Seperate RP discussion forums for Balmung and Gilgamesh?

[Oujou]

Wouldn't it be far more convenient to have separate forums for Balmung and Gilgamesh RP discussion?

 

At the very least it would mean not having to check the contents of every thread to know if its meant for players of one server or the other.

 

It'd also prevent Gilgamesh players from using the Gilgamesh Events forum for Gilgamesh RP Discussion, which seems to be happening now.

 

A Gilgamesh RP Discussion forum would give Gilgamesh RPers a place to discuss RP on Gilgamesh, which would then lead to them creating events to fill the Gilgamesh Events Forum with.

 

And it would help RPers from both Gilgamesh and Balmung by providing two venues for which to discuss RP, without having to designate which server they're on every time they make a thread.

[Maril]

I think it is a good idea. Communities need space to develop ^^ Another twist on it could be to simply turn the event forums into a general forum for talking about the server and posting events, it might be a bit more cluttered but that isn't always a bad thing.

[TheLastCandle]

I think it's a good idea so long as there remains a "General" RP discussion for both servers to participate in. I think of us as a single community, and I would hate for us to become more segregated than we already are.

[Xenedra]

This was brought up when we initially chose to build the second forum section. We felt that, while things like events were an obvious choice for needing their own section, "discussion" ought to be something that everyone regardless of server felt they could be included in. Separate forums would discourage this interaction. While we respect that there are communities on multiple servers, it's our stance that the less division there is between our community as a whole, the better. If people really do feel that discussion threads need to be differentiated, though, maybe the solution is a simple server note in the subject line or main body of the post.

[Kylin]

As Xenedra stated, there are presently no plans to add additional forum sections for server discussion. This was brought up awhile back during the initial talks over the server debate and it was made clear at the time that the events section was as far as we'd go. In fact, I had actually considered initiating a discussion to do the exact opposite and remove the current Gilgamesh forum sections due to the revelations made post-LS roll call. However, I decided that this kind of discussion may be best saved for a few more months down the road instead, to see if the bigger picture looks different than it presently does.

[Enzo]

While we may not need to make a new forum section for each server I have to say that on the discussion forums I often feel Gilgamesh is smashed by the Balmung server because of Balmung overall just being the bigger server and it makes it very difficult for residents of Gilgamesh to discuss together. It may not be so much of a hassle for the balmung players who occupy the majority of the threads but if I desire to discuss with fellow players of Gilgamesh then I must sort through many pages of posts to find a post that may or may not have (Gilgamesh) In the title thread. I am not too sure how having individual sections would tear the community apart when we could easily just look to the other section to find out what the other server is up to. But it is a real downer when I see good ideas for RPs then notice the Balmung server under the players name. I do feel things could be better sorted out. Even if we are connected on here you have to realize there IS a server difference between us and that won't change. Which is why you should respect our community in helping us stay better connected to each other before scattering us across the broad picture. As I said individual sections may not be needed but it is one way of fixing it. Maybe individual sections for each server then a General discussion. Or really anyway to be able to easily sort through Gilgamesh and Balmung posts so people looking for Gilgamesh can connect with other Gilgamesh players. The point is that other than the events section Gilgamesh feels like a scattered community trying to find its way through the giant and alien land of Balmung posts. Its hard to do diplomacy as an overall community if one of the two factions is broken and splintered up by the other. Hopefully you can understand and some measure will be taken to handle this problem. Because it IS there. and the Gilgamesh community will have a hard time growing if it can't pull itself together.

[Kismet]

If our RP community was waaaaaay bigger, then I would support this idea. We do not have the numbers of... let's say GW2RP, for example. For the size that RPC is right now, a communal discussion place seems to work just fine.

[Enzo]

If our RP community was waaaaaay bigger, then I would support this idea. We do not have the numbers of... let's say GW2RP, for example. For the size that RPC is right now, a communal discussion place seems to work just fine.

But honestly Gilgamesh and Balmung have nothing to do with each other. We are both RP servers but we cannot really RP with each other. We are similar worlds but have no connection with each other. All this communal discussion place ends up doing is making it harder for the Gilgamesh community to stay connected within this maze of Balmung. Balmung seems very populous and always growing but I believe it will be difficult for Gilgamesh to grow unless we can stay connected and handle ourselves. It simply annoys me that people try to say they do not want to divide the community but really what is keeping this section blended going to do? Show how successful Balmung is doing compared to Gilgamesh then everyone will want to switch to Balmung. It also makes it harder for Gilgamesh to stay connected. Maybe because you all are Balmung players you do not understand very well but Gilgamesh does not seem to benefit at all from this layout. I want to see my server grow and be successful like yours but it is difficult to do with the system we have now. We will never get a bigger community unless we can show some organization and work ourselves to make the community bigger.

