Affording Agency

Sorry, no new models worked on the past two weeks - in adequate motivation and horrible discipline. But I wanted to discuss the importance of ensuring all players in a game have a sense of agency.  It also is a chance to vent.

Agency: 3. action or intervention, especially such as to produce a particular effect.

Importantly, when I lose a game I want to have lost because I failed at something I could correct - short of total army book/codex change!  The only way to fix a loss should not be to scrap an army and start over with a "better" army.

This means identifying tactical errors - poor deployment or committing the wrong unit to combat - or even identifying holes in the army list - a few more Gyrocopters or a unit of Hammers instead of Slayers.  If a loss is assured even if the game goes perfectly, then it is not going to be a fun game for anyone.