Propaganda Data Slate: How to Play at Fair Play
Spider April 15, 201911
53
11 Likes
How to Play at Fair Play
It’s something that has always kind of been there, but never really clarified or made “law” – how to conduct yourself in a game. Warhammer has, for nearly as long as I can remember, had The Most Important Rule. Looking at the 4th Ed. Rulebook, you can find the following, literally as you open the book (after the requisite “THERE IS ONLY WAR” blurb of course):
“The most important rule about playing games of Warhammer 40,000 is to have fun. Now while having fun can often be gained by mercilessly crushing your opponents forces, never ever forget that you are both here to have fun… If you can play nice and treat your opponent with respect and mercilessly crush their forces at the same time, you really are a winner. “
Note this doesn’t tell you how to do this, or what you should do. And so, more and more, there are talks of Codes of Conduct, Player Guidelines, even official rules on how to behave at events, expanding on this notion and going into more detail on exactly how to behave in a game. Suddenly there is this big focus on how people are meant to behave when playing a game of toy soldiers.
From the ITC’s Player Code of Conduct, to the Shadespire Grand Clash Tournament Rules, to the latest White Dwarf containing an Age of Sigmar Player’s Code, (drafted by Jervis Johnson no less) due to appear in the next General’s Handbook, as well as being stated to be applicable to all games – there seems to be more and more focus on how to act when playing.
So we have these guidelines. But why have these suddenly appeared. Well, let’s break down something that’s really changed over the last 1-2 years.
The New Dawn of Technology
Social Media. Video on Demand services. Streaming. These are all great things that have expanded wargaming (amongst other games) far beyond anything that could have been thought 10 years ago. Someone living in Australia can stay up to watch the top tables of the biggest US tournaments, whilst reading the latest sass from the GW community team based in the UK, because someone asked about the plastic Lion in a plastic Thunderhawk crewed by plastic Squats…again.
All these things have also allowed previously unseen or unknown things to come to light. Be it from rumours or allegations of cheating, bad behaviour, or otherwise something that just rubs people the wrong way – it’s no longer he said, she said, about ‘That Guy’ that your friend’s gaming buddy once played 4 years ago at a 20 person event. It’s there, live, for the world to see, on some of the biggest stages the wargaming community has to offer.
Let’s go back to early 2018. It’s the Las Vegas Open. It’s one of, if not the biggest 40k tournaments in the world. It saw grand tactical play and incredible skill being used among some of the best players in the competitive scene. But it also saw something else. A name becoming synonymous with being ‘That Guy’, even if only for a short time. Deserved or not is not what we’re here to talk about, but rather how the Internet took it, ran with it, and how it seemed to open the floodgates. Now this is not to say this was the sole catalyst, or perhaps even the main reason, for the sudden interest in Codes of Conduct, but even amongst a FLGS* that doesn’t play competitively, people were talking about this. It was no longer a thing restricted to the “hardcore tournament” scene. And that’s because people were hearing about it, as it happened or within a few hours. Before, you kind of had to be there and even then, it was dark whispers in the depths of the Internet that got lost in minutes behind other topics. Now, it is a hot talking point amongst gamers halfway across the world.
Other situations and controversies have come and gone. But be it on forums, social media, private group chats over WhatsApp or in person over a beer at your gaming club cos you read about it on a Facebook page, they’re being discussed, more so than ever, because they’re accessible.
So this is the why it’s more prevalent but what has made it become needed to have an official stance made? Whether its from GW or more and more event organisers, I mean, we’ve managed so far right? Well, we should start by comparing a big event to a gaming group. Neither have had these explicit rules before, so where’s the difference?
Vigilante Justice of the FLGS
In my experience, if someone consistently misplays, acts inappropriately, or is otherwise unpleasant to play against, they find themselves ostracised or reprimanded by their gaming community. Be it that one person who just stands up to call them out, the gradual silent group shunning of the perpetrator, or even the manager of the store or club talking with them, something happens to the perpetrator that causes them to begin to change their ways, or eventually stop attending this specific club. Either way, the problem is removed by the wider community standing for a conduct of play that is in keeping with the spirit of the game. When ‘That Guy’ breaches the social contract of the game, the unspoken golden rule that all involved should have fun and play fairly, they find themselves unable to find opponents and thus unable to continue to play, at least in this club or area. So why is this not always the case with tournaments?
