Hi!

I'm wondering if you have met this person? After losing a ship in the initial joust or first round of combat he/she offers to concede in order to "get more games going". Usually I'm all for that but sometimes it seems like a very hastily made decision. This applies to CASUAL gaming only as in a tournament setting I will take that offer instantly.

Here is the thing. He might have lost a z-95 or a TIE-fighter and the situation is not as bad as it seems.

I usually try to push for two more turns but the defeatist attitude may have affected the thinking process and he is not even trying.

I really don't like to concede right after the first combat rounds just because the situation can change sometimes even very dramatically and the game changes a bit after the first pass.

How would you handle this kind of player and try to keep it constructive. "Choosing another opponent" is not an option.

Seems very poor sportsmanship. I lost my A-Wing yesterday one game of the tournament like turn 2 or 3...poor thing got 1-shotted. If I had given up I would not have come back to win the game. Even in a casual environment, losing one ship doesn't mean you auto-lose...just means you need to focus on the game and figure out how to win. Or be a spoiled baby and quit...in which case they should go off to a corner and cry...

Say that you wanna practice for some tournaments and want to play for the whole 75 minute round or until 1 side wipes the other. Honestly I wouldn't play with someone like that. We have a guy at our store who does that and gets mad and upset when he loses a ship and will even pull ships off the mat before dice are rolled if more 2 have it in arc. No one likes playing with him.

It's hard to change people. Have a serious and frank conversation with him about the reality of this game:you are going to lose ships, you aren't going to win every game. A game can be decided after 4 rounds but in many games a true winner doesn't emerge until the endgame. I would also talk midgame and endgame strategy with him. Seems like he doesn't get that. Lastly, throw him somewins. Take a non-optimal squad and give him a great one, "forget" some upgrades, clip a rock, roll normal dice at range 1 and 3...

Sorry, but this type of game might not be for him if he doesn't "get" it soon.

Force him to play to the bitter end.

Use physical voilence at will.

I had a guy concede because I did 3 damage to one of his headhunters (it had 1 hull left) during the second shooting phase of the game. He called me some vulgar name and stormed out of the store. Everyone looked very confused, and the only thing I have done in reaction to his behavior is outright refuse to play him - which seems to upset him even more, but I simply don't want to spend my time playing with someone who gets so upset that they can't control their emotions.

I had a similar issue with a player in gaming group.

After one of his ships would blow up, he would complain the whole time about that one error.

But he would never quit.

After an amazing comeback on his end he'll just shrug his shoulders and claim how lucky he was. I'm pretty much doing the cheering for him.

When he loses, he will usually make some comment about how it was "inevitable" or "I'm surprised I lasted that long after that one turn."

He has gotten much better thanks to experience (AKA just playing more). Helping him understand the "beginning stage, middle stage, late stage" concept can help.

I think the easiest solution is to delve into the epic campaigns / standalone missions, where there are other objectives besides blowing each other up

EDIT: playing 2v2 can help a lot as well, where the other player on his team can encourage him to push forward.

I have to ask: Has this player lost to you a lot when you have played full matches? If so, they may know that they're outclassed and don't enjoy playing against you. If that's the case, you might consider playing with squads that are less than optimal until that player has more experience.

It's also possible that the player is just a hopelessly bad sport. In that case, find others to play with or play something else.

If you think there's a chance of reasoning with that player, ask them how they'd feel if the roles were reversed.

Seems very poor sportsmanship.

Be careful, I've been told that if you criticize anyone's style of play than it is you who has the problem.

Personally, I hate concessions. I may lose, but you will have to kill all my ships to do so. Win or lose, finish the game and do so with a good demeanor. This is a game. The other day I found myself on my last ship facing 1-3 odds, then it was 102, then 1-1, then only me.

Never give up, never surrender! Oh, wrong sci-fi show...

Fill a squirty bottle with water and every time they say concede you spray them, they'll soon stop to avoid getting wet.

I've reminded people that waiting for the perfect battle is a good way to lose the war.

In a different system when I lost about a quarter of my force, my opponent was really phased when I didn't let it get to me. I smiled and said "It happens" came back big and after when we were talking about it he said that was where the game changed for him. "I was totally unnerved when you were almost happy at the destruction of your forces, like I was out of place or something."

I've talked about this with people before in the situation. Don't let them see you're sweating it. They might think you've got a gambit in mind. Or they won't either way the good news is it's a board game and everyone gets to go home alive and have a beer at the end. Unless you're underage, that would be wrong.

With guys who want to restart I've offered to switch sides to keep the game going. That on occasion has done it and has been well received. I have stated though if we switch sided we play til it's done so they don't just quit again if they take a loss.

Seems very poor sportsmanship.

Be careful, I've been told that if you criticize anyone's style of play than it is you who has the problem.

Personally, I hate concessions. I may lose, but you will have to kill all my ships to do so. Win or lose, finish the game and do so with a good demeanor. This is a game. The other day I found myself on my last ship facing 1-3 odds, then it was 102, then 1-1, then only me.

Never give up, never surrender! Oh, wrong sci-fi show...

You're right. It is a game. So I reserve the right to play it how I please. If I can see I've clearly lost, or my list has obvious weaknesses, I have no problem ending a game early.

Being afraid to play uphill, or being so stubborn as to play to the bitter end are both issues that just make the game less enjoyable for me.

