First of all - What a great site Webdiplomacy is, for the promotion of the Diplomacy hobby!
Very well done, Moderators, Webmasters & Developers!
Anyhow -
I was brought up under the 'Old Regime' of Diplomacy, where you either Won (solo 18 sc) or Lost.
Even the draw was somewhat frowned upon. Especially the 3-way draw.
Now I am curious what 'modern' Dip players think of our different playing systems: PPSC and WTA.
As for myself:
PPSC:
Imho it seems like these games often break down into two players just sharing the board.
Typically it ends in a 19-15 win for the larger power, or maybe with a 3rd power sitting at 1 or 2 SCs.
In these types of games, the runner-up (2nd place) could actually be better off supporting the larger player
to his 18th SC, thus preventing a 3-way draw (which divides the pts into 3 equal pots).
The cut-off line is at 12 SCs. If the runner-up is at 12 scs or more, he is better off having the game
end in a solo, then in a 3-way draw.
While this would have been atrocious back in the 'Old Days', I still can see that PPSC has many merits:
PROS
- It is more likely to attract new players (they can win pts by playing for runner-ups , gets the enjoyment
of getting a large power at end of game, games are pretty straightforward with strong alliances)
- Games are more action-oriented, and seldomly/never gets bogged down into position play for a stalemate line.
CONS
- It is kind of dull, with those large game-sweeping alliances. Not too much excitement either. Once you've got 9-10
SCs , you know that it matters little wheter you "win" the solo, or become runner-up. It all becomes a mechanical matter
of moving units.
- Not much point in stabbing anyone, is there? What matters if you end up on 15, 16, 17 or 18 SCs? The score is just about the
same anyways.
WTA
This is the way to play the game, once you have reached some experience, imho
WTA means that you must take into consideration long-term effect of your moves.
Several nations gets weaker in WTA play than in PPSC games. Who wants to ally with Turkey - when the goal is 18 SC, and
Turkey can only expand over the corpses of any foolish ally?
Games are much more cutthroat under WTA, with more excitement; you have to form alliances that you know must be breached at some point during the game. But when? And will you be stabbing or be stabbed?
As for cons:
- WTA can put some people off. It is not for everybody. You will be betrayed. You are likely to face more lies in a WTA game. It could alienate people.
- Some people think it is silly to score 0
for 16 SC country, when your opponent score 18 SC for the solo win. I don't think that is a problem, btw ; you should've stopped the soloing player, instead of scooping up centers for yourself!
Basically, start out with PPSC, and when you feel you've grasped the basics, move over to WTA. Both have their merits, but I am sure about my general preference; WTA is the way to go...
Happy gaming
The first time a WTA game
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