This State of Independence!

[Ancalagon]

Why do I call this thread 'State of Independence?'

Simply because the forum is as active, creative, multi-national, constructive and wonderful a forum as any member could hope to be a part of. Debates are raging throughout, Bars are full, RPs are expanding, Guilds are on fire. We as a forum are self-sufficient and independent Tolkien enthusiasts who have built an expanding, inclusive and challenging community that all others should be proud to engage with and join.

I beleive this forum is both active and flourishing on the web, with increasing membership and a positive outlook for the future.

Let's keep it that way:D

One happy, happy moderator;)

[YayGollum]

Okay, so, ummm...Yay for patting ourselves on the back! :rolleyes:

[Ciryaher]

Just to be the cynic, I'd like to point out that one of the bars has not been put back, and almost every serious RP is dead or dying.

Lieutenant Cynic (since Beorn is the Captain ;))
~Cir

[Beorn]

Yes...I am Captain Cynical...

Yeah, The New Silver Dragon Inn is still sitting in the EGBT...

[Maedhros]

Well, I can only defend RPG 36, which is going to be very active in the following days because of what will be happening.

And, please Anc, don't be a party stopper.:)

[Elbereth]

Yes, I must agree...this forum has done a pretty good job growing in the last few months. I've been a member of a few forums prior to TTF...and no other forum has been able to keep my attention as long as TTF has. Good job guys.

As for Cir's cynical outlook of the forum...all I have to say is: Cir, cheer up man...the forum is not lost...it's just a slow season in the forum...it is back to school season afterall. I'm sure that once our schedules clear up a bit...we'll start seeing things pick up again. ;)

[Khamul]

Isnt that what everyone said when school got out?

[Ciryaher]

All is lost! We're all going to die horrible deaths, and NOBODY WILL BE AROUND TO SEE THEM!!!!! *gets shot with a dart*

You'll never take...me....*thud*

*men in black suits and sunglasses come in and drag Cir away*

*Cir returns, looking a bit dazed*

The forum is doing swell. Everything is groovy! *hand flapping*

[Aerin]

*Thinks*
Wow, Cir's awful happy all of a sudden...wonder where he got that stuff....:D

[Rangerdave]

Originally posted by Ciryaher


*men in black suits and sunglasses come in and drag Cir away*




You were abducted by the Blues Brother's? Man, some guys have all the luck.

RD

[Ciryaher]

No, it was the Booze Brothers (aka: the ATF) ;)

[Ancalagon]

It's good to see the cynics come out of the woodwork, offering suggestions on how best to move the forum forward, improve the lot of RPs, advise on where we are losing our direction. Thanks guys;)

Roll on the C9.

[Ciryaher]

Actually, the only way to improve the state of [serious] RP's is to get people with talent to write in them...and last time I checked, talented writers don't grow on trees (though I have heard they can grow on vines).

The main problem that I see is that we depend on a few people to move the stories forward, and it's becoming more and more frequent that they leave or don't find the time to post on them.

On the subject of forum quality, I don't think there's really anything that can be done to greatly improve it without upsetting *someone*, so as long as we don't slip downhill further, we should be ok. As for losing direction...well, I assume we're moving towards creating a community for the sharing of information and ideas pertaining to Tolkien's world; and I think we're moving along that path.

[YayGollum]

Hmmm...you assume we're moving towards blah, blah, blah and you think we're moving along that path. Got it. Sounds like we're moving. :rolleyes: Whoops! No mocking. That's bad. I forgot, but it's fun. sorry I'm not a talented writer. *sniff* :rolleyes:

[Anamatar IV]

Originally posted by Aerin
*Thinks*
Wow, Cir's awful happy all of a sudden...wonder where he got that stuff....:D

If it makes you that...er...ummm..."happy" i want some :)

[Grond]

Originally posted by Ciryaher
Actually, the only way to improve the state of [serious] RP's is to get people with talent to write in them...and last time I checked, talented writers don't grow on trees (though I have heard they can grow on vines).

The main problem that I see is that we depend on a few people to move the stories forward, and it's becoming more and more frequent that they leave or don't find the time to post on them.

On the subject of forum quality, I don't think there's really anything that can be done to greatly improve it without upsetting *someone*, so as long as we don't slip downhill further, we should be ok. As for losing direction...well, I assume we're moving towards creating a community for the sharing of information and ideas pertaining to Tolkien's world; and I think we're moving along that path. When I signed on in 10/01 there were a few RPG's going on. Now there are 30 which have been posted on in the last five days. I would say that we may be stretching our RPG players a tad thin with too many RPGs. Maybe one solution would be to limit the active RPG's to keep both interest and activity up.

And I am surprised that we are being nit-picky about the quality of our writers. We have so many people who sincerely want to contribute to this community. Let's quit being cynical and start being optimistic. ;)

[Ciryaher]

Draw a line between the light-hearted and serious RP's, then show more writers that post, and maybe I'll consider being more optimistic.

[Anamatar IV]

i only do lighthearted rps. I dont really get the serious ones. and what the hell is the government council?