Good game all!
My point of view post-mortem:
Going in, and seeing I was going to be sandwiched between Aijidica and TMiT, I knew I was in for a wild ride. I went in knowing that Arco does just fine as a turtling nation, so I would be very picky about if/when I got involved in any major wars. Unfortunately, I believe I missed some opportunities and exercised poor judgement on occasion.
It's a balancing effect in Dominions diplomacy, as one needs to expand and project power, but should one come across as too far ahead, you get attacked by a coalition, and on the other hand, one could be in a very even war, but a neighbor will take advantage of it and pose a threat to an exposed flank. So it was with trepidation (too much trepidation) that I decided to engage.
I had a decent enough expansion, was able to win a few provinces via diplomacy, but missed a huge opportunity when I didn't invade Abysia. I had the troops and the mages to overcome Abysia's strengths. Instead, I decided to try and start a way overly optimistic war vs Rus, hoping to take advantage of the his distraction with Ctis. He warned me that it would be a poor decision and only help Atlantis, but I didn't listen. Within a couple of turns of fighting, and watching Atlantis start to completely swallow Abysia and Agartha, I realized the foolishness of my way. The war vs Rus would be a horrible grind, and Atlantis would continue to grow.
So I held off for a coalition of me and Rus to take on Atlantis. I could have attacked Atlantis earlier, but was concerned that if the fight went too well, or too poorly, Rus would move into an alliance with Atlantis instead, and I would be screwed. So I played the diplomatic waiting game again. The only way this was a tenable strategy was due to my pretty massive research advantage. I was also able to secure all the elemental royalty, but neglected the globals, which gave Atlantis yet another advantage.
The war with Atlantis was the grind I expected, but progress was being made. Unfortunately, we won't know who would have won. There was some pretty epic battles coming up for the 2 thrones, which would have been pretty decisive. Nuclear style spells such as Black Death and Fires from Afar were about to be launched at each other, along with other crazy mayhem.
It was a pleasure playing with everyone, and there were many possibilities still left open. Vanheim jumping into the fray vs Rus opened up a lot of different tactical and strategic possibilities as to how the game may have ended up. My 2 take ways are trying to be a little more decisive when it comes to aggression, and not forget about the globals....
