Im going to think out loud to the forum about my recent ladder games.

http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=5618642

Against marc I use a motif that I learned from dunga in this game: http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer?GameID=3659636 At first glance it may seem that Marc is in a better position than Me after picks. Marc can use his warlord (the green starting territories are called warlords) to attack both Scand and central Russia. I have a handful of advantages that I must play to, very accurately from turn 1.
1) I cannot be eliminated in the north and marc can.
2) My first bonus (the one I want to take first) is scand, a small bonus that gives me a little income to play with in the first 2 turns.
3) I am in aus as opposed to Antarctica. This is useful because it means that if I eliminates marc in the south then I will be able to use the leftovers to take a small bonus. Small bonuses are preferable in games like this one where there is contact early on. If I had started with ant then clearing marc in the south would not be as good an option, instead I would use the threat of completing ant to try to eliminate him in the north.
4) We start in contact in the north.

On turn 1 notice that marc makes a 5v2 into mexico. He wants to make sure that he has atleast 2 armies on mexico at the start of turn 2 so that he can make two 3v2s. Getting a bonus by the end of turn 2 is very important.

Edited 4/14/2014 04:50:59

Right, I had this argument with someone else about this game, I can't remember. It was in the Warlight skype chat. I do think that Marc has a good positional advantage in this game, but is unable to utilize it due to Piggy outplaying Marc. While I agree Piggy has some other advantages, I really saw the board on this one and was pretty sure Marc would win.

Why does piggy never try to analyze game's he lost ??

Cause he never lose ;) at least his last games

I originally wrote and then deleted a preemptive answer to that question. I comment on the games that I understood best, unsprisingly those happen to be ones I won.

One would gain most to learn from the games one loses........

This isn't for me, its for you.

You seem to have forgotten my interest doesn't lie with the boring 1vs1 ME Strat

You are the most self absorbed little shit. Stop posting in my threads.

Well, I appreciate the breaking down of game piggy. I only wish you went farther than turn 1 with this.

Very interesting play though. My instinct would be to sit in Aus, knowing I had to take out a neutral to threaten him (thus losing 1-2 armies). But your pressure there stopped him from finishing CA. He did get unlucky on a 3v2 on Baja (those happen) that cost him two additional armies the next turn, and ultimately Scott.

Watching the rest of the turns, I see why you stopped early with breaking it down. Really this game came down to the elimination in AA. I don't think you outplayed him after that, he was just playing catch-up the rest of the way, which is basically impossible against an elite player. He'd have to really out guess you to come back because most likely nobody would hold any bonus in the north long term and you'd be +5 basically the entire game.

Edited 4/17/2014 14:26:06

You are the most self absorbed little shit. Stop posting in my threads.

That made me LOL

Ah.....good memories :)

Ill say more thoughts later, I just got a bit bored and tired with it. I find thinking much less draining than expressing those thoughts.

Ok lets wrap this one up. My thought process from my point of view in chronological order.

Turn 1: Ah very interesting, I got 6th pick. I will probably lose. Time to play really risky and make lots of guesses. Im going to have to clear him somewhere. Shame he has a small bonus, this would be so much easier if he was in east Africa. But if he was there then I wouldn't be 2warlords against 1 in the north. Focus! He probably knows im in scand, he might go to Moscow turn 1. should I make some delays in aus and go all in to Moscow and go with a 3 to ufa? Nah if he doesn't do exactly what I want then those moves will be an instant loss. *stares blankly at the bright colours for a few minutes* I will use a 3v2 in scand because he might know im there and try to attack it from turn 1 AND because it lets me put pressure where he isn't expecting it. I will leave dudinka, he can take that if he wants. I want him to go all in against dudinka because that will leave him a turn behind in expansion and his stack will be in a useless place. He will have stolen one of my bonuses but I can steal one back for sure.

Turn 2: I got perfect leftovers in scand hoorah! I can probably take it this turn. He has wasted deployment putting it in Russia so now he is a touch behind in expansion/the fight in the south. His deployment is stretched between ant and CA. He can take CA and leave ant undefended, or take me on in ant and stop expanding while I can both expand and not get cleared in the south. I attack in the south even though I know if he defends there I will lose a lot of armies because losing armies does not worry me. I am going to have much higher income next turn, and because keeping the stacks small in the south keeps my options open. I used to be really overly cautious about not attacking a larger army with a smaller one but Ive realised that it is often not the end of the world and the risk is worth it. Dudinka attacks the stack in ufa because those armies and dudinka itself are now useless.

Turn 3: Follow the plan.

Turn 4: He cannot take any more bonuses and ive close to won. Once I take ant then even if he breaks scand we are still going to be even in income and stacks and I have nice aus expansion to look forward to. No need for anything fancy. Just take one bonus at a time and don't try anything flashy in the north.

Turn 5: Whatever, this was gg a while ago. (my arrogance lead me to not follow the plan from the previous turn and gave marc a small chance to draw out and possibly win the game)

Turn 6: I thought he didn't have a card because I wasn't paying attention, he could with excellent prediction have cleared me from the north this turn. I thought he couldn't and put enough in Moscow to make me unclearable and enough in Svalbard that he would only get scand if he sent all his armies there, furthest away from me in Moscow, giving me the option to break scand next turn.