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(Editor’s Note: We’re pleased to have The Hobbyist from ToySoldierCentral.com writing for us today about wargaming etiquette. Please enjoy and check out his site.)

Are you a tabletop gamer who worries about wargaming manners? Are you interested in making more friends at your local hobby store? Then you’re going to wanna take these 5 tips to heart. 

After 1000s of hours of wargaming at hobby stores around the United States, I’ve come up with a list of grand commandments that every wargamer needs to follow, so they can be a fun and friendly adversary on the tabletop.

Whether you’re a veteran wargamer, or a new recruit in the front lines of miniature warfare, tabletop etiquette is always guiding your interactions with fellow wargamers.

During all our games at local hobby stores, we’ve all either run into, or heard of, the infamous “that guy” – he who ruins tabletop experiences of many naive players.

Well, worry no more! Because with the following 5 pieces of wargaming etiquette advice, you’ll become the kind of Warhammer that everyone would love to share a tabletop battle with.

Without any further ado, let’s jump right into the 5 solid pieces of wargaming etiquette! 

1.) Stop Raging – Set Your Intentions For Fun

If you wanted one surefire way to make a store full of wargamers uncomfortable, it’d be watching a grown adult blow up into an explosive temper tantrum. One time, I’ve seen a Leman Russ battle tank fly across the store, and shatter into a billion pieces.

Not cool.

No one wants to play with a person who flies off the handle when playing tabletop games. 

Can you imagine the stress and anxiety you’d feel if you knew the person you were wargaming with was bound to scream and smash minis, but you just weren’t sure which of your moves would set them off?

Yeah, that would suck. If you’re making anyone feel that way, then chances are, the amount of people willing to play with you will dwindle to a fat ZERO – and fast.

In the earliest editions of the Warhammer rulebook, the number one rule was always “have fun.” If you finished a game without a smile on your face, or you wanted to physically smack your opponent, then you might as well have called that whole game a gigantic waste of time.

Always remember, the key word in tabletop wargaming is “gaming.” That means, the objective should always be to have fun. Learn to take a loss on the chin with a smile.

If you ever struggle with taking the game too seriously, and feel rage building up inside you as you watch more of your minis get felted, just remember this:

In the heat of battle, it might seem that the fate of entire galaxies rests upon your victory…

… But in reality, we’re all adults roleplaying as generals with plastic toy soldiers. You can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation! That alone should make you wanna smile, and it will help you remember that it’s just a game, and you need to have fun.

But, is it possible to “just have fun” if you’re a competitive war gamer?

Well, even if you play in tournaments, you aren’t sacrificing actual lives on the battlefield with any blunders that may occur. That means even if you lose the whole tournament, you’ve hopefully become aware of flaws in your army, and can vow to do better next time.

And obviously, if you win, it can’t get more fun than that!

That leads us to the next solid piece of wargaming advice.

2.) Figure Out If Your Opponents Play For Fun Or For Keeps

The first question you need answered when you wargame with someone new is: do they play for fun, or do they play for keeps?

(“Keeps” meaning competitively, try-hard, maybe a bit game breaking, not allowing “undos” for mistakes, and winning is the number 1 priority.)

That means, you have to communicate with your fellow wargamers about what you want from that day’s game. 

Be straight up and let them know you’re there to play for fun, with an army of units you just think are cool. Then, ask them “do you wanna play for fun, or do you wanna play for keeps?” 

This gives your potential opponent the opportunity to match your level of expectation for the game. This results in more fun for everyone!

If you’re a new wargamer, I recommend you stick strictly to casual games. In this case you’d might say:

“Hello, it’s nice to meet ya! I’m pretty new and still learning, so I’d rather keep things casual and would greatly appreciate any tips or advice.”

We’ve all heard stories of “that guy” who smiles like a devil when he hears a new player is looking for a pick up game. But, instead of being a good sport, he plops down his game breaking army of straight cheese. Then, after he destroys the new guy on turn one, he brags about being a wargaming demi-god.

Don’t be that guy.

