Hi all,
The recent flurry has goaded me into suggesting an idea that I've toyed with for some time: to recreate in some way the famous 'cut-throat' and 'care-bear' experiment of the early 1990s.
Here's the background:
In all my recent games as player or observer, the old 'cut-throat vs carebear' debate has surfaced with various degrees of informedness, irritation, insight, substance and out-and-out BS.
For those who don't know, the two terms have come to represent styles of play, the *precise* definitions of which are elusive (that's part of the fun). But ...:
Put positively, cut-throat players are skilled negotiators who ceaselessly and effectively manipulate others' perception of the board to maximize their own position, while care-bear players are trustworthy strong-alliance players for whom a piece of the draw with their ally is as good or almost as good as a win.
Put negatively, cut-throat players are ultra-deviates who can never be trusted, and who spoil the game for others because, by definition, Diplomacy involves cooperation and these are players you can *never* trust. Care-bears are spineless wimps who spoil the game for everyone else because they won't play logically (i.e.to maximise their position). For some, not playing to win is tantamount to cheating.
The genesis of these two terms dates back to the early 1990s. Now, to quote from Dan Shoham, writing in 1994:
"In the summer of 1993 there was a debate in the Internet Diplomacy community about House Rules. At the time, I was moderating that debate. A question that came up during the debate was about the validity of various objectives in the play of Diplomacy. Specifically, are objectives other than maximizing one's position legitimate? The debate was lively at times, and in the process the name "Cut-Throat" and "Care-Bear" came to be used to represent the playing styles which emphasize, respectively, selfish and selfless play.
"Some months later, Rick Desper created two games wherein players were requested to play by the two styles. The games would nonetheless be moderated as standard games. As is now popular in Internet play, the two games were designated as anonymous. In other words, players do not know against whom they are playing, and are forbidden from revealing their identity. Game "Cut-Throat," to emphasize nastiness, allowed grey and fake press. Game "Care-Bear," to emphasize friendship, allowed proxy orders.
"Playing as Russia, I won both games."
This experiment was written up in Diplomacy Wold #73 p.15 http://www.diplomacyworld.net/pdf/dw73.pdf p.15 and continued online at The Diplomatic Pouch http://www.diplom.org/Zine/S1995M/Shoham/Academy.html, and IMHO should be required reading for all aspiring Dip players.***
So, I propose to recreate the original experiment as a pair of linked 'comments'-style games which I will GM. The same seven players would have to participate in both, playting one game in the carebear style, one in the cutthroat, so generous deadlines would be set.
If I get seven volunteers, and someone helps me set up a comments forum, I'll go ahead with this at a time this year to suit the participants. Although, being Australian, I'll call one game 'koala' and the other 'devil'*
One variation on the original that occurs to me we could try as an alternative is that there could be two games, and each player is assigned (secretly) a game in which they are to be a cut-throat (and therefore a carebear in the other), so that each game has a mix of playing styles. But this might be over-complicating things.
Email me (jonathan.powles@anu.edu.au.) or reply on this forum if you're interested in playing, or have comments or suggestions.
Cheers
Jonathan
[*"Tasmanian devils can take prey up to the size of a small kangaroo, but in practice they are opportunistic, and eat carrion more often than they hunt live prey. Although the devil favours wombats, it will eat all small native mammals, domestic mammals (including sheep), birds, fish, insects, frogs and reptiles. Their diet is largely varied and depends on the food available. On average, they eat about 15% of their body weight each day; however, they can eat up to 40% of their body weight in 30 minutes if the opportunity arises. Tasmanian devils eliminate all traces of a carcass, devouring the bones and fur in addition to the meat and internal organs. ... . They hunt alone."]
***In fact [cackles maniacally as he plans further world domination] when I am elected membership secretary of the newly-reorganised Dipsters I shall set a compulsory three-hour examination on Diplomacy set-texts to be chosen by me, with all those who fail, or have beaten me in recent games, or who demonstrate a level of knowledge that means they're likely to beat me in the future, summarily expelled from the group ...
[There, Igor, that's ensured I'll never get *that* onerous job. Phew!]