While the story is over, there was one part of its creation that I wanted to share. Between my two stories I had twelve separate players I needed to balance, and to help myself not go crazy I gave each pony a different play-style to use in the game. Here is the list of styles used in this story:
Twilight Sparkle was playing as The Psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist knows how the other players think and gets into their heads in order to get them to do what they want. Maybe that involves playing with their trust or spreading rumors about people they don't trust. Sometimes it means lending a helping hand to a player who's struggling and getting them to lean on your advice more than they should. Either way, the psychiatrist plays the players more than the play the game. Everything this player knows about the others is a weapon in their arsenal.
Applejack was playing as The Turtle. The Turtle is defensive minded, grabbing some territories at the beginning of the game but retreating once contact is made with the enemy. Focusing solely on keeping the others from taking what they've managed to collect, this player tries to wait out the competition. Towards the end game, the Turtle's units will be fresh and poised to leap on the lost territories of any foe that falls victim to another player's action. Has the added benefit of appearing small and nonthreatening, no matter how many units they actually have.
Rarity was playing as The Mafia Don. The Mafia Don doesn't like to come out and face their opponents, rather preferring to offer "advise" and "assistance" to the others in the game. Best played from a position of strength, they try and become the person the other players come to if they need a hand dealing with someone else. Meanwhile, all these little deals means they have a ton of "favors" to call in if someone dares to attack the Mafia Don instead!
Rainbow Dash was playing as The Rhino. The Rhino does one thing and one thing only: attack, attack, attack! As soon as the game begins this player launches all their pieces at the nearest opponent, hoping to surprise them into not having a proper defense ready in time. This player often doesn't last long, but if they can come in from an unexpected angle they might just catch a more stealthy or manipulative player off guard, without the sheer bulk to fend off the stampede.
Fluttershy was playing as The Unseen Threat. Basically the Unseen Threat bides their time, not doing much of anything to attract anyone's attention at the beginning. Sometimes this player even makes purposely bad moves to appear incompetent. After a while even the best players let down their guard around this player, thinking that they aren't any real danger and that their focus would be better used elsewhere. And that's when they strike! Usually only good for one blow, but if that blow is costly enough, it's all the Unseen Threat needs to pull a win.
Pinkie Pie was playing as The Mercenary. The Mercenary is a player to whom the actual winner of the game is inconsequential to making a profit from the chaos. This player will offer to do whatever any other player wants, usually in exchange for something outside of the game. Whether its straight up money, favors, or literally any kind of collectable, the Mercenary always walks out of the game a winner. And being mobile like that often puts their pieces in places where they can do a surprising amount of damage, if this player wants to try winning the game as well.
And these aren't all the different possible players there could be. Check out my other story to see a list of six more!