The chicken nugget she had been choking on flew out of her mouth onto the plate, and he comforted her, rubbing her back as she cried, her airway finally clear.
A phenomenon I've noticed in online games is just how much x-1 trade has become a button to push on a black box, and when people don't just go with it, it's like the ixian device just went off.
I've had people lose it, claim "no one will ever want to deal with you again" when I refuse to pay 1TG on a delayed non- binding x-1 as they're invading one of my systems.
I've had the second place try to offer to x-1 me as I'm making a push to hit the homeworld of the leader to stop them from scoring their final point, while I'm no where near winning, and they're wondering why I refused?
I've had people call me "playing favorites" because I gave a neighbor x-0(for various reasons) while offering x-1 to everyone else.
I get the utility of x-1, use it plenty myself, but has anyone else run into this, where trade seems to have lost some of its strategic nuance because others just expect the table to go with the convention?
Per the official rules, there are two kinds of deals. Binding and non-binding. We know what binding deals are, and we know that non-binding can be reinforced with promissory notes. But of course, this is space opera, and it wouldn't be opera without a dagger in the back, or, more appropriately, a fleet suddenly appearing on a trusted border with weapons locked.
With that being said, this is also a game with a lot of time investmen. We play it with the intention of fun, and with the intention that people will want to be back at the table again. Being a duplicitous backstabber consistently goes against this; even traitors have standards!
So in everyone's opinion, where is the line? Does game round factor into it? Does an immediate deal break (next turn) constitute an "I don't ever want to play with you again?" Or is all fair in love, war, and dice rolling?
My personal thoughts: Generally, my policy is that a deal is a deal unless one of two things are true.
Again, non-binding is non-binding, RAW there's no requirement if it's not an instantaneous effect. These are just how I tend to play to keep people returning to the table.