>> An Issola who has learned the game throroughly will no doubt play >> honte, right up until the point where it is appropriate to play >> hamete. And will then surprise you. > >I think not. It is *never* appropriate to play hamete; a correct >response always leaves one worse off. One would have to assume one's >opponent a fool, and that seems a most unlikely assumption for an Issola. I don't think it would be assuming one's opponent a fool. Rather, it would be taking advantage of the opponent's assumptions that the Issola in question is exactly what he appears to be. The thing to remember about the Issola is that they'll be unflaggingly polite and disingenuous, right up to the point where they kill you. "Issola strikes from courtly bow" is, I think, more than just a literary allusion to a stork-like bird. I'd guess that an Issola can be as ruthless and sneaky as a Jhereg when it's "appropriate". A Dragon playing against a Yendi would expect hamete play; perhaps even become suspicious if the Yendi was NOT playing that way. Against an Issola, he'd be much more likely to fall prey to his assumptions that all Issola are courtiers and seneschals rather than strategists and tacticians. The point of hamete, if I understand it correctly, is to appear to be making a mistake while actually laying a trap for the opponent. The Issola wouldn't have to believe his opponent a "fool"; just gullible or "bigoted" in the sense of being stuck on a stereotype and therefore unable or unwilling to entertain the notion that his opponent might actually be a talented strategist. I shouldn't be at all surprised to learn that most handovers of the Orb to House Issola occur as a result of a bold political strike or outright assassination. Yes, the Orb supposedly doesn't brook assassination but Dragaeran history (as related by Paarfi) shows that the Orb has changed hands many times under questionable circumstances, where it's unwillingness to protect the Emperor was taken as the sign that the Cycle had turned. While the Issola we've been introduced to have all seemed to be genuinely nice and pleasant people, I think it's reasonably clear that the average Issola retainer wears his congeniality as a mask, much like a Yendi wears whatever personality he's decided is fashionable today. Issola are the ultimate passive-aggressive opponent, and the most deadly since they're the ones you're least likely to suspect of betrayal unless you happen to be savvy enough to see them for what they are instead of what they represent themselves to be. The fact that many, maybe most, Issola ARE what they appear to be simply makes it that much more difficult, and therefore deadly, when the truly dangerous members of the House get down to the business of eliminating you from the game.