Old thread is old, but I'd like to put in some StarCraft 2 etiquette experience for you people.


  • gm (good manners) is just what it says on the tin: you or your opponent are well mannered during the fight. For TW, this means following the tenants of the Code of Hono(u)r.
  • bm (bad manners) means that either you or your opponent is acting like a jerk. Don't do this. Seriously. Note that the ultimate goal of a multiplayer game is to win. Winning does not equal bm, it is HOW you win that makes it gm or bm.
  • glhf (good luck, have fun) is most commonly said at the very start of a game. Don't be a newbie; throw out a glhf or other variation of that at the start. Even if you don't want your opponent to have "good luck", a glhf says to your opponent "I'm not a jerk and I just want to play to have fun."
  • gg (good game) means "I surrender." You should only use this when you have absolutely no chance of survival and your end is near. If the enemy has trounced you soundly using good tactics or fair gameplay, another variation is also used: gg wp (good game, well played).
  • Saying gg FOR your opponent when he/she is clearly defeated is NOT good manners. A pre-emptive gg is the equivalent of kicking dirt in the eyes of someone and laughing while they are on the ground, broken and bleeding. Don't be a jerk; gg only when YOU surrender.
  • Not saying gg when you get defeated or leaving the game early without a gg is called ragequitting. Again, don't do it. However, just because someone doesn't gg during a loss doesn't necessarily mean they are bm, it might mean they don't know how to gg.
  • "Cheese" means using a particularly unorthodox tactic or army build to win a game (IE: all cavalry, rushing, etc). Most people consider cheesing to be bad mannered, but it really isn't (at least, at higher levels of play). The reason for this is that every cheese has a counter. If your opponent can successfully defend against an extremely cheesy tactic, he/she deserved that win and you deserved that loss. Suck it up and refine the cheese, or play normally.
  • Unless you know each other, avoid banter. The time it takes to write out a message can break your reaction time and cost you a win. This is why the majority of tournaments don't have people chatting except for the standard glhf and gg. If it's at the beginning of the game and the armies aren't yet set up, then feel free to engage in a little chat, but stay silent when the action starts. Chatting to intentionally throw off your opponent's game is considered bad manners.
  • If you decide to livestream your games, set up a delay server to delay the stream about 30 seconds. Google it if you don't know how to set one up. Delay servers allow you to stream your game to the internet, while preventing your opponent from cheating (as there will be a 30 second delay between what you are doing and what is being broadcasted).
  • If you are on a losing streak, STOP PLAYING. Godwin's Law applies to multiplayer gaming: as a losing streak occurs, the probability of bm eventually increases to 1. Take a break, go outside, have a smoke, whatever. Once your mind has reached its zen state again, you can return to playing.