Mathhammer… Oh, How I Hate Thee.

2 Minute Read

Jun 19 2010

Why would someone with dyscalculia start playing a game nicknamed “mathhammer”?

For those unfamiliar: dyscalculia is a set of math related disabilities. Think of it as dyslexia – instead of the “there is no doG” joke, my joke would be “2 and 2 make fish.” I get the concepts, but numbers don’t translate properly. This, as you can imagine, makes Warhammer a bit more difficult for me than most.

I can’t build an army list without some sort of software if I want to get the point values right. I have to keep a copy of the wound charts handy so I can make sure my rolls are proper. Reading dice correctly can take me longer. The most annoying thing of all is that I occasionally have to ask my opponent to do basic arithmetic for me, and trust that they won’t screw me over – or think I’m a total idiot because my left parietal lobe doesn’t function properly.

One of the things I have to remind myself is that I know I’m not the only one out there that loves Warhammer, but hates math. And I know that a lot of my opponents are understanding and don’t consider me a moron because I can’t calculate a leadership check without help. [Note to my BoLSCon opponents: be prepared.]

So why do I play this game that relies so heavily on something that makes my brain want to explode? I like strategy and learning new tactics. I enjoy the friendly banter of a good opponent. I like hearing the back stories of people’s armies – the paint scheme, the mods they take pride in. Most of all: I like the particular group of players I’ve become a part of.

For those of you that hate math but love the game: what are the tricks you use to keep up?

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Author: The Girl

The Girl is a tabletop Games & miniatures professional with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Her specialty is the world of Games Workshop's Warhammer lines of products. She began writing for BoLS in 2010.

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