[Bowlingballhead]

Yay, rusty fork!

I can't say much about the multiplayer community. I tend to prefer to play with people I know. I'm just paranoid that way.

However, I can weigh in my two cents on multiplayer games in general. The game is pretty much completely stable. Your connection may drop, but it won't be the game's fault. Game length varies, but I find a fairly big game can be finished in a single night. A long night, mind you - so we're talking six or seven hours of playing, say. As noted, no matter how many people you have, it doesn't make too much of a difference. The game is DESIGNED for multiplayer, not single player, though it's fun both ways. So except for a few particularly micromanagement-oriented nations (like Ashen Empire) no matter how long the game drags out, individual turns don't get MUCH longer.