Hi there. You've probably come here from Frothers. Enjoy this old post, which contains the word 'arse'. Then please have a look around at some of the fine, gaming-related, posts that this blog has to offer. Thanks.
Yesterday I discovered that, earlier this year, some kind soul had gifted me a year's membership on The Miniatures Page. I have no idea who you are, but I'm quite touched. Thank you.
Unfortunately I discovered this as I was in the process of eliminating my account from that site, on the grounds that I could no longer stand being associated with a place that seemed to revel in unmoderated racism, misogyny, homophobia, right-wing wankery and Argentinian spam. I'm gone. The Editor can stick the site up his arse which would serve the double purpose of not only being very amusing but also of blocking the flow of his editorial decisions.
The fact that the place is down for two hours every day at the kind of time I might want to use it, so that the hamsters which work the treadmill that runs it can be fed, doesn't help.
The question is, what other sites are worth hanging about on. Once you got past the stuff I listed above, there were some good discussions and sources of information on TMP. Is there anywhere I can go to get the same level of information, but without having to have a shower afterwards?
Thanks.
Update: I see (indirectly) that this has become a thread on TMP. I'm guessing that I probably don't want to look at it.
Update: The rest of the blog's nothing like this post. You may or may not regard that as a good thing.
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ReplyDeleteHere here! I echo all of your comments regarding TMP. I haven't been to TMP in years after leaving in disgust.
ReplyDeleteRegarding other forums: there's not much out there. I frequent Starship Combat News and the Two Hour Wargames forums but unfortunately both cater to a fairly obscure gaming niche. The posts on either site are fairly infrequent.
That's part of the problem. There are forums for particular games and particular publishers, but trying to keep track of them all is a bit of a pain. I'm after the generic :)
DeleteI'm right there with you re: TMP. Internet forums in general are crap. I have no worthwhile suggestions for an alternative but your opinion of TMP is a widely-held one.
ReplyDeleteThe creaking software that underpins TMP is not, in itself, a reason for quitting it, but it certainly makes the place less and less useful as a source of information or communication.
DeleteYou might check out the Lead Adventure forum. I find it very helpful (though more so on some discussion lists than others) that said I haven't noticed said behavior of The Miniature Page so its possible its going on there and I just didn't notice it. They have not had the technical problems that I see from time to time on the Miniature Page.
ReplyDeleteI have tried Lead Adventures before, but maybe didn't really explore it as thoroughly as I should have done. I shal have to give it another go. Thanks.
DeleteI second the Lead Adventure forum.
ReplyDeleteThird
DeleteI think here will suit your purposes just fine.
ReplyDeleteLINK http://www.thewargameswebsite.com
What Norm said.
DeleteAlso, hilarious post! Couldn't agree with you more.
Another good place on the web
DeleteI must admit that although I still visit TMP, my visits tend to be less frequent these days and I am very selective about which items I bother to look at. I also agree that it seems to attract a certain type of person whose views are - to say the least - disagreeable if not downright sexist, homophobic, reactionary, blinkered, and worse.
ReplyDeleteIf you do find somewhere better, please let me know.
All the best,
Bob
There is some good stuff on there, and I know that that majority of members are fine. But I reached a point where I felt that I no longer wanted my identity associated with it. Any site is really an extension of the people who run it and who are allowed by them to dominate it, and I find the underlying culture of TMP to be distasteful.
DeleteI will third the suggestions of Lead Adventure and The Wargames Website, although I will say that it is hard to beat TMP's vast warehouse of information on old rules and miniatures lines, especially historical ones.
ReplyDeleteGreg
I second Leas Adventures and The Wargames Website.
ReplyDeleteI still visit TMP, but only a few selected boards, which still have good content with reasonable people). I stay away from the social media aspects of the site, and never meddle in any of the volatile discussions.
I'm a member of a few other forums. The one which comes closest to the TMP experience in terms of sensible discussion about wargaming (minus the right wing lunacy) is The Wargames Website. A few ex-TMPers hang out there, although it is pretty low traffic.
