I could tell right away that Peter in Brazil was very paranoid of everyone. You all should have seen the message I got from him after Bolivia stabbed him right out of the gate!! Boy, was it hilarious!! In spite of that, we made a pact early to be non-aggressive with each other. My plans were to grab a few of the close SCs by first moving away from Brazil. When Dario was not at all responsive to my requests for information, I should have known something was going to happen. And then he bombarded my capital the first year… That was the beginning of the end for Venezuela. Anyway, when Samy stepped in for Brazil, I could have probably done more to cultivate a relationship with him, but he certainly had his hands full with Bolivia and Argentina. But, I never really was in a position to help, and I had no idea how to handle that. So I turned to Ecuador for help…

Ecuador…Andy! We should have worked together, man! You started out being my friend and I foolishly believed you would be loyal. When you received nuke tech, I realized and became paranoid that you were most likely hell-bent on my destruction, so I then turned to Cuba for help. His alliance with Mexico was clearly very strong from the beginning, and I figured they came as a package deal. Cuba was the best ally I could have asked for, one that I wish I had cultivated from the beginning. Zac, still no hard feelings for the stab, but I am still interested in why… I was happy to be Cuba’s vassal, and I would have done anything he said if it meant I got to stay in the game a little longer.. I got to be part of some awesome moves for a short time, and I got a glimpse into how a strong player makes alliances. Thanks, Zac!

As for rest of South America, Argentina was non-committal in any alliances, long-term or short. To be fair, it seems he began reaching out to Australia and others who could help, something I could really not do. In retrospect, I should have reached out to people outside of South America as well, and earlier in the game. If/when I play another NWO game, I will take that as a lesson to do better next time.

Bolivia was a promising ally and was very open with me. We made an agreement to “leak” intel to the other players in the vicinity, but that didn’t seem to do any good either. I think if we had been able to form a strong 2- or 3-way alliance like what the Africans did, South America would have been much more formidable. Venezuela was a difficult position, but I just kept getting screwed over by USA, then Ecuador, and finally Cuba. France certainly had his wishy-washy moments, and the UK just seemed content to stay out of everything in the area.. Overall, a fun game! But, I have a lot to learn about the strategy for such a large scale game. I hope to get to play in the next game, and I’m sure I will get my chance to learn a lot more from all of you. Here’s to being the only woman in the game!!

Mellisa

*~*~A brief word about my experience subbing…~*~*
Most of you don't know that for a brief time, I got to peek into the crazy dealings in Africa when I sat the account for Rob in Zambia while he was gone for two whole weeks. Since I didn’t get a chance to make it past the early game as Venezuela, it was very interesting to see how a successful player handled the diplomacy. It also made complete sense since I had been allied with Cuba in my earlier involvement with the game, so it was understood that I would not be inclined to change any of the deals Rob had been working so hard to cement. To be completely honest, Rob did most of the heavy lifting in those 2 weeks. I was just there to make sure nothing fell through the cracks. It was pretty funny to see how people reacted to me as a sub. Trevor and Dave, I will forever cherish the name you gave me—Starlite (from Rainbow Brite)!! It was also pretty hilarious how Ling reacted when I nuked Brunei without his approval… It’s okay, Dave, I’m just a sub! Classic!! Rob, a special thanks to you for allowing me the honor to hold down the fort for you. That was a blast!
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Adjutant
 
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 Oct 2011, 5:20 am

Post 16 Jul 2015, 12:29 pm

... so I then turned to Cuba for help. His alliance with Mexico was clearly very strong from the beginning, and I figured they came as a package deal. Cuba was the best ally I could have asked for, one that I wish I had cultivated from the beginning. Zac, still no hard feelings for the stab, but I am still interested in why…


OK, my EOG is not going to be posted for a bit, so it's full disclosure time. First thing that happened with the North Americans before the initial Spring was the establishment of the NA alliance and planning routes of expansion. Mexico and I were to head south an take over South America, and it didn't matter who was in control in any of those nations, we were going to take them. USA moved to bombard your capital in year 1 to give me an advantage in moving in, and since the extent of the North American alliance's partnership wasn't known until later, it was not clear that USA did that for Cuba, and so Ecuador or Brazil were more likely candidates for conspirators.

When you and I began working together, you were at a huge disadvantage, as you knew. The reason I didn't move against you earlier, and that we did stick around a few seasons to make some great moves happen, was that you were a great ally to work with! I went back and forth on whether to keep working with you long term or to stab, and in the end I decided that I'd play less like Kenyan Dave who likes to coordinate with 'vassals', and instead go for independent growth, more directly controlled votes, and a larger, more self-reliant nuke program. It was a bummer to see you go, but I think a necessary step to become a top contender from Cuba's point of view. Thanks for the great collaboration, you were an excellent ally, and in this case it was just determined from the start that Venezuela would have to go. It was great having you in control of Zambia for those two weeks and getting to work with you again!