[C'kayah Polaali]

This was brought up when we initially chose to build the second forum section. We felt that, while things like events were an obvious choice for needing their own section, "discussion" ought to be something that everyone regardless of server felt they could be included in. Separate forums would discourage this interaction. While we respect that there are communities on multiple servers, it's our stance that the less division there is between our community as a whole, the better. If people really do feel that discussion threads need to be differentiated, though, maybe the solution is a simple server note in the subject line or main body of the post.

 

This, really. I've benefited enormously from reading RP discussions by Gilgamesh players (I started C down the villain path largely through a discussion with some of the folks from the Ambrosia FC there). The game lore isn't different between the servers, and much of the RP discussion does revolve around that: Miqo'te lore; the advisability of RPing events from the storyline quest; etc.

 

Since we've recently discussed tagging subject lines in thread, I agree with Xen here that using a [Gilgamesh] or [balmung] tag would be a good way to flag server-specific discussions. Otherwise, I'd much rather we all talk in the same forum.

[Kismet]

If our RP community was waaaaaay bigger, then I would support this idea. We do not have the numbers of... let's say GW2RP, for example. For the size that RPC is right now, a communal discussion place seems to work just fine.

But honestly Gilgamesh and Balmung have nothing to do with each other. We are both RP servers but we cannot really RP with each other. We are similar worlds but have no connection with each other. All this communal discussion place ends up doing is making it harder for the Gilgamesh community to stay connected within this maze of Balmung. Balmung seems very populous and always growing but I believe it will be difficult for Gilgamesh to grow unless we can stay connected and handle ourselves. It simply annoys me that people try to say they do not want to divide the community but really what is keeping this section blended going to do? Show how successful Balmung is doing compared to Gilgamesh then everyone will want to switch to Balmung. It also makes it harder for Gilgamesh to stay connected. Maybe because you all are Balmung players you do not understand very well but Gilgamesh does not seem to benefit at all from this layout. I want to see my server grow and be successful like yours but it is difficult to do with the system we have now. We will never get a bigger community unless we can show some organization and work ourselves to make the community bigger.

 

Separation of forums will not foster growth in Gilgamesh's RP community and having a communal discussion forum does not foster decay. Players themselves are the cause of a community's decline or flourishing. Something as insignificant as how these forums are organized has nothing to do with how large or how willing to collaborate Balmung's population is.

 

Likewise, if you really feel that Gilgamesh is having so much trouble "staying connected within this maze of Balmung" and "will have difficulty growing unless it can stay connected and handle itself" as you say, that is the fault of the community itself. It's not the fault of a lack of a Gilgamesh-only subforum.

[Aysun]

Separation of forums will not foster growth in Gilgamesh's RP community and having a communal discussion forum does not foster decay. Players themselves are the cause of a community's decline or flourishing. Something as insignificant as how these forums are organized has nothing to do with how large or how willing to collaborate Balmung's population is.

 

Likewise, if you really feel that Gilgamesh is having so much trouble "staying connected within this maze of Balmung" and "will have difficulty growing unless it can stay connected and handle itself" as you say, that is the fault of the community itself. It's not the fault of a lack of a Gilgamesh-only subforum.

 

Pretty much.

 

The powersthatbe have already spoken, and honestly I think the only thing adding a separate subforum would do for Gilgamesh is hurt any potential growth, because it would display in numbers the differences in population again.

[FreelanceWizard]

I suppose I ought to weigh in on this.

 

Most of the threads in the RP Discussion forum aren't server-specific, as C'kayah noted. Discussions of lore, the art of RP, etiquette, and the like are valid for players on both servers and benefit from everyone's input. Certainly, requests for RP are specific to particular servers, but people have been pretty good about tagging those posts. I don't really agree with the argument that separate forums will help Gilgamesh players organize; one, there's already two separated forums (roster and events, which can include event discussion), and two, the main discussion forum is a viable place for anyone to post threads for organizing. I've seen Gilgamesh RPers pull together plots and RP in the "big forum." Perhaps the greatest harm that will be caused is establishing further "lines of division" between the servers on this forum.

 

So, I'm on the side of not splitting things up. I do see how it might make some threads easier to find, but on the other hand, I don't see that as an immense advantage that outweighs the other problems it can cause.

