Slow players in a time limit tourney!!!!

[Norseman]

What do you guys do for a slow player in a tournament?

I played in a practice Ard' Boys Tournament this weekend. (Meaning we played with all the Ard' Boys rules and ran last years missions although we just did 2k points)

I fielded a Sister's army with 94 models(35 inducted guard), which I classify as a hoard army. I know hoard armies are a little weakened by a time limit game because of the large amount of time it takes to move the models and the time it takes to actually roll that many dice. However, in a tournament setting I have learned to play fast and succeed with a hoard army. I know others have complained to me about their luck and asked what they can do to speed up their games and get to the turn 6-7 with their hoard army in timed tournaments. These people want to get to the later turns and are not a problem they want to play faster.

But that is not what I want to talk about.

What I want to talk about is facing that guy taking too dang long to play in a timed tournament and it seems to be on purpose. Or just plain stalling.

I played an Ork Player in my second game and to make a long story short we got 2 and a half turns in. He wasn't playing a hoard ork either. It just took forever to assign the cover/armor saves then the FNP saves. I don't know if it was just because my opponent was a disorganized player, or didn't have a save plan worked out before hand. Maybe it was just his play style very relaxed no urgency and considering each decision before he did it. Then slowly measured each model before he moved it. It just took forever, and caused me a tie when I know I would have won, in another 1-2 turns. BTW I came in second, my close friend won, and my pairing would have been against him in the final game, if I had won the game against the Ork player, and we had already played 2 play test games against his army which I had won both. However he said his dice were on fire that day and is a VERY good player and may have pulled the win. All I am saying is cost me my CHANCE at playing for the WIN at the tournament. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with second in a tough fought tourney.

All I know is I do not want it to happen again.

I really didn't know what to do.
Do you report someone for stalling because they are taking so long? and look like the big rules lawyer idiot that ruins everyone's fun?
Do you just sit and take it, and politely ask them to hurry up 10-50 times. Like I did and take the tie instead of a win and lose out on a possible win. If this would have been the actual Ard' Boys it would have been a ticket to the championships on the line instead of just another $20 in prize support.

Is there something else you can do?

Does anyone else play FNP Nobs and have a better way of rolling all of the individual saves required?
Big units of 10 different nobs with individual save takes forever.

Any help would be appreciated.

[reegsk]

Honestly, as a person who runs four smaller (averaging 10 - 14 per tourney) tournaments per year, plus a lot of larger events, slow play makes me want to yank my hair out. In the situation you're describing, I doubt it could be intentional slow play, as only getting through two or three turns pretty much means auto-draw, and drawing three rounds in a tournament isn't going to help you at all. Plus, if you play slowly, your sportsmanship score tends to suffer as well. So unless he has a nicely painted army and was going for Best Painted (which, since it was 'ardboyz practice and has no painting score isn't likely), my money would be on the fact that he's just a slow player.

True, it does make you feel kind of like an a-hole reporting someone for slow play, but if you're an hour into the game and just finishing one and a half turns, that's when I'd wave over the TO. Whether intentional or not, slow play is unacceptable in tournaments. The thing most people fail to realize is that tourneys are for veteran players to show up to and expect three challenging, fun and competitive games. If you can't finish a 1,750 (or, in this case, 2k) game, or at least get through four or five turns, in two hours, you shouldn't be in the tournament. First of all, you're probably going to take three Draws, which means you won't place. Second of all, it means that all three of your opponents are going to Draw at least once, which really hurts their chances of placing. On our sportsmanship scoresheet, we have a section (worth six points) that specifically deals with time and speed of play. Someone like this would get a big, fat goose egg in that section, which would wreck any hope for Best Sportsman.

I think it even says somewhere in the 'Ardboyz rules about slow play. Anyway, especially if my opponent were not playing a horde army, I would give them a good amount of time to get their crap together, but eventually call the TO over and point out the fact that it’s, say, an hour in the tourney and we’re on turn two, and then ask the TO to watch a turn to see for himself who was playing slowly.

[mrrshann618]

Ya know what, maybe he was juyst having a bad day.
I'm one of the more experienced players in my little group. I play/have played most armies.
Just this last weekend I played a game agaist an ork player, I drug my SM out of the dust box and decided to try them. Now I was a bit rusty on tactics and remembering all the specifics for my particular army, which did contribute to my rather sluggish game.

