"What do you do when you discover you "are playing it wrong"" Topic

Sometimes when trying out new rules, you miss a step or something.
Then you feverishly read up on the section and discover that you have been playing it wrong.
What do you do?
1) Start the game over
2) Fix the game back to the point where the differences are crucial, and then start over
3) Continue to play it the way you have been but play it differently (correctly) the next game.
4) Start to play it right immediately.
5) Other

We usually go with 3. That is one reason we usually play games we are all familiar with, and don't get caught up in the new and shinier rules. It takes too many games to relearn a period where you already know how to play a good set.

Yep normally stay with 3 or depending on circumstances go with 4 at the beginning of the next turn.

Usually 3, unless everyone agrees to do 4. Given we've been playing together for years, usually everyone is OK with changing it.

I agree with Mserafin. Though it has been awhile since I actually played a game

Good Question.

In my games I do 4. A lot of people in our club goes with 3.

Since my group is almost always playing it wrong, we will do either 3 or 4 depending on where we are in the game.

yup 3 or 4 or if its right as we did it wrong. just do over the part we did wrong.

#3 or if everyone agrees and it is at a fair point, #4

4. But first my opponent and I have a long discussion about how badly the rules are written/ how badly they are laid out/ how the lack of index means this was always going to happen.

Once we have established that it was the fault of the rule writer (and has nothing to do with the fact that we didn't bother to read the rules properly before starting to play), we agree on a fix and carry on.

4 or 5 depending on how group wants

meant 3 or 4 Sorry

I've done all 4 when playing solo, depending on how I felt it affected the game. Normally 4 when playing with friends, but I've done 2 and 3 if the situation seemed to warrant it (if one side got a decisive advantage from the mistake).

It depends on whether the "playing it wrong" is to my benefit or not, of course.

But seriously, we usually do 4. This is why I like DBA, I usually can't screw it up too much.

Blame my friend who's teaching the rules.

#4, unless the error is so egregious that it completely (or potenitally so) changes the results of the game. I wouldn't go with #3 simply because if I'm playing it wrong, it is in everyone's best interest that we get used to doing it the right way.

Damon.

3.

3

Usually 3 or 4. If it is a truly game changing mistake we may do it over. If play has. Moved on past the mistake we let it stand and do it right the next time.

We usually go with 4, because the point is to gain the experience with the rule so as to remember and play correctly in the future.

Usually 4 with sometimes some compensation for the side that has been wronged the most in the game so far.

3 or 4 – depending because someone may be up a creek without a paddle when the rules change over. Don't want to ruin someone's day.

I've seen gaming groups who had it wrong for years. If they have been at it for that long they generally keep going.

We tend to finish the turn with 3 and start the next turn with 4.

3, generally.

Doug

Depends usually 3 or 4. IF it makes a big difference in outcome, continue with 3. If it doesn't then by all means play it correctly.

In fact this happened yesterday with a board war game we had played several times. Some how or other I missed the little blurb at the start of the rules, that said the first turn begins with skipping the Russian phase since the movement and combat have already been figured into the setup and just go to the second sides movement phase. My opponents who were playing the Germans and Austrian-Hungarians did the old, "Well that would have made all the difference in the game."

To be honest the 1st game we played was a disaster for the Russians, while the second game went much better, almost the entire A-H army was sitting by the side of the board, the German player was pulling all his corps out of Austria as a lost cause to try and get out of the mess he was floundering around in in the Baltics. Actually it was fun to rub the German players nose in the fact that at one point the Russians had occupied Danzig, Koninsberg and was threating Posen.

But anyway with that kind of mistake there is not much you can do. If we caught it 1 or 2 turns into the game yeah you could just restart. So just remember it next time the game comes out.

3.

3

5 Fix the issue as we proceed

I'm surprised there isn't much love for #2.

Are people saying that if you are playing along and somebody destroys a Tiger tank with a piece of fresh fruit, and you think to yourself "that seems odd, let's check the rules again" and you realize you missed the step where they check for armor or something you would all say the tank is still dead but maybe you won't let the fruit kill any more tanks?

I think I would take it back and reroll the attack, or probably even let the person that thought the the rules allowed for destroying the tank with fresh fruit make another move instead.

5) Flip the table and storm out of the room.

Or 3/4 depending on where we are in the game and/or if it's something that would have only affected one side.

As long as we have been doing things consistently wrong for both sides we either fix it next time or adjust at the beginning of anew turn if everyone agrees.

Doing it wrong is how you learn the RIGHT way! 8)=

1 if its within the first couple of rounds…
3 depending on how bad it was
otherwise 4

Almost always #3.
The #5 Other---Permanent house rule change if everyone thinks it makes the game better.

4

Here on the forum, I just pointed out that someone had apparently been playing an important rule wrong in Battlefleet Gothic, handing the Orks a series of easy victories. It's a campaign, which is an interesting variant on the question. They can easily correct it in the next game, but the campaign is really unbalanced now.

Sometimes four if it makes more sense otherwise five.

Usually 3 but if others argue strongly enough 4

x42

Edit:- Looking at Random Die Roll's comment I am reminded that 'Permanent house rule change' has happened more than once particularly in RPGs.

if it's 'just a game' then 4

but if it's 'important' then 1

3 or 4 depending on the mood.

I would prefer 4, as I like to get used to the correct way right away.
But I did do a start over the first time I played BKC II and we all forgot that hits are removed after each turn. Kind of a big mistake that definitely had an impact on the game!

The problem with 2 is that you usually figure it out a couple rounds later. So it is hard to reset everything back to that stage.

Usually 4 but sometimes 3 d3epending on how close to finishing the game is.

4. Need to learn to do it right.

3

3 or 4 depending. IF it can be played correctly from the point of discovery without whacking out the balance then we play it correctly. If fixing it would cause the balance to be messed up then we play the "wrong" way till the end.

Replace "balance" with "fun" or "fairness" too. If player A got to use some uber move for half the game and now it would be the opponents turn to use the move but we only just found out it doesn't work that way then we let the oppo do the uber move.

Last example I remember was last week, we handled Artillery wrong in Command and Colors Napoleonics the first two times we used it (thought it worked on a per block basis like troops – NOPE). Since we had both fired off arty and it was only the 3rd card for each of us we started playing correctly from there.

3 or 4

Mix of 3 and 4. I want to do 4, but feel that it might disadvantage one player or make illegal a previous action that has shaped the course of the game -- it seems better to allow both players to abuse my mistake for the current game than to let only one player get away with it. So it's mostly 3.

5) Not worry about it until a post-game retread of the rules, which is done to identify & make rough notes on each rule we blew, so that we get it right the next time.

Rationale: Who has time to worry about this when you are blundering through the game the first time? Any arguments generally proceed in ignorance from both sides.

Rick

3 or 4 depending.

#7 collapse feign heart attack explain everything to the ambulance bearers on the way to hospital?

Allan

3'. Continue the game the way we are doing it, but no guarantees we will do it right, or even better, next time.

3