No resignations; I lost one game as Russia, which I believe is wrapping up now(The empire that stormed me is still in it), I'm likely losing another in which I'm playing as Ghana because Quebec took advantage of a fortuitous CD(In all fairness, so did I, but his came after the leaving player helped him take out Quebec) and then swarmed into South America, and in a third, I'm playing as Western Canada and basically hoping that I can take over Brazil/Argentina before a China/Russia war settles and the winner turns on me.

Well, then I suppose these are all anonymous games? It would be against site rules to comment on ongoing games, so I cannot offer specific advice.

Generally, though, I stay away from world because of the skill level of players you encounter. One fellow destroyed me because I was "not a primary color." There was no negotiation about the matter. He was determined and unmoving. From turn one, no less. This, friend, does not constitute a good player.

Another "feature" of world is an inordinate number of NMRs and CDs (again, because of the quality of player). I would highly recommend that you stay away from variants until you have a better handle on the standard map. The skills are transferable, but if you insist on playing world, only play password protected, invitation only games. Advertise in the forums, and when you do, insist on no NMR/CD.

As for succeeding at world, the general strategy is secure a continent/ make truce with continental powers, capture other continents. The strongest alliances are those within a continent from the get go, but many bad players do not realize this (for example, Brazil and Argentina /have/ to be allies out the door in order to succeed, because it is much harder to expand from South America than it is for invaders to crack the defenses).

And again, talk to everyone, from the start, every turn. This is the real key to victory in any game.

Further, you must believe than every relationship can be amended. Every turn, if you can pretend that the game has just reset and you are now in an entirely new, in-progress game, you can do yourself well. You'll stay flexible in mind, even though you're talking a bit more fixedly. Never hold a grudge. Even when you're attacking a player, be always saying, "I really want to make peace. Is there any way we can make this relationship work?" The trick is, you have to mean it when you say that. You have to always be ready to bury the hatchet, then dig it up and attack the other fellow.

I am currently playing or have completed six World games, and I've seen a few patterns.

-Alliances-

Most World games that I've played become dominated by a handful of strong alliances, which jockey for the support of the other nations. Joining nations are then either incorporated into the alliance or eliminated once their usefulness has expired. Once only a single alliance remains, or the remaining alliances have made peace, the other nations are eliminated and the game is either drawn or the alliance turns on itself.

This, of course, is why talking to _everyone_ is important. Try to find a skilled and reliable ally early on, who needs not be a neighbor, and stick with them. Find a third, and you'll have a strong triple which can shape either global or regional events, depending on your relative positioning. If you notice other alliances forming, especially regional triples (the North American triple is deadly), either join them or work to break them apart by whatever means necessary. Once no other alliance can oppose yours (though getting a head start never hurts), position yourself so that it would be very difficult to cut you out of the draw. Alternatively, if there appears to be an opportunity, position yourself for the solo. If you can do both at once, all the better.

-Regions-

The World map is roughly divided up into regions, with some overlap between them. You've got South America, North America, Antarctica, Africa, the Mediterranean (Europe, Middle East, and North Africa), Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

In the first few years, the powers in each region tend to do one of either two things. Kill each other or make a lasting alliance. In the former, the larger team usually wins (2v1 is especially common, and effective, in North America). If two regional powers face off, the victor is usually the one who can bring in outside aid, or, all else being equal, stab first.

Pacific Islands is a unique region in that it is occupied by a single power, Oz. Consequently, a competent Oz very commonly survives the early game, but has more difficulty expanding. Oz needs to be opportunistic, achieving gains by intervening in other regions, or else they will likely be gobbled up once the other regions have settled. Probably the most common means of doing this is to work with South Africa to eliminate Frozen Antarctica, who himself must either make peace with Oz or find a way to stab him early, as a direct military confrontation rarely ends well.

If you can manage it, dominating your entire region will generally put you in a strong position. South America, especially, is a region that is difficult to defeat once controlled by a single nation. If you can't defeat your neighbors, forge strong alliances with them or lure in outside aid from less turbulent regions.

Finally, if you find yourself the runt of your region, appeal to everyone and their mother for aid. Hopefully, you will catch at least one opportunist. Stall until then by making your enemies fight over your corpse. And if all else fails, go into exile and hire yourself out as a mercenary. Greenland is a nice place for this.

Good luck!

Played in a World Dip gunboat once, as Brazil. I had the fortune of a CD Argentina and I went on to a 3-way draw.
Really, first thing secure your continent, either by conquering it or by marriage.