Let’s make up an extreme example. ‘That Guy’ attends a tournament. He doesn’t want to show you his list. He doesn’t answer questions about his army. He measures poorly and interprets the same rules differently across games, so as to give him an advantage. Then, even though he knows its wrong, consistently rolls his dice out of line of sight of his opponent and despite all this is quick to call his opponent out when they do something he himself is guilty of. He is clearly not playing in a way that is fair to his opponent. He acts like this consistently at an event and then doesn’t get called out on it, or it otherwise goes unnoticed, their unsuspecting opponent trusting that they are playing correctly. There has been no repercussion, no downside, no problem. So why not continue to do it? If ‘That Guy’s’ opponent doesn’t catch it, that’s on them right? They should be watching like a hawk, know the ins and outs of all 700+ units and the 1000s of rules interactions in the game and stand up for themselves. And if someone does say something, or calls him out, hey it’s an ‘honest mistake’ and will then likely get forgotten.
Within a gaming community or club, people see each other regularly. They’re more likely to observe or watch a game and enjoy casual banter around the table, week in, week out. They are more likely to notice these repeat offenders, or these constant ‘honest’ mistakes. They know people like ‘That Guy’ and will eventually call him out or otherwise cut him off for his behaviour in their community. At an event, if nothing is called out, or noticed, how can it be reported? If the same opponents don’t encounter him again, how can anyone say “Hey hang on, you did that to me, and it was wrong.” The advent of social media, streaming and forums have enabled ‘That Guy’ to get called out but its still a case of he said, she said. If any issues aren’t raised during the game itself it’s very difficult for a TO to action anything after the fact. Now the player will have to provide proof of what ‘That Guy’ did, which under most circumstances, won’t be possible.
All’s Fair in Love and Warhammer
Now, obviously this is an extreme example, but the principle is sound, as even if someone doesn’t go full ‘That Guy’, just one of these things can sour a game. However the problem of how to confront this is there. Not everyone is confident enough to call them out. And for those that are, you can’t just yell “cheat!”, you can’t call for a judge, as you have no proof. You have to have your word taken at face value. You have to be trusted that you are following the social contract, even if your opponent is not. You need an external observer to verify these things, but you can’t have a TO or judge at every table. Maybe you’ll see them at the top tables of big events, but what about the 5 people that were getting a raw deal on their way there? And on the flip side, it might have legitimately been an honest mistake. Now you look unreasonable, a disturber of the peace, being distrusting of an opponent or looking for advantages.
Now, I would argue these things shouldn’t be needed to be said. These should not have to be written rules, enshrined alongside “Roll a dice to do this thing”- these should be part and parcel of playing a collaborative game with another living breathing person. And yet we need reminding, because this isn’t just a game sometimes – it’s a competition, with honour, glory, prizes and in some cases, cash money up for grabs. There has to be a winner and a loser. It’s a game versus someone, so inherently its win or lose.
The blur between a game and a competition has become narrower and narrower as competitive events become bigger and bigger. The competitive mindset has led, at least in a very minor capacity, to perhaps this more unscrupulous play. I’m not saying all competitive players are like this, in fact the opposite is true. The vast, vast majority are not like this, and they conduct themselves in the spirit of the game just as much, if not more than most due to how they impact the perception of themselves and of the scene. Let’s face it, ‘That Guy’ isn’t exclusive to tournaments or competitive gaming, despite these Rules of Conduct now making an appearance on the competitive scene.
Most people, I would guess, would rather win due to greater skill, the better list and more favourable luck, rather than as a result of loose rules interpretations, gotcha moments and unscrupulous play. With TO’s and GW now creating their own Rules of Conduct to play by, the focus on more positive behaviour around these events can be used to celebrate the skill and sportsmanship of the players that participate.
The Fightback Begins
And so we come back to why the Codes of Conduct are being seen, at least in my opinion. Accountability.
With that in mind, I believe these guidelines have a far more empowering purpose to us as players.
These “rules” shouldn’t be necessary. No-one should need a rule saying “When you measure, measure what you’re supposed to measure, not what you’re supposed to measure plus an extra 3 inches and give them a nudge when your opponent isn’t looking because why not”. But what these rules do provide, is power. They carry weight. They put the backing of the organisers and creators on your side, not ‘That Guy’s’. It is written. It is law. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. You don’t follow the rules, you are breaking them and there should be consequences.
Enforcement of Conduct will always be an issue. There will be your word vs theirs, lack of evidence or people just trying their luck. But the sheer fact that these are being addressed, will mean that those that might consider trying it might have second thoughts. Knowing there is set of explicit instructions on what actually isn’t ok, may give courage to those who didn’t want to say or do anything before.
Players now have an avenue to deal with issues professionally with their opponent. They have a set of guidelines that they can refer their opponent to during the game, if they feel that their opponent is not abiding by them. Failing that, they can raise the issues officially with TOs and judges, referring to the failing in the guidelines.
