Fear is the Mindkiller: 2014

[Chaplain Lucifer]

I wrote an article aeons ago (2002 I believe) and I think now is a good moment to revisit it and do some polish work... Probably it will come off as naive but at the time the game and the gaming scene was different. So take it with a grain of salt... if anything it will amuse some of you.

 

 

Part I:  Pre-gaming!

 

If you know your going to battle your opponent with some anticipation, you can start spreading rumors...
- You can spend the whole week talking about a new combo you just found out, but you don't reveal it. It doesn't matter anyway, it's just to keep the other guessing and worried.
- Talking about a new unit you've just bought/painted/thought and say that you plan to use it. The other guy surely will include something on his army to counter it. The problem is that you'll not use it, so his "countering" unit won't have much effectiveness. Or you can use it but make sure that you have the right tools to deal with the way he can counter.
- Cold War tactics. Loudmouth what you're going to use, he'll tell you about his counter unit. You add a counter-counter unit. This really can just blow on your face, but canbe fun.
 

 

Part II: Making an "annoying" and/or fearful army.

While making a army try to include units that instill fear and you reckon that can cause a reaction on the opponent. For Dark Angels these could be:

- DA themselves! This Chapter is very underrated and is mostly underestimated by opponents.
- Deathwing army. Yes, an army of 2+/5++ saves can get people worried despite the low model count. In Tournament scene not so much, but you can expect a worried opponent if he has little on the way to defeat 2+ saves.
- Ravenwing army. Mobility, shooting, T5 and jink saves.
- Lots of small shooty squads! In certain situations they can be a handicap, but all those heavy weapons look menacing.
- Robbed miniatures. These stand out from their squads and look more menacing that they really are. Even if you have a regular Sgt and a robbed minie in the squad the main concern will be on what the robbed minie does after all.
- Deathwing/Ravenwing  detachment. It really stands out from most of your army and look very menacing indeed. For inexperienced players the different look of the unit will be a major concern.
  Tips for DA and other SM armies
- This one is very "sleazy". Even if you have a regular Sgt. with bolt pistol and ccw, make sure your ccw is a sword and paint the blade in bright/striking colors. The objective is to make the ccw look like a power weapon. Even if the opponent gets a look at your army list before the battle, in the heat of the action, it will be mistaken by a power weapon, thus having effects on assaultiness "morale". Of course if the opponent asks, the effect disappears...
- Conversions. Like different color schemes within the army, conversions can make models look more menacing, therefore making themselves a concern to the opposite player.
- Uniformity. A "stealth" army (no conversions and/or nothing that really stands out) can make the opponent underestimate your army. As no unit or character stands out, they apparently pose no threat. Overconfidence can be the opponent's downfall.

- Marines outnumbering or equalizing other armies. Although it's difficult to pull this one off, your 'nid opponent will get very worried if he can't outnumber you!
- All painted / Well painted armies. While the first one should be standard procedure, not all people have skills to accomplish both of the requisites. A  painted army will likely impose more respect over a "rag-tag" unpainted one.
 

 

Part III: In-Gaming persona.

Your posture as a player can be used to your advantage while playing.
Being a correct but fear-inspiring opponent won't win you as many sportsmanship points as being all smiles and stuff, outside the battlefield you can show yourself has you truly are!  For instance, looking menacingly will frighten a newbie player or someone you haven't played, but it won't scare your friends that already know you! I'll give some examples on behavior for various situations. Some of this are mine, while others were suggest by other people. When playing against a new or newbie player especially on a tournament the following can be intimidating/offputting.

- Appear calm and sure of yourself at all times, express no emotions.
- Grin and/or scratch beard while the other guy is moving his troops and ask him if he is sure of what he is doing.
- Wear dark clothes. Sunglasses can be very annoying because they can't see your eyes, thus making them believe you are staring at him at all times!
- Grin while your moving your units and whistle the "Funeral Song"
- Speak rarelly, always in behalf of your General/Captain. Ex: Captain Hephaestus would appreciate if you pass him that die please. This one is really annoying.

One thing you have to remember is to always be polite and good sport. Just because your trying to intimidate someone, doesn't mean you have to be rude. Arrogance is acceptable, rudeness no! Either playing new people or old friends there are certain phrases that can really annoy people and break their concentration. The Black Tome (40K Rulebook) quotes are very good. Famous writers/personalities or your own can work really good too. The trick is to say the right thing on the right moment and you can demoralize or break the opponent's concentration.. Here's a few sentences that give you the edge. (And they're fun too!!!)
- When making armor saves yell with conviction "My Faith is my Shield"  I can tell you that I made 90% of the saves that way!!!! Besides nagging the other guy, I believe that if you really mean it, it really changes the flow of luck! If by some reason you fail the save and the other guy says something like: "not much fate there eh?" You quickly reply something like: "The Emperor works in mysterious ways!" or "He gave his life for his brethren to enforce the Emperor's will!" It is important to have the last word because that usually means you won the "mind-duel".
- Another one is when rolling for invulnerable saves yelling "For the Emperor!" again if this is said with confidence can result often!
- When firing plasma weapons quote Chaos Gate and say: "Starfire shall devour your black soul"
- When initiating a game what better to say that the Chapter motto: "Repent! For tomorrow you die!"

This kind of phrases can provide players with fun if they enter the spirit of the thing, or it can provide yourself fun and an edge over the opponent that doesn't have a sense of humor, in that case you won the mental match.
 

 

Part IV:  In-Game Tactics.

 

Your actions in the battlefield can be as good as the tactics above. It is important that your appear confident and sure of yourself the moment you move or fire your units. What good it is you making all those poses above and when it's your time to move you ruin it?
- Start to plan your moves during the opponents moving phase.
- Don't hesitate when it's time to move or fire. It is better to take sometime before you begin to move to plan all that thinking the move and shoot of one unit after the other.
- Do your crucial or more important maneuvres in-between other less important ones. This has the purpose of "covering up" the critical one so even if something goes wrong it won't appear that you are bothered but the crucial one failing.
- While moving/shooting/assaulting  a unit do don't make a big deal out of it... Even if it's a crucial move it hs to appear normal at all times.
- If you fail a much needed "to hit" or "to wound"/"AP" roll try to make it look like secondary and of no matter.

Part V: Cautions!
Some of these elements I stated are very good amongst a gaming group of friends because they provide fun for everyone if they can capture the essence of the thing. It's great fun for everyone getting into character and to try to impersonate his or her race thoughts and actions. In a tournament against a complete stranger, this can give you a real edge if you're not afraid of making a fool of yourself. No matter what just remember that you can be a dreaded opponent because of your attitudes, but outside the game is your personality that really counts. By the way, if you think the other guy is being a jerk while your playing remember this: He may be using the same technique as you!
 

[Millicant]

Most of all I appreciate the Dune reference. My favorite book.

 

That being said - this is hilariously crazy. I would never do any of this in a game with a stranger.

 

Except one that I always do - to friends and pickup games alike: for important rolls (especially buckets of terminator saves) I look my opponent in the eyes, calmly say "the emperor protects," and maintain eye contact while rolling the dice.

[Urael]

I agree, Chaplain Lucifer... Intimidation *is* one of the weapons in our arsenal.

At one point, I was deploying my 12inch tall Dark Angel in my deployment zone as a psychological weapon.

"And all who fall under his shadow shall burn...", was usually enough to toss an omni-tool in most opponent's plans. :)