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From: david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin)
Newsgroups: net.games.pbm
Subject: Re: Austria
Message-ID: <677@fisher.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Jun-85 11:14:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: fisher.677
Posted: Fri Jun 14 11:14:46 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Jun-85 07:26:16 EDT
References: <5230@ukc.UUCP> <5233@ukc.UUCP>
Organization: Princeton University Department of Statistics
Lines: 37

> ...
> I begged, I pleaded with the Russians to leave me alone so I could
> make one last effort to prevent the French running away with it.
> Several years passed...
> When he finally agreed, France had 16 supply centres, and had enough
> troops around Italy to easily prevent any surprise attack from me.
> I decided to settle for a respectable second place, France supported
> my fleet into Smyrna, and no hard feelings.
> ...
> One thing I can't stand is playing in a game where personal feelings
> override (admittedly minimal) common sense.
> ...
> What should have happened?
> -Nige Gale

There is no such thing as a respectable second place finish.  If you
do not win or draw, you lose, whether you end with zero centers or
sixteen.  Therefore, I would have taken the slim chance that the Russians
would come to their senses and stabbed France rather than be an
accessory to my own loss.  A 1% chance of sharing a five way draw has
a greater expected return than a 100% chance of finishing second to a
solo winner.

Your objection to Russia's play is based upon their pursuit of goals
OTHER than winning (personal dislike); you, however, ought not to feel
too superior to the Russian player, as you eventually played in
pursuit of goals other than winning, too ("second place").  In my
view, both goals are equally removed from the game.

If your response is that you enjoy finishing second more than being
annihilated, I'd point out that it is likely that the Russian player
enjoyed attacking the countries of players he disliked more than those
of whom he liked.  So long as everyone's enjoying themselves, we can
all live with our eccentricities....

					David Rubin
			{allegra|astrovax|princeton}!fisher!david