[Tyndmyr]

We've all been there. The brand new guy with the shiny codex and unpainted (often partially unassembled) models without a clue what he's in for. Heres a quick list of dos and don'ts for when you bump into one.

Do:
*State what you're doing as you're rolling. For example "BS 4, hitting on 3+". It helps keep them in touch with whats going on.
*Explain your armies special rules.
*Try to use a variety of rules. For example, doing some melee, some shooting, using a few different kinds of weapons. This lets them get familiar with your army as a whole.
*Offer to let them play your army. Not everyones into this, but I find swapping and playing each others armies to be great fun, and also helps you look at tactics in a whole new light.
*Give them free crap. Now, you dont have to buy stuff for any noob you play...but you'd be amazed at how happy people get 'cause you handed em something you dont play with any more. I've given some stuff away, and been given stuff, all in all, I certainly don't regret it.
*Teach them the importance of not stretching measurement. Subtly. Be careful when measuring yours, for example. Its a good habit to learn early.

Don't:
*Let them win. This may seem nice, but nobody really enjoys being given a game.
*Overdo the advice. By all means, answer questions, but everyone has their own ideas, and while yes, his army idea may be far from optimal, you don't want to kill his enthusiam entirely.
*Go too heavy fluffwise. Doing impressions of your soldiers can be funny, but it can also be a little bit wierd. Also, lotsa jokes are funnier once you know the background a bit, so stick to the lighter stuff.
*Worry about them liking only one aspect. I started the hobby just to paint models, didnt play a game for over a year. Now, Ive got mountains of stuff in need of painting, and play all the time. Its a multifaceted hobby, everyone likes different aspects of it.

I'm sure there's many, many more things that can be added to this, so feel free.

[kelldan]

Originally Posted by Tyndmyr

The brand new guy with the shiny codex and unpainted (often partially unassembled) models without a clue what he's in for.

That's me in a nutshell. For a moment, I thought you had been peaking into the window of my craft room where I have tons of models all over the place.

[Hadhfang]

You forgot one of the most important rules.

be courteous throughout, modest in victory and gracious in defeat.

Quite simply, being polite and repecting your opponent will hopefully show them (if they are one of the really annoying Noob types) teh error of their ways and if they are polite and courteous it will show them that it is the right way to go about playing. By being modest in victory I don't mean patronize by saying it was close and he "nearly had you" but don't rub it in their face that you won.

other than that that is a very nice and important advice Tyndmyr

[Genmotty]

Originally Posted by Tyndmyr

Do:
*State what you're doing as you're rolling. For example "BS 4, hitting on 3+". It helps keep them in touch with whats going on.
*Explain your armies special rules.
*Try to use a variety of rules. For example, doing some melee, some shooting, using a few different kinds of weapons. This lets them get familiar with your army as a whole.
*Offer to let them play your army. Not everyones into this, but I find swapping and playing each others armies to be great fun, and also helps you look at tactics in a whole new light.
*Give them free Klkn. Now, you dont have to buy stuff for any noob you play...but you'd be amazed at how happy people get 'cause you handed em something you dont play with any more. I've given some stuff away, and been given stuff, all in all, I certainly don't regret it.
*Teach them the importance of not stretching measurement. Subtly. Be careful when measuring yours, for example. Its a good habit to learn early.

Yes I agree with most of that, except not with giving my guard to a new player otherwise I would be there for days playing one game. I would also say, tell them what cover is as well and how to use it.

Originally Posted by Tyndmyr

Don't:
*Let them win. This may seem nice, but nobody really enjoys being given a game.
*Overdo the advice. By all means, answer questions, but everyone has their own ideas, and while yes, his army idea may be far from optimal, you don't want to kill his enthusiam entirely.
*Go too heavy fluffwise. Doing impressions of your soldiers can be funny, but it can also be a little bit wierd. Also, lotsa jokes are funnier once you know the background a bit, so stick to the lighter stuff.
*Worry about them liking only one aspect. I started the hobby just to paint models, didnt play a game for over a year. Now, Ive got mountains of stuff in need of painting, and play all the time. Its a multifaceted hobby, everyone likes different aspects of it.

