Depends mostly on what type of game we're playing. If it's a casual game, even if I'm playing something I want to get good with, part of my job is to help you learn the game and make you feel welcomed. If it's a competitive game, you deserve a lot less mercy, however it's still my job to make sure you have a good time, and it is NOT my job to drive you away from the hobby.

I don't change how I fly, but one thing I do when playing people that don't know how to play is setup several generic lists. Usually with iconic ships. I'll have them pick which one they want to fly and which one they want me to fly. I have no preference, I've flown all factions and obviously all of the ships I own... because at this point, I'm assuming we are all using my ships. I will also avoid upgrade cards for that first game. This makes it a simple exercise in learning how to fly ships around asteroids and attacking an opponent.

If someone brings their own list and wants to fly but haven't flown before, I'll still generally follow the same principle of flying generic pilots, but I may put a few standard upgrade cards in the mix. The goal is still the same. Keep it simple and help them focus on the fun of flying and shooting.

Most of my games take place at my house as I do not have a game store that we can meet at and play and generally I field the ships, so I can always put together something pretty quickly. If nothing else, I can fly a Khiraxz or TIE Swarm or Triple X-Wings. Once they have played that kind of game, I'll keep adding things in so they can see more concepts, but only one at a time. No reason to throw Ion and a Stressbot at someone just to play with their minds...

Mostly I'm trying to build a club so want as many as possible to come back as often as possible. Now if we could just find a good neutral location that I could put up advertising for... step by step...

If they set up their ship backwards in their starting area, it gets flown off the map. Haven't seen the guy since lol.

This is good good for your community and lgs because

I get a free win. My opponent's fun doesn't matter, only mine. As long as I'm polite and follow the rules.

In fact, there is no rule that allows me to allow you to flip your ship around/change your dial even if I wanted to. That would be breaking the rules, which is cheating.

If they set up their ship backwards in their starting area, it gets flown off the map. Haven't seen the guy since lol.

This is good good for your community and lgs because

I get a free win. My opponent's fun doesn't matter, only mine. As long as I'm polite and follow the rules.

In fact, there is no rule that allows me to allow you to flip your ship around/change your dial even if I wanted to. That would be breaking the rules, which is cheating.

The best way to make sure a newbie is not stomped

is issuing him the " Squadron of forgiveness "

It's dumb as hell, forgiving as f#$^ and has a nice set of abilities that quite quickly let him understand the basics of card interaction.

no PS-race, no arcdodge, no regen against a newbie. these things take the joy away.

and without joy there's hardly much motivation.

I might be the only local player who wanted to feel the salt, the others didn't want to taste TEH POWER from the first moments.

playing dumb intentionally is just a waste of time, imo. you're there to game too

handicapping yourself at the list building stage is imo the way to go. helps to own inefficient jousters that can't really do much (T-65's calling card, essentially) as there really is no better way to showcase the most basic mechanics of the game (since they literally can't do **** else)

as long as you avoid a heavy alpha theme (like Wedge with Jan ors backing him up) that'll wipe the opponent off the board before he's had a chance to enjoy himself, you should be aokay and you might even enjoy the challenge of flying the game's titular ship (in particular, trying to make its many MANY limitations work)

in order to avoid boring yourself to death, feel free to make one a named pilot with bb-8 + ptl

OK here we go....

You're probably curb stomping a newbie if you:

- fly a triple U-boat or Palp Aces list against someone who just bought the core set and can only field one T-70 or two TIE/FO....that's his problem not yours

- fail to tell your opponent about the simultaneous attack rule and don't tell him he could shoot back before removing his ship from the board

- militantly enforce the missed opportunity rule against a 10-year old kid who doesn't know what the Perform Actions step is

- stall for time to ensure a timed win even though you're opponent isn't aware the match was timed to begin with

I find it best to take the following kind of attitude towards newer players.

If they set up their ship backwards in their starting area, it gets flown off the map. Haven't seen the guy since lol.

This is good good for your community and lgs because

I get a free win. My opponent's fun doesn't matter, only mine. As long as I'm polite and follow the rules.

In fact, there is no rule that allows me to allow you to flip your ship around/change your dial even if I wanted to. That would be breaking the rules, which is cheating.

Why waste your time? That win is worth nothing. Even in your whacked out world where non-event wins have any value, a win over a completely hapless opponent can't have any value to you.

I always try to carry at least a couple of squads with me; that way I have some capacity to tailor my squad to my opponent.

Obviously whatever list I'm trying to do well with is what I'd rather bring to the table, (and if the other guy wants to go up against that list I'm certainly not going to refuse them) but I always aim to have something a little less finely tuned tucked away in case it is needed.

When it comes to flying, if it's a casual game it's casual rules. If they forget something or do something wrong, fix it to what they intended to do if at all possible. Help them out as needed...

