Quote:
Originally Posted by Crust
I don't really see how you can get around the reputation thing no matter what. Even if there are no "house rules" against breaking your word someone known for following agreements will be in a different position when it comes to diplomacy than someone known to backstab at the first opportunity.
|
Yes, they'll be seen as gullible fools who'll happily let you build up enough force to crush their empire utterly without raising a finger to stop you
Depends on the game and the players and whether they can read the relative strength charts. A lot of it is bluffing, politic and social skills though. Whether you stick to agreements or break them with glee isn't as important as how you make it appear. A good player who regularly backstabs and manages to last well into the game will be careful to spin it in such a way that they appear strong enough to do what they like. A bad player needs to be careful to avoid diplomatic isolation or having their opponents believe they are desperate for more territory (and thus probably weaker than themselves)
The same applies to the opposite approach. A good player will convince their opponents that the reason they have long standing alliances is because nobody else dare attack them. Again, if they're not careful it may look like they are seeking stronger allies because they are incapable of fending for themselves.
Reputation across games should never be relied on. A good player will use any pre-conceived notions of how they play against you - switching from one style of play to the other can be useful to gull regular opponents into believing you are stronger than you actually are, or conversely trick them into attacking early because you appear weak.