I haven't seen much poor behavior in real life. Forums... different story.

In real life, it's pretty easy to squash bad behavior by asserting yourself and/or having a TO that sets (and enforces) the right mood.

"Why is this game taken so seriously?"

It isn't.

I could say more, but really in my experience this game has the best group of players I've run into.

Your lucky one friend I've seen hit himself and throw around models because he's angry with himself, others have one bad turn and start sulking like they are three giving up and watching their IPad instead of paying attention to the game.

Hell one rolled a scatter dice during a game of 40k and wanted to put the template somewhere other than where it belonged, two of us calmly informed him it wasn't in the right spot and he stormed off, and the kicker is where we said it belonged would of hit more models than where he placed it.

I haven't seen much poor behavior in real life. Forums... different story.

Anyway, regarding the game:

Just the other night (Tuesday) at a league night, my opponent K-turned his Fat Han at a right angle towards the edge, and had it's stern base edge overhang be maybe half a millimeter, if that. He was about to remove it without the slightest plead in his eye.

I said "Are ya nuts? Leave it there and put down your stress token."

Later, I had a TIE overhang be a good quarter inch at least. He offered to let me keep it, given the earlier event. I took my TIE off the table and said "No, man, there's just no wiggle room there."

How would this have gone down in your communities?

The deja vu I am getting is way too powerful to ignore.

The deja vu I am getting is way too powerful to ignore.

The deja vu I am getting is way too powerful to ignore.

Quick check the Windows haven't been bricked up.

How would this have gone down in your communities?

Since I play in the same community (Portland, OR), like I said, generally good conduct. That being said, I have had people openly cheat (trying to premeasure distances/arcs, change dials mid-turn, etc) and try to play it off as "fly casual," so I have little forgiveness for poor behavior. But those are isolated compared to overall demeanor, and were also called out, resolved immediately, and were over so the game could move on.

Online, people are just asses thanks to the Phantom cloak of internet anonimity. Not always, not even often, but when they are, it is loud, obstinate, and profound, even in so-called "debates." Online is the only place where I get jaded on the community and/or game. Never in real life, even against obvious cheaters. Take that for whatever you will.

This one old guy who used to show up for Magic The Gathering would get super pissed off and even curse out little kids and throw chairs when he lost.

This one old guy who used to show up for Magic The Gathering would get super pissed off and even curse out little kids and throw chairs when he lost.

Me I curse chairs and throw kids but whatever works for you man

I'm sorry but could we please go into some actual detail about what "too seriously" actually means.

I play to win, just like in any other game I play. Does this mean that I am too serious? But I always aim to be sportsmanlike, losing and winning with a modicum of grace and to extend the benefit of the doubt to my opponents mistakes, is that "flying casual" or me just trying to uphold the bare minimum of social standards when I interact with other adults?

Any game nerdy or not is going to attract a fair number of rude and abusive people, they exist and play just as much as the nice and pleasant ones. Some of the less pleasant folk among us will no doubt use the rules of the game as a club to beat the less confident and experienced among us with, or any other strategy to try and domineer their opponent into an easy win. All I can say is learn the rules, be confident and If you can't stand playing against someone then refuse the match. It is after all a game that you play for fun, so take responsibility for ensuring your own enjoyment.

Because people have different tastes and ways to have fun.

To be honest, you should start to understand that "flying casual" is not oppossite with "wanting to win". And "wanting to win" does not mean that you are not "playing to have fun". And that "win at all cost" is about cheating, not about playing well or optimally. And yes, i am tired of people who can't figure out that you can have fun just by doing math exercises. That you don't, doesn't mean somebody doesn't have fun that way. Wanting to and trying to play optimally is no different.

I find mindnumblingly boring to play a game just to throw dice and have a beer afterwards with the pals. If that was the plan, i would just skip the game and drink the beers instead, and go to a club or pub. But of course, that is my way to have fun, and i am responsible of my enjoyment, so i play the game the way i have fun. If that's how you have fun, dude, it's your fun not mine, i couldn't care less while it is not affecting me. Of course, we wouldn't have fun playing each other, but that's the thing, we don't have to play each other, so just stick to whatever entertains you.

Perspective man, i wish some people frecking had it.

Because nerds.

People who take the games they play too seriously tend to be the people that arnt very successful in life, so being good at that one thing is super important to them.

