Is deadbeating ever a viable strategy?

[ManBungalow]

Rules/guidelines aside here. Totally hypothetical.
This is very much a "what if?" thread.

'Viable strategy' here depends what your intended outcome is...some play to win, others to gain points. If your intention is to piss other players off, your viable strategy might well be quite radical.

Deadbeating in a singles game? I can't see this ever being beneficial. Maybe if you're in an assassin trench warfare game, and somebody is coming at you but has a three region path to cross (ergo takes three turns to take with trench warfare, giving you time to deadbeat) in order to eliminate you. But if you deadbeat, maybe a higher ranked player will win instead, and you will lose fewer points. This is the first instance of intended outcomes differing as I mentioned above. Let's assume you're going to lose the game either way. Your aim is to lose fewer points...this is a maybe. However, this example is really, really stretching the bounds of what's possible.
Also, am I correct in assuming that if your target in an assassin game deadbeats, you inherit his target? That's kinda important in this example.

But deadbeating in team games?
Let's first look at region-count bonuses. You and your partner in a doubles game both have 11 regions for 3 troops each. However, you deadbeat. Your partner has 22 regions for 7 troops. Interesting.
However, I don't think this is ever viable in sequential games, as your partner loses a huge advantage in the turn order. Between each of your partner's turns (after you've deadbeated), the opposing team can deploy twice and there's nothing you can do to intercept that.

In freestyle team games? Well, maybe. Not only does one player inherit the teammate's region-count bonus, but he might also swallow up and claim a bonus which was split between the team before. And there's no problem with the turn-order if one assumes that you would be playing concurrently anyway. Well, that said, there is an important benefit of having more than one player on a team taking a turn: when you have deployed your troops to break a bonus on the other side of the map, you happen to fall short at the last region. Your teammate, turn started and waiting to deploy, can drop some troops on you to finish the job. This can't be achieved solo, because once you've deployed...you've deploy. Unless you eliminate somebody and re-cash some spoils, but whatever.

However, I feel that in 99% of situations with potential for tactical deadbeating, the benefits of just taking those 3 extra turns and doing damage with them outweighs the benefits described above. This is true especially in team games, as autodeploys and deferred troops aren't inherited by the teammate.

And some other stuff. Zzzzzzzzz...

[iAmCaffeine]

In doubles games consisting of four teams it is pretty common for a player (often when their partner has been eliminated) to accumulate a large bonus and then miss two turns, making other players think they've quit. However, unsurprisingly, they return before missing the third turn, play with their large bonus then slap down two turns worth of huge bonuses.

Although not as sad as the strategy itself, people still haven't really clicked onto this tactic. Not deadbeating I realise, but it seems relevant.

[premio53]

In doubles games consisting of four teams it is pretty common for a player (often when their partner has been eliminated) to accumulate a large bonus and then miss two turns, making other players think they've quit. However, unsurprisingly, they return before missing the third turn, play with their large bonus then slap down two turns worth of huge bonuses.

Although not as sad as the strategy itself, people still haven't really clicked onto this tactic. Not deadbeating I realise, but it seems relevant.

That tactic puts someone on my foe list. Deadbeating by any other name is still deadbeating.

[iAmCaffeine]

Yeah, agreed.

[premio53]

I'm hoping the new owner will put a stop to giving any reward for missing turns. There should be no advantage in that. None!

[BigBallinStalin]

I deadbeating all over ManB's mom, and she didn't seem to mind, so yes, deadbeating is a viable strategy.

[betiko]

you are not mentioning spoils, with a teammate deadbeating in an escalating, you'd rather finish fast one of your enemies!

also yes as mentioned: a very popular and effective 3 way stalement strategy is to miss 2 turns so that the other 2 think the player is deadbeating and then the guy comes back for the third turn to swipe them. 3 ways stalements always end up badly!

you are not mentioning another scenario: in an objective map, it's possible that both partners are holding certain objectives; and if one guy deadbeats the oher has all objectives and wins. that one is a bit twisted as i don t see how it could work.

other thing: before, with the previous round limit rule, some players used to deadbeat and the team with the player with the most troops (not overall team troops) used to win. fortunately this can't happen anymore.

[premio53]

The bottom line is there is no reason for rewarding missing turns.

[Timminz]

But deadbeating in team games?
Let's first look at region-count bonuses. You and your partner in a doubles game both have 11 regions for 3 troops each. However, you deadbeat. Your partner has 22 regions for 7 troops. Interesting.
However, I don't think this is ever viable in sequential games, as your partner loses a huge advantage in the turn order. Between each of your partner's turns (after you've deadbeated), the opposing team can deploy twice and there's nothing you can do to intercept that.

If you and your teammate have dropped exactly half each of a large bonus, deadbeating could be a more efficient way of getting one teammate the entire bonus. No cannibalism required, thus saving troops.

[betiko]

But deadbeating in team games?
Let's first look at region-count bonuses. You and your partner in a doubles game both have 11 regions for 3 troops each. However, you deadbeat. Your partner has 22 regions for 7 troops. Interesting.
However, I don't think this is ever viable in sequential games, as your partner loses a huge advantage in the turn order. Between each of your partner's turns (after you've deadbeated), the opposing team can deploy twice and there's nothing you can do to intercept that.

If you and your teammate have dropped exactly half each of a large bonus, deadbeating could be a more efficient way of getting one teammate the entire bonus. No cannibalism required, thus saving troops.

still dumb 99% of the time. the other team has 3 rounds to hammer you, not to mention if spoils are involved

[Timminz]

But deadbeating in team games?
Let's first look at region-count bonuses. You and your partner in a doubles game both have 11 regions for 3 troops each. However, you deadbeat. Your partner has 22 regions for 7 troops. Interesting.
However, I don't think this is ever viable in sequential games, as your partner loses a huge advantage in the turn order. Between each of your partner's turns (after you've deadbeated), the opposing team can deploy twice and there's nothing you can do to intercept that.

If you and your teammate have dropped exactly half each of a large bonus, deadbeating could be a more efficient way of getting one teammate the entire bonus. No cannibalism required, thus saving troops.

still dumb 99% of the time. the other team has 3 rounds to hammer you, not to mention if spoils are involved

It would depend on a few things, but there are definitely situations where it could be viable.

[Dukasaur]

But deadbeating in team games?
Let's first look at region-count bonuses. You and your partner in a doubles game both have 11 regions for 3 troops each. However, you deadbeat. Your partner has 22 regions for 7 troops. Interesting.
However, I don't think this is ever viable in sequential games, as your partner loses a huge advantage in the turn order. Between each of your partner's turns (after you've deadbeated), the opposing team can deploy twice and there's nothing you can do to intercept that.

If you and your teammate have dropped exactly half each of a large bonus, deadbeating could be a more efficient way of getting one teammate the entire bonus. No cannibalism required, thus saving troops.

still dumb 99% of the time. the other team has 3 rounds to hammer you, not to mention if spoils are involved

It would depend on a few things, but there are definitely situations where it could be viable.

Yeah, there are, but most of the time it's a prescription for total failure.

And I suppose that's as far as we can go, without actually having a statistical analysis of how many times does this tactic actually work versus how many times is it a dismal failure.

[Donelladan]

If you are able to survive 3 turns while your parnter is deadbeating, and still have the opportunity of having this hypothetical entire bonus after 3 turns playing 1 against 2, then you would have win also without your partner deadbeating, obviously. So useless in all the case !!

[clowncar]

I doubt deadbeating can be a viable strategy going into "missed turn #1" but it can be a very viable strategy in situations where the player has missed two turns unintentionally and then is present to make or miss his third turn.