A Kommandeur article by Brian Stretcher
Error…? ERROR…? Faulty! Faaaaauuullllty!
When the damaged 20th Century deep space probe NOMAD was repaired by sentient machines, it became sentient itself and believed itself perfect and infallible. That is, until Captain James Kirk pointed out that it both mistook him for its creator, and then failed to recognize its error. Two mistakes were too much for NOMAD to accept, and it had to be beamed off the Enterprise before it blew itself up, taking Enterprise with it.
We can apply this analogy to the play of our games. Like NOMAD, people generally don’t like to admit they make mistakes. But since we are not infallible, mistakes are inevitable, especially when play involves typing moves into a computer of some sort.
Although technology has generally increased the speed of our play, and game-assistance programs might reduce the possibility of error, some still inevitably creep in. When they do, sometimes they can lead to misunderstandings and arguments that ruin the game. There is no need, however, to blow up and take the game with you.
Your AHIKS Members’ Guide, dated though it may be, has a list of correction procedures that players can opt to use before play in order to make resolution easier, or at least less likely to argue over. Problem is that these procedures are rather strict. For example, if unit A is ordered to move to hex B, but can’t reach hex B, then it doesn’t move at all. Miscalculate attack odds? Too bad, the attack goes in at reduced odds.
Such procedures used to be referred to as The Hardcore Option, since error resolution was strict and could determine the victor. One has to be a hardcore player to be willing to play under all those provisions, although some of them are useful, like the default ICRK pick (first unused) when the selected ICRK cannot otherwise be used. Of course, these methods were designed when everyone played by postal mail. It certainly sped up play, and encouraged players to check and re-check their moves. But even when snail mail was the only way to play, I never played a game hardcore, preferring instead to employ a hybrid of the AHIKS resolution procedures and discussion, returning moves for a redo if necessary. It is really easy when you use email or other means of near-instant communication.
So, here are some tips for resolving certain types of errors during play, in hopes of keeping things moving along smoothly without hard feelings.
1. Movement recording errors. Everyone makes these sorts of mistakes, such as writing down hex AA10 instead of AA11 for a unit location. If your opponent orders a unit to a location it cannot reach, let him know, and ask where he wants it. If it is ordered to participate in an attack, it may be obvious where it is supposed to go, and so it may not be necessary to return the move or even ask for a correction. Merely note that the location was written incorrectly but obvious nonetheless. Double-check your unit locations before asking about such an error, however, as it might be your units that are out of place, not your opponent’s. That’s because recording errors that are legal are more difficult to recognize, and while you might have intended to send that infantry into the town, your opponent might not recognize placement in the adjacent woods as an error. Instead, he may see it as a tactical choice made by you (maybe you wanted him to attack there instead of elsewhere).
Legal recording errors can prove fatal, because they may not be caught by anyone right away, and the game may move on to a point where correction is impossible. Once the dice start to fall, it is generally too late to fix things, so I advise checking your opponent’s movement, or allowing your opponent to check your move, before you consult the almighty dice gods, be they ICRKS or a die server. I suggest a standing agreement that NO dice are good until the move is good. It remains very worthwhile to check both your raw unit listings and the typed listings if you keep both. A typo can cause just as much consternation as can misreading a hex number.
In the face of a serious recording error, the situation must determine whether to allow your opponent to redo the whole move or just part of the move. I favor allowing my opponents to fix whatever they wish, so long as it does not undo something that was already done, like a resolved combat. Usually there is a quick and easy solution, and your opponent should be gracious in accepting the opportunity to fix things, and do so with a minimum shifting of units. Be gracious yourself, as there will come a time when you make a similar mistake.
2. Combat errors. Typically, this would involve the miscalculation of attack odds, a missed modifier, or something similar. I generally consider it unfair to hold an opponent to, say, a 2-1 in a game like Afrika Korps when my opponent thought it was a 4-1. So, these sorts of errors will generally require an inquiry, although there are some exceptions. For one, if there is only a slight odds shift, and the result of the combat is the same at either odds, then there is little point in correcting the error. For example, in a game of Blue and Grey, a roll of 2 at either 1-1 or 2-1 odds is going to be the same Dr result, so there is little reason to require a correction. Similarly, if your opponent thinks the odds are 5-1 and it’s really 6-1, why bother to ask for a fix?
