in a FFA, you are supposed to backstab, all alliances will end ... people expect this from you and will do the same, if you do not backstab you will just die quickly ...

mmm. typically I am weary of a back stab, while it might be a bit easier to backstab, its risky, because it can end up as a dogpile, and you are the dog. I find it much easier to crush the enemies together and then when its just me and allies finish them off.

I also make sure I can come down on a backstabbing "ally" if needed. Its not out of hate or anger, but out of principle... I deter backstabing by prioritizing backstabbers, its a threat and a promise... But I wouldn't be mad at them or think lower of them. Nor will it carry between games.

I am so close to getting all the achivements, just a few more days and then I would start playing online more seriously. The few quick online games I played I dominated. I learned so much by targeting each achievement, that learning really helps when its time to play.

I make very few promises and when I do I keep them unless if it means a certainty of losing.

If you are really playing a larger game with more than 2 players, cooperative behavior will always win, so if you are known to be turn-coat, people who reliably stay in a pack will easily defeat loner types. Divide and conquer pretty much always wins. Of course, if the game is FFA, and there can be only one winner, then obviously at some point even an ally will have to declare war on another ally to win.

Hon. Leaders;

A right thing done in a wrong way is wrong.

A wrong thing done in a right way is wrong.

Lying and backstabing might be stimulating, but can not grow your capacity for contentment. If you are not enjoying your vicarious authority and responsibilities with honour, then the time spent playing is in vain.

Respectfully

Pleroma

I truly think that anything goes at all.

But I think that goes both ways too. I do recall those that sell me out or betray me and yes I do what I can to get revenge. It is truly fair game out there.

I think people here are conflating "alliances of convenience" and their inevitable end with backstabbing. There is a clear difference between them. In an alliance of convenience, players agree not to attack each other and/or to work against one or more other opponents instead, with the expectation that once whatever prompted the alliance is resolved, the alliance will dissolve. In a backstab, one player has misrepresented the alliance and has intentionally abused it, doing something like using a cease fire to walk a battlefleet into the heart of enemy territory, past the defensive lines of his "ally", then ending the alliance and bombing the place flat.

A simple example illustrates the difference:
If I ally with you in an FFA to defeat a third player, or just because it suits our mutual interests not to fight each other at that particular point in time, and then at some point when the alliance is no longer necessary, I terminate the alliance and proceed to attack you shortly afterwards, that is simply the termination of an alliance of convenience. If, on the other hand, I use this alliance to move my fleet past your defenses and into your core worlds, then drop the alliance and bomb the place flat, this would be backstabbing. The former is an expected behavior from an FFA game in which only one player can ultimately be the victor. The latter is a deceitful and underhanded abuse of an alliance which will almost certainly insure that any sane player is not going to ally with you in the future, and stay that way the moment he sees your fleet in transit towards his system. This is a clear example of blatantly treacherous behavior.

Keep in mind that in an FFA, players should not read too deeply into an offered alliance. A cease fire is merely an agreement not to shoot each other on sight, and does not mean you are actually allies.

My take on backstabbing is simple: I don't do it. I *WILL* play the diplomacy board, and offer and end alliances of convenience, but I never backstab. However, I certainly don't expect anyone else to behave honorably. An ancient Arab proverb states, "Trust in Allah, but tie your camel!".

Those who turn the other cheek get bruises on both sides of their face. "Good American Values" involves bombarding those who offend us with cruise missiles.

... pleaze : no radical, un-American, commie propaganda on a game forum ...

Being an American myself and having worked for one former president (very, very low level) and been involved in many, many political activities over the years, to this day I have not been able to figure out what an "American" value is, I do know many values that we have adopted from those who came here from other places brought with them but none that we created.

I mean on the one hand we have stepped in to stop a helpless people from being crushed by others who were full of hate and lust for what they had and the next time we were the ones doing the crushing, full of hate and lust..

We have provided food to people to prevent starvation and civil unrest and the next time embargoed food sales to induce starvation and promote civil unrest

We have stepped in to stop genocide, we have conducted genocide

We have forgiven countries their financial debts. We have invaded countries to collect financial debt.

We have overthrown dictators to install democratic governments. We have overthrown democratic governments to install dictators

So I am not sure which one of those is our "American value"

    ... i dont care one way or the other : im Canadian ...