I suppose this has happened to every one of us. You make a great move, eliminating an opponent from your area so that you can breed without anyone contesting you over the area.

The next time it is your turn, you see that he has gone berserk into your lands, doing crazy moves, going through neutrals to a well-defended continent he is not even present at. And then it goes on like that untill someone else wins the game. Sometimes they write something in the chatt like "Clearly you don't want any of us to win. Then none shall!"

Well, it is true that I don't want you to win. I want ME to win.

A part of the game or are these players just stupid?

Knosken wrote:A part of the game or are these players just stupid?

both

This has happened to me before and it is very frustrating.

I find it is often helpful to avoid feuds early on so that you can get ahead on the unit count.  The two variables I look at are: 1) The areas my forces are most prominent in.  2)  The areas where others have already made efforts in neutralizing.

 Making sure I don't make any unnecessary moves that might offend someone is important.  I am usually able to keep ppl in check later on more easily once my unit count is higher/top notch.  If I do offend someone I try to either completely wipe them out of my part of the map or eviscerate their forces in that area so that retaliation would be futile.

Lol, I might consider making a suicide run if I come across the same player going out of his way to attack me across several games and a pattern is evident. If someone attacks me and it makes sense to their strategy, it's pretty hard to fault a good move, no matter how hurtful it is to my chances in the game.

Old bump... but that sounds like me ;) If you take me on in a continent that is mine repeatedly and remove me from contention I'm likely to get vocal about it and cost you the game.  <3 Revenge.

Don't start what you can't finish kinda thing right?

Sort of, but not completely.  If someone makes a rampage against me in an effort to take me out and their success depends on great dice which doesn't come their way, then yes, revenge may apply (if it gets to my turn and some other player hasn't taken me out first).  On the other hand, if a player just happens to be an adjacent power and break up my continent or bonus without completely ravaging me beyond repair, than it's hard to fault him/her.  Likely, I will retaliate in kind after retaking lost ground.  

What's the old saying: "...for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction..."

I generally agree with both 3Eye & Thingol on this one. 

I also think there is a difference between revenge for the sake of revenge and retaliation to gain position or respect.  Someone who retaliates to make a "Don´t F' with me" or "Pick on another player next time" point will usually stop once the message is sent.

Before I do it I try to think:

Was their attack unnecessary or even counter productive for them? Did their attack seem personal?

Are they an early aggressor who need to be taught to pick on someone else? 

Is their style of play generally a little shady? (Do their messages match their actions).

Is punishing their behavior (with hopefully a positive change on future maps) worth the risk to my odds of success in the current one.

Lastly, does the other guy just seem to be a dick.  =D

Here is a very recent game, albeit a Dev game, that would fit into the "what would make me suicide attack you for the remainder of the game" category:

www.wargear.net/games/view/192777

It is annoying but I understand it completely. If I am nearly dead, and that is a specific persons fault, I am not going to attack anyone else, I may as well go out guns blazing, not with a wimper.

Those with stronger morals will hold back, most of the time I will.. but occasionally I just want to make sure I have an effect on the games outcome.

Andernut wrote:

Don't start what you can't finish kinda thing right?

+1

It is a tactical mistake to attack, but not eliminate, an opponent in an escalating card game with 5 or more players. It exposes both of you to getting knocked out. When it happens to me and I remain in the game, I sometimes play for revenge if feel I have no shot at the win.