Now, this is of course easier said than done, in extreme cases, you might need evidence. How one gets that is a trickier situation, although the simple raising of the guidelines with your opponent will often be enough to circumvent the behaviour.
An idea I’ve personally been toying with for when we begin running events (Soon!™) is a Conduct Scorecard. Across all your games, your opponents mark you on your fair play, per the guidelines. Consistently low marks is by no means clear cut evidence of foul play, but it does give a good indicator that multiple people had issues whilst playing. Why would 5-8 different people mark the same person low on fair play if there’s wasn’t a reason? Is this fool proof? Of course not. Like everything it would need time and tweaking and playing around with. But it might be a start, just like how these Codes of Conduct are a step in the right direction of, “Hey, everyone deserves to have fun as much as you do. This is how we’re going to do that.”
I suspect no-one would ever actually say a Code of Conduct is a bad idea. The huge majority of people are all for it, as they do it anyway. But now, for the first time, we have a code to reference. Only by using it, as a whole community, regardless of whether we are a competitive or casual gamer, can we encourage the game we love to be played in the spirit it was intended to be. So let’s get to it and make the game better for everyone.
If you have a list with some unique tactics, a Tactica or hobby article that you feel would make an interesting read, or maybe you just want to give Chef a topic to rant about? Send it in to thepastrychef@tabletoptactics.tv and you might see your topic discussed in a future article!
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I’m getting back into the hobby having last played in 2nd ed, and it really surprised me that some tournaments have cash prizes now. $ can turn This Guy into That Guy.
As a minis rugby coach, when we referee at tournaments we also have “fair play” cards where we score the conduct of the players, coaches and parents. Its a well adopted system and works well
Being a very new player out of the scene since Rogue Trader I’ve yet to do anything more than local gaming clubs which are great, but even there I try and make sure I’m measuring properly and double checking everything just to make sure I don’t annoy anyone!
Great article, easy read and it rings true, but….tell us more about these events coming soon!! ?
As much as I enjoy you’re righteous indignation in video format I really appreciate you actually typing it up (I can’t get away with vids at work: ). Great subject keep em coming.
As an absolute newb it’s hard enough learning all the rules and worrying playing the game without the added ‘pressure’ (not really pressure but still) of learning and breaking conduct rules and then having to write on a card I thought someone might have cheated before handing it back to them with a smile. One guy in our group is known to always bend the law of physics to make measurements fall in favour consistently so I’ve started always measuring charges and agreeing the needed roll beforehand. It doesn’t change the fact that one number lower would get him in… Read more »
Bit late to the party in the kitchen, but, I personally think that the Code of Conduct needed to be spelt out, in order for the game to continue to grow at the rate it is doing from an exposure point of view. I’m looking at this from a purely event only view, as I don’t tend to play at my local store due to the size of the tables available etc. The vast majority of players at events are perfectly fine. On stream, off stream. Top table or bottom table, however, there are instances where 1 or more persons… Read more »
Loving it! But but but, where is the said code of conduct?
Great read Chef, thank you for your effort! I haven’t heard or seen any drafts of these Codes of Conduct, I would be really interested in reading them! Do you think these rules could be abused by the same folks these rules are trying to combat? I think the Conduct rules need to be handled very carefully, not too specific that there is easy loopholes but not too obscure that they become useless. I think everyone has been on the receiving of “That Guy” and it really does put a damper on the game as a whole. To go off… Read more »
Great read for someone about to start the hobby! I’ve just started playing 40k at the local gaming store, and sometimes a phase or opponent’s gambit pulls off so well I can’t help but think they cheated. I think in every scenario where you think you’re losing, it opens up the window to a lot of blaming, which in turn tempts me to fudge up my own rolls. I think on my end sometimes I just have to take my opponent’s word for what the dice result was but always ask for rule confirmation, and most of all, just laugh… Read more »
Nice article, Chef. Without that social contract… The whole thing falls apart.
How about a rant about Primaris, next? I want to screech about how they’ve ruined the lore/game. 😀
I definitely read this entire article in Chef’s voice! It was a good read though, interesting bit about the conduct scorecard. I would hope people wouldn’t abuse it though (i.e. giving someone a low score because you don’t like their persona), so I would clearly delineate on the card what the conduct score is based on.