[Flickering Ember]

This was brought up when we initially chose to build the second forum section. We felt that, while things like events were an obvious choice for needing their own section, "discussion" ought to be something that everyone regardless of server felt they could be included in. Separate forums would discourage this interaction. While we respect that there are communities on multiple servers, it's our stance that the less division there is between our community as a whole, the better. If people really do feel that discussion threads need to be differentiated, though, maybe the solution is a simple server note in the subject line or main body of the post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd like to propose an alternative. This forum doesn't really have a separate forum for any sort of 'Making Connections' threads. RP discussion is distinctly different from threads that are simply looking for RP contacts or for roles in their storyline. Balmung and Gilgamesh could each have their own 'Making Connections' forum which would both organize the forums and also separate out actual discussion from contact requests.

 

If I want to find some contacts for my story, I can simply go to the Making Connections forum without sorting through discussion. If I just want to talk about RP and discuss things like lore, RP etiquette, and bio advice then I can and there is no need to have separate server forums for general RP discussion. I think the idea of having separate forum servers is more needed in the sense of "LF a person to play my sister!" than "Does this character concept work?"

 

Edit: Or if the issue really is that you don't want to separate the servers any further, what about a completely separate 'Making Connections' forum that is shared by both servers and simply tagged?

[Illira]

 

I'd like to propose an alternative. This forum doesn't really have a separate forum for any sort of 'Making Connections' threads. RP discussion is distinctly different from threads that are simply looking for RP contacts or for roles in their storyline. Balmung and Gilgamesh could each have their own 'Making Connections' forum which would both organize the forums and also separate out actual discussion from contact requests.

I actually really like Ember's proposal, and I think it goes far in addressing the issues and concerns as seen by both sides of this. Additionally, it would also remove the LF-RP clutter from the discussion of RP on a conceptual level, as they are very different things, that don't depend on one another. It would also make it easier for others to actually find what they are looking for.

[TheLastCandle]

 

I'd like to propose an alternative. This forum doesn't really have a separate forum for any sort of 'Making Connections' threads. RP discussion is distinctly different from threads that are simply looking for RP contacts or for roles in their storyline. Balmung and Gilgamesh could each have their own 'Making Connections' forum which would both organize the forums and also separate out actual discussion from contact requests.

I actually really like Ember's proposal, and I think it goes far in addressing the issues and concerns as seen by both sides of this. Additionally, it would also remove the LF-RP clutter from the discussion of RP on a conceptual level, as they are very different things, that don't depend on one another. It would also make it easier for others to actually find what they are looking for.

 

This does make sense.

[FreelanceWizard]

I'd like to propose an alternative. This forum doesn't really have a separate forum for any sort of 'Making Connections' threads. RP discussion is distinctly different from threads that are simply looking for RP contacts or for roles in their storyline. Balmung and Gilgamesh could each have their own 'Making Connections' forum which would both organize the forums and also separate out actual discussion from contact requests.

 

Speaking without my Admin Trainee hat on, that's a pretty good idea, I think -- one for each server, so people can coordinate RP connections without the clutter. That'd also keep the RP discussion forum clear for discussions of larger issues that are cross-server. In short, I support this idea and would like to subscribe to its newsletter.

[ArmachiA]

I'd like to propose an alternative. This forum doesn't really have a separate forum for any sort of 'Making Connections' threads. RP discussion is distinctly different from threads that are simply looking for RP contacts or for roles in their storyline. Balmung and Gilgamesh could each have their own 'Making Connections' forum which would both organize the forums and also separate out actual discussion from contact requests.

 

If I want to find some contacts for my story, I can simply go to the Making Connections forum without sorting through discussion. If I just want to talk about RP and discuss things like lore, RP etiquette, and bio advice then I can and there is no need to have separate server forums for general RP discussion. I think the idea of having separate forum servers is more needed in the sense of "LF a person to play my sister!" than "Does this character concept work?"

 

Edit: Or if the issue really is that you don't want to separate the servers any further, what about a completely separate 'Making Connections' forum that is shared by both servers and simply tagged?

 

I just want to say that is a marvelous idea.

[Haven's Fox]

As thing stand I say keep the forums together. It provides for good an interesting reading when you stumble into other threads even if they are not your server. Besides adding the [tag] for the really server specific rp threads is easy enough when opening a new thread.

[Ninian Lune'ciel]

I would have to support the 'Making Connections' idea as well. As many people have said, it isn't so much splitting the community or separating discussion as it is organizing specific server roleplay. It would make it easy to see what sort of roleplay is going on, outside of events and such.

[Fates Skein]

Just adding another "Hey, that's a great idea!" to the Making Connections idea, with different subforums under that tag for each server (hells, if it's not too complicated, do a Balmung, a Gilgamesh, and an Other subforum, much the same way that the LS/FC section is set up).  I think it will help people that are just looking for RP connections/NPCs for storylines, etc be able to actually get the attention their posts deserve without having to constantly bump it so that it doesn't fall into the realm of the 4th or 5th page.