Normally I don't like sending traffic to BoLS over their most awful, stupid and idiotically bad articles... it's like giving a bully a cookie every time they beat you up after school.
But this thread is so bad, and the comments so much WORSE, that I just have to break my rule this once.
For the record, a big ol' salute to Sandwyrm for taking up the torch on this issue and fighting the good fight. I agree with him in every single possible way.
-Army Builder is overly noisy. Signal to noise ratio is low. No, I'm not stupid, I just don't like having to mine the important information out of the reams of useless crap.
-People who are completely unfamiliar with the opposing army to the point where a clearly typed list which includes unit names, wargear upgrades and points values and easy access to their codex (which should be a given at all times in a tourney) still is not enough, should not get frustrated that their opponent is not able to teach them the rules for their army in a 2 hour tourney game. It's even worse if you don't know the rules for the basic game or your own army, which I have also experienced at a GT.
"Oh, this is your 6th game of 5th edition... great."
-None of this is to say that a player should ever be anything less than honest and forthcoming with their opponents. If you ever tell your opponent "the rules are in my codex, look them up yourself" well... you might be an asshole. That's called unsportsmanlike behavior. You should not only answer any questions but offer information if you feel like your opponent doesn't understand what you are doing. Win the game on the table, not because your opponent doesn't understand how Shadow in the Warp works.
This quote from Sandwyrm was very good:
"I always go through every unit in my army and explain what they are. I even put models on top of transports to indicate what's inside. Afterwards, I always ask my opponent if they have any questions."
It's very ironic that everyone is so busy saying or implying that Sandwyrm is a bad sportsman and an asshole for telling people who don't know how to play the game at a basic level not to show up at GTs when it is apparent to anyone with at least one eye to read and two brain cells to interpret what they are seeing that he is the exact opposite.
Being honest is a form of kindness, for those with the maturity to recognize it.
