They're actually pretty simple. If you've browsed the rules you probably have an inkling, and if you've GMed it you know what a bookkeeping F-ing nightmare it is for a GM. I'll scribble the basics to you here in awhile.
What other Forums are there for SWRPG?
I signed up at Nytwyng's forum.
Forums are a double edged sword.
PROS
1.) Its a creates a community to that likeminded people who get to taklk about the game, ask questions, and provide helpful stuff that others in the community can use and contribute to.
2.) It allows people to share ideas and can in some small way help the producers know what product is desired.
3.) It becomes a starting point for newcomers to the hobby and the product, allowing them to ask questions.
CONS
1.) It costs the company money. It may generate leads, but it still needs moderators (sometimes needing to employ them as community engagement managers and moderators). This is great for building a rapport with your customer base and confidence in your ability to communicate. However, its marketing. It costs money. And realistically there is no return other than good will.
2.) Forums, like any social media, unless moderated, quickly becomes toxic because few people know how to behave and respect people's opinions. Sometimes, our beliefs depend greatly on our own point of view.
3.) Volunteer moderators are an easy fix, but they aren't employees, have no commitment to it, and quickly suffer burnout to the point it affects their real lives. Moderation is mostly thankless, and a part or even full time job.
I'm sure there are other reasons.
If people are keen to go to an existing forum, there is always this: http://www.d20radio.com/forums
2 hours ago, GM Hooly said:CONS
1.) It costs the company money. It may generate leads, but it still needs moderators (sometimes needing to employ them as community engagement managers and moderators). This is great for building a rapport with your customer base and confidence in your ability to communicate. However, its marketing. It costs money. And realistically there is no return other than good will.
2.) Forums, like any social media, unless moderated, quickly becomes toxic because few people know how to behave and respect people's opinions. Sometimes, our beliefs depend greatly on our own point of view.
Been a member here since Warhammer FFG. I didn't keep track, but a moderator stepped in perhaps once every few months? Perhaps only when a thread got reported multiple times did something get moderated, and that was typically just a simple lockdown. So, obviously not someone's full time gig. So, I really can't see how it actually cost FFG much in the way of money. Forum software isn't exactly something you need to constantly keep an eye on. Perhaps add a new thread for a new game from time to time, and that takes all of 30 seconds to do? Once it's in place it runs itself other then moderation. And again, hardly any moderation here for years.
Edge's IT/Website guy could easily have a forum up and running in a day. Then he/she might have to respond to a moderation request once a month? Or, even if they choose to never respond (kinda like here), then perhaps it completely runs itself once it's in place. There's someone who is responding and posting on Edge's Facebook and Twitter nearly everyday. They could literally have that guy take a tiny, tiny sliver of his/her time from that to keep a significant portion of their fan base happy. There's lots more traffic here then on Facebeook and Twitter combined.
I want to invite the community to the Star Wars: Legends of the Galaxy Roleplaying Community discussion boards.
https://legendsofthegalaxy.com/community-boards/
Edited by NicoJMont
@Sturn , you raise several valid points. The cost is minimal, particularly if you have a volunteer moderator. But volunteers can be fickle in that if it gets to the stage where if their real world commitments oversize their volunteering commitments, those volunteers will and should prioritise their family and RL situation first.
Setup and maintenance have zero cost., agreed. But let’s take Edge. They would need a community moderator to shepherd new arrivals, tend to questions, etc, like FFG would have needed to do when they started. Eventually, if you have a good community, it tends to police itself. But communities are like the ocean - never turn your back on them. They can, and often do, devolve and it takes skill to negotiate a response with those involved. Straight out booting someone is not a good move. Some delicacy, tact, and word-smithing is needed.
As for there being no moderation, I think you’ll find they were there but for the most part, the community policed itself, or they were great at being discrete.
