In biology, the fittest are those best suited to survive and propogate in a particular niche. The niche being this game, those with the ability to survive longer, however they do it, are in fact fitter.

Truces during the game : great. What sucks is two players coming on a game and starting to play together from the get go. That really takes the fun out of it for me.

@Tech

Exactly! "fittest" does not mean strongest, it doesn't mean smartest, it doesn't mean prettiest. The only superior advantage it takes into consideration is time.

@alea
Please try to remember that his is ONLY a game. Why anyone would consider diplomacy as something of long term benefit is absurd. To obsessively go after player that are undiplomatic only generally serves to weaken your position. Any attempt to ostracize undiplomatic players by refusing to play with them, only prolongs your idle time between games.

In summary, there are no ethics in a board game where it is impossible to place or take away pieces from the board except through traditional game play.

"Diplomacy is part of the game... but so is anti diplomacy."

Well said and 'nuff said.

@ UncleSlappy

I don't refuse to play with anyone. Just if I play with people who don't like truces and will even tell me I'm spoiling the game and try to kill me if I'm asking for one; then I just wouldn't ask for one if I knew before the game starts :). That way everybody has more fun, which is important, because it's ONLY a game ;).

Those people who say they don't like truces really do like truces, or they wouldn't form alliances to take out people who like truces. Just either don't ask first, or ask in a particular way without using the word truce, like "well, I don't need one more enemy, do you? ceasefire?" or "we're both toast if we don't fight ---- together, do you think?" But if someone refuses to truce and just wants to play "operation: you first, buddy", I'm happy to oblige. I don't think any way of playing is boring or wrong, it either helps you win on a certain bored with certain players or it does not.

"board," not "bored" ...

The fact is, people who make truces and alliance may have a great time doing so, but in almost every game I've played in which two or more people were allied somehow, the other players didn't stand a chance. So maybe it's more "fun" to use diplomacy, in the sense that it earns you more points (I guess that's what all this brilliant talk of evolutionary advantage is about? Points as a measure of the amount of offspring you have?), but it REALLY makes the game more annoying for everyone else. In lots of games now, it seems like the only way to not get creamed is to be the first person to type the right thing in the comments box ("[colour/screen name] truce?"). If you don't, you usually end up fighting for your one lousy territory while the allied players take over the board. Joy!

Form a counter alliance.

Or you could just play Dicewars.