Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Lysandros on February 20, 2018, 02:41:07 PM
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For years it was the bible for the hobby . It was full of news and in-depth debate . It was the place to go to discuss anything wargaming.
In the last 5 years sadly there has been a major deterioration in its importance as the main player .
It's news seems rather limited, constantly pushing Warlord repackaged product , Flames etc. Where have all those stellar figures company's stuff gone. Front Rank , Calpe , Fife drum, CranTara and hosts of others .
They are never seen but why , do they regard it as little importance or are they not allowed ?
Another complaint is that is run under the dictatorship control of its owner . Critism is rarely allowed and on a whim many have been locked out for nothing more than not agreeing with these narrow views .
The forum is dated and bug ridden. Problems are never really addressed.
The traffic on posts/threads has drastically fallen that some boards have no posts for days and many just fizzle out.
Generally most forums are on decline , Steve Dean gone , AMG on its last legs etc . Many blogs are not updated , or have stopped completely. Years ago you could spend much time browsing but today l find I'm rarely checking. Facebook maybe has stolen the verve but tends to be full of self gratification, little substance .
I would like to thank all on this great site LAF as it is respectful and democratic and tends to buck the trend
So is the Golden age of debate discussion over ?
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Even though it's been derailed and eventually shut down because of tempers flaring, this thread (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=105420.0), only a short bit down the first page of the general sub-forum discusses this very topic in depth.
Basically, it looks like LAF is the odd duck out; staying strong, where other forums ar slowly declining due to newer media becoming more prevalent...
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Have to agree with you. I left TMP a few years back. It had gotten nasty, dictatorial and allowed one poster to overwhelm the site.
Now, I hear, the search engine is down and may not come back.
I am really enjoying LAF and the people who post here. Always helpful and supportive.
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Folks,
I really don't want to see the same course of debate as happened in the thread linked above, so please keep it civil this time, or we'll have the virtual locksmiths working overtime again.
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I'd like to chip in that the thing that makes LAF stand out is that it is cultivating an atmosphere friendliness, helpfulness and contribution. Complaining at lenght about TMP is nothing of that.
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Yes, LAF is a very friendly place. I'm impressed.
I cannot imagine people getting all bent out of shape discussing a hobby that is meant to bring us lots of fun and comradery. So strange.
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Hammers,
You are right. I apologize if I was out of line. That is the last thing I want for LAF.
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If I had to choose between TMP and LAF, I would choose LAF. ;)
I have good experiences with LAF and less good experiences with TMP.
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For me it is the politeness and helpfulness that Makes LAF stand out. We are here to talk about a hobby that binds us together across the ages and the globe.
To use an old cricketing analogy you are either "Gentlemen or Players".
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I used to use TMP a lot but it has certainly gone downhill. Many of the interesting and knowledgeable participants have left.
LAF is my favourite forum for painting and modelling. There are some amazing projects here.
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I enjoy both forums they are very different beasts but I get value from both of them. I tend to just ignore the crappy stuff that crops up on TMP every now and then. To be fair my other hobby is football and wargames forums are pretty gentle places compared to your average football fans forum where swinging of man bits is pretty much compulsory.
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I used to enjoy both. LAF because of its general civility and that it is more wargaming/modelling oriented. You can learn a lot about basing and paiting here. TMP enjoyed some of their historical threads. I've learnt a lot about Russia in the Napoleonic Wars thanks to some regular contributors of Russian origin that had worked on Russian archives. It was illuminating. But it has gone downhill in the last couple of years. I can't say exactly when or why, but moderation became erratic, unfair and sometimes downright contradictory. Many of the most knowledgeable regular posters, like Sam Mustafa, stopped contributing.
Somehow I feel sad, because I really liked TMP, but now? Not that much.
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I wish people wouldn't come here to moan about other forums. It really isn't our way, and never has been. We've had waves of refugees from TMP over the years, and a fair few of them have tried to set up forward base camps in LAF territory from which to wage a guerilla war. It isn't appreciated.
If anyone has a beef with TMP I would suggest taking it up with Mr. Armintrout on his site and leaving LAF out of it. Forum wars benefit nobody.
