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Hello Dakka, I just wanted somewhere to air my thoughts and thought this delightful community could help.

I've been gaming with a group of mates recently, who I managed to pull into the whole 40K thing (And yes, I feel somewhat guilty for draining their wallets) but I have been looking to expand my horizons and take the fight to a more 'outside' group of people. There are several groups in my area and they all sound nice, but I've heard (or rather read) some truly awful stories on this site as well as many others when gaming with strangers.

I'm a casual player and tend to build semi-viable lists, so there wont be a problem with a WAAC attitude, though I can't speak for the other people. My friends are all in similar straights, and though I have a weirdly good memory for useless tidbits like rules, we do get some parts wrong and then just come to a consensus about the best way to resolve the issue and i'm not sure if this will hold true outside of my group.

So Dakka, what advice do you have for expanding into the first real pick up games with strangers?


P.S - I'm sure these will all be a bit biased because most Dakka members seems like a bloody good bunch. Ah well, fire away!

Well, everyone is a stranger at first. You'll make more friends playing 40k than a lot of other activities; its a social game and having played many, many games against strangers from casual settings to NOVA, I can say I've had only one less than great experience, and really it was still okay. I've been on both sides of a tabling, and had fun in all of the games. Go for it, make more wargaming buddies and you'll have zero regrets. There will always be guys that just want to win no matter what, but I think they're few and far between in a casual setting.

Being friendly and genuine gets you far in life, and 40k too! Most people I've met wargaming are great folks.

After a few gaming sessions, you'll be one of 'the regulars', haha! Good luck in your travels.

Be honest, be yourself. Don't be afraid to be the first one to extend the olive branch. Not everyone is going to be looking for the same gaming experience and that's okay. You'll only find out if you try.

Thanks all. I suppose the best approach is just to do it... and not be too ashamed of my paint jobs

 Sparkadia wrote:
Thanks all. I suppose the best approach is just to do it... and not be too ashamed of my paint jobs

Don't make me pull out the picture of the first model I ever painted... it's ugly. I'm pretty sure compared to that you'll do just fine. The good news is that after a squad or so your abilities ramp up extremely quickly.

 dementedwombat wrote:

 Sparkadia wrote:
Thanks all. I suppose the best approach is just to do it... and not be too ashamed of my paint jobs

Don't make me pull out the picture of the first model I ever painted... it's ugly. I'm pretty sure compared to that you'll do just fine. The good news is that after a squad or so your abilities ramp up extremely quickly.

Hehe, I suppose I'm not truly awful, though I've seen some of the works around these parts and the skill levels are pretty staggering.

 Sparkadia wrote:
Thanks all. I suppose the best approach is just to do it... and not be too ashamed of my paint jobs

you should see my ravenguard from third. "Marines with one colour you say? Sold!"

The vast majority of people are fine opponents. The stories you hear are very rare occurrences, and to be honest, I think there's often some missing info in most of those stories anyway (two sides to every story...). Be a normal decent person and you should find most people will be the same. Plus, the good thing about meeting strangers for a game is that you already have something in common

Yeah and you could always take one of your regular gaming mates and do a 2v2 game. That way, if theyre jerks, you have backup not that they will, wargaming seems to attract a pretty good crowd!

Yeah, I'd take one of your mates with you and have a game together at one of the clubs. Then you can enjoy one of your usual games whilst casually chatting with other players, and generally sussing out the environment/atmosphere.

Also, if there are two of you there, there's a lot less standing in the corner yourself wondering who to talk to.

And remember, the vast majority of people are sound.

There's really nothing to lose by dropping in on a new club. If you find you don't get on, just don't go back, but on the other hand, if you do get on with it, you'll get more games, against a wider range of people, and it won't take long to get to know the others in the group. Go for it, and if you can bring your mates along as well, then do that, as the more, the merrier.

My biggest piece of advice is to have a very clear idea of the type of game your looking for...and make sure your opponent is on more or less the same page. I.e. if you are looking for a casual fun game, and your opponent is looking to test out a list for a GT chances are the game won't be very enjoyable. Most of the bad games I have seen come from people with different expectations for the game.

Also if there are any rules your group plays a certain way that you are unsure of...bring them up ahead of time...dropping them in the middle of the game is never any fun.

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try and convince my Tau friend (curse him) to come with me for the first outing, he'd probably be up for it.

And good point Breng, I'll be sure to check any house rules they already have established. There are so many edge cases in 40K it really is touch-and-go sometimes.

I'm a casual player and tend to build semi-viable lists, so there wont be a problem with a WAAC attitude, though I can't speak for the other people. My friends are all in similar straights, and though I have a weirdly good memory for useless tidbits like rules, we do get some parts wrong and then just come to a consensus about the best way to resolve the issue and i'm not sure if this will hold true outside of my group.

Bring your books. That way, if a question arises, you can go right to the source and make sure you're remembering right. If a dispute comes up on how to interpret it, roll off on it.