"Psyching Them Out?" Topic

Do you intentionally try to "psych out" your miniature gaming opponent?

No, I am not that good. I have it done to me, though.

No.

Of course My string of 472 losses is just a long term strategy leading to my ultimate victory!

I do occasionally, or at least I did. My opponent is no longer with us.

My opponent often favoured wearing pullover/jumpers. I'd put woods on his side of the table knowing that when he leaned over they would often stick to his sleeves and annoy him.

Also he loved hills. He used to deploy on a hill and stay there all game. I'd deploy massed batteries opposite knowing he refused to retreat, or advance, so that I could safely blast him to smithereens.

I usually dunk them in gasoline, then I light up a sigar, that usually psyche them out.

We used to game with a guy who was easy to psych out. One of us on the opposing team would lean over and whisper something, point to several areas on the table all while glancing over at him and smiling. His imagination would go into overdrive and he would become ridiculously cautious and easy to beat

I mostly play solo, so…yes, I suppose I do.

I don't try to do it intentionally, but I have it on good authority from people that know me that my showing up is enough to psych most people out.

I am not Abby Normal!

On rare occasions, usually at conventions with a player who is causing "issues" with his behavior.

Rick

I like to act all scared and impressed when faced with a player who thinks they can win through intimidation. Then I show them what I've learned over 50 years of playing, all while acting like a meek little lamb.

Stryderg…I think you reeeally need the Kool-Aid.

Of course.

I frequently ask about the availability, and/or turn of introduction of nonexistent units.

I suspect it does make some wonder during the games, but others seem to just ignore it.

Nope – the guys I game with are impossible to psych out

Psychological warfare hardly seems appropriate for a game of TOY SOLDIERS unless, of course, it's your other hobby.

No

No. I generally game with a group of blokes whom I've known for years. We are friends enjoying a wargame, why would I want to psych anybody out?

I'm with 22ndfoot, my group are great friends.
However at a convention, fair game.

A game within a game…….

I let my models/troops on the board wantonly slaughtering my opponents' models/troops in large numbers … say it all …

I almost always GM games. I have seen one side basically give up after a few bad results. All of a sudden, one side becomes defensive and inactive, ignoring objectives as supposedly unobtainable. It is certainly interesting to watch this sort of self-induced, quasi-mass hysteria. I usually remind them that if they get my little fellas killed, I still get to use them in the next game.

All games are a bit of a psychological contest, just the stakes might be different in level, thus the tension levels that exacerbate making mistakes might not be as high. Even in Go and chess. Never get in the way of letting your opponent make a mistake.

I have in the past. We had a player come to our FLGS who just loved WWII German Patchers & Tigers. Told him to pick a battalion & I would take a US Tank Battalion and beat him. Played Tank Charts but went with a changed scale for the game & my M3 Stuarts were behind him in one turn shooting up his rear end. He completely failed his personal morale and quit.

Psychological warfare hardly seems appropriate for a game of TOY SOLDIERS unless, of course, it's your other hobby.

OPDEC, PSYOPS, etc. have been a real part of warfare for a long, long time. So, as part of the metagame … why not?

Why not? I am bad at it. :)