Better Gaming Part I: An Introduction

It seems that the more coverage a gaming tournament receives, the more the accusations fly. The blogs and forums fill up with articles and posts about cheating and arguments ensue. For those who are just getting into the hobby, regardless of which game they play, this is a complete turn-off. For those who have played for a while, this behavior just drains the fun out of the hobby.

As table-top gamers, we are our worst enemy when it comes to recruiting new players.

In the hopes of actually providing something useful to the gaming community I am writing this series on how to play a better game. The focus is different than most articles as this deals with your behavior while playing a game and doesn't focus on just calling people out and labeling them as cheaters, WAACs, or any other derogatory term. I hope to answer the question that we all should be asking: How do I make the gaming experience better for me and my opponent.

This isn't going to be discussion about competitive versus non-competitive play or how to build lists. It is not going to be a series about how to point out cheaters so you can call them out in the middle of games. It will be a series that will help all players consider how to make the game better.

For full disclosure, I do not play competitively. In fact, I do not thing that table-top gaming is designed to be played competitively. The question I ask is would you play Monopoly against someone you just met and play it competitively? Sounds odd, doesn't it. However, Monopoly has a tighter ruleset than table-top wargames. It makes more sense to play Monopoly competitively than Warhammer Fantasy or 40k.

With that said, I understand the desire of those who do play competitively and I think those who do are a vital part of the gaming community.

In my view, there are three types of games: competitive, pick-up, and basement gaming.

Competitive is obviously tournament-style playing. You are either playing at a tournament or practicing for one. Some people always play competitively.

Pick-up games are variable as they can go either way. You either know your opponent well or just met him. You either agreed to play competitively or casually or you have made no agreement at all.

Basement gaming is playing against someone you know well and trust to the point where you can go refresh your drink while your opponent is moving and shooting without the fear of being cheated.

While most of the vocal gaming community talks about competitive or pick-up gaming, in my opinion most players are actually basement gamers. They are just not vocal, which is the nature of that style.

This series of articles will not be discussing basement gaming (there is a whole other series of articles for that). This series is about competitive and pick-up games.

We will discuss dice rolling, movement, modeling, and other topics from the viewpoint of not pointing out cheating or shady actions, but describing how you can ensure your opponent does not have the opportunity to accuse you of cheating. This, in turn, will make for a much more relaxed and better gaming experience for those involved.

Before we start, you do need to understand the perspective of those who either cheat or do questionable things during a game. Most cases are just simple mistakes. There are a lot of things happening during a game and many people just make mistakes. You probably do, too, but are unaware of them. So if you see something shady, understand that the action may not have been done intentionally.

In other cases, some people believe that, in a competitive environment, every aspect of the game is considered in winning. This not only includes the rules, but your knowledge of the rules, what you let your opponent get away with, etc. For example, if your opponent does not roll for reserves on purpose and you do not call him on it, who's fault is it? If your opponent describes an army specific rule but does not describe the downside of that rule, is it his fault that you do not know his army?

True, this mindset normally gets labeled as Win At All Costs (WAAC), but those players exist and you will come across them in your travels. I am not throwing judgment but am simply stating a fact. Some people play that way.

Then there are those players that just simply need to win for psychological reasons. Losing, in their psyche, is an insult against them and degrades their manhood. They pour so much of their time, energy, and emotion into the game that they measure themselves by their w/l record. Sounds strange, I know. This is more prevalent in younger players who need an outlet to prove and identify themselves. For these players, winning at any cost poses no problem for them.

Again, I'm not judging. I am just stating my observations about the motivation for some people. You will meet players from all walks of life and they all play for different reasons. This series isn't going to discuss the merits or lack thereof for each type of player. We are going to simply state that these different types of players exist and most players don't easily fit into one simple category but show characteristics of a couple of categories.

So sit back and enjoy the series. I hope that through this series I can inject a bit of civility into the community as a whole.

Click here to read Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. Part 5.