A Problem with Proxies?

For as long as I can remember, I've had the hardest time using proxies in my games. When talking about gaming, a proxy is a card or miniature used to represent a similar piece in the game. Players will often use proxies if they aren't able to afford the actual piece, or they're test driving a piece before committing to buying it. However, I have a personal and practical reason for my aversion to proxies.


People often give me guff for my refusal to use proxies. I don't care if someone uses proxies for their game because I understand the various cost-effective reasons for it. However, I'm a purist when it comes to games, and I can't enjoy the full experience of a game if I'm not staying 100% pure to the game's pieces.

Let me clarify that this is different from painted models. I like painted models as a preference - I could play bare metal for the rest of my life and still get 99% as much enjoyment from a game. However, playing a game with a stand-in piece just feels wrong. It goes from being an immersive experience to a set of rules arbitrarily assigned to a game piece. I like playing the game as it was designed, with the pieces that were designed for it.

With as cautious as I am about getting the most bang for my buck, you'd think I'd be gung-ho about using proxies. However, I would rather do without than reduce my enjoyment of the game. I'm not saying it's right, because there are several models I'll probably never own just because I haven't seen them on the table, and I won't proxy them to find out how they work.

Now I did use proxies when I played Magic, and it really killed the fun of the game for me. I didn't appreciate the cards I was proxying, and I didn't play them nearly as well as I would when I'd finally buy them. I think the reason for this is the same as why I won't play a painted model that wasn't done by me or painted as a gift - it's because I have no attachment to it. I didn't buy the proxy, I didn't acquire it from a friend or even borrow it from someone to try out. I printed off an image and stuck that piece of paper in a card sleeve along with another card and called it good.

Now don't get me wrong, I won't fault someone for using proxies in their game. I'm understand that proxies don't necessarily break a game, and I'd agree that using a proxy make someone more likely to buy the actual piece. I won't look down on someone for using proxies, although if they're particularly cheesy I certainly won't restrain myself from poking fun at them.

However, sometimes proxies can be detrimental to a game. I've had several occasions where I've experienced this from both sides of the situation. When people are used to a game, they will often glance at a card or model and know everything about it, and without thinking much about it they will play the game as though the model is the original piece, and not the model it's standing in for. When that happens, an entire game can swing because a player will conduct his turn assuming that their opponent's model has an 8" threat range, while the proxy actually has a 12" range. Or they may think the opponent's card is a 2/2 bear when it "actually" has Deathtouch.

When that happens, the game is no longer about strategy and outmaneuvering, and is instead irreparably altered because of one player's thoughtlessness in subconciously assuming at the piece they were looking at is the same one they've played against 20 times. Even if the proxy player allows a do-over for the affected models, it's impossible to have the same outcome had the mistake not been made.

When that happens, the proxy player has likely given themselves an accidental advantage. Their opponent is on tilt because their strategy has to change, or the player is frustrated and doesn't want to redo an entire turn. Those who know me won't be surprised to know that I don't like the idea of gaining an advantage over my opponent by anything that isn't in the rules. So if I'm using a proxy and my opponent forgets what it's supposed to be, I've single-handedly changed the game in an unfair way.

However, I think there are a few ways to use proxies that will ensure your opponent will have an enjoyable game.

• Remind them at the start of every turn. It may get monotonous for both of you, but even if it only reminds them one time, you've made that one time very fair.
• Make a tent from a 3x5 card (or business card for Magic) with the card/model's name, and keep it highly visible to your opponent at all times.
• Find a hard-to-miss way to mark the proxy. Put a Pepsi cap on the card, lay a pen across a models arms... anything that's very out-of-place so that when your opponent scans the battlefield, the strange sight of a large troll with a bright pink feather stuck to his back with Blu Tac will make him actively notice that it's a different model.

What I'm saying is that if a proxy is going to be used in a game, it very obviously needs to be a proxy. The onus is on the user to make sure the game plays just as smoothly as if the actual piece were used. Proxies can save money, but make sure it's not done at the cost of the opponent's enjoyment!

See you tomorrow!