So Ron Edwards has declared victory for the Forge, and with victory comes the closing of the site...

Ya, I don't get it either.

Details here.

QuoteHi everybody,

I aim to move the Forge into its winter stage by the end of the year. For those of you who don't know this, I announced quite a while ago that the Forge was never intended to be a permanent site. Especially since, well, bluntly, I (and Clinton, and Ed Healy, and a lot of other people active at the founding) have unequivocally won the battle we wanted to win. "The Big Bang has Bung," I like to say.

That's the main reason besides time and effort that I have never tried to update the Forge into a physical format more suited to 2010 rather than 1999.

However, it's been a slow process to downsize, and sometimes stalled. That's a time and effort thing too, but it's also a matter of deciding exactly how. You see, I want the site to be good throughout the whole process - it may surprise some of you, but I do not think downsizing and closure are a bad thing and necessarily about disuse, stagnation, and failure. I'm kind of hoping the final phase, "winter," will be a really good thing.

Vincent and I came up with a partial plan, which we'll iron out in terms of software and policy details for a little while before implementing. Comments are welcome, but bear in mind, this is not a democracy and your input may well be ignored. The main reason I'm posting it is policy transparency, so you can decide whether the winter-Forge is somewhere you care about and think you can make use of.

1. Most publisher forums will be moved to the Archives. I am hoping that we can either continue to host or to transfer forums to the publishers' ownership, if desired, but they will no longer be an active feature via the Forge page itself. (Please do not post with helpful software advice. Vincent will make his own decisions about that, and I frankly know nothing about it, so it won't help me.)

1'. For purposes of blunt self-interest, the Lumpley and Adept forums will remain, at least for a while. Or maybe they'll go with the others if the whole transfer-technology proves to be easy.

2. The Conventions and Connections forums will go to the Archives. Those services can be picked up by anyone who wants to start them elsewhere.

3. Some of the First Thoughts functions and the Playtesting function will be combined into "Development," which is intended to be a very practical forum about games in design. First Thoughts will go the Archives and Actual Play will go back to where it once was, the top of the page, with an introduction encouraging first users to post there (and how).

4. The current Endeavor forum(s) will go into the Archives, but temporary versions will be implemented on request for a given project. So you know, I'm thinking of resurrecting the Ronnies in early December, in somewhat more practical form.

Well, that was pretty much what Vincent and I talked about. To summarize, the forums are to become (in order), Actual Play, Development, Publishing, and sometimes a specific Endeavor; plus perhaps the Adept and Lumpley forums until they find their new homes.

Let Vincent know if you want your Publisher forum to stay active and you can work out the details of how and all that in that computer talk.

Best, Ron

What the fuck does that even mean? What was that battle that had to be won?
What was the Bang all about? I didn't even hear it!!

Quote from: Benoist;413240What the fuck does that even mean? What was that battle that had to be won?
What was the Bang all about? I didn't even hear it!!

I recall Steve Albini saying at a Big Black concert that it was their last show, that they were going to break up because they were about to become popular.

Maybe that's what it is?

Ron Edwards is a...  Oh fuck it I just can't be bothered with this prick anymore.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;413241I recall Steve Albini saying at a Big Black concert that it was their last show, that they were going to break up because they were about to become popular.

Maybe that's what it is?

"The backbone of this country is the independent truck."  \m/--\m/  

man, i love Big Black.

Le Victory is really a McFailure?  :rolleyes:

Quote from: kregmosier;413243"the backbone of this country is the independent truck."  \m/--\m/  

man, i love big black. :d

probably come to die in this town -
live here my whole life!

Quote from: Benoist;413240What was the Bang all about? I didn't even hear it!!

You did. It was that Pffffft sound. Remember, everyone turned around and said, "Who farted?"

Seanchai

Dunno. Not a fan of Ron or his forums, but that's a sensible thing to say for something that has run its course. Pack up, keep a time capsule around for web diggers from the future, and call it done. Closure. Closure is good. A lingering, wasting death is not good.

The shark jumping the Ron Edwards.

Quote from: ggroy;413257The shark jumping the Ron Edwards.

Wins the thread.

This is really Ron and Vincent's last attempt to stay relevant - notice that their sub-forums will stay open! They were long since overtaken at the Forge by younger, better writers that basically used them, took the bits that would survive in the wider marketplace and "sold out". Cats like Donohue, Hicks, Crane et al.

Silly them, wanting to make more that $100 dollars with their games.

The only battle that Ron has won is making online forums a morass of shit for a few years.

Quote from: Benoist;413240What the fuck does that even mean? What was that battle that had to be won?
What was the Bang all about? I didn't even hear it!!

Then you weren't listening.

Ron's battle was to make Narrative games and non-traditional RPG design into a significant niche within the RPG hobby.   He did that.   He won his battle.  

There are all-Indie conventions and Indie games have a few tables to many tables at RPG conventions worldwide.   In SoCal even though the local cons are RPG graveyards, Indie fans can play Indie games all weekend and even have competing events happening in the same time slots.  

Was the battle to overcome D&D?  No, Ron's weird but not stupid nor delusional.  He knows there were potential RPG fans out there for non-trad games and he built them a fledgling community that spawned dozens of game designers some who have built their own communities.    That was his goal and now he apparently feels its time to move on to something else.  

From nothing, he made something.   I don't care for his creation, but it has certainly brought lots of fun to those who enjoy Indie games.

Kudos to Ron.   Bowing out is better than fading out.

Quote from: Spinachcat;413261Kudos to Ron.   Bowing out is better than fading out.

If only other individuals (ie. Skarka, Dancey, etc ...) would follow Ron's lead to the exit.  :rolleyes:

Quote from: Spinachcat;413261Then you weren't listening.

Ron's battle was to make Narrative games and non-traditional RPG design into a significant niche within the RPG hobby.   He did that.   He won his battle.  

There are all-Indie conventions and Indie games have a few tables to many tables at RPG conventions worldwide.   In SoCal even though the local cons are RPG graveyards, Indie fans can play Indie games all weekend and even have competing events happening in the same time slots.  

Was the battle to overcome D&D?  No, Ron's weird but not stupid nor delusional.  He knows there were potential RPG fans out there for non-trad games and he built them a fledgling community that spawned dozens of game designers some who have built their own communities.    That was his goal and now he apparently feels its time to move on to something else.  

From nothing, he made something.   I don't care for his creation, but it has certainly brought lots of fun to those who enjoy Indie games.

Kudos to Ron.   Bowing out is better than fading out.

"apres moi, le deluge" eh?