When developing in Python, the options for the output are rather limited -- only curses and SDL (via pygame) are available. In theory there's also libtcod, which sits on top of pygame, but despite how much it touts being cross-platform unlike straight up pygame it refuses to work on 64-bit OS X, making it a poor choice for this particular developer.
Of the remaining two, curses is easier to use and is, in theory, more cross-platform. It opens up the option to run the game in any terminal, in screen or over ssh. It could then conceivably be adapted to run via dgamelaunch -- a definite plus. Now, the downsides: the output is entirely at the mercy of the terminal, and there may need to be specific code changes to enable the game to display properly on any available terminals. It also leaves it up the user to properly configure their terminal colors, and furthermore the color options are going to necessarily be limited to xterm-colors to allow for widest support.
Pygame, on the other hand, is more challenging to develop for, as it deals with images rather than characters. Hence, more aspects of the game would need to be written from scratch. The benefits are huge, however -- cross platform compatibility ends up actually being greater, even as far as (in theory) running on Android devices. Additional huge pluses are: ability to have hexagonal grids (which is something I have been seriously considering), and a multitude of colors for greater gradations (important when lighting has significant in-game implications).
For now the winner is clearly pygame.
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