I disagree with not letting them win. I have always played a new player and taught them the rules on my army letting them beat the c*** out of it for about three turns while I just move my troops around then at the end of that he/she will have damaged a good part of my army making the odds much better for him/her then I start to actually attack back, but often I will only attack half heartedly, more to show how to deal with casualties and being assaulted. I don't consider new people to be a player until I've played at least one game like this, other wise I don't like having to play at a lower standard for people.

The best bit about new players, I've only ever known three really is you can watch as they build up there army and develop it. I guess thats what having kids is like. I think its very important to give them fluff to read and let them see all of the 40k universe rather than just the table top game. Since we don't have a store or anything we have to organise our own venues which makes it all the much better because we are all there for a good time which means I've got a load of good friends because of 40k.

A big thing that I think that has been missed;
-Teach them how to build terrain and/or give them some of your own.

Ok I may be a city fight freak, admittedly. However as I have found these make great boards to play on because you can rebuild a city over and over again in many many diffrent ways and it gives new players the option to play how they want if you let them set up the terrain as they want. I'm rambling so I'm going to shut up now.

Genmotty

[Hadhfang]

well you could do what one of the staffers at my local GW does, whihc is just charge with everything regardless of how good in combat it really is.

Originally Posted by Hadhfang

You forgot one of the most important rules.

be courteous throughout, modest in victory and gracious in defeat.

Not just to newcomers, but to everyone.

[Fish Ead]

I like to congratulate new folks when they manage to kill something impressive, or just a unit they've been gunning for.

Oh and here's another don't

-DON'T let someone else "puppet master" the new guy. The new guy doesnt learn for himself and at the worst of times you end up having to go all-out because the other guy is calling the kid's shots. Of course the kid may not understand this and think you're going too hard on him.

[Vash113]

Controlling a noob doesn't allow him to learn. But often I go to a hobby shop and find new players being treated rather badly and beaten to a pulp and when I'm not busy in my own game Ill stand nearby and offer advice to the noob to help them out. Rules they didn't know about Ill explain, Ill answer their questions, which their opponents usually don't from what I've seen. I try to even the odds, not control the person but help them even the odds and understand what they are doing.

I helped a noob recently turn a crushing defeat into a tie in two turns. Not by telling him what to do but by telling him what he could do. For instance he didn't know that his dreadnaught could move through terrain, or that his enemies didn't have the strength to dent its armor, or that his bolters couldn't damage the enemies tanks but the Dreadnaught could, things like that. His opponent was just stomping him into the ground and he wasn't learning anything, except that he was losing badly. With 10 marines, a commander and a Dreadnaught he took down a Ravager, 25 Dark Eldar Warriors and 3 Haemonculus in a two turn period. Which turned the tide of the battle.

Noobs need to learn, winning and losing isn't so important but they do need to learn. Doing things for them won't teach them anything and letting them flounder won't help much either. Its best when their opponent is instructing them or if they watch others game for a while and see what they do, how, when and why. Especially if both players explain their actions as it goes along. I watched many battles before I started playing my own and it did help a great deal but everyone learns differently and it is not exactly easy for a new player to get a good grip of the rules immediately. Which is why when playing noobs I usually cut down on as many special rules as possible and stick to small games. No special characters, few mission special rules and other complications kept to an absolute minimum. A commander, maybe a vehicle or two, and a few squads of basic troops, maybe one or two specialist squads but not many. Let them grasp the basics first and then teach them the more complicated rules and the special rules later on.

[sarnas]

I like to go all out and crush them. Then explain why i won, why we lost, what he did wrong etc. Then offer to play again, and take it slower, see if he remembered what he did wrong, and offer more advice. They will remember being crushed, but with my help, will remember how to not get crushed.

Another don't:
If he has, say an army that really isn't effective. Like, sisters with flamers versus mechtau. Don't tell them to change their list. Just give them advice, like 'you don't have weapons that can hurt my tanks. Perhaps get ____ or give one of your sisters a melta next time you make a list.' Always helps, as they remember your trying to help, not be annoying and make fun of them.

DO:
Tell them what they did right. "You moved your troops into cover, good idea' kind of thing. They will then remember it is a good thing to do, while if you dont say anything they do not learn if it really effect them.

[Amaliel]

Also, try to explain how you remember some things. For example. To determine what you need to hit, take 7 and subtract your BS. Oh that's another thing, try not abbreviate things like BS.