No reason to let him take advantage of such an error and commit the extra forces elsewhere. Now, there might be an occasion where you want to talk your opponent out of making what is now a 1-1 when he thought it was a 2-1, just as you would if he made the error in a FTF game. No reason you can’t employ a little psychology and talk your opponent out of something you would rather he not do (are you sure you want to make that 1-1? Might come up an AE…). And just like moves, you probably should check all of the combats and calculations before you start resolving them, so that neither of you gain any advantage from a knowledge of the potential result prior to a correction.
3. Rules errors. It is a player’s responsibility to know the rules of the game he is playing. Unless you are the forgiving type, or playing a teaching game, then moves that involve a rules error have to be redone, unless they are very minor. We all forget rules, however, or confuse them with another game, and even learn something new from new situations each time we play. That’s all fine, as long as you are willing to accept the occasional need for a fix. Repeating the same rules mistake, however, is close to unforgivable. If you’ve already gone over it once or twice, then you have earned the right to grumble a bit, or even hold an opponent to a bad move. Note the difference here between a rules error and a difference in rule interpretation. There are some games where it is possible to interpret the same rule in more than one way. Fourth Edition Third Reich is a classic example. Despite all the Q&A from TAHGC, the Gamer’s Guide, and a lot of internet chatter, there are still rules that can legitimately be interpreted differently by different players (especially where the errata raises more questions than it answers). For those sorts of games, it is important to have the discussion about known vague rules before the game, if at all possible, because those differences can lead to some heated discussions if not addressed prior to play. But, if you simply cannot agree, that’s why we have a Judge!
Summary: Most of us in AHIKS are fairly casual players, and so will have little problem addressing the little or even big errors that come up during a game. The important thing to do is to communicate with your opponents; let them know your feelings about errors and how you like to resolve them before you actually start your first match with a new opponent. Take the little bit of additional time and check your move before mailing it out or clicking “send.” Then things should go fairly smoothly. If not, AHIKS is here to help!
MORE THOUGHTS ON ERROR CORRECTION
A Kommandeur article by Brian Stretcher
Error…? ERROR…? Faulty! Faaaaauuullllty!
When the damaged 20th Century deep space probe NOMAD was repaired by sentient machines, it became sentient itself and believed itself perfect and infallible. That is, until Captain James Kirk pointed out that it both mistook him for its creator, and then failed to recognize its error. Two mistakes were too much for NOMAD to accept, and it had to be beamed off the Enterprise before it blew itself up, taking Enterprise with it.
We can apply this analogy to the play of our games. Like NOMAD, people generally don’t like to admit they make mistakes. But since we are not infallible, mistakes are inevitable, especially when play involves typing moves into a computer of some sort.
Although technology has generally increased the speed of our play, and game-assistance programs might reduce the possibility of error, some still inevitably creep in. When they do, sometimes they can lead to misunderstandings and arguments that ruin the game. There is no need, however, to blow up and take the game with you.
Your AHIKS Members’ Guide, dated though it may be, has a list of correction procedures that players can opt to use before play in order to make resolution easier, or at least less likely to argue over. Problem is that these procedures are rather strict. For example, if unit A is ordered to move to hex B, but can’t reach hex B, then it doesn’t move at all. Miscalculate attack odds? Too bad, the attack goes in at reduced odds.
Such procedures used to be referred to as The Hardcore Option, since error resolution was strict and could determine the victor. One has to be a hardcore player to be willing to play under all those provisions, although some of them are useful, like the default ICRK pick (first unused) when the selected ICRK cannot otherwise be used. Of course, these methods were designed when everyone played by postal mail. It certainly sped up play, and encouraged players to check and re-check their moves. But even when snail mail was the only way to play, I never played a game hardcore, preferring instead to employ a hybrid of the AHIKS resolution procedures and discussion, returning moves for a redo if necessary. It is really easy when you use email or other means of near-instant communication.
So, here are some tips for resolving certain types of errors during play, in hopes of keeping things moving along smoothly without hard feelings.
