Collectively abandon game strategy abuse

[D1EGO84]

I've recently noticed that there is a player who plays a lot in 7 Wonder Duel Arena who often asks his opponent to abandon the game when he's facing an unfavorable setup - typically when he is second player and only has access to one refresh wonder. Statistically, about one in three times, the opponent falls into the trap and agrees to quit, allowing the player to walk away without having to play a game he would most likely lose.

Setup plays a major role in 7 Wonders Duel and this subtle strategy significantly reduces his chances of losing. In Arena mode, this can unfairly help mid-level players climb the rankings beyond their actual skill level.

Wouldn't it make more sense to remove the option to abandon the game in Arena mode? I understand there are situations where players genuinely can't finish a game due to disconnections or unexpected issues, but perhaps it would be enough to retain only the option to switch to turn-based mode in such cases.

[Osimani]

Haha, so it happened to you too? It happened to me 3 or 4 times with the same person (I suspect it's the same user you're talking about). I think I agreed to leave the first time, but after that, I always denied his requests.

I'm a mediocre 7WD player, but on one of those occasions, I managed to beat him in a game; it was quite fun. I have no idea how the point system works in Arena, so maybe I could have earned points by leaving. I'm interested in playing; I understand there's an ultra-competitive gaming scene, but those aren't desirable behaviors. I don't really care because I play to pass the time, but for players who are competing for top spots, it can be frustrating. I agree with your request, Diego.

[Scops]

This player isn’t just asking to abandon the game when he’s behind in the draft - he’s doing it at any point during the game when he’s on the verge of losing, including in Age 3 just one move before the end. And unfortunately, many naive players accept the offer simply because they’re being polite.

It’s hard to call it anything other than cheating.

[Oxmeister]

I can't think of any specific issue with disallowing the proposal to collectively abandon 7WD duel games for arena, but don't know how well that holds for other multiplayer games. More generally, I'd prefer individuals who are blatantly abusing the rules were dealt with than the options have to be changed for all, but that might put too much moderation burden on BGA.

I like the idea of restricting the request to a switch to turn based ( perhaps defaulting to one move a day or something) though, as the vast majority of genuine reasons to need abandonment would be catered for with this.

[R-Cane]

This player isn’t just asking to abandon the game when he’s behind in the draft - he’s doing it at any point during the game when he’s on the verge of losing, including in Age 3 just one move before the end. And unfortunately, many naive players accept the offer simply because they’re being polite.

It’s hard to call it anything other than cheating.

While I find the behavior that was discribed by the OP quiet deplorable, calling it cheating is completly absurd. The person who made the mistake is the player agreeing to it. They are basicly enabling this behavior. And it´s not like they cant say no. They easily could. And if everyone of them would do so, the person wouldn`t even try it anymore.

For me this discussion feels more like a cry for help from people who dont want to take up responsibility. Not everything needs to be ruled or moderated.

If people act in a way that doesn`t reflect the values of the community, it is up to the community to adress that issue and try to resolve it. But that`s just my opinion.

If the majority of the community speak out and want rules to be changed, then that`s the way the community wants it.

Just remember that by doing so (for example by removing the possibility to forfeit at 50%) you are also taking away everyone elses option to forfeit in an unwinable game and therefor forcing them to continue playing until the game is completed or to loose karma. In 7 Wonders Duel that isn`t that much time, but there are games where this would mean that you have to stay in a game for half an hour or more longer, dragging out an foregone conclusion, just because you dont want to loose karma.

[D1EGO84]

If you're losing, you can resign and lose the game. I'd like to abolish the "joint resignation" rule, which allows a draw. Those who resign often do so because they believe their opponent is in good faith, but in some cases, it's simply a technique to avoid playing disadvantageous games. My suggestion was both a way to improve this feature and a way to inform 7WD players of this practice so they don't resign.

[R-Cane]

Well, the "inform" part is actually great I think, because some may have enabled those people because they just dont know that they are being used. Which is not their fault.

That being said, I always made a huge difference wether my opponent wanted to abort a game while it is neutral or in their favour (because then I dont think it`s a technique) or if they are clearly loosing.
In the later case my way to proceed is to tell them to wait to 50% and forfeit, and depending on the game played and the state of the game I rush towards 50%. When after that point is reached, if they then dont want to forfeit, then I generally feel confirmation that said opponent just tried to trick me.

[BoardMasterGamer]

While the actions of the player in question are certainly bad sportsmanship and arguably a breach of the BGA code of conduct, removing the option to collectively abandon would cause far more problems than it would solve.

In order to remove the option specifically for this game, you would need to remove it on all arena games. While not a problem with 7wd, there are games that can get into a deadlock, in which neither player can progress the game. It doesn't matter if this happens through a bug or strange rules, it is still something that happens. Without the ability to collectively abandon, the only way for such a game to be resolved would be for one player to surrender.

It is unfortunate that a player is abusing this tool, but that doesn't mean that it should be taken away from everyone.

[Scops]

This player isn’t just asking to abandon the game when he’s behind in the draft - he’s doing it at any point during the game when he’s on the verge of losing, including in Age 3 just one move before the end. And unfortunately, many naive players accept the offer simply because they’re being polite.

It’s hard to call it anything other than cheating.

While I find the behavior that was discribed by the OP quiet deplorable, calling it cheating is completly absurd.

If you don’t consider this behavior cheating, I think you’re missing the core issue.

It’s true that you’re not cheating within the context of the single abandoned game. However, you are absolutely gaining an unfair advantage in the broader Arena competition.

7WD is heavily influenced by the initial setup — whether you go first or second matters a lot, and the number of replay wonders is a significant factor as well.

Top players can maintain win rates of 75–80%, or even 90%+ over shorter streaks. Obviously, most losses tend to come from unfavorable setups (for example, going second with fewer replays).

Over time, everyone should experience a roughly even distribution of good and bad setups. But if a player systematically avoids a portion of the bad ones by pressuring opponents into abandoning those games, they end up playing a disproportionately higher number of favorable setups compared to others.

That creates a clear competitive advantage, not through better play, but by manipulating the system. I’m not sure what better term there is for that other than cheating.

[Chris Me]

Scops said it all in his last post!
It’s clearly cheating.
Imagine you’re taking part, in real life, in a real whist, belote or poker tournament, and every time you’re dealt a bad hand, you say: ‘Sorry guys, let’s call this round off and deal the cards again’.

As for the player we’re talking about, I was appalled to notice this systematic strategy recently. And I can now see from Diego’s post that he’s clearly been using this cheating tactic for over a year!!!

Why this behaviour, for a simple game where there’s nothing to be won but honour! What’s the satisfaction of winning like that?

Fortunately, despite the advantage gained by this cheating, the player in question has never won the arena so far.

Personally, I wouldn’t change the rules of the game for everyone, but I would kick the cheaters out of the arena – and in the case of the player in question, the statistics from his neutralised games are clear and unequivocal proof.