Wargamer.com sob story on Boardgamegeek

[bob48]

^as the actress said to the bishop.

[Pining]

The comments may have application here in the sense that responses to reviews are just as likely to go unread or generate as little real discussion. A look at the "feedback" forum here at Grogheads will show relatively little engagement between authors and readers, compared to other areas of the site. That's not a criticism, it's an observation, and it's certainly not a phenomenon confined to any particular site. I think it's too bad, frankly, that so many well-written reviews generate so little discussion despite the obvious fact that so many people have a lot of free time on their hands. I guess they feel they know more about motorboating and are more comfortable contributing their knowledge in that area of expertise.

We have several experts in motorboating. We have masters in Scottish Highland technique, Canadian Rockies technique, and Appalachian Trail technique amongst others. The fact that they are also experts in wargaming but prefer to agree in silence with our wargaming reviews should not be taken as a net minus in our forumites' quality.

The Down Under technique.....................

[The Puss]

We have masters in Scottish Highland technique,

Hoots mon LB, just back from the tossing, caber that is. Funny enough there seems to be a lot of tossers about who want to dictate where I look and post.

[airboy]

As usual, I have next to no idea what is going on.  I got a direct email from Curtis because I had a review I have been working on for an expansion of PanzerCorps.  It came from out of blue.  This was unexpected.

I have done reviews for multiple wargame sites - and they tend to wax and wane in terms of useful content/reviews and forum participation.

Wargamer fell really low in terms of new content for quite a while.  Curtis in recent months had encouraged a lot of content and reviews - many of which I found to be interesting.  Grogheads has also picked up in terms of reviews and original content.
Armchairgeneral has had very little useful gaming content - aside from the supurb youtube "howto" videos of the combat mission game.  Those are simply outstanding.

The "pay" for reviews is not very much - $25 a pop.  You seldom get a hard copy of the game.  I usually just buy my own copies since the pay for reviews is not worth deeply exploring a game unless I really like it.  I generally write a review only after playing for a week or more - sometimes for a month or longer.  I do reviews usually to organize my thoughts about a game.  I pull them back out when I'm going to play a new game for a while.

I'm sorry for whatever happened to Curtis simply because it may endanger the amount of new reviews/useful content on wargamer. 

People tend to take a lot of this stuff to seriously.  I wish it did not happen - but it does. 

[LongBlade]

As usual, I have next to no idea what is going on.  I got a direct email from Curtis because I had a review I have been working on for an expansion of PanzerCorps.  It came from out of blue.  This was unexpected.

The simple answer is Curtis was fired by Slitherine. Grogheads had no influence on that decision. I am personally saddened by his dismissal, and professionally confused - Curtis had done much to improve their content. It is a strange decision.

Armchairgeneral has had very little useful gaming content - aside from the supurb youtube "howto" videos of the combat mission game.  Those are simply outstanding.

Agreed. Those are excellent.

Unfortunately, when I joined ACG, 90% of their readership was in their forums, and the gaming activity in the forums was negligible. Spending a year there trying to promote gaming on ACG resulted in no change - ACG readers aren't interested in gaming despite the fact that the management is. There are some great writers over there. Unfortunately they lack much of an audience to appreciate it.

[MikeGER]

Airboy,
for me it doesn't matter how good a meal is cooked in a dress-code restaurant, when the waitress is treating customers like toddlers around the sandbox, while failing to get rid of the kicked-out bullies, who never actualled have eaten there, but sneaked in each day in a new costume to molest the customers having a digestif.
The 'don't talk with waitress about the service of the waitress, or you will get pulled by the ears from the playground like a toddler by the evil governess, doesn't helped much to to improve the situation.

No wonder what happend when finally Le Patron find out, that he has leather-bound menue carte full of excellent dishes, but his restaurant keeps empty more and more ...and regulars switch to frequent other fancy eateries... like "Chez Grogs" - 5-star wargaming discussions, for example ;) ...next to other places in town.

The Wargamer is an add-front for Matrix/Slitherein, which btw is absolute OK, when you know this fact.
But you never knew how the frontpage stuff got /or got not 'moderated'.
I allways prefer the private first opinion of wargamers  i know over years, posted in the WG's forum threads.
In addition i almost had the games in question already, after reading those forum threads, when the official review appears on the frontpage some good time later. Well, for 'still on the fence decisions' browsing through just an additional review or AARs published at WG, next to all the other sources, is a good thing. Even so reviews allways have to be taken cum grano salis.

[bayonetbrant]

The same thoughts I posted to the thread at BGG

Today's rank according to Alexa:

BoardgameGeek:
Global Rank: 6,183 Traffic Rank in US: 2,751 Sites Linking In: 9,159

Matrix Games:
Global Rank: 66,787, US Rank: 44,194, Sites Linking In: 915

Wargamer.com:
Global Rank: 125,909, US Rank: 68,529, Sites Linking In: 744

Gamesquad.com:
Global Rank: 220,564, US rank: 61,563, Sites Linking In: 183

Consimworld:
Global Rank: 359,062, US Rank: 160,298, Sites Linking In: 410

Grognard.com:
Global Rank: 1,923,150, No US ranking, Sites Linking In: 435

GrogHeads.com:
Global Rank: 271,235, US ranking: 42,422, Sites Linking In: 43


GrogHeads has been open less than a year, with a front page that started running reviews/articles in April, and the US ranking is ahead of Matrix, Wargamer.com, CSW, and GameSquad, and that's with only 43 sites linking into it.

