Dream revisited- the game of strategy

We seemed to be gaining the lead

Our enemy points out something we missed

With a cockiness in their tone

"Any further development along these lines

and you force the Apocalypse

You have no moves remaining."

We consider solemnly

"Our only move is to force this loss for all, a tie."

My team resolves itself to this end

Horror fills the eyes of my enemies

They had never seen this before:

Annihilative resolve.

They have one move remaining

Attack with heavy losses, in hopes of slowing us

In their attack a flash of strategy strikes

"If we appeared ready for this strike they would know they had no hope of success. Rather than lose they might let us finish, so we all lose.

If we did not appear ready, but in fact were, they would attack and their forces would be crushed against our defenses. We could then play the game as normal, although with limited resource potential, always a second from the Apocalypse, and try to recover our deficit. If they ever gained too much advantage, a single press would mean the end, already shown to be an end we would accept. Their direct advantage stronger, any attack against them had little hope, but if they left us with no hope they would ensure we would press the button over losing to them. So our attacks might be made, defense choreographed with apparently acceptable losses on each side, so the game might persist until they could devise a more suitable strategy to take us all at once by surprise. Assuming this strategy can be found, we will lose; assuming it cannot, this game is a stalemate, which is the end we can force already. Thus, persistence in this game is progressing to a loss for our side, one we may be unable to expect. Thus, each tick of this clock becomes representative of the loss we cannot abide, and any given second we find ourselves in is preferable to any subsequent second, in terms of pushing the button, if an alternate solution to winning and losing, or finding an acceptable form of stalemate, is not offered in its place."

Each side considers and something is heard from the audience "We have only one move."