3.) Practice Good Hygiene

By this point, every veteran is having traumatic flashbacks of all the gut wrenching body odor they’ve smelt between tabletop battles.

Snap out of that thousand yard stare now – we get it, wargamers who don’t shower STINK! (Literally, and metaphorically.)

You remember the owner of the comic book store from The Simpsons? He’s a stereotype for a reason! People like him exist in real life, and I’ve run into hundreds of them, spread throughout all the hobby stores I’ve visited.

This problem has gotten so bad, some stores refuse to let you come inside if you smell like rotting garbage. Can you blame them?

I don’t, but what other people think isn’t even the most important part about practicing good hygiene. You need to do it for yourself.

If you hand paint your minis, then you’re familiar with the amount of effort it takes to make a mini look sharp and beautiful.

And when you’re done, you want to sit and bask in the awesomeness of your little dudes.

But, that’s not enough, you want others to also bask in awe of your soldier’s paint job!

Then, it makes sense to care for yourself with the same level of effort!

The good news is that it’s way easier to keep yourself clean than it is to paint a miniature.

 All it takes is a quick shower with soap once or twice a day.

You owe it to yourself.

4.) Never Touch Other People’s Minis Without Asking!

Have you ever heard stories about people encountering “handsy” creeps that invade your personal space? They feel creeped out, angry, even a little violated right?

That’s exactly how people feel when you grab their miniatures (or anything of theirs, really) without their explicit permission.

In case you missed the lesson in kindergarten, manners take you super far in life, and asking for permission to grab anything that doesn’t belong to you is a basic lesson in manners.

By just asking to check out a mini up close, you’ll save yourself the unspoken resentment other people might feel towards you.

I know this from experience – I was once playing Heroscape with my buddy at a hobby store. We were having a great time, and a small crowd gathered around us because seeing that game was a blast from the past.

But, one guy from the crowd who was a Magic player, just walks up and starts grabbing stuff off the game table, without even asking!

Then, I decided to give him a lesson he hopefully has taken to heart.

And I told him, “hey, how would you feel if I grabbed cards off your deck while you were playing? That’d suck, wouldn’t it?”

He realized his mistake and put the mini down. We still see each other and smile and talk, but now he always asks before he grabs.

Not everyone is as kind as me though, and I’ve heard stories of people getting smacked in the face after they grabbed a mini without asking.

That’s why, if you ever see someone breaking any of the four pillars of etiquette I laid out earlier, then you need to adhere to the fifth pillar of wargaming etiquette – which might be the most important of all.

5.) Be The Hobby Friend You Wish You Had

Imagine the perfect wargaming buddy for you.

Maybe they never brag or gloat about winning.

Maybe they never rage or complain about losing.

Maybe they follow all the rules I’ve outlined earlier.

Whoever you imagine to be the perfect wargaming buddy – embody that person. There’s no quicker way to attract what you want than by becoming that which you seek. That’s wargaming etiquette.

Instead of making fun of noobs, guide them, and build them up.

Instead of gatekeeping, start fishhooking, by throwing out bits of lore or strategy to get more people interested in wargaming.

Whatever the perfect hobby friend does from your point of view is what you need to be doing, to make your local hobby store a better place.

Conclusion

I hope these pillars of wargaming etiquette will improve your wargaming experience. Wargaming is an awesome hobby that’s been enjoyed by great authors, powerful generals, and everyday folks like ourselves.

I’ve gathered these tips (and more) from all the time I’ve spent wargaming. From these tips, I’ve been able to cultivate my wargaming experience to maximize fun and legendary battlefield moments.
If you’re interested in reading more tips about being a hobby hero, then check out my follow up post called 5 more wargaming etiquette tips!

About The Author

The Hobbyist is a Miniature Toy Soldier Collector and Expert. He is the proud owner of ToySoldierCentral.com and enjoys collecting and painting virtually all kinds of toy soldiers, including from Games Workshop, Conte, Toy Soldiers Of San Diego, and more. He wears a mask in all public appearances because he wants the focus to be on the Miniatures, rather than himself.