This is an open letter to all of you "rollier-than-thou" players at the top of the heap.

When I play with you, you can be damned sure that I will not respond well to you telling me what I should be doing. I don't want to be one of you, sitting on high and judging others based on the formula of friends and farming that got you to your lofty perch.

I play because I love strategy games, not because I want some pixel medallion to hang my fragile ego on, okay? So you can keep your criticism unless I ask you for it. And your incredibly lame posturing and cries of "...we could have..." "...why didn't you..." "...you screwed me..." rings really hollow when your posting it in the chat log with a name that comes up in no color but black.

I don't care what your rating is, it means less than nothing to me. I'm sorry that I didn't play to your specifications, thus ruining your chances of gaining even more points in a game where they have no effect other than to contribute to your false sense of superiority.

Naturally, I expect to come in for some aristocratic flaming for posting this, but hey, that's all you can do, so have at it if it makes you feel better.

One more time -- I play for fun, I play for trying different ideas, and sometimes, I even play to express a little entropy now and then. If that annoys you or makes you gnash your teeth because it isn't "the right way to play", I sincerely apologize...but not for any reason related to my style of play...more for how sad it is that something like one game not happening the way you "needed" it to makes you overreact so childishly.

Ryan, it's a great game, thank you.