There are two definitions of this being used right now.
Given that one of these is foul play and the other is just a gameplay tactic, it might be worth deciding what we mean by this term now to prevent confusion both now and for anyone referencing past threads in the future.
To me, "slow play" is synonymous with "stalling." But since "intentional stalling" is how it is described in the tournament rules, maybe that's the term we should use for the rules violation.
Still, I don't feel like "slow play" describes the strategy as well as "standing off" or "holding back" or "flying slow."
I've heard 'slow roll' for just generally moving ships slowly, not sure if that's just a local thing.
I've heard 'slow roll' for just generally moving ships slowly, not sure if that's just a local thing.
I've heard that, too. It just doesn't seem thematic since these ships don't have wheels.
I was trying to find where I had encountered slow roll as well, but I think that is a better term... leaving "slow play" for how the person behind the movement is actually participating in the game.
Slow approach is what I'd say. Slow roll implies lateral movement with space/aircraft.
Intentional slow play is unsportsmanlike in a tournament setting. I'd call that taking extra time to decide on maneuvers, slowly moving tokens and ships, etc.
But if you do all your required actions quickly while avoiding contact and/or running away, that's fine.
Basically, if you're winning on points but are precariously close to losing on points with little time left, make sure each turn has as little time spent on your actions as possible.
Most of the time it's pretty apparent through context what the author means.
I mostly use slow roll, because its pretty well-known slang for creeping forward cautiously.
I don't use the term slow play, because to me playing defensively is still playing the game. Even if it is to take as many turns as possible to keep your ship alive as the time runs out. Stalling like setting dials down slowly, taking 5 minuets to declare an action or chose a target, that is not playing the game.
For your examples I instead use the words
So stalling is not playing but defensive play is playing, even if it is exploiting an arbitrary time limit that only takes place in tournaments.
what annoys me is when people take their time flipping their dial over and moving their ships once setting dials is complete, unless you have advanced sensors and can perform an action before you move there is nothing to think about just flip your dial and move your ship
what annoys me is when people take their time flipping their dial over and moving their ships once setting dials is complete, unless you have advanced sensors and can perform an action before you move there is nothing to think about just flip your dial and move your ship
Some of us fly more than 2 ships and need to move ships of the same PS in a certain order to intentionally bump/avoid bumping, and we want to make sure we're not forgetting the correct order.
Can someone explain exactly what slow rolling is?
I always thought it was moving straight as slow as the ship can and barrel rolling back to get a bit farther away.
Is this incorrect?
Slow-rolling in X-Wing is covering as short a distance as possible, to gain information about your opponent's plan. It's perfectly good, legal, and sportsmanlike tactical play.
Slow-rolling in poker is intentionally delaying showing a winning hand, in the desire to needle your opponent and possibly tilt him or her. It's ******-baggery.
Slow-playing in X-Wing is intentionally stalling to run out time. (This is as opposed to taking a long time to make hard decisions, which -- while it should be avoided -- isn't as bad.) It is ******-baggery.
Slow-playing in poker is intentionally playing a strong hand much weaker, in the attempt to trap your opponent into thinking he or she has the better hand. It's perfectly good, legal, and sportsmanlike tactical play.
Yeah slow rolling in poker is like BM in e- sports but less acceptable. I don't like to use that terminology for x- wing. Stalling for the draw or the win by running away or moving slow is a tactic so I call it stall tactics like I do in other board games like Blood bowl.
Once the terrain is set (i.e. obstacles), certain areas will present advantages and disadvantages, depending on one's fleet and personal strategy. Anyone who arbitrarily rushes out of an advantageous position isn't going to last as long as the one who decreases velocity to squeeze as many rounds as possible out of that advantage. That isn't slow play, it's just holding onto an advantage for as long as possible.
lining ups ships behind a shuttle for example, can mean having all your guns facing forward for two turns in the same location if the shuttle does a zero maneuver. crawling across a board like that is not slow play either, it is an intentional hamstringing of a fleets maneuvers for the intended purpose of turning what would otherwise be a disadvantage, into an advantage. etc.
I know it would be nice to have a word in our vocabulary for every passing X-Wing strategy, but there are so many strategies that rely upon reduced or even hamstrung maneuvers, it wouldn't be easy to pick any one label and apply it to all of them.
Slow-rolling in X-Wing is covering as short a distance as possible, to gain information about your opponent's plan. It's perfectly good, legal, and sportsmanlike tactical play.
Slow-rolling in poker is intentionally delaying showing a winning hand, in the desire to needle your opponent and possibly tilt him or her. It's ******-baggery.
Slow-playing in X-Wing is intentionally stalling to run out time. (This is as opposed to taking a long time to make hard decisions, which -- while it should be avoided -- isn't as bad.) It is ******-baggery.
Slow-playing in poker is intentionally playing a strong hand much weaker, in the attempt to trap your opponent into thinking he or she has the better hand. It's perfectly good, legal, and sportsmanlike tactical play.
Thank you. I understand the term now
This is a really good example of slow rolling by the Imperial player, (kind of to an extreme):
^ Should have just taken the one damage.
Completely unrelated, but..
Game. Set. Match. 
I have a regular opponent who will slow roll his tie swarm by making 1 hard turns to the left then the right to avoid having to go 2 ahead each turn until he is sure where you are going.
MMM... No thoughts. looks fun though.
^ Should have just taken the one damage.
Completely unrelated, but..
Game. Set. Match.
Yep. Really goes to show you that you can lose a match by making just one mistake.
That was interesting to watch that opening. Game turned in a hurry when Whisper went down.
When you are winning a game with two ships left on your side, one of which is down to 1 hull point.
if you keep crashing that ship to one of your opponents so that it cant get attacked, while you keep on using the other guy to kill your opponents ships, is considered stalling, slow play or wining strategy?
When you are winning a game with two ships left on your side, one of which is down to 1 hull point.
if you keep crashing that ship to one of your opponents so that it cant get attacked, while you keep on using the other guy to kill your opponents ships, is considered stalling, slow play or wining strategy?
My vote? Winning strategy.
Hell, the extreme of both of these lies with a tactic I thoroughly enjoy: the Fortresser. (Fortressor?)
On the first point, my list is the fastest to play, as until you stray too close:
My dials don't change.
My position doesn't change.
My attacks don't change.
After you stray too close, my following turn(s) still go pretty quickly, as I've practiced the immediate roll-out for the two turns after I break initial formation.
On the second point, my list is the slowest to play, as until you stray too close:
My position DOESN'T CHANGE. Hard to go slower than 0 mph.
Later in the game, I don't play the clock; I simply maneuver so that the points I won in the initial "You activated my trap card" pass stay in my advantage.
If I feel I can still win the engagement, then I shall pursue engagement.
If I feel I must rely upon skullduggery, then I shall pursue skullduggery.
If I feel I still lose a fair fight, then I shall flee all fights that look remotely fair.
However, I still look for when I can gain advantage. My particular fortress list is adept at darting, so my threat radius is typically greater than my opponents', and what looks like zipping around the perimeter playing for the clock is actually establishing a pattern so you are unprepared for my eventual aggression... when you've left your voolnerables open, say.
(I fortress 4x Alphas + Autothrusters, and a Naked Howlrunner. 98 Points, and I use Initiative to place a very important rock, or to win Tie games in elemination rounds, and sacrifice it against Imperial/Scum Swarms so I can arc-dodge their PS 1 pilots. And the list is strong enough that I can always fly it without Fortressing if I need to, but after all I've gone through to emulate my home-state's weirdest plant...).
Edited by DraconPyrothayan