I'm a new player who has been playing a bunch of games with the core set and I've been noticing a phenomen that irritates me somewhat in the melee format. When a player becomes weak or has a slow start, the other players have a tendency to compound their weakness by challenging them for free power from unopposed challenges, which then weakens them further as their characters die off and their cards are stripped away. More than once I've had to remind other players at the board that they should probably be more concerned with weakening players in the lead than beating up players who are down. However the mechanics of the game make the opportunity cost of not attacking people who are weak high, particularly if your role opposes them and you have renown characters, whereas people who are in strong positions are often hard to win challenges against, so there's a strong temptation to just go for the free power from preying on the weak and let someone else deal with the leader. Is this just the way that the game is and it's simply the case that it sucks to be weak, or should I be thinking about this in a different way?

Illykai said:

The object of the game is not to kill opponent's characters or to strip their cards. Heck, the object of the game isn't even to win challenges. The object of the game is to gain 15 power first. So long as that is true, there are going to be a lot of times where attacking the player with the weakest board position makes the most sense. And you are correct; that often makes it harder for that player to ever make headway toward a stronger position. Essentially, you have hit the nail right on the head; it sucks to be weak in Westeros.

At some point, though, it stops making sense (especially for the players in 2nd and 3rd place) to attack the weakest player for your own easy power gain in favor of attacking another well-positioned player in order to make sure they don't hit 15 power before you do. The thing to notice is that in going for the easy power against someone who is weak, you may end up leaving yourself open to attack from other opponents. I've seen a lot of people go for the easy power, not quite make it to 15, then get pummeled because they left themselves defenseless. Go for the easy power too much and suddenly YOU become the best target because not only are your defenses weak after attacking, but the need to keep you from hitting 15 is more immediate.

This game is capable of some amazing swings, and you're never really down and out til the game is over, but yes, it's a sad truth. When one player is defenseless, he's an easy source of power from unopposed challenges. It's very Lannister, but what can you do? =) And if that player happens to be someone your Role is opposed to, well, then yes, he's gonna get hit.

About the only generalization I've noticed is that the only time NOT to hit where you think you'll win, or unless you're trying to make friends or keep board peace, is when you need to hit the guy who's way ahead to keep him from winning. But that's a dangerous move for you as well. You're serving the general good, yes, but unless you're helping yourslef as well, you've just weakened yourself AND the leading player, and the Third Guy who's next in line may pass you both.

It all depends on how smart and aware the other players are at any given time. Attacking the weakest player when they get a slow start makes a lot of sense some of the time. After the third turn though it just makes little sense, someone is going to be pulling more ahead than the others or at least have a better board position which makes their position that much more difficult to assail and them much harder to bring down.

In short if everyone attacks the weakest player all the time one person gets the win with little struggle, or at least gets to the point where anyone person attacking them will not be able to bring them down. It is in each players best interest to gain as much power as they can as fast as they can while keeping the other players from gaining to strong a board position.

The best players seek some level of equilibrium amongst the players, no one player being too weak to prevent farming by other players and no one player being too strong that they can't be brought to heel before claiming the win... at least until they are ready to make their own push.

Playing with a straight core deck leaves you with few options. Table Talk is your number one weapon, convince the other players of your cause, point out that so and so is getting more power than the others, or has a better board position.

With customized decks there is a LOT more you can do, use of high initiative plots give you a better chance of going first which lets you determine the order of play, letting you grab the title that will prevent you from being attced by one of the players or redirecting a challenge, or giving you a bonus in your weakest challenge. Having a lot of low cost characters with a good icon spread means you have a higher chance of having blockers out denying your opponent the easy unopposed, and forcing them to overcommit strength wise to push through a challenge.

Essentially figure out why you are the wakest player and build your deck or use a play style that lessens that.

And don't forget with teh support mechanic - choose your title carefully, optimally in conjunction with the weakest player, and you can lend your characters to rpvent unopposed power afrming and help them stabilize.

(Then stab them for the win - of course).

This is one of the reasons I love the new Honor Guard in the Core set. They allow you to lend a helping hand to the weakest player, hopefully stopping an easy attack from any would be players, and then you get your character that cost you nothing back under your control.

Deathjester26 said:

Assuming they don't kill it for military claim....