Awesome article. Great to see you getting off the bat with something related to fair play and making the hobby more open! I’m a huge advocate for making this hobby more popular, and removing gatekeeping/gatekeepers as barriers to potential new players – because I both want more people to play with, and I dislike the fact that some people feel scared off of something amazingly cool because of a stigma created by a minority. “That Guy” people are a significant portion of the gatekeepers, even if indirectly, as it does ward people from playing (heck, I came back to 40k… Read more »
Great article Chef! My favorite way to deal with someone who I absolutely know is cheating is to pretend to be the stupidest person on the planet and make them explain what they are doing step-by-step (in front of a judge or another player if possible because, as mentioned, I’m the stupidest person on the planet). It’s great fun to see someone squirming through their explanation and flipping through their rulebook, only to “admit” that they “made a mistake” when they realize their BS won’t fly. Especially at a FLGS where other players are nearby to chime in with “that’s… Read more »
Glad to see this article written! Another key thing about code of conduct that perhaps doesn’t get talked about as much, but I would say actually crops up more often, (which is much less applicable to competitive tournament play than more casual games) is how to deal with the little mistakes that happen along the way – e.g. someone forgot to shoot a sergeant’s weapon and they’ve moved on to the next unit and only now realized it, or whoops we totally skipped over whether you want to discard that tactical objective at the end of your last turn that… Read more »
I’ve always viewed wargaming as a collaborative story-writing exercise between you and an opponent. Your models are penning a narrative through gameplay and you’re working with your opponent as best you can to make sure the narrative is cool, epic and satisfying. That’s why I love wargmaing; despite the competition inherent in it, it’s an intrinsically shared and collaborative experience that can really bring out the best in people.
If someone’s conduct stops you having that fun, satisfying, social, friendly experience, you kind of have to wonder what their motivations for getting into wargaming were in the first place.
Hi Chef, A great article to start off with. I was able to draw several paralells to another of my great loves – Rugby. We have a set of Core Values that every club, be it social, semi proffessional or Elite all abide by. They are in my opionion the reason that the sport is so successful. I am sure you would see what I am talking about if you put a simple search in for Rugby Core Values it gives an individual an expectation on how to treat other on the game and how in turn they should be… Read more »
The idea for a “conduct score card” is a very good one and the exact idea is used in university sports (especially ones without a permanent game referee). Many games require teams to anonymously (to the other side) rate their opponents on all aspects of fair play from the following of rules to just how nice they were. Teams with very high scores are rewarded and consistently low scores can be used deduct points or issue squads with warnings which are usually taken pretty seriously. It’s also hard to cheat the system as the tournament organisers can see the scores… Read more »
Nice article 🙂
I too don’t understand players that cheat, what is the point of playing a game with rules if you bend the rules and cheat. I think it is indeed more enjoyable to win when you followed the rules
The idea of giving a player a score is super cool
Great article. I have played since Rogue Trader days and it is not a new issue that people misbehave, cheat or violate the Most Important Rule. This game can bring out some great sportsmanship in the (vast) majority of players but it also can bring out That Guy in others. When you have an expensive hobby that also works as a competitive game against another player it does raise the ante just a little. I haven’t seen too many people cheat at chess or checkers but when you are discussing thousands of dollars of investment in some cases on the… Read more »
An interesting article. I do feel it should be GW writing any Code of Conduct NOT folks making money from running these large competitions. I hate how we get different rules/missions every tournament, and NOW we get a different Code of Conduct as well. I am bothered when “that guy” can be banned in one tournament, then enters others around the world. Surely sanctions need to be for the year / rest of the ITC season? And what about the skill level of judges ? Many seem to be administrators or paint judges – not good players used to liaising… Read more »
Conduct is basically the reason I dont attend tournaments. Too many in this community have no idea about normal human interaction, or the social value of soap.
Great article! Throughout my time playing I’ve learnt that I can’t control the dice as much as my opponent can so when the dreaded dice gods say you deserve the “1” I’ve got to except it, nothing you can do about it. I’m trying to be a better sport when I play, I can get quite caught up in the game and be a bit of a jerk.. I’ll hold my hands up and admit it but I definitely don’t cheat! I’ve had a game when my opponent has literally cheated in front of me.. “oh this character gives me… Read more »
Brilliant stuff. Any education to avoid becoming That dreaded Guy is good in my book!
Lovely article. I’m assuming you mis-typed on “that guy” when you meant to write Lawrence. But anyway, lovely write up. I think this game has a fascinating psychological undercurrent. It’s a very unique situation where it’s one on one (for the most part) and, for effective playing, requires very good communication between you and your opponent. Most sports don’t involve that, or those that do, the rules are very strict and clearly defined or taken out of your hands by active referees/computer systems. So you don’t have to cross that line in the sand or accusing someone of cheating or… Read more »