Mr. White Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 (Not sure if this is the right forum. Admins, feel free to move) I'm becoming less and less enamored with FB and social media in general, but I feel a lot of the gaming conversation has been funneled and driven to social media so it's the main reason I keep my account going. I spend my hobby time in four titles: Blood Bowl, Dreadball, LotR, and now AoS. Talkfantasyfootball is the place for BB, but fb has dried it up quite a bit. This place seems to be the AoS spot. LotR...I haven't found a good forum...maybe the GBHobbitLeague guys? Dreadball is pretty much only on FB. Does anyone here not use FB and feel they can scratch their online browsing itch from the forums? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Criti Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 *WARNING - SOME OF THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE MAY COME OFF NEGATIVE. I MEAN NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE READING IT* I find most online hobby chat... be it social media or forums... tends to comes in waves for me, and none of it truly scratches the itch. The reason it comes in waves is the reptitive, cyclical nature of some conversations, and the pointlessness of others. After hitting forums hard for a period of time, the novelty of topics wears off because the same topics repeat themselves. There is only so many times I can read topics that are some variation of "What is the most competitive option," "why X style of game is better than Y style of game," "rate this army list that is practically identical to every other army list for this faction posted online," and so on. Eventually, I get tired pf responding to those. Then I get tired of reading them at all. Then, I realize I visit a forum and only find 1-2 topics per week that have subject lines that make me want to click them. The topics I consider pointless (note: I acknowledge not everyone considers them pointless - this is simply my opinion) are perhaps even more draining to me. Popular ones that turn me off... "I don't like X rule" - good for you. Maybe I even agree with you. But why are we wasting energy making topics about it? The rule is there. Deal with it. Anything GHB2 right now - most threads turn into "they should change warscroll X with this book. They won't. The poster even knows the most they'll change pertaining to warscrolls is points cost. Why are we talking about this? Rumors - I just don't buy into the rumor mill. When a book comes out, I'll buy it and use it. Reading rumours just wears me out. And so on... which leads me to go dark for a month or so to recharge my batteries before I come back. I realize this had turned into a bit of an unplanned rant, which was not original intention. I guess what I was TRYING to say is no... I don't think the online platform can consistently scratch the itch. At least, not the way I'd want it scratched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I watch/like painted models that people share. Discussion usually goes about point efficiency, which is something that bores me. I'd sure love to follow a campaign blog or something like that, however I don't think many people run those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayniac Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 The other thing that bugs me often is rules talk where people try to argue one way or another to support their viewpoint without taking into account what it's intended to be (which is sometimes obvious, sometimes not) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBS Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 This is an interesting topic Overall, what @Criti posted is more or less how I see it. 95% of the content on forums/blogs/SM can be easily ignored if internet arguing and redundancy is not your thing. So I mostly stick to checking other people's minis and get some news, if any. Worthy topics are rare though. The good thing is that in the age of the interwebs, you can find anything anywhere. The instant-all-info-availability makes it sooo useful (more so if you are just starting and need "help" that you wouldn't have in the real world) and it is a great tool for people that dont' have access to a physical community or RL hobby contact to keep in touch with all these fantasy/sc-fi worlds. As I said on another thread, I see it as replacement of previous "hobby info sources/discussions" such as White Dwarf for GW-related stuff. I tend to skim through a bunch of forums (Dakka, WS, TGA, Ulthuan, some blogs, etc...) just to keep up to date and such things, but never felt the need to employ FB for the hobby. Except maybe for events/tournaments (which I don't attend), I don't see what a platform such as FB offers over well established forums with regular posters. I do however miss a more reliable source/forum for Kings of War, as it is my most recent interest and the official forum ain't even that active. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleboda Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Fwiw Love painting threads and tactic discussions that clarify rules. Hate house rule ideas, complaints about OP stuff. In between just keep it entertaining and throw me an "oh, that's well-reasoned" opinion even if I disagree. Oh, also, hatehatehatehatehate that ppl can post anonymously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanchthon61 Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 What's OP?Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 I agree largely with what's been said. I don't think that the online mediums available are great for scratching that hobby itch on the whole (I'm going to exclude modelling & painting from this). There are numerous reasons for this, but for me I think one of the biggest items is that it throws together people who have opinions that are the polar extremes of each other but all who share a passion for part or all of the hobby. This means that a discussion has the potential to break down as person A and person B simply won't agree, which then a load of other people will weigh in with. That passion will often result in people constantly bringing topics back onto a subject that they believe is wrong (for AoS I'd say this is stacking buffs, shooting & changing warscrolls). Online also has the added item that it's faceless - you can type something much more harshly than you'd get away with face to face. This also leads into the massive number of "I wouldn't have done it like that" type threads (they take many forms), they're normally a single opinion that the poster would probably never say to the rules writer. As I put in my first sentence, I think that online forums, Facebook, Twitter etc are fantastic places to satisfy any modelling or painting itches you may have, it's a great source of inspiration and makes some of the hobby legends out there accessible - you can ask many of the 'Eavy Metal painters questions on how they achieved something via Twitter and best of all that response is there for all to see and benefit/learn from. However the big caveat is that our hobby is very much a tangible one, at it's core is playing games and painting toy soldiers and you simply cannot replicate that buzz in a digital forum. 2 hours ago, Melanchthon61 said: What's OP? OP is generally used as an abbreviation of Over Powered so often used to refer to particularly strong units. You'll also see the term "filth" used which is pretty much the same, a unit or army that has a particularly strong (often game winning) ability/combination Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 I know Twitter gets bad press and is sneered at quite a lot by people who think it's just a load of noise and political rage, but I find it's the best place for AoS. Twitter is what you make of it, and if you follow the right people you'll get a constantly updated stream of cool miniature pictures, hobby news and quality casual chat. It's not the right place to have detailed and lengthy debates, so that kind of atmosphere gets sidelined in favour of just celebrating the hobby and each other's achievements. I follow about 700 people. Of those, there are a core of maybe 50 that regularly get involved in discussions and post great stuff almost constantly, with the rest posting much more sporadically but still worth following. And the vast majority of these people use Twitter almost exclusively for hobby stuff, so you get very few political posts or photos of people's breakfast. I imagine you can find similar Twitter communities for other games too. Another point in favour of Twitter is the fact that there are quite a few hobby legends and people from Games Workshop HQ on there. You've got designers, sculptors, artists, Black Library authors - people who would avoid wading into the mire of a forum like the plague, but who are more than happy to interact and chat in an open and casual way via Twitter. So yeah, I recommend it. Anyone who hasn't tried Twitter based purely on what they *think* it is should give it a chance. I'm @lord_celestant BTW - start by checking out some of the great hobbyists that I follow and you won't go far wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. White Posted July 14, 2017 Author Share Posted July 14, 2017 ^ I've never done twitter. I'm about done with FB if it weren't for those groups seemingly being more active than forums (are forums on their way out?). That said, I'm not sure I'm clear on how twitter is not a mire but forums are. I guess in a forums there's enough room to post I can begin to get a sense of a person's vibe. Isn't twitter just a few characters? That seems more likely to provide simple fire and forget posts. Perhaps I'm wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightFire Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 9 minutes ago, Auticus said: FB is just easier to use. Everyone seems like they have a fb account, and the big game groups have a lot of conversation and traffic, which attracts people to those much more than forums do. I enjoy the twitter people I follow because I can control whose content I read. I don't have a FB account, (and have zero interest in getting one). I use Twitter and Instagram for hobby stuff, and am in whatsapp groups for the various clubs that I am a member of. The club whatsapp groups are one of the best places for hobby. Most days have people posting WIP painting, conversions, battle reports, army list ideas etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 7 hours ago, Mr. White said: ^ I've never done twitter. I'm about done with FB if it weren't for those groups seemingly being more active than forums (are forums on their way out?). That said, I'm not sure I'm clear on how twitter is not a mire but forums are. I guess in a forums there's enough room to post I can begin to get a sense of a person's vibe. Isn't twitter just a few characters? That seems more likely to provide simple fire and forget posts. Perhaps I'm wrong... 