mm1menace wrote:

mathwhiz9 wrote:It's almost always in your best interest to get one or two allies, and never backstab them, and hope they do the same.

^^^^^ So much this.

The games in which I have had by far the most success were the ones where I was able to form a solid ally on day 1, and add another solid ally soon after. Three people working together are really able to dominate a game.

Yes but you always run the risk of being backstabbed, because 'hoping' that they don't backstab you doesn't mean they actually won't backstab you. But yes, apart from the fact that your model doesn't show that, I still agree with your statement, because the simplification will always be imperfect.

Shameless self-advertising tip: do check out the Forum Reputation Tracker on the General Section (it's not stickied, but people post pretty frequently there to stay in the first page).
If you're unsure about an alliance, you can do a quick check there to gauge your chances of a trusty alliance (higher value = more likely they will honor agreements).
If you don't see them, play the game and post your review there, it's an increasing database and we(I) want your input! [in the off-chance you got a bad review yourself, and you don't want to have people posting their review about you, send me a PM to take your name down]