By Dan Roper
I. Thou shalt not ascribe thy opponent's
success to luck (even if it is): If you play WarGames long enough
you'll experience every possible level of fortune possible and so
will your opponents. It is never good form to suggest that your
opponent's success is attributable to luck. Even if he rolls four
successive 6's on key 1:1 attacks just smile and congratulate him
on a game well played. Unless he is inexperienced he knows when
he has had the benefit of lady luck's favor but any comment from
you to that effect will be perceived as whining.
II. Thou shalt not concede (especially if
you begin with the initiative): Quite often a game reaches the
point where further resistance seems futile. You're taking a
drubbing, it isn't any fun, and you'd like to move on to another
game and a fresh start. But your opponent has worked long and
hard to achieve his position and a concession on your part robs
him of the pleasures associated with completing a victory (and
quite possibly robs you of the plea sure of nursing a wounded
country much further than you ever thought possible). This is
especially so when you start with the side with the initiative.
You have run amuck for several years while your opponent has had
to take a licking and bide his time. He will not appreciate it if
you concede in mid-game just because the other player has the
initiative and it is obvious that you won't win a decisive
victory. Give your opponent a chance to enjoy the fruits of his
labors. See the game through.
III. Thou
shalt not disappear: If it's going to take you 37 days to decide
whether or not to intercept your opponent's sea supply to Tripoli,
tell him! Do not simply "disappear" for long periods
without alerting him. Sometimes a disappearing opponent is the
product of his recognition that his position is hopeless combined
with a reluctance to actually confront that fact. If you're
losing, don't simply disappear from the radar screen. Either
concede or, preferably, tough it out and finish the game.
IV. Thou
shalt make allowances for novices: Many WarGame rules are far too
complex for anybody to absorb merely by reading. It takes
experience and learning from mistakes to catch on to many of the
game's nuances. Unless you're in a tournament or ladder play, it's
often a nice gesture to allow them to correct an oversight. One
time in A3R my Allied opponent had a spy ring in Turkey in 1942
or '43. I failed to allocate any DPs there and my opponent
graciously said "Hey, if you leave Turkey vacant, I can
allocate X number of DPs and automatically activate her as an
Allied minor ally." I thanked my opponent (whom I now hold
in high esteem), rescued Turkey from the peril, and still got my
tail end whipped.
V. Thou
shall not be condescending to novices: There is a fine line
between being sportsmanlike to a novice and being condescending.
Telling your opponent that his Axis troop deployment is faulty
but that you'll satisfy yourself with capturing Paris rather than
taking the Ruhr and Berlin isn't the sportsman way to do it. It
would be better to either point out the "glaring weakness"
a turn earlier so that he might correct it or, alternatively, to
keep quiet and administer the drubbing. If you invade Bremen and
exploit to Berlin and Ruhr it's a lesson he'll never forget.
VI. Thou
shalt not accuse your opponent of cheating: If an opponent
announces in Winter 1939 that the Axis has researched jets or
that a dice roll on a key 1:1 attack was a 1 when it was actually
a 5, never, never, never sugges t that your opponent is
underhanded or cheating. In my experience mistakes always result
from a misunderstanding (or complete lack of knowledge) of rules
or by simple oversight. In one instance my opponent misread an
Irony Games dice roller email message "Roll 1: 5,4,5,6,1,3,2"
as a "1". It was a simple mistake. And I've made enough
misinterpretations of the rules to warrant a "Top 100 Rules
Gaffs" posting. No matter how egregious the situation your
opponent made a mistake and did not cheat.
VII. Thou
shalt not use profanity: Ninety-four percent of polite society
still frowns upon the use of profanity. It is the height of
arrogance to assume that your opponent (or anybody within hearing
in face-to-face competition) doesn't mind the use of profanity.
Profanity in front of minors is unpardonable and ought to result
in immediate expulsion from tournament play. Do not use profanity
unless you're in a private setting in which there is absolutely
no possibility that it can be overheard. Better yet, just never
use profanity.
IIX. Thou
Shalt not solicit "detailed" advice from others: It is
unsportsmanlike to solicit detailed advice on your game from
others. While posting a general question ("what type of
research projects are best for the Russians", "is an
Allied double turn in 1939 a good idea", "my opponent
has captured Rome in 1939 - is there any way for me to win now?")
is fine; sending your "board" to a more experienced
player for detailed advice is absolutely bad form.
IX. Thou
shalt be grateful for thy opponent: Whether you win or lose and
no matter how sloppy or mistake-filled your opponent's play,
remain courteous and thank him for the pleasure of the
competition.
X. Thou
shalt maintain thy sense of humor: This is not real war and in
the ultimate scheme of things it doesn't matter whether you win
or lose. It's a game. Enjoy. I still don't understand the player
who gave up A3R after suffering successive 4,6 rolls on crucial 2:1
attacks. If 2:1 attacks were sure things then the Battle of
Chancellorsville would have been a Yankee victory. Roll with the
punches and await the pleasant if rare times when the planets
align and your well-thought out strategy and the dice cooperate.
And when you see postings like "can I use commodes to invade
Bushire?" you are permitted to laugh out loud.}