Competitive v Cooperative
One of the nice things to see in some of the newer games (post 1960) is the ability to play on the same team. Unlike Monopoly, Risk, and the like the goal is not be the last man standing but something else. Sure there are deals and truces declared in the above games but the ultimate goal is to totally destroy everyone else.
My first exposure to “this is not always the rule” was Illuminati by Steve Jackson games. For those unfamiliar with the game, it is based on the idea that all organizations are parts of giant cabals. Many are theoretically unrelated but if you play your cards correctly, any organization can take over another organization in the ultimate goal of building a web of control where you meet your goal.
Further complicating matters is that each illuminati has a different goal. One player has the goal to collect a certain amount of money. That person would zero in on the revenue organizations (like the IRS). , another was to collect a certain number of weird groups, another was to destroy a set number of corporations. Double dealing was allowed because it allowed multiple people to work together for totally different objectives. (“Sure I am willing to give you that but I really need this other thing from you. You don’t need it but it helps me”). Of course with me playing it the machinations could get out of hand.
I fondly remember one game where there were six of us. We were all doing our own thing when I realized- by making a series of deals, we could all simultaneously win – except for one of my friends who I had a bit of a rivalry with. It is usually not too difficult for a person to agree with you letting them win despite you winning too. Multiplied by 5 and it became almost a no-brainer. Except for the person left out who vehemently tried to argue that it violated the rules of the game and, if not the actual rules of the game, then the ideals of the fair play, mom, apple pie, and a few other things he made up on the spot
We jokingly countered with “no, it does not say that” as he got more and more frustrated at us all teaming up. We let our vitory stand by a 5 to 1 vote which was not so much a matter of us ending the game as us being able to go to our next event.
He got even with me the next time we played by getting the rest of the people ahead of time to conspire against me. I was cut out of the group win.
