Re: [eia] Comparing things

[Joel Uckelman <uckelman@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thus spake "J.J. Young":
> > (A further consideration in favor of single victory/split defeat is that
> > it keeps the PP for battle [neglecting the effects of Napoleon] zero-sum.
> > The victor can't gain more PP than the defeated lose. The way we've been
> > doing it, if France defeated everyone else in a single battle, the
> Coalition
> > could collectively loose 18PP, while France could gain at most 3PP,
> causing
> > a dramatic destruction of PPs. There are clearly examples of non-zero sum
> > PP transactions---e.g., ceding is negative-sum and successfully defending
> > a fortress in an assault is positive-sum---but my intuition is that combat
> > ought to be zero-sum if anything is.)
> 
> But Joel, how does your interpretation give us a zero-sum result if the
> combined allies _win_ the battle ?  The PPs gained by one side are then much
> greater than the PPs lost by a single loser.  I wish it did give us a
> zero-sum result; that's what I want to see, each participant in a battle
> gaining or losing PPs according to their contribution.  But neither what we
> are doing now nor what you are proposing reach this goal.  Given two flawed
> choices, I prefer to stick with the one we've been playing for 35 turns.

I think we're talking past one another here. In what you've quoted above, 
I'm talking about their being exactly one victor, but potentially multiple 
losers. That would make combat zero-sum (neglecting the presence of 
Napoleon).

> Additionally, I believe the PPs risked by a battle partipant should be the
> same for winning or losing; that is, you stand to either gain or lose the
> same number of PPs.  I would prefer a system where this PP stake would
> depend on your contribution, but since no one has proposed a way of
> achieving this (and I don't see one, either), at least our present
> interpretation has a participant risk the same number of PPs to be gained if
> they win, and lost if they lose, even if this stake is the total PPs for the
> battle.
> 
> -JJY

I can think of reasons for dividing PPs for victory as well, and I can 
think of reasons for all the victors to receive the full amount. What I'm 
most certain about is how PPs work for the losing side.

-- 
J.


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