ReplyDeletePersonally I find LAF rather....dull.
Got bored with WD3 and haven't been in ages.
Frothers is good for a laugh, although I use it more as a current affairs forum for British wargamers, and rarely look at, let alone contribute to the threads on gaming.
Which dragged me inexorably back to TMP. I've sanitised it as much as possible by turning off the most objectionable boards and stifling/ignoring the most annoying members. I think it is still the best single place for a traditional discussion forum. All my other gaming discussions are scattered over a mish mash of Facebook groups, yahoo groups, mailing lists, specialist forums and blogs. It is no doubt all very twenty first century and hip, but I yearn for the good old days rec.games.miniatures.historical!
TMP is good as a one-stop shop, but I just reached the point where I felt that the good was becoming outweighed by the bad. I never visited the more volatile boards, but I always feel that the culture of them is always lurking on the other boards as well.
DeleteLead Adventure and The Wargames Website for the win. Wargames News and Terrain and Tabletop Fix, while not forums, are both good for miniatures news (Tango used to copy-paste most of his miniatures related stuff from both sites before he went insane and became obsessed with Ultramodern, politics and nude miniatures).
ReplyDeleteTMP seems to have been corrupted into a weird nega-facebook for ex-wargamers, by a few cynical old men, frightened of modernity, who happen to share Overlord Bill's odd politics and stranger attitudes. There doesn't seem to be much left for anyone who isn't a right wing male over 60. And 'archives' do not a forum make.
And I notice Armintrout always deletes comments and threads to control the narrative he chooses, as well as the predictable veiled personal attacks once people have left or been locked out. What a guy!
Bill thinks the haters ruined TMP, but he did it all himself.
What a strange post! I totally agree with the sentiment surrounding the hatred of wankey right wing and intolerant views (right wing and intolerance and wankers go hand in hand in hand don't they ;-) ) it's sad to hear that a gaming forum has sunk so low as to spew bile and hatred rather than just discussing games and the merits of each system. I personally belong to a couple of specialist forums for Bushido & zeds as well as Lead Adventures (but haven't visited this one for a long time) thankfully none of these get anymore political than "how much bacon in your diet is exceptable?" - the answer is "100%"
ReplyDeleteIt is a strange post, isn't it. I normally edit myself a lot better; the above is what happens when I don't :)
Delete(Although if I really let myself go I'd be straying well into Malcolm Tucker territory :-D )
Yes there are disagreeable members on TMP but there are disagreeable people everywhere. On the other hand there are some great gamers and hobbyists on TMP as well.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Martin Rapier and Phil Dutre, as in non-virtual real life, just ignore or stifle those who deserve ignoring and stifling.
I like Lead Adventure Forum too.
There *are* disagreeable people everywhere, but when those people are allowed to dictate the editorial tone and general culture of a place then it's time to move on.
DeleteThanks to those that have recommended my own site, TWW, The Wargames Website.
ReplyDeleteIt was created to be a place of just gaming.
It has news, forums, club listings, manufacturer listings, a show calendar, monthly competitions, plus loads more.
Yes it is quieter than TMP, but TMP has been going for 22 years, TWW just passed it's second year so has a lot of ground to make up.
But the content is just gaming and closely related, so stuff like books and films about war and the like.
The moderation hopefully both fair and consistent and the site modern.
Please take a look and hopefully we will reach a state of much business sooner rather than later.
www.thewargameswebsite.com
I shall check out your site this evening. Thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteThank you very much.
DeleteThanks for the link!
DeleteSome unknown soul paid for a year's membership for me, too. It made me feel better about TMP. I mostly visit now for specific information only, as the membership as a whole is extraordinarily knowledgeable. I tend to avoid offering an opinion on anything, as that is when the trolls and vampires come out.
