Dear XicaDaSilva....

I think there are different point of views... perhaps I´m still from the "OLD SCHOOL" if I think about honourius playing and friendships and so on...

I don´t like allies between 1st and 2nd ´cause these games are booooring... everything is decided... And I enjoy games with open end!

My PGA´s are never secret... I´m always chatting with my friends, you may see them in our profiles, sometimes we ask as well for truce to make it transparent - also if we know the answer before...

But wtf? I´m always playing so, that I will make alliances at interesting points. So I don´t destroy my neighbour early, if I think we could be nice partners later. This is risky. And if I know my neighbour it´s less risky. I also played games with friends, where we were in different alliances and had to fight. But normaly I like to alliance with friends - if there is a point when we can do it. And this are also often unspoken alliances... But we never talked about PGA´s before... it´s a development.

The most important point: I like to give every player the same chance to win a game! That´s nice playing... and fair.
But perhaps still OLD SCHOOL??

@aixo
You intentions seem OK, but you didd not answer the question, so I will repeat it: if 1 st & 2nd should not truce, you think it's ok for 2nd and 3rd to ally and wipe out 1st? or 1st & 3d killing 2nd?

aixo:
Regarding to your initial post, i am not following your opinion. Why? You can perhaps judge if you need a two territories player, lowskilled/newbies can't. So they have no other choice to secure their win. Teach them if you want. I would even say trucing is a good idea. :)

@ Xica: 2nd and 3rd against 1st will be ok. !st still ahs got the chance to cooperate with the 4th for example. But if even he don´t do this, he will have got a nice domination-rating.

That´s the fine about the new system!

@ algios: I try to teach them as often as I can do it. Also if they beat me before. But some players are "resistant"...
And sometimes I also made a suicide to become 4th with a nice domination-rate, and explain the rest what to do now...

And I´m open for nice truces everytime... somtimes also if their isn´t a really good benefit for me, only to teach them!

oh... kabelsalat...

... He (the 1st) still has got the chance ...

I don't think that there is anything inherently wrong with 1/2 truces/alliances. However, in general, I avoid them because I think it takes some of the fun out of the game. I occasionally do them if I am too vulnerable because I am stretched too thin, but that is a rare situation. Usually if I am first, and don't feel particularly vulnerable, I just keep playing and avoid trucing with anyone, just keep attacking only the strongest so that everyone else tries to do the same, figuring they can win my good graces. If I am in a lower position, I will often propose a truce with whoever is the biggest threat to me (other than number 1), or I will try to make myself a threat to another strong player who isn't number one, so that they are compelled to ask me for a truce against number one. To me these are all sound strategies, that avoid the boredom of 1/2 truces, yet give me a good chance to be successful.

I am commonly seeing alliances between 1st and 2nd, more than under the old rules. Maybe this will change over time... I hope so. I think it is a wussy way to go, because it decides the game immediately. Nothing can be done to prevent it, but I will almost never make such an alliance. I don't feel that it's honorable. Allying in such a way that the others also have a chance (if they ally) is OK. I try to avoid alliances completely, but sometimes the position on the board dictates that you ally, or die.

@ ryan 11:50 am, February 21, 2007 CST

don't discount 1st place from allying with 3rd.

1st finishes the same and 3rd has the incentive of finishing 2nd

of course it all depends on the actual placement and relative territorial sizings, just another possible permutation of how the alliance could go

so the strategy is to be third initially, than ally with 1st or 2nd and have a nice game ...