How do you figure out which questions need hypothetical(s) or not?

on_jupiter

I've wasted a lot of time trying to create scenarios for games that ultimately didn't need to or couldn't work with hypotheticals. Sometimes it's obvious, if there's too many possible scenarios then you just power through it, but several times (for me) it's not. Any tips?

Matt Sorr

Usually, I’ll make scenarios for a few reasons: first, if there’s a highly restrictive rule/variable that can only be placed in a few spots (like 2, 3, or 4) spots. This is the most obvious indicator that I want to split boards. Another reason I’ll make scenarios is if I think different scenarios could yield multiple inferences. For instance, if you’re doing an in/out game and there’s a never-together biconditional, you could see what happens when you place a variable in the in-group (and, therefore the other variable in the out-group) and vice versa. Sometimes this will lead to there only being a few possible board setups.

Ultimately, there’s no games that you “have to” make scenarios for or that you “can’t” attempt to make scenarios for. Scenarios are just a tool for you to use to make inferences and visualize possibilities. Attempt a bunch of games, watch 7Sage’s explanation videos, and really pay attention to when JY splits boards. Over time, you’ll develop sensitivity to games that you find useful to make scenarios for.

RaphaelP

Not positive I know what you mean by "scenarios" - do you mean splitting/sub gameboards? If so, I think the key question is less "do I need the split" and moreso "will it save me time and make this net-easier." Some things I'd ask to answer that big question about splits:

1) Are there any rules that are annoying to note/keep track of that I could eliminate just by placing on my board?
2) Is there a rule that will relate to other rules clearly? Good rule to split on.
3) If I split along this rule, will it push out other inferences, or is it sort of just a dead-end?

It's okay if you have a lot of possible scenarios, by the way. What matters is that they cleave along fairly predictable lines and allow you to make inferences along the way (and chop the game up) even if you don't use every board.