[happygeek]

Thank you all. I will check those links out as soon as I am home. Endo, thank you for that tip with the special VPs, that makes sense.
Just two more questions, if I may, right up front: Can the AI recognize the value of VPs?
And in general, what would you believe would be a good opponent density? (In other words, I have tended to look for smaller maps, e.g. those with around 100 provinces (Aran, Parganos; did Silent Seas a lot but tired of water nations; those were suggested for 6-10 players. I usually put me +5 AI in, that is, the lower density.) I mean, on the one hand, I want to avoid extremely dense maps, where neighbors fight right from the start, but I want to avoid the lack of conflict that can come with empty maps. So I guess my maps have had between 17 and 19 provinces per player. Would you say: more? Less?
Thank you!