22 hours ago, Soakman said:I’ve been there as well the whole time, but I like the close-knit forum here. I’ll be at bgg going forward primarily just out of necessity.
I’m staying here till the bitter end. I have signed up on BGG,(same user name) but man it feels weird. It’s like moving in the middle of the school year and not knowing anyone!
Edited by Mimi616 hours ago, rsdockery said:The UI over there is pretty terrible. It looks and feels like something from the early 00s.
It just feels bizarre to me and not very intuitive, but then I’m not a forum person generally speaking, so have little to compare it to.
3 hours ago, Carthoris said:With these forums gone, I will check into FFG's site generally much less often, and be less attentive to their product news and advertising.
Agreed.
I am a member on BGG, however I rarely go there because their site feels old-hat and horrible to navigate. It’s over cluttered with too much superfluous junk trying to get your attention.
It really feels like FFG is on life-support. I wish Asmodee would just pull the plug and get it over and done with.
Edit: Also, the Arkham Files and LotR forums here are probably the nicest and least toxic communities online. It’s a real shame to see it all deleted.
Edited by DMGI didn’t post much but I was an avid forum reader here. I too feel the FFG forum had smaller, nicer, more close knit group of Arkham fans compared to BGG. I’ll miss reading your posts and excellent advice.
Wish all of you well and hope to see you on the other side.
On 12/22/2020 at 4:24 AM, Soakman said:I’ve been there as well the whole time, but I like the close-knit forum here. I’ll be at bgg going forward primarily just out of necessity.
I agree, I find too many smart a**es on BGG. I can usually figure out any queries I have on my own, but always come here first if I'm really stuck, everyone seems so polite.
Bern
12 hours ago, Mimi61 said:It just feels bizarre to me and not very intuitive, but then I’m not a forum person generally speaking, so have little to compare it to.
Well it feels that way because it is in fact an ancient website design from the early 00's. They had minor updates to the site over the years, but it is shocking just how little it changed from those early iteration. All that said it is a major pillar of board game fandom on the internet even now. Also the quantity of information on the site is staggering for a hobby website. For the most part I've been happy with hanging out in BGG for forum discussions. Though it just feels like there is a larger population of people "hate" following games there for some reason, which gets a bit tiring. I guess that is inevitable when you switch between a focused population to a more general population. In my opinion it is definitely a step up from going to Reddit or Facebook for game discussion since the user base is more specialized. Discord is the best option probably for connecting to people passionate about a specific card game, but Discord is again a more fleeting discussion due to it's chat room-like nature.
The trick with BGG and looking up topics is their search function on the site is awful and maybe a bit broken. Also forum thread lists tend to explode in page count if it is a popular game like AH:TCG. You are better off googling your question and putting BGG in the search parameters. They usually rise to the top of the search. BGG has an issue where topics get brought up over and over again in new threads because of that issue with their search function.
Edited by phillosThis is heartbreaking. I don't comment much on here—I'm more of the silent listener at the dinner table—but it's been a real joy.
To echo a few others, I can't help but feel this is another side effect of the Reign of Asmodee. FFG used to be so consumer-friendly and it felt like a real community. Now we're all just figures on a spreadsheet.
Someone should make a "Expats from FFG" thread on BBG's AHTG page! Keep the legacy alive!
BGG does feel weird and unintuitive to everyone when they first encounter it so no need to worry. It will become second nature.
But someone please explain Discord…
Just to let you know how significant BGG is the creators of South Park felt the need to commemorate it birthday. Not to mention putting it in actual episodes.
I wish we could send this entire thread over to FFG/Asmodee. I wonder if they really understand how rare and important a thing they have in their forums. In today’s world where civility and respect seems to be on the wane, this is a place where complete strangers can happily discuss the complexities of a shared interest. It isn’t acrimonious, or negative. Even when opinions are shared that not everyone agrees with, it doesn’t descend into judgmental salvos, which is a rare thing these days.
I know this decision is all about saving money. It’s obviously a corporate decision, and inexplicably, those often don’t take the consumer into account. This move might improve their bottom line in the short term at the expense of adversely affecting it in the long run. If new players start a game and are frustrated, or confused, or just need a little help improving and doesn’t have easy access to getting that support, how likely is it they will stay the course and continue to purchase every new release and recommend the game onward?
