Multiplayer Magic: the Gathering (aka ‘mtg’) has a truel-like strategic structure. In normal duels, half the game is deck building—building your deck optimally given the other decks you are likely to face (the metagame). The other half is in game skill—playing the right cards at the right time.
In multiplayer, a third major component is added: diplomacy. If you keep winning, you’ll get ganged up on. If you build a deck that sits back and doesn’t do much only to instantly win later using some well-tuned combo, you have to at least act like you are doing something conventional, otherwise your weakness makes you seem more threatening. Experienced multiplayer mtg players are highly suspicious of someone who doesn’t play anything substantial by turn 5 because they know that is typically a prelude to an instant loss.
More generally, you want to be ‘friendly’ in mtg multiplayer. This means appearing mediocre, more or less. If you look too good, you look more likely to win and are thus a target. Even if you are better, fighting multiple opponents is very difficult. If you appear relatively weak, then you might be trying to trick everyone, so again, you are a target.
Does this generalize? In other truel-like situations, is apparent weakness just as detrimental or at least nearly as detrimental as apparent strength? I suspect it’s a common feature of zero-sum games, but probably not generally true.
Multiplayer Magic: the Gathering (aka ‘mtg’) has a truel-like strategic structure. In normal duels, half the game is deck building—building your deck optimally given the other decks you are likely to face (the metagame). The other half is in game skill—playing the right cards at the right time.
In multiplayer, a third major component is added: diplomacy. If you keep winning, you’ll get ganged up on. If you build a deck that sits back and doesn’t do much only to instantly win later using some well-tuned combo, you have to at least act like you are doing something conventional, otherwise your weakness makes you seem more threatening. Experienced multiplayer mtg players are highly suspicious of someone who doesn’t play anything substantial by turn 5 because they know that is typically a prelude to an instant loss.
More generally, you want to be ‘friendly’ in mtg multiplayer. This means appearing mediocre, more or less. If you look too good, you look more likely to win and are thus a target. Even if you are better, fighting multiple opponents is very difficult. If you appear relatively weak, then you might be trying to trick everyone, so again, you are a target.
Does this generalize? In other truel-like situations, is apparent weakness just as detrimental or at least nearly as detrimental as apparent strength? I suspect it’s a common feature of zero-sum games, but probably not generally true.