Yeh man, i heard Paul Heaver is just a loser who lives on the streets.

And Doug ? Lol don't get me started.

"If it's just a game, then why do we keep score?"

- Unknown Munchkin

No Lieutenant Worf TNG

Frankly speaking "too seriously" often problematically translates into simply "more seriously then me".

So the issue shouldn't be how "serious" someone takes a game but thier actions irregardless. There are many very "serious" players that are the shining examples in their communities. Often they are the ones organzing events and getting new players involved, both of which can be expensive in both time and money. There are also casual players that send others scattering when they walk into a store because they are insufferable to play with.

Personally, I think the whole "fly casual" attitude is a little on the care bear side for me. I do take it easy on the people who I teach the game to. I understand that crushing n00bs is not the best way to recruit new pilots. But once the training wheels are off, be ready to compete. Trying to flout some "pay it forward" hippy crap is disingenuous in a one on one competitive game. Play to win, or stick to the narrative scenarios.

Because people have different tastes and ways to have fun.

To be honest, you should start to understand that "flying casual" is not oppossite with "wanting to win". And "wanting to win" does not mean that you are not "playing to have fun". And that "win at all cost" is about cheating, not about playing well or optimally. And yes, i am tired of people who can't figure out that you can have fun just by doing math exercises. That you don't, doesn't mean somebody doesn't have fun that way. Wanting to and trying to play optimally is no different.

I find mindnumblingly boring to play a game just to throw dice and have a beer afterwards with the pals. If that was the plan, i would just skip the game and drink the beers instead, and go to a club or pub. But of course, that is my way to have fun, and i am responsible of my enjoyment, so i play the game the way i have fun. If that's how you have fun, dude, it's your fun not mine, i couldn't care less while it is not affecting me. Of course, we wouldn't have fun playing each other, but that's the thing, we don't have to play each other, so just stick to whatever entertains you.

Perspective man, i wish some people frecking had it.

if i could like this many times, i would.

I've reached the age at which I recognize just how lucky I am to be able to get out of the house for a couple of hours and play a game I love. Add to that the fact that my wife really doesn't give me a whole lot of grief, if I try pushing her out of the house to go sewing once in a while, and life is good.

I win when I get to play. If I come away with a won match here or there, that's just gravy. Every time I play, I learn something. I don't like getting the floor mopped with my squad, but I remember my first paragraph, and I still have fun.

So I guess my question is: how do I get better? Play more? Take it more seriously? Become a rule Nazi?

Become a rule Nazi?

First off: this term bloody annoys me. Knowing the rules well is never a bad thing. If anything, it is the mark of a good player when he understands the rules properly and doesn't just muddle his way through the game.

Okay, with that out of my system:

So I guess my question is: how do I get better? Play more? Take it more seriously?

The former. The more you play, the more you learn, the better you get.

I learned a while back that you should not allow wholeasses to mess with your fun.

Become a rule Nazi?

First off: this term bloody annoys me. Knowing the rules well is never a bad thing. If anything, it is the mark of a good player when he understands the rules properly and doesn't just muddle his way through the game.

Okay, with that out of my system:

So I guess my question is: how do I get better? Play more? Take it more seriously?

The former. The more you play, the more you learn, the better you get.

Rule Nazi or Lawyer is not necessarily knowing all the rules, but following them to the strictest letter. Not allowing take backs or go backs.

Example: The last time I played my opponent forgot to use ACD for Whisper, he tried to put the token next to the ship after he rolled dice for his next ship. I told him it was to late to do that and a nerd fight broke out between the 2 of us. After our fit I tried to concede because I lost my desire to play a game where we'd be mad the whole time, but my opponent said he wouldn't let it bother him. But it was too late for me next round he destroyed one of my ships and I conceded; packed my things and haven't played for over a month now.

So being a Rules Nazi is not a good thing in the end

Why are you having a fit over anything? Your opponent is not entitled to take backs. How is there anything to argue there?

The argument wasn't about rules, it was about "flying casual" in a sense.

He asked me "If you were one who forgot, do you think I would let you take it back?" My response was "probably," which made me second guess myself, and feel like I big A**hole, but I still didn't let him go back. At that point he said something along the lines of that's the biggest D-bag move ever but OK. That's when I offered to concede, but he recanted his statement and still wanted me to play.