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Gaming pet peeves

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21 Jan 2020 10:04 #306427 by Gary Sax
Gaming pet peeves was created by Gary Sax
Been thinking about this as I had streams of games in the background. What are your biggest gaming pet peeves? I have two.

1) Analysis paralysis. I hate it. I consider it disrespect to everyone's time at the table. It's a rare area where I am very intolerant in boardgaming. I'm not going to do anything during that game or confront anybody but I may not play with that person again if I have a choice. I will turn down games with AP players. If they were a really close friend I guess I'd talk to them about it? I dunno.

2) Whiny baby loser behavior. It's not funny to me and I don't enjoy tantrums. I hate it, and my general feeling while gaming is not giving a shit about winning so I tend to be fine in even the most dastardly stab. I'm pretty averse to confrontation in real life, so a game table is an area where I'm allowed to indulge in something that in general I'm not big on. As soon as people are whiny babies about losing at a table, it steals like 90% of the fun out of a game for me as it turns the game emotionally very real for me. It's interesting, because some people's most fun gaming moments revolve around people's saltiness or their anger but for me it is a huge turnoff.
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21 Jan 2020 10:21 #306430 by hotseatgames
Replied by hotseatgames on topic Gaming pet peeves
Absolutely analysis paralysis. Look at your cards, look at the board, take your fucking turn and deal with the fallout. Next.
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21 Jan 2020 10:28 #306432 by Ah_Pook
Replied by Ah_Pook on topic Gaming pet peeves
The only one that really gets under my skin is people that treat other people's games poorly. These things are expensive and they're not yours, maybe clean the icing off your fingers before wiping it all over your hand of cards or whatever.
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21 Jan 2020 10:30 #306433 by Michael Barnes
Replied by Michael Barnes on topic Gaming pet peeves
Started to make a list and then I realized that every single item loops back to...

Taking games too seriously.

I fucking hate playing with “serious” players in ANY game. Nothing says fun murder like someone who thinks that they are actually doing something by winning, proving how smart they are by playing a big heavy game, or proving that they are really really into games.

Games are bullshit. They are for fun. If you are not having fun, you are doing it wrong. Sure games can have serious elements and handle serious topics, but nobody should be playing to furrow their brows and frown while trying to out-clever each other.

Taking rules too seriously, AP, whining about losing...all of it. Fuck it all. Get off my table.

I’d also add “BGG parroting” to the list...the guy (yes it is always a guy) that spouts off BGG crap like it is chapter and verse. Go away dude.

And the “grass is always greener” dude complaining about how another game is Bette or how there are all these variants that will fix the game or how he has all these house rules that’s will fix the game. Piss off guy.
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21 Jan 2020 12:26 #306439 by jeb
Replied by jeb on topic Gaming pet peeves
Smells like Fridaaaaay!

I might be a whiny loser, but only for dice. I take licks, but it sucks to just get rolled out of a game by someone that hits amazing rolls while everyone else eats shit. We've lost to our son in a game four times in a row now by like 10 points out of 35--not close--because he's been hitting a 9 on 2d6 so much. We set up on 6s, 7s, 8s and start to punish 9s, and he then rolls 10s three turns in a row and kills us anyway. It's a shitty way to lose. Knowing the odds really works against me here, as I don't mind losing on a 20% chance or even a rare 1/256 miracle, but if you hit a 10% window four turns in a row I want to die.

As for my pet peeves, my spouse likes to guide the play of others at the table and it makes me insane. She'll point out all these optimal plays for our kids that may have missed, and I'll catch the hell for it downstream. If she's to my left I know I am going to get ruined, because it's more like playing five copies of her than playing her and the four kids.
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21 Jan 2020 12:38 #306440 by Rliyen
Replied by Rliyen on topic Gaming pet peeves
I have minimal pet peeves, as my game group is not made up of fun murderers. One pet peeve? Treat my game as if it were your own. Don't bow the cards, be mindful when shuffling unsleeved cards so they don't nick or dogear.

