Well, I finally have enough time to sit down and write a brief end of game statement.

At the beginning of the game, I was pretty set on not fighting anyone until I was attacked or forced to fight. Egypt and Persia initially proposed a three country axis of evil to me which I accepted. At the same time I agreed to work with Rome for our mutual betterment. This provided interesting results with Egypt suggesting I take the Iberian peninsula to make my up to Rome. Rome suggested that we split the Western Med and work together. Somehow I managed to make both Egypt and Rome happy with my moves. Greece and I were having a delightful conversation about dalmatians, birds, and the ocean breeze.

Enter the Yahoo Turn of Death: With Mikael completely out of the picture due to Yahoo's inability to be a stable chat server, I was unsure how to play the turn. I believed that he was not responding to me due to his wanting to attack me. Felix told me to make a move on Rome. I made a last second decision before moves were due and submitted moves to fortify myself against Rome.

When the dust settled, I found that Mikael had come to the same conclusion that I had made. Completely out of position, I began to see Egypt's plan for me. I needed an additional SC and let Rome know that I was taking Sardinia. Some miscommunication between us ensued and suddenly I found myself fighting Rome. Furthermore, I found Egypt building up on my southern frontier. I pressed Felix for an hour online about his intentions and got him to ultimately admit he was working to attack me. I negotiated peace with Mikael and began working to reposition myself against Felix. Meanwhile, Andrew was telling me the apocalypse was coming in the form of Pergypt. With him faltering, I reached an agreement with him. If he would stay neutral towards Rome and me, I would try to ensure his survival.

I started trying to plant the seed of victory in Nathan's mind. I worked for a number of seasons to convince him to stab Egypt. Finally, after considerable talks he agreed. At the same time I kept warning Felix that Nathan was about to attack. When Petra and Crete changed hands, Felix realized his predicament and agreed to work with Andrew, Mikael, and myself to force a draw.

I left for Europe and tried my best to keep up with the game. I learned only recently of the End Game resolution.

Cheers and congrats to all for a game well played!