I don't know about everyone else here, but i've been encountering quite a few players in this game who take it WAY too seriously. You've probably come across them - decisions you make with them or against them get spun into seemingly life-changing events. Communication turns into armistice treaties or seriously angry, jilted threats of vile and revenge.

I know the deal - I've been through the grind in the first couple of weeks with the game:

You spend roughly a week obsessing over the minutiae of your empire and alliances - weaving strategies and tactics to dominate the map. ... only to get screwed over by some backstabbing @$$hole who ends up messing up your overall ranking...

Ive been there - Subterfuge replacing a lot of time I'd reserved for social media but instead of posting photos of my kids and dog, Ive gotten way to tense about and terse with people attached to odd usernames - even postponing making coffee in the morning to check/update my active games! (Gasp!)

It really comes down to this:

IT'S. JUST. A. GAME.

I don't know when this seemingly obvious realization came to me, but it's definitely made things more enjoyable.

My factories, generators, mines and subs aren't going to influence any international global power balance in the world. Nor are the allies and adversaries I meet going to any continue as relationships outside of the game world.

We are playing a game. Period.

There's no need for drama or heightened negative emotions. If someone "betrays" you, takes your outpost or even kills your queen, there's no need to get angry, petty or hostile. They just took advantage of a situation in the game. whatever, lesson learned, good on the. Move on.

I agree 100%. I had to take a step back and chill out for a minute this past weekend after I got way to angry about a betrayal. Vodka didn't help though.

What do you mean this is just a game?! This is war maggot! A bloody battle over our precious neptunimum, what you speak is blasphemy! The Holy Zerashi empire here by declares war on you for reasons of insanity, we will obliterate your kingdom into dust, then obliterate that dust into atoms! And then we shall use those atoms for our atomic weaponry and obliterate your allies too!! MWAHAHAHA!!11!1!!1

You're absolutely right, but I do think it's natural to freak out about this game, like you said.
The way I handle my own tendency to overreact when backstabbed and/or screwed over in this game is to tell myself from the outset of each game, "My allies will almost definitely betray me."
It's a subtle shift in perspective, and it does make me more suspicious for sure, but I find myself worrying less. I mean, if it's an inevitability not a possibility, then worrying about it won't change a thing.
And then, when I am backstabbed, I am prepared both in the game and in my head. The consequences of betrayal are less, and I'm able to keep a cool head about it.

Of course there are those players who stick with you to the end of the game. But with my shift in perspective, I am pleasantly surprised when that happens.

My theory (although I have never been one of these people) is that, when a player overreacts to a betrayal, it's because they genuinely trusted their former ally. That's a mistake in a game like Subterfuge.

Side note: I also think that some of the Ragers in this game aren't actually that upset in real life, but are putting on an act to "punish" the stabber by undermining their trustworthiness in the public eye. But, again, I've never been one of those people so I can't say for sure.

Well. This game attracts a certain type of person. Not all but a large % of the person it attracts have had times dealing with what youve said because to them it is a earth shattering event.

I am one of those people. I take it as if you were my best friend and just called the police on me. Its not intentional. Its how im wired lol.

At the end kf the day i love the roller coaster ride but i will see you as an army for eternity lol

That's why I like that the games take a week.

If you're betrayed or your plans didn't go the way you had hoped, you didn't commit months or years into it like other PvP strategy app games.

Case in point... Currently in TopKilla's tournament.
I allied with other players to take out Zerashi. Zerashi then asks to be allies, I decline and tell him the truth, that we are out to attack him.
After a rant on the public chat about how I'm a traitor, I get this...
http://s10.postimg.org/odgax6161/Full_Size_Render_1.jpg

Its one thing to talk smack, say you're a bad player/traitor etc, but this ^ is losing perspective...

chinahasowls wrote:Case in point... Currently in TopKilla's tournament.
I allied with other players to take out Zerashi. Zerashi then asks to be allies, I decline and tell him the truth, that we are out to attack him.
After a rant on the public chat about how I'm a traitor, I get this...
http://s10.postimg.org/odgax6161/Full_Size_Render_1.jpg

Its one thing to talk smack, say you're a bad player/traitor etc, but this ^ is losing perspective...

