Why Internet Forums Might Be Hurting the Hobby More than Helping

I like the Internet.

I like Warhammer.

I like forums.

It would stand to reason that I would like forums on the Internet about Warhammer, right?

And I do... hell, I run a forum: The Warhammer Realm

Forums can be a great place to have questions answered, to get perspectives on gaming from hundreds (or thousands) of fellow players across the globe, to see beautiful paint jobs and conversions from all around the world, and serve a dozen other purposes.

But it turns out that I also hate what Internet Forums can do to the hobby. The following posts from a prominent Warhammer Forum should illustrate my point:
Post 1, Post 2, Post 3.

If you didn't read them, Post 1 encourages the use of sneaky "tactics" (for lack of a better word) to throw your opponent off guard. None are technically against the rules of the game, but they don't exactly support any idea of sportsmanship that I'm familiar with. You don't see NFL teams putting bouncers that aren't on the roster in team uniforms to trick the other coach into thinking they'll be going in to block kicks. Sneaky play in game is tactical (like a Play Action Pass or a Punt Fake)... trying to imply to your opponent that you have more than you're allowed to is just underhanded and poor play.

Post 2 to me screams fighting poor sportsmanship with poor sportsmanship. The vast majority of posters aren't recognizing that sometimes people actually make mistakes. Instead, most people like to think everyone is a cheater at heart. Then they actually suggest going so far as walking away from opponents, or only agreeing to play them with a handicap imposed.

Is sportsmanship really so dead that people won't just stop and say, "Hey... you're really supposed to pick your Magic Lore when you build your list. It's not really cool with me that you didn't. I showed you the respect of building a list that obided with the rules, and I'd appreciate if you did the same next time."

Treat people with respect and most with respond with something along the lines of, "Hey - sorry about that. I'll try to do better next time."

People aren't inherently bad, and a little respect will lead us to less ill will and more people saying, "Now that we got that out of the way, let's roll some dice!"

Post 3 takes a game that's not even 2 months old yet and opens up a unique can of worms: tournament restrictions. The game isn't even 2 months old yet... and just because you run an event you're going to tell me how I'm allowed to play my game? I'm not a cheesey gamer. I don't min/max my lists. Yet I still feel almost violated by other players trying to lord over the game that I love. To me, that's like parents deciding to take the right of choice from their children by indoctrinating them into behaviors and beliefs before they're old enough to even understand what's going on around them. Disgusting.

If you're an Internet Forum-ite, more power to you. Like I said, forums are great. Just try not to forget the fundamentals... sportsmanship, fair play, and just a pinch of level-headed rationality.

It's not that hard to be the bigger gamer.

Think about it.