This question has been tossed back and forth even in the batcave. And it has always had its dissenters and supporters. So why don't we just address the elephant in the room and run it by the community:

Do you think there should be an entire sub-section for just games?



I'm personally against it...but that is because I respect the unwritten rule that is taking turns. I don't plan to run something if I know the market is saturated. Unfortunately, alot of newbies these days are getting the wrong idea and just making something with the intention of having fun, not realizing that they might do more harm than good when it comes to topicality. Moreover we now have private sessions (it's not just Haunting's recent venture, there have been threads honestly made once in awhile where the same 2-3 people are just posting in them) cropping up General Discussion because really, where else would you run them?

FYI: About taking turns, there is actually a less-enforced rule about this in our Official Rules. It states that running things is alright as long as the mods agree (so the originator should run it by mods first). The rule itself is a provision for mods to bin wonky threads like that time Wither came around, but as to "RPs that work but take a looooooong time and always bump this section", that ruling is pretty vague.

I would begrudgingly agree to a sub-forum, if this trend^ appears to dominate General Discussion and genuinely appears as a problem OR the people really desire a sub-section for forum games. Doesn't mean I'd be ecstatic, but I'd probably just run less things if it were to happen. I'm just looking out for the interests of the people; times have changed and RP/Forum Games are no longer the minority or a thread that shouldn't even be considered to be made in General Discussion.

I also propose that if this sub-section ever gets made, the post count SHOULD NOT INCREASE in this place. Much like the Intro Threads. Not that post count really matters around here, but are posts like "I shoot him" really significant so as to be part of the tally of things? An example of who is affected would be Haunting. The chick has 360 posts under his belt but nobody outside RP-ing threads actually knows her. Why? Because all 360 posts are her RP posts. Literally she came here to RP and nothing more. Is that really indicative of his participation in this forum as a member?


Comments and Discussion, pls. Let's hear it from each other.



Also, note that this is NOT a petition thread. We are just discussing the future of forum games. Whatever comes from this thread, even if the hearts and minds of the community agree, it is ultimately the Mods/Admins decision to follow through.

I'd be all for this, honestly. Not much explanation I can give for it, but it's just games are pretty popular so it'd make sense.

Personally I'm on the fence about it, but I really wouldn't mind all that much. Simply because maybe there'd be less random posts to begin with and more people that actually want to do a forum game/RP. I don't think it's that much of an issue in and of itself, but I haven't been around in quite a while so I'm not exactly sure how much it's bothering the community in general.

I honestly don't care all that much either way, but I think I might lean toward making a sub-section for it because...you know, It'd be a nice little change.

By the way Haunting is a she, not a he. Just clarifying that.

I think it'd be pretty neat. Would take away people having to shove in "FORUM RP GAME!!!" in the title. Plus now the general section would be used to actually discuss and talk instead of also dick around with roleplaying.

Post counts don't matter.

RP Sub-forum sounds okay but wouldn't that invite more RPs which would then just inflate that sub-forum? I dunno. The problem with taking turns is that whenever I wait patiently for one to die, another pops up. Its like, okay, I'll wait for this to die. Then another comes alive. I wait for that to die, another game pops up.

I know I should ask or tell people I have a game in mind but there isn't an assurance that anyone else with a game in mind sees it.

Haunting I didn't mean to sound callous about you, but I'm just looking for the best interests of the forum as a whole. If the RP Sub-forum existed, the flow of non-gamey topics would return to General Discussion. Then everyone could be happy. I could care less if all you came here to do was RP. I'm just saying that the RPs are starting to become a cancer to topicality but its not like we can just remove it either. They have their uses.

Quote from ErrorBlender

but wouldn't that invite more RPs which would then just inflate that sub-forum? I dunno.

That's already happening right now. As each day goes by, some guy makes an RP because other RPs exist.

Quote from ErrorBlender

The problem with taking turns is that whenever I wait patiently for one to die, another pops up. Its like, okay, I'll wait for this to die. Then another comes alive. I wait for that to die, another game pops up.

