Originally Posted by
Relic
Really brado?, do you believe that?, your finish is very much dependent on who your friends are, having a fixed list of friends / allies at the start of the age is a huge boon, no matter if you are Absalom or anti-abs, or another past coalition of kingdoms.
If Rage and Sanct would fight, the loser of that fight would not finish this age second.
That said, being good at diplomacy and making friends to ensure your position has always been a part of utopia, over the history of the game absalom has pretty much dominated this aspect of the game, and they are without doubt the best at it...