Welcome to the Game Room!

[fluiddruid]

Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board's newest forum! Please post your questions, comments, and concerns to this thread.

Have something to add to the FAQ? Post it here.

Have a rules suggestion or comment? Post it here.

And, let me be the first to welcome all you gamers, sports fans, chess masters, trivia geeks, role-players, gamblers, Mafia scum, console junkies, arcade dwellers, dance dance revolutionaries, puzzle solvers, and various spectators and hangers-on. Let's play!

[Ephemera]

What prompted this? Are we to expect further fora specialization in the future?

[SlickRoenick]

Firstly, long overdue idea, but i'm glad this finally here!

Secondly and stupidly, can this be moved above the Pit? I liked having the Pit last since i usually work my way down the forum. And with the Pit last, it was like i was building up to some treat before going to bed.

[ForumBot]

Is there a way we could move it up the page to being above the BBQ pit? Maybe squeze it between Cafe Society and IMHO. It seems like everything else is similarly grouped--Technical things related to the site are up top, factual talks (GD/GB) are together, then we move progressively downwards as talk gets more mundane (IMHO>MPSIMS).

I know it seems silly and there's not a whole lot of justification for it, but it just seems like it should be, well, below everything, in sort of a "fiery inferno of hate" sort of way.

I can't be the only weirdo who is thinking this.

edit: OH MY GOD NOW IT'S MOVED STOP MESSING WITH MY HEAD

[SlickRoenick]

Originally Posted by ForumBot

edit: OH MY GOD NOW IT'S MOVED STOP MESSING WITH MY HEAD

You're not the only one having head issues apparently.

[garygnu]

I love it! This matches the overall theme of the forums: discussion type.
My only question is how closely will threads be monitored for post-count padding/parties? I hope not much.

[fluiddruid]

Originally Posted by Aesiron

What prompted this? Are we to expect further fora specialization in the future?

There were a few reasons. The primary one is that we've had to keep down the number of forum games - specifically, Mafia - because they caused too much clutter in other forums. Now that we have our own space, we don't need to keep it to one game at a time. We also got a significant number of requests for the forum.

I think it makes sense. As it was, sports and game threads were spread between MPSIMS and Cafe Society.

[fluiddruid]

Originally Posted by garygnu

My only question is how closely will threads be monitored for post-count padding/parties? I hope not much.

I hope to keep it to a minimum. I definitely reserve the right to close utterly pointless post padding ("Let's count to a thousand!") but the rules on forum games will be significantly loosened from the past.

[OtakuLoki]

Well, let me just say that I hope this forum works well, and thanks to the people involved who have made it happen!

[What Exit?]

WooHoo!

We have a home.

Will the post icons be staying or is that a temporary oversight?

I have a thread I might request be moved here. Should I just report it?

This is the link of the thread I would like to give a new home.

Thank you powers that be and fluiddruid.
Jim (happy, happy, joy, joy)

[garygnu]

Originally Posted by fluiddruid

I hope to keep it to a minimum. I definitely reserve the right to close utterly pointless post padding ("Let's count to a thousand!") but the rules on forum games will be significantly loosened from the past.

Sounds perfect.

What's with the smiley, etc., icons?

[Happy Lendervedder]

What's up with the post icons? And why are they only available in this forum? And why is my butt so sweaty right now?

[HazelNutCoffee]

Oohhh, shiny.

[fluiddruid]

I believe that's probably in error. Waiting to hear back about that.

ETA: It's been fixed.

[Hockey Monkey]

Sweeeeeeet! This is fantastic.

[OtakuLoki]

So, who went off and wiped off Happy Lendervedder's sweaty bottom?

[Happy Lendervedder]

Originally Posted by OtakuLoki

So, who went off and wiped off Happy Lendervedder's sweaty bottom?

Rumors of my sweaty bottom being fixed are sorely mistaken.

[amarone]

Originally Posted by fluiddruid

And, let me be the first to welcome all you gamers, sports fans, chess masters, trivia geeks, role-players, gamblers, Mafia scum, console junkies, arcade dwellers, dance dance revolutionaries, puzzle solvers, and various spectators and hangers-on.