At the same time though, I'm not about to pull any punches. I want to improve, I want them to improve, and neither of these things happens with sloppy flying or bad tactics.

Plus I'm not about to start throwing games. If someone beats me it's because they flew better, not because I gave them the win.

If they set up their ship backwards in their starting area, it gets flown off the map. Haven't seen the guy since lol.

This is good good for your community and lgs because

I get a free win. My opponent's fun doesn't matter, only mine. As long as I'm polite and follow the rules.

In fact, there is no rule that allows me to allow you to flip your ship around/change your dial even if I wanted to. That would be breaking the rules, which is cheating.

From what I've been reading, and as a relatively new person to the game myself, the biggest common thread is: try out a new "casual fly" list so you can learn while teaching someone else the ropes. Almost every game I've played has been like that and I've had some success while also learning from my mistakes as well as having my opponent explain his mistakes as well.

Vineheart has it just right: you learn more from your mistakes than from your successes, so there's value in losing as long as you know you learned something as well as had a good time. If you're getting stomped and the reason is obvious that your teacher is more interested in stomping you, it's more likely you will just avoid that teacher (aka asshat) the next time.

i never understood why people get a kick out of utterly stomping people, whether its a justified and true victory to best a good player ten-fold or just take advantage of someone's noobishness for a free win.

I dont have ANY fun when i steamroll. I dont have ANY fun when i rob my opponent of the game we are playing. i dont have ANY fun when its NOT A CHALLENGE and utterly curbstomping either a good player or a noob is not a challenge nor fun.

This is why i absolutely hate uboat spam and ywing ion turret spam lists. They remove a major MAJOR aspect of the game (flying correctly) and usually rob your opponent of the game either by perma-ion so they just cant do a **** thing, or 1shotting everything because youre durable enough to survive any alpha strike barring REALLY good dice on their end.

The most fun i have with this game is when i pull a win out of my ass with a completely wonky and unorthodox list. Barrelrolling decimators (expert handling), bumper-wings (b-wing intimidation zeb), Daredevil on any ship with a cannon slot, list goes on and on the random gak i show up with. Its rare for people to see my lists and not go "what the heck?" even though i win a pretty good chunk of them. Flying tactics > netlists unless that netlist completely removes the importance of the #1 reason this game exists: flying properly.

This mentality goes for any game. Main reason i cant play smash brothers anymore is because i refuse to play the tournament wave-dashing vector-changing level of pro because i feel thats mechanic abuse not actual gameplay, but i am good enough to where if im NOT facing those people (who usually curbstomp me) i have no challenge lol. And i feel like a **** when i 3stock my friends, even more so when i do it with a joke character trying to give myself a handicap lol.

Why waste your time?

I honestly think the best thing anyone can do is just ignore most of what ParaGoomba Slayer says.

I wholeheartedly agree, steamrolling new players doesn't bring any satisfaction. There's a chess club here in town that is open to players of all ages and skill levels. What's disheartening is seeing new players getting paired against someone who isn't interested in teaching the game. It creates a negative experience for the new player and that often deters them from ever trying it again which is a shame. Not everyone is cut out to teach but it doesn't mean you need to be a jerk when interacting with a new player.

i never understood why people get a kick out of utterly stomping people, whether its a justified and true victory to best a good player ten-fold or just take advantage of someone's noobishness for a free win.

I dont have ANY fun when i steamroll. I dont have ANY fun when i rob my opponent of the game we are playing. i dont have ANY fun when its NOT A CHALLENGE and utterly curbstomping either a good player or a noob is not a challenge nor fun.

I agree with this completely. Even in a tournament setting, I don't really like total curb-stomps. I mean, it's nice to get the margin of victory towards some fun little acrylic tokens, but for the most part I want fun, close games. In a tournament a few months ago I brought Super Dash and Miranda, and I just brutalized someone's attempt at an A-wing crackshot swarm. At least two of the A's even got one-shotted. Granted, that's up to dice, but I still felt a bad taste in my mouth. And that was in a tournament.

If I get to the table to play and I see my opponent set up a list that could only win by an act of god, I don't want to throw down my go-to list. Instead I will try and learn some new builds using the Ghost, or maybe try out a different wingman for Dengar in my quest to have a good 2 ship list for scum that isn't brobots. I love Super Dash, he's my go to because I've flown him the most and despite all the doom and gloom, I feel he still does well enough against most lists in the current meta (no one in my store plays triple u-boats surprisingly enough), and I can't wait to pair him with PS9 Poe when heroes of the resistance comes out. There are other ships I like to play, however, and when someone throws down 3 TIE bombers fully loaded with all their upgrade slots full, I know that Super Dash/Miranda will shred the list. So I play something a little more fun, and maybe an arc dodger that's not too scary to show him that that list building strategy isn't exactly the best. Wiping him in three combat turns isn't the way to go...

