[no players] Warsighs of the Newb: An Experiment in Lurking.

[Jowy]

Would it be considered terribly unsportsmanlike for Boldly to trade his island cities he can't hold to someone else that is in a better position to build a navy to defend them, in exchange for enough money to kick-start his economy again?

Sounds like a legit deal, but in actuality players will complain.

[Krill]

I'd say it's legit to sell them for cash (or in a full diplo game for a navy, or for tech through to say, Astro), but gifting them away is just a spite move. However, I can also accept the other side that says it's not acceptable, because then you end up in a metagame where it's always a good idea to sell cities that you can't hold, and actual warfare is irrelevant, only players perceptions of warfare.

Whether the other side would accept a deal is questionable though, because they would have to be able to defend them...

[Qgqqqqq]

...and how are they going to build said navy with only a few turn before retep invades, and with their own empires miles away? And few players would have that amount of money conveniently available either, or accept a deal like that for cities on the other side of the world in an untenable position.

[Zed-F]

The best time to sell under-defended cities to potentially friendly rivals, rather than lose them to the hated foe's armies, is the moment you know an attack you can't stop is imminent.

The second best time is now.

[Qgqqqqq]

Best time to sell, sure - not saying it would be a bad move on Boldy's part, just a bad move for anyone accepting, even without knowing the war is coming.

[Zed-F]

Boldly's been saying his islands were doomed for several turns now. If he'd thought about selling them then, whoever he sold them to could have had time and space to get a defence together.

[Krill]

Not really. They would have needed to get a navy into place, plus defensive units into the cities. Units would have been difficult, the navy impossible.

On top of that William would have then had a two front war to deal with.

[Zed-F]

But, so would Retep, if he still chose to attack, and Kuro is even less a threat to William than Boldly is to Retep.

Probably water under the bridge now, anyway.

[Krill]

Boldly is not a front. He has no navy worth caring for. 4 galleons is enough to stop any attack from him. This is one of the points in the game where the combat metagame drastically alters.

[Zed-F]

True, as long as you assume retep's goal is only to grab Boldly's islands. Not so sure about that, myself.