Scorched earth

[Morkilus]

I don't consider the analogy to a tournament sports player valid at all. A tournament is by definition NOT a multiplayer game, and almost all non-duel, non-team Dominions games are. The point of a multiplayer game is to do the best you can, and maybe be the one on top when it ends; it is not a series of matches. There are alliances, 2-on-1's and 3-on-1's, and so on.

Besides, if a player wants to have fun and keep playing, there's no reason he should give up at any point just so the dominant player can have an easier time beating others. If you aren't having fun losing or see a point to it (roleplaying, "honor", or otherwise), find a replacement or simply go AI. Under ridiculously overbalanced circumstances such as 4-man pile-ons, I've gone AI when reduced to a few provinces, but I also think it's fun to give a dominant opponent as much hell as I can in the off chance that he'll leave me alone for a minute out of frustration. Otherwise I feel like it's throwing the game for no particular reason.

[konming]

Just a few random thoughts:

About "sore loser". While he may be sore because you attacked him and he lost, you are certainly also sore because he scorthed earth and cause you to lose as well. Do I sense another sore loser?

About "deter aggression". Losing an all powerful, artifact ladden SC to some soul slay or life for a life is frustrating. So you will think carefully before you do this again, although you are still going to use SC anyway. Losing a game when you beat up a much weaker guy or gang up on some poor soul, and got scorth earth, is also frustrating. And maybe that will teach you something - maybe next time you should try to befriend some weaker nation instead of beating them to death.

About "sportsmanship". Well, this is a sport that you mercilessly beat up weak guys and have shadowy alliance coming down on other players. It is certainly valid to "injure" the other player as long as you are in the game because "injure" each other is what you do in this game. Really I do not see anyone complaining seriously about an opponent being more of a cakewalk than he should be. So I guess this has much more to do with losing than with "sportmanship".