Bob The Robber 4
Edelira Longinotti
I have seen robber flies take dragonflies longer than themselves. As already mentioned, robber flies are ambush hunters while many dragonflies catch small prey on the wing (many dragonflies also perch and ambush). I was wondering if it had anything to do with musculature - like the quick-flex (power) muscles an ambusher might have (comparing with mammals) to the slow-flex (endurance) muscles of a constant flyer.
Now, I do think odonates and empidids put competition pressure on asilids, since they could both potentially be going for similar prey. The positive and negative feedback coming from intra-guild predation, competition, and cannibalism among these predatory arthropods make this a fascinating area for more ecological research.
One other thing for people to keep in mind is the value of venom. If a robber fly catches a prey item it can inject paralytic venom. Dragonflies just have to gnaw away at their live but immobilized prey like a mantis does.
One of the primary benefits of the single high safety and robber technique underneath is the cornerbacks have the luxury of playing outside leverage, funneling wide receivers inside to the robber/safety help.
I recently saw a U.S. Air Force F-22 flight demonstration at the Dayton Air Show. It was incredible and I wasn't the only one looking up with mouth agape! However, I was probably the only one who kept thinking the almost preternatural agility of the Raptor was akin to the flight capabilities of a robber fly (family Asilidae).
Robber flies are one of my favorite groups of insects and the Red-Footed Cannibalfly (Promachus rufipes) is one of my favorite robber flies. I share this insect-affection with my good friend, Ron Wilson (Natorp's; In the Garden with Ron Wilson (iHeartRadio)). Few carnivorous insects can match the amazing acrobatics and predatory proficiency of this and other robber flies in their pursuit of prey.
Adults of all species are predators and they will attack a variety of insects including insects much larger than their own body size; even "armed" prey such as yellowjackets and bald-faced hornets. There are over a thousand species of robber flies in North America representing a wide range of forms and sizes.
The Red-Footed Cannibalfly is the largest sized robber fly species found in Ohio; the flies measure over 1 1/4" in length. The entire body design of this fly foretells its predatory lifestyle. Their long, narrow body aids in stream-lined flight just like a fighter jet. Their stout thorax is packed with muscles to operate the wings and legs and the ball-like shape serves as a battering ram; think linebacker. Each of their long, dangling legs is tipped with two formidable tarsal claws that function like grappling hooks.
Cannibalflies makes a loud buzzing sound as it flies; certainly not as loud as an F-22 on full afterburners, but loud enough to draw your attention. An alert observer may hear the buzz periodically punctuated by a very loud "snap" which means the fly has committed an insecticidal act.
The snapping sound comes from a smashing display of aerial acrobatics when the fly slams at high speed into its airborne quarry stupefying the hapless insect victim. The fly then grasps its dazed prey with its claws, and uses its piercing-sucking mouthparts to inject saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes. The enzymes paralyze the victim and digest the internal tissues. The fly then lands and sips the essence of insect out of its victim; it robs them of their life.
Robber fly larvae are also predaceous and live in the soil, or in decaying wood and other organic matter, where they feed on insect larvae. Although robber fly adults and larvae rob insects of their lives and are generally considered beneficial, a few species test the limits of "beneficial." As their common name indicates Bee-Killer Robber Flies (Mallophora spp.) commonly attack bees including honeybees. Likewise, robber flies belonging to the genus Laphria will also attack bees. These robber flies mimic bees and are sometimes called Bee-Like Robber Flies.
I've usually selected robber placement based on a combination of factors, including who is winning, which hex reduces the most dots worth of production (x2 for cities) that isn't mine, several variations on which resources are scarce, whether a 2:1 port for an abundant resource is occupied, and trying to take a card I need from a player I think likely to have it. Which of these factors to emphasize for any given robber placement is a fairly complicated decision that depends on what stage of the game you're in, how much the leader is winning by, and what you're needing next.
