Quote Originally Posted by fendrin View Post
True on all counts, I suppose. Of course, there is a difference between "no-win" and "really really difficult, requiring major out-of-the-box thinking and a lot of luck".

The latter has an infinite amount more appeal to me, and I would hazard to guess, the majority of TBS gamers. Finding not one, but FOUR in the same geographical vicinity is unlikely at best.

EDIT: Just to be clear, this is more of a humorous observation than a nitpick, and it should never ever be mistaken for a complaint.
There's a limit to it, but I do honestly like no-win situations. For one thing, they leave me free to try wild ideas just to see if they hold water, because if I'm not going to win anyway, why not? Sometimes that will lead to a solid idea that I can use in situations which I can plausibly win, albeit with some refinement. For another, they're good to play, and replay, and replay again to push the envelope and see how much you can make the unstoppable juggernaut bleed. That can push your skills to a whole new level.

Parson's got four people who are used to crazy challenges (he knows them, and thought it was plausible that one of them spiked his drink with hallucinogens; how bad are they used to these games being?!) pushing the envelope. He's gotta be able to put up when it's on the line, or he wouldn't have the reputation he does with them.

I seem to have strayed off my topic. Unwinnable situations are good for you. They make you a flexible thinker and can inspire audacious, effective strategies. I don't like a steady diet of getting my boop served to me on a platter, but it's quite often fun.