by Olive Branch » 24 Jul 2016, 03:36
Personally, I think the guy (?) with 15 is selling himself short. Why not go for a solo?
If I were you, I'd be looking into how two players can be allies, yet one amasses 15 centres while the other has just 5. If I had 'agreed to a draw' at the beginning of a game, I would never let him grow to three times my strength, and still class him as an ally. Is there not grounds for you to break up this alliance?
Personally, I don't think saying "let's draw this game" at the beginning can be called cheating, because nobody knows if those are a player's real intentions. For me, I will go into a game looking to build a strong alliance with someone. If that player gives me reason, or opportunity, to stab then I will. But you've got to be clever about it, because it usually results in the stabbee going kamikaze on the stabber. If you can't make it stick, you're an idiot for trying it. A two-way draw is far better than a defeat.
But in this case, you have accounted for 26 centres... what about the other 8? Can you get the holders of these on side? I would agree with Zosimus to an extent, because this is certainly questionable. I experienced it in a game once where a player joined a surrendered position that was one year away from a guaranteed solo, and began seemingly carebearing another player to a result. Mods can only do so much to prevent cheating, but a 15-centre power wants to share a draw with a 5-centre power when he is at least twice the size of his greatest rival? For me, your suggestion that this is breaking the rule that you must go for the best possible result is valid.
One final thing, though, is the draw voting a secret or open ballot? If secret, the player in question may just be saying that he'd accept a draw, but secretly he will reject, and blag that another player has rejected. If it's open ballot then things are a lot more clean cut. Again, though, I presume if it's secret ballot a Mod would be able to see whether said player were really going for the best possible result...