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Do the poll.

Do you primarily play to meet with like-minded people and "talk shop" and have fun or...

...you live for the thrill of crushing you opponent utterly, proving you skill at working people and systems is better.

Do you have them fill out a sheet saying "I was "owned" by ______ on this day _____ playing ______.

Reason for this poll

Had a guy I knew ask me my "opinion" on if I thought he played to win or to have fun.

I said I noticed when he was losing he tended to get a little heated so I figured about 25% fun 75% to win, his reply:

"Good, I was worried I might be losing my edge, this is something to work from."

??? He also like to play less experienced players, talk about scaring them off. A stiff fight with even a slight loss means I learned something.

What about all you out there? Thanks for doing the Poll.

I guess I am a 50/50.

I pick on other competitive players and teach(which means losing on purpose) new and younger players(although sometimes they enrages me and I turn on my rage and table them with cheese)

I don't usually play fluffy/scenerio games and compete a lot.But at the same time I have fun playing competitively

Im 50/50. Im happy to even play a game but i do like playing the more experienced people and winning.

I play for fun. ITs a hobby after all and i enjoy the social side as much. Im happy if i have a good game irrespective of the result.

I say 50/50, but It's more 25/75 in win's favor. It is a wargame, and I don't exactly think anyone wants to lose a war.

While I'm a fluffy player, that doesn't mean that I'm just going to let someone beat me. It means that I'm working my forces as hard as I can to win. If I lose, then so be it. Just so long as I really gave it everything I have. And, heck, with the new Space Wolves, losing isn't all that common anymore.

I play Inquisition. I know from the beginning I'm not in the run to win. My goal is to throw out as many fun units as possible, and kill as many big, scary monsters as I can.

I play Deathwing and Grey Knights so I'm in the 75% fun 25% win. Despite me rarely winning a match.

I like to have fun with pretty much any game I play. Granted it's still a game that I like to win but if I don't its no big deal. I put myself as 75/25. Although a couple of TFG's at my local shop are pushing me towards working on the hobby side more than gaming so I can avoid em a bit.

50/50 easy. I like enjoying the match, but I like winning too.

Geez, the options aren't presented in grossly biased format in the slightest.

Write-in vote for: Playing for fun and playing to win are 100% the exact same thing.

The only thing that diminishes my fun is if my oppenent isn't trying their best with the list they brought.

Loaded question.

Everyone plays to win. No one plays to lose, and certainly no one plays to draw Now it may not be the most important thing to them, but there isn't a single person that plays a game with two sides without the intent of winning.

Another problem with such heavily loaded questions is they make the (flawed) assumption that playing for fun and playing to win are mutually exclusive, that they cannot be one and the same. This is wrong.

Yes.

I enjoy the narrative aspects of the hobby and am primarily focused on a fun gaming experience, so I try to take a characterful army and avoid using units that I feel will be unfun to play against. That said, once the armies are on the table I will give it my all.

When it comes to warhammer I have such bad die rolls that I have to play for fun rather than winning.

Leez wrote:Geez, the options aren't presented in grossly biased format in the slightest.

Write-in vote for: Playing for fun and playing to win are 100% the exact same thing.

The only thing that diminishes my fun is if my oppenent isn't trying their best with the list they brought.

Well said in a roundabout way. The poll could have been in better terms of "Do you play for the more social aspect of gaming or the challenge?".
Seeing that someone not playing optimally decreases the fun would make me assume you are on the more competitive side of the poll?

Looking for advantage over an opponent is not always a bad thing, some write-ups of tactics have shown some more alpha-personalities so it was of interest to see the mix of people.

Plus, acting evil with friends tends to be accepted if not encouraged...

well in my 4-5 years of playing warhammer i can count my wins on my 2 hands.
so i'm mostly playing for fun. if im winning/losing, so be it.

I guess I have to say the 50/50 vote. Even in tournies I play for fun and even when teaching I play to win. Not gonna throw the game, altho I will help them with suggestions, questions, explanations, etc.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Loaded question.

