Destiny of Empires [Diplo Game] [Organization Thread]

[OzzyKP]

Thanks DNK and thanks metra for shedding more light on the situation.

Vikings (Ragnar) - Toni, Rhothaerill, Toni (Toni only played for a turn or two the second time at the very end as we were winding down)
France (Louis XIV) - Exploit, mzprox, ______?
England (Elizabeth) - OzzyKP, 2metraninja, OzzyKP
Ottoman (Suleiman) - ThePriest, Sommerswerd
Germany (Bismarck) - deity, Calanthian? (Calanthian only played for a turn or two at the very end, did anyone else take over for deity earlier? Or did he stick it out till mostly the end?)
Mali (Mansa Musa) - Hercules, DNK, ______? (so we are sure about Hercules starting out?)
Russia (Catherine) - 2metraninja
Mongolia (Kublai Khan) - trev? (can we confirm trev? Did anyone else play the Mongols?)
Arabia (Saladin) - Pinchak?(a guess), mzprox , ______?, DNK, mzprox
Egypt (Ramesses II) - Robert Plomp
India (Gandhi) - St Jon, mzprox, lzprst (anyone else?)
China (Mao Zedong) - ______?
Japan (Tokugawa) - BlackKnight 427
Zulu (Shaka) - The_Aussie_lurker?(a guess) Sommerswerd, DNK
Aztecs (Montezuma) - Amarriner, PMBmaker, Calanthian (amarriner and pmbmaker are confirmed?)
Native America (Sitting Bull) - Dubhghlas
Inca (Huayna Capac) - DNK
America (Franklin D. Roosevelt) - Rempedaalops

[Inca (DoE)]

Oh, I subbed for:
Mali when the original player left early on.
Zulu after Otts left.
Arabia for quite some time mid-game.
China for a few turns.
England for a few turns.

Reports that I was subbing half the players in the game were clearly overblown. Just 1/3rd.

[2metraninja]

Yeah, I want to say Bravo to all the excellent storytellers I have enjoyed their stories trough the months here. America was one of my favorites too (Conan, hand-drawn cave pictures, Washington's drawing with the straighten-up arm, the love letters to Catherine, the goose-bumping speeches during the Turkey-America wars) oh, man - you are good

[America (DoE)]

You were also a pleasure to have in the game. Good stories, and I enjoyed our joint imperialism storyline. Very reliable, and helped spice things up a bit at the end too. Good work.

Thanks Ozzy! The pleasure was all mine. Definitely had fun with our joint storyline as well, and just want to thank all of you who contributed to the story threads for giving me great reads on many a day! Bravo

[2metraninja]

And here are my knowledge and guesses about who is/was who and played what nation.

Vikings (Ragnar) - Toni, Rhothaerill, Toni
France (Louis XIV) - Exploit, mzprox, ______?
England (Elizabeth) - OzzyKP, 2metraninja, OzzyKP
Ottoman (Suleiman) - ThePriest, Sommerswerd
Germany (Bismarck) - deity, Calanthian?
Mali (Mansa Musa) - Hercules, ______? (I know who the sub is, but wont say as it is up to him to show up)
Russia (Catherine) - 2metraninja
Mongolia (Kublai Khan) - trev?
Arabia (Saladin) - Pinchak?(a guess), mzprox , ______?, DNK, mzprox
Egypt (Ramesses II) - Robert Plomp
India (Gandhi) - St Jon (right?), lzprst (anyone else?)
China (Mao Zedong) - BlackKnight 427? a guess
Japan (Tokugawa) - ______?
Zulu (Shaka) - The_Aussie_lurker?(a guess) Sommerswerd, DNK
Aztecs (Montezuma) - Amarriner, PMBmaker, Calanthian
Native America (Sitting Bull) - Dubhghlas
Inca (Huayna Capac) - DNK
America (Franklin D. Roosevelt) - Rempedaalops

[Rhothaerill]

I will say that the French player (the current one) was a prolific Poly poster before mostly moving to WPC like I did. Nothing against Poly, it's just that most of our friends were there and we still have ongoing Civ4 games there.

