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Design And Production Of 6 Billion - Counter Issue 8 Game Theory By Anne Enthusiast - Counter Issue 11 Dave Farquhar's review of 6 Billion Dave Farquhar 1955 - 2004
- Mike Siggins for Counter #26 |
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BNBG - 6 Billion (My Response To Counter 7 review)
BNBG - 6 Billion (Response To Counter 7 - more)
BNBG - 6 Billion (Response To Larry Levy's Counter 11 comments)
BNBG - 6 Billion (Counter Issue 12) "There is no law of physics or biology that forbids cheap travel and settlement all over the solar system and beyond." Freeman J. Dyson (1999), Professor Emeritus of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study Princeton University, from "The Sun, The Genome and The Internet"
Stabbed in The Back
Alan How, Stuart Dagger, Mike Clifford and other Counter staff shared my stall at Spiel '99 (at no cost to them). You can read my Spiel '99 Report for more. I was repaid the favour with...
The Lies of Stuart Dagger
The Counter 7 review of 6 Billion contains the following lies from Stuart Dagger:
"...the reality as it has emerged in the game has no connection with realities of the scientific sort. Here the premises are
I am prepared to believe the third of these.
- The Earth can support a population over 100 times its present size. This growth can be achieved without any worries about land degradation, conflict over resources, and so on.
- All the other planets in the solar system are suitable for human habitation and every bit as bountiful and elastic-sided as this imaginary Earth.
- Some planets are further away than others.
But you don't need good believable science, or even good believable anything, to provide a framework for an interesting game. All a game needs are rules that fit nicely together to produce an entertaining and competitive situation and David's bits of science fantasy do that. When playing, you just have to imagine that you are in the scientific world of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, or even Kansas."
The Facts
From the Introduction in the 6 Billion rulebook:
"Population is the solution, not the problem. Human energy and resourcefulness will take us into space.
This is the premise for the game 6 Billion™."
Design Note from Section 6.3.1 (Growth Limit) of the rules:
"The population track represents population in the same orbit around the Sun as the planet, including any moons which orbit that planet, and the surface of the planet where appropriate. The Asteroid Belt, of course, encircles the Sun."
An Apology Is Called For
This is what I want from Stuart, and Counter magazine (to be published in Counter):
"Stuart Dagger, and Counter magazine, regret that the game premises for 6 Billion™ in the Counter review in issue 7 were incorrectly stated and are in no way representative of the actual game premises for 6 Billion™. Stuart Dagger would therefore like to withdraw his personal (and non-scientific) assessment of the scientific validity of the game. Stuart Dagger reiterates his opposition to the theme of the game, and recommends that readers of Counter contact David Coutts of Board Not Bored Games (bnbg6billion@optusnet.com.au) directly if they have views either way.
Stuart Dagger regrets abusing his position as editor of Counter to falsely represent the scientific premises of David Coutts' boardgame Billion™, and then failing to allow David Coutts to defend the actual scientific basis of the game in Counter and correct Stuart Daggers' harmful misrepresentations".
If you would also like to see these lines published in Counter magazine, then contact Stuart Dagger and say so.
For a list of articles by me, see the Articles page.
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Last modified: 16 September, 2004
