[thejeff]

I talk about the late game because that's where it's really problematic. Early on, I agree with you. There's not much cost to stay in, since turns are still fairly short, and there's a much better chance of being able to pull off a recovery if your opponent gets distracted.

But you are requiring everyone to commit for the long haul. Until they win or are completely eliminated. That means many will be staying into the late game.

The nature of the power curve in this type of game means once you fall far enough behind it's really hard to catch up. It's one thing if you're close to par on research and resources, but lose a few battles, even lose most of your armies. If you are far enough behind in research and resources, your opponent will not only be able to beat you in the field but keep getting farther ahead of you in research.

You say Dominions is less predictable than chess, which is true. But consider your example: An Air Queen can beat whole armies. Which means, when your opponent has Air Queens (& other SCs) while you only have armies, there isn't much you can do. Sure there are tactics for countering SCs, but they really require some level of parity. It's very possible to be outclassed with no real chance of catching up. You're already behind in research, devoting more mages to battle puts you even farther behind, even if it lets you win a few pyrrhic victories.

On the larger scale, it may be hard to determine who is actually going to win, but it's often much easier to figure out who isn't. Once it becomes clear that I'm outclassed, it's much harder to maintain interest. When you can't accomplish anything, except maybe raid a couple lightly defended province and prove a nuisance, but you're not being finished off because he has more important things to worry about, there's little fun left.

And frankly, it all comes down to fun. I don't play Dominions to get better at Dominions. I don't even play to win. I play because it's fun. Getting better does make it more fun, but if I spend to much time learning but not enjoying, it's not worth it. Maybe that makes me not hardcore. That's Ok.