Their are no Jerks in AGoT

Warning: If you cant handle, poor sentence structure, horrible gramer, misspelled or badly auto corrected words read no further.

The below has not been edited by Loshad or myself and it was written on a tablet that had a horrible free wear note pad type software. I am sorry for this and my future blogs will be once again up to their normal standard. I was going to spend time editing it but then got sucked into writing a different blog posting instead. So I figured something is better then nothing......

I can pretty much guarantee that in the days following any big A Game of Thrones the Living Card Game (AGoT) event we hear a few stories of why Melee is no fun. I personally love Melee and think it’s an interesting and interactive game, however it seems that every time a large melee event is hosted someone has something to say negatively about it.

Well why is that? People for some unknown reason like to focus on the negative. You don’t hear about the local farmer’s cow who just had babies in the news you hear about the drunk driver who drove into some poor guys living room or the barroom brawl that happened.

This means their could be a dozen stories of how fun people had in the tournament but the one that will be retold over and over will be the “Kingmaker” story or the guy X was a jerk for doing Y.

When new players tell me that they love melee but would never play it in a tournament I tell them this:

Are there people in AGoT who “kingmake”, who are jerks or who take the game so seriously that it may effect others enjoyment? Regrettably, yes.

Are their more of these people then in another game that people play with three or more players? Absolutely, not.

In fact I think there are far, far less because such behavior is frowned upon by the community and because the AGoT community is one of the best ones around. This means as a board gamer I have encountered a far greater incidence of poor behavior in just about every other multiplayer game I have played, then playing AGoT.

When a new player then ask how to avoid it at a tournament, I have to tell them you simply don't. It's life and you have to take your chances. If you really did not want to risk encountering a loser you could stay at home and play with your friends. But if you did that, just think of all the great people you'll never meet, the different playing styles and strategies you'll never see and the friendships you'll never make. I am not gone sit here and tell you that you will never sit across from a jerk. What I can tell you is how to make sure you don’t become one.

Don’t Kingmake: My definition of “kingmaking” may be a bit different then others so let me explain what I mean by it. “Kingmaking” is when you influence who will win a game without improving your own chances of doing so or your own standing in a tournament. I think its fine helping someone else to win if it lets you take second and therefore secures you more points in the tournament. What I do frown on is when someone helps a friend to win when it does not help them. For instance there should never be a reason you would help some one win at the final table of melee.

So should you make deals and try to influence other players? Absolutely

A good player recognizes this as part and parcel of the melee landscape and uses it to his advantage as he tries to influence lesser players to bend to his will. It’s only the less experienced AGoT melee players who hasn't mastered flattery, intimidation, deal making and sympathy as part of his arsenal of diplomatic tricks to get the other players he is playing with to do what he wants.

Don’t argue with an idiot he will take you to his level and beat you with experience. It takes two to argue. If you some how manage to get the one jerk at your table that plays AGoT (I have never meet one) don’t engage with him. Ignore any comments he makes on your play or your deck. Don’t raise to his bait and focus on your game. If he persists, or becomes personal in his comments / criticies tell him to stop. Then if he does not, get the tournament director. The tournament director will end the problem quickly. I truly feel that the other players at your table would also quickly help put any jerk in his place. Above all, do not let one jerk ruin the event for you. Just forget about Mr. Jack A$$ when you move on to your next match and don’t look back. You will quickly find fun and enjoyment in your next game if you don’t let that one person keep you down.


Don t make bad jokes or call people out on their plays . Calling an opponent a stinking poxe covered whore may be all in fun at your local store but could get you in a big pile of trouble with other AGoT players. So hold back those rude comments or inside jokes. What you and your friends do during games normally may not necessarily fly as proper etiquette out in the real world. Unless your a super model; then it is true that everyone plays AGoT in the nude..feel free to Take Off Your Shirt (TOYS).

Remember you are now playing with people who bring different experiences and levels of skill to the table. When you sit down with a group of players you don’t know you are choosing to put yourself in an environment where your opponents bring different strategies to the game. That is part of the challenge.

You cannot expect the person to your left to do the "right" thing or the person to your right to sacrifice his position to help reduce the current leaders power total. You provide "helpful advice” which may or may not be more advantageous to you than to the recipient. That is expected and part of the fun of the melee experience. What is not nearly as acceptable is where you may choose to draw the line between being "helpful" and associating blame or poor play to others' decisions. Always remember that the move be it folly or pure genius, is your opponent's move to make - not yours. He owes you nothing. He has invested time into this game just like you, he built a deck and came to have fun at this tournament just like you and he has paid just as much as you for his seat at the table. This means its his right to exercise that move as he sees fit - regardless of the consequences. Remember that before you decide to start telling someone what a horrible play they just made and remember its never fun as a new player to get belittled at the table.

It is preferable to both win and lose with class. It is far more satisfying to get up from the table win or lose with only positive things to say about your other players, it will make you funnier to play with and you will gain the respect of the other players for it. No one wants you to through the fact that you beat them in their face or hear you wining about how you lost. If nothing else stand up smile and say good game.