[JimMorrison]

Interesting. I've been reading a lot of strats in the last couple of days to push my game to the next level, and I was actually struck by the thought that MP games must generally use similar settings (assumed probably near default, but who can know?).

The reason was that I had started playing with independants at 9, and it seemed to me that this had a bias to a much slower start, rather than the typically proscribed "attack on second turn and don't stop".

To be terribly honest, part of the reason I wanted to know about trends, was so I could start another game with somewhat "typical" settings and layout, to refine my own starting tactics.

In any case, much appreciation for the help you've given. 8 ) You're right about the chewing, I hope one opens soon!