one question with regards to this I have. I see a lot of players who keep their dial miles away from their ships or sometimes on their cards. I know that's a minor grip but is it inconsiderate to ask them to put it by their model while we play?

Well see I used to be like this too because it can be really easy to sneak in a touchy-touch when the dial is so close at hand, but in practice? Placing dials by the ships can be an easy way to remember whose dial is whose, but it can also make the mat pretty crowded, especially in a mirror match, so don't be afraid to organize your own dials in a way that suits you.

Just don't touch the dials after they have been set. It's that simple. Keep them by the ships or on the ship cards. Warn people before you want to check a dial. If someone can't do these simple things when asked politely, then call over a TO or the store owner or staff.

I like to keep my dials along my edge of the map, next to their cards. I have grabbed the wrong dial before so now I like to keep them near me. But, no one should be touching their dials after the first reveal. Once the first player reveals the first dial, all touching is done. I like to ask if the other person is good before the first flip, especially because I usually have low pilot skill ships.

I keep dials by the pilot cards if I play a lot of ships because otherwise you have to move them all the time to move the ships. but I don't put my hands anywhere close to the dials until I flip one over onto the mat. also I've seen it happen in a tournament that the opponent flip the enemy dial by mistake. I believe all he got was a warning, so he gained a big advantage that turn (he was playing Dash so he could reposition). he won that game against a guy who had won a regional and I think was a rather stronger player

yeah I agree there is not much that can be done without ruining the game before it starts.

I am amazed that you happen to of been recording him... I have yet to see camera's in any event.. what did you finish?

Oh this is not a recording of my game this one is from Atlanta regional where as my game was at much smaller store championship. just the handling of dial was very similar and it made me think that I overreacted by reporting the player.

Ask them to place their dials next to their ships on the mat.

If they refuse, call the TO over.

If this makes them angry, it's on them.

Sure but many people are uncomfortable with confrontation, frankly, because people don't like the feeling of not being trusted. So, for some, asking them not to do something is a tacit accusation of being a cheater. This makes them irate...and there others who would simply not wish to experience that behavior. So, you can't really say "if it makes them angry, it's on them" without alienating people (in my opinion, unfairly) who have a hard time coping with someone exhibiting that sort of anger or irritation.

Sometimes you need to speak up because there are no reasonable alternatives but in this situation, I think there's no reason a rule can't be put in place to resolve the issue. You can only look at your dials, one at a time, when it's your turn to maneuver a ship or something. Then, you're still free to recheck your dials and your opponent is free to watch you.

In your video example, I don't really have an issue with the first instance, but I would get sketched out by the second one. The first time, he just picks up his dial and just holds because his opponent is literally about to declare his turn over and is waiting to flip. The second one, he holds it a LOT longer and fidgets with the dial with his thumb way too much for my liking.

I'd just nicely ask him to leave the dials on the table until it was time to flip them.

If I'm playing a mirror match and there are a lot of ships on the table, I will sometimes place dials on pilot cards instead of on the table. It helps with keeping track of which dial is actually for which ship, especially if everything is going bump-crazy in the middle of the board. There's nothing more annoying than your opponent accidentally flipping your dial with the crazy good and unexpected move on it because it's ambiguous which is which.

I always place my dials on the pilot cards (as suggested in the tournament rules under "Mirror Matches"). It cuts down confusion as to which dial belongs to which ship, as I tend to run lists with multiples of the same ship. Plus it cuts down clutter on the table. Easy to tell who has and hasn't activated that way, too. I announce the maneuver when I flip the dial.

Tokens, of course, on the table next to the ship as best as they'll fit. And no fiddling with my dials once I say I'm set.