Table Talk and Secret Choices
General forum
Posted on Dec. 30, 2024, 12:37 p.m. by Abaques
So this last weekend in a commander game I managed to live the dream and cast Prisoner's Dilemma and copy it... then I flashed it back and copied that a few turns later. I didn't win that game, but it was a blast to do it.
When I cast the spell the group wanted to talk about it first before the secret vote. The table talk was pretty entertaining. In the first vote two people voted 'snitch' and one voted 'silence'. In all the three subsequent votes everyone voted 'silence' (though one player had been eliminated by the last two instances). So for context, this was at a kitchen table with a small group, not at an LGS or a tournament so we all knew each other.
After watching this play out I kind of think that I should have insisted on no table talk. I feel like if there wasn't the talk it would have been more likely that there were 'snitch' votes.
So looking for thoughts on if table talk should be allowed for Prisoner's Dilemma or similar cards?
TheOfficialCreator says... #3
I'd definitely say I prefer a secrecy aspect as that's really what makes the card function.
December 30, 2024 2:01 p.m.
I appreciate the thoughts. I think next time I'll make sure there is no table talk. I hope I'm able to pull that off again some time.
December 31, 2024 5:17 p.m.
SteelSentry says... #5
I get that it might be more beneficial to you for everyone to not discuss, but I don't know how much you'll be able to just get everyone to stop talking altogether. I play cards from the "Tempt with" cycle so I get where you're coming from, but the tables I'm used to at least, telling everyone to shut up and not discuss the spell that's being played feels like fun policing.
In this vein, however, there are a handful of cards that I would check out in this vein. Sadistic Shell Game is super fun every time I play it, and I also recommend Volcanic Offering and its ilk. They've done a good job iterating on the vote cards that frequently either "scale with stupidity" or never quite do what you want.
Crow_Umbra says... #2
Ooo Prisoner's Dilemma is such a fun design. It's a card I would have thrown into my old Anhelo, the Painter deck, had I not taken it apart.
I took a quick look at the card page for Prisoner's Dilemma on Scryfall. Based on the rulings listed there, you could have enforced no table talk.
"To secretly vote, each player writes down their chosen option without showing it to anyone else. Each player then keeps their vote secret until all players simultaneously reveal their votes. "
Here's some additional info from the Vote mechanic wiki page.
I play Council's Judgment in a couple of decks, and try to encourage the secrecy aspect of it as much as I can. If I cast it when I'm already ahead, I fully expect the rest of the table to vote for a single target that will be least detrimental to them lol.
December 30, 2024 12:57 p.m.