After about a couple of years without having played S1914, I have finally returned again, and Im already in 5 games, two of which are historical 1910 start. The other two are regular Europe maps, and what I noticed, was that when I messaged people asking if we could trade, almost none of them replied. Or, when I would try to coordinate with my allies, they just didnt reciprocate and did their own thing. This meant that even if I did things correctly, my allies would drag me down. Also, since I could not often get trade deals, I couldn't cover the resources I was in a deficit without using stock market, which can get expensive quickly, and burns through cash.
Are the only decent rounds with decent players the ones you have to pay goldmarks to enter? Where do the pros of this game even play? (Not saying that Im a pro, but I would say I am average or above average).