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Post 31 Jan 2013, 9:23 pm

Old Games Deleted.

Lets get some more rolling!
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Post 31 Jan 2013, 10:30 pm

I'm willing to share the wealth with another George! :) Anyway, I agree that archiving the old stuff is preferred to outright deleting. I'm sure that is was meant, in any event. I remember how tough it was for us when Chad switched us over and we were trying to get to the old games.
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Post 31 Jan 2013, 10:30 pm

Brad, you archived, them, right? Or do you have a backup?
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Post 31 Jan 2013, 11:35 pm

I believe it was all archived a while back...
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 9:02 am

All good ideas and my self imposed break is nearing it's end so I can certainly help with something that fits best.
I can also help organize a tourney, I was part of the PG organizing committee and can bring some experience to the table? I also agree to pass on the team aspect, it worked real well as a sort of unique twist and can maybe be brought back at some time but with the declining numbers, team play just isn't a good option! But we could take some of what worked well and apply that...a unique forum section, Redscape forums are the best out there no doubt, it showcases what we do best! Funky game names add some flare, Maybe a cool logo and/or a unique map we could have everyone use or we could encourage GM's to compete for the best map/feel to their game?

We welcome people from all sites equal, they can play one game and go away with no shame, we simply hope they decide to stay but if not, no problem. We have a pretty good group of people who can organize things better than most ...trust me others tend to micromanage and try to get too formal and too organized, to run smoothly you need a sort of king to oversee and delegate to his subjects (the PG "King" was GMKib), a democracy approach simply does not work too well!

Redscape can do it better than any other, I know that for a FACT.

And as mentioned, combine this with the right timing...
have several games already well under way, maybe a variant or two under way, and then hit the site with a large game or a few "special" games? Maybe a WW4 game (seems to be growing in popularity on several sites yet I designed it right here!) couple that with a game of say Explore! that seems to really suck people in and show our uniqueness, if we could also arrange for say a Game of Thrones or Civilization to also start up during this time, maybe even combined with the start of Baseball or if delayed, football season we could introduce many new guys to that fantasy angle as well....they could see Redscape as being a VIBRANT community with a lot to offer (as we sadly once did ...we can get that back easy enough if we work at the timing)
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 9:56 am

SLOTerp wrote:I was inspired to look around the internets for the old reliable diplomacy sites. Much to my surprise, Diplomacy World is still in publication. In fact, there is even an article in the linked issue on the problems with the web-based judges (p.13).


Haha. I've even written an article (or two) there and have a few more in the works.

Yes, it's THAT easy to get published.
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 10:16 am

Hello, all. I got an email from George Janes saying (in part): "...there's a discussion on the future of Redscape... It would be cool if you stopped by and maybe shared why you left (and what could be done to prevent such situations.)"

I can't remember the exact details/sequence of my departure but in general it amounted to me having a thin skin. Some of you may recall that at one time I GMed more games than just about anyone. I stopped when the insults and disrespect I received exceeded my tolerance limit (which was fairly high but far from infinite). At one time I wrote more political posts than just about anyone. Again, while my tolerance for abuse, BS, and assorted other crap was high, it was not infinite. I could deal with the one-a-week flamers easily enough, it was the behavior of the "better" posters that finally drove me away.

It is in the nature of anonymous, faceless online activity for the lowest common denominator to have a strong magnetic pull. Redscape was at its best when a couple of us "senior" participants made consistent, frequent, and widely-supported efforts to counteract that pull. We had some success, but never quite enough. It was always an uphill battle. Much depended on why people chose to participate. We tried to shape the forums to cater to those genuinely interested in broadening their understanding of events and history, but had to consistently deal with those who had other purposes and interests, usually something tied up with their egos.

Well... lest I sound holier (than thou) than I really am, let me add that I was not myself immune to ego-defense and associated sins. Perhaps I left because I didn't like who/what Redscape made me sometimes become. As I said, that pull to the common denominator is magnetic. It's strong. I don't know how to fix this.

As for GMing: to put it simply, you've got to create a culture where GMs are considered to be gods. Or at least saints. If they are instead considered to be servants, bureaucrats, or factotums, you have failed.

I hope this helps y'all at least a tiny bit. Good luck.
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 10:24 am

I thank you for the input, Min X.

