What I saw last night - how young is too young...?

[murrburger]

I'm 20, and the first time I was in a GW store is when I was 8 years old. I went with my friend's brother who was probably about 18 at the time. He told me the one golden rule. "Don't touch anything."

That's when I started to get interested in Warhammer. I remember that everyone was very polite to me, and they looked like they were having a lot of fun.

I think age has nothing to do with it. You're either have a good attitude, or you don't. I've had lots of fun teaching younger gamers how to play, while at the same time watching an adult's gloating and temper tantrums moving in and out like the tide.

One thing I always tell new players is to not take this game seriously. Gaming, fluff, painting, etc.

If you paint crappily, or don't, I don't care. If you're bad at the game, I don't care. If you don't know the fluff, I don't care. And if you want to play your hardest to win, I don't care.

Just do whatever it is you want without being a douche to me, and I'll play you.

[Neff]

[QUOTE=addamsfamily36;88826
i chose to ignore it, but in my head i was like *WHAT!!, ive never even met you!*

so we carried on playing, and the guy comes up to my army list in plain view and brace yourselves....

HE DRAWS ALL OVER IT!!


thats right just plainly starts writing on my newly printed and designed army list. now this might not seem like much,

But i was like RAGE!!

again i chose to ignore it though. but this guy has never met me before, i mean ive been at uni for past 6 months and first thing he says is a diss followed by defacing my property.


(i agree though its a minority ruining it for the masses)[/QUOTE]

I would have ended him. That was rude and unrespectful.

In my experiance maturity is an enormous factor, right along with weather or not that person has grown up at the store (or their parents). At ours we have a 15 yo kid who has no respect for any players or models. We've been complainging about him for months but the management did nothing. Finally, one day he and three of his cronies joined in a big megabattle we were having. after 3 turns of having to go outside and "fetch" them the manager decided to ban him. he can still shop and hang out, but he cant come behind the gaming area anymore.

As for kids who grow up in the store I think they're alot more respectful. their parents either have taken them in or started out there also. they grow up knowing the laws of the store and become part of the family.

[scadugenga]

Last night, I went to my Wargames club I joined recently. Started to set out for a game. Now, this chubby little fella, could have been anywhere between 9 and 13, came over, had a look at the table, and started to ask a few questions about what was what, which I answered politely.

He then gave me the benefit of his wisdom: "You're going to have trouble against those blood angels." Running through a list of options in my head (a bit like the terminator, "f*ck you arsehole" was at the top of the list) I managed to tolerantly say: "Really?"

Ah, the young.

I had a kid (maybe 13) who saw me practicing sword flowers one day stick his head in and go "you're doing it wrong." No introduction, no preamble, nada. Just like you, I ran through the list of possible (and inappropriate) responses and eventually settled with laughing my arse off.

It's mostly (I think) a factor of desperately wanting to be accepted and taking 100% the wrong tack in how to go about it.

The downside in the States here, is that many (ahem) "parents" look at the GW stores (and to a lesser extent the FLGS's) as free "babysitting" so they just drop the kids off and leave. No supervision, and not much in the way of good manners either.

The FLGS has the "lesser extent" because they're not corporate, and tend to take a more firm hand about kids running amuck in their stores. The GW staff are usually glued to the potential $$ being made when mommy or daddy comes to pick the kid up.

[addamsfamily36]

The downside in the States here, is that many (ahem) "parents" look at the GW stores (and to a lesser extent the FLGS's) as free "babysitting" so they just drop the kids off and leave. No supervision, and not much in the way of good manners either.

Oh it happens here in the uk too.

I mean yeh sure my mum used to drop me off for an hour or two whislt she went shopping in town etc, but thats

a: because i showed interest and started collecting

b: she made sure i was with a friend and if i wasn't she knew the staff maybe not by name but by face, and she and my dad brought me up not to run riot lol

Unfortunately there are some kids who are dropped off at local Gw's and now increasingly gaming clubs as if they are some form of Day centre.

