thread: 2006-07-27 : 10 Observations from my Berlin trip
On 2006-08-02, Settembrini wrote:
A thought crossed my mind: I indeed WAS overlooking something!
Metagame. I totally forgot the metagame. Following my reasoning, the system is arbitrary. BUT once that is known, you can metagame: As power is dished out by chance, you have to eliminate the power being important. The only way to do this, is to manipulate the emtions of your fellow PLAYERS in a way, that they are disinclined to act against your thematic issues and plans.
Thusly, you might loose interest in the SIS (as I did), as it would just be the vehicle, or better even the battleground, for the opposing minds. Beat the randomness would be the metagame. Beat it by instilling the urge in the other players to use their allocated power in your interest.
So far I'd say this is not the theme of "the cold" anymore, but I can see it being a functional, albeit quite nasty, leasuire activity. Much like Diplomacy, when you play it with people who know all about stalemate lines, Lepantos and all this. It comes down to attacks and schemes against the opponents willpower or hog his sympathy to stab him later.
I'm not sure this still would be a non-zero-sum game, but if you manipulate masterfully, people will think they did what they wanted, and it would make them feel they were in a non-zero-sum game. Fiendish!
