Are (RPG) Message Boards starting to reach an inflection point of decline?

[TristramEvans]

Forums of this style seem to be the only format that doesn't have a user interface so frustrating that it actually interferes with communicating. A distant second for me is Facebook groups, but they are 99% toxic.

Reddit is a place I go when I know what I want already, but isn't particularly conducive to browsing.
Twitter just gives me headaches and seems to want people to communicate in bumper stickers.
Instagram seems to be less about people connecting, and more bout trying to create a fandom for yourself (which I am not, I exclaim proudly as if there were some outside chance of that ever happening).

A lot of the others seem to be sex based. Facebook seems to have headed in that direction, I've seen people call it a "dating site" in recent years.
Makes sense, the dating pool these days seems to be downstream of Flint, Michigan. But for someone who just wants to talk hobby stuff, and have real conversations, not empty crowd pleasers that will disappear from view after their brief round of popularity in best case scenarios, classic forums of this type are really still the best option the internet has provided in the last 30 years.

 

[thebigh]

I don't think forums are in decline. They seem to be holding steady, and have been for ages. They're like a constant. It just seems like they're sidelined because every year there's a new hot thing- myspace, digg, farcebook, reddit, twitter, discord, next year it'll be something else. And then people are like, "Oh yeah, forums." But the forum format just keeps chugging along.

 

[Baron]

I'll make two comments. First, I went down to check out the newish game store for the first time. No community bulletin board, no way to try and connect with other gamers. Other than the organized gaming events they run *every day*. The only suggestion they had for me was to check out their WhatsApp account, where I'd be free to "join the conversation." Make of that what you will.

And second, while I used to enjoy blogs and forums, I visit less nowadays and participate even less often than that. Why? Too much aggression, too many casual insults and dismissive comments. Author Walter Jon Williams remarked once that we are no longer a society of manners. As I often say, if I was at a party and people behaved that way, I'd leave. So yeah, it's not as much fun anymore. For me at least.

 

[thebigh]

And second, while I used to enjoy blogs and forums, I visit less nowadays and participate even less often than that.

This is why I stick to forums like this one. Once you leave politics out of it, you lose most of the ugliness.

I find focused forums, dedicated to a single hobby, pastime, or specialty quite pleasant as well.

Although the talk here can be pretty forthright, there's no malice or spite here.

 

[Endless Flight]

I think it’s sometimes difficult to assess another person’s tone through posting so sometimes that can rub us the wrong way.

 

[sharps54]

I think it’s sometimes difficult to assess another person’s tone through posting so sometimes that can rub us the wrong way.

Agreed but isn’t that an issue with discord and FB and Reddit and all the other options as well?

 

[Endless Flight]

Agreed but isn’t that an issue with discord and FB and Reddit and all the other options as well?

Yes. On the flip side many people can express themselves and their thoughts better in print than speech.

 

[sharps54]

I participate here and on some discords, I much prefer this format, the traditional forum to discord.

 

[Parkaboy]

I got a ban from the Other Site for defending myself against some dick who intimated that I was lying about what went down at a company I worked for.

 

[Parkaboy]

This is why I stick to forums like this one. Once you leave politics out of it, you lose most of the ugliness.

I find focused forums, dedicated to a single hobby, pastime, or specialty quite pleasant as well.

Although the talk here can be pretty forthright, there's no malice or spite here.

It's not just politics. Other sites have a huge power trip factor.

 

[pawsplay]

What's the difference between a MUD and a MUSH?

Nothing and everything. MUD is Multi-User Dungeon, and was named after text-based precursors to Everquest and World of Warcraft. MUSH is Multi-User Shared Hallucination, and was an offshoot of MUDs that were focused on social interaction in a chatroom-like atmosphere, as well as freeform roleplaying.

But MUDs were also family of codebases, and MUSHes were, too. So you occasionally had people that used MUD code to create a chatroom type game, and people who used MUSH code to create online dungeons. And then there was MUX, MOO, and MUCK, all of which are ultimately MUSH relatives or clones and ultimately, ultimately, based on MUD protocols or emulations thereof.

All MU* games involve logging in and having a session as a particular username, in which you can communicate people and execute certain commands that allow you to affect objects or states in the environment.

In a MUD, that might be

attack orc

whereas in a MUSH it might be a command that starts a chron turning your user-created object, like "weird cat clock," until a real-life alarm clock, that will periodically remind you to get offline and actually go to class.

 

[Acmegamer]

Nothing and everything. MUD is Multi-User Dungeon, and was named after text-based precursors to Everquest and World of Warcraft. MUSH is Multi-User Shared Hallucination, and was an offshoot of MUDs that were focused on social interaction in a chatroom-like atmosphere, as well as freeform roleplaying.

But MUDs were also family of codebases, and MUSHes were, too. So you occasionally had people that used MUD code to create a chatroom type game, and people who used MUSH code to create online dungeons. And then there was MUX, MOO, and MUCK, all of which are ultimately MUSH relatives or clones and ultimately, ultimately, based on MUD protocols or emulations thereof.

All MU* games involve logging in and having a session as a particular username, in which you can communicate people and execute certain commands that allow you to affect objects or states in the environment.

In a MUD, that might be

attack orc

whereas in a MUSH it might be a command that starts a chron turning your user-created object, like "weird cat clock," until a real-life alarm clock, that will periodically remind you to get offline and actually go to class.

Some of them have come a long way from the simple attack orc. Just had to be mentioned.

