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« on: April 16, 2015, 05:22:22 am »
So I've noticed lately (actually for a very long time now) that there is a significant game-within-a-game aspect to Dominion. For example:
Player A is a higher-ranked player, lets say they have a 5200 rating compared to Player B's 4100. Player B is aware of this. Player A goes first. Player B buys the same cards as Player A did. Player A buys a couple Minions and a basket of other cards. Player B buys out the rest of the Minions and then buys a couple Provinces and a Duchy to take an early lead before his deck sputters out of coins. Player A buys a Province every few turns before a mega-turn where he buys out the Provinces and wins by 18.
Player A is a higher-ranked player, lets say they have a 5200 rating compared to Player B's 4100. Player B goes first, buying a Sea Hag. Player A subconsciously strays from what he would normally buy (a Sea Hag) because he: 1) doesn't want a mirror slog game, 2) believes that lower-ranked players make suboptimal decisions, 3) wants to find the witty back-door path to victory because he feels this would be a perfect time to take advantage of a weaker opponent and showcase his intuitive skills. Player B takes the safer, slow-and-steady route common to new players. Player A eventually arrives at the cusp of parabolic greening but by then he is too far behind and tries to buy Duchies, Estates, and Great Halls but it's too late. Player B gets a lucky $9 hand and buys the last Province, winning by 17.
These are two of the interesting mindsets that often give the weaker player the advantage (or disadvantage), depending on which player succumbs. My case in point: Is there a subconscious side to every Dominion game? And if so, does it make that much of a difference?
