Warhammer 40K : Everyone, PLEASE Stop Doing These Tabletop Pet Peeves!
Goatboy here with my top three pet peeves on the Warhammer 40K Tabletop. We all need to work on these!
Goatboy here with a bit of a Hot Mess that can be annoying in a game. From little tabletop things that make life easier, to just making sure keep the game moving along – there are always things that just can create a frustrating aspect in the game. I’ll start with the top three pet peeves I feel we can work on to just let the game flow in a better way.
Pet Peeve 1: Counting UP for your Wound Counters
This is an old one that stems from the way a lot of players engaged within 40K back in the day. Counting UP for wound counters originated from the idea that players shouldn’t give up too much info in a game. While I can understand the rationale, it can lead to really frustrating gameplay. Giving your opponent all the info means you are playing with all your cards on the table. You are not trying to hide anything. Heck back in the day many Editions of 40K, you didn’t even have to show your armylists all the time.
Solution: Count DOWN, thus showing how many wounds something has left just ensures the other player knows what they can do and keeps things from getting frustrating.
I normally use an acrylic disk for models with a ton of wounds or a dice that doesn’t match anything else I use in the game. I try to keep it a bright yellow so it is easy to read and just makes sure I don’t mess up. It helps to have something easy to read, easy to differentiate, and simple enough to use to allow for an enjoyable game even if you are wrecking face or getting smashed down.
Pet Peeve 2: Incorrect Base Sizes
Look I know some new models have come out for your older army but at the very least make sure everything is on the right base size. It can be frustrating to see some really nice old models left on tiny little bases. It makes you feel like someone is trying to pull a fast one on you as this huge model can somehow get somewhere just due to its base size. This is an actual two-player game where there are more than just one player versus a computer. so you need to make sure everything is synched up and matching what we expect in the game.
Solution: Rebase those old minis, or use the base rings to get them legal.
Heck I think I have changed my Chaos Daemons Flesh Hound bases a few times in the years and while it can be frustrating it is just the proper thing to do if you want to play competitively. I don’t want any questions on if my model can actually fit in that doorway or if your Deep Strike actually valid. Why bring any chance for an out of game argument that puts your interaction in a poor light.
Pet Peeve 3: Hidden/Hard-to-Read Dice Rolling
Look I know sometimes you can have a big terrain piece that covers your general “game” area but we really should all be making sure our dice are seen by both players. There are also games where the table mat can be extra-bouncy and all the “fake” buildings have nice hidden ledges that love to hide your successful saving throws. It is just a baseline requirement in tWarhammer 40K that both playersneed to have as much upfront info always seen to ensure no one messes anything up.
In the same vein of rolling your dice so everyone can see just make sure your dice is readable. I strive to show every game that my dice that I normally use has their 6’s replaced by a golden Khorne Symbol and all the other ones are pips that resemble skulls. It is a very easy to read dice that I like to use because they are small enough to roll a bunch, easy enough to read across the table, and look cool as heck.
Solution: Roll those dice out in the open, and don’t use teensy, hard-to-decipher dice.
It is always these small things that can easily shift a game from being awesome to causing rifts that are not needed. We use this game as a method of escape from the rough edges of reality so trying as best to start things even is a great way to make sure our time away is a good one. If not why are wasting our time fighting a fake futuristic war?
Happy Grimdark Gaming!
