NMR's are not that bad
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:00 pm
NMR’s are not the end of the world.
When I began playing Diplomacy ftf, the rules included the idea of the NMR. NMR’s did not end the game, cause despair, or make us mutter about, ‘unfair!’ In fact, the idea was that sometimes governments fall… and armies and navies sit for a season. (Think Russia in WWI…)
Now of course, some NMR’s benefit some players on the map more than others. And the benefits seem random. AND most of us play Diplomacy because we shy away from dice… But I am becoming more convinced that NMR’s are just a game hazard. They happen. Deal with it.
Like an injury in a football game. (Few of us would say, “cancel the game! Our left tackle pulled a hamstring!) Or like an unexpected road construction site on the way to work. (Wait! I should get to go home! This obstacle is unfair!)
Instead… just like you should always ‘expect’ a stab in gunboat, we should play Diplomacy with the possibility of that annoying NMR in mind. And the ratings let us see how ‘likely’ it is.
But NMR’s are not the end of the world, OR the game.
When I began playing Diplomacy ftf, the rules included the idea of the NMR. NMR’s did not end the game, cause despair, or make us mutter about, ‘unfair!’ In fact, the idea was that sometimes governments fall… and armies and navies sit for a season. (Think Russia in WWI…)
Now of course, some NMR’s benefit some players on the map more than others. And the benefits seem random. AND most of us play Diplomacy because we shy away from dice… But I am becoming more convinced that NMR’s are just a game hazard. They happen. Deal with it.
Like an injury in a football game. (Few of us would say, “cancel the game! Our left tackle pulled a hamstring!) Or like an unexpected road construction site on the way to work. (Wait! I should get to go home! This obstacle is unfair!)
Instead… just like you should always ‘expect’ a stab in gunboat, we should play Diplomacy with the possibility of that annoying NMR in mind. And the ratings let us see how ‘likely’ it is.
But NMR’s are not the end of the world, OR the game.