is there a way to play the top guys? how do i find them?

There's a ghost ranking list, but it's having technical difficulties atm. No doubt when it gets fully up and running again there'll be a post about it.

What do you mean by "that's not a version this site espouses"? Do you mean you don't find players to be trustworthy here?

You might find better luck in a higher ante game, say 20 or 30 coins instead of 5. In the cheaper games, players tend to be more reckless.

That's been my experience, anyways.

The best players will always try to work with you mumujan. They'll make you think you're their best friend and you're going places.....then BAM, you're out of the game and they're on the way to a solo.

What I (and a sizable portion of others) espouse is that the main goal of the game is to solo. This inevitably leads to stabs, but you can't solo a game without inspiring teamwork, cooperation, and trust.

Mumujan - Access the GhostRatings list to get a general idea of the best players on the site.
This is the GR page where you will find some info about what GR is: http://tournaments.webdiplomacy.net/theghost-ratingslist
The October 2014 ratings are at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_KSmWyLiG1pSWdQNGVCSUVPNUU/view?usp=sharing

To play the top ranked players:
a) PM them directly and request them to join a game with you or let you into a game
b) Join games with a minimum of 50-100 - they will invariably have some good players in it
c) Take the slow route, build up a good record and reliability rating and eventually people will start approaching you

Also - completely agree with goldfinger. The top players are all the best, most trusting partners....for a while. The aim of the game is to work together and be trustworthy yes - but the aim of the game is also to win - so at some point the trust has to be broken. Sacrificing a win just to maintain loyalty through to the end is against the spirit of the game - I'm sure most people will agree with that and not just on this site.

Play WTA games with 25 or more coins bet. You'll come across some decent players. If you lose your bet, no big deal, you'll get it back. If you win, you'll be well over the hump and can start playing in bigger stakes games with generally better players. If you play PPSC, your wins will be cheapened and you'll be stuck with the bottom feeders longer. ;)

mumujan, as others have mentioned, playing PPSC is going to result in a less than competitive game. Most, if not all, of the top players on the site exclusively play winner-take-all games because the victory structure lends itself to pushing for the solo, which makes for a more competitive game and more realistic end of game strategies.

Many of the better players on the site are happy to accommodate a new player with an invitation-only game. I recommend advertising for such players on a new forum thread and seeing what kind of interest you generate. I think many players would jump at the chance to play with a veteran such as yourself.

WebDip Admin

I do think that stabs are frequent, but in top games (which luckily I play sometimes) are demarcated by the search for a truly reliable ally, and games are shaped by almost game long alliances. In top games I think alliances come first by miles. In games with less quality players you are more likely to see people go for quick cheap gains, and not focus on alliances so much. Imo

"the main object isn't really stabbing someone, but learning to work together"

The main object is to WIN.

I agree with Socrat, gather some points and come to play bigger games. There are no cheap stabs in big games.

There are different ways to win, guys. mumujan's method is valid.

I haven't played enough games recently, though, to know whether it's a valid point. I will, however, point out that face-to-face games can also be dominated by senseless stabs.

@mumujan: beat you! Been playing the game for 44 years, pubbed a PBM dipzine in the UK for 150 issues and am one of the few members of the OHC still alive! Like you, recently (a year or two ago) started playing again... Your idea of the game's objective is tosh! It's to get the best result you can. That's it. To get that best result, you can do what you like (within the laws of our various lands). Negotiation is its essence, though and communication essential, as much with your 'enemies' as your 'allies'. But with the proviso that indiscriminate or stupid stabbing is inevitably self-defeating