This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Author Topic: [Rant] More RPG.net frustrations  (Read 17386 times)

Warthur

  • No longer here.
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • W
  • Posts: 4572
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #30 on: June 08, 2007, 10:48:08 AM »
Quote from: jrients
Is there something preventing the mods from expressing their disapproval of a policy while also enforcing that policy?  Other than a unnecessary circle-the-wagons mentality?

At a guess - and I hasten to add that I barely keep track of RPG.net these days - I suspect the moderators feel that such a stance would be damaging. It might be their feeling that if a moderator says something along the lines of "I don't agree with this rule, but I intend to enforce it anyway until it is changed", this would the risk of giving the posters in general the idea that that specific moderator is a "soft touch" - or worse, that the moderators in general are going to be reasonably lax about enforcing the rule in question - which is just going to encourage people to either break the rule outright or strain it considerably.

This is the sort of thinking people get into when they regard themselves as the Responsible Moderators and everyone else as the Irresponsible Posting Masses...
I am no longer posting here or reading this forum because Pundit has regularly claimed credit for keeping this community active. I am sick of his bullshit for reasons I explain here and I don't want to contribute to anything he considers to be a personal success on his part.

I recommend The RPG Pub as a friendly place where RPGs can be discussed and where the guiding principles of moderation are "be kind to each other" and "no politics". It's pretty chill so far.

Caesar Slaad

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3585
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #31 on: June 08, 2007, 11:01:32 AM »
Quote from: walkerp
Well that's another discussion, but I am not sure how "private" a site whose entire exisence is based on its members is.  As I suggesed, I am probably overreaching with the term censorship.  But as a faithful user of the site, it certainly doesn't make me feel very kindly to the organizers.


And notice how you are free to go elsewhere -- namely here -- and express yourself?

Even as far is it went, the didn't delete it, they just moved it. Not unlike a post about movies or LARPS would get shuttled off to another forum.

That's pretty unlike anything really deserving the term censorship.

Don't get me wrong... there's some things I don't like about the RPGnet decision. But censorship it ain't.
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

Anemone

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • A
  • Posts: 252
    • http://www.tlucretius.net/index.html
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #32 on: June 08, 2007, 01:10:11 PM »
We keep fooling ourselves with the concept that an online forum is a community.  It's a community in that you meet many people with relatively similar interests, and the forum gradually takes on a certain colour.  But it's not a community in that, no matter how groovy the group may be, the forum is always owned and operated by one person or a very small number of persons.  It's not a democracy, it's not consensus-based, it's not any of that coolio bullshit we gamers so love.  

AFAIK, RPGNet belongs to Shannon Appelcline.  The Forge belongs to Ron Edwards and Clinton Nixon.  The RPG Site belongs to a self-appointed pundit.  Gamecraft belongs to Levi Kornelsen.  Story Games belongs to Andrew Kitkowski.  Etc., etc.  Some of these guys are really reasonable, some are pains in the ass.  

But none of these sites are operated by vote, and we just have to get that through our heads.  It took me a while to resign myself to that but I think I got it now.
Anemone

walkerp
BANNED

  • BANNED
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2826
    • http://www.draconismontreal.ca
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #33 on: June 08, 2007, 01:18:22 PM »
I guess so... I don't know, seems kind of depressing.  I mean, I'm fine if a forum is going to be dominated by the style and thinking of the person who "owns" it, but there is still going to be some proportion of input by the people who populate it.  It's not quite the same thing as a commercial site, which is driven by the people who sponsor it.  rpg.net gets some money from sponsors, but people also donate their own money.  Doesn't that give them some kind of input power, no matter how small?  I was seriously considering buying a member ship a couple months ago because I made a bit of internet money on eBay.  I'm glad I bought a bunch of games and donated to a bunch of podcasts instead.
"The difference between being fascinated with RPGs and being fascinated with the RPG industry is akin to the difference between being fascinated with sex and being fascinated with masturbation. Not that there's anything wrong with jerking off, but don't fool yourself into thinking you're getting laid." —Aos

Anemone

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • A
  • Posts: 252
    • http://www.tlucretius.net/index.html
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #34 on: June 08, 2007, 01:21:59 PM »
All I can say is, I wish.  :(   I used to spend a lot of time on RPGNet (and enjoying your posts, among others) but I got very disappointed with the realization that this was still somebody else's house.
Anemone

joewolz

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1889
    • http://2gms1mic.com
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #35 on: June 08, 2007, 01:25:18 PM »
Quote from: walkerp
But as a faithful user of the site, it certainly doesn't make me feel very kindly to the organizers.


Screw RPG.net, you should stay here.  I think your ideas would gain more credence and you'd have more fun here than there.
-JFC Wolz
Co-host of 2 Gms, 1 Mic

Pierce Inverarity

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • P
  • Posts: 3230
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #36 on: June 08, 2007, 01:33:49 PM »
What bugs me is that this particular decision doesn't make any kind of sense, and I did read Shannon's explanations. I've disagreed with rpg.net decisions in the past, but I do get why they've been implemented.

But to start a d20 forum in 2007? As opposed to 2000 through 2003? Beats me.
Ich habe mir schon sehr lange keine Gedanken mehr über Bleistifte gemacht.--Settembrini

One Horse Town

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • O
  • Posts: 10203
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #37 on: June 08, 2007, 01:38:37 PM »
I was of the opinion that it might be a good idea, but i've changed my mind in the last week or so. A divide has been noticeable in that time, one that was always there but has now started to widen as there is a very physical divide on the forum. There's more us & them than was obvious before and i can only conclude this is a sympton of the forum split.

walkerp
BANNED

  • BANNED
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2826
    • http://www.draconismontreal.ca
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #38 on: June 08, 2007, 01:45:05 PM »
Quote from: Pierce Inverarity

But to start a d20 forum in 2007? As opposed to 2000 through 2003? Beats me.

