So I went to go hang out with the owner at the local nerd store out here. He's closed for the 4th so he bumped his Friday event to Thursday. I came up to play a few rounds of miniatures, or so I had hoped. His front desk guy had to leave at 8, and I didn't get there until 7. Okay, fine, we chose to play
Infernal Contraption instead.
I lose hard the first time. We were playing downstairs, and his clerk had to go. So we moved upstairs, where the M:TG guys were having their regular event. We were playing a second hand, while he managed to run the store. I was okay with the frequent interuptions, he's a nice guy and I know how really boring it can be to man the helm all by yourself.
This M:TG herd has an 'alpha dog'. The alpha dog plays to win. There is nothing else. The alpha dog has the mentality that because he wins, he is better than everybody else. The alpha dog is never wrong, because being wrong is for losers and the alpha dog is not a loser.
I keep playing my game with the owner. Dammit, I'm losing again. I am not using my cards right. The owner keeps the M:TG rounds sheet on hand, takes the results as players come up and report. When the round is over, he heads over to the counter to enter results, new round starts.
The alpha dog starts hitting up others to chip in for pizza. Openly, around the owner. Why is this a problem?
* The owner has a set of clearly visible rules, that no outside food is allowed.
* The owner has a freezer full of ice cream and microwave foods. Also the necessary microwave. He also has a soda fountain where if you buy the cup, it's all you can drink.
The owner catches wind quickly, "Uh, you can't bring in outside food. Did you order it from (x)?" x is a local small business joint, very close by. He'd be okay with that, as he's a member of a local small business group. Besides, it's the eve of a holiday, he was willing to be flexible.
"You know, I can go play at tournaments at any other store I want." is the reply he gets. Again, the alpha dog is not getting his way. That means he's losing. The alpha dog immediately becomes threatening. Bark bark bark.
I am saddened. The owner caves. He (the alpha dog) goes off to one of the
hourly-rent-to-play PCs in the back, and tries to order online from the place he wants pizza. He comes back twenty minutes later from what is a five minute process, and complains "The site said it's going to take two hours, I'm going to McDonalds." and gives the money back to those who chipped in.
Me and the owner continue playing our game. God dammit he put that card right there. RIGHT FUCKING THERE. Aaaaaugh. I'll never win this thing.
The owner takes results again to go finish out the round and start a new one. A customer walks into the store and asks about some hobby game products for his kids, so he goes over to show him
Heroscape. This takes a little while, and the round isn't getting entered. The alpha dog is annoyed. I overhear, "God dammit, he's talking to that guy, I WANT TO PLAY."
The owner finishes his sales pitch, no luck this time, but the customer has some ideas on what the store has to offer him. Not a total loss.
I wait for the owner to sit back down. I've already packed the card game up, my own cards killed me before it got to his turn. Stupid stupid contraption. Anyway, I ask the owner to step aside with me into a whispering spot.
I ask him who the alpha dog is. Seconds later before the reply the alpha dog barges over, past me to go outside, then back in and behind me to go downstairs, looking for his opponent. Christ he's on a mission. Wait for him to get back out of earshot.
I address the issue in a nice way to the owner, he's a bit of a pushover. He can't slip foot to gamers. You give them leniency on the rules once, and they will fucking abuse it. I mention that the guy was talking crap behind his back because he wasn't serving the alphas immediate wants. The owner chuckles to me and said this alpha once asked if he could work for the store. We both had a displeasing sigh. The owner gets the right idea, and is going to single the alpha out of the pack, and talk to him alone.
I'm sorry. I understand there are those of you who want to play to win, but playing in a store is a privilege, not a right. Just because you treat your foes like targets instead of human beings and you win all the time and you know you're awesome doesn't mean you get to walk all over the owner of the establishment. When you cross over at the door, you agree to play by his rules. You may not like the selection of food and drink he has to offer, the price may not be something you like, but this is what he CHOOSES to provide. If you have a problem with that, he is probably open to talk about it. Had you even asked him privately that you wanted to send out for pizza, he might have even been receptive had you ASKED FIRST. No. You had to turn around and threaten him with your continued business, because you couldn't get your way. You make me sick. You are one of the cancerous infections that plague hobby games and contribute heavily to the bad reputation therein. If you can only be happy by making others miserable, I pity you. I would have ejected you from the store and congratulated you on your decision to give your business to other stores, the nearest of which is probably a good fifteen minute drive south.
Some days, I think I should just write a book on the subject. Or at least a blog.