Useful

[Supplement Four]

I was reading Imix's Scaled Armor thread, and it struck me, like it's struck me many times before, how much more useful this forum is to a Traveller GM than either Traveller mailing list (either the TML or the Classic Traveller List).

It seems that the mailing list is more like an open pub where you go to meet your friends for a brewsky, shoot the crap about this and that (definitely not always Traveller), but rarely get into useful discussions with real "meat" you can take with you to your game.

This place, however...this forum...it's like a hobby magazine. There's useful stuff for a game all over the puppy. Neat new ideas. Great ways of thinking about things...about the rules...about how things work...alternative ways of achieving certain things.

Great "articles" here, rather than the "Hiya, bloke? Howya doin'?" in the mailing lists.

Why is that?

Something to do with the format?

 

[Supplement Four]

I was reading Imix's Scaled Armor thread, and it struck me, like it's struck me many times before, how much more useful this forum is to a Traveller GM than either Traveller mailing list (either the TML or the Classic Traveller List).

It seems that the mailing list is more like an open pub where you go to meet your friends for a brewsky, shoot the crap about this and that (definitely not always Traveller), but rarely get into useful discussions with real "meat" you can take with you to your game.

This place, however...this forum...it's like a hobby magazine. There's useful stuff for a game all over the puppy. Neat new ideas. Great ways of thinking about things...about the rules...about how things work...alternative ways of achieving certain things.

Great "articles" here, rather than the "Hiya, bloke? Howya doin'?" in the mailing lists.

Why is that?

Something to do with the format?

 

[robject]

How strange.

You know, perhaps it's the accessability of this forum versus a mailing list. Back when, you had to make do with a ML; now you just pop into your browser and type away. Forums like this one may have drawn people away from listserv.

I recall back in the mid/late 90s that the TML had a number of discussions on practical subjects, usually degenerating into a large and sometimes heated discussion about one of:

</font>

• Piracy</font>
• Near-C rocks</font>
• Jump torpedos</font>
• Lesbian Aslan</font>
• Droptanks</font>

There was also a large amount of shipbuilding (THUDDD) and no small degree of gearheading (Ditzie and the evils of Fusion Plus).

More fondly, I recall the old XBoat mailing list, which talked about things I was more familiar with (i.e. more CT).

 

[robject]

How strange.

You know, perhaps it's the accessability of this forum versus a mailing list. Back when, you had to make do with a ML; now you just pop into your browser and type away. Forums like this one may have drawn people away from listserv.

I recall back in the mid/late 90s that the TML had a number of discussions on practical subjects, usually degenerating into a large and sometimes heated discussion about one of:

</font>

• Piracy</font>
• Near-C rocks</font>
• Jump torpedos</font>
• Lesbian Aslan</font>
• Droptanks</font>

There was also a large amount of shipbuilding (THUDDD) and no small degree of gearheading (Ditzie and the evils of Fusion Plus).

More fondly, I recall the old XBoat mailing list, which talked about things I was more familiar with (i.e. more CT).

 

[mike wightman]

I've never bothered with the TML or any forum like it - SJG's JTAS boards for example - just too difficult to navigate.
Plus I didn't discover this place until 2003, the TML was brand new to me then also (limited access to the internet).
CotI won hands down for ease of use.

 

[mike wightman]

I've never bothered with the TML or any forum like it - SJG's JTAS boards for example - just too difficult to navigate.
Plus I didn't discover this place until 2003, the TML was brand new to me then also (limited access to the internet).
CotI won hands down for ease of use.

 

[Ptah]

Originally posted by robject:
...
I recall back in the mid/late 90s that the TML had a number of discussions on practical subjects, usually degenerating into a large and sometimes heated discussion about one of:

• Piracy
• Near-C rocks
  ...

• I recall those two.
  
  Heated seems a mild description of what I saw when I came across them in 1994 or so. Stuck to surfing the various cites, mostly the Missuori Archive which had a searchable archive! Quite something for 1994. And Chri Cox's wonderful creations.
  
  CotI is a far more civil and useful place than what I recall from the TML. In no small part to the likes of Supplement 4, Sigg Oddra, The Oz and Employee 2-4608, with plenty of ready to use house-rules and ideas.

 

[Ptah]

Originally posted by robject:
...
I recall back in the mid/late 90s that the TML had a number of discussions on practical subjects, usually degenerating into a large and sometimes heated discussion about one of:

• Piracy
• Near-C rocks
  ...

• I recall those two.
  
  Heated seems a mild description of what I saw when I came across them in 1994 or so. Stuck to surfing the various cites, mostly the Missuori Archive which had a searchable archive! Quite something for 1994. And Chri Cox's wonderful creations.
  
  CotI is a far more civil and useful place than what I recall from the TML. In no small part to the likes of Supplement 4, Sigg Oddra, The Oz and Employee 2-4608, with plenty of ready to use house-rules and ideas.

 

[atpollard]

As one of the very new kids on the block I would have to agree with your (all) general impression. I like it here. I recognize quite a few familiar names from the Yahoo "Deckplans" Group.

The only area where it seems weak is in the exchange of graphic ideas, but I may not have stumbled across the right area yet. In Deckplans, it was common to pose a question and have someone respond by posting a gif or pdf. The group would offer input, often in the form of additional pdf or gif files and you could carry on a graphic discussion on 2 dTon small craft or tail-sitter launch bays.

Got to run ... family calls.

 

[atpollard]

As one of the very new kids on the block I would have to agree with your (all) general impression. I like it here. I recognize quite a few familiar names from the Yahoo "Deckplans" Group.

The only area where it seems weak is in the exchange of graphic ideas, but I may not have stumbled across the right area yet. In Deckplans, it was common to pose a question and have someone respond by posting a gif or pdf. The group would offer input, often in the form of additional pdf or gif files and you could carry on a graphic discussion on 2 dTon small craft or tail-sitter launch bays.

Got to run ... family calls.