 

[Acmegamer]

>ne
[The Rift - 12146] (u4569004)
Two crippled men, limbs horribly deformed and faces covered in pox, hobble past a grand cathedral. All about them the street is littered with the dead and dying, moaning and writhing in pain as the epidemic wracks their bodies. Glittering from the eaves of the church are five gold coins, casting golden motes of light upon the diseased men as if mocking their tortured existence. You also see a glistening cerebralite.
Obvious exits: southwest, northwest
>Weapon Charge
You rush forward at a glistening cerebralite with your elven framea and attempt a charge!
[SMR result: 193 (Open d100: 75, Bonus: 20)]
Your size contributes slightly to the attack!
You lunge forward with a lucky charge!
A translucent shell appears around the cerebralite, absorbing most of the blow.
... 10 points of damage!
Bones in right arm crack.
A translucent shell appears around the cerebralite, absorbing most of the blow.
... 1 point of damage!
The glistening cerebralite's arm twists oddly but snaps right back.
Your attack exposes a vulnerability in a glistening cerebralite's defenses!

** Your framea resonates with a high-pitched sound and causes your skin and muscles to tighten! **

Roundtime: 4 sec.
R>
Your disk arrives, following you dutifully.
R>Wtrick Feint
...wait 1 seconds.
R>
Something within you loosens, and you can once again feel the hunger of the void within.
>Wtrick Feint
[SMR result: 152 (Open d100: 19, Bonus: 23)]
You feint low. A glistening cerebralite buys the ruse and twists awkwardly to block the blow that never came!
Roundtime: 3 sec.
R>Feat AbsorbMagic
You open yourself to the ravenous void at the core of your being, allowing it to surface. Muted veins of metallic grey ripple just beneath your skin.
R>
[ Absorb Magic: +0:00:10, 0:00:09 remaining. ]
You feel recovered from your whirlwind flurry of strikes.
>
You feel the unnatural surge of necrotic power wane away.
>Weapon GThrusts
Retaining a defensive profile, you raise your elven framea in a hanging guard and prepare to unleash a barrage of guardant thrusts upon a glistening cerebralite!
[SMR result: 168 (Open d100: 65, Bonus: 23)]
You lunge at a glistening cerebralite, guiding your framea with both hands in a powerful thrust!
A translucent shell appears around the cerebralite, absorbing most of the blow.
AS: +539 vs DS: +370 with AvD: +36 + d100 roll: +18 = +223
... and hit for 87 points of damage!
The glistening cerebralite is stunned!
A dark shadowy tendril rises up from a glistening cerebralite, writhes its way up a sleek elven framea with a radiant glow towards you and lashes out malevolently...
The magic of the glistening cerebralite's spell unravels violently, spiraling into you and darkening your metallic grey veins to black!
Your strength swells and you are fortified by the absorbed energy!
You feel significantly stronger.
You feel a fiery sensation spread through your body, bringing with it a feeling of increased fortitude.
You feel a brisk sensation spread through your body, bringing with it extra energy and extending your physical reserves.
Roundtime: 2 sec.
R>
[ Weapon Guardant Thrusts: +0:20:00, 0:19:59 remaining. ]
[ Surge of Strength Cooldown: +0:05:00, 0:04:59 remaining. ]
R>
You feel fully energetic again.
>
[SMR result: 199 (Open d100: 56, Bonus: 62)]
You lunge at a glistening cerebralite, guiding your framea with both hands in a powerful thrust!
A translucent shell appears around the cerebralite, absorbing most of the blow.
AS: +539 vs DS: +350 with AvD: +36 + d100 roll: +7 = +232
... and hit for 107 points of damage!
A dark shadowy tendril rises up from a glistening cerebralite, writhes its way up a sleek elven framea with a radiant glow towards you and lashes out malevolently...
CS: +415 - TD: +329 + CvA: -31 + d100: +66 - -5 == +126
Warding failed!
You are wracked with painful spasms!
... 33 points of damage!
Roundtime: 4 sec.
Distracted, you hesitate, and in doing so lose the rhythm of your assault. You shift your grip on your framea to a more neutral position and watch for new opportunities.
Roundtime: 2 sec.
R>
[SMR result: 265 (Open d100: 120, Bonus: 65)]
You lunge at a glistening cerebralite, guiding your framea with both hands in a powerful thrust!
A translucent shell appears around the cerebralite, absorbing most of the blow.
AS: +539 vs DS: +344 with AvD: +36 + d100 roll: +35 = +266
... and hit for 122 points of damage!
Amazing shot through the glistening cerebralite's nose enters the brain!
An intangible ripple of pure energy courses through the air as the cerebralite's pupils widen a final time, its eyes clouding over as it dies.
The dim aura fades from around a glistening cerebralite.
The bright luminescence fades from around a glistening cerebralite.
A shadow seems to detach itself from a glistening cerebralite, swiftly dissipating into the air.
The silvery luminescence fades from around a glistening cerebralite.
The brilliant luminescence fades from around a glistening cerebralite.
The brilliant aura fades away from a glistening cerebralite.

** Necrotic energy from your elven framea overflows into you! **

You feel healed!
You complete your assault, your weight on your rear foot as you snap your framea back to a defensive angle.
Roundtime: 2 sec.
R>Loot
...wait 2 seconds.
R>Loot
You search the glistening cerebralite.
It had 492 silvers on it.
It had nothing else of value.
The glistening cerebralite disintegrates into a festering puddle of viscous fluid.
You gather the remaining 492 coins.
>

 

[Raleel]

that will periodically remind you to get offline and actually go to class.

And thus we find how I dropped out of pre-pharmacy and went into computer science. Alarm clocks are for pussies. MUD 16 hours a day! What are meals anyways.

My particular MUD was a very very early purveyor of pay-to-play - you could make a donation to have someone code you a custom magic item. Proceeds went to the operation of the MUD. I was a solid semester and a half ahead of my classmates in understanding of object oriented code because I had coded in LPC extensively and had literally spent hundreds of hours of pouring over code and puzzling it out.