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Yes, Plynkes has the right of it, part of LAF's culture of politeness and civility, as mentioned, is that we have never condoned bad mouthing other forums.
We're all about the toys, painting and good-natured discussion... well mostly good-natured at least.
;)
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No good can come of this thread.
It’s just retreading ground of previously locked topics.
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Forum wars benefit nobody.
if at least there were some nice lead forums ;D
I would prefer 15mm...
PS: sorry for the additional thread bump
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I wish people wouldn't come here to moan about other forums. It really isn't our way, and never has been. We've had waves of refugees from TMP over the years, and a fair few of them have tried to set up forward base camps in LAF territory from which to wage a guerilla war. It isn't appreciated.
If anyone has a beef with TMP I would suggest taking it up with Mr. Armintrout on his site and leaving LAF out of it. Forum wars benefit nobody.
I am a TMP refugee. I haven't come here to wage guerilla war against TMP. I do have a beef with Mr. Armintrout, though, which I can't take up with him because my account has been locked and the only interlocutor is a woman that has a vendetta against me because I refused to apologize for defending myself from a xenophobic bigot. I have given my opinion and that is the end of the matter. I have nothing else to say nor I think I need to apologize to you or to anybody by expressing what I think about the subject.
This, by the way, is the last post in which I will refer or mention TMP in LAF or anywhere else. You can relax. At least from me you won't have to worry about being involved in a Forum War.
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This is a General war games discussion board .
We must be allowed to discuss all things about the hobby in a dignified manor and not have censorship.
We should be proud that this forum allows us as long as we are fair , honest and polite.
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Well, I wouldn’t know, all I can say is that years ago a guy in TMP posted me a load of old 3rd Edition Dark Eldar characters for free when I mentioned they were hard to find. So I can’t fault it. Probably haven’t visited for 9 years though lol
(And the point being there are good people everywhere)
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I’m wondering if "TMP relevance is passing" or if it’s just a slower period for the Hobby as a whole… :?
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I doubt it, the sheer volume of Facebook groups and the volume of posts to them would suggest quite the opposite.
If you look at posts here and on various blogs, many are simply the very random 'look what I did' and +1 responses that Facebook does effortlessly. Blink and they are gone, subsumed by a series of similar posts. It's almost instant gratification for the egomaniac.
What Facebook can't do is link topics in a coherent serialised narrative like the numerous project and 'build something' threads here, and their accompanying discussion.
FB is far less searchable too, try finding that half-remembered project in the FB 'stream of consciousness.
We are in a time of change, where the 'show and tell' posters are finding their niche with Facebook and the 'circle time' guys are sticking to forums. Forums that had a heavy proportion of the former have naturally suffered from this change.
We must be allowed to discuss all things about the hobby in a dignified manor and not have censorship.
'Must'? It's a private forum with a published set of rules and moderators appointed to enforce them. What you post and whether it is censored or deleted, is at the whim of the owner and his lackeys.
Thankfully our dictators have been benevolent, the rules relatively few, the members mostly self-policing and the moderators fairly laid-back.
Something to be proud of certainly, but don't mistake it for 'having rights' or 'freedom of speech'.
;)
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Forums have their own culture. LAF's has always been about members inspiring each other by posting their projects, and exchanging knowledge for the benefit of everyone. It has not generally been about bringing in grudges from outside, or sitting around moaning about things, or bringing strife to the boards.
You can try and change that culture if you want, if you "must." You'll be taking the first steps in making LAF more like the place you came here to complain about. Thanks.
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Forums have their own culture. LAF's has always been about members inspiring each other by posting their projects, and exchanging knowledge for the benefit of everyone. It has not generally been about bringing in grudges from outside, or sitting around moaning about things, or bringing strife to the boards.
Quite. :)
I’ve always thought of LAF as being about creativity. Never occurred to me that some might imagine it as a platform for free speech.
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Personally I don't like to see threads attacking other forums. It's just my opinion, not policy, but I don't see the benefit of Bill visiting here and seeing his TMP being bad mouthed, any more than I'd like to see people criticising our forum there. Let's not stifle conversation, but maybe not have posts titled with other forums names from now on?