That's a lot of effort and is very cool kelly... but honestly the game seemed to me to be played by mostly poor players, as the chatbox barely moved an inch all game, only right at the end when flags started to go up was there anything beyond one appeal by red to teal to be nice.

Contrast that to the game you watched at our table.

Oh you guys don't have to worry about the whole active chat thing... she just recorded a game earlier today with monte and I in it, complete with an msak, begging pleas all around, and a negotiated finish.

before anyone jumps to any conclusions, kelly could be a masculine name, as in kelly's heroes, woof woof woof.

Ok. So here's my opinion on the starts and the moves of each player.

The players: Mazaman was a 2k, so he knows what he's doing. Knowing that, you can assume that his play will be rational and predictable.

Brown: Strong. Green is going to eventually move the 5, so knowing that, brown should consolidate all of the pieces around the 5. Brown's only other worry is the blue 5 in the corner, but since blue goes last, he will only have the 5 stack and the 4 stack on the bottom, so it is best for brown to leave the 4 stack. If green moves the 5 stack, brown wins.

Teal: Fair. Teal only has two real options. Teal should 5v2 on blue, blocking red's easy connect. This will force red to 3v3 on yellow. Whichever way the rolls go for red, teal wins. If red wins the 3v3, it hurts yellow, or if red loses, it strengthens teal's position in that corner. In addition, teal should 3v2 on green in the northwest, hoping for the connect. Teal's placement depends on the build. It’s not a strong position, but it isn't a weak one. My prediction is a 3rd or 4th place.

Red: Poor. Red's game is going to rely on pure luck. Winning the 3v3's against yellow are necessary. If both fail, red should attack the teal in the corner, assuming that it didn't turn into a 3 stack. If the teal 1 stack became a 3 stack, red should just end turn.

Green: Strong. Green should use the 5 stack and move west. Connecting all of those lands in the middle are necessary. If the connect succeeds, green should then try to get out of the middle. Green should get one of the top three positions.

Purple: Fair. Purple should take over the southeast. Since the stacks are somewhat even, and purple does not have a 5 stack, they are in a somewhat restricted position. Depending on what the other colors do, purple should use a 3 stack to expand. Purple is at a large disadvantage. In this game, purple made the correct moves, and it was unlucky that yellow decided to 5v4.

Yellow: Fair. Yellow's 3 stack was isolated in teal, which is unfortunate. Yellow should 3v4 just to see if it would win, since that land is essentially lost. And the 5v4 against purple was bold, but it wasn't going to make much of a different.

Blue: Fair. Taking the top would be blue's main way to win the game, but because of brown’s large stacks, blue should slow play it. Keeping the 4 down south is important just in case the 5v3 fails up north.




How the game played out: Teal misplayed the game. By ineffectively dealing with red early in the game teal had a much harder time. Even though teal won, there were a lot of incorrect moves. Red played well, which I expected nothing less from such a player. Green or brown should have won the game.

You guys are really nice, thanks for the compliments!

I took skrumgaer's suggestion and posted the set-up for the next game I'm going to look at so you all can make your predictions.

xc: You know, I never really considered brown not moving his 4-stack in the opening -- this is probably why I don't play at these tables, I just talk about them!

Oh, and monte: in my case it's definitely a feminine Kelly.

Teal wins. Jeremy gets second while Monte negotiates for third.

Positions don't matter much in this game.

No marriage proposals yet?

status of the write-up for game #2?
(yes i like to be in the spotlight)

monte:

Since you are asking for the writeup, I suppose you did well in the game?

And where are kellywelche and Ryan?