Re: Olympia Economics & Strategic Warfare

From: nicholso@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Melvin H. Nicholson YBH)

Date: Fri, 22 May 1992 19:20:12 +0000

Carl Edman writes:
>Greg Lindahl writes
>> Carl Edman writes:
>>
>> >No, the real solution to this problem is to ensure
>> >constant warfare.
>>
>> Yes, as long as warfare against a prepared opponent isn't
>> profitable.
>Ah..... please, you read the rest of my article. I wasn't refering to
>newbie slaughtering. What I was refering to was warfare among the
>powers that be.
>
>And, yes it should be profitable even against prepared opponents,
>otherwise the leaders of the cities will just all ally and get richer
>all the time, while the newbies remain poor permanently.

I disagree, but I have a feeling that this is a matter of semantics.
War itself should never be profitable (except in terms of combat
experience).  War should be a financial drain.  WINNING wars should be
proftable, but only in so far as the vanquished loses everything to the
conquered.

I don't want Olympia to be a game of constant warfare, and I think that
those who think that "the rich will only get richer and newbie will
never have a chance to catch up" are oversimplifying.  I agree that a
person with more resources should be able to accomplish more if s/he
plays perfectly, but this is not what a complicated game will do.  There
will be those who establish themselves --- and those who try to do so
and fail.  Giants *WILL* stagnate and die, while other giant grow even
larger.  Perhaps the barons *WILL* join together to just keep getting
righer, but *SO WHAT*  I want there to be a peaceful quadrant.  I am
willing to game-fight for that peace.  If an area gets too rich and
there is too much $$$ floating around, the thieves will appear and
become effective (hard to be a market thief during wartime).  A well
designed system well have enough chaos in it to allow for newbies to
succeed through GOOD PLAY, not bad play of the superiors.

For every perfect scheme, there is a perfect foil.

Mel

References

Re: Olympia Economics & Strategic Warfare
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Fri, 22 May 1992 16:31:57 +0000
Re: Olympia Economics & Strategic Warfare
cedman@714-725-3177.nts.uci.edu (Carl Edman)
Fri, 22 May 1992 18:48:22 +0000

Referenced By

Re: Olympia Economics & Strategic Warfare
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Fri, 22 May 1992 16:31:57 +0000
Re: Olympia Economics & Strategic Warfare
cedman@714-725-3177.nts.uci.edu (Carl Edman)
Fri, 22 May 1992 18:48:22 +0000