However my biggest problem on Saturday was that I became absolutely absent minded about the second turn (sadly the same thing happened to my opponent on the 3rd turn, he had a unit outflank in, immediately proceeded to shoot with that unit and begin the assault phase. Utterly skipping the whole of his army). We are not sure what happed, it took us roughly 4 1/2 hours to get through 5 turns. Now mind you we were just playing for fun, in a game store where I did stop several times to show intrested parties the game/figures and go through a demonstration of what was going on during my turn.

In part I had to mentally take account of everything I was doing each phase to ensure I didn't forget something. No one want to simply hand game over to the opponent, and since I was playing against orks with an army that I haven't played for a while, That was my frame of mine.

On a flip side I did also play a game with my Tau (which I haven't played for even longer than my SM), same points, same opponent, and we got through 7 turns in 2 1/2 hours with me pulling a draw

So then, What is your suggestions to someone who "is having a bad day" when they get to a tournament? They have already payed to get in, and generally there is no refunds of the entry fee. You want them to just forfit their money and leave or, say it was you, would you stick around and hope that your "cognitive ability" comes back so you can play a normal game

[montaa]

Fastest way to get through games quickly is to know your opponents army inside and out. While I understand this isn't always possible, it does help speed up play to a large extent.

I would also announce my desire to play quickly before anything gets started. I can honestly say that after a miserable day at the tables, rushing to get slaughtered for the 4th time that day is not high on my list of things to do before I go home.

The same things that work in life work in tournaments: communication and friendly attitudes.

[reegsk]

Oh I'm not talking about a friendly game. When it comes to those, on our meeting nights, a 1,750 game of six turns could take three or four hours, because we talk and joke and get distracted.

But in a tournament, that's different. Your having an off day detracts from your opponent's enjoyment as well. Now I'm not saying that no one can have a bad day at a tournament, but if you're game is so off that you can't play the army you specifically chose for a tournament in a timely manner. . .you probably shouldn't be playing in a tournament if you're THAT put out.

[EZ mac]

You should have called the TO over, it's what happens at my turnys if someone seems to be going slow on pourpose. We play 2k in about 1.75 hours- 2hours with a limit of 2 hours and I'll come around and see what turn the players are on (if it's getting close to the end of the time limit) and say to either finish up that turn or take 1more deending on were they are (we like to get a min of 5turns in).

When I play against one of our stronger player our games take less then an hour to compleatly finish (6-7 turns even) just because we know what we are planning on doing before hand and can roll quickly

as for the loads of nob rollings with fnp saves have him figure out wound allocation then roll 2 different color dice (red for reg save, fnp be blue) for each wound. You could also make him use a dice cup if the player chases his dice.


In either cases you need to call over the TO in this case.

[Ironhide]

Get a timer. Agree on appropriate time limit for each player's turn; say, 20-25 minutes? Set the timer. If he doesn't finish in the agreed upon time limit, he forfeits the rest of his turn.

[EZ mac]

Get a timer. Agree on appropriate time limit for each player's turn; say, 20-25 minutes? Set the timer. If he doesn't finish in the agreed upon time limit, he forfeits the rest of his turn.

Chess clock would work also but both should not be used as the only defense and should definantly not happen in a TOURNAMENT game. TO's need to step it up and so does mr. Slowbee.

[reegsk]

I've often considered chess clocks for my tourneys, but they're rather cost-prohibitive (you'd need 7 for a 14 person tourney, and while not expensive, they're also not too cheap), and here's the best point someone issued against that -- your opponent playing slowly in YOUR assault phase. If the clock is running for your turn, and he's taking forever to figure out his nob wound allocation, that means he's eating up your time when it should be his.

Honestly, just call the TO over and ask him to watch a turn. If the guy picks up the pace while the TO is there, great. If he slows down as soon as he leaves, call him back over.

[Ironhide]

Yeah, but then you could just turn around and go slowly in his assault phase. Works both ways.

[Norseman]

But when you are trying to get into the later rounds going slow in his phase, just because he went slow in yours is kinda defeating the purpose.

Maybe a demerit system if you are consistently accused of going slow?

[reegsk]

That could devolve into claims of slow play being hurled around simply to get people docked. IMO, the best course of action is to address the problem with your opponent politely ("Hey man, I'm not trying to rush you, but could you step up the pace a bit? We only have X hours to get a full game in."). If that doesn't help, or if they react in a somewhat hostile fashion, definitely get the TO involved.