Right.

The most fun i get out of this game is when its down to the wire. Both players have 1 ship with enough hp to more than likely survive one attack. I absolutely LOVE the dogfighting that ensues. Yes its technically a bit in my favor since i thrive in that situation (not trying to brag but i honestly have never lost when i get to that point of the game, even with a crappy PS3 Awing w/ PTL and Juke lol) but i still have so much **** fun.

Normally i have everything planned out 2-3 turns in advance, rarely shifting it more than changing to a bank instead of a hard. I cant do that with dogfighting, especially against a nimble ship. I have to predict this move just right or i get no shot or i possibly get shot.

Had an Adv Sensors b-wing (keyan) dogfight with a PTL/Adv Sensors Guri once. Dear god that was intense lol. Predicting that ratfink was NOT easy.

I'm a total newb. Haven't even made it to the FLGS to get a game in yet. But when I show up, I fully expect to get smashed. I don't really care what list is used and actually wouldn't mind seeing what is strongest in the current meta to help me learn. That said, it comes down to attitude for me. If I'm playing someone much more experienced, I don't care if they are bringing palpaces or trip uboats as long as they walk through the actions and interplay of their cards so I understand what is happening. If they see me choosing a less optimal action and want to explain why I should focus instead of target lock, for example, then I appreciate that type of feedback.

I certainly don't expect kid gloves from a list standpoint, but in a friendly environment, the attitudes of the players is most key.

I'm a total newb. Haven't even made it to the FLGS to get a game in yet. But when I show up, I fully expect to get smashed. I don't really care what list is used and actually wouldn't mind seeing what is strongest in the current meta to help me learn. That said, it comes down to attitude for me. If I'm playing someone much more experienced, I don't care if they are bringing palpaces or trip uboats as long as they walk through the actions and interplay of their cards so I understand what is happening. If they see me choosing a less optimal action and want to explain why I should focus instead of target lock, for example, then I appreciate that type of feedback.

I certainly don't expect kid gloves from a list standpoint, but in a friendly environment, the attitudes of the players is most key.

The mark of a potential good player. You are willing to take a loss to figure the game out, and willing to listen. I have no issue playing with noobs in any game if they are willing to recognize they are new and dont know much if anything about the game. Im not going to hold your hand but im not going to talk smack about how bad you are or flip out because im paired with you etc etc blah blah blah. Only time noobs tick me off is when they refuse any outside help whatsoever. There is a notion of self-learning but it also irritates the HELL out of the rest of us lol.

The moment Chuck (the guy i was talking about earlier) asks me to go tournament mode on him im going to bring out the palpaces and not go easy at all. But its really hard to learn the game if all you face is the ultimate list: especially in a game where the ultimate list really only does 1 thing anyway... in this case arc-dodging (meaning they can evade your firing arc pretty easily and keep theirs). I have taught this guy a lot of random things because i'll bring a list hes never even heard of before and because its not a generic method he gets blindsided by it...the first time. Its making him adapt quicker, as the last quarky list i stuffed in his face he actually did adapt pretty quick but the dice didnt let him capitalize otherwise he probably would have won that time.

This

The main thing for the super new players is forgiving every mistake. If they forget their action, or if they forget to spend a focus, etc, let them know and let them do it. The tolerance for those things starts to tighten up as they get their basics on how to make sure their dial is actually the piece they intend to use (independent of if it's what they actually wanted to do).

You're effectively guiding them through the process moreso than competing against them. As they're starting to migrate into playing their own lists, it's still fair to be more appropriately casual with them. I typically pack a goof-off list for those sorts of matches, which allows me to indulge in flying ships that would otherwise make my skin crawl trying to fly them in a more competitive context.

I also aim to make that goof list absent of more complicated equipment (I fly scum, so that can be tricky sometimes) - but generally I find those matches to still be very engaging for me as I'm struggling to fly ships I'm less experienced with, effectively bringing me closer to their level.

and

I don't change how I fly, but one thing I do when playing people that don't know how to play is setup several generic lists. Usually with iconic ships. I'll have them pick which one they want to fly and which one they want me to fly. I have no preference, I've flown all factions and obviously all of the ships I own... because at this point, I'm assuming we are all using my ships. I will also avoid upgrade cards for that first game. This makes it a simple exercise in learning how to fly ships around asteroids and attacking an opponent.

If someone brings their own list and wants to fly but haven't flown before, I'll still generally follow the same principle of flying generic pilots, but I may put a few standard upgrade cards in the mix. The goal is still the same. Keep it simple and help them focus on the fun of flying and shooting.

Those are probably the best advice you can follow to hook someone onto the game.

It's actually kind of like being a GM. The person you're playing is just starting out their story and you're the villain; if you totally crush them to start, then the story's over. You don't have to lose the first game, but they have to feel like they could have won if they had made a different choice or two.

