i messed up two games right now out of stupidity. but we do learn from mistakes right?

soetimes...

otherwise i suppose i would become the definition of an idiot doing the same thing twice and expecting a different outcome..

It may be fun to read back to the early days of the forum and see people you must surely see as Masters ask noobish questions. Everybody makes mistakes, the thing is to learn from them - or, in Diplomacy, to use them for your advantage.

I wouldn't classify my progress since playing as "good" or "stupid" (some that don't like me might), but I started playing very cautiously and really looking to make a solid ally, and stabbing the rest -- all while doing my best to avoid any flames or anger from other the other players I was playing with.

My first two months I had a great draw record, and I was really content with it, and then my point pool grew and I was able to join in the higher ranked games with some of the better players.

It was then I started to appreciate the beauty of a great stab. Moreso, I found even greater satisfaction from survivign a great stab. After a while of playing competitors like this, which such a great mix and changing of alliances to keep the board as balanced as possible, I threw away my prior concern about pissing off another player.... This is the biggest change. Once this happened, my win% grew pretty high (in comparison to what it was before) and my draw% slowed down.

I'm not sure if this answers your question though.

my first game was a face-to-face affair at a residential convention. I may have gotten drunk and wiped out by about 1903, playing germany tends to go badly for some new players, almost as bad as Austria (though he alcohol didn't help.)

@ag7433
i think that has been some of my problem i don't like it when the other players get mad and stuff itry to please and when i dont; try to please i usually do worse

Looking back at my earlier games, I would say I've improved a bit. I don't as many dumb moves as I used to, but I still trust too much. I'm still waiting for a second big win (two of them had one or two cd's and that is a tainted victory even though I had done everything right through that point). I have a ways to go... I no longer make basic mistakes (like forgetting to cover for retreats) and strategic errors (like heading for Russia year one as England and getting gobbled by France within the first three years or taking the Aegean as Italy and threatening both Austria and Turkey only to see them gang up on me and kill me)

I'm never stupid, but I go through streaks where everyone else is stupid... :P

I'm still stupid.

I think I'm really improved the last two months but I can't explain the fact all of my victories date before the last two months...

i think i'm improving but still alot of room to improve. some very stupid mistakes recently

not drinking lots of red wine while playing helps

@ Jacob. I would agree with that. Those games where we get crushed by a 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 are obviously the ones where the offending countries are being a bunch of gits. It makes it hard to play when they're being inane and not helping us achieve early 20th century European conquest;)

fastgamer, how is it possible to have 77 in play when you don't participate in any games at all?

the anonymous ones don't show up hellalt.

are you kdding i'm STILL stupid

Was quite stupid when I got here. Managed to get dumber with time. It's contagious :)

Now that I've reached my level of incompetence and have mastered the art of Diplomacy I can bullshit my way around the place spreading The Word. Guess I'm also contagious :)

@LG
At least there's one other person who understands =)

Having started my first games September 11 this year, I'd have to say my improvement has been phenomenal.

For instance, I no longer believe I can claim an SC merely by moving through it in the spring turn. I've come a long way!

On a more serious note, like ag7433, I also care a lot less about whether people get angry at me, though being overly-sensitive about that and too trusting are recurring weaknesses.

I am improving. No doubt. I have waaaaaaaaaaaay to many close seconds (including games on the FB site) and not enough wins. But, like any well designed game (and Diplomacy's design is brilliant; I am constantly in awe of it) you can often see where you made a bonehead move and know not to do it again.

According to hellalt, I'm so far beyond hope that shall never progress beyond my newbie status....! ;-)

Noob179! sweetness! haha

i think we all are stupid sometimes but some more than others

Why am I never flamed when I stab someone? Maybe I have a bad memory. I usually get the cold shoulder instead.

I don't consider myself a master now, but I am the 7th highest rating on sister site Facebook Dip.

However, this wasn't always the case. I first played the game as a teenager 15 years ago in an FTF tournement. I got absolutely pummelled. From memory, the few games I played, I only got 1 SC survive, and got eliminated very early on in every other game.

I started playing seriously on FB dip about 2 years ago. Again, I was very gullible and trusting, and easily convinced into stringing out my position to something unsustainable and stabbable.

Although I still never stab anyone and make a sensational, charming and funny ally, I'm a lot more grounded in reality now