Situation

It is early in the game. Before turn 5. You have made good movement and happen to reach the neighbors building before they are withing 5 hexes. Is it withing your right to take this building? Or do players have a courtesy 'bubble' around their castle?

In Mog's words:

does anyone have the right to take resource buildings that are closer to another's castle than to yours

If you don't have a NAP and you are willing to fight for it, sure, go ahead. But most folks think the immediate buildings near their castles belong to them and will defend them.

As long as it is permitted by the game coding (ie. you don't try to move 32 hexes with a scout, etc), you can do whatever you want.

You just have to pay the consequences. If you think the reward outvalues the possible bad conseqences, go ahead. But you should consider it first.

Well, let me rephrase a tad..

Would the person moving from farther away be allowed to take it in all fairness, for he was the first one to the building, even with a NAP in play with the other player? I see the building as free game, thus not affected by the NAP...

If you NAP with someone, I'd suggest not taking the buildings right by their castle, in the Bubble. This is because those buildings are crucial to giving the person a decent economy, and without them, they will likely be severely hindered and ineffectual in the game.

For those reason, it's best to kill them, rather than NAP with them, if you're able to take over their buildings

In theory you could take the buildings, NAP, and nab bits of people's territory, effectively killing them without need for a war while you're still building. They won't like it, they won't like YOU for it , but then you can hit them later on when you are bigger than they are for your bigger economy

If you suspect your NAP partner (or to-be) may make a play for your buildings, spell it out in the deal or tell them the deal's off and you will kill them. And personally, I wouldn't care if the guy has been in the game a day or if it's Req, Bisc or Raptor. I would still hold to it even if I'm more than likely gonna get minced for it.

If folks think you'll be a pushover, they'll always look to you for the freebies or easy kills.

Basic rule of thumb most people go by:

"If it is neutral, anyone can take it."

But be prepared to defend it, especially if it is a building next to their castle.

In most cases, it'll start a war. But then, maybe it's also an easy start to a war you'll probably win.

This is about taking someone's stuff you have a NAP with. It is breaking the NAP in my opinion. Then, let hell loose.

Other basic rule of thumb:

"If you have a NAP, don't break it."

This includes taking neutral buildings in the other person's territory, and not just those in the bubble.

I like to keep things simple so wont make a NAP with someone on the same land as me, they will be my first target (this isn't a great strategy picking off an easier neighbour first would probably be better) it means that I don't feel guilty if I take over buildings that probably should really be theirs, if I do take the buildings then there is a fair chance that my economy will then over power theirs.

When I do make a NAP it generally includes not going onto some else's territory for any purpose other than scouting so taking the resource buildings wouldn't be acceptable and would break the NAP.

It seems common courtesy not to mass-intrude on territory (then as now) when a NAP is in place so if it were, I would err on the side of safety and leave the neutral buildings well alone. It MIGHT offer you a short benefit, but in the long term you get bad PR, a sworn enemy (likely for more than one game and worse the instability will probably threaten the game you're in anyway, so I wouldn't risk it. Then again, my persistent lack of risk taking keeps putting me in middle rankings.

Who feels brave?

If there is an NAP, I would not have even move into his territory. If I move into his territory, it is most of the time when there is no NAP. And if there is a free resource out there and no whatsoever NAP, then this person will automatically be my opponent.

I doubt anyone would kick off over the odd 5 pop trundling along the border. Certainly not me
I would probably even smile and wave as each of you go past

Its before turn 5 and I seriously doubt its a 5-men scouts that has cross the border. Once you spotted a 50+ men scout unit inside your border so early of the game, you going to be real worry about your surrounding resource piles.

Oh, if it's 'military grade' (anything fit to fight in a full scale conflict) THEN you need to be wary. If a stack that big crossed into my lands, I would EXPECT a war, regardless of who starts it.

I simply stated that if people sent 5-pops scampering around the place or deployed them as a lasting border guard I wouldn't flip out...yet - NAP or no NAP.

Any entry into the area of my color without explicit permission is regarded by me as an act of war!

Now I know who I can easily provoke to walk into my ambush

Seriously though, I would love to say I'll crush any even tiny intruder into what I -think- are my lands, but it's never usually that easy in reality, not unless there's going to be needless loss on my part for it and saving face

Nice ambush by the way!
Your the best player I've ever seen!

Last Edited : Wednesday, 26 July 2006 - 08:40