by Talenn
Hi,Thanks for the response and the rationale for the rule. I figured that we would need to actually see the game in motion to fully understand the tug of advancing vs retreating the pawn.
However I chose my chess analogy with care. I do not believe that chessplayers who are disadvantaged trying to play for a stalemate would consider that two-year-old behavior or poor sportsmanship etc.
All points in Exile Sun appear to be 'above board' (everyone know who has how many points) so it's possible for a player to determine if he/she is pretty much out of the running and no longer able to win. Granted they can just advance the pawn to push the game to a conclusion but if they can forestall defeat by simply using a core mechanic in the game I can easily see that being considered a valid choice akin to playing for the stalemate in chess. I mean it's not like they are knocking the board over or picking up their pieces and going home....they are using a mechanic included in the game. And the included race that can move the pawn twice/turn could push it to a stalemate even easier.
In general, I dont expect it to be a problem with most groups but I think having a House Rule in the back pocket to deal with the situation is not unwarranted. I'm considering possibly: the same player can't move the pawn backwards twice in a row. This way even players who feel that playing to a stalemate is more desirable than playing to a loss know from the outset that stalling like that cannot change the final equation and therefore they have no incentive to stall in the first place.