@Cal: Butters just wasn't intimidating enough...
@anyone talking about gem gifts: Personally, I rarely gift anyone anything in a game. But when I do, it has never been to the player I thought would win the game. As I said above, any donations I make are to, in the words of Led Zeppelin, "bring the balance back"
These gifts are not designed to ensure one player's victory - just the opposite. Strategically the goal is to make sure the #1 and #2 players wipe themselves out, leaving #3 the sole contender. Here, admittedly there was little chance for a revival of Pan to its former greatness, but nevertheless, I made it clear who I thought would win this game on these boards (Jot), and made a couple donations to Van try to even the scales, hoping to see an epic clash between two great players on even footing.
Please do not compare gifting, which can serve a strategic purpose, with surrendering VPs, which accomplishes nothing but a nation's oblivion and I would argue is below staling in terms of the impact it has on messing up a game. At least staling keeps the troops in the fort.
Again, while not impacted by the actions in this game, I only want to play with people who will Fight to Survive. Perhaps its necessary to make that explicit, or if you feel otherwise, let people know up front that it is acceptable to essentially win what amounts to an allied victory.
Anyway, its too bad things ended this way.