This is interesting. In general the game does sound like the kind of fun I expect to find in these parts. I’d like to play it. It sounds like it really can be played as a cohabitive game, and maybe it was even initially designed to be played that way?[1], but it looks to me like most people don’t understand it this way today. I’m unable to find this manual you quote. I’m coming across multiple reports that victory = winning[2].
Even just introducing the optional concept of victory muddies the exercise by mixing it up with a zero sum one in an ambiguous way. IME many players, even hearing that, will just play this for victory alone, compromise their win condition while pretending not to be doing that in hope of deceiving other players about their agenda, so it becomes hard to plan with them. This wouldn’t necessarily ruin the game but it would lead to a situation where those players are learning bad lessons.
This is interesting. In general the game does sound like the kind of fun I expect to find in these parts. I’d like to play it. It sounds like it really can be played as a cohabitive game, and maybe it was even initially designed to be played that way?[1], but it looks to me like most people don’t understand it this way today. I’m unable to find this manual you quote. I’m coming across multiple reports that victory = winning[2].
Even just introducing the optional concept of victory muddies the exercise by mixing it up with a zero sum one in an ambiguous way. IME many players, even hearing that, will just play this for victory alone, compromise their win condition while pretending not to be doing that in hope of deceiving other players about their agenda, so it becomes hard to plan with them. This wouldn’t necessarily ruin the game but it would lead to a situation where those players are learning bad lessons.
I’d be curious to know what the original rulebook says, it sounds like it’s not always used today?
The first review I found (Phasing Player) presents it as a fully zero-sum game, completely declined to mention multi-win outcomes (43 seconds).