to an extent, yes. this is true in variants with minor imbalances. I
would say that even Standard has minor imbalances, yet this dynamic
you describe makes all the positions playable. Major imbalances - the
sort that result in "forced" alliances - can remove this effect
though.
-
I have a simple rule of thumb for variant design, a question that
variant designers should critically ask themselves of each position on
their map.
-
...and that is, "does this player have at least two alliance options
with roughly equal incentive?"
-
If the answer is no, then the negotiating element of the game is
eliminated, and though there may remain an entertaining tactical
fight, the opening phase of the game at least becomes predictable when
one alliance is clearly the more profitable option than the other.
-
This is not always apparent prior to playtesting. Speaking from
painful experience, it is all too easy to get "tunnel vision" about a
particular positon as one is designing the map, and not realize that
an alliance pairing is forced.
B.
On 5/10/10, community(at)diplomaticcorp.com wrote:
Poobaloo posted in Community. The message was...
________________________________
A game is never luck of the draw. If you draw a favored nation, that should
be just as unlucky as lucky, cuz the players should be more against you,
whereas if you draw an unlucky nation, you should be able to use that to
make more allies.
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Realpolitik files available here for the Sengoku, Balkans1860, South
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