MOD What Sorcery is This?! - Navigation and Genre Tags in the New Old RPF

So I know what you're thinking - Ramza, you monster, you've deleted half the board!

Not so. Well, not yet, anyway. You see, while Xenforo is extremely nice from the perspective of sorting previously disparate sections of the boards together, it also has a finicky quirk - a particularly widespread bit of data finagling can wipe out prefixes. This would be disastrous in the event of a full RPF merger... so we didn't.

Instead, the merging process has been streamlined. Threads with content from any time after December 31, 2009 are placed here, in the Role Playing Forum. The older threads have been sorted into an archive, which includes redirects to threads that were previously located in the respective boards.

These archives, then, are snapshots of a pre-move RPF. And in the event we lose all our prefixes, we only have to manually re-tag about 8 pages of content, or 160 threads, as opposed to literally hundreds.

"But" - you may be wondering - "having to navigate to a subcategory is a chore. Surely there's a faster way to do this?"

Indeed there is. Located at the top of the board are multiple prefixes for quick-sorting purposes. But they also include two prefixes you won't see here in the Role Playing Forum: SWRPF Archive and NSWRPF Archive. By clicking these buttons, you are automatically taken to the relevant pre-2010 content for the selected boards - no need to navigate out of the RPF at all! Similarly, links at the top of those boards (Excluding the Archive links) will take you back to here - you need never visit the landing unless you're headed to the RPR!

... For now.

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With regards to the RPR, a similar mechanism has been implemented. The relevant button is RPR Archive.

 

In addition, you may have noticed we now sort by a lot of genres, rather than just large "Star Wars" and "Non-Star Wars" clumps (Archival threads excepted). This is for two reasons: 1. Because you guys asked for it since we can and 2. It removes the appearance of a stigma against Non-Star Wars games, where, of course, there is none. Star Wars or Non-Star Wars, we allow all games that obey the greater forum rules here. If you can dream it, you can make it.

"But Ramza, you sly dog" - you most certainly are not thinking - "how do I know which prefix is right for my game?" That's a great question, and here's how the genres break down:

• Drama - Games tagged with Drama derive their primary emphasis from the narrative created by the players and GM, or focus on a mystery that involves mundane elements rather than the supernatural. Often, but not always, the Drama tag carries a context of the unfantastic - plots may be outlandish, but they don't typically involve super-science, the supernatural or magic. The film Citizen Kane could be tagged as Drama, as could Mulholland Drive.
• Fantasy - Games tagged with Fantasy derive their primary emphasis from exploring a world impacted by magic and the supernatural in a way that does not necessarily provoke a sense of dread. Elves, dwarves, and orcs are often considered staples of the genre, but mythological settings from all cultures would also fit well under here. The Lord of the Rings trilogy could be tagged as Fantasy, as could Industrial Symphony No. 1.
• Historical Earth - Games tagged with Historical Earth are set in the real or somewhat altered past of our own planet. A broad, catch-all topic, it can include elements of other genres, but MUST contain a real Earth timeframe prior to the present. This is one of two genres that moderators will correct if used for games it does not apply to. The film Apocalypse Now could be tagged as Historical Earth, as could The Elephant Man.
• Horror - Games tagged with Horror frequently rely on magic, the supernatural, and/or the inexplicable to evoke a sense of dread in the characters and possibly the players. Often, horror games involve the threat or perpetration of character death on a much broader scale than any other genre, though psychological horror also fits in here. The film Dawn of the Dead could be tagged as Horror, as could Inland Empire.
• Science Fiction - Arguably the broadest prefix of all, games tagged with Science Fiction involve elements impossible with our current technology, but that may be set in the future, past, or present. Aliens and robots are considered staples of the genre, but are by no means the extent of it. Superheroes are frequently filed under here. The film Dune could be tagged as Science Fiction, as could Batman.
• Star Wars - Technically a subsection of Science Fiction, we are a subsection of a dedicated Star Wars forum and thus have a lot of Star Wars games. While Star Wars can be applied to any game involving Star Wars, you are free to use a different genre if you feel that is more appropriate. This is one of two genres that moderators will correct if used for games it does not apply to. Rather pedantically, the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi could be tagged as Star Wars, as could Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
• Thriller - Games tagged with Thriller are either action games that do not fit another game designation, or are what could be considered a drama game with significantly higher and more dangerous stakes. If you choose Thriller, your players will probably expect their characters to be racing against the clock at least once. The film Rambo could be tagged as Thriller, as could Blue Velvet.
• Unclassifiable - if you give up, Unclassifiable is there for you. Use it if you're doing something so different that the other genres don't include it, or if you're offering such a hodgepodge you don't know what to call it. A game where giving away the genre could spoil the plot could also fit in here. The film Eraserhead could be tagged as Unclassifiable, as could Un Chien Andalou.

And that's all there is to it! Remember, you're free to contact the moderators at any time to request a prefix change on your game, bearing in mind the rules for Historical Earth and Star Wars. And if you're not sure, just guess! The moderators won't force you into a prefix, though in the two noted cases we might force you out at no penalty.

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And now, I leave this thread open to discussion, as this is a new system and will probably require some revisions.

 

No comedy?

 

With our sense of humor? Let's face it, that can be easily folded into Horror.

 

Where did the Temp Boards go? We were told (last I heard at least) that the Temp Boards would be archived. Am I missing a button to click for them?

Thanks!

 

The temp boards are at http://boards.theforce.net/xentemp/index.php

Take note, however, that navigating to them in the same browser will log you out of both boards.

 

Spotted the log out thing. Can we leave the Temp Boards up please; will make it easier to transfer temp board thread posts onto the new board threads.

Well done to all involved.

 

Temp boards will be accessible but not forever. Anything that you want or need off the temp boards, I'd recommend saving it ASAP.

 

The archive will be up forever, mind you. It's the log in and edit/post features that are going away - the latter probably a lot faster than the former.