A Tedious Plague

[TwoTottaBonne]

I recently left a game that was playing much, much slower than it was set up to play, and I was scolded by the auto-mod. I come across this very consistently: someone creates a game and sets it up to play quickly and during a certain time period. People join this game and then play during 'off' hours and at 1/5 the speed the creator set up. Every time I bring it up in the in-game chat I'm treated like a buzzkill and a spoilsport, or just completely ignored. I'm polite, I avoid casting blame or name calling, and I point out that the suggested play times and pace were clearly posted. No one has (even once) attempted to actually justify the slow play; they just say things like "well, he's taking his turns eventually, let's just play along".

Why? Why do people do this? Why do others tolerate it? Where does the reluctance to boot players that are out of time come from? I don't care what pace anyone else likes to play at until they join a game intended to play faster and bog it down. Then I get irritated, and I wonder if there's a better way to set up the site, or a better way for the community to address things in games. Unfortunately I don't have any specific suggestions, beyond paying attention when you join games.

What do you all think?

[davidr0607]

I personally think the "Tedious Plague" is people trying to rush people cause they don't play at their pace and then using the clock to "Bully" people. I get what you are saying about it setting up "fast" set up and people do need to be aware before entering but all games on here are supposed to be a fun experience. Harassing people and threatening to expel them as soon as they are one second into the negative time sucks all the fun of the game for all involved. I hate the BGA encourages bullying and harassment (as well as cheating) but it does. Don't be one of those people.

[TwoTottaBonne]

I genuinely feel like you didn't bother to actually read the post, you just pasted your own prior negative experiences on top of it. I don't bully or harass anyone. I don't play live games, I don't care about my ratings at any of the games I play, and I don't knock people out of games to win. Mostly I just wish that people would be reasonably considerate of others' preferences. Their clearly outlined, explicit preferences, posted when a game is created.

[Meeplelowda]

I recently left a game that was playing much, much slower than it was set up to play,

What do you mean by the game is playing slower than it was "set up to play"? Either they are playing within the set time limits or they aren't. If they are within the set time limits, then it was "set up to play" at that speed. A faster pace may be "desired" or "requested" but the only thing forcing pace of play is the time setting.

If they are out of time and you want to expel them, that's up to you.

[TwoTottaBonne]

If a game is set up with the setting 'fast, 8 turns per day' and someone is playing 1 turn per day they are, by definition, playing slower than the game is set up to play.

Do I want to be the time police? I do not. Do I want to have to have a debate about whether to kick someone out of a game 90% of the time I play with strangers? I do not. Do I think it's rude to place me and the others at the table in this position and not bother to respond to any chat messages? I do, actually. Do I think that you're intentionally 'failing' to understand all of this? KInda.

I will say, if by Time Police you mean I get to go on Dr Who type adventures, I'm prepared to reconsider my position.

[Meeplelowda]

Do I want to be the time police? I do not.

So there is a mechanism in place to deal with the offensive behavior, but you don't want to use it. That's your choice.

[nmego]

Kicking someone for not being "fast" enough isn't the best solution, especially in multiplayer games you ruin the game for everyone else who might be okay with their speed, or at least doesn't want to abandon the game because of it. Basically it is a lose-lose situation.

Probably best to play with people you know that are quick and suggest rematches etc...

[TwoTottaBonne]

Actually, Meeplelowda, I am happy to kick people out of games when they're slow. I do like to engage in the chat first, and ask if there's something going on that's causing the slowdown. This also gives them a chance to pick up the pace. 100% of the time there's pushback from others at the table who don't want to kick the slow player and/or don't want to play with 1 fewer player. For many of the games I play, there is a downside to having someone take up in-game resources for a couple of turns and then vanish. It skews play. In fact, most of the time when I do kick someone for slowdowns, the entire game is abandoned immediately after, which isn't an ideal solution IMO.

I'll repeat that I find your arguments completely facile and disingenuous around this. Let's never play games together, eh?

[smattathias]

I hear you. Just like in a face-to-face version of any boardgame, if there isn't a clock involved, people tend to give a wide margin for making moves. No one wants to be the time police, spoil the game, or negatively impact someone else's play. Of course, in those scenarios, you can lean on people if they're taking too long, and most people will play out their games.

It's definitely a different story in this digital space. I have two suggestions for you (full apologies if you have already considered these):

1) Start enough games that you don't notice the slow ones. I'm in 7 or so games at a time, so it doesn't bother me if one game runs fast and another slow.

2) You could announce at the start of the game that you take time controls seriously. You could also adjust your settings to only play people at your ELO level.

I just posted about a different angle of this issue in a different thread. When people have a turn skipped, they lose less ELO points for losing that game. So in a game I'm currently winning, my opponent chooses not to play. If I skip his turn, he actually loses less ELO points when I win!

[Meeplelowda]

Actually, Meeplelowda, I am happy to kick people out of games when they're slow. I do like to engage in the chat first, and ask if there's something going on that's causing the slowdown. This also gives them a chance to pick up the pace. 100% of the time there's pushback from others at the table who don't want to kick the slow player and/or don't want to play with 1 fewer player. For many of the games I play, there is a downside to having someone take up in-game resources for a couple of turns and then vanish. It skews play. In fact, most of the time when I do kick someone for slowdowns, the entire game is abandoned immediately after, which isn't an ideal solution IMO.

I'll repeat that I find your arguments completely facile and disingenuous around this. Let's never play games together, eh?

Who is your intended audience for your original post? The people who are taking too long? Is it your belief that they will read this and suddenly see the error of their ways?

Or is it directed at the people who do not join in when you urge the slow player along?

I actually agree with the actions you're taking in the game to try to move things along. But I'm very happy not to play with you.