'Fire and forget' is one way of putting it, but you could say that about face-to-face conversation too. I think Twitter interaction feels more immediate and fluid, a bit more like the rhythm of chatting in person. Forums are a bit more like writing a letter or sending a memo. Both styles of communication have their good points and bad points. I go to Twitter for mini pics, AoS news and hobby banter, but I come here for more in depth discussion and debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DynamicCalories Posted July 16, 2017 Share Posted July 16, 2017 I think the various FB groups I follow would be a lot better if they had the money to invest in moderators, or Facebook didn't tinker with your news feed to "optimise" it, by showing the posts out of order. If they stopped doing that, and people had a bit of nous, then we wouldn't get seven or 8 posts for every new release. In general, I think the FB groups are largely casual as I see a lot of "what model is this?!" posts for stuff that's front page on the GW website. If it isn't that, it's bristling negativity about almost everything you could possibly think of, because it seems to engender a sort of self-centred approach that you don't find on forums or Twitter as much. If I had a pound for every person who has complained about Know No Fear or Thunder and Blood without understanding their function to new, casual or less wealthy hobbyists... well I'd have enough money to buy Know No Fear a few times over. As for forums, I really like TGA. I am very casual and mostly snoop around the big threads and the painting stuff. I like the Rumour Thread as I love the cycle of scouring for info and collective hivemind interpretation of images and lore. Personal bugbears are rules arguments and Squares vs Rounds, but these will always happen when a diverse hobby like wargaming pushes people together who have different priorities. No one has mentioned it yet, but Reddit is quite good for painting pictures too. I share a few things there, both r/warhammer and r/ageofsigmar. Getting back into the hobby for me was a lot about finding something I was happy to do, and that I enjoyed, that was a different skillset. The reward of being told "good job" by randoms on the internet is a good reason to continue wanting to improve. On the flip side, being able to congratulate and offer advice to others is something I enjoy far more than arguing about rules, most of which I am not good at parsing anyway, as I am not mechanically minded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirjava13 Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 r/Warhammer, r/AgeofSigmar, here, the AoS28 Facebook group (you're right, DynamicCalories, FB's habit of trying to curate rather than just sorting by date is so annoying) and an Instagram feed I've packed full of people painting Skaven. r/AgeofSigmar even managed a (mostly) right-minded discussion about the presence of women in the miniature range the other week! I was very impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melcavuk Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 I find online forums and the facebook groups fantastic sources of feedback around paintjobs and conversions, what I struggle to find is any critique or comments on custom background, unit rules, in universe naming etc which is the stuff that I really need the feedback on. At this stage I can paint to a reasonable degree and convert most units I make so whilst I love getting feedback on what I could do differently alot of the time what I post up is largely to pander to my own ego. When it comes to custom rules because people tend to get tunnel vision when making their own unit unique rules I really depend on the feedback of others, which I've yet to find a place where I feel comfortable getting that. Just my opinions Ricki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. White Posted November 27, 2017 Author Share Posted November 27, 2017 Can anyone suggest a positive, healthy place to discuss 40k...specifically Space Hulk? I don't have any interest in 40k proper, but would love to converse all things that transpire in the Hulks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uveron Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 1 hour ago, Mr. White said: Can anyone suggest a positive, healthy place to discuss 40k...specifically Space Hulk? I don't have any interest in 40k proper, but would love to converse all things that transpire in the Hulks... I suspect that the Bolter and Chainsword forum may be able to help. Its one of my favorite 40k resources and the Lore sections of the site have some very knowledgeable and friendly people as regulars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menkeroth Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Bolter and Chainsword for certain. Other than that? Hard to say. Maybe it's the last good place left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCharisma Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 