1. Movement recording errors. Everyone makes these sorts of mistakes, such as writing down hex AA10 instead of AA11 for a unit location. If your opponent orders a unit to a location it cannot reach, let him know, and ask where he wants it. If it is ordered to participate in an attack, it may be obvious where it is supposed to go, and so it may not be necessary to return the move or even ask for a correction. Merely note that the location was written incorrectly but obvious nonetheless. Double-check your unit locations before asking about such an error, however, as it might be your units that are out of place, not your opponent’s. That’s because recording errors that are legal are more difficult to recognize, and while you might have intended to send that infantry into the town, your opponent might not recognize placement in the adjacent woods as an error. Instead, he may see it as a tactical choice made by you (maybe you wanted him to attack there instead of elsewhere).
Legal recording errors can prove fatal, because they may not be caught by anyone right away, and the game may move on to a point where correction is impossible. Once the dice start to fall, it is generally too late to fix things, so I advise checking your opponent’s movement, or allowing your opponent to check your move, before you consult the almighty dice gods, be they ICRKS or a die server. I suggest a standing agreement that NO dice are good until the move is good. It remains very worthwhile to check both your raw unit listings and the typed listings if you keep both. A typo can cause just as much consternation as can misreading a hex number.
In the face of a serious recording error, the situation must determine whether to allow your opponent to redo the whole move or just part of the move. I favor allowing my opponents to fix whatever they wish, so long as it does not undo something that was already done, like a resolved combat. Usually there is a quick and easy solution, and your opponent should be gracious in accepting the opportunity to fix things, and do so with a minimum shifting of units. Be gracious yourself, as there will come a time when you make a similar mistake.
2. Combat errors. Typically, this would involve the miscalculation of attack odds, a missed modifier, or something similar. I generally consider it unfair to hold an opponent to, say, a 2-1 in a game like Afrika Korps when my opponent thought it was a 4-1. So, these sorts of errors will generally require an inquiry, although there are some exceptions. For one, if there is only a slight odds shift, and the result of the combat is the same at either odds, then there is little point in correcting the error. For example, in a game of Blue and Grey, a roll of 2 at either 1-1 or 2-1 odds is going to be the same Dr result, so there is little reason to require a correction. Similarly, if your opponent thinks the odds are 5-1 and it’s really 6-1, why bother to ask for a fix?
No reason to let him take advantage of such an error and commit the extra forces elsewhere. Now, there might be an occasion where you want to talk your opponent out of making what is now a 1-1 when he thought it was a 2-1, just as you would if he made the error in a FTF game. No reason you can’t employ a little psychology and talk your opponent out of something you would rather he not do (are you sure you want to make that 1-1? Might come up an AE…). And just like moves, you probably should check all of the combats and calculations before you start resolving them, so that neither of you gain any advantage from a knowledge of the potential result prior to a correction.
3. Rules errors. It is a player’s responsibility to know the rules of the game he is playing. Unless you are the forgiving type, or playing a teaching game, then moves that involve a rules error have to be redone, unless they are very minor. We all forget rules, however, or confuse them with another game, and even learn something new from new situations each time we play. That’s all fine, as long as you are willing to accept the occasional need for a fix. Repeating the same rules mistake, however, is close to unforgivable. If you’ve already gone over it once or twice, then you have earned the right to grumble a bit, or even hold an opponent to a bad move. Note the difference here between a rules error and a difference in rule interpretation. There are some games where it is possible to interpret the same rule in more than one way. Fourth Edition Third Reich is a classic example. Despite all the Q&A from TAHGC, the Gamer’s Guide, and a lot of internet chatter, there are still rules that can legitimately be interpreted differently by different players (especially where the errata raises more questions than it answers). For those sorts of games, it is important to have the discussion about known vague rules before the game, if at all possible, because those differences can lead to some heated discussions if not addressed prior to play. But, if you simply cannot agree, that’s why we have a Judge!
Summary: Most of us in AHIKS are fairly casual players, and so will have little problem addressing the little or even big errors that come up during a game. The important thing to do is to communicate with your opponents; let them know your feelings about errors and how you like to resolve them before you actually start your first match with a new opponent. Take the little bit of additional time and check your move before mailing it out or clicking “send.” Then things should go fairly smoothly. If not, AHIKS is here to help!