<< Eric, all I can tell you is the following: You can play Olympia any way
you like. That is the beauty of it. However, if I wish, I can FORCE you
to play a wargame, simply by attacking you. Your options are to fight
back or drop. If you fight back you are, IMHO, playing a wargame with
me. If you drop, well, then I'm playing a wargame successfully and you
just aren't playing.
There is no way you as a player can force me to pursue any of the other
options that Olympia so wonderfully provides, but I can force you into a
wargame. That seems to be an important factor to me, but I may be
wrong.
In any case, I hope you as a trader are enjoying Olympia as much as I am
being an evil warmonger. ;)
>>
You're absolutely correct. That's what makes war in this game all the more
distasteful. You can force a player to change his entire game. His weeks of
real time planning and his real time money and his best laid plans. And for
what reason? Because you thirst for a war game.
That's why I and others despise it so much. It's so intrusive.
I know, I know, it's part of the game. And that's fine. Actually, that's
part of the charm of the game. If some groups wish to be warlords, that's
fine. But I'm willing to wager that there are more peace-minded factions in
Olympia than there are war-mongers. And with the checks and balances present
in g2 that were absent in g1 I think the ability for a group to overwhelm the
whole is nonexistant.
Any surprise attack in this game will yield terrific short-term dividends for
the attackers. But any group worth it's salt will have a strong enough
infrastructure, large enough stockpiles, and strong enough defenses to
regroup and make life hell for the attacker. I don't think large scale war
in g2 has any long term benefits.
and for the record, I don't think you're an evil warmonger. Warmonger, yes.
Evil....well, I don't know you well enough yet :-)
And don't fool yourself. I'm no trader. I'm a diplomat with a large,
well-funded, stick.
Good Luck to all, in the attack, the defense and the trade.
Eric Nelson