Terry, as a neutral I’m going to do whatever is in my best interest. I’m not on a team, which gives me plenty of “moral latitude”.
When the Corsairs brought up the idea, did I warn him that certain individuals on the DS team might not be able to accept that kind of heavy-handed diplomacy despite the clear advantage of trading the QA’s southern pops for getting Harad and the Corsairs on side.
You got the three other neutrals, and I’m not sure that was ever in doubt. If that’s not enough, then HQ might as well just make the Corsairs and Harad aligned nations because essentially that limits their options to one: fighting each other right off the bat.
Holy Avenger - I agree with you that, at least given, the anti-Gondor opening you all made, Corsairs/Harad going free was totally fatal. Y’alls opening was bold and had potential for great harm to us - so I don’t think it was a bad strategy. However, it comparatively neglected the North such that your getting the other three neutrals was still not enough to take any of us out up there. You might imagine that had you all opened with more force to the north, this course of events might have seen one to three of the northern freeps out of it. As it was, it was all the Mirkwood powers who did the heavy lifting on Rhudaur (since the Dragon Lord was all alone and sent an army against Gondor as part of your opening) which was what left me with a free hand to deal with the Duns.
I don’t think the loss of QA was instrumental - consider how in the typical 10 to 15 turn game the QA barely gets going as a military/character factor.
there was some slight miscomunications at that time… It was intended for the OZ bridge to be taken out… So I could send my Cav north or south… Becuase Eo was knocking on my door… this was something beyond our control at that time… Yes another factor in the game…
Going splat on ithil walls was truly my bad from not reading the ithil report carefully… I missed one of your armies being there and recommended a bad tactic… But it played well in the threat the following turn getting Ithil as a MT…
Like Doug said as far as The DS/FP tactics and counters it was well played and well countered… My point is Once QA was taken out… The Harad troops and corsiars troops was to much for DS team to handle. Not all players would allow friends or Not to allow those nations to join Us…
this would have been a great game… And a really awesome win for either side had Harad and Corsiars not turned it into such an easy win for one side… If the Joined the DS it would have been an easy win For the Ds maybe a turn or two longer is all.
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your view Nuetrals add an unforseen and sometimes lobsided aspect to the game. And as long as you play a non-grudge match you will always wonder which way it will go. The DS this game got 3 Newts, the FP 2. Pretty even at least with the regards to numbers. Some of us were hard pressed when the first 3 newts went your way. I for one enjoyed the game although I was not one of the team members most responsive to the game. (RL took over at times). We did have some good coordination but we screwed up an order or two as well. You got to plan or maybe prepare for different eventualities in Middle Earth! Some time the battle goes your way…sometimes not at all!
Hell I thought you guys were gonna leave me alone since you probably noticed how poorly I play! LOL…But no!!! Picking on the poor guy on the edge eventually! Damn the Cloud Lord…why couldn’t you disband like I had hoped!
Eo move to 3120 was actaully perfect move for the startegy we employed… even though having Ji there for easy kills was a nice counter afterwards I could never get any pressure back on Rhovonian…
Ng navy move off OZ actaully turned out to be big factor… I had my Cav refuse and attack becuase i could not risk the challenge… Which was right… she made a great move by challenging and moving away… Yes she was right had I just refused and moved to her capitol would have been a bold move… But actually I really wanted to refuse and move to 3026 which would have allowed us to hold OZ…
Our failure to blow the OZ bridge early became our achilles heel which is normal in most games.
As far as the split was concerned Duns and rhaudar came onboard rather early… we was really surprised to get Rhaudar… easterlings came onboard really only due to Harad and Corsiars taking out Qa… It became a futile attempt to gain balance in the game… Even easterlings I believe was surprised by the move…
I simply dare say that in any game where Harad and Corsiars team up knockout QA that early there would be little chance for DS team to win… It’s exactly why in every grudge game they are not on the same team…
Funny part was we encouraged Dun’s and easterlings to declare FP for joining our cuase… But they chose to stay with us which i would have done myself…
The game had alot of great moves on both teams! It’s just a shame how brutally quick it came to an end…