Again, my group is not made of FMs and they take excellent care of my games.

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21 Jan 2020 12:49 #306441 by RobertB
Replied by RobertB on topic Gaming pet peeves
AP doesn't drive me crazy - I don't like it but I get it. Most of my gaming is with people I like, and a couple of them can play a little slow.

Coaching at the table does drive me nuts. If it's at me, I can lose this game on my own, thank you very much. If it's at someone else, unasked-for advice is just rude, or someone's trying to win through machinations above the table. In Root, unsolicited advice is permitted since that's basically the game. In Puerto Rico, not so much.

First-game-loss game designers are also annoying. Guy (usually a guy) loses the first game they played, then tells everyone how whatever caused him to lose should be nerfed.
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21 Jan 2020 13:46 #306442 by jeb
Replied by jeb on topic Gaming pet peeves
I also don't mind the game getting handled roughly unless it starts to impact the game. Cards get marked when you bend and flick them and all that shit. I don't care if it's some tactics card in CRY HAVOC, but one of our werewolves in ONE NIGHT WEREWOLF is marked, so I need to go sleeve them all. Same thing happened to a LOVE LETTER card. Don't make work for me, I guess.
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21 Jan 2020 13:58 #306444 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Gaming pet peeves

jeb wrote: I also don't mind the game getting handled roughly unless it starts to impact the game. Cards get marked when you bend and flick them and all that shit. I don't care if it's some tactics card in CRY HAVOC, but one of our werewolves in ONE NIGHT WEREWOLF is marked, so I need to go sleeve them all. Same thing happened to a LOVE LETTER card. Don't make work for me, I guess.


Same, this one is one that doesn't bother me even though I know it bothers tons of other people.
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21 Jan 2020 14:07 #306445 by ubarose
Replied by ubarose on topic Gaming pet peeves

RobertB wrote:
First-game-loss game designers are also annoying. Guy (usually a guy) loses the first game they played, then tells everyone how whatever caused him to lose should be nerfed.


This. Especially when they start trying to "fix" the game with house rules 25% into their first play.
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21 Jan 2020 14:10 #306446 by Shellhead
Replied by Shellhead on topic Gaming pet peeves
All of my complaints can probably under three broad categories including two identified by Barnes and Ah Pook:

1. Taking the game too seriously. This includes AP, tantrums, rule lawyering, and all kinds of fun murdering. At a fundamental level, playing a game is supposed to be fun. Taking the game too seriously removes the fun, except for the thrill of victory for the serious player. I hate the AP the most, because it shows a fundamental disregard for the enjoyment of all the other players.

2. Handling the components roughly. I also include eating Cheetos during the game in this category, because they can potentially stain components orange. Sure, you can sleeve damaged cards, but other components might be irreplaceable unless you buy another copy of the game. For example, as a kid, I loved playing High Stakes, which was like Las Vegas version of Monopoly. The game included a tiny plastic slot machine that really worked. You pulled the little handle and it would randomly display three symbols. No coins poured out of it, but you would pay the player based on their slot combo displayed. My sister became obsessed with it and kept playing with it long after the game was over, until she finally broke the slot machine handle.

3. Not paying attention to the game. By this, I mean people who are theoretically playing a game and taking up space at the table, but are totally distracted by something outside the game. Usually this involves a phone. I've played games of Cards Against Humanity that collapsed because half or more of the players were more interested in their phone screens than playing the game. The only thing worse than AP is a long delays during a game due to texting. At least the AP guy is playing the game.
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21 Jan 2020 14:12 #306447 by Jackwraith
Replied by Jackwraith on topic Gaming pet peeves
I do mind stuff getting handled roughly because 1) If you're not the owner, you should be treating it like it's someone else's property. Because it is. 2) I trade these things. It's a lot easier to trade if I can say: "Everything looks great!", rather than "Well, there are some creases in the cards. Oh, and the board has a watermark from someone spilling on it. And..." No. Fuck all that. Handle it like you would driving someone else's car. It's not a papyrus scroll that has to be manipulated with tweezers, but just be decent. It's not hard. Thankfully, I mostly play with hardcore folks who do treat the cardboard like it's ancient papyrus.

