http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer.aspx?GameID=2212100

This is a recent ladder game that I lost, essentially, on the first turn.

I want to know if I made a mistake in how I handled the game, and if I had any reasonable options to win this.

Picks might be an issue, as I could have put a main pick into Africa, since there were a lot less good options in Asia than normal. But, I think my picks were fine against anything but what he actually picked. Also, unless I put a #1 pick in Africa, I wasn't guaranteed to get a spot there anyway. Yes, losing a pick there might have tipped me off to him triple starting there.

Is there any good reason for me to think that he triple picked Africa before I saw his first move?

Should I have put my troops into Russia on turn one, instead of Brazil?

Should I have reacted differently when I noticed he triple picked? (I was sure he had tried for the first turn bonus when I saw his moves from Nigeria) I knew there was a good chance that either of his 3v2 attacks had failed, and that I had one opportunity to win before he finished that bonus. Should I have expanded elsewhere with that turn? It's my thinking that expanding wouldn't have made much of a difference, since he already had a lead and could attack two of my starts.

Any option that I had to stabalize would be what I am asking for. I realize that him getting a first turn bonus was quite the boon anyway, and I can live with that had I not started next to him. Starting next to him, I am not sure if there were any options to win.

At first, you can watch his previuos play in ladder and you would be win this in 1 turn

Wow, okay. So he triple picks in every game he plays...what an interesting strategy. I watched one or two, and didn't pick up on the similarities. In retrospect, I should have paid more attention to something like that.

That does help with this particular instance, but most sane players don't go for such a situation every time. Assuming I was playing against someone who didn't do that every time, I think my questions are still relevant.

Actually I wuold blame picks first. I would pick 1 central america, 2 scandinavia 3 west africa, 4 east africa, 5 south africa and 6 south america (or north africa). That would give you a lot of intel about the enemy on turn 1, if you see he is clustered in africa you can easily launch a late attack on 1st turn. If you get last order, you are already in africa, if you don't, he won't have enough troops remaining to finish west africa.

See the point is that you could even go for russia instead of scan and you would get the same picks, but you would know that he has 3 spots in africa, which would easily let you crush him on 1st turn.

And one more thing, when you are bordered early by the enemy, finish your smallest bonuses first. I think you shouldn't have put anything in russia 1st turn and finish central america before you attacked africa.

Thanks for the advise. The reason I expanding in Russia was because I felt it was a much safer bonus, but you are correct. If I couldn't hold Central America while having Brazil, I had already lost anyway.