Warhammer 40k Forum and Wargaming Forums banner

How do you handle annihilating your opponent?

3.2K views 32 replies 29 participants last post by  Tyr852  
#1 ·
Now I wouldn't say I was a great player of the game, but average as many wins as I do losses. I'm happy this way and I really enjoy closly contested games which go to the wire. But last night I totally annhilated my opponent. By tuen 3 I had lost a dreadnough and he has lost around half his army. I crusied to an inevitable win in the last few turns.

But after the game I didn't feel elated or happy at such a massive win, I actually felt a little bad for tabling my opponent by the end of the game. Does anybody else get this or is it just e that doesn't enjoy wiping out my oppoent as much as having a close game even if it means I loose?
 
#3 ·
At a tournament, its what I aim for, so I don't feel bad about it at all, because we are in a competitive environment. The same in my club, we are a tournament gaming club, and all of the players are around the same skill level, so if I tabled an opponent there, I would be over the moon.

In general though, I don't enjoy crushing bunnies, so I don't play them, and if I have no choice, I just pull out a shit list, not my competitive list, it makes the game a bit more enjoyable for both parties.
 
#4 ·
I personally enjoy narrative games, special scenarios and campaigns the most so important to me is having an enjoyable, narrative game (for both sides). Wiping out your opponent (or getting absolutely thrashed) can be fun but isn't what i go looking for.

That said if i'm in a tournament situation i won't pull any punches.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I mostly play Fantasy these days, although it still applies: after most games I spend a while discussing what worked and did not for each of us, so handle a lopsided battle by analysing whether the edge was in a list, in tactics, or just bad luck.

As I play with mature friends (of various ages) and we all usually bring a new list to each day's gaming (if not each battle) the brutality of victory is less important than the fun of playing.
 
#9 ·
after most games I spend a while discussing what worked and did not for each of us, so handle a lopsided battle by analysing whether the edge was in a list, in tactics, or just bad luck.
This. I have the slight misfortune that the store I play at is mainly newer players (or at least, newer then me) and so steam-rolling my opponent happens a lot more than I'd like.

Honestly, I'd rather lose by a small margin then crush. At least then I can learn something. The only thing rolling over someone tells me is that we were not evenly matched.
 
#6 ·
I use some playful shittalk to help them remember it's just a game. If it's a good opponent then they will be in good spirit and just sigh it off.
 
#8 ·
I don't like doing it, at all. Sometimes the circumstances of it may be amusing, i've drowned many an opponent under Green Tides, literally making any counter-attacks ineffective, but it takes all the fun out of the game.
No one likes being ineffective or having their master strategy blown completely out of the water.

We try to avoid doing it when we can but my gaming group doesn't hold back from any game, and new lists are cooked up all the time, on a time frame similar to DTHobbit's group, so its difficult.

SGMAlice
 
#10 ·
Never having actually tabled anyone myself (I lose more often than I would like) I don't know what my reaction would be, but it would more than likely involve doing a few back flips and a funky little dance :)

But I have been tabled a few times, normally just shrug my shoulders and think ah well next game will be mine!!! :)
 
#13 ·
I spent three years with one of the worst codices in the game. Now that Necrons have be re-vamped I'm loving tabling my opponents, to be perfectly honest. Before I had around a 1 in 4 games won. Now I've had like... Six games, the only one I lost I did incredibly well in (Completely wiping out a Space Marine army) and I'm loving it. I try not to be too in their face about it, unless I'm a good friend (So we know we're just playing) or they've been incredibly cocky to begin with. Like one of the kids at my club who thinks he's the greatest and constantly insults me and says I suck. I wiped out his army and wiped him out of the club tournament in Round 1. When I win in the shop, I try to be a gentlemen about it, and no matter what I shake my opponents' hands.
 
#15 ·
I guess i'm fortunate to have good guys at my local store. I brought my 1850 tsons only list (wanted to try it out vs all the new newcron players) and an orc player asked me for a game and with a smirk I accepted knowing full well what I was getting into. We had a blast even though I had no chance (it wasnt even an objectives match). Afterwards he said he had so much fun that he asked me for a 2nd game, and this time he brought his footslogging vanilla marines (sup relentless ap3) and he got tabled, we enjoyed both games tremendously.
 
