by bindlestiff » 18 May 2015, 01:09
Having recently played in a "solo only" game I can tell you that, from my own perspective, it is a painful experience, and one I will never repeat. I played as Germany, and ended up being stuck between England and Turkey, neither of whom could achieve the solo without my help. I was not in a position to play one off against the other and achieve a solo myself, or to expand in any direction, so we were effectively stalemated for an interminable length of time. Eventually, England and I tired of the futility of it all, and turned over enough centers to Turkey to end the game.
As far as I'm concerned, requiring a solo only, and prohibiting draws, is a bad idea, as those who are not in a position to win outright have no incentive to help another player, and must either surrender or slog it out in a game that has lost its interest.
I'd be interested to hear how others feel about this option.
-- bindlestiff
-- Platinum Classicist, Star Ambassador, card-carrying Oldie, and all-around prince of a guy
"La parole nous a été donnée pour déguiser notre pensée." (We were given speech to hide our thoughts.)
-- Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord