Recently, we have had a few queries about etiquette at the table. Our game has grown in popularity and new players may not be familiar with all the ideas below. So here is the KoWMasters guide to having a good game of Kings of War at a tournament.
In general, it's some loose guidelines as to how to be considerate at the table, and what you should expect from your opponent. It is recommedations, not rules. However, if you do follow these guidelines, the KoWMasters committee would suggest you are massively less likely to run into any problems.
Some small things can make a game run more smoothly. For example:
Measuring is a huge part of the game. In general we use tape measures, however rulers are very much recommended to give a more exact measurement.
A foolproof way to avoid any arguments around measurement is to ask your opponent to confirm what you've measured.
For example:
- Player 1: "Do you agree this is out of 12 inches?"
- Player 2: "I will check… ok yes I agree" .
So long as no further movement of the models is made, it should then be impossible for there to be any disagreement over whether the unit is or is not in range in the next turn.
It is very easy to make mistakes when moving your models. Repeated errors in distance moved, number of turns etc. can engender bad feeling.
It is very heavily recommended to either mark your units prior to moving, by means of a dice on the corner or a corner marker, or to use blank bases to represent where you want to move to prior to making the move. This way you can both be sure the move is legal, and take back the movement should you change your mind. (It's obviously very hard to do this if you don't know where they started).
Charging - It's also a good idea to confirm the facing you are attacking before you move the unit. If your opponent disagrees on whether you're charging a front or flank, it's much easier to confirm that before you move.
This is a very tricky one. We are all human, and sometimes forget the odd piece of movement, a ranged unit, or a combat. In a friendly game, it is generally a relaxed situation, however in tournament games this can be critical.
In general, it is fine to ask your opponent if they mind you doing something you forgot. E.g. you have started the ranged phase and forgot to move a character, or they have just started their turn and you realise you did not do a combat.
It is also fine for your opponent to say no, and they should not feel pressured either way. In a tournament you are competing, so it is important to own your mistakes.
Dice are random, and can throw up unexpected results. Dice fixing is thankfully incredibly rare, but it's also quite hard to challenge someone over this, as it is a "feel bad" situation.
It's totally fine to pause your clock to check a detailed rules point or to ask for TO's assistance, but it's not recommended to continually pause the clock to check things.
It's also your responsibility to hit the clock at the end of your turn, and not your opponent's to remind you (although it is polite). If a clock keeps getting paused, and not restarted, that can mess with timings, so it's good practice to pause it as little as possible to avoid this.
We're all occasionally guilty of glancing at our phones (or taking pictures with them) during the game. It is a turn-based game, but if you're checking messages and chatting online during their turn, that's a poor impression to give the other player. It's basic manners in general to give your opponent your attention in their turn.
If at any point you are in doubt, it is fine to ask the TO. We are all different people, with different styles, and different mental states. We cannot avoid the fact that mental health is often a factor in how we perceive and are perceived. If you want to check something, you are uncertain about the dice being used, or anything to do with having a good game, the first thing you do should be to pause the clock, politely excuse yourself for a minute, and talk to the TO.
If you feel unable or uncomfortable to do so, our advice would be to contact your regional Masters rep after the event and talk it through.
We are happy to say that circumstances where "feel bad" occurrences crop up are few and far between, thanks to how great the KoW community is, and how clean the ruleset is. But in the few situations it does, following these guidelines will go a long way to help!