It's an ok board. I play it quite a bit so I do like it but stalemates easily happen on the board. Perhaps more accessibility from water borders would reduce that possibility.
Good board, tradeoff between citadels and fighting opponents can make 1-on-1 interesting, and bigger games become unpredictable. Recommend total fog at any number of players.
I really like this map. It's simple, yet effective. One has to decide how much effort to put into grabblng the citadels/capital and how much to put into going for territory and continent bonuses. Generally, you cannot do both for the first several turns.
Unique, fun map. Can definitely lead to stalemates, UNLESS YOU PLAY WITH FOG. I seriously don't know why people keep creating no fog games on this. The default should be switched to heavy.
I want to love this map, but I just can't. I've been stuck in a game that's down to five players and has been for months. There is no incentive to attack anything. The optimal strategy is to grab hold of a city and keep it because of the defensive bonus. Makes for stupid gameplay.
Excellent board, one of my favorites. Experienced players usually bring a different strategy which isn't needed. The East to West boarders are amazing; where two bulked territories can guard your entire empire. The dice can be unforgiving, but so was feudal Japan. Definitely NOT an unbalanced board.