Comparative gaming styles

[breakinglight11]

There will be BSCF at my house tonight. That is cool, although I'm not sure I'm feeling up to that much social interaction. Depending on my ability to pretend to be a human being tonight, I may have to go hide in my room. If I can manage to behave like a real person, however, perhaps I shall try to get a game of Small World going.

I heard that at WPI, when Small World is played it is considered standard practice to make diplomatic agreements with other players. At Brandeis, we tend to be geared much more toward pure strategy when we play. If the right move is not immediately obvious, everyone around the table with discuss what the most advantageous move given the situation is, regardless of what other player it may hurt, and countless times I have heard someone advise their opponent to attack they themselves because it is objectively the best move.

I find this hilarious given WPI versus Brandeis larping style. At Brandeis we are the diplomats, the ones who sit around in a circle holding hands trying to find some way to work things out, while I have found WPI larpers to be more ruthless, oriented more towards the win-condition than finding some compromise. The reversal of that situation I find very funny.

Comments

[valleyviolet.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who told me something very parallel about Diplomacy (which is obviously older and simpler that what you describe, but sounds similar given that I haven't played Small World). I've only played Diplomacy once and I swore I'd never play it again because I had such an absolutely miserable experience. People were exceedingly cutthroat and mercenary with their alliances.

When I told him this he was surprised because his friends play in more of a collaborative style. They do someetimes form alliances, but from your description it sounds a lot more like the Brandeis players with an additional, laid back, "well, we're just playing a game for fun, don't take it too personal" attitude.

I would find it interesting to learn what starts both play styles in motion, since there seems to be some sort of basic human parallel.