[Foodstamp]

f you find yourself getting eliminated early in mp try a bless build or an economy build with good scales. You should be able to expand quickly and other players will be hesitant to attack you. If they do, you should be able to gobble them up if they are playing a rainbow or an SC pretender no matter their skill level because early in the game the only choices you are making is what troops to buy and what provinces to take.y

Also, remember that people who frequently make it to mid game are depending diplomacy and reputation more often than solid early game builds. If I am placed near a formidable opponent and I have a decent early game build there is no negotiation. It is me or him because if I let him expand it is going to be him anyway and if I let him get to the mass micro phases of the game he is liable to steamroll us all.

It's very tempting to NAP with a good player but you're not really insuring your survival; you're giving him exactly what he wants... time to research, overcome his bad scales and a assured victory over you.

I apologize for the typos...posting from phone