Post by Pop goes the world on Apr 7, 2010 22:15:18 GMT -6
Reflecting upon both discussions with my fellow players and my experiences of the last few years, I hereby recommend that we draft a set of house rules for our Warmachine/ Hordes players. I am not recommending that we change or bend existing rules, but establish some guidelines that set standards for certain aspects of the game that the official rules do not. We will not create anything that trumps current rules or rulings, but accommodates for situations and idiosyncratic behaviors that are not easily handled in the rules. I do this in the hopes of improving the sportsmanship in our club, the skill of our players, and the flow of our games. I will post my idea for house rules, and we can amend them as the club sees fit. Once we agree on a set list of house rules, I recommend that we all "sign" the document, pledging both our support for it and our agreement to follow the rules. Hopefully, these guidelines will help resolve future disputes, keep our games friendly, and keep our club a happy place.
N.I.M.G.C. House Rules for Warmachine/ Hordes -
1.) Measuring Model Movement- "The Three M's"
"When measuring the distance from a model, measure from the edge of the model's base... a model is within a given distance when the nearest edge of its base is within the distance, or equivalently, any part of its base is within the given distance (p.30, Warmachine Prime MKII)"
When you are measuring the distance for your movement, never estimate. Even if it is turn one, and you are nowhere near your opponent, measure the movement distance, mark the limit of the movement with your finger or a die, and move the model along the course of measured movement in order to ensure its base does not overlap the bases of other models at any point. These things are all part of the official movement rules, but people often forget or ignore them. Always measure as if you were trying to connect with a charge that is just within your reach. If on turn one you move an extra 1/2", you just effectively gave yourself an unfair advantage on turn two. Miniature wargaming is a game of precision, and the measurements are part of the game. Don't measure from three feet above the table to give yourself the benefit of forced perspective- measure directly from the base whenever possible. Thou shalt measure in straight lines. If you have to move around a model measure to a point that allows you base to clear the obstruction and then measure your remaining distance. Do not wrap the tape as tight as possible around the obstruction of figure. This wrapping is inaccurate and gives an unfair advantage depending on where you measure from your base. the rule book even uses this in its example.
2.) Actions and Activations are Permanent- "If it is laid, it is played."
"I'm moving my Warjack. Oh crap. I forgot to cast that spell that gives him bonuses... I'll just move him back and..."
Oh no you won't. Activations are part of the game. Activation structure is part of the game. The strategy involved in carefully ordering your activations is just as important to the game as protecting your flanks or lining up that charge against an enemy warcaster. If you forgot to do something, or did something out of order, you messed up. If you deployed your warjack on the wrong flank, you wouldn't move him after deployment was set- "taking back" a move or activation is just as wrong. You messed up- but you also learned a lesson. You are never going to remember if you are not penalized for playing the game incorrectly.
3.) Once your model is moved, you cannot move him back.
"My caster is charging your warbeast." "Oh good. He takes free strikes from my melee badasses." "Oh- nevermind. He moves around them then."
Once you move a model, there is no definitive way to prove where he just was. You cannot "measure back," because there is no way to know that the angle of movement is going to be the same. Once a model is moved, the model is moved. If it caused something bad to happen, that sucks, but it is all part of the game. That is why things like free strikes exist in the first place. See also #1 and #2 as to why this is important.
4.) This is not golf. Your turn should not take 45 minutes.
We all like to make sure that our strategy is sound, but there is nothing worse than waiting an inordinate amount of time for your opponent to get his shit together. Think about what you are going to do on your opponent's turn, and then carry it out on your turn. Be careful and deliberate in your actions, but don't take your sweet ass time. This is supposed to be a battle- the tempo of your games should reflect that. You should never rush your opponent's turn, because you shouldn't have to. He should have the courtesy to do his business in a timely manner. Some of us have to carefully ration our free time just to make it out and game in the first place- we don't want to spend it all waiting for you to allocate focus.
5.) Page 5 is the most important page in the rule book.
This is not just a game. This is a hobby which we devote hours of our lives to painting, modeling, reading about, and army building. We have all spent a lot of money in order to do this, too. However, it is also a social activity. That being said, this should be an enjoyable experience for all parties. If your opponent is gloating, screaming, whining, or otherwise behaving in an anti-social manner, it destroys the experience for everyone around them. we play these games in order to relax, hang out with friends, and engage in some friendly competition. Nobody comes in the door wanting to start a fight, or listen to somebody cry about all of the injustices that led to their defeat.