Regardless of a player being seasoned or new to a game, having a place to go which isn’t overwhelming, has helpful people, can give and receive advice, clarify rules, share experiences and generally encourage each other, is an important element to consumer retention.
These forums are and have been part of a successful business model and it may seem expedient to Asmodee to abandon them, but I think it’s shortsighted. It’s a way for them to see how players react to different game elements, keeping them aware of what is and isn’t working. I have to assume it can be useful in production and idea generation. There are a lot of pretty brilliant people on these forums with some really great ideas. It keeps the consumer interested, supported, looking forward, engaged and makes them all around better players of the game. The more distant the consumer becomes to a business, the worse it is for the business. We are the lifeblood of the company after all. As they say, “No consumers. No dinner.” (Actually, I’m pretty sure no one says that, but you catch my drift).
I’m sure BGG has nice people too, but even with my little foray over there yesterday, it just feels less inclusive and approachable (not to mention harder to navigate). I know I would never have had the nerve to ask my questions there as I was refining my play. I’m not sure how comfortable I would be even now.
33 minutes ago, Mimi61 said:I wonder if they really understand how rare and important a thing they have in their forums. In today’s world where civility and respect seems to be on the wane, this is a place where complete strangers can happily discuss the complexities of a shared interest. It isn’t acrimonious, or negative. Even when opinions are shared that not everyone agrees with, it doesn’t descend into judgmental salvos, which is a rare thing these days.
Well said.
The other value it brought was it drove more traffic to the site for the extremely passionate. It gave me a reason to check the news page, check the upcoming page, check to see what people were saying on the forum. It was a feedback loop that kept me engaged with the brand. I'm sure I am a subset of their entire audience, but PHGs once described the idea of a "sneezer". Someone who is passionate about your brand and will do marketing work for you potentially through word of mouth. Fostering a sense of community with your audience is catering to that subset of the market. Finding ways to empower that population is a way to grow and maintain the health of a game community. Was this forum a lynch pin in that sort of community growing? Maybe not, but it's one less element and its a definite change in the way they are engaging with their community. So it's notable. Also it's hard to ignore that it's one in a chain of very interesting changes that in aggregate is altering FFG's identity as a company, and each time makes me pause to evaluate my opinion of the company.
That sounds very negative. While I may be questioning my passion for FFG the brand for a variety of reason, AH:TCG couldn't be doing better. I enjoy the direction, like the people working on the game and don't plan on stopping my support for this game. I'm still having alot of fun playing it. I wanna thank Matt, Jeremy and the other LCG designers for the work they did to maintain the quality of the game through so many products.
1 hour ago, phillos said:I enjoy the direction, like the people working on the game and don't plan on stopping my support for this game. I'm still having alot of fun playing it. I wanna thank Matt, Jeremy and the other LCG designers for the work they did to maintain the quality of the game through so many products.
I think Asmodee as the parent company is more the driver here than FFG.
I completely agree with your sentiments in regards to the game and this helps drive me to their site and news page too. FFG has great designers and I like how they have made so many efforts to include their fan base in announcements etc. For example, the segment they had last spring where we asked questions on this forum and they answered them was great. The term ‘community forum’ has been completely accurate. I think it’s that feeling of community which we are all going to mourn losing the most.
To put it in Arkhamesque terms; it feels like we are leaving Velma’s Diner, the Bank, St Mary’s Hospital, Downtown and all the other familiar places in our dear little town and being sucked through a rift into the vast void of Social Media and BGG!
22 hours ago, Steeljaw said:I didn’t post much but I was an avid forum reader here. I too feel the FFG forum had smaller, nicer, more close knit group of Arkham fans compared to BGG. I’ll miss reading your posts and excellent advice.
Wish all of you well and hope to see you on the other side.
Well put.
I've technically been on BBG since I got into AH2e, but I suppose I'll start foruming there now too.
I wish you well and wish to see each of you over there for years - and games - to come!