11 hours ago, Sturn said:Been a member here since Warhammer FFG. I didn't keep track, but a moderator stepped in perhaps once every few months? Perhaps only when a thread got reported multiple times did something get moderated, and that was typically just a simple lockdown. So, obviously not someone's full time gig. So, I really can't see how it actually cost FFG much in the way of money. Forum software isn't exactly something you need to constantly keep an eye on. Perhaps add a new thread for a new game from time to time, and that takes all of 30 seconds to do? Once it's in place it runs itself other then moderation. And again, hardly any moderation here for years.
Edge's IT/Website guy could easily have a forum up and running in a day. Then he/she might have to respond to a moderation request once a month? Or, even if they choose to never respond (kinda like here), then perhaps it completely runs itself once it's in place. There's someone who is responding and posting on Edge's Facebook and Twitter nearly everyday. They could literally have that guy take a tiny, tiny sliver of his/her time from that to keep a significant portion of their fan base happy. There's lots more traffic here then on Facebeook and Twitter combined.
Isn't Edge a European company? Aren't European social media laws (which I believe cover forums) a bit trickier than the same in the USA, including increased liability for the company for anything posted on them? My knowledge of this is pretty limited, but I believe I heard this said when other European companies were shutting down their forums.
A big problem with volunteer mods is abuse. You get the wrong kind of person with the ability to lock threads, delete posts or ban users, and a forum can go from a place to discuss ideas to a wasteland or opinion circle jerk.
A problem with corporation moderated forums is businesses tend to dislike any negative discussion at all, and will often close threads criticizing their product, even if it's from fans. It's bad marketing if a new customer Googles "edge studios star wars rpg" and one of the top results is a highly trafficked forum thread titled "MY TOP 10 ISSUES WITH STAR WARS RPG" (fictional example, btw). Because first impressions tend to stick, a new customer could not buy the game, thinking that is has lots of issues.
Facebook and Twitter can be pretty carefully cultivated, and the nature of reddit and Discord communities makes them easy to disown if controversy arises.
3 hours ago, Swordbreaker said:Facebook and Twitter can be pretty carefully cultivated, and the nature of reddit and Discord communities makes them easy to disown if controversy arises.
Yet I’ve had far worse experiences in those locations than on a discussion forum from toxicity.
I’m bummed about the direction this is taking. Too many people suggesting too many forums. I’m not seeing the community rally around one forum so it looks like fracturing will occur which means less engagement which itself will mean even less engagement. So here is one more opinion...
I recommend the use of reddit’s SWRPG forums . Right now it’s second only to these official forums in terms of great thread-based (not chat) discussion. As a GM, any time I google a rules question, I find threads either here or on Reddit. Reddit is not going anywhere anytime soon. And it’s agnostic (not tied to a meta campaign for example) and I’ve no problem with the moderation there. It’s not heavy handed and there’s actual moderation.
I don’t recommend private forums (other than Reddit) because future support/longevity is a real question. I don’t recommend forums tied to a meta or other campaign as those depend upon the lifeblood of that campaign and moderation by folks promoting the campaign. I don’t recommend Discord except in addition to Reddit forums because despite advances in search you can’t easily find or share discussions. Discord is great for chat and gaming though. I love the SWRPG and D20 Radio Discords — great communities!
So just my two cents: let’s move to Reddit SWRPG for the new forums!
30 minutes ago, DroidDreamer said:I recommend the use of reddit’s SWRPG forums .
I hate the format. You can't really call it a forum.
2 hours ago, DroidDreamer said:So just my two cents: let’s move to Reddit SWRPG for the new forums!
No thanks. Not speaking out of blatant self-interest, but rather not being especially fond of reddit in general.
As of now, I see 3 valid options forum-wise at max.
And the thing most people do right now is just saving everything they can. If we get a new forum from EDGE, great. But if we have to rely on our community - the months after the shutdown will show which one gains the most traction. It's likely that most people will migrate to that one.
The big point could be whatever place Oggdude will finally settle down, and right now it seems that it will be legends of the galaxy.
But we will see.
Just don't panic, bookmark all mentioned forums and keep an eye on the activity after the shutdown, the people making efforts to save content will most likely also migrate that onto the new place when the storm settles.
