How to be a better player

[paradox]

Why am I writing this? Because I often see posters on forums asking questions like “Is this list good?” or “What is the most competitive caster/list/build/faction/etc?” or “I’m playing vs X/going to event X, what do you think of this/what should I take?” and this is my answer to those questions. It’s written with Warmachine/Hordes in mind, but should be broad enough to apply to most any game out there.

Why should you listen to me? Well, no more reason that to listen to anyone else here. That said, I have gamed for about 18 years now, 7 years with Warmachine. 4-5 of those years as a Press Ganger. We had a very active scene here locally too, where we were running 1 tournament a week, on average, for about a year or two. Yes, that is A LOT of games! Hence I have played many games, competitive and friendly, and seen a good deal more played in my events. I’ve watched players grow and learn over the years with the game too. And every player who consistently does well has these following elements in common.

So what does it take to be a better competitive player? The number one most important rule is to remember it’s just a game and fun is the ultimate goal. No one enjoys playing super-intense guy who hulks out when he loses, or bitter complainers. Stay friendly and open and enjoy yourself. If you’re not having fun, you’ve lost sight of the point. Step away for awhile, then come back.

In short, don’t be That Guy.

1. Practice makes perfect

You can’t get better if you don’t play. I don’t just mean playing the game regularly. I mean playing at minimum several games a week. Play at various point scales. Play various formats. Play on a lot of different tables: lots of terrain and little terrain and moderate terrain. Play in city boards, in swamps, in forests, in deserts. Play with timers. Play every scenario in a given format multiple times. Play every option you have in your force many times over until you can make any piece work well. Find what works for you and what doesn’t. There’s just no getting around playing a lot of games regularly to get better. It’s the 1st and most important step. Play a faction til you know it in your sleep. Til you can play any list from that faction and do well. Then move to the next, if you are so inclined.

Regular games several times a week keeps you fresh. You can see those interactions and options that “theory” says are cornercase or not worth a fig. Those are the things that will make you a better play. It’s what separates the men from the boys, so to speak. This is the hard work part, the 99% perspiration you need to get better. Occasionally jogging a bit doesn’t get you ready to run a marathon.

Second is who you play. Play vs as many factions and builds as you can. Play vs as many people as you can. Find the best players in your area and play them several times a week. Play vs new players or players that struggle to match you. Give them pointers (without being condescending). Show them how to beat you (honestly), then try to stop them. Travel outside of your local area to game in events further away. Travel to smaller cons and big cons. Play in as many events as you can. The more people you play against, the better. You being to truly see trends in overall faction style and playstyle. You being to recognize good and bad PLAYER matches and style match ups.

Playing vs the same person or small group only necessarily limits your learning capacity. You need to see as many people as possible behind as many wheels as possible. Like the above, it’s the necessary input to getting better. Playing the same group all the time only shapes you to those specific players. A new opponent might totally throw you off with a different style of play from what you are accustom to. The broader your exposure, the better player you will be.

2. Know thy enemy, know thyself

You have to know more than the faction you’re playing. You have to know them all. You DON’T have to play them all (but that will certainly help you a lot, and should be considered). You MUST absolutely know the faction you are playing at that time though, number one. Know every possible way to play it. Shore up your weak points. Make sure you can play the styles you DON’T typically like to play. But more important, be the BEST at what you’re best at. Whatever faction/style of play suits you best, that’s your pony. Ride it. Filling in gaps and working on weaknesses is good, but bettering your best is how you truly take things to the next level. Find your favored style of play. Know its limitations and its possibilities. Find the lists and pieces that work best FOR YOU.

Once you have that down, know what’s coming at you. You have to know what every faction can do and what every piece can do. You have to be able to spot the trick before it starts hitting you. You have to be able to break the chain, take out the weak links and cripple their plan before it ever takes off. You have to read all the rules, know all the wordings. Keep up on the errata. Maybe not by heart, but enough that you will know most lists better than the guy running them. Don’t just settle for knowing the common meta of theory, look for tricks yourself that other people don’t know. Don’t treat any piece as sub-par. Know and appreciating fully its capabilities and possible synergies. If you don’t know what something does, it could easily lose you games.

3. Brainstorming

Now that you have done the above, you are ready to ask, having tried things out, what do other think. Ask people you respect. Ask the people you think are better players. Then go back to step one and start all over. Don’t just leave it at the theory stage. This is the planning stage for your next step, not some academic debate or exercise.

Simple, eh? It’s a lot more rigor than most put in. Put in the games. Face as many players as you can in as many different situations as you can. Do your homework and make plans, then execute them. There’s no easy fix. Net-decking a list won’t help you get better. Sure, sometimes the new hotness will let you trick people and garner you wins, but it won’t last long. Getting input on a list you haven’t played yet is pretty worthless in the overall: you have nothing against which to judge the various opinions and suggestions, and chances are, the random internet guy or even regular chat buddy doesn’t know you or your play style from a hole in the wall.

Hopefully these 3 simple tenants will help you be the better player you want to be. Feedback and thoughts are welcome. Flames help no one. J

[AkumaKaze]

Fantastic post! I was going to write something similar but you beat me to it and hit the nail on the head! If there is one thing I would add to your rule 1: play as many people as you can it would be when playing people who are better than you make it a point to tell them to grind you into the dirt! Tell them to stomp your face in mercilessly. Then when the match is over, brainstorm with your opponent and find out what you could have done to counter him. One rule I pass on to all competitive players:

YOU LEARN MORE FROM YOUR LOSSES THAN YOU LEARN FROM YOUR WINS.

Most of the time you walk away from a win only thinking of the win. When you lose you almost always ask yourself "what did I do wrong". Work with that thought. Don't focus on the fact it is no fun to lose, focus on what you could have done different and LEARN from it.

[paradox]

Thanks. I agree that playing "full-tilt" so to speak helps you learn alot.

[EdgeDs]

Very solid advice. I would also add always remember to be well manered and try and make the game fun for everyone involved. Dont matter how good a player you are if no one wants too actually play you.

[paradox]

I think I covered that in the outset with the whole "it's a game and don't be That Guy."