When not trying to stop someone close to winning, nearly always place the robber on the most valuable hex of the person on your right only. The reason for this is that this person won't be able to retaliate for at least 3 rolls of the dice (in a 4 player game), while the other players may be more favorably disposed to you for not getting them. And if this player (to your right) retaliates, it is immediately your turn next giving you a chance to possibly roll a 7 or play the robber (if you have it). So assuming robber retaliation is somewhat predictable, this seems to be a sound strategy.
I don't have a strong opinion yet on how well the person-to-the-right robber placement strategy works - as I don't know how predictable retaliation is in general or with the specific groups I play with. But I do now wonder:
For advanced Settlers players, what is optimal robber placement? Is it this player-to-the-right placement method (because retaliation is mostly predictable)? Is it the standard tactics I listed above? Or are there different and perhaps more subtle tactics for Robber placement I haven't even thought of?
The "player to the right" strategy ignores a few possibilities, including:
- one or both of the two players after you roll a seven,
- one or both of the two players after you play a soldier,
- your victim is known to (not) have in a particular resource in hand.
Retaliation is predictable in the sense that good players will make decisions based on cost/benefit/probability analysis (including "dots" on the chits, scarcity of resources, etc.), while poor players will be swayed by subjective reasoning (retaliation, etc.).
I play for fun and not very competitively so when placing the robber, I take into account the "human factor". This is my thinking, "where you place the robber isn't as important as who you hurt by placing the robber". Maybe I just play with really vindictive players, but I find the robber really pees some people off. They stop trading with you and the talk trash about you, turning other players against you and now you have no chance of non-bank trading. (Also in the Cities and Knights expansion, people can really hurt you if they want to.)
As you say, the decision of where to place the robber depends on a lot of factors, and their weight depends on the particular situation. I think it is worth considering turn order and likely robber residence-times, but these are just additional factors to consider. And whether each player has unplayed development cards that could be soldiers should be considered along with seat placement. If everyone has (potential) soldiers, then, all else being equal, I think the player-to-the-right would be the optimal choice.
For advanced Catan players this is a non-topic as retaliation itself is a non-topic. Why should I block you with the robber if it doesn't benefit me the most or why should I not block you if it benefits me the most?
What you should weigh againt each other are things like "what do I get" vs. "what does the person blocked lose" as it might be more beneficial to get a much needed resource than having someone else not get something or the other way around.
Blocking a resource so others don't get it while you still get a bunch WOULD give you a monopoly on it and a favorable trade position, BUT it would only really be worth it in the long run and a 7 is statistically speaking coming up every 6 rolls, which is hardly enough time to get the others into a tight spot and force them to trade with you in expensive trades.
A robber can rob a person or a place, such as a house or business. A robber who robs a person on the street is often called a mugger. A person who robs a bank is called a bank robber and the act of doing this is called bank robbery. An armed robber is a person who commits armed robbery, which involves robbing a person or place while armed with a weapon.
A robber is a kind of thief, which is a person who steals things. However, the word thief usually refers to a person who steals without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a person who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence would more likely be called a robber.
The word robber appears in the term robber baron, which was a label applied to the powerful industrialists in the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s who amassed huge fortunes by exploiting workers and natural resources while relying on corruption and other unethical means to stay powerful (the term is still relevant).
The term robber baron derives from the Raubritter (robber knights), the medieval German lords who charged nominally illegal tolls (unauthorized by the Holy Roman Emperor) on the primitive roads crossing their lands,[4] or larger tolls along the Rhine river. Some of the most notorious of these were Thomas von Absberg and Gtz von Berlichingen, who both made a career out of highway robbery and brigandry.[5]
The metaphor appeared as early as February 9, 1859, when The New York Times used it to characterize the business practices of Cornelius Vanderbilt.[6] Historian T.J. Stiles says the metaphor "conjures up visions of titanic monopolists who crushed competitors, rigged markets, and corrupted government. In their greed and power, legend has it, they held sway over a helpless democracy."[7] Hostile cartoonists might dress the offenders in royal garb to underscore the offense against democracy.[3]
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