Just to reiterate, the Page 5 rules are as follows-
1.) Thou Shall Not Whine (Every game needs a loser, and your army is just as broken as his is)
2.) Come Heavy, or Don't Come at All (Play aggressively on the table- don't hesitate to attack, attack, attack. Fate favors the bold)
3.) Give as Good as you Get (Don't just play to win- play to have fun. Don't pick on the new or inexperienced players, and don't feel like you have to play all the "best" models because you need them to win)
4.) Win Graciously and Lose Valiantly (Don't gloat when you win, and don't be a bitch when you lose)
5.) Page 5 is Not An Excuse (and neither are the house rules- just because these rules exist, you should not exploit them in order to act like an ass-hat with impunity)
The guys at Privateer Press created Page 5 to make sure everybody stays in the right spirit of the game- do so.
6.) Act Like and Adult Human Being
If you find yourself screaming at an opponent for any reason, you are wrong. If, after a loss, you spend all your time indignantly cursing the game for all it's "broken" rules, claiming you are going to quit, or acting like a sullen prick, this might not be the hobby for you. Yes, we are all nerds, but we are still human beings who require basic courtesy. A little bit of table talk is fine, but don't talk shit. You are judged more on your graciousness as a gamer than your win/loss record. As such, you should always remember to keep etiquette and friendliness at the forefront of your games.
7.) You Have to Follow the House Rules, All the Time
"(sigh)... Go ahead. Do it this time, but try not to do it again."
There will be none of this. If we want to have nice things, we have to behave ourselves all the time. DO NOT LET YOUR FELLOW GAMERS LAPSE FROM THESE RULES. If you let someone get away with something once, not only will your game suffer, but they will not gain the experience that comes from screwing something out. You don't learn from winning- you learn from getting your ass handed to you and figuring out how to prevent it in the future. If you agree to these rules, you also agree that you will never allow someone to ignore them.
These are not hard rules to follow. However, it is also easy to say that these are basic common sense rules and then forget about them in the heat of the moment. These need to be rules followed and are valid reason for another player to either turn down a game because of an opponent's history or to concede and leave the game, because of rules infractions. Be courteous about it, but don't be afraid to call someone out for breaking the house rules.
Everyone has a stigma about their trends as a fellow gamer. Some people whine, some people make their moves in inches plus a slide and a scoot, some people can't accept losing a game. Some people are also the good, decent, fair players you always like to find games with. Make it your #1 priority to be the last example just mentioned.
If you agree to these rules, post your intent on this forum. We will update the official list of signatories from time to time.
Signatories-
-Adam Huenecke
-Ted Burgess
-Josh Link
-Mike "Mexicant" Rios
-Greg Chyson
-Caleb "The Ginger" W.
-Andrew Delso
-Andrew Karolus
-Tom Kazmierczak
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
N.I.M.G.C. House Rules for Warmachine/ Hordes -
1.) Measuring Model Movement- "The Three M's"
"When measuring the distance from a model, measure from the edge of the model's base... a model is within a given distance when the nearest edge of its base is within the distance, or equivalently, any part of its base is within the given distance (p.30, Warmachine Prime MKII)"
When you are measuring the distance for your movement, never estimate. Even if it is turn one, and you are nowhere near your opponent, measure the movement distance, mark the limit of the movement with your finger or a die, and move the model along the course of measured movement in order to ensure its base does not overlap the bases of other models at any point. These things are all part of the official movement rules, but people often forget or ignore them. Always measure as if you were trying to connect with a charge that is just within your reach. If on turn one you move an extra 1/2", you just effectively gave yourself an unfair advantage on turn two. Miniature wargaming is a game of precision, and the measurements are part of the game. Don't measure from three feet above the table to give yourself the benefit of forced perspective- measure directly from the base whenever possible. Thou shalt measure in straight lines. If you have to move around a model measure to a point that allows you base to clear the obstruction and then measure your remaining distance. Do not wrap the tape as tight as possible around the obstruction of figure. This wrapping is inaccurate and gives an unfair advantage depending on where you measure from your base. the rule book even uses this in its example.
2.) Actions and Activations are Permanent- "If it is laid, it is played."
"I'm moving my Warjack. Oh crap. I forgot to cast that spell that gives him bonuses... I'll just move him back and..."
Oh no you won't. Activations are part of the game. Activation structure is part of the game. The strategy involved in carefully ordering your activations is just as important to the game as protecting your flanks or lining up that charge against an enemy warcaster. If you forgot to do something, or did something out of order, you messed up. If you deployed your warjack on the wrong flank, you wouldn't move him after deployment was set- "taking back" a move or activation is just as wrong. You messed up- but you also learned a lesson. You are never going to remember if you are not penalized for playing the game incorrectly.