[2metraninja]

I must say I knew who is who for all of the major players way back in the classical times. I may have been new to the place and never played, nor heard for the most of you guys, but I did my homework good, read a bit about past games, noticed how and where your strengths are, figured out who is who and so on. So yes, based on this knowledge it was easier for me to play the game and make a good first impression on the new playground

Only mystery for me was the third and last replacement for France (after mzprox) - I guess he is someone from WPC, but cant really tell who he is, and then the Chinese player, about who I am still worried for his sudden disappearance.

[mzprox]

I subbed for India after St. Jon. Waged a war and liberated a city from the Arabs (a civ I took later)

[Russia (DoE)]

Timing is very important of course if not everything. From my experience, in Civ MP you are always 1 turn late. Only 1, but still late. And in this case I was 1 turn late. If I had 1 more turn without you having Railroad tech, you guys would have been crushed. I launched 1 turn later my attacks and it was not sure if I could have won in the North. 1 more turn without you having Railroads was all I needed to brutally stomp you in the frozen mud using the English navy as the anvil and my north Cossack army as the hammer, alas I had no this turn. Good for me, you were 1 turn late too And it happened that we were online at the same time, so I could throw in the bluff.

[Rhothaerill]

Timing was still an issue, and that is where you guys really shined. If that bluff had happened 1 turn later I would have had machine guns in each of my coastal cities, with another 1 each a turn later. Grenadiers attacking an MG from sea would have been torn to pieces, and if you had landed I would have had 2 each by the time you could attack.

And thanks but no thanks on the new diplogame. I've learned my lesson, and that's to stick to regular games.

[Russia (DoE)]

I believe he really was planning to raze the city. But I came back like that turn, so he briefed me and I said no to razing it. It seemed too far to me.

True story. Ozzy said explicit that I should not raze the Holly city, at first I was disappointed, but then I decided that if the Fate serves me lemons instead of the juicy meal I was hoping for, not to wrinkle my mouth in disappointment, but to make a lemonade. And the rest is history

[Russia (DoE)]

I certainly would have if I'd had the opportunity. I would have razed all of England so that this time you couldn't get it back.

As I said previously, it wasnt an empty bluff - we had the power to execute our threat (i.e. razing almost all Viking cities), and even still eventually win the war in Europe with brute force, only it would be a riskier - there was a chance that things go wrong with your superior economy and advanced weapons (intact French and Neandor economy + Machine Gunners, Ironclads and Cannons vs rifles, SOTLs and catapults + ruined Turkish and English economy + drafted down to city size 5 with huge unrest Russian economy). Not to mention how bloody and violent all this would have been. I was really considering winning a war of attrition with you guys and razing cities was one of the things I was considering for sure

Come on, Roth, join the new diplo game - see what a fun, thrill and excitement DoE have brought to us! Lot of "favors" to return, lot of "debts" to pay and a lot of lessons we all to learn

[Rhothaerill]

I was still worried because if they thought I was capable of razing a holy city, then they'd raze London or some other important city if they had the opportunity. But I agreed to the bluff and the rest was history.

I certainly would have if I'd had the opportunity. I would have razed all of England so that this time you couldn't get it back.

[OzzyKP]

And as long as we are discussing The Bluff, I'll let slip that it happened just as I was returning to control of my civ. Russia was subbing for me and had everything set up in position brilliantly. When it started, I don't think it was a bluff. I believe he really was planning to raze the city. But I came back like that turn, so he briefed me and I said no to razing it. It seemed too far to me. But he persuaded me that he could convince you guys that I really did intend to do it, and that we should bluff. I was still worried because if they thought I was capable of razing a holy city, then they'd raze London or some other important city if they had the opportunity. But I agreed to the bluff and the rest was history.

[Russia (DoE)]

Pretty much. At least I can say I completely changed the landscape of the game by falling for the bluff.

Heh, I think this bluff is actually very good example of what diplo-gaming is (at least for me) - it is all about diplomacy and not using violence when the things can go without it. The pen is mightier than the sword, fellow diplo-gamers