I had an enjoyable conversation with Kevin of the Redcaps Podcast earlier this week. One of the questions he asked me was where I would recommend someone looks for conversation about tabletop role-playing games online.

I had to work through the question before I found an answer. The question has stuck in my mind for the last couple days so I’m going to expand on the response I gave.

It depends…

There is no single answer because it depends…

What are you hoping to get from participating in that conversation?

What games or types of games you are interested in?

Are you new or are you an old hat?

What kind of conversation are you looking for? Game mechanics? Game industry news and current events? A specific game? A genre of game setting? Gaming in a particular geographic location?

Are you looking for something that mixes other interests that are adjacent to the roleplaying hobby?

There is so much variety and possibility that I don’t have a particular online space that covers all the possible interests a person who isn’t me could want.

Talking about RPGs and Playing RPGs are two different hobbies

Playing RPGs and conversing about RPGs online are two different hobbies.

One is enjoying the play, the camaraderie, the fun of playing. The other is thinking about that experience of play and communicating our thoughts about it.

Conversing can be as satisfying as play but in a different way. It can expand your knowledge of the hobby. It can be a way to meet people to play games with or hang out at conventions. It can can be a way to find out about games or resources for the game you like.

Talking about games can be enjoyable but it isn’t the same thing and it might actually distract you from playing. If talking about games online is getting more of your time than playing, is that really what you are after?

I’m not saying it’s bad because I’m as guilty of that as anyone. I’m just saying that if you want to play then focus on play.

The enshitification of the internet

Cory Doctorow came up with a neologism to describe one of the biggest problems of the internet; enshitification.

Most platforms where those conversations happen have become shit.

Facebook groups? Most groups I’m on consist of memes and shelfies. If you have a question that might have already been asked, you’ll have a hard time finding the answer. The search function across Facebook sucks and I’m sure that’s on purpose. Some Facebook groups offer a lot of great material, are great for organizing events, or finding players. I like the Dark Sun group and groups for gamers in Cleveland. If you don’t use Facebook, then they aren’t much use to you.

Reddit? I find that most of the conversation is for the purpose of Redditers increasing their own vanity metrics of upvotes and comment karma, shit posting to get a rise out of someone else, or shilling for their blog/YouTube channel/product. It’s competition not collaboration.

X? I’ve written about that before and my opinion hasn’t changed.

Discord? It’s OK. Depending on who is running the server and how invested the users on that server on in making the environment a positive one. Personally, I have an intense dislike of the structure of the application. I don’t get on it regularly and find I have to spend a lot of time scrolling up through the conversations to figure out what is being discussed.

I prefer the old school message boards but they do not get nearly the user traffic they used to. The lack of traffic to these sites reduces the network effect and their usefulness. Goodman games recently closed their DCC forum because, I assume, it wasn’t being used. Most message boards suck to navigate over the phone. The quality of the conversation on a message board can be better than other platforms. It can also be dreadful if the site owner and moderators are assholes.

What online conversations about games do I participate in?

Candidly, I use message boards, Facebook groups, Reddit and other places as a way to make people aware of my blog and monthly email newsletter. I do that by contributing something I believe will be useful. Occasionally, I post a link that answers a question being asked.

Many online discussions are topics that have been argued over since the first issue of Alarums & Excursions. The people who are most passionate are the people who seem to be most ignorant of what has come before. If I think I have something that is truly positive, useful, and unique to contribute, I do.

A lot of the discussion about RPGs the internet are arguments. It’s not worth my time to argue in most cases. There are so many more fun, and useful conversations to get involved in. Proving uglydungeonmaster666 is wrong is not worth my time or energy.

I participate most often in the FB groups and Discord servers for Cleveland area game shops and North Texas RPG Con Facebook Group but even that is limited.

Right now, there are three reasons I participate in online discussions.

• Make the people I think would like my writing aware that this blog exists.
• Contribute my own perspective and experience to those I think would find it useful.
• Connect with people I want to play games or hang out with.

There isn’t a single platform or group that accomplishes all three of those things. I follow several but actively participate in few.

If you are new to the hobby of talking about RPGs online then my suggestion is to think about and write down what you are hoping to get out of that activity. If you find a site or group on a platform you are already using that seems to fit that desire, give it a try. See if it works and don’t feel bad about opting out when it appears that the group isn’t a fit after all.

Gaming and talking about games are not the same hobby though they are obviously connected. You don’t have to participate in the conversation if it isn’t serving your interest in playing roleplaying games.