3.) Once your model is moved, you cannot move him back.
"My caster is charging your warbeast." "Oh good. He takes free strikes from my melee badasses." "Oh- nevermind. He moves around them then."
Once you move a model, there is no definitive way to prove where he just was. You cannot "measure back," because there is no way to know that the angle of movement is going to be the same. Once a model is moved, the model is moved. If it caused something bad to happen, that sucks, but it is all part of the game. That is why things like free strikes exist in the first place. See also #1 and #2 as to why this is important.
4.) This is not golf. Your turn should not take 45 minutes.
We all like to make sure that our strategy is sound, but there is nothing worse than waiting an inordinate amount of time for your opponent to get his shit together. Think about what you are going to do on your opponent's turn, and then carry it out on your turn. Be careful and deliberate in your actions, but don't take your sweet ass time. This is supposed to be a battle- the tempo of your games should reflect that. You should never rush your opponent's turn, because you shouldn't have to. He should have the courtesy to do his business in a timely manner. Some of us have to carefully ration our free time just to make it out and game in the first place- we don't want to spend it all waiting for you to allocate focus.
5.) Page 5 is the most important page in the rule book.
This is not just a game. This is a hobby which we devote hours of our lives to painting, modeling, reading about, and army building. We have all spent a lot of money in order to do this, too. However, it is also a social activity. That being said, this should be an enjoyable experience for all parties. If your opponent is gloating, screaming, whining, or otherwise behaving in an anti-social manner, it destroys the experience for everyone around them. we play these games in order to relax, hang out with friends, and engage in some friendly competition. Nobody comes in the door wanting to start a fight, or listen to somebody cry about all of the injustices that led to their defeat.
Just to reiterate, the Page 5 rules are as follows-
1.) Thou Shall Not Whine (Every game needs a loser, and your army is just as broken as his is)
2.) Come Heavy, or Don't Come at All (Play aggressively on the table- don't hesitate to attack, attack, attack. Fate favors the bold)
3.) Give as Good as you Get (Don't just play to win- play to have fun. Don't pick on the new or inexperienced players, and don't feel like you have to play all the "best" models because you need them to win)
4.) Win Graciously and Lose Valiantly (Don't gloat when you win, and don't be a bitch when you lose)
5.) Page 5 is Not An Excuse (and neither are the house rules- just because these rules exist, you should not exploit them in order to act like an ass-hat with impunity)
The guys at Privateer Press created Page 5 to make sure everybody stays in the right spirit of the game- do so.
6.) Act Like and Adult Human Being
If you find yourself screaming at an opponent for any reason, you are wrong. If, after a loss, you spend all your time indignantly cursing the game for all it's "broken" rules, claiming you are going to quit, or acting like a sullen prick, this might not be the hobby for you. Yes, we are all nerds, but we are still human beings who require basic courtesy. A little bit of table talk is fine, but don't talk shit. You are judged more on your graciousness as a gamer than your win/loss record. As such, you should always remember to keep etiquette and friendliness at the forefront of your games.
7.) You Have to Follow the House Rules, All the Time
"(sigh)... Go ahead. Do it this time, but try not to do it again."
There will be none of this. If we want to have nice things, we have to behave ourselves all the time. DO NOT LET YOUR FELLOW GAMERS LAPSE FROM THESE RULES. If you let someone get away with something once, not only will your game suffer, but they will not gain the experience that comes from screwing something out. You don't learn from winning- you learn from getting your ass handed to you and figuring out how to prevent it in the future. If you agree to these rules, you also agree that you will never allow someone to ignore them.
These are not hard rules to follow. However, it is also easy to say that these are basic common sense rules and then forget about them in the heat of the moment. These need to be rules followed and are valid reason for another player to either turn down a game because of an opponent's history or to concede and leave the game, because of rules infractions. Be courteous about it, but don't be afraid to call someone out for breaking the house rules.
Everyone has a stigma about their trends as a fellow gamer. Some people whine, some people make their moves in inches plus a slide and a scoot, some people can't accept losing a game. Some people are also the good, decent, fair players you always like to find games with. Make it your #1 priority to be the last example just mentioned.
If you agree to these rules, post your intent on this forum. We will update the official list of signatories from time to time.
Signatories-
-Adam Huenecke
-Ted Burgess
-Josh Link
-Mike "Mexicant" Rios
-Greg Chyson
-Caleb "The Ginger" W.
-Andrew Delso
-Andrew Karolus
-Tom Kazmierczak
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
JK JK.