Deathpoolers? If so, here is the thread to move: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=446179

[Really Not All That Bright]

Originally Posted by Happy Lendervedder

Rumors of my sweaty bottom being fixed are sorely mistaken.

You think a non-sweaty bottom is the "fixed" condition? People all over the world are just dying to have sweaty bottoms and yet you don't appreciate yours at all.

In other news, I would probably never noticed that we had a bouncing baby forum if it hadn't been for the slight "Eh?" feeling when I saw Airman's (?) "Can we move this above the Pit" post in ATMB...

[fluiddruid]

Originally Posted by amarone

Deathpoolers? If so, here is the thread to move: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=446179

I think pools would qualify as a game. I've moved the thread. Thanks!

[Lamar Mundane]

So us sports scholars who study VORP, tempo-adjusted offense, and YPPA have to share a room with these smelly nerds pretending to be ninjas?

[What Exit?]

Originally Posted by Lamar Mundane

So us sports scholars who study VORP, tempo-adjusted offense, and YPPA have to share a room with these smelly nerds pretending to be ninjas?

Careful, as someone that bridges the gulf, I would like to appraise you of the simple fact that our one and only Game Room moderator is fluiddruid who it is safe to assume is a "Gamer".

Jim

[fluiddruid]

Yeah! And I'm not a ninja, I'm a half-elven paladin. *makes lightsaber noises*

[Boozahol Squid, P.I.]

Great new forum... but "The Game Room"? Couldn't think up anything better than that? How about "The Sports Bar (and nerd dungeon)"

[fluiddruid]

In all seriousness, I definitely don't want sports fans to feel unwelcome. I'm not married to the name, but I felt it was a good balance (The Game Room can refer to "the big game" as well).

[Hostile Dialect]

I like the name, and I've even come around to liking the forum. (It was Trivial Feud that did it to me.)

Good on you, modes.

[What Exit?]

Originally Posted by fluiddruid

In all seriousness, I definitely don't want sports fans to feel unwelcome. I'm not married to the name, but I felt it was a good balance (The Game Room can refer to "the big game" as well).

Well, to be truthful, as one of the louder nags for this forum to happen, I was hoping that the word Sports would actually be in the Forum name.

I think Frank and I have both referred to the hoped for new forum as the Sports and Games forum in fact. I note that it is easy enough to see in the description however and I don't think it will prevent usage of the new forum for Sports. I know several if not most of us Sports fans have felt like lost souls occasionally over the years trying to find the place to start our threads. It is nice to have a home.

The place needs a few pool tables, dart boards, a good bartender, lots of TVs and of course a couple of backrooms for the poker games and the D&D games.

Jim

[Oslo Ostragoth]

Can/should you move the thread from our weekly poker game here?

The Risk thread in CS?

They are already here.

[Ephemera]

How about The Rumpus Room? A little more creative and doesn't really give any more significance to the game aspect of the forum over sports.

[Leaper]

Might the front page blurb description need a little clarification to make explicit that this place is also for PLAYING games, not just talking about them? Or is it assumed by enough folks?

[garygnu]

What about sports?

[bbs2k]

I like it. And it's kinda nice to shake this place up a bit every now and then.

[bbs2k]

Okay, I have a question, what are everyone's thoughts on "post-padding" types of games? For example "Call me ThreadKiller(TM)!". I know from the outside looking in these types of threads look uselessly competetive, but in their defense that was actually one of the most fun threads I have ever taken part of on this message board. It's funny, it grew and took off in it's own wild directions, for three pages of that monster I think we were all Western themed.

Another example I'll use is over that Opal's Fathom Forum, "The longest thread in message board history" is up to ninety pages, with 3569 posts. That one, also, is a very fun thread. It's just anything you'd like. Fun links, haikus, stories, or fun facts (what day is it?). I'm sure that we won't be getting any threads that long here, but with the smaller population over at FFF it's also a fun sort of time-machine. Meaning that for over two years now you can go back and take a look at who's posted, who hanging around at that time, who comes and goes in spurts, lots of cool stuff.

