Playing the game - or do as you would be done to...

Tournaments....... I like tournaments, (actually I like competitive play in just about everything I do but that's a whole different subject), the extra bit that's on the line, ranking yourself against other players who you don't play regularly all make it a touch more exciting than a normal pick up game.

However, I don't class myself as a win at all costs gamer and I still hope that my opponent enjoys himself almost as much as I do, well as much as he can if he's just lost. The one thing though is I tend to treat people the way they treat me, let me explain after the jump.

My default attitude when gaming is open and friendly and that doesn't change at the start of a tournament game, if my opponent, (or opponents if it's doubles), are the same then that tends to be the way the game goes. When they come across as newbie or nervous I'll drop into trying to help them mode, yep even in a tournament, and yes I've possibly been faked out by that and do you know what I don't care. The one(s) that really get my goat are the people who will use every means possible to win, not necessarily out and out cheating, although I have seen that, but say choosing to go with Rules as Written when it suits them, even though the interpretation they are putting on tend to be somewhat outlandish to say the least and then switching to Rules as Intended when another thing comes up that would help them more, and then excusing their behaviour with "well it's a tournament of course I'm going to do everything I can to win".

You can usually spot these guys fairly early on in the process, for example a recent doubles game where I was setting up my Chooser of the Slain and went to see if he would fit on a corner of a ruined building one of the opponents came away with "It has to be placed where a normal mini could be". Needless to say this triggered my Douche bag detector, so after placing him where he could comfortably sit and completing the rest of my setup adjourned to the counter to buy some refreshment where I suggested to a couple of guys and gals that this chap may be somewhat of a dickhead, I was unfortunately proved right throughout the game with some very "strange" moves and whilst we went on to draw that game and win the doubles tournament this was the only game that wasn't a blast. What got me was the guy after the game tried to come across as a best of mates type and it was so obviously false that if he'd been like that before I'd have put him down as a nervous geek trying hard or a douche bag trying to cover it up.

Contrast this to a game played against an ultracompetitive guy who loves to win but didn't nit pick at every single thing, didn't move things and move them back 20 times a game and who I absolutely stomped all over with both some good tactics and some very lucky dice rolls at exactly the right time for me and very bad ones for him and it was still one of the most enjoyable games played in years for both of us. Or even another where I got trashed but because it was all open and friendly right from the start it was still a tremendous game. I'd play both of these guys again in a heartbeat and in fact would look forward to it whereas Mr DB from the doubles would get a polite refusal in a pick up game and if I can possibly avoid him in a tournament setting I will.