Everyone plays to win. No one plays to lose, and certainly no one plays to draw Now it may not be the most important thing to them, but there isn't a single person that plays a game with two sides without the intent of winning.

Another problem with such heavily loaded questions is they make the (flawed) assumption that playing for fun and playing to win are mutually exclusive, that they cannot be one and the same. This is wrong.

Agreed on better phrasing, that playing more socially or more competitively could have been the better wording but I had fresh in my mind how it was proposed to me so I went with it.
A good acid test is think back on games you most enjoyed, did the majority of them have you win?

I promise that I would fight you tooth and nail tactically but will be more than happy to smile and give benefit of the doubt on rules issues and discuss how you painted certain miniatures of yours. Sometimes the "chat" is tactics as well, I tend to keep that somewhat separate.

Some of the best moments I had been a part of or seen was someone pulling some "impossible" maneuver in a game.

IMHO I have found people who see winning as more enjoyable never pick to play on the "losing" side of a historical battle.

H.B.M.C. wrote:Loaded question.

Everyone plays to win. No one plays to lose, and certainly no one plays to draw Now it may not be the most important thing to them, but there isn't a single person that plays a game with two sides without the intent of winning.
.

This is, unfortunately, not entirely true. I, for example, do not play to win. I play simply to enjoy myself, and don't care *at all* if I win or lose. It's a hobby, it should be fun. Playing against people who are entirely focused on winning by any (usually legal) means necessary is, simply put, boring and offensive.

To be fair, I am not accusing anyone of being TFG, but I will refuse to play with him.
I am in it, 100% for fun.
-Dave

100% to win

When I win I have fun plus I like it when everyone else is trying to win. The games are better and stronger you will learn so much more.
I will say thou I hate duch baggedry so if I play against a person like that I'm all sad faced and stuff .

That is of course if it’s a tournament.

If it's not a tournament I'm probably 50/50......................................................I still want to win thou

NOt sure I can answer. I always play to win. But i also always play for fun. I will go to the store and talk shop, and I don't always get a game in. However, if I do play I give it my all. I am in it for the win, but i have fun doing it, and I try to make it an enjoyable experience for the other side.

I'm honestly happy if my little dudes get some satisfying slaughtering in. I can lose and still be beaming if my one little guy wiped out a whole squad in gory fashion or something of that nature. If I win it's a plus. About the only time I just don't enjoy myself is if, say, my entire army gets shot down by an immobile gun line. I have no reason to play if there's not going to be a "game."

Conan! What is best in life?
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

Talizvar wrote:

Leez wrote:Geez, the options aren't presented in grossly biased format in the slightest.

Write-in vote for: Playing for fun and playing to win are 100% the exact same thing.

The only thing that diminishes my fun is if my oppenent isn't trying their best with the list they brought.

Well said in a roundabout way. The poll could have been in better terms of "Do you play for the more social aspect of gaming or the challenge?".
Seeing that someone not playing optimally decreases the fun would make me assume you are on the more competitive side of the poll?

No that wouldn't be an aqurate thing to say. I don't view fun, winning, and the social aspects as a zero sum trio leading to an enjoyment-of-the-hobby metric.

Yes, I play to win and for fun.

They really aren't mutually exclusive, and I must say I find the poll options kinda... biased.

The goal of the game is to win. The aim of the game is to have fun.

Winning is fun

I totally play for fun!

Hell lots of people criticize that I use units just cause I think their cool over their stats.

Tournament's never interested me either.

I've always been roughly equal between "win" and "fun".

The difference is that the terms have changed their meaning. When I got into The GW Hobby:

- "fun" = "crushing opponent as badly and as quickly as possible"

whereas now

- "win" = "playing an interesting game with a good opponent"

One other thing to note is that I would rather have a close loss or draw than an absolute blowout win. I really don't like games where one army just gets swept off the table by the other, even if I'm the one doing the sweeping.