Posted by brianplath on 8/30/2019 6:40:00 PM (view original):
This topic really comes down to your worldview. Are you the type of person that thinks in zero sum terms or win/win, do you place personal satisfaction above the satisfaction of the group, etc.? If the formers, by all means do whatever you can to win. Snipe the newbies in trades. Justify it as "everyone pays their dues" or "how else are they supposed to learn". But realize that this cultivates a league that is not very enjoyable for anyone because:
1) the new guys aren't happy and leave once they realize they got swindled
2) those new guys that stick around aren't happy once they realize they have to snipe the fresh meat but aren't as good at it/don't have the built in advantage that the the perennial trophy winning whale owners do
3) the five or so whales of the league that feed off the fish are only happy when his team wins the trophy while the others curse their luck or other owners.
If I play the game strictly to win then I'm doing it wrong. If I'm playing it because I enjoy the challenge, the banter, learning, teaching, watching my players break records, the excitement of a draft or IFA signing, a hard fought playoff game, etc. then I'm having a blast regardless of my team's record.
IMHO, trades that aren't initiated with a win/win/win (initiating trade owner/receiving owner/rest of league) mindset are a detriment to everyone's enjoyment of the game.
I have changed my mind since my 2019 post on this chain. I now mostly agree with Brian's post above. In fact, I'd take it a step further and bet that at least some of the people on this chain that are defending lopsided trades are part of the cause of this game spiraling downward.
I understand and agree that trades are not transacted in a vacuum, but when a trade takes place where one owner gets a young top ten player at his position and the other owner gets a 22nd man on the mlb roster type, a 23rd man on the mlb roster type and AAAA player in return, vacuum or no vacuum, that trade only benefits one team and likely causes trouble in the World. If you're the owner transacting that trade, that immediately tells me you don't give a F about the World. Don't hide behind the fact that the other owner should know better! No. You should know better! The same owner that transacts this kind of trade is the same owner that acts oblivious once people call him out, too.
Don't even get me started on the basic arithmetic, either -- the fact that before the trade even happened, the owner likely tried to negotiate multiple lopsided trades with other owners. I know owners that use that pest mentality where they just keep sending trade chats over and over to you to get you to trade them your best players.
Im actually trying to cut teams right now, but im having trouble choosing which Worlds to cut. I had planned to stay in one World, but as soon as I found out that one of these pesty owners was invited to the World, it made my decision easy. After ten seasons, I left that World. Sure enough the pesty owner came into the World and transacted 15 trades in his first season and 9 trades so far a few weeks into his second season. I don't know how many of these trades were lopsided. I also don't know how many people he irritated to get to the point of transacting 24 trades in less than four months. However, I do know that transacting that many trades in that short of a time period seems more like a game of Pokemon than it does a baseball game. Last time I checked, this game is named Hardball Dynasty not Magic: The Gathering.
11/12/2023 7:56 AM (edited)