Perhaps I am biased... but I was quite pleased with the overall course Rioja took, perhaps the upper middle to end was a bit lackluster but the rest was well worth it.
I strongly disagree with the comment that Rioja was over after just a few weeks, more like 4-5 months.
I was quite threatened early on by the unofficial Vega-led "Popcorn sandwich" alliance which held some very strong, veteran players, willing to set up conduits between them. We had something of a cold war that lasted nearly half the lifespan of the map if you watch the video... heavily guarded borders that led to the construction of "Great Horde Wall" and proxy battles on far flung fronts. Like jealous lovers, many letters of adoration, angry threats and empty promises were exchanged. If not for the looming presence of Hindustan and the efforts to galvanize a rag-tag group of new nations (thank you Pilsbury, WML and Warmachine) to oppose them with my indirect assistance ... things may have turned out much different.
This also ignores the subject of Wild America who far outspent my investment and could have proved my undoing. Fortunately he disappeared while the "Popcorn Sandwich" was being devoured which would have been the most opportune time to turn the Golden Tide. Beyond this, things were quite simple. There was no will among my close neighbors to engage while those far away would squawk. Diptheria posed a threat at one point as he seemed to be the only one willing to fund but by this time I had already appealed to Bellum for his assistance in ending the map (I think he well understood the devotion and time it would take to defeat me by this time).
I will admit I had pacts with Hindustan and Golden Hood from nearly the beginning of the game, with only a slight hiccup towards the end (I apologize for that) I will also admit to a heavy dosage of smoke and mirrors in nearly all of my communications. Before Phili quit early on (also in my favor) he made a comment about not trusting anyone and being ambiguous at best... I made this my mantra.
Anyway, I'll try to stop rambling soon but I would like to recognize some of you first. Thank you Joder and Raptor for making this victory possible in a timely manner. My greatest appreciation goes to Antreus/Hindustan for being a stalwart ally and friend throughout. This would not have been possible without him. His presence put many of my potential enemies at ease but perhaps they should have examined our borders more closely and trusted our words less.
Our Overlord also deserves a big thank you for providing this playground and a generous prize. In a way, it seemed this map was created for me to win...Some of you may notice that my capital is approximately located in the historical capital of my adopted nation name, so naturally I could not resist placing how I did...fortunately, that starting location just happens to have immediate access to the longest north-south water way on the map as well as providing a potentially strong overall strategic position in what is more or less the center. While I doubt that this was Johnny's intention...it certainly proved to work out.
Thank you,
Kadath of Golden Horde
