The new off-topic forum

[Skade]

I rarely find any of the humor threads all that funny. I was simply listing all the types of threads I see cropping up. With humor I'd say the definition of that would be anything intended to be funny, that manages not to, or to potentially, offend someone (too badly).

Edit: Oh, and I was really asking your definition of lounge. Just curious what that means in this context to you, and anyone else. I've seen it used on one forum before, but it was a very different board and the results were not quite what I imagine happening here.

 

[Jonny Nexus]

Can someone explain to me how an Off-topic forum would ruin EN World? I, for one, enjoy being able to go to the General Discussion forum and only see D&D stuff.

I guess the theory goes like this:

1) Given that the scope of the forum is potentially everything except roleplaying stuff, there is theoretically way more to talk about (i.e everything in the world other than RPGs).

2) This can then lead to a situation where the off-topic forum is seeing far more activity than the on-topic forums, meaning that it's nature in many ways becomes the defacto nature of the whole site.

3) Since it can often be easier to have rows on off-topic subjects than on roleplaying (since we're all roleplayers but may violently disagree on other subjects), the off-topic forum can get much more "heated" than the on-topic forum.

Combine points 2 and 3 and you could theoretically get a situation where an off-topic forum changes the nature of the whole site.

On the other hand, both strong disagreements and active discussion usually revolve around politics or religion (or closely related subjects). Since they are banned round here, I suspect that the off-topic forum will remain a quiet backwater, and not, therefore, affect the site as a whole.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I'm still wondering where the line between General and OT is? Right now there is a thread in General about SHARK being published. There is another anouncing that they have a wireless internet connection to ENWorld. These seem to have the blessing of the moderators since they respond and don't move the threads. Then there is the Roman d20 issue, where does that belong? Next are the stories of the PHB in the GE Comercial, is this RPG or OT? Then there are news stories of giant birds in Alaska. Threads pop up about that saying there are Rocs in Alaska, is this OT? What about the threads about travel plans to GenCon? I'm just wondering how OT you need to be to have to be in the OT Forum?

 

[Umbran]

I'm still wondering where the line between General and OT is?

I'd imagine that after a little practise, the division wil become more clear. Things that have to do with RPGs (like the Roman d20) will end up in general. Things that have *nothing* to do with RPGs will end up in OT.

There's always going to be edge areas where things are vague. Occasionally, a rules question comes into general, and so on. We can deal. I mean, what's the worst? A thread gets moved occasionally?