On 12/22/2020 at 10:17 AM, CaffeineAddict said:I've never been a fan of the BGG forums, personally. I'm not sure why, but I rarely find myself wanting to go on them, whereas I used to drop in on the forums here for several of FFGs LCGs regularly. Maybe that will change when these shut down.
Same. I have been registered at BBG since WotC A&A War at Sea days, but never felt at home there. Here, at FFG, I felt I was a part of something. I will miss you all, best of luck!
I'm a pretty active poster on the Arkham LCG subreddit, but I'm not part of the BGG community and it isn't very appealing to me. Now I'm suddenly worried this will essentially be goodbye to those planning on migrating to BGG!
Well, either way, this community has been a pleasure to be part of! Thanks for indulging me, all.
7 hours ago, Allonym said:I'm a pretty active poster on the Arkham LCG subreddit, but I'm not part of the BGG community and it isn't very appealing to me. Now I'm suddenly worried this will essentially be goodbye to those planning on migrating to BGG!
Well, either way, this community has been a pleasure to be part of! Thanks for indulging me, all.
Are you kidding? You have been a tour de force. I may have to peek in at LCG subreddit too, if you aren’t going over to BGG.
Edited by Mimi61
On 12/24/2020 at 11:59 AM, Allonym said:I'm a pretty active poster on the Arkham LCG subreddit, but I'm not part of the BGG community and it isn't very appealing to me. Now I'm suddenly worried this will essentially be goodbye to those planning on migrating to BGG!
Well, either way, this community has been a pleasure to be part of! Thanks for indulging me, all.
I'll ask the silly question, though I'm not a huge fan of the Reddit interface - which subreddit is it?
I assume it’s r/arkhamhorrorlcg . That’s the one that I sometimes look through.
11 hours ago, dysartes said:I'll ask the silly question, though I'm not a huge fan of the Reddit interface - which subreddit is it?
Indeed, it is as @Assussanni says:
9 hours ago, Assussanni said:I assume it’s r/arkhamhorrorlcg . That’s the one that I sometimes look through.
Oof. Just started getting involved in this community, and it seems crazy for Asmodee/FFG to be letting it go. Regularly checking the forum is what had me seeing the news of new product and pre-ordering, not to mention exploring other products on the site. It does not seem sensible to be tossing away your own dedicated community of costumers. What disaapointing news - I've been so grateful for the perspective and the moral support of the friendly fellow investigators in this forum!
Now that these forums are going away anyhow, I guess I should take the opportunity to mock them one more time by scoffing at the algorithmic minder that pockmarked a thread by censoring the name of the science fiction author Philip K. ****. When I remarked that " The cumstumper starring out all the **** in this thread is positively hilarious," I was issued a warning for "inappropriate language," and threatened by FFGSysops that I should "treat all other users and people with respect, or the consequences will be more severe." Management is evidently protective of the feelings of their robots. "Let me tell you about my mother."
More (?) realistically, I guess they were worried about the tender eyes of the many grade schoolers in the Arkham Horror: The Card Game forum.
On 12/24/2020 at 4:59 AM, Allonym said:I'm a pretty active poster on the Arkham LCG subreddit, but I'm not part of the BGG community and it isn't very appealing to me. Now I'm suddenly worried this will essentially be goodbye to those planning on migrating to BGG!
Well, either way, this community has been a pleasure to be part of! Thanks for indulging me, all.
Is there a link you can post for the Arkham LCG subreddit?
I don’t want to lose access to your expertise!!
21 minutes ago, Mimi61 said:Is there a link you can post for the Arkham LCG subreddit?
25 minutes ago, Jaync said:
Thanks! There are a couple for Arkham LCG. I just wasn’t sure which one Allonym was on. Are you on this one?
10 hours ago, Mimi61 said:Thanks! There are a couple for Arkham LCG. I just wasn’t sure which one Allonym was on. Are you on this one?
I just looked and it has by far the most members, so I would guess this is where most people are. I'm on this one, but I usually just lurk and don't post much. It feels much less personal and tight-knit than here, if you know what I mean.
12 hours ago, Mimi61 said:Thanks! There are a couple for Arkham LCG. I just wasn’t sure which one Allonym was on. Are you on this one?
That's the one! I post under DaiInAFire.