But is it meta?

[MeatPopsicle]

Have a hypothetical question about meta-gaming.

Suppose you're in a game, and you have a premium account, and you investigate the player ranking of someone else in the game. That seems fine to me so far -- you just know who you're playing against, right?

But then ... suppose you promote an alliance *based* on that information?

This is probably a really old question, and I apologize for the repetition. But it is generally considered "fair game" to point out to your allies that an opponent is a highly ranked player (who -- wouldn't it be great -- get knocked down a few pegs)? Or does that cross the line of "cross-game information sharing"?

thanks in advance,
~MI

[duckling]

Lots of people on this site know each other, and adjust their play to what they know.
Seeking out alliances with people you know or trust is technically meta-gaming, but not considered cheating, AFAIK.
(You’re not guaranteed they will go with you)

Trying to ally against them, to secure a win or draw, isn’t a problem either. (I can’t win against X alone, better get some help)

But you indicate that you would do so to hurt the player, not win the game.

In my book, that’s beyond reasonable use of information since your goal is now outside of the game.

[sinnybee]

Besides pre-arranged alliances, which are a huge no-no, the leadership here only really has pushed to remind of a 20% rule, which is a limit on how often you should generally ally with someone in the long-term.
There isn't really a hard rule against being enemies with someone.

[Nanook]

It’s debatably skeevy, and frowned on by some, but it’s not against the rules to ally against a player because they have a high rating. As long as you don’t point to specific games of theirs as reason to ally against them, it’s allowed.


On a personal level I would say don’t do that, it’s a crappy way to play the game. But on a mod level, yeah, it’s not considered cheating.

[Pootleflump]

*learns new word*

Skeevy
adj. Sleazy, disgusting, distasteful, shady, gross, creepy, icky. This slang word was popular in Brooklyn, NY, USA in the 1950's and 1960's. It comes from the Italian word Schifo; meaning, 'disgust'.

Thank you Professor Nook.

I rise to the challenge of trying to incorporate it somehow into this afternoon's meeting.