I know we got the MMP for MPSIMS, which has been said by some to be "legitimized post-count padding". Why not get our own sort of version over here? But rather than sort of a temporary community journal of what's going on in life that week, it could be a more "gamey" style thread.

[bbs2k]

And for real style points, a triple post. Sorry, I keep brain-storming. When I say "post-padding threads", please understand that my intention isn't to start a thread for the purpose of padding your post count, that's just the reason given for closing these types of threads. The purpose would be to just have fun, chit-chat, and post things that may not fit in any other thread, but alone don't merit starting a new one.

Think of it as one weekly thread that is a collection of all these ones. And we wouldn't start a new one every Monday, no no, the start of the work week ain't no fun. We'll start ours every Friday, call it a TGIF thread! No, actually that's a little boring, oh well, we'll figure out a fun name for it.

Eh, eh?

[Shirley Ujest]

Great idea.


I think it should be called the Geek Squad.


And I think there should be a Jane Austen Forum complete with Knitting, because, yanno, there are at least 4 of us that would be there alot.



SRSLY, great idea.


I probably will never visit this department again unless I need a five letter word for scrabble that begins with a Q.

[CatInASuit]

Originally Posted by Shirley Ujest

I probably will never visit this department again unless I need a five letter word for scrabble that begins with a Q.

Queue

Or did you want this in a different thread??

[Ludovic]

Well, I'll be all for making the sports fans feel welcome if it means I don't have to wonder if a certain pit thread is about sports or not, not knowing the last names of each and every player and coach in history, but I feel it won't prevent that.

[bbs2k]

Originally Posted by Shirley Ujest

And I think there should be a Jane Austen Forum complete with Knitting, because, yanno, there are at least 4 of us that would be there alot.

Someone is a little bitter aren't they?

SRSLY

[wolfstu]

Originally Posted by CatInASuit

Queue

Or did you want this in a different thread??

Quest, Quart, Quell, Quark, Quint, Quail, Quran, Quite, Quirk...

[Trion]

Originally Posted by What Exit?

The place needs a few pool tables, dart boards, a good bartender, lots of TVs and of course a couple of backrooms for the poker games and the D&D games.

We need to install the wood panelling first. It's traditional.

[What Exit?]

Originally Posted by Trion

We need to install the wood panelling first. It's traditional.

Of course, how could I forget that? By the way, can we buy dank? We need a little dank in some of the back rooms or it won't feel right.

[twickster]

Love the new forum! Wish I had a wordplay thread ready for it, but I don't...

[Cajun Man]

Wow!

Everything's so shinny and new.

[Paul in Qatar]

(I am just so darn pleased I noticed the new forum on the first day. I am pretty oblivious sometimes.)

[Flander]

It's all fun and games until someone posts about putting their eye out!

[Ponder Stibbons]

Originally Posted by fluiddruid

... Mafia scum ...

Hi, nice new forum you got here. Really nice. Pretty. Shiny and new. For something this fancy, you should seriously consider purchasing some "insurance". Just in case, you know? You wouldn't want anything to ... happen to it, capice?

[Revenant Threshold]

Do we still need to ask permission to start new games of something?

[bbs2k]

Originally Posted by Revenant Threshold

Do we still need to ask permission to start new games of something?

(That's sorta what I'm doing)

[fluiddruid]

Right now, no. We'll have a free-for-all and see how that goes (as long as it is allowed by the rules generally, of course. If it's necessary, we'll clamp down later, but I see no reason to keep things wide open for now.

[fluiddruid]

Originally Posted by What Exit?

I think Frank and I have both referred to the hoped for new forum as the Sports and Games forum in fact. I note that it is easy enough to see in the description however and I don't think it will prevent usage of the new forum for Sports. I know several if not most of us Sports fans have felt like lost souls occasionally over the years trying to find the place to start our threads. It is nice to have a home.

It's been awhile since we originally kicked around the idea, so I hadn't remembered we'd kicked around that name. My only beef with it is the unfortunate acronym of SAG - I much prefer TGR.

In any case, I suppose we can feel out the new forum and if change is needed, we'll make changes. Sadly, on short notice, I couldn't think of anything terribly witty.