The challenges of multiplayer free for alls.

[Majai of Dreams]

At my Heroscape table, we have a great many multiplayer games that usually have between 3 to 5 people playing a free for all.
A normal 1 on 1 dual has the elements of both strategy and probability to contend with; but when one enters a game with multiple opponents, a third element enters the mix, politics.

In a good old fashioned dual, all you have to worry about is defeating your opponent and making sure everyone has fun in the process.
But now that there are many opponents, you have to be much more aware of what you are up against. And the mindset of all people involved.

Depending on how well you fight, you could draw the ire of the entire table and that is almost always a losing situation. You may demolish one opponent and someone will say “Hey! He hasn’t lost a single unit yet… GET HIM!”
Or you may have a general still in the game with only 1 pesky unit, but he has it out for you and will try and be a thorn in your side while you fend off the stronger opponents.

When there are 3 generals, you have to be mindful of how much fighting you do because if 2 generals exhaust most of their armies on each other, the remaining general plays cleanup.
Matches like that can also leave one general to be a “maker of kings”. He is not able to win the match, but he can sure hinder one opponent enough to let the other win. I personally hate to be on any side in that situation.

In the end it is a very sensitive situation. Knowing who to attack and when, and when to sit back, and when to move in for the final strike.

If you have held off more than one opponent at once, or have a good strategy for dealing with the human variables of a multiplayer game, I would love to hear what your technique is.