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Hi all,

I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts on the pros and cons of playing anonymous or non-anonymous games, as I haven't quite got my head around it yet.

I assume some benefits of anonymous games is that you can't judge a player's ability (i.e. their stats, previous games, likely strategy, etc.), only how they perform in that game, and maybe it makes collaboration between players that know each other less likely?

However I've also noticed a lot of missed turns and players dropping out altogether in anonymous games - does that happen more often because players can "get away with it"?

That obviously affects a players reliability rating though. What is a good reliability rating? As ideally I'd like to play games with reliable players who won't miss turns or drop out.

I'd be grateful for any other thoughts on anonymous or non-anonymous games or reliability.

Thanks!

TBH, I only want to play in anonymous games if highly ranked players are playing. The anonymity lets me play with them on equal terms, at least initially. If I play well, I earn respect, if I play poorly, I deserve what I get. The point is I don't feel that I'm marked for the slaughter pen from the beginning. Also, psychologically, being anonymous makes being attacked or otherwise treated badly in the game seem much less personal.
My two cents...

Regarding reliability, I will just say that I like to set up invitational games and invite players that meet three criteria - (1) a GR Rank within certain parameters, (2) a minimum number of games played of the type, and/or of the variant that I plan to set up, and (3) a minimum (fairly high) RR%.

I played in some fun games last year, against good opponents, with no CDs and very few delays for missed turns.

Thanks for your reply, Doug.

How do you know if high-ranked players are playing an anonymous game? Do you set one up yourself then find good players to invite, or look for games advertised in the forum?

What do you consider a good reliability rating? 85%, 90%, 95%?

If you ask for a bet of 101 or even more coins, you can be sure only those with many pionts join..

Claesar's suggestion is certainly one way. The problem with those games is that the skill levels of the players are very varied. You can have 1-3 very highly skilled players, 2-5 medium skill players (like me) and a few players who don't know how to form a stalemate line, or when to stop fighting with a neighbor and focus 100% on stopping a solo. It can be very frustrating.

Or you can set up your own game, which is a little more work.
In a classic map game, you can set the RR% requirement higher, because there is a much larger pool of players. 91%-97% is probably good.

On a variant map, you have to widen your criteria of invitees, since many players dislike one variant or another, or just play classic. 85%-92% is probably as high as you would want to go.

Hi, in my opinion, anonymous or not depends on what you expect from the game. If you want to build your reputation and benefit/suffer from it, then you of course need to play with visible names. I prefer anonymous, since I expect each game to stand on its own, without past experiences affecting the match. Then its all on the players tactics and press :)