"Take the Win" - or Don't

One of the lessons that I learned quite effectively from the strategy of playing Magic: the Gathering is this:

Take the Win

Before I make the "... or Don't" point, let me explain what "Take the Win" means.

If your object is to win the game you're playing (and for most competitive games, that's true) then it's important to consider if each decision could result in an immediate win. Then, if it will, take it. Take the win.

It may sound obvious, but it can be a difficult rule to remember when you're in a heated game, or when your deck is almost working, or your opponent is distracting you. I'm finding that it's even harder to remember in some games than in others.

What's hard about it? Well, in some games, there are multiple ways to win, and you might be focusing on one, oblivious to the fact that another victory condition is about to be met -- if only you recognize it and seize the moment. Similarly, in some games (and Magic is a very good example) you have planned to win with one tactic, and you're so certain you can win that way, that you leave other victory conditions alone. And then, boom, your opponent's strategy takes hold and you lose.

So clearly, you should "Take the Win" if you can get it.

So, why would I say "... or Don't?"


I'm playing Civilization IV now, and there are several victory conditions. I reached the point in my second game where I could have won by Diplomatic Victory (being elected to head the United Nations) but I let that victory condition go by. Why?

Because I wasn't done learning what I needed to know!

The game was clearly in my control. No one else would win. But I wanted to see how much longer it would take to gain control of the requisite 64% of the world's land for a Domination Victory. I wanted to see if my opponents would do something to prevent it, and if so, what they would do.

When one is first learning a game, I think it's instructive to focus on examining how a game works. If taking a win ends the game before you've learned what you need to know, then you've won a battle, but your war may suffer.

This is meta-strategy. My second game of Civ IV is not simply about winning the game. It's also about learning the game. Winning can sometimes get in the way of that; at least, winning too early can. So, sometimes, taking the win is the right thing to do, but sometimes, it's not. It depends on the overall objective of the particular game.