Tuesday 5 November 2013

Tournament players

I know I have only been to two 40k tournaments but something that irritated me while I was at my 1850 one was the attitude of one of the players, which quite frankly baffled me. Every one that I talked to and two of the players I faced where great guys, friendly, took their punches, were graceful in victory and knew their rules. Yet the last guy that I faced was the opposite.


Probably about a year ago Mercer over at imperius Dominatus wrote about whiny 40k players and quite honestly I had never really faced such an issue before, until now. While I wouldn’t say my opponent was terrible, his attitude towards the game and how the game unfolded was not what I expected.

When I went to the tournament I had certain expectations, I assumed people would be using net lists of great power, I wouldn’t stand a chance and even if I get crushed its only a game, don’t get to serious about it. Maybe it was just me, maybe some people get to invested in a game and take it all rather serious, as after all, 40k is serious business.

One of the biggest problems I had with this guy was that his belief that I was trying to cheat him every time I corrected him on his rules. I don’t expect everyone to know every rule, hell I know I don’t know everything and if someone corrects me all I ask is a page number and carry on having learnt something. However my opponent consistently argued with me over rules after I showed him the rules in the book! Even then he asked three other people before finally accepting the correct rules. An example, deny the witch, he was insistent that you can only deny on a 4+ if your psyker is 2 levels higher than the one casting the power, no idea where he got that from. It then carried on with you can only deny one power a turn, again no rules like that even after I showed him the book.

Another thing that got under my skin a little was that he started to complain that elder are ‘over powered’ when a unit or two of his died. Yes elder are powerful now, I wont deny it, but you don’t really have any right to complain about other peoples armies when you have 5 monstrous creatures (4 flying) and a heldrake. Something about he without sin and stones.


I don’t know why but it really irritated me. I hope that I dealt with the situation well enough, but what would you guys do in that sort of situation? Is it just a part of 40K that you have to deal with?   

4 comments:

  1. Fully understand how you could feel that way. Sound like he was a prize bell-end.
    I often get rules wrong and if corrected like to see it in writing to help me memorise it better for later but to take what's on the paper in front of you then question that via other players is taking it to the extreme.

    Having played against someone who will cry OP because he loses models it's also frustrating, in our group's case, standard Guard with lasguns are apparently OP... this coming from a Cron player

    Nothing worse than a good day spoilt by the poor attitude of one person, especially worse being the last game of the day and not having anything afterwards to wash it away.

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  2. I understand and its even worse if you're the person taking ruthless lists to the tournaments (which I do, but only to tournaments and not friendly games.) When you've taken a list that is powerful some players seem to believe that they're under some kind of obligation to poke holes in everything you do. I'm consistently having to prove how cover works for vehicles, the ordinance rules work, or to determine facing. At least one player at each tournament will challenge me on all three, defy the rule book as clearly broken when I give him the text, and the complain when I ask him to backup his own rules.

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  3. Can you explain the Deny the Witch scenario a little more? I'd like to know what he was arguing.

    As far as rude and obnoxious players go, they exist in 40k. Some people feel that winning a game of 40k or a tournament somehow validates their existence and makes them feel so much more superior than all the others. If you explain to them that it is a game and someone has to lose and someone has to win, they will dismiss you instantly because all they care about is winning.

    My own brother is like this. He loves 40k, almost too much. Everytime he kills something or wins a game he celebrates like he single handily won a million dollars. I can't play him anymore because he just isn't fun to play against. We always end up arguing abotu rules and he calls me a "rules lawyer." I am no rules lawyer, but if you are playing a rule wrong I will correct you. That's how people learn things, by doing them wrong. Some people, like your last opponent it seems and my brother don't understand that. Just becausey ou correct someone on rules does not makes you a "rules lawyer."

    You will unfortunately come across "those guys" in tournaments and it is always sour. I find that this occurs usually toward the ends of tournaments because they may be frustrated with how they will finish or thel osses they have taken. Take it with stride and try not to have it sour your mood or the tournament. "Those guys" exist and they can really put a damper on things. Stick to your guns and try not to get brow beat out of rules or take their insistent yelling or name calling.

    Hopefully the last opponent didn't ruin your tournament experience at this last one.

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  4. There's a lot of great information here. Daniel, Helmet and SCP provide solid info that is extremely helpful. Thanks for the comments, guys.

    Malduran, I encounter about one of those players a tournament as well. Like you and those who commented I also want to know about those rules. I may be too aggressive about wanting to know the rule, I had the book to them and ask them to show it to me. Instead of asking where it is in their book, I provide a resource easily available and ask them to show me. Few do. The rest ask players in other games. That frustrates me more than anything.

    I've been the player you mentioned, Malduran. That guy is long behind me and when I encounter one I breathe and remember what they are going through. It is great you've only experienced one of them out of the two tournaments you've attended. Wish you the best of luck should you encounter another in the future.

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