I don't want to sound stupid but...

dexters · April 29, 2003, 09:34

What is the "Arrian Deception" strategy?

I've been trying to locate it but no success so far. :/

vulture · April 29, 2003, 09:40

It is when you act like a treacherous swine at the start of the game, happily breaking treaties left, right and center to get any advantage, and then wipe out all the civs on your continent before contact is made with the rest of the world. As long as they other civs never meet your victims, they never hear about your bad reputation, and will happily make deals with you.

Doesn't work if you have too many civs on your continent - or at least, it is harder to pull off. Failing to wipe out the last civ as you watch AI caravels sailing around to make contact can also be annoying.

Jamski · April 29, 2003, 09:43

Don't try this in MP, unless you want to end up dead (in RL)

-Jam

Agathon · April 29, 2003, 10:12

Why not?

Have you never had the fun experience of being the "lunatic" in the game. Being an unpredictable b@stard means a great time, even if you lose. Especially if you use the time to just pick on the strongest player with no regard for personal safety.

Arrian · April 29, 2003, 10:44

My people came to own the entire continent because the other peoples spontaneously decided to join us! We are a peaceful civilization. Those 50 Samurai regiments? They are ceremonial.

-Arrian

Kirby · April 29, 2003, 11:34

Quote:

Originally posted by War of Art
Don't try this in MP, unless you want to end up dead (in RL)

-Jam

badams52 · April 29, 2003, 16:09

Quote:

Originally posted by dexters
What is the "Arrian Deception" strategy?

I've been trying to locate it but no success so far. :/

If the description of the Arrian Deception is so hard to find, maybe we could make it easier and add a link *cough* Theseus *cough* of thisx thread into the must read threads.

My guess is the first reference is burried deep in one of the other threads and never made it into a thread of it's own (until now).

Arrian · April 29, 2003, 16:16

It never had its own thread.

Hell, I'm pretty sure I didn't even come up with the original idea! I just picked it up from somewhere and mentioned using it in some thread, and someone (Theseus?) dubbed it the Arrian Deception. :shrug:

-Arrian

Yahweh Sabaoth · April 29, 2003, 17:17

I finally had a chance to use the "Arrian Deception" (though I didn't know it had a name) in my last game, as Japan. I wiped out all the other civs (6 total) on my continent before meeting any others.

This gave me my first chance ever to see the "gracious" attitude! AIs were "gracious" towards me without trading or anything! Mind-boggling.

I'm using my wonderful reputation to systematically destroy my (new) "gracious" enemies.

Arrian · April 30, 2003, 09:34

Atta boy, Yahweh!

-Arrian

Yahweh Sabaoth · April 30, 2003, 11:20

WARNING: OFF-TOPIC SIDENOTE: Finished my Japan game (which taught me a good many things) today, pulling up just short of a domination victory (shoulda turned cultural off!) and netting 5829 as my final score.

A small number for a typical emperor win I'm sure, but for me, my highest yet. Also, I noted that I produced 3 Tojos, 3 Hirohitos and 2 Fujiwaras this game.

The graciousness continued but not long enough to prevent Carthage declaring war on me (courtesy of a MPP with Russia). I destroyed the one city they had built on my continent.

I was unquestionable in terms of power and culture, and still ended up in a war with Carthage.

I H A T E C A R T H A G E ! ! !

OFF-TOPIC RANT CONCLUDED.

badams52 · April 30, 2003, 14:55

Quote:

Originally posted by Arrian
It never had its own thread.

Hell, I'm pretty sure I didn't even come up with the original idea! I just picked it up from somewhere and mentioned using it in some thread, and someone (Theseus?) dubbed it the Arrian Deception. :shrug:

I think others have had worse things attributed to them that they weren't the originators of.

Mountain Sage · May 1, 2003, 04:07

I have the dubious pleasure, or better, duty, to inform you that I had to perform the so-called 'Arrian's deception' on the once-living Roman empire in AU101 not only once, but several times.

I'm off for a shower

Fosse · May 1, 2003, 13:00

I'm almost certain that the term was coined in the thread for an AU game... the one where we start on a tiny island with Greece. I'm too lazy to look up the number now... does anybody bother maintaining the glossary that's topped on this forum anymore?

badams52 · May 1, 2003, 19:12

After a quick search (unfortunately the search won't take me back far enough so I had to go into the minitourney threads myself and use the browser function to "find"), I found Theseus making a reference to the "Arrian Deception" in his AAR for mini-tourney III. It appears that Arrian displayed his tactic sometime before then, before the 2 previous mini-tourneys. Must be in some other thread. Maybe Theseus could shed some light when he get's the chance.

Fosse · May 1, 2003, 20:15

I stand corrected. Nice snooping, badams.

Master Zen · May 3, 2003, 03:39

Always nice to have a evil warmongering trick named after yourself...

... The Zen Deception... all I need now is the name to match an idea (and I can think of some certain MP plans)

Catt · May 3, 2003, 14:38

I seem to recall being introduced to the Arrian Deception before the minitournies, in a thread where both Arrian and Sir Ralph discussed it and explained to those of us uninitiated to the gambit how it worked (and confirmed that it did in fact work). Might have been named in that thread or soon after since I don't recall its formal christening as the "Arrian Decpetion" at that time. It was almost certainly Theseus who slapped on the famous moniker. No time to search now - maybe I'll try in the next few days.

Catt

badams52 · May 3, 2003, 23:58

Catt,

If you try the search, like I did, hopefully you can go back before July 2002. For some reason, I was unable to.

badams52 · May 4, 2003, 00:18

Okay, after a quick searching through past posts that Sir Ralph participated in, I came up with an old instance Arrian mentioning the deception April 10, 2002, but it's not talked about in length.

Can't say for sure whether he mentioned it here first, but it's obvious that the "Arrian Deception" didn't take hold because of this comment as there is no further discussion in that thread about such a deception. BTW, you can also find out how Theseus chose his name in that thread and see his previous moniker.

Catt · May 4, 2003, 16:06

I found the thread I remembered but it contains nothing regarding the naming of the tactic. Must have been named sometime in June or July 2002 since I also found a use of the name in July (without any comment as to "what the heck is the Arrian Deception").

Catt

Theseus · May 10, 2003, 12:06

It was me... I liked the sound of it, sort of a Star Trek-y thing.

Funny reading those old threads!!