#16 ·
Well, whenever my friends and I play a game, we tend to make up a bit of a backstory as to why these two armies are fighting each other in the first place. If one player is absolutely destroyed, we just write that into the story and have a good laugh about it after.

Of course, if it's obvious that one of us is losing, we tend to start making very irrational decisions, just to see if the "dice gods" will favour the underdog. :p
 
#18 ·
The loser reporting in here! :suicide:

I had a great time despite my army choice being very sub-standard and having some of the worst dice rolls ever! The first turn saw nearly a 1/4 of my army (in a 1500pt game) destroyed including most of my anti-armour capability.

In hindsight I could have deployed much better and I really should have stayed much further away from your vindicator and not bunched up so much!
 
#19 ·
To be honest your list lacked any big anti tank units we left my vindicator and landraider free to wreck havock. Any anti tank you did have were my number one priority in turn one. And yes you did have the most appalling dice.
 
#20 ·
I have been absolutely smashed in many of my earlier games. However i have been consistently improving over the past year. I have absolutely smashed my opponent once. And it was an experimental fully mech IG list against CSM's. My opponent was good about it (We are running a campaign together) But we put it down to the potency of the IG mech list rather than dice or tactics. It is quite difficult for CSM's to counter 6 av14 tanks at 2000pts.
 
#23 ·
The last time I was in that position was my Eldar v Tau in a 2,000 points game.
At the end of Turn 5, it was three Objectives contested and we'd each claimed one.
However, I'd been manouevring into position for a decisive strike and wiped out everything that could harm me whilst being relatively unscathed.
If we played out Turn 6 my opponent would be annihilated.
So I called it a draw and it got entered in the league results as such.
It'd been a really enjoyable game, but to continue would have ruined it.
 
#25 ·
The only official GW tournament that comes to Hawaii from my understanding comes every 2 to 3 years, so I usually play friends.

Starting out I got crushed. Now that I'm bringing new players--I've tabled two of them already, and one of them twice. The games are usually 500 to 1,000 points, skirmish rules, and I make it a point of using a non-comp list. Afterward, I usually hash things out, replaying decisive moments from the battle and what could have gone differently ("Your boyz should have assaulted on Turn 3 rather than continue a shooting match with my marines into Turn 4" or "You really should have taken at least one unit with rending claws" and things like that).

Thing is that with some of my friends, there is no mercy. We will crush each other in other card and board games. I'm still somewhat unsure why WH40K is different--might be the time and money invested?
 
#26 ·
. I'm still somewhat unsure why WH40K is different--might be the time and money invested?
Some people play fluffy armies. Some don't understand the rules.

I play a lot of different games. Usually, in the group I used to play boardgames with, you taught new players the rules. Crushing them because you understood them better was considered bad form.

I feel guilty because at the end of the game, you have an idea of how well someone understands what is going on. It is when I do this to someone who I realize I should have been subtly helping that I feel like a bit of an asshole. If it happens to someone who I normally play who was just testing a list, it isn't a big issue.

That is how I see it. I am sure others have different views.
 
#27 ·
I'd rather a game that is a challenge and that goes down to the wire over a crushing victory where the opponent can do nought but watch the inevitability of defeat moving inexorably their way.

I value things I have to work for to get more than results that are given to me.

That said, I've stopped playing 40k anyway. I don't like the way the game is going - and Infinity is now my game of choice. Sure, games can be just as much a walkover - but if you play them as a cheesy 80s action flick, they are much more enjoyable.
 
#28 ·
If i crush someone in a friendly - i feel a little bad about it.

Tournament scene i couldnt care less although i would still be friendly and not rub people's nose in it.
 
#33 ·
Like others have said I just talk with them on what I thought their MVP units of the game were and what I thought worked and didn't work for them. I try to take the focus off my side of things as I figure no ones going to play if they feel lousy about their army at the end of it.

Also I tend to only table people when my dice are hot and theirs are stone cold so you can't really do much but feel for them.