Some basic advice that I like to give:

1. Talk, talk talk! If you talk to every country as much as possible, your chances in the game will skyrocket.

2. Look at the board from other players perspectives. If you are unsure what a country might be doing a certain turn, look at the board from their view and try to find out what moves would help them the most.

3. Often its easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Some people might disagree with me here, but I believe it tends to be true.

Do not ever Resign from a game.

1. If you make your phases, you'll win more than you lose.
2. Do not fear the draw. The draw is your friend.
3. Try gunboat. It's fun.
4. Don't listen to Krellin.

The quality of games on the site vary considerably. If you join a random game, there's a fair chance you'll encounter cheaters (people with multiple accounts), people who miss turns, or just plain poor sports. I think new people to the site are often discouraged from continuing because of these sort of games. I'd suggest trying to set up a password protected game with people collected via the forum.

Good luck and welcome to the community.

Also, as a new player, I find that I learn a lot from reading the End of Game (EOG) posts by more experienced players. They're often posted on the forum and you can easily scroll through the board to see what they're talking about. I don't know if any are on the front page now but perhaps someone can point out one of the better ones (I'm looking at you Tasnica or THM).

I've read a couple of EOGs (one in particular--Fog On The Barrow Downs EoG by Mapu--was pretty entertaining). They are helpful. I jumped straight into a bunch of other games, 5- and 10-point buy-ins. Some are good, some have missing players. I somehow wound up with either Germany or Russia in all but one. It's fun, though. I'm getting it handed to me a couple of places and doing really well in some others. Thanks for the advice.

I would just supllement the "talk, talk, talk" advice with this... Loose lips sink ships. IT is better to get the other guy talking then "listen, listen, listen" as he may reveal some key insights into his plans or just into his personality (is he passive, aggressive, p/a?) that you can use against him.

Haha. Says the guy who muted half the board in our last game ; )

So you may think... Did you ever get a message about your message being rejected? :-)

5. In your negotiations, be honest, until someone puts you in a corner with an ultimatum. Then tell them what they want to hear, whether it's true or not.

You never said you were muting me because I'm just so god damn charming.

Draug, don't mute people, you never know which one of us might be a 16-year-old girl for you to abduct.

My advice is don't join too many games - maybe max 3 - until you get the hang of it. I went wrong there.

(ps Mr B's recent game has several messages for those concerned.)

Keep a GSOH, whilst having murder in your heart.

@bo - I never abduct and I never *ever* cross state lines. They must be willing and we stay in their own state. This is not the felon you are looking for <*waves hand in front of face*>

Thanks for the new-player game idea...I created one and it's filling up quickly.

Remove revenge from your vocabulary until really late in the game. Your first enemy can be your best ally, alliances tend to be more fluid the higher the level of play. Remember everyone needs to attack someone at sometime during the game. Don't take it personal. Later in the game if you can't get a positive result turn the knife into the guy who stabbed you, and shove it in to the hilt.

@Mapu - I didn't actually do the noobie games myself but I was bumping the thread, the Noobie-tourney is up and running now

@Draug ... the fact that you're saying you aren't doing it relates you to many criminals ... this is a paradox you can't win. You're going to have to take a DNA test.

Acuse me of a specific crime and get a court order and I will happily provide a DNA test. Mouth swab is perfectly fine by me *with* a court order.

Ask for what you want- Usually, players are trying to keep everyone happy for as long as possible, so as long as you are being reasonable, they will pretty much do what you ask. Then, when the time comes that they have to commit to a course of action, all of their units will be in position to work with you, so they will!

"I would just supllement the "talk, talk, talk" advice with this... Loose lips sink ships. IT is better to get the other guy talking then "listen, listen, listen" as he may reveal some key insights into his plans or just into his personality (is he passive, aggressive, p/a?) that you can use against him. ..."

To counter this, randomly drink heavily, which may radically change your plans and personality, thus rendering your truly unpredictable...

Krellin would know! How's sobriety now that you are back on the wagon my friend?

Stick them with the pointy end.

People lie (in my experience, much more often than they should in optimal play). Units can't. So, if what somebody is saying doesn't match up with what their units appear to be doing, you should believe the latter.

"if what somebody is saying doesn't match up with what their units appear to be doing, you should believe the latter."

QFT!

Buy a copy of the boardgame and play it with your American or World History class!

I did this and the kids loved it. I had them coming up to me at lunch and imagining a map on the empty table pointing out their tactical moves.

Crazy A - do not discuss ongoing games in the forum - and by forum, I mean lunchroom.

** pouts **

"To counter this, randomly drink heavily, which may radically change your plans and personality, thus rendering you truly unpredictable... "

Krellin, how do you know so much about my life? You forgot to mention the other mind-altering substances :~)

However, maybe murraysheroes is just a kid and we shouldn't be encouraging him.
But . . . what the hell! Go for it, murray.

Oh, other mind altering substances, fer sure, fer sure...but if you are looking for the most radical mood swings, I recommend pounding a large quantity of vodka straight up in a short time frame. smoking things and squares soaking on your tongue....wonderful, and yet I'd be down right *pleasant* to be around if I went that route.

[Krellin, since you're here, please PM me an update re the SF story. I am genuinely interested. What was the new app? Crucial.]

My recipe is tequila, eat the black smoke and forego the accidd (enough is enough and I don't think I could hold things together in a Chinese warren.)
My new 'Food for Thought' programme will be on air shortly. Don't miss it.

What is your food for thought program? And you have a PM.

My PM is my PM is my PM. Here. Timur. Easily found.

Back to Murray, the OP.
Don't be off-put by the crazy guys here. They're actually pretty cool, if a little insensitive at times. Try to bear with them.
"a 30-something high-school history teacher familiar with strategy/negotiation."
Sound perfect for this game. Maybe they will pay you :~) Don't count on it.