Goatboy’s Warhammer 40K: Tips to Create Great Friendly Games
Goatboy here with my tips to have great friendly games even when you are trying hard to win.
Today let’s continue my discussion about getting in gear to play this 40k competitive season I wanted to go over a few things to help create a better environment when you get to the tabletop. These small things can shift a tough game from being a slog to actually be enjoyable. I strive to have fun at an event and while not every interaction is the best – doing a few small things can help get this going in a positive direction.
This last event I probably had my worst outing in a long time but had 5 amazing games. My favorite opponent was Blair with her Sister of Battle that came down to my army killing St. Katherine to get myself 3 points and bring her score down by 5 to create a true tie Game. It was an awesome game and she ended up being my favorite opponent for the weekend. She hasn’t been playing too long but had a lot of notes, info, and know how about her army to ensure the game went smoothly and finished on time. But this is about creating a good environment so let’s get on with that.
How Do You Count Damage?
The biggest thing I think we could all move too is starting counting down on any model taking damage. I know a lot of players in the past would either use tokens to count out wounds or a dice to show many wounds the model has taken. The olden days of having models with a low wound count or almost every troop having one wound is pretty far gone now (except for CSM… damn you GW give me more wounds!) so take a dice and count down to the model going to 0 wounds is extremely helpful for players not used to all the armies on the tabletop. They won’t have to ask how many are left and can see right away that that model is stilling on 7 wounds left. I know it means more dice, wound disks, or other options to show this but having it on the tabletop just makes the game easier to dig thru.
Markers/Cards Help
This is the same with having cards or tokens to show effects you want to make sure are known. There are a lot of options on the table where you get to pick a unit and they get something extra spicy. I know that a lot of armies are setting up some things to be pretty simple to figure out with only a few units or a rather large option – but having these tokens or effect cards is really helpful. This type of information giving is great as you are giving it without having to be asked.
Please No GOTCHAS!
Speaking of being asked – if an opponent asks you the distance to a model tell them if there is anything you have that can affect that. There is nothing worse then saying hey can you measure out 48 inches on something and then they gotcha by saying oh I subtract x inches from your range. Anything gotcha-related should be given out as information to the player you are throwing down against. You can easily shift a game from a fun affair to a “don’t be a jerk” in an instant when someone feels like they were misinformed on the tabletop. You should tell your opponent I can make an X charge at my maximum roll to give them an idea on how far away they need to be.
Don’t Be Sneaky
This also moves into my next thing – when asking if something is ok make sure you can actually do it. There is nothing worse then asking for permission but without fully giving out the context of the ask. If you say hey can I get behind this terrain and you can’t see me make sure the opponent checks to make sure they can’t see you. If the opponent isn’t looking and says yes that doesn’t mean you can ignore the rules to get away with a permission. The game isn’t just you gold fishing your opponent with a barrage of dice rolls and rules interactions so try to make it worthwhile for both sides to bring their armies out to the tabletop.
Go Over Your Army Basics
I like to go over all the terrible things my armies can do when a game starts and while sometimes it can just be a barrage of data it can be helpful to let your opponent have good decision making to play the game. We all know that dice can screw us but having the rug pulled from under you because you didn’t give your opponent all the data is just not a fun way to win. Plus enough times and people remember how you can be and your games end up not being nearly as fun as everyone watches and expects your cheesy game play, dice rolls, and army builds.
~ What are your tips for having a great game?
Dont forget to smile!