The problem is RPs and Forum Games are being bunched up together. Sometimes the lines are extremely blurred too. A Forum Game like Mafia for example takes but a few weeks. But an RP could take an entire YEAR. With RPs there is no concept of turn-taking ergo I am less inclined to contribute to the traffic problem. Initially anyway. Slowly, I let myself run events but I just noticed that these RPs are always around and for what. It's become apparent that they're no longer one-hit wonders, but are starting to get more and more ambitious as if they genre has decided to squat here indefinitely.

There used to be a time (and I still do this) when people asked for permission on the Chat Thread to test the waters. Now people just make RPs whenever whatever I don't care, like its a natural thing. The point of turn-taking is lost because RPs are forever.

Quote from ErrorBlender

I know I should ask or tell people I have a game in mind but there isn't an assurance that anyone else with a game in mind sees it.

That is dependent on the member that runs it. If some no-name noob runs an RP, the consensus is that nobody cares.

I don't see why post counts really matter at all other than bragging rights. And if you're bragging about post counts then you don't have anything to live for. So I say yeah, make a sub-forum for it. It'll be a lot easier for everybody that way. Also so what if people only come here to RP? A huge portion of our users don't even animate, only talk on the forums. Not much difference than RPing as far as I'm concerned.

Also if you're so concerned with what appears in the General Discussion then why is this Poll Thread not in the Poll Section? :^)

Since when did this become an issue?. I'm oretty sure that nobody but you and a handful of people cares about the RP games being here in general discussion.

And wth does post count have to do here? If she wants to post solely in 1 thread that her choice, which also has nothing to do with the "issue" you're mentioning.

Edit: Oh, now you're calling it a cancer?, lol? Do games bother your day that much that you gotta call it cancer?

I don't think you mean to, but you're making it seem like these RP's are truly a bad thing in the community. The way you use the word "Cancer" specifically in that first point, although again I think you don't necessarily mean to come off in such a way. Whether or not you meant it in that way, I don't believe there's really a problem with having multiple RP's and/or forum games, just as long as the people participating will actually participate in the ones they commit to, and the hosts themselves are actually invested in the forum games. If there's really a problem with that, then a subsection is fine, just so people can go there for forum games, and here for actual discussion. I know there's a turn-taking rule, but personally as long as nobody's overextending themselves to the point that they can't do all RPs it really shouldn't be a terrible thing, y'know?

Quote from Hewitt

That's already happening right now. As each day goes by, some guy makes an RP because other RPs exist.

Point taken.

Quote from Hewitt

The problem is RPs and Forum Games are being bunched up together. Sometimes the lines are extremely blurred too. A Forum Game like Mafia for example takes but a few weeks. But an RP could take an entire YEAR. With RPs there is no concept of turn-taking ergo I am less inclined to contribute to the traffic problem. Initially anyway. Slowly, I let myself run events but I just noticed that these RPs are always around and for what. It's become apparent that they're no longer one-hit wonders, but are starting to get more and more ambitious as if they genre has decided to squat here indefinitely.

Roleplay and Forum games are different? I always had the impression they were the same. The difference is their longevity sure but if needed and planned well, an RP can last only a few months at a time. I like how Cook's RP flows, everything is in order. An excel file lists who has made a turn and Cook's own post simply coils it up coherently and sums whatever happens. He waits for everyone to post. It has a set campaign and stuff too. Angel's Feather/Tower of Blades was the same too but most tracking was done in IRC.

Quote from Hewitt

There used to be a time (and I still do this) when people asked for permission on the Chat Thread to test the waters. Now people just make RPs whenever whatever I don't care, like its a natural thing. The point of turn-taking is lost because RPs are forever.

What I'd do usually is ask a set of friends if they want to join in. If they do, I'll move on, make the thread and have it open for signups and all. Community decides if it lives or dies.

Quote from Hewitt

That is dependent on the member that runs it. If some no-name noob runs an RP, the consensus is that nobody cares.

But vouching works, correct? Like how you did with angelsanddragons?