I'm OK with AP, but I will start giving reminders to move people along. Something like "Y'know, it's only supposed to be a two hour game..." That usually lights a fire. But I do make exceptions. One of the regulars at a local store has some developmental issues. He's a really sharp player, but it just takes him a little longer than most other people. I've learned to just roll with it.

I will always coach people if I'm teaching the game or it's their first time playing. I don't anyone to go away with a poor experience because they felt like they never had a chance. So, in the first few turns, I'll always suggest moves or explain in detail why I'm making this or that move so that people understand not only what they're doing, but what I'm doing.

What does get under my skin are the people who often act contrary to the above: those who are so competitive that they harass people for taking too long (i.e. longer than they would, as an experienced player) or who criticize others for not taking the optimal approach (i.e. what would most help the critic if everyone else were "playing smart.") I got no tolerance for that shit and have threatened to shut down games and told people to shape up or move on because of it.
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21 Jan 2020 14:43 #306450 by Greg Aleknevicus
Replied by Greg Aleknevicus on topic Gaming pet peeves

Michael Barnes wrote: If you are not having fun, you are doing it wrong.

But why do you get to define what's "fun"?

I've played both silly and serious games and had fun each time. If you're looking for a particular experience, it's best not to mix serious and silly, but neither approach is wrong.
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21 Jan 2020 15:13 - 21 Jan 2020 15:18 #306452 by Space Ghost
Replied by Space Ghost on topic Gaming pet peeves
When people are talking AP, how long are we talking?

I play the majority of my games with the same friend since 1997 -- and we started playing MTG most of the time; so our turns usually take about 10 seconds or so. For the most part, we take pretty fast turns in board games too...I can't think of the last time it took me more than 30 seconds or so and I start to get anxious if I am taking more than a minute*.

But, I don't think it is necessarily disrespectful if people take longer...at least not intentionally. Where do I have to be that I need for people to speed play through a game. Invariably we talk about non-game related things as well.

Dice rolls -- that doesn't bother me either. I've probably had tens of thousands of dice rolls and who knows how many card draws (hundreds of thousands most likely) in my life -- eventually, I should hit a one-in-a-million good or bad streak.

Poor sportsmanship, though -- I can't abide by that. It is just a game...you can't get pissed that you lost or blame the game. More than likely, you just played shitty. EDIT: Also, don't treat my games like they're disposable; many of them are decades old, just use some common sense. Accidents happen -- but try to at least be somewhat civilized**.


*My boardgaming bubble is very small compared to others -- mostly play with two very close friends or extended family, so I never know what the benchmark is on some of this stuff; I realized this a few years ago when Barnes was describing behavior at a con; I think I would have lost my mind.

**This topic came up in another setting -- namely, having other families over to our house. How hard is it for other people's kids not to break our things. We have a five and seven year old -- I expect messes and a good time to be had; however, the last visiting kids broke our brand new sliding door handle and a solid oak bookshelf in our daughter's room. I don't want to have to do construction work after having people over for dinner. Another couple refuses to come back because I politely informed their child that "We don't jump on couches in our house"...so much of this should be unspoken.
Last edit: 21 Jan 2020 15:18 by Space Ghost.
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21 Jan 2020 16:09 #306458 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Gaming pet peeves
That doesn't sound long at all.

True AP is when people spend inordinate amounts of time on easy decisions---no beef if you spend a couple minutes on key decisionmaking in a dense game. For me, it's the repetitiveness and situation that determine a true APer. You'd be amazed how long some people can take over nothing moves when they refuse to satisfice at all. Moreover, they often don't prepare mentally for their turn (in games where that is possible).
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