[addamsfamily36]

I would have ended him. That was rude and unrespectful.

Oh i almost did my friend. i was more stunned than anything. As my nickname is jsut my surname its quite catchy so everyone gets to know it pretty quickly. I also used to paint quite alot and win most of the in store painting competitions and get a lot of people (who i don't even know ) asking me for like judgment on their models. Im fair and give good advice (even though i often feel a bit odd, as i don;t regard myself as a particularly amazing painter). and some of the guys who ask me are really sound guys, one is a brother of a guy i went to college with and his painting is coming along at an incredible rate.

But this guy who just waltzed up with his crony, bad mouthing then writing on my stuff i just couldn't believe it. let alone respond.

[scadugenga]

Oh it happens here in the uk too.

I mean yeh sure my mum used to drop me off for an hour or two whislt she went shopping in town etc, but thats

a: because i showed interest and started collecting

b: she made sure i was with a friend and if i wasn't she knew the staff maybe not by name but by face, and she and my dad brought me up not to run riot lol

Unfortunately there are some kids who are dropped off at local Gw's and now increasingly gaming clubs as if they are some form of Day centre.

Yup, its kinda funny, the arguments re: proxying miniatures is reflected in real life by the proxy parenting that goes on.

[Warptiger]

In my experience as both an employee at GW/Indy Retaliers and as a customer I will without a doubt and unequivocally state:

Annoying adults are 40,000 times more annoying than annoying children. Plus, it's harder to deal with as if they haven't learned better by now...they probably never will.

I agree... I've run into "adults" more annoying then any child could ever be... I've had a guy who was in his late 20's pick up one of my models without asking, and break a piece off by "accident"... then he basically said I should use stronger super glue. No apology. Nothing. I should have expected it though: this guy carried his army around in a cardboard box, in a big tangled pile. He'd just scoop them up by the handful and dump them in the box. Half his army were missing arms, weapons, heads, etc.


It really is about maturity. You can get that at any age. or never get it at all.


I've played against a 13 year old at a tournament who totally skunked me in a game. He had a black templars army that was beautifully painted, well thought out comp wise, and a battle plan that he stuck to despite every road bump I could throw at him . In fact, by turn 3 I realized that I'd been doing nothing but reacting to his plan, instead of following my own... which was why I lost. The kid was polite and charming, and insisted on shaking hands after the game. I would play that kid again in a heartbeat. I cannot say the same about some "adults" I've played.

[Lane]

I've been playing 40k so long I have minis older than the average player at the local GW store.

People of any age can be annoying, on up to complete dick.

There are always exceptions but in general the younger the kid the less likely they are to play the game and more likely playing with the minis. I met a 14 yr old who could not understand why he had to follow the army composition rules instead of using all characters. After all the characters were so much better than the tactical squads. I've seen many under age 10 that felt their opponents should adjust the rules to make it easier for the kid to play. BS like "I'm just a kid so I should hit on 2+".

[Master Bryss]

I've been playing since 11, and I can honestly say that besides a few mishaps at the beginning, I've endeavoured to be a fair and sporting opponent. I agree with everyone who says it's about maturity. I'm starting to run into 8 year olds and such at the local GW now, and a fair few aren't actually that annoying, and really rather polite.

The two main problems with playing youths are their attention span, and the fact that they usually get called away by their parents in turn 3 or 4. I can't complain really, as I had to do the same thing when I started out.

[Renegade]

Having had to deal with the occasional drunk walking in to the store and picking up my stuff, right in the middle of games some times, kid are no problems. I generally warn them to ask if they want a closer look as soon as they start staring.

I be honest, I try and avoid having my models anywhere near kids and go to the store only on 'vet nights' (no under 16s) though the staff to their best to manage things. Its a hobby store not a kids group!

That 13 year old needed to be told he was being out of order, and to leave if he didn't chill. But still, at 13 he really should have known better.