Here's a list, in order, of who I'd like to start next to. I'm trying to make sure it's as fraught with misconceptions as possible.
1. MYKI: By RB standards, an extreme green sure to fall off quickly. Starting next to him would be nearly like getting an extra half civ worth of land.
2. spacetyrantxenu: We had a peaceful border all through PB11, despite plenty of opportunity for conflict. I'm pretty sure, starting next to him, that we'd both be able to keep the peace and look the other way, both getting an advantage from this.
3. Boldly Going Nowhere: Similar to Xenu.
4. Nakor: Someone coined the term "Human Goody Hut", and I think Nakor is who they were speaking of. His history seems to be playing passively, and not reading the board very well. The wildcard is that maybe he comes into this game with something to prove.
5. Molach: This guy played agressive Rome from a pretty cramped position in PB11, and never attacked anyone. Enough said about that.
6. Hashoosh: A funny Canadian guy. He doesn't seem aggressive, and isn't an extremely strong player.
7. Dhalphir: He's not one of the stronger players in this game, but he's getting better quickly. If he can learn how to turn Civ into an RTS he will beat everyone. I don't see him being disposed to war.
8. yuris125: His style seems very passive, and I don't know if I've ever seen a very good performance from him.
9. BRickAstley + Mardoc: I don't know anything about Mardoc, but have just seen mediocre results from Brick in the past. I don't see him being aggressive.
10. Cyneheard: I only know him though using his combat spreadsheet. So he's obviously a veteran and a numbers guy and very smart. Other than that I've never followed one of his games.
11. Qgqqqqq: Most known for his participation in PB9 with Cornflakes. It's fair to say he's not an elite player. He doesn't seem like a warmonger but he is a bit of a wildcard.
12. Caledorn: He seems like a nice guy from CFC. And honestly he doesn't seem to have a terrifying skill level or investment in the game.
13. Ruff_Hi: I've seen his name a lot but I haven't really followed a game of his. He's a veteran and a wildcard to me.
14. Whosit: I lump him with Jowy a bit. He's best known for his attack in PB2. I don't think he's an upper level player in terms of mechanics.
15. Azza: His reputation is that he will forward settle on you, every time. Having to decide very early whether to try and punish an early land grab is not what I want to be doing in this game.
16. dtay: He seems to be a very solid newcomer. He can play an early economy very well, judging by PB13. With war and tactics I'm less sure. I'm also not sure how he handles an early border.
17. The Black Sword: Like dtay, a solid newcomer, and perhaps less proven in war and how he handles an early border.
18. Old Harry + Fintourist: These guys are a pretty solid team, will play to win, and don't seem like they're going to pick fights very loosely.
19. darrelljs + Ichabod: I don't know much about Darrel's style but I think in this game, Ichabod would want to respect a border, after PB13. If they're in the mood to fight and push a land grab, I doubt I'd be their prefered direction.
20. Jowy: He's been around forever, obviously. He won't keep up in the mid and late games, but he does know how to be a thorn to attack. Oddly, I feel that he'd leave me alone though.
21. Dazedroyalty: I know very little about him.
22. pindicator: I can't really tell him apart from Scooter, honestly. Separated from each other, they must be strong players still but maybe the PB15 version of Pindicator could show up.
23. scooter: See pindicator.
24. Oxyphenbutazone + BaII: Oxy is a wildcard. His micro and game knowledge are quite strong, but I feel like a border with him would be quite tense immediately.
25. plako: He has the reputation that he'll always be near the top of the game, if not smothered in the cradle. I think he'll play calmly and making decisions to try and win the game. A rational self-interested neighbor can be a good one.
26. Krill + Novice: The good thing about starting next to Krill would be that he will play to win, and he doesn't attack unless the odds of victory are extremely decisive. But the obvious problem is that he is one of the strongest players around.
27. Catwalk: He's kind of out there, and his personality is very much a wildcard.
28. AutomatedTeller: I don't know much about him, other than he had an erratic performance in PB9.
29. wetbandit: This guy will be probing for weaknesses. He won't make a purely irrational attack, but he seems very predisposed to an early military game. The good thing is that I think I'd get a little respect, where a player like Kuro (or even Azza) would not.
30. Barry Lyndon: He came out of the woodwork to play his first game. That can mean a whole lot of things, like he could be a smurf, a former ladder player who his hell to play with, a clueless noob, or anything in between. Unpredictable is not what I want to start next to.
31. Cheater Hater: This guy will opportunistically make moves and grabs he can't sustain. His personality also seems erratic, and prone to rage.
32. Bacchus: Just about the worst kind of neighbor I can imagine (other than PB8 Commodore
). He doesn't seem to believe positive sum relationships in games are possible. He'll probe with chariots, snipe things for fun, and make crazy and unusual moves, settle aggressively.