Losing with style- Theory Thursday

Winning is easy. You have a plan, you execute it. Things mostly and ultimately go your way, and if you had some sort of grudge, you can relish your victory a bit. 

Losing a game is considerably more painful. Much of the time if may feel like EVERYTHING is going wrong. Your opponent is constantly critting, your plan is falling apart, none of your units are good, or even ok in this situation. You could say things are going poorly.

The game isn't over till it is over though, so it it is time to make the best of a bad situation. The game as a whole MIGHT feel lost, but that doesn't mean everything is lost. There is still plenty of opportunity for things to happen, if you let it. This is.....

LOSING WITH STYLE

Don't give up

and so are you

This is a HUGE temptation in a game that is going initially poorly. Becoming intentionally difficult or moping through the rest of a game that hasn't gone your way doesn't really do anyone much good. Consider the golden rule; if you want your opponent to be engaged and fun while you are winning, you owe the same courtesy while they have the upper hand.  Just because something went wrong doesn't mean the whole game is a waste, and CERTAINLY doesn't mean you should stop being engaged in the game. Many of my most interesting games have been brought from a pretty bad first turns, and I have turned the game around entirely. Snatching Victory from the jaws of defeat can sometimes be the most satisfying of wins.

Decide when you have had enough

Games are supposed to be fun, and if you aren't having fun, you need to do something about it. You have the option at any time to stop playing a game, but this should only really be considered as a last resort to a game that you truly believe cannot be salvaged in any way. Surrender is preferable to a slow, bitter death, and in many circumstances, ending a game, and then being able to play an extra game is well worth the surrender.

Learn something

There is a reason getting schooled is a term for losing badly. Many players learn more from a losing game than a winning game. In a winning game (ostensibly) your game was better than your opponent's, so for the most part there isn't much to learn. There is an old chess learning strategy which involved playing many games of chess, and replicating the last strategy that beat you, so you are constantly moving towards a "better" game. This can be precisely applicable as you could turn around and then attempt the very same units or strategy that defeated you, or at least incorporate an element into your future gameplay.

I find a losing game is also quite FREEING with regards to experimenting with tactics and ideas. In a winning game, I must operate all my moves and actions precisely to hold on to my victory, but in a losing game, I can attempt a lot wilder strategies because I have nothing to lose. This has revealed some of my best tactics to me, as they seemed foolish, until I had an opportunity to try them out in a losing game (and they won the game for me)

Get YOUR win

Even if the game as a whole is lost, there are still little victories that can be won for either side. Sure, your opponent could be miles ahead in victory points or models, but there is SOMETHING that you can still take some odds on. If one thing is overwhelmingly impossible to overcome and critical to the game outcome (lets say a TO sniper at the end of a long alley)- sometimes it is best to ignore it, remove that chance and goal from your priorities, and focus on something else.

As Churchill probably once said "you can bet on anything". A small isolated melee across the board, a lone shootout, or one element of the scenario that can still be played for is enough of a stake in the game to keep a losing player motivated to fight. Revise your goals in a game from total victory to these more minor goals, and you might find new life and fun in a game. Ive seen a player lose a game by a landslide, but because he was able to fell a model he considered his nemesis (Zoe and π Well) he called that game a win in his books. Sometimes I even will take interest in my OPPONENT's models, and when they succeed, I share in the pride and satisfaction- because I decided to invest in their success! No matter what, there is SOMETHING in a game that still has a chance, and you should focus on all victories, big and small.


Once the game is over, you can figure out what went wrong but until then, make the best of every game, and never forget- CRITS KILL PEOPLE!