by points its MarekP
http://webdiplomacy.net/halloffame.php

by ghost rating, i believe it's TheMasterGamer
http://phpdiplomacy.tournaments.googlepages.com/theghost-ratingslist

Polarbear is the league champion

Since I have only played with one of the top players I would have to say Rait to me he was very kind at killing me

I have great rescpect for Ivo_ivonov and Babak as well as Friendly Sword those being the top ranked players that i have played with

I have to agree...
Ivo and Friendly Sword are the best two I have played with.
They are the only two that have actually made me feel like crap for playing...

but I give props to Babak for being the best talker

I had the great pleasure of playing against and with Polar Bear in the first installment of the Leagues. Those were some of the most enjoyable games I've played on this site.

If we're talking more qualitatively, I think we can say kestas is top dog here. Or how about Edi Birsan? The man INVENTED the Lepanto! How many Dip players can say they invented an opening or move?!

I think I invented a new opening as Italy recently. Problem is Austria saw it coming and I'm facing a 1903 or 1904 elimination! :-)

If I remember correctly, djbent invented a particularly spectacular 'bent' Russian opening.

Centurian invented the 'all bounce' Turkish opening with equally spectacular results. :D


Obviously this isn't a direct ranking (and sadly I have yet to play with all great players on this site), but of the ones I have, the best Diplomats I have met are Edi Birsan and Madmarx, on a roughly equal level.

All bounce turkish opening? Similar to yorkshire pudding (all english units move to yorkshire)?

Edi, Marx, Ivo, Rait, and Marek and maybe Jacob are roughly all up in the top tier in my mind. Babak and djbent are on their tails.

I've not really played much with TMG, though, so I do not wish to insult him or other high ranking players I haven't played.

@ Friendly Sword - that was the "bent gambit" - as england, edi and lon bounce at nth, move lvp-yor. this is a fiendish move meant to throw off those who would believe people like fortknox who accuse you of being a good player. it worked really well in that game =P

i think babak soundly kicks my ass every time we meet, so i'd have to put him in the top tier, along with the others recently mentioned - MM, Ivo, MarekP, Rait, and Edi (who i've never played but is a legend). i am playing Jacob in an anonymous game, so i don't know who he is, but he certainly is a top notch player from what i can tell. i haven't played with either Polar Bear or TMG, but they are clearly skilled players. all in all, it shows that the ghost rating does a pretty good job of ranking.

folks not yet mentioned are akroma and bartdogg42, both of whom are extremely good players in my experience. having played fortknox and Friendly Sword repeatedly, i have to say they are both very very good, and simply great people to play the game with.

I'll second the fortknox and Friendly Sword compliments. I'll let the two of them clean my clock in game any day. They stab you and convince you to thank them for it!

I've played FS before, but he failed miserably... Don't know about the others, aside from ms. Bent, and we all know how much esteem I hold her in.

Friendly sword is referring to me misordering Con as Turkey, so I moved Con-Smy, Smy-Con and Ank-BLA, meaning none of my units went anywhere. But I eventually won the game, so I recommend you try it.

"I've played FS before, but he failed miserably".

True. I tried a 'be awesome or die horribly' gambit with an attempt to be 3 build Austria (coupled with the key Lepanto) off the start.

Needless to say, inability to properly manipulate neighbours led to the 'die horribly' option.

I've not had the honour of directly playing many of the top players here, but I would have to second any praise for djbent, fortknox and Marek, who I have had the privilege to play with.

As some people I know I don't get easily impressed by diplomatic skills. I prefer tactical skills. In that aspect I have never encountered any player that really made me think "wow!". The only exception has to be TheMasterGamer whose tactical skills really impressed me. But I can't be sure for this as well as it was one of my first 5 games here.

Tactical skills should work with diplomatic skills don't you think?

Not if you're hellalt. :P

tactics are nothing if your diplomacy can't cover you. If surrounded and outnumbered, even if you are a brilliant tactican, you are fucked if you can't presuade someone to give you a hand

and Akroma knows what she's talking about.

well, maybe I am a brilliant diplomat, but you just won't listen ?


one needs to be a genius to understand genius

huh?

no, Akroma, i was serious. seeing how you're in that precise situation in a certain game right now: surrounded and outnumbered, but using your excellent diplomacy to get a helping hand =)

"one needs to be a genius to understand genius".

Not true Akroma. The best genius' (in communicative/manipulative terms) don't even look like geniuses. They are just SUPER reasonable sounding people with the power to convince you that allowing yourself to be overrun is the best way to survive. :D

I'm behind Akroma. Tactics are a low secondary skill in this game. You have to convince others to do as you wish. Tactics, however, are needing to be pretty good to pull of some clever coups...

Diplomacy is needed to get the others to do what you want. Tactics (and strategy, long term) are required to figure out what it is you actually want them to do.

What about strategy? I think there are really three dimensions of skills needed to be a good player in this game. If you have diplomatic and tactical skills, you could still be using them to put yourself into a bad position. Knowing who to ally with, and why, or when to change horses, is just as important as being able to win a key battle, or convince a wavering opponent to change sides. Understanding the timing of the game, and when you need to break out and go for the solo is also a strategic skill. So is figuring out whether you should build an army for today, or a fleet for next year.

Not meant as a reply to Draugner, posted at the same time.

I have probably been most impressed by Rait and Akroma as players, though I've been lucky enough to play with most of the big names. If I had to invest in anyone right now though, it would totally be djbent. She's already better than me, and her game is getting tighter all the time. If she keeps going she'll be in the top 20 shortly, and onwards and upwards from there!

Chrispminis, why have we never had a game together!? We need to rectify this situation asap. For example, there is a nice new WTA with a massive pot just calling your name...

djbent is already in the top 20... she actually got ahead of me by like 10 rating points the sneaky bastardo! =P

hey Chrispminis, i already am in the the top 20!! according to TGM, that is... though some say that i'm over-rated, and secretly i think they are right...

jinx, Babak =)

I have to admit, djbent is pretty good

also chrispminis, what did I do to deserve that nomination ?
the only game we played together was that gfdt game, and that had signalseven meddling with the whole thing in ways, well, that game can hardly be called representative

Hussar, you're almost right, and I was of that position for a while, but I now reckon that there are four skills, all equally vital:

Tactics- Making moves in the short term to reach objectives.
Strategy- Setting of appropriate long term objectives, ensuring a long term future.
Convincing- Making players think that an alliance with you is best for them.
Trustworthiness- Making other players *think* that you are trustworthy. Not necessarily the same as being trustworthy.

I probably had "convincing" and "trustworthiness" combined under "diplomacy" but I agree that they are important aspects. I would include a third skill in this subset too: the ability to read other players.

It's starting to sound like the Spanish Inquisition!