Honor

The Vendetta

One reason why dishonorable players do not prosper is that those who have been betrayed will make it their mission to get revenge, often at all costs.  The vendetta is a perfectly reasonable response to betrayal; many of the top players have engaged in them for one reason or another.  Losing a war, in itself, is not sufficient cause for a vendetta; this approach should be reserved for actual betrayals, otherwise the cycle of reprisals will never end.  Additionally, it is generally not a good idea to carry the vendetta over more than one drubbing.  Doing so will simply increase other players' desire to get revenge on you.  The only exception to this rule is players who constantly play dishonorably (like XXXAngel); they deserve to be hunted down and killed in every room because they make playing the game an unpleasant experience for new players on a regular basis.

Building a Coalition

NAPs vs. Alliances

There are really only two groups of people in the world: those who will help you win and those who won't.  For this reason, nonaggression pacts (NAPs) are not necessarily a good choice.  Someone who will not fight you but will also stand by and watch as your enemies kill you is not helping you win.  NAPs cut off directions of expansion, by definition, and this is an opportunity-cost.  In the early game you may need some NAPs to keep your borders safe and your fronts confined.  In the mid-late game, if you're not getting more out of the relationship than simple peace, you don't need the NAP.  For this reason, most people make NAPs with a clause that allows them to be broken given 3 turns of notice.  This works for most people, but personally I don't like breaking agreements whether or not there is a clause that makes that legal.  So, my workaround is to include conditions in my NAPs that specify how my neutral neighbors will help me, i.e. ceding land and resources to me if they are fighting a losing war or if I am much larger than them (twice their size or more), allowing me a path across their territory to fight other wars, or helping me to fight someone if I am attacked.  In short, alliances are more valuable than NAPs, but a properly worded NAP will function more like an alliance without the need for compensation in points from the purse.  Make sure that any agreement you make will help you to win over the long-term, not simply provide security for the short-term.

Fury-Sharing Alliances

If you start near several people you can trust and who are good team-players, it can be a good tactic to start a Fury-sharing alliance to get either forms or BB's faster than other players.  Everyone chooses the same religion early in the game, then the alliance members send all of their Fury to one player, taking turns until everyone has achieved the objective.  You will need to keep track of all of the Fury transfers so that everyone ends up getting back as much Fury as they put in.  With BB's, it is best to give it to those who have the most T (and can benefit from it most) Ideally the people to receive the BB's last would get Forms out First.  A well-managed team can get half of the members a serious advantage in speed of upgrade over the general population without harming the other half of the team.  This can be a very powerful tactic in elimination-style games if you and your allies can bring in Dragons early in the game and do surgical strikes against players' home regions.

Communication

     Communication is the key to a good relationship.  If you have a coalition, it is a good idea to put up a newsgroups.  Post any relevant information to the newsgroups, including correspondence with players outside the coalition, advice on tactics, reports on the fighting strategies of your enemies, calls for resource aid, offers of resource aid when you have surpluses, updates on the progress of wars, plans for expansion, lists of potential targets and vendettas, and anything else that your allies might want to know about or that you want them to know.  The more closely you work together, the more effective you will be.  Lack of communication can lead to your allies doing things you don't want them to.  One of the classic strategies when faced with a coalition is to divide and conquer.  Don't let this happen to you.

It is also good to make use of the public newsgroups.  If you have questions, post them up.  Chances are people will answer (though you should always consider the source before you rely on their information).  Making contacts with people in the public newsgroups can also lay the groundwork for future cooperation, and you can learn who knows the game and who communicates well by checking out their posts.

Also, work the mails.  If you get mail from someone, answer them, unless you plan on going to war with them.  This is common courtesy, but how you react to people creates their impression of you.  If you are difficult to communicate with, they will be less likely to work with you in the future.  Most savvy players will take silence/lack of response to be a sign of hostility.  It can also be useful to contact your enemy's enemies, for possible aid and info on tactics; be sure they are actually enemies, though, as otherwise (if, for instance, they are fighting Fury battles rather than real ones), you can be handing info to your enemy; of course, in this situation you can also spread disinformation.

Offering Surrender

Using Shock-Troops

If you are fighting someone who is using forms and good tactics (which is not always an oxymoron), you might also consider converting them into a shock-troop fighter who will break ground for you in exchange for becoming a follower.  You can also use this tactic with people who know they can't win but don't want to stop playing: use whatever troops both of you have on the borders to fight Fury battles (while they cede you other regions), building both of your Fury totals.  Then pick a common enemy, have your new ally build a temple, bring a form (or forms, depending on your Fury levels) in and break open the new front, ceding you in behind for lesser support.  This can garner you easy territories and free temples as well as turning enemies into allies.  It's especially good for surprise attacks across mountains/water with Dragons.

Role-playing

     Role-playing adds style to the game.  It is generally good to have certain gestures that make you recognizable.  But, don't go overboard.  Especially if you like playing an evil persona, going over the top can alienate people.  Even with your allies, wasting their time with excessive rhetoric in your communications can turn people off.  Try to keep your sense of humor intact; it is a game, after all, not the real world, and people play for fun.  The more fun people have working with you, the more likely they are going to want to work with you again.  Also feel free to take advantage of the "Nergal's Tavern" Newsgroups if you are of the Role-playing type, and if you are good with words, feel free to write up a story (or several) to be included in the "Evernight Lore" section of Elrad's Stratagem. One last note:  if you are in a superior position to someone, being generous rather than arrogant is always a good policy.

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