If you are worried about a game being seen to be fair I think the most practical solution suggested is shared hosting. Offer to host a game as long as one of the players in it hosts a pair game run along similar lines (ie line you want to play). In this context the sort of person who will generally take up the host position is some-one who has a responsible inclination.
Does it matter? I wish I could say it doesn't but after years of PBEM and having hosted many games sadly it has - though not often in my experiance. The Last open to the public game I hosted was a highly themetic Stars games where I had put significant time into prep work and got a third party player to do the setup. The game had rrstrictions on diplomacy both pre game and for the first 10 or so turns. An overly competitive player pushed the boundries, then broke them and was dobbed in by other players. He bawled like a stuck pig when caught out and he had a friend playing to back him up . . .
If I had not been playing as well as hosting I think I would have been able to deal with it easier/better. As it was it was very unpleasant. Alot of time, work, and creativity was wasted in the end. I wish I had tried the shared hosting idea.
Hosting can be alot of work - and quite a bit of stress when players are not getting in turns repeatidly or getting overly competitive. Remember this and be nice to your host. Thanking them at the end of the game is a minimum. Accusing them of cheating because you "feel certain" they must have is out - if you are not prepared to trust them don't play with them.
Cheers
Keir
[ January 26, 2004, 08:42: Message edited by: Keir Maxwell ]
Re: Urgent. Host Cheating: Problem and Solution.
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