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After a very long stay of non gaming i returned to a local gaming club before xmas.

I have found that I am having considerable difficulty in getting games. On the few occasions i have got a pickup game (from a random visitor to the club) ive been moaned at for being very slow and cheating. Whilst i have explained that im returning to the hobby and sometimes make mistakes with the rules and take long on my turns. Im not finding the whole club atmosphere very enjoyable.

Can anyone give me some advice on how i should try and approach this. I want to get more games and experience. I use the club forums however it would appear other members just dont want to play against someone who is open about being slow, struggling with the rules and being new to the game.

Am i the gaming equivalent of the plague? To be avoided at all costs? :(

Down south eh? Near chavham..er southampton?

If you are new its ok to be slow. But at the end of the day it's not chess

more like Sout East.

A lot of clubs form clicks. I'm the VP of our local club and keeping new people interested in hard due to the club being highly competitive. The best advice I can say is be straight with them. Tell them you are unsure of rules, but willing to learn. If they have half a brain they will realize that if they help you become a stronger player, they help make a better opponent to play against.

Thanks for the advice. I feel that i have a reputation of being slow and uncertain of the rules which makes me an undesirable opponent.

Slow is fine, uncertain of the rules is fine, but annoying is not. I don't know you (and I'm not saying you are annoying) but if you have traits about your play style that you think might aggravate others, then perhaps you should emphasize those parts of your play style that are more desirable. Be agreeable, friendly, kind, etc. I find that people are much more willing to accept nice players who may not necessarily know what they are doing than they are bullish ones who know what's going on.

I use the honest approach when looking for a game. Ok some people will be dismissive straight away as i dont fit the category of ultra competitive. My flipside is that i am very patient and prepared to accept advise (to the extent of one guy standing next to me and practically helping me play in one game). I accept criticism easily (i learnt a long time ago not take everything as personal). I also have a lot time for people who are new and learning. I guess its the educator coming out in me

It vary's club to club, my club is all about fun we are the least Competitive Club to the point where the Club Chairman says we have embarassingly little in our empty silverware cupboard. But with nearly 40 of us it's great fun, that said I have played other clubs and they have been ultra competitive and *nob 'eads* generally.

I remember being dumped in another team at a tournament to balance numbers, said hello and was pleasant to everyone. The team captain came over and said "Your only allowed to lose one game of the five or I won't be happy." Not being a shrinking violet, or lacking in personal integrity, I very unpolitely called him outside for a one on one "chat" about sportsmanship and winning at all cost (i think I used the Viking vernacular?). He came back shaking like a crapping dog, I played the games for fun and took the result that happened, 2 losses 3 wins, we came 3rd. We didn't speak again.

The big problem is people above their station, with questionable social skills and a limited understanding of playing the game for the enjoyment factor. A close game, even a loss is more fun for everyone than tabling someone. It's the one thing that everyone focuses on, why go to a Tournament if you don't want to win? For the fun of it? Stastically very few will win all their games. Ultra-competitiveness should be avoided.

I will caveat this by saying there is a guy at our club that everyone refuses to play, because his character and lack of social skills result in his opponent conceding to get away from him. Blue on Blue has been known to occur in team RPG's just to dump his character out of the game.