9 hours ago, DroidDreamer said:I’m bummed about the direction this is taking. Too many people suggesting too many forums. I’m not seeing the community rally around one forum so it looks like fracturing will occur which means less engagement which itself will mean even less engagement. So here is one more opinion...
I recommend the use of reddit’s SWRPG forums . Right now it’s second only to these official forums in terms of great thread-based (not chat) discussion. As a GM, any time I google a rules question, I find threads either here or on Reddit. Reddit is not going anywhere anytime soon. And it’s agnostic (not tied to a meta campaign for example) and I’ve no problem with the moderation there. It’s not heavy handed and there’s actual moderation.
I don’t recommend private forums (other than Reddit) because future support/longevity is a real question. I don’t recommend forums tied to a meta or other campaign as those depend upon the lifeblood of that campaign and moderation by folks promoting the campaign. I don’t recommend Discord except in addition to Reddit forums because despite advances in search you can’t easily find or share discussions. Discord is great for chat and gaming though. I love the SWRPG and D20 Radio Discords — great communities!
So just my two cents: let’s move to Reddit SWRPG for the new forums!
Reddit? Good lord, that would be terrible. I'd even prefer reproducing the current threads by hand with fecal smearings over Reddit.
I will miss the Compiled Resource List... that was my first 'Go To' link when i was looking for stuff... I have a few PM's from other users so I'll miss the camaraderie and idea sharing... with multiple forums now being offered I think I'll step out and see what Edge Games offers.. 😟
Edited by ExpandingUniverse1 hour ago, ExpandingUniverse said:
I will miss the Compiled Resource List..
You’re in luck.
On 12/30/2020 at 1:44 PM, Nytwyng said:You’re in luck.
I'll raise a glass to you tonight (in my UK, Covid Tier 4 Lockdown, domestic NYE Party with my wife, youngest son and anyone who pops over from my 'support bubble')
Lockdown sucks.... thank God for Roll20, Skype and Zoom....
I've tried registering, clicked Submit.. nowt 'appens?
2 minutes ago, ExpandingUniverse said:I've tried registering, clicked Submit.. nowt 'appens?
That’s happened to several people, and appears to be related somehow to browser settings (I’m still trying to figure out the details). Shoot me a PM with your email address (and if you want a different username, send that), and I’ll add you through my admin portal.
I even tried turning off the Safe Web Brwosing option in case it was a combo of Google and/or my IP... nothing... I'll check my emails ASAP
You could try hitting F12 on your browser, go to the console tab and hit submit then, check the console tab for any Javascript errors.
It's considerably advanced for the average user, but it could provider helpful feedback for any web dev.
I know this is kind of reaching into the depths of Tartarus but I
do
have a guild on Gaia Online I easily converted into a clone of this very forum. It's free to join and I can make some of our prominent members moderators pretty easily. There's even ranks. Members, Crew, Vice Captain, and Captain. Here's a screenshot of what I made.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pSZWb5UAn9RJjhs9Daal3mjFuVWHt4Hh/view?usp=sharing
Picture Clarification
19 hours ago, Rozial said:I know this is kind of reaching into the depths of Tartarus but I do have a guild on Gaia Online I easily converted into a clone of this very forum. It's free to join and I can make some of our prominent members moderators pretty easily. There's even ranks. Members, Crew, Vice Captain, and Captain. Here's a screenshot of what I made.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pSZWb5UAn9RJjhs9Daal3mjFuVWHt4Hh/view?usp=sharing
Oh wow, its been a long time since I thought about gaia online.
5 hours ago, Norr-Saba said:Oh wow, its been a long time since I thought about gaia online.
Yeah it's not a popular site these days but it does have all the requirements we would want. It's free and can replicate this forum perfectly, down to the subforums.
I'm getting more fear that if we have too many options, we aren't going to have the constant discussion, debate, and quick responses we are seeing here. I kinda hope one place will quickly rise to the top and everyone active here would quickly go register there.