Sportsmanship and the little things
It's been a little while since I wrote an opinion piece, and even longer since I wrote something on Sportsmanship. A few events recently made me think about it some more, so I wanted to put my thoughts down on how to be a better sport and have more enjoyable games for both you and your opponent.

Shiny Teeth!
Although hygiene helps, what this is really about is that recently I have had a couple of dental appointments. I came in and the receptionist immediately greeted me and we got down to business right away. The assistant was pleasant and showed me exactly where to go and then went over what was going to happen with me. She brought out a pair of sunglasses, explaining that I would be spending some time under the bright light and might want them. She made sure that I was comfortable, and got started right away. Once it was time for the dentist to get to work, he was right there, smiling and checking on me from time to time. He was very good about injecting the anesthetic into my gum, explaining first that it would sting, then pinching and wiggling my cheek to distract me from it. As he went along, he explained every step of the procedure to me and periodically checked in with me to make sure I was still okay.

I'm telling you this, not so that you'll feel my pain or want to visit my dentist, but to point something out. I had a very pleasant visit. To a Dentist. I had work done on my teeth, but generally enjoyed it! It wasn't that they gave me happy drugs, it was the attention they paid to me and the attention to detail.

Everyone knows how to be a good sportsman, right? You smile and shake your opponent's hand. You introduce yourself and ask their name. (Bonus points for actually remembering and using it during the game!) You are pleasant during the game and shake hands and thank them for the game afterward. That's it, right? Not exactly. That's better than some people do, and simply doing that is good as far as it goes, but how do you really go big when it comes to Sportsmanship? How do you make a difference in your game, and maybe even stand out when it comes to those Sportsmanship awards? The simple answer is that it's the little things that count.

In my appointment with the Dentist, what were those little things? They were friendly, but they also got right down to business. They knew the bright light would be uncomfortable, so they offered me sunglasses to make it easier on me. Finally, they told me what was going on at each step of the procedure so that I wouldn't get confused or misunderstand anything.

Friendly, but Quick
At my appointment, the staff was friendly, but they kept the ball rolling and got right down to what we were doing. When I'm going to get in a game, I want people to be friendly, but I also want to get my game on, not stand around too long talking about it or getting it set up. It is entirely possible to be friendly and still get down to business quickly. Too many times I've ended up waiting for half an hour or more after agreeing to a game while the other person just talks about their army or something. Start by having some preset army lists. Come up with several standard point values (like 400pt Combat Patrol, 500pt regular, 1000pts, 1500pts, 1850pts.) Those should be enough to get you by in most games, and if something weird comes along, like a guy who only has 758pts of stuff, you can either add to the 500pt one or subtract from the 1000pt list to get what you want and it'll take less time. When it comes to starting the game, get your stuff and get ready to go. We can talk about the armies or your paint scheme or whatever as we are setting up, but remember that we are here to play a game, not just talk about it.

Anticipating Needs
The Dental Office knew that most of their patients would spend a long time looking up into a bright light. If you know that you or your opponent will need something for the game, make sure to have it handy. Get out the codex and rulebook, have the dice and tape measure handy. Whatever it is that you need for the game, have it close at hand and ready to go at a moment's notice. In addition, anticipate what you'll need throughout the game. In most games, you'll take some casualties. Be prepared to put them away without a lot of fuss. (Keeping the gaming case open and nearby is usually the easiest way to do this. As an alternate, consider placing them on a tray or something and then pack them away afterward.) If you are grabbing a drink before the game starts and you really want to go for it, offer to get them one as well. Just be sure that they are in spill-proof containers. If your gaming store doesn't have a rule about this, you can bet they will soon.

What's Going on Here?
Be clear about which unit is doing what and to whom. I've had several games that were going well suddenly get bogged down and start looking a little shady when there was confusion over either which unit was attacking or which target was being attacked. It's very simple to point out a unit of yours (preferably also naming the unit verbally) and point at it's target (preferably also naming it verbally.) That way there is no misunderstanding. While you are at it, it's a very good idea to tell them what dice you are rolling, especially if you have any variety in your weapons. (Red dice are plasma, purple dice are burst cannon.) Even better is to also name the number you need for success. Once the dice are thrown, remove the failures so that your opponent can see the successes for himself. I've seen successful rolls that were pulled quickly enough that they looked a little suspect. I've also seen people miss a failure or two in a large batch of dice. If there are two people looking at it, it clears it up nicely.

What else is there?
There's one more subject I want to cover, and that's pulling your punches. In most games of 40k, a win is a win. You don't get anything extra out of slaughtering the entirety of the opponent's army. Heck, even in tournaments, depending on the tournament, the difference isn't always used. Most of us know what it's like to be on the receiving end of a slaughter and it's generally no fun. Being the best Sportsman is about helping your opponent have fun. This _is_ a game, after all, we are supposed to have fun. It's even in the rules! So, if you realize that you are rapidly wiping your opponent from the face of the planet, let up a little bit. You don't have to give away the game, just don't work quite so hard at making your army do it's thing.

It can be hard to play "soft" without looking like you are doing it. I remember reading about a veteran Outrider that gave a lot of demo games. He was known for his tactics, and in an interview someone asked him what he did when he played demo games. He said that he didn't want it to look like he was throwing the game, but he would basically not take advantage of any opportunities that occurred. If the opponent left a character out in the open, he would "overlook" it and shoot or charge something else. That sort of thing. Similarly, if you see what looks like a lopsided game, try to even it out a little without being pushy. A couple of years ago I was playing in a local tournament and I was up against my friend who played Tau. I was playing my Godzilla Tyranids at the time and we played against each other fairly often. I knew that my army stood a really good chance against his army, almost regardless of the scenario. Then I took a look at the scenario. It completely favored my army in an almost ludicrous way. I wanted to get in a good game, so I talked to him about it and gave him the Attacker side and first turn, since that made it much less lopsided. (The defender would have been too close to me, and being too close to Tyranids on the first turn isn't good for anybody, particularly Tau!) We played our game, and it ended up that I shot him off the board in turn 3. But because I had tried so hard to make the game even, we had a great time, laughing and rolling dice, and in the end, he voted me for his favorite opponent, even though I think it was the "worst" loss he had that day!

That's What it's all About
I don't mean the Hokey Pokey, I mean laughing and rolling dice and having fun. This is a game, play it like one! The nicer you are to your opponent, the smoother and more enjoyable a game you'll have.

If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know

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