Around the world, there are several forms of martial arts, from Kung Fu in China to Capoeria in Brazil. Although they are different in style, one thing is consistent, each style carries its own code of virtues to which many of its practitioners adhere to as it further defines there style of fighting. Now the reason that I mentioned the martial arts is because our games of UFS are based on fighters who have disciplined themselves both physically, spiritually, and mentally in there styles of fighting. They adhere to there code, whether it be based on there own personal beliefs or there style of fighting. Ultimately, it is the things that define our favorite characters and makes them who they are.

So what does that have to do with this article? Well my friend, just as our favorite characters adhere to a certain code that usually defines them, we as UFS Players should adhere to a code not only to define ourselves, but the game that we play as well. Ultimately, if you are playing a game and a random person walks by, the way you conduct yourself will more than likely leave an impression on said stranger. Before I continue, think about any past actions you may have done? Was is positive or negative? If so, and there was a prospect looking into playing this game, would they want to jump into UFS, or just plain avoid it? Now that you have your answer orbiting your cranium, I shall continue.

Integrity

Is the ability to be honest to other gamers and to ourselves. A lot of times, there are gamers out there who if given the opportunity, would cheat there way out of a greasy paper bag. Let's face it, there may be times when you want to speed talk or add a card from your discard pile to your hand as your opponent is distracted for a sec, that way this or that could be done. There is no point in doing this. If you play this game and enjoy using sleight of hand to fool people, than you have no faith in your skill, thus you negate your own personal integrity.

Of course, not cheating is an obvious point to integrity, but it goes further than just not cheating. If you make a mistake, have the integrity to address it to yourself. It is the best way to learn. Also, if a player seems to be bumping into the same proverbial wall with his deck and play abilities, don't be afraid to address why they are failing to succeed. If they are one of those people who are stubborn and they do not like to follow other people's advice than don't worry about it, it is an issue that they have to handle on there own.

Persistence

Never say die, even if it kills you. Back in the fall of 1996, that was on an advertisement for X-Man, which was good to a certain point. But back on topic, that saying has been stuck in my head ever since and to be honest, it is the way we should look at playing this game. There are times in which we are down to one life or we only have five cards left in our decks after cycling it twice.

In these times, it is easy to want to give up. DON'T! If you do, you may never know what may have happened at that critical point where all seemed lost. There are such things as miracles and in this game there are no exceptions to that rule. Besides, if you're going to go out, go out fighting. It's more memorable that way.

Respect

We have all heard the phrase, "Treat others the way you want to be treated." Same applies to the UFS scene. Always be kind and courteous. Trust me when I say that it will return to you five fold. Albeit, there are those players who tend to have an ugly disposition. Let them and if they complain about you being courteous, just smile and nod. If you think about it, it could be a good way to set up a bluff. (Hey I said no cheating in the integrity part, but bluffing is a strategy in its own right because it forces the opponent to think about there next action.)

Self-Control

There are moments in which agitation can creep in. Someone might be trying to bend the rules or you just did not get enough sleep last night and you started off on the wrong foot. Please for the love of God, keep you emotions in check. If you snap once at someone they will more than likely think of you as being rude. (You can also loose your concentration.)

Same goes for winning or loosing. Face the facts folks, winning or loosing can bring out the worse in us as well. When things go our way, we sometimes tend to get a big head and if we a loosing there are those of us who complain. You should not let your emotions get in the way of the real rewards of playing this game, fun.

Humility

Win or loose take it in strides. Be humble about the outcome, after all UFS is a game to be enjoyed by all. Please do not take this as, "Don't celebrate if you make the Top 8 of an AoP." (By all means celebrate. It is after all an accomplishment.) If you are humble, you find that you are grateful for the whole tourney and that it puts a different perspective on the game altogether. It is a good feeling when you allow yourself to feel it, if you are victorious or not. I think I can call this "Gamers Nirvana" or "Zen".

Honor

Honor all the people you play, regardless of the outcome. Compliment your opponent and never, ever deny them there win with the "I could've had you..." comment. 

Honor yourself as well. Win or loose, look at the cool things you did. Deny yourself of what you did in a game and you will dishonor yourself which could lead to you beating yourself up. True, you should keep in mind the mistakes you made, but as my father once told me, "Focus on working on your weakness and never forget your strength's."

In conclusion, if we adhere to the Code, we can make our gaming groups and communities the best in the gaming world with a positive and competitive atmosphere that will define ourselves as gamers and our games of UFS for everyone to see. This Code is for your consideration and you can choose to apply these to your gaming life if you want or use it to elaborate on your own thoughts or beliefs.

Well that does it for me. I hope that I gave you readers something to think about as you are playing your games of UFS. As I have stated on several posts at the UFS Forums, I am not the foremost expert in these things. I just make my suggestions and hope that they have concrete meaning in the community. If you would like to message me, you can PM me at the STG Forums or you can e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Till the next article, happy gaming.