Totally agree.  From a strategic standpoint, even if you don't give a crap about community, the timing is really bizarre.  It really makes me think there is more going on than ShannonA is willing to discuss.  Some big sponsor who made a deal with them or something.  I know I'm going to get attacked for making up conspiracy theories (as happened over on rpg.net) but there are just so many holes in his explanation.  And if you see how clearly he communicates on other forum splits, you can tell that this isn't his normal manner of handling his business.
"The difference between being fascinated with RPGs and being fascinated with the RPG industry is akin to the difference between being fascinated with sex and being fascinated with masturbation. Not that there's anything wrong with jerking off, but don't fool yourself into thinking you're getting laid." —Aos

Anemone

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • A
  • Posts: 252
    • http://www.tlucretius.net/index.html
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #39 on: June 08, 2007, 01:45:24 PM »
Ah, the RPGNet D20 suburb...  I rarely play D20, I don't like D20, I don't hang out on D20 threads (neither to praise nor to bash).  And yet I'd much rather have all RPGs together in one big forum.  Our hobby isn't so big that we need to break it up into smaller groups, and emphasize splits rather than commonalities.
Anemone

grubman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • g
  • Posts: 602
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #40 on: June 08, 2007, 02:11:28 PM »
Quote from: GoOrange
I thought you had to start an anti-RPG.net thread before you were allowed into the inner circle of theRPGsite.


I love RPGnet :)

I've gotten banned a couple times for reasons I can't remember (probably for being rude).  Each time it happened I didn't feel I was screwed, and couldn't wait to get bock on the site after the ban was lifted.

Guess I don't mind playing by the rules...for the most part I don't even have to check myself to do it.

When the D20 forum split off I ws very vocal about not likeing it (still don't).  Funny thing is I thought it would be the Open forum I would be visiting and the D20 forum would be the big pain in the ass.  As it is, I find all the interesting threads on the D20 forum now (especially with Star Wars Saga being my primary interest and game I'm GMing for the summer, and D&D being the other game I'm currently playing).  I check Open once a day, but have hardly posted there at all anymore.

Makes me wonder if I should just go to Enworld or something?

Caesar Slaad

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3585
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #41 on: June 08, 2007, 02:24:32 PM »
Quote from: grubman
When the D20 forum split off I ws very vocal about not likeing it (still don't).  Funny thing is I thought it would be the Open forum I would be visiting and the D20 forum would be the big pain in the ass.  As it is, I find all the interesting threads on the D20 forum now


Yeah. It seems like -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- the d20 forum has a bit more focus. Yeah, I like to speak about RPGs separate from the system I am speaking of (and I was just about to start such a thread when the split happened), but do find that in the open forum, I do have to wade through dozens of posts about some craptastic game I don't care about to get to that one post about either a game I do care about or of general RPG interest.

Of course, the d20 forum is bit to weed through now too, since the flurry of SW Saga threads hit.
The Secret Volcano Base: my intermittently updated RPG blog.

Running: Pathfinder Scarred Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Masks, Starfinder, Bulldogs!
Playing: Sigh. Nothing.
Planning: Some Cyberpunk thing, system TBD.

PaladinCA

  • The Only way to be sure
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1261
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #42 on: June 08, 2007, 02:28:48 PM »
There sure are a lot of current RPGnet posters hanging out over here. :)  There are a lot of banned former RPGnet posters to.  Most of them are voices that I have missed.

I'm not all that happy with the d20 forum split either.  I asked the mod team for clarification on why Darren was able to move his own d20 thread for purposes of exposure in open and I got the "it isn't what you think" response.  Then they changed the thread title so that it would reduce the bitching about a moderator moving his own D&D thread into open for exposure purposes.  It was a nice dose of inconsistency bordering on hypocrisy really.

I reported the attitude of Darren in that thread to.  I don't feel that there is any need for a moderator to swagger around like John Wayne and threaten the community with punishments just because they are in a bad mood.  Very immature behavior if you ask me.

So yeah, the mod team has been rubbing me the wrong way for a while now.  I realize what a difficult task they have, but I see no reason for the attitudes.  Moderators can do their job without the snark (there are a couple of good ones).  I get along with just about anyone and it takes a lot before I sour on any particular person.  I have one RPGnet poster on my RPGnet ignore list and only because they are the most condescending and arrogant ass that I have ever encountered on the net.  That is quite a feat! :D

Anyway, hello to all my friends from RPGnet and to those on the RPGSite!

Koltar

  • Openly GURPS Loving
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8328
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #43 on: June 08, 2007, 02:31:22 PM »
That still doesn't make sense to me.

 Why not have a HERO System sub forum?

 A GURPS  sub forum?

 A White Wolf subforum?

 An Exalted seperate forum? (Oh right they wouldn't do that . No Need)

A RIFTS/Palladium seperate forum??

 I know that D20/D&D is the biggest thing out there...but some of the discussions related to it can also help people with similiar problems in other RPG  system campaigns.


- Ed C.
The return of 'You can't take the Sky From me!'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUn-eN8mkDw&feature=rec-fresh+div

This is what a really cool FANTASY RPG should be like :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-WnjVUBDbs

Still here, still alive, at least Seven years now...

Anemone

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • A
  • Posts: 252
    • http://www.tlucretius.net/index.html
[Rant] More RPG.net frustrations
« Reply #44 on: June 08, 2007, 02:34:02 PM »
Hello, Paladin!  Nice to see you.  :)
Anemone