Fill a squirty bottle with water and every time they say concede you spray them, they'll soon stop to avoid getting wet.

And on the "flip side" have a bag of their favorite treats handy and reward them every time they do or say something positive!!

Some people are just like that. I rarely bother playing to the bitter end in a casual game if it's pretty obvious who's going to win (I'm down to my last damaged A-wing and my opponant still has 4 or 5 ships left). I might be able to squeak another kill but it's just drawing out the inevitable.

Obviously it's a bit silly to throw in the towel at the first hint of things not going your way. There's a few ways you could deal with the situation but I would try to talk with him about his quitting early. Possibly give him a couple of games where you quit as soon as he starts getting the upper hand and if he complains point out that he does it to you (he might realise how agrivating it is).

Some people are just like that. I rarely bother playing to the bitter end in a casual game if it's pretty obvious who's going to win (I'm down to my last damaged A-wing and my opponent still has 4 or 5 ships left). I might be able to squeak another kill but it's just drawing out the inevitable.

Yea, but, this is a casual environment we are talking about, right?

Using your example, I wouldn't quit if I was the one controlling the A-wing.

Getting that last kill before I lose could be super hilarious and entertaining for both players. It's not about the Big W at the end of the game but how much fun you had flying starships and going pewpewpew.

From my personal experience, it just seems that people who quit early due to a setback of some kind are in it for the win only.

However, I'm not saying you're wrong, as there is no proper definition of a "casual game."

Just voicing an opinion

Seems very poor sportsmanship.

Be careful, I've been told that if you criticize anyone's style of play than it is you who has the problem.

Shots fired(after 59 mins).

It's hard to judge whether that's being a sore loser, or just having a very defeatist attitude. Maybe that ship was the keystone in his cool new list strategy he spent all week making. Or maybe he just had a bad day, and starting off a game that way was the last straw.

Personally, this is how I work with it:

When I am on the losing end, I tend to play it out. I can play for the miracle win, or just see how well I can mitigate the disaster, and sometimes make a little "moral victory".

When my opponent is on the ropes, I leave it up to him, but I do try to be encouraging in the hope of making the decision less emotionally charged. In my eyes, it works like this:

My opponent is ready to concede. For my own internal scorecard, I can count that as a win.

At that point, I will happily point out where X or Y of their stuff is still strong, and my Z is vulnerable, and yes his plan is in a bad state, but maybe it's not completely hopeless? Often we'll play a bit more, and sometimes it will even up to a draw, sometimes it will only become more obvious that he has lost.

In the end, it comes down to one rule: stop playing the game when you are no longer having fun. If I can still have fun trying to make the best of a bad situation, then it's worth playing. If my opponent can't... well then, I don't think it's fair of me to insist that he stand around and watch while I put the rest of his list through the firing squad for my sole amusement.

- H8

If winning will mean anything to you then you just accept. I've been in a situation where I offered a concession in a Chess game after I had no chance of winning yet my opponent wouldn't accept it because he had other things he wanted to do during the game; I did play it out despite having no shot at a victory but managed to play him to a stalemate which gave a painful lesson.

Now in a fun/casual setting if someone offers a concession after their first setback I'm going to ask them why. If the point of a short game is really to just practice opening moves then I can see moving on to another game. If that first setback really is a KO (maybe losing Han without inflicting any damage) then I can also see accepting; winning may be possible but the 'fun' may be gone. If we're both trying to get better at the game then I really have a hard time seeing what good would come out of a concession that is offered before things are even close to decided.

Show him the 2013 World Championships. That was a pretty good come-from-behind victory -- if Paul had conceded after losing Biggs and the Rook so early on, there would've been a very different result.

Really depends on the loss. If you roll all blanks and lose Whisper to the first shot of the game, I can understand wanting to start over.

If you roll all blanks and lose an academy to the first shot of the game I'll call you a ***** for wanting to quit.

Yea, but, this is a casual environment we are talking about, right?

Using your example, I wouldn't quit if I was the one controlling the A-wing.

Getting that last kill before I lose could be super hilarious and entertaining for both players. It's not about the Big W at the end of the game but how much fun you had flying starships and going pewpewpew.

From my personal experience, it just seems that people who quit early due to a setback of some kind are in it for the win only.

However, I'm not saying you're wrong, as there is no proper definition of a "casual game."

Well a casual game, IMO, is one which isn't held in a competitive setting.

Controling that last A-wing might be 'super hilarious and entertaining' for both players or might just be a long drawn out formality in which you could have got another game in which might have been equally 'super hilarious and entertaining'. There's no shame in reaching a point in the game where you look at the board and say to the other person 'well played, I think you win' without the need for you to be completely tabled.

Ugh. People.

Seems very poor sportsmanship.

Be careful, I've been told that if you criticize anyone's style of play than it is you who has the problem.

Shots fired(after 59 mins).

Just returning the favor.

talk before the match.

define the rules of engagement.

scenario/mission objectives.

and agree on a set amount of losses (Points) before one side is allowed to "retreat" or concede.

It's a game, not a binding contract. If they aren't having fun and they want to leave, there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. If you find it so aggravating, make a mental note not to play that person in the future. Everybody has had a straw that broke the camel's back moment, that may have been theirs.

Either way, the match is ending. Might as well smile and take your win. Fly casual.