On 14/07/2017 at 12:45 AM, Mr. White said: Does anyone here not use FB and feel they can scratch their online browsing itch from the forums? The one area where FB adds tremendous value that forums can not provide me is connecting with my local gaming community. I’m not sure what it’s like in other countries, however; in the land down under there are very few of us on forums such as TGA. We tend to communicate and share hobby progress via FB Groups, and set up a lot of FB events to come together. Forums do provide a wider breath of content and inspiration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Taylor Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 I like Twitter. It's an amazing tool for keeping in contact or an eye on people you game with or admire. It's great when there is an event on as you get live coverage in small bursts, which is great when you are married with children and struggle to get out to events (or game). Plus some of the pictures of the models people have been working on is amazing. Also even with the ability to post in 280 characters, everything is straight to the point. I also do Facebook, but I'm not a fan. I mainly use it to follow what is going on at my local club for those rare times I can get out for games or keeping up to date with all the cool stuff GW are doing. Also do WhatsApp which is like a focused twitter but some groups are quite chatty and it can be tricky keeping track what is going on. Forumwise, well it's TGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BunkhouseBuster Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 I am strictly Facebook and TGA now. I was a semi-regular member of DakkaDakka until recently, but some of the close-minded vitriol coming from a few specific posters there go to be too much for even me to handle. TGA is the best place for me to communicate AoS related stuff, in as much as discussions about the game itself. I will also echo @MrCharisma in using Facebook to schedule games. I also browse the larger wargaming and miniature painting groups there to look at what other people are doing as far as painting their models goes. But as for using Facebook for myself for hobby stuff, I'm hesitant to. I'm paranoid about my marketability to potential employers, so I'm reluctant to do anything on Facebook that might hinder any future job prospects; nerdy hobbies and habits are becoming more acceptable every day, but not fast enough in professions that I might work in. I mean, it's about to the point I'm thinking of changing my username on Facebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uveron Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 On a Local Scale I have been a huge fan of Facebook. I have built my gaming club on facebook. Back when I lived in the UK I used to be able to attendee the 'trational' weekly style club, but since moving to the USA its been hard to get this type of group together. So last year me and a buddy started a Secret Facebook group, we both started by inviting a list of fellow local players we liked playing, and then we made a rule that we could nominate others to the group, and as long as no one objected they could join. We now have a group of ~40 players who play both 40k and AoS, we Coordinate to show up to support the local FLGS events and even run our own private events (We rent out space or use back yards). Because everyone been vouched for we have a level of trust in the group, and on the AOS side its keeping us playing games. (As we are scattered more than the 40K players it lets us make sure we are showing up to game stores at the same time). And the final advantage of this that the group is Secret on facebook so its hidden from employers or others who may be snooping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BunkhouseBuster Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 4 hours ago, Uveron said: On a Local Scale I have been a huge fan of Facebook. I have built my gaming club on facebook. Back when I lived in the UK I used to be able to attendee the 'trational' weekly style club, but since moving to the USA its been hard to get this type of group together. So last year me and a buddy started a Secret Facebook group, we both started by inviting a list of fellow local players we liked playing, and then we made a rule that we could nominate others to the group, and as long as no one objected they could join. We now have a group of ~40 players who play both 40k and AoS, we Coordinate to show up to support the local FLGS events and even run our own private events (We rent out space or use back yards). Because everyone been vouched for we have a level of trust in the group, and on the AOS side its keeping us playing games. (As we are scattered more than the 40K players it lets us make sure we are showing up to game stores at the same time). And the final advantage of this that the group is Secret on facebook so its hidden from employers or others who may be snooping. This may just be the way to do it! I'll remember this trick when I get back into gaming more regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDuff Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 I'm perfectly happy just coming here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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