It is stomping on the planet? No. Hardly. But it's gone from nothing to something in remarkably short time, and there are some people out there who don't really like that, and see it as a 'threat' to whatever their favorite corner of the internet is.

Personally, I think the web is big enough for all of us, and you can find a comfortable community if you look hard enough. And if you can't find one, you start one. That's what we did with GrogHeads, and it appears as though there's at least a few other people out there that like the way we're doing things.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

What does this mean for GrogHeads?

A few things -
1.  We need to bump the international audience.  Youse guys in the UK, Germany, Far East, etc - start dragging in some friends!  And if you don't have any, then start dragging in some strangers!
2.  We need more sites linking into us.  Y'all need to get your friends, family, neighbors, fellow gamers, and places of employment to put large and prominent links to GrogHeads on their homepages.  Someone needs to hack all those political campaign sites out there and get GrogHeads links in place of all those annoying attack ads.
3.  Most importantly - GET THE WORD OUT.  People rarely stumble across that which they didn't know existed without having it drop in front of them somehow.  You gotta tell people about GH.  Link to the articles from Facebook.  Email friends and say "hey, check out this article! I thought you'd like it!"  Post elsewhere on the web with "hey, there's this interesting conversation at GH - what do y'all think?" and get them involved.  We want to be as awesome and informative and fun and entertaining and big  (roughly in that order! ;) ) as we can, but we need your help to do it. 

Thanks for everything so far - and he's to what's yet to come 

[undercovergeek]

Is there any money in the handbag at all? Maybe sponsor a small con or even a stand at a big one, sponsor a competition thatll drag in people from places unknown at the moment? Sponsor a boardgame at bgg that everyone plays here? Do unto them as they did unto you and post 'hey if you're interested in....' posts at WG. Promote a HEALTHY contest between the sites be it a board game competition or online game and let all them see all us. Cross it over to matrix too if poss

Figure painting competition from every figure painting site you can find?

Model painting?

Small forum for indie wargamers and carry the grog heads name on it

I dunno I'm just thinking aloud

[airboy]

Maybe I'm naive - but I have never had the substance of a review or a comment on a game/game review altered by any editor or any site.

I have been pretty blunt in my criticism of PanzerCorps AfrikaKorps.  This came out in my review and also on comments on this forum and the wargamer forum.  But none of this commentary was edited.  Originally the wargamer partisans panned some of my observations - but they eventually backed down and now state that some of the criticisms I made about really poor documentation of game features would not be repeated.

I'm sorry if some/most of you were treated badly. 

I also did not buy the claim Curtis made that people were actively trying to destroy one forum or another.

[Jarhead0331]

The same thoughts I posted to the thread at BGG

Today's rank according to Alexa:

BoardgameGeek:
Global Rank: 6,183 Traffic Rank in US: 2,751 Sites Linking In: 9,159

Matrix Games:
Global Rank: 66,787, US Rank: 44,194, Sites Linking In: 915

Wargamer.com:
Global Rank: 125,909, US Rank: 68,529, Sites Linking In: 744

Gamesquad.com:
Global Rank: 220,564, US rank: 61,563, Sites Linking In: 183

Consimworld:
Global Rank: 359,062, US Rank: 160,298, Sites Linking In: 410

Grognard.com:
Global Rank: 1,923,150, No US ranking, Sites Linking In: 435

GrogHeads.com:
Global Rank: 271,235, US ranking: 42,422, Sites Linking In: 43


GrogHeads has been open less than a year, with a front page that started running reviews/articles in April, and the US ranking is ahead of Matrix, Wargamer.com, CSW, and GameSquad, and that's with only 43 sites linking into it.

Impressive numbers.  Bravo!

[Longdan]

The idea of attracting more of an international audience is admirable.
I think so because I do not live in USA! USA!.
A more international and less provincial outlook would help achieve this goal.
While many members have a rather broad outlook and plenty of editorial evidence
of this visible...other members do not and are very vocal both here and over at Wargamer.
I hope some will think about this before telling me to p*ss off and die in a fire.
If you want an insular and like-thinking community you can get it easily.
As a Good Example I am optomistic about Bayonetbrant's influence...over at GrogNEWS he has hosted all
sorts of stuff from all over the world over the years.  I am sad he hardly ever posts over at the other place.
Just what I think.  I do not purport to represent anyone else.
cheers

[Yskonyn]

In light of the 'sob' story another bait has been posted at WG.  ::)
http://wargamer.com/forums/posts.asp?t=585159

[Jarhead0331]

I am sad he hardly ever posts over at the other place.

Why don't you just post more here then?

[bayonetbrant]

As a Good Example I am optomistic about Bayonetbrant's influence...

Wow... pretty sure I've never heard that before... ;D

[Longdan]

Don't be silly..either of you.