You are missed, and ALWAYS welcome. It is a shame when someone pushes you toward something that you do not want to become. I myself have stepped back and regrouped, so I understand.
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 11:21 am

I had a similar experience but knew it was simply some time off that was required. I really do think it smart to take a break every so often, Diplomacy is a brutal game in many ways, all the lies and deception can tear you apart over time (at least it should if you are human) and a recharge is sometimes needed. GM'ing is similar, lot's of stress (often fun but still stress is stress) that needs a break.

and the political forums ...oh boy! Just like the real world, things are getting more and more polarizing so a break from that?
Yep, most certainly!

C'mon back "X" we miss you!
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 12:22 pm

Minister X wrote:As for GMing: to put it simply, you've got to create a culture where GMs are considered to be gods. Or at least saints. If they are instead considered to be servants, bureaucrats, or factotums, you have failed.


That's wise.
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 12:43 pm

i would really love if we could get a dedicated forum towards the various goals we have in mind,
Until that time, I guess we just hit this general catch-all that everyone can read (no surprises)

First off, things would need to be timed right, but it would seem we are in agreement that a tourney is a good idea???
It's Friday afternoon and things get slow at work at this time, my mind starts to wander...

So let's toss around some ideas for a good tourney
Team play is out, again, I think most of us agree there.
But a "theme" is always a good idea, we can have all sorts of fun ideas we could throw at the tourney but we require a theme in order to generate more interest and more traffic to get people here in the first place. Fun game names, neat maps, that sort of stuff is a real nice touch but would mean nothing if we had only a few playing.

No theme is actually ok, Dip players will play regardless but we want to maximize things so a nice theme would work best.

We could do a popular variant tourney, (Modern, Ancient Med, Youngstown, etc)
The plus there is easy in that we see so very few of this sort of thing and would attract that games fans
It being unusual could generate talk offsite
Redscape is also known for it's variant offerings.
The big negative is variants (even popular ones) are not nearly as popular as the standard game.

The easiest theme could simply be a catchy name that creates a bit of a buzz. Sports themes such as the Diplomacy World Cup seem to work, (we can't use that of course) but what about the Diplomacy Shootout? Diplomacy Madness? Diplomacy Showdown? "Dip-Champs Tourney" or "Dip-shots" Tourney? Diplomacy Bowl"? ("Dip-Bowl")

Speaking of the World Cup, what about an invitational to other sites?
Other sites (big and small) send us a team (or three) and we host a tourney between sites. We run the risk of losing but so does every other site and the real goal is not so much to win (though that would be cool) it is to show off the websites re-launch and have others talk about us and possibly generate some allegiance switching when they see what we offer...or even more interest as a second home, that works well also.
We would of course run a risk of people complaining that a GM cheated by giving insider order info to other Redscape buddies, maybe we could ask these sites to volunteer a GM as well. Or possibly even games hosted across many sites, yes, that would generate less traffic and new membership BUTTTTT would still generate more new people, would put our name out there as not just an alternative, but seeing as how we spearheaded and are running such a tourney, we would look to be leaders and innovators in the Hobby, plus all records could be kept and posted on our beautiful forums where we would generate that traffic and people coming to look at those records?

OK, those a re a few ideas to kick around for now. Just kicking around ideas usually leads from one thing to another to another where we have a final polished idea so please speak up, even if you are reading this and never made a single post here ...your input is appreciated (and maybe even more valuable you being new to the site???) ALL post as you please!
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 12:45 pm

GM's are not gods, never should they even be thought about in such a way!!!
"Saint" is much more applicable and I agree with that thinking 110%
...in fact, when we were giving out rank "points" GMing games was not rewarded nearly enough, you want to encourage this in a big way, GM's make us tick!

Oh, and the current "GMTom, GMBobby, GM***, = Bad Idea!!!!
I never liked the GM (Game Master) confused with the Redscape GM prefix (?? General Manager?)
Keep moderator status far from real GM status, too confusing!!!
(this coming from GMTom)
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 1:16 pm

Maybe allude to Redscape in the tourney name:

Redscape Rumble
Redscape Row
Red Escape
Redscape Re-contrer (attract the Francophiles)

Speaking of tourneys, isn't it about time to archive the old tourney games as well? Unless RG is coming back online. Is Randy around to address that?

Tom, just don't lose the Chuck Norris beard punch!
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 1:19 pm

btw - can this thread be 'stickied' or set as an 'announcement'?
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Post 01 Feb 2013, 1:38 pm

I'd love to see Serenissima brought back. Played one game of that back in 2003 here I think. Thanks to the wayback machine, I see that it was hosted by King in Yellow. I wonder if he might still have the resources he used to host... I might have to make this happen.

The point here - this game is a unique blend of Economics and Combat. AND, nobody is playing it by Email or Forum that I can find.