ReplyDeleteI've stifled some of the worst offenders, too; but was astounded that several people have stifled me! I have no idea who I could have offended, as I try to be as helpful as I can be to others, and never attack anyone on there. Maybe that's what caused it--I wasn't sufficiently nasty. Oh well.
Best regards,
Chris ("Bumbydad" on TMP)
I don't care for TMP myself for the same reason. I never thought I would see people advocating genocide and war crimes on a war game forum, as well as the rampant mysigony I witnessed. I most post on the Wargames website now.
ReplyDeleteI have the same feelings about TMP. As a resource - it has merit, but the general 'boo-yah', 'nuke em all' and ignorance of a selection of bigots just makes it intolerable. TWW is good, but it will be some time building mass. LAF to me is more of a painting site. And Frothers is low traffic other than the Frothpot, which is great fun, but not much of a wargames forum.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you didn't enjoy your TMP experience. Our website is large, with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and experiences, so it is not surprising if you sometimes encounter someone who expresses views you may not be familiar with. Our website provides you with the tools to block anyone you find offensive, and we enforce the forum rules strictly.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find another home on the web that is more to your taste.
I *used* to enjoy my TMP experience. I don't any more. And it seems I'm not alone in that view.
DeletePeople come and go from any website, over time. Maybe you'll be back someday; maybe not. We'll still be there.
Delete" so it is not surprising if you sometimes encounter someone who expresses views you may not be familiar with"
DeleteIt's not the views with which I am unfamiliar that bother me. It's the ones I *am* familiar with.
"We'll still be there."
DeleteExcept for two sodding hours. Every. Single. Sodding. Evening.
By the way, there's still time left on that supporting membership I was gifted. Since I'm not a complete arse, and appreciate that plenty of people still enjoy TMP could you please pass the remainder on to some other deserving soul? Off the top of my head (and apologies to anyone who feels slighted) if Ken Lewis of Radioactive Press is still a member, please pass it on to him. He's always been generous with his time and effort in my dealings with him, and I'd like to say thank you in some small way. Ta.
DeleteBill,
DeleteIt is not that one encounters opinions with which one is unfamiliar on TMP; please do not insult people by trying to make out that they are ignorant. It is that one regularly encounters posts containing homophobia, racism and misogyny, the vast majority of which go unpunished, despite your laughable claim that the rules are tightly enforced.
The likes of Mako 11 and Legion 4 regularly call for mass murder of brown people, while Otto displays a contempt for women that says far more about him than about them. Your own "Harvey Milk" thread allowed the knuckle draggers to spout their views, as did the "What if you woke up..." threads.
While the likes of Martin (I fantasise about beating up brown people) Wolverton and Great War Ace, who fantasises about sex with with underage girls, inhabit your site freely, is it any wonder that the vast majority of wargamers regard it and you with utter contempt, especially as the cast majority do not regard paedophilia as something to joke about, unlike you.
AS for the free membership received by Kaptain Kobbold, it is obvious to a blind dog that you are giving them away to boost your membership figures.
Hey Bill,
DeleteHere is an example from your lovely site:
http://i.imgur.com/37zd1fK.jpg
A nice bit of racism and hatred there from the utterly abhorrent SmokeyRoan.
Oh that's OK as far as Bill's concerned because it's in the Lounge, not one of the 'public' boards. The private member's club are allowed to be bigoted idiots.
DeleteYou'll get banned for posting stuff from the Lounge anywhere else though.
William. You thinkchild abuse is funny.
ReplyDeleteYou yourself posteda story about child rape to yourhumor section..
KK, you forgot to mention hypocrisy in your list :-)
ReplyDeleteMy posting rights were removed for suggesting forum moderation was two-faced. Dave Manley effectively said the same in that thread but his account was fine. The irony was completely wasted on Bill.
Not that I would wish your account away Dave, just remarking on the Q.E.D scenario that Bill created :-)
>You yourself posteda story about child rape to yourhumor section..
ReplyDelete>
Still going on? many years ago he banned me for calling him on making fun of a similar news story.