Fezzy, I don't think anyone had anything against your game play. I got stuck with unmanipulatiable Lewis, but otherwise I would have done the same. Where you're wrong is in saying that the others knew what they were doing...when an alliance benefits only one part the other should withdraw, that's all.
No, I'm not wrong. You don't know what went on and what the agreements were. They all made perfect sense for both sides. They know how to play the game and played it well. Just not as well as I did. Just because I know how to get people to do what I want them to do doesn't mean they're bad players, it just means I'm that good.
Well, I can understand your reasons for believing in that.
I've seen how the game turned out and what the relative positions of the players were round after round. No clear advantages ever materialized for them. In fact, part of the reason while I never thought about an alliance is that I never really noted you doing anything you wouldn't have done without a pact. But I should note that I'm sorry for those of my comments that were over the line. I was trying to help out Lewis whom I thought was being handed a worse deal than deserved thanks to the playing of others. But in the end you certainly deserved the win, especially if you actually managed to talk the others into paving the way for you. But I don't see why you're not taking the full credit as a Machiavelli - trying to set the stage for a repeat performance, perhaps?
