Men playing a boys game…

Today I want to discuss an issue we all see in our game. It is one of these things that really sets me off and if you call yourself an adult it does it to you to. Just recently we had a local tournament in Cleveland TN called the Maul at the Mall. It was hosted by Dicehead Games based out of the same city. If you play tourney’s in Tennessee then you have heard about Dicehead and you know they are top notch. Forums throughout the internet hailed this as a good event with no drama. Then from out of the blue some dork posts on Blood of Kittens that there was some hometown cooking so a local could win the tourney. Now whatever it is you think about Blood of Kittens (I am not going there) this guy takes a good mauling at the hands of the people who attended the tournament and never responds again.

So last night I am at Ricks Comic City Too in Madison. Checking the store out, seeing who hangs there, doing some info gathering on Tourney they are hosting and I meet some super nice people up there. Talked to the owner of the store, very nice guy and some of the local 40k gamers there. During our conversation the guy I am talking to makes a comment about there being “no cliques in our store, we will play anyone.” This hit me from out of the blue because I know the game group I play with was being referenced. We have had issues with the mysterious clique and who the cool kids are at our local hang out and it seems word is being spread. I quickly spoke up and told the guy that we do not have cliques either and we will play anyone as well.

Now above we have two completely different incidents where problems exist or are alleged to exist. What is being done about it? Here is the part where I pull out my soap box and begin the sermon on how to be a man. I know my game group, we do have people that come to the store and play that some of our members refuse to play. Why? Is this a clique? Are there players at our local hangout that I won’t play…yep. Is it because I think I am better than they are or that they do not deserve to play me. Absolutely not.

You see here is my thing… I am an adult. I have a career, three great kids, a wonderful wife who has a career, a house , dogs, cats, debt, hobbies all of the big stuff we work hard for after we realize that college is over. I am not a judgmental person; I am person who likes the fact that people are different. Different is cool with me….to a point. Whether you know this or not when you are in a game room or at a tourney or some place where people frequent to play the game we love you are auditioning, for lack of a better word, to everyone else there. So if you act like a social retard that has no sense or hygiene or manners then chances are you are going to demonstrate to people that you may not be the most fun to play with. When you do play a game with someone for the first time do you think that maybe they are gonna talk to their friends about the game and how you acted….yes. So if you are a dork or a cheater do you not think word is gonna get around and your options suddenly become limited. Now I do not care about your past. I do not care about your issues. I do not care about your excuses. You are an adult…you are expected to act like it…even when you play a game like 40k. If you cannot do that then you will not be having a lot of fun and neither will the people that you are hanging with.

Now this is the part that pisses me off. If you are one of these guys that feels like your left out or not getting played with enough (I know that sounds bad) or people do not like you or you don’t fit in with a bunch of guys who play with little guys painted in a variety of colors…what are you gonna do about it? What typically happens is they talk to everyone else but the person they have an issue with. Or even better, they hide behind their computer screen and rage against the evil they have been dealt to a bunch of strangers on the internet. They throw little comments out to stir crap up and then never post again because that would be standing by your accusation or comment (like what I mentioned above).

Here is what needs to happen…MAN THE HELL UP. If you want to know why people don’t want to play you, man up and ask. If you think you are being treated unfairly ,man up and do something about it. How about stand face to face with the person you have an issue with and talk it out. You may not work the issue out but you know… you will have earned some respect and that is far more important than an opponent for a 40k game. If you think you need to post an issue on the internet have your crap together and defend your statement. If you think someone is cheating or playing wrong or breaking the rules or being a douche bag…man up right there and say something. Don’t wait and whine to a judge after the game is over. Call it like it is. Is this confrontational… Hell yes. Is this uncomfortable for some…sure.

Just because we love and play a kids game does not mean we forget about being adults. Talking to me goes a long way. Being man enough to bring an issue to the table goes along way. If you can’t act right and play right why am I gonna waste my time playing you. It will not be fun for either of us. Before people start talking about a clique then maybe they should start looking at themselves and then looking to fix the problem….like an adult. With our group we have the most diverse group of gamers I have ever seen. And we are very comfortable playing each other. We are not exclusive, we are here to play.