So yeah, send a few waves of mooks at them to start: win or lose they'll have a good chance. After that add a few of your heavy hitters and some sneaky upgrades into the mix to escalate the fights; and finally, when you think they're ready hit them with your hard list: all the aces, traits and abilities!

- Never fly the ships you have fielded below your ability. If you want to make it easier for them, fly a weaker list. Generics, unfamiliar options, less synergy.

- Give lots of second chances to start, but make them learn the hard way once you upgrade to tier 2.

- Always lose with a smile and win with a smirk. -

I think there's a line between the two.

I think intentionally throwing the game is rude, insulting and unlikely to get the person involved in the game. But on the other hand, completely destroying them is about the same.

So if you're playing someone new, maybe they know the rules maybe they don't... I'd play in such a way that it's not a complete blowout but not apparent you're throwing the game.

This could be admittedly a fine line to walk.

For one thing I'd make sure and explain the rules to them, and depending on how much experience they have offer advice either before or after they take an action.

For example someone who's played 2-3 times before, so they got a good grasp of the basic rules. I'd say things like 'ok in this case you really want to do X rather than Y' and explain why they should pick X.

But perhaps they've played a dozen games or so, so they're still learning but know how to play, in that case I may say the same thing but do it after they had picked Y.

One other thing, is while you shouldn't take bad moves you could take less than ideal ones. Try to shoot from range 2 or get shot from range 2, rather than trying to close to range 1, or stay at range 3, for example.

This is why I think it's important to talk about this up front if that's the case. Speaking as someone new to the game and not very good. I don't want any mercy during the game. After the game or after I've missed something feel free to tell me what you feel like I could do better and mention opportunities you noticed I missed to use upgrades. I expect to lose at things that are new to me when playing against someone more experienced as should most people in most situations like that. I'm playing to have fun and get better if losing is going to make me quit it might not be the game for me.

The moment Chuck (the guy i was talking about earlier) asks me to go tournament mode on him im going to bring out the palpaces and not go easy at all. But its really hard to learn the game if all you face is the ultimate list: especially in a game where the ultimate list really only does 1 thing anyway... in this case arc-dodging (meaning they can evade your firing arc pretty easily and keep theirs). I have taught this guy a lot of random things because i'll bring a list hes never even heard of before and because its not a generic method he gets blindsided by it...the first time. Its making him adapt quicker, as the last quarky list i stuffed in his face he actually did adapt pretty quick but the dice didnt let him capitalize otherwise he probably would have won that time.

This is a good point. Variety certainly helps the newbie see combinations and learn how to react to them better. But as a noob I also have a responsibility to make sure that more experienced players get what they need out of a game. That means that if they are gearing up for a tournament or the like, I should expect that either they won't want to play me because it isn't challenging enough (just be friendly about it) or they will play me with their best.

Newbies need to git gud brah.

Why waste your time? That win is worth nothing. Even in your whacked out world where non-event wins have any value, a win over a completely hapless opponent can't have any value to you.

Responding to PGS is wasting your time. Just put him on 'ignore' and try to resist the 'view it anyway?' temptation. 90% of what comes out of his keyboard is literally worthless.

Never 'let' someone win. It's incredibly condescending. If you like, consider playing with a handicap (them at 100, you at 90 or whatever) or with a list that's the paper to their scissors.

A friend taught me the saying that people remember bruises more than pats on the back. Be kind, be welcoming, but have some standards and let them win on their own merits, not because you pulled your punches.

I'll echo the sentiments of offering as much guidance as possible. Let them take things back (if the game state hasn't advanced too far), if they're about to make an /obvious/ mistake give a reasonable suggestion instead.

The problem IMO is that the game is marketed as a simple, easy to pick up and easy to understand game when the reality is that you need to understand lots of intricate card interactions and maneuvering tricks to really get the most out of your ships. If you're just flying some X Wings and B Wings because you like Star Wars, you're going to have a pretty rude awakening.

The best way to avoid stomping newbies is to stop playing 100/6 all the time! If your opponent is brand new, then run some simple tutorial missions using the core set, and slowly adding in more ships and mechanics until you both feel confident that they understand how the mechanics work. If you're setting up a 100/6 game against someone who is clearly new to the game, then take the time to explain things as you go. Like "Since I've got deadeye and I've focused, I can fire my ordnance at anyone in range" or "You might have Soontir in range at the moment, but remember I move last and I can boost AND barrel roll!" and PLEASE be forgiving of people learning the rules mechanics when it comes to forgotten actions/action selection. There's plenty of time to be a stickler for the rules once they get the hang of things. If you crush your opponents without mercy, especially before they have a chance to learn the intricacies of the game, then you're just turning them off the game and reducing your player pool.