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I’ve harbored a feeling for a while now that wargames should always start from the position of asymmetrical play in their conception.
@warzan – I’ve played games where the asymmetrical nature of the play is reflected in the victory conditions. If you’re playing a game where your opponent has, say, limitless reinforcements (I’m looking at you Space Hulk) the “underdog” might need to survive x number of turns in order to “win”. If the game continues on long enough, you can expect them to be wiped out. Playing a game until that point becomes pointless and boring.
But a plunky “last until turn eight, when xxx happens (an escape pod become active, your own sides reinforcements will turn up and obliterate your enemies in a wave of shock and awe) means asymmetric scenarios can be great fun to play out. A war game in which you’re playing a tiny part of a larger scenario creates loads of possibilities for asymmetric play – the winning player doesn’t necessarily need to “win” the battle – just hang in there long enough to meet the victory conditions for that scenario.
In the sports I’ve played in the last twenty years (admittedly, mostly rugby in my earlier years and, more recently, petanque on Brighton seafront) I’ll be the first to volunteer to join a “weaker” team – for the team, I’d like to think it helps balance the odds (I’m not a bad “shooter” at boules, and used to play rugby like the Rhino from Spiderman) but for me, the challenge of playing from the position of “underdog” is always far more enjoyable than obliterating a lesser opponent.
I carry this mentality to my gaming. Played a stupid move and you’re likely to lose your queen at chess? Sure, take the piece back. Have another go. Because by keeping your queen, you make the game more enjoyable for both of us – losing it early on means no challenge for me and you’ll just be going through the motions to get the game over with.
There’s a world of difference between “balanced” and “unfair”.