Case and point, after china voted me to be the first to die he used his allies to do his dirty work as sacrificial pawns, I called him out on it in public chat, and he responds by whining about my actions. And has taken the situation outside the game in some deluded attempt to publically shame me.

Talking smack is one thing, but bringing the situation to the forums because someone insulted you is losing perspective. If you can't handle a single insult then your playing the wrong game.

Also your in the wrong thread china, this is about people raging in the middle of the game, not someone hurting your precious feelings.

zerashi wrote:

chinahasowls wrote:Case in point... Currently in TopKilla's tournament.
I allied with other players to take out Zerashi. Zerashi then asks to be allies, I decline and tell him the truth, that we are out to attack him.
After a rant on the public chat about how I'm a traitor, I get this...
http://s10.postimg.org/odgax6161/Full_Size_Render_1.jpg

Its one thing to talk smack, say you're a bad player/traitor etc, but this ^ is losing perspective...

Case and point, after china voted me to be the first to die he used his allies to do his dirty work as sacrificial pawns, I called him out on it in public chat, and he responds by whining about my actions. And has taken the situation outside the game in some deluded attempt to publically shame me.

Talking smack is one thing, but bringing the situation to the forums because someone insulted you is losing perspective. If you can't handle a single insult then your playing the wrong game.

Also your in the wrong thread china, this is about people raging in the middle of the game, not someone hurting your precious feelings.

My first and only reply in this wonderfully productive chat..

1) This is the right forum, you are raging in the middle of the game?

2) I can post the replay for anyone who wants to see my 'sacrificing'........

3) Someone has to get out first? All my allies agreed to take you out first, that's called playing the game.

4) Posting to the tournament forum would be the wrong place. And making a new thread, I think, would constitute as public shaming? Im simply adding to this conversation with applicable examples.

I don't like wasting time catering to people with hurt, angry feelings.
As the OP says all along, Its just a game.
Learn, Change, Move On.

China, out..

chinahasowls wrote:

zerashi wrote:

chinahasowls wrote:Case in point... Currently in TopKilla's tournament.
I allied with other players to take out Zerashi. Zerashi then asks to be allies, I decline and tell him the truth, that we are out to attack him.
After a rant on the public chat about how I'm a traitor, I get this...
http://s10.postimg.org/odgax6161/Full_Size_Render_1.jpg

Its one thing to talk smack, say you're a bad player/traitor etc, but this ^ is losing perspective...

Case and point, after china voted me to be the first to die he used his allies to do his dirty work as sacrificial pawns, I called him out on it in public chat, and he responds by whining about my actions. And has taken the situation outside the game in some deluded attempt to publically shame me.

Talking smack is one thing, but bringing the situation to the forums because someone insulted you is losing perspective. If you can't handle a single insult then your playing the wrong game.

Also your in the wrong thread china, this is about people raging in the middle of the game, not someone hurting your precious feelings.

My first and only reply in this wonderfully productive chat..

1) This is the right forum, you are raging in the middle of the game?
Posting to the tournament forum, or making a new thread is the wrong place.

2) I can post the replay for anyone who wants to see my 'sacrificing'........

3) Someone has to get out first? All my allies agreed to take you out first, that's called playing the game.

I don't like wasting time catering to people with hurt, angry feelings.
As the OP says all along, Its just a game.
Learn, Change, Move On.

China, out..

Oh boy your just going to continue this stupid stunt... Ok then

1.) please show me where I started raging? Because from your screen shot I certainly wasnt raging. I just insulted you, like you did when you called me a fool.

2.) Please post the replay, even though that has nothing to do with your post. But it will atleast show the world how you sacrificed your allies by letting them take on the blunt of my defences only to move in after your now weakened allies destroyed most of my force.

3.) like your second point that has nothing to do with your post, that's just the game being played. And anyways all your allies agreed to take me out first while you decided to sit on your ass instead of helping out. Thats called using allies as sacrificial pawns.

4.) What you did already constitutes public shaming, you didn't bother to scrub my name at all.

As the one who moved his whining to the public forums, its clear that you are the one with hurt angry feelings.

But please, stop spewing the bull shit about what is going on in this game, your just spamming up the forum at this point. Nobody cares about what is going on in it. Or atleast keep it to how i was raging so hard by calling you a "pissy little bitch